This year has been hell for AC problems. I've probably had 10 calls in the last two months. Blown capacitors, clogged drain lines, inadequate ductwork, failed thermostats, leaks etc....

Then there was the one today. I was at a house to look at and approve some pavers the tenants wanted to install (he's a paver contractor). While their he mentioned his AC might not be working right because we sucked out his drain line while we were there as a preventive measure.

Why did he think it wasn't working? Well he changes the filter every month but he's concerned because it's never dirty. Isn't it supposed to be dirty?

Well yes except in cases where the house is kept so clean you could eat off the floor. Their house has always been the cleanest house I've ever seen. I had to explain to him they're clean because his house is spotless and if they're not dirty he doesn't need to change them, just check them and change when they do get dirty.

Interesting about the blown capacitors and bad thermostats. Has anyone else had an excess of electrical components break in the last few months, maybe since December?

If so, I wonder if it could be related to solar minimum when a lot more electrically charged particles come this way due to the lack of sunspots which blew them away. It's so bad that airline pilots are considered radiation workers and have to be monitored. These charged particles can cause heart arrhythmias. See space weather site

Was just talking to my HVAC guy today. We're only in the 90's-low 100's, and I've had three A/C's that are struggling to keep up, yet a few years ago, we had 100+ consecutive days of triple-digit weather, and were regularly hitting 115*-120* with nary a problem...

OK so my funny is this. While replacing a filter on an AC the kind that has the grill inside the home. Tenant is looking over my shoulder and says wow that's really dirty. My answer is that because you keep it so clean inside. The cleaner the house the more the filter gets clogged.