They were expecting their air conditioners to cool them off. Instead, they started a fire.Although fire departments do not specifically track such incidents, Palm Beach County firefighters have already extinguished at least three such blazes in the last six months, said Cpt. Doug McGlynn of Palm Beach County Fire Rescue.The culprit in each case was a leaking air handler in a condo storage closet, which short-circuited electrical equipment underneath.With South Florida now at its hottest, the risk of such fires is at its peak, experts say. Since January 2011, 215 fires in Florida were related to air conditioners, the state Fire Marshal reported. But it's a problem easily avoided by keeping drain lines unclogged and having units maintained."I would say most people do not properly maintain their AC drain line," McGlynn said. "It's 100 percent the homeowner's responsibility."The three condo fires McGlynn knew of — two at Kings Point, west of Delray Beach, and one at Palm Isles, west of Boynton Beach — were small and no one was injured.

Smoke detectors alerted the residents early.In each case, the drain line became clogged and a drainage pan overflowed."With the summer, and people keeping their AC units running more often, it's very common that if you don't properly maintain your drain line" it can overflow, McGlynn said.Usually the result is a wet floor. But in many condos, to save space, the water heater is underneath the air conditioning unit. ac dc power supply plug packsWhen water dripped, it shorted the heater and sparked, igniting insulation and items stored in the closet.ac outdoor unit stand priceThe precautions homeowners can take are simple.how to reset central ac unitWhen an air conditioner turns hot air cold, the moisture condenses and drains outside. Pouring diluted bleach into the pipes can prevent algae from clogging them.

McGlynn recommended having air conditioners checked out twice a year and keeping combustibles, such as broomsticks or paper products, out of the utility closet. He said residents should maintain working smoke detectors.Some units have floater switches that prevent drainage pans from overflowing by killing the power when the water level rises.Richard Gathright, who heads the Palm Beach County Building Division, said regulations prevent air conditioners from being installed in bathrooms, for example, but not above water heaters."These apartments are not very large, and with these closets, it's either going to be with the washer/dryer or the water heater," he said.Some complexes insist on replacing their air conditioning systems to avoid problems. Al Smith, property manager at Century Village in Deerfield Beach, said they've recently installed new units that are virtually incombustable, and Palm Isles West, outside Boynton Beach, has done the same."They only last 10 years, then you're supposed to replace them," said Donald Mylan, president of the Palm Isles West homeowners association.

"We haven't had any troubles.", 561-243-6602 or Twitter @benwolford Can Bosh, Wade break out of their funk?Do nicknames on jerseys go against Heat "sacrifice" mantra?Does Wade retain edge on Stephenson?Do Heat appreciate magnitude of Game 5?Could Heat find value in NBA free agency?Would Heat give Peace a chance?The requested URL /document.php?id=673 was not found on this server.LIVE: Watch 9pm news on WHNT News 19 ATHENS, Ala. – The Athens Fire Department was called to Brookhill Elementary School on Tuesday morning after an air conditioning unit in the library malfunctioned. Vance Roberson, Facilities Supervisor for Athens City Schools, said the unit’s motor locked up and started smoking. No one was hurt, and a staff member spotted the problem quickly. “We thank the Athens Fire Department for their quick response,” said Roberson. Athens students return to class tomorrow. Vandalism at Pincham-Lincoln Community Center in Athens leads to arrest of 3;

ages 9, 10 and 14 Athens City Hall hosts open house Athens City Schools program will educate incarcerated students statewide Educators break ground on new Athens High School site Firefighters respond to house fire in Limestone County, 6 people displaced Limestone County Sheriff’s Office hosts first youth mentor camp Crash Causes Power Outage In Limestone County Q&A with candidates running for Madison City Council District 4 Athens State University reaches out to ITT Tech students UPDATE: TBI releases identities of victims, gunman in Tennessee plant shooting Student caught with gun at Limestone Career Center Athens Police use vehicle GPS to track man accused of meeting up with a 12-year-old for sex SC shootings: Suspect allegedly called grandparents before opening fireNovember 30, 2006Alert #07-508 Trane Recalls Air Conditioners after Incidents of Units Smoking The following product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by the firm in cooperation with the CPSC.

Name of Product: PTEE and PTHE Series Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (PTACs) Distributor: The Trane Co., of Piscataway, N.J. Manufacturer: Qingdao Haier Air Conditioner, of Qingdao, China. Hazard: The heating element on these commercially installed units can become displaced and, if it contacts metal, could short circuit. If the electric heater on one of those units short-circuits, wiring problems on 265 volt models could allow the unit to remain energized while the unit's fan is turned off, causing it to overheat and smoke. Incidents/Injuries: Individuals installing units observed smoking and smelled a burning odor in three units during installation testing procedures. Description: The recall includes 208, 230 and 265 volt models of the Trane PTEE and PTHE Series Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners (PTACs). They were manufactured from about March 2006 through July 2006. The date code is F06C through F06G, and is written on the unit's Manufacturer's Data Plate located behind the molded plastic cover above the power connection.