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Nowthatthesum- mer heat is bearing down across the U.S., millions of window- mounted air condition- ers are get- ting a real workout. And many owners of said units are won- dering why their air conditioners aren't working properly. In many instances consum- ers can rectify the prob- lem themselves — if they have the right advice. If you have a window unit in your home, here's what you need to know. More than any other household appliance, win- dow-type air-conditioning units are often neglected. This is a pity because they are big energy users and a little maintenance means that homeowners can save money on both util- ity and repair bills. In fact, with the right informa- tion and access to replace- ment parts, you should be able to fix this appliance yourself, saving the cost of a visit from a repair tech- nician. All residential win- dow air conditioners have a cooling system consist- ing of four primary com- ponents: a compressor, an evaporator, a temperature sensing device and a con- denser. Air conditioner cooling systems are better understood if you think of them more as a device that removes heat and humid- ity from the air than a de- vice that cools the air. These are the essen- tial maintenance steps you should take to keep your window-mounted air con- ditioner operating in tip- top shape while using the least amount of energy: 1. Every month during the months of operation, replace (or clean) the filter located in the front grill. Cost: About $20. 2. The condensing coils on an air conditioner get very dirty, and the dirt tends to accumulate on the inside of the coils, out of sight. Once a year, re- move the entire cover of the air conditioner to gain access to the coils, and then clean them by blowing compressed air on them (compressed air dusters work great). 3. Don't despair if you've accidentally bent the alu- minum fins on the rear of the unit; RepairClinic.com will send you a handy fin- straightening comb. Cost: $9 Here are answers to the top three dilemmas with window-mounted air con- ditioners: Dilemma: A motor is running but no air is blow- ing. Air conditioners have two motors: the compres- sor and the fan motor. It is possible that only one is running. If, after remov- ing the cover of the unit, you discover the fan blade is very stiff and difficult to rotate, the fan motor may need oiling or may need to be replaced. Dilemma: Water leaks from the front of the unit. This is normal. All air conditioners should be in- stalled so they tilt slightly backward to allow for proper removal of con- densed water that accu- mulates. Dilemma: The air smells musty. Air conditioners re- move moisture from the air. Most of it is evapo- rated from the unit. How- ever, it is possible for some water to stagnate in the base of the air conditioner. Also, dirt, lint or dust can collect in the water pan at the base of the unit and absorb water, allow- ing mold and mildew to grow. All this leads to bad smells. Thoroughly clean the water pan each year when you clean the con- denser coils. Need more help? Check out RepairClinic.com, a very helpful online re- source that makes fix- ing things easy. With mil- lions of parts in stock for just about every make and model of home ap- pliance from every era, they'll get you what you need quickly —includ- ing the exact filter you need for that window air conditioner. You can chat with a repair expert just in case you're not sure what you need. And when you have that chat, be sure to let them know you read about them in Mary Hunt's Everyday Cheapskate. MaryHuntisthefounder of www.DebtProofLiving. com, a personal finance member website. You can email her at mary@ everydaycheapskate. com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Ste. B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. EVERYDAYCHEAPSKATE Keep your cool in the heat of summer Mary Hunt Thank you! PLEASE RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER. COURTESYPHOTO Jaida Jobe Nine-year-old Jaida Jobe, of Cottonwood, is entering the 4th grade at Evergreen Elemen- tary School this fall as a National Baton Twirling Champion. During the week of July 12-18 Jobe traveled with her grandparents, Alex and Kristie Garibay, to compete in Beaumont Texas at the United States Twirling Associa- tion National Champion- ships and won three in- dividual titles in her age group in strut, solo and dance twirl. She also twirled to two team titles with teammates from the Buckeye Cuties. Jobe also holds sev- eral state and Western regional titles. She has been twirling since the age of 5 and been twirl- ing competitively for three years. She and her teammates practice year around in order to com- pete from December to July in events through- out the state. They also participate in all local parades. The Buckeye Cuties and their families spon- sor a twirling competi- tion annually in Redding. AWARDS Cottonwood girl wins national twirling titles It has been one year since the last case of wild poliovirus was found in Ni- geria, the only remaining country in Africa where po- lio had never been stopped. This achievement could signal that the world will soon see a polio-free Af- rica, a major milestone in global public health. The Rotary Club of Red Bluff has long supported efforts to end this crip- pling disease. Since 1981, Red Bluff Rotary mem- bers, spouses and the club itself have donated more than $267,000 to The Ro- tary Foundation, which in turn has funded Rotary In- ternational's contributions to eradicate Polio from the planet. Tehama County's other Rotary Clubs, Red Bluff Sunrise Rotary and Corn- ing Rotary, also have sup- ported the Rotary Founda- tion's missions. A global organization composed of more than 34,000 community-based clubs, Rotary has been a leader in the fight to erad- icate polio since 1985, when it launched PolioPlus, the first global initiative to im- munize children against polio. The organization has contributed more than $1.4 billion to efforts to end the disease. Nigeria's last polio case occurred on July 24, 2014, in southern Kano state. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) may soon remove Nigeria from the list of polio-endemic countries. Africa hasn't seen a new case since Au- gust 11, 2014. When Nigeria and the entire African re- gion go three years without a case of polio, WHO will certify them as polio-free. In 2014, WHO declared In- dia and its Southeast Asia region polio-free. Despite this milestone, experts caution that the world must remain vigi- lant. The next two years will be critical to ensuring that Nigeria remains on track and keeps polio from returning. The support of donors, governments and partners like Rotary is needed more than ever to ensure there is no recur- rence of the disease. Beyond Nigeria, Paki- stan and Afghanistan are the only countries left where polio has never been stopped. According to ex- perts, eradication efforts will be most challenging in Pakistan, which accounted for nearly 90 percent of the world's polio cases in 2014. But there has been re- cent progress. In June, Pak- istan reported a decline of more than 70 percent in po- lio cases in 2015, compared with the same time period last year. Also, Rotary and its partners are implement- ing innovative new strate- gies to address the chal- lenges there. In 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio annually, in 125 countries — about 1,000 cases per day. Rotary and its part- ners have reduced that fig- ure by more than 99.9 per- cent, and in 2014, there were fewer than 400 cases in the entire world. Red Bluff Rotary encour- ages the community to sup- port Rotary's efforts to end polio by visiting endpolio. org to donate and to learn more. Visit rotary.org and end- polio.org for more about Rotary and its efforts to eradicate polio. Video and still images will be avail- able in the Rotary Media Center. ROTARY Local club plays role in polio eradication PARADISE Come and join the fun at the Feather River Hospital Health and Well- ness Fair noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 23. This event is free to the community, so bring the whole family and put ev- eryone on the path to well- ness with Feather River Hospital. The Health and Well- ness Fair will have fun activities for the kids, ed- ucational events and var- ious free screenings, for all ages. Some of the free screen- ings available will include: blood pressure checks, dental screenings, can- cer screenings and vision screenings. The Health and Well- ness Fair will be held at 1933 Peach Lane in the Outpatient Surgery Cen- ter located on Feather River Hospital's Main Campus. Booths will be set up both inside and outside of the Outpatient Surgery Center. Come and learn all about the Birth Day Place, Diabe- tes Education, the Cancer Center and the many ser- vices and programs that Feather River Hospital has to offer. A number of community partners will be participat- ing at this health event. Be sure to stop by and see it all. For more information, please call 876-7154. Feather River Hospital is part of Adventist Health, a faith-based, not-for-profit integrated health care de- livery system serving com- munities in California, Ha- waii, Oregon and Washing- ton. 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