jlvc, we have two smaller individual screens. A few years prior to getting this screen fabric, my husband had installed all new windows with the type that fold down for easy cleaning. These new windows had one screen in a frame that covered half of the window. He took each framed screen, to a local glass company that also made replacement glass for broken window panes. They removed each screen from the frame and then placed the new screen in the old frame. My husband wanted the full window covered with screen so he also had that glass company make another framed screen for each window, so that each window had full screen coverage. In other words, we have two have screens on each window that look like one whole framed screen. The window company did the installation. My husband said to Google a company called Quality Screen and the screen material is called Solar Screen Fabric. This company's web site explains how the screening material works. We did not order from this company but they offer the product and have a good explanation. Looking in or out the window, these screens look like normal screening. To me the mesh work appears closer and darker than the usual window screen but the view looking out is not obscured. In the daylight, the outside world cannot see in. At night with a light on inside the room, you can see in but not near as much as with regular screening.

Some AC's have auto shut offs for when things go not so right... some don't. Depends on make, model of the unit in question. If the AC in question doesn't have these safety devices it runs until the breaker trips or it catches fire. (Usually the breaker trips before fire breaks out) But I have seen a few units over the past 26 years -- that caught fire and burned internal components. Cheaper units are those without safety shut offs. All manufacturer's make cheap models... so branding means very little. I service the Katy, Texas area.

Older backwired receptacles are notoriously inadequate; the spring that holds the wires is weak, so the connection is poor: it sparks, scorching the wire insulation. If that receptacle wasn't in a proper box, a fire would have been likely. Instead, you can use a screw connection. Modern backwired receptacle. which requires you twist the wire correctly in the right direction and that it's firmly under the screw. Simpler, use a modern backwired clamping connection illustrated above. Cut the wire back to the un-scorched section and strip enough to insert in the receptacle. You can get more wire free by splitting the cable surrounding the wires. The clamp holding it to the box only needs to press on the cable. If there's not enough undamaged wire to reach the receptacle, you can connect new pieces of wire with wire nuts. Be sure the wires are tightly twisted together first and you cut the connected ends; this makes a sure connection. And, when connected, wrap the open ends with electrician's tape. In case you don't have them, buy and use lineman's and needle-nosed pliers. Finally, don't use the cheapest receptacles you can buy!

You need someone willing to spend the time to track down an unusual fault, like a nerdy DIYer engineer. They're a lot cheaper than a serviceman, too.