When my wife and I called the HVAC company the other day, we were looking to get our heating system checked out to be ready for the winter. We were somewhat surprised when we had a lady HVAC worker come out to our place. It’s not that we don’t support the fact that women can do this work just as well as men, it’s just that you don’t see all that many women in the HVAC industry. We thought it was a beautiful thing and my wife kept telling the HVAC lady that she was setting a fine example for the people in the HVAC industry. She kept mentioning that they need to hire more ladies, and it would also be great to have more female engineers creating more sophisticated heating and cooling equipment. I had to tell my wife that she should leave the HVAC professional alone for a little bit so she could take care of our furnace. I also mentioned how the lady probably had other places to be. My wife was irritated with me because she wanted to talk. I wasn’t able to stop her either, she continued to talk with that HVAC professional. Surprisingly, the young lady was very patient and she answered all my wife’s questions. When our heating system was tuned up, she even showed us how well it was working and just reminded us to remember to change the furnace filters regularly. She even mentioned that we could always sign up for an HVAC service plan, to get regular services done while paying a lower price for the work we needed done.
heating repair
I helped my buddy out when he got into a terrible car accident
When my friend was crashed into by some wreckless driver, I felt terrible seeing that he had to go to the hospital.
Fortunately, he was okay, but he said that the air conditioning in the hospital was cranked up way too high. I asked my buddy how his car was, and he said it was not in great shape. He said it was somewhat drivable, but it needed some work. He said something about the axle having to be replaced and he told me that for some reason, the AC system was no longer working. I figured it had to be a problem with the AC compressor. Potentially, it could have leaked out all the refrigerant, and if there was a leak, the part would have to be replaced. He said because his money was limited, he could only do so much right now. He did mention that he was going to have problems getting to and from work. Because he’s always been a good friend, I told him I would drive him to work and back so long as he gave me a little bit of gas money. It actually did take him around a month to finally get his car working to satisfactory condition. All that time, I made sure he got to work and back. He ended up asking me about my job. He said how it must be nice not having to commute all the time since I was working at home. I was bragging how I set up my office just right and how I had a zoned HVAC system hooked up. This meant I could enjoy the perfect temperature control settings in my office, even when nobody else was home. This is because each zone in my home has customized temperature control settings. It’s a huge energy saver, provides ultimate comfort, and I actually enjoy my job!
central air conditioning
My buddy was interested in working from home
Recently, when I went to my home office to get started with my work, I had the temperature control settings just right.
We have a ductless multi-split system, so we have zones in all different rooms of the house, including my office. Before getting started with my work, I noticed that my friend had gotten into a terrible car accident. He is a delivery driver, and somebody crashed into his vehicle. With the vehicle being worked on, he was out of work and losing money. I decided to talk to him for a little while. I told him that he might be able to benefit more and spend more time with his family if he worked at home like I did. I mentioned that he wouldn’t be at risk all the time of getting into accidents, and he could make pretty good money while enjoying the pleasant temperature control settings at home. He did admit that when he drove around, his AC system didn’t work that well in his car and he would have to roll down the windows to get any sort of cooling relief. When I told him about the kind of work I do with writing and editing, he reminded me about the kind of writing he did for the company newsletter back in the day, and he felt he was pretty good at it. So I ended up speaking with my boss, and he agreed to help my buddy get started with this work-from-home job. He started working part-time since he was still a driver. He ended up liking the writing work a lot more though than his driving task. He kept telling me how being at home with the ideal temperature control settings was awesome, and spending more time with his children was even better. I’m glad he’s doing better now.
Hadn’t been clothes shopping in a long time
This has made my home so much more comfortable with improved air quality
When I was looking for something to wear this morning, I was struggling to find something comfortable to wear. I guessed it was because I hadn’t been clothes shopping in a long time. For the most part, I just worry about the kids getting their clothes that they need for school. I typically will just buy similar style shirts and pants, so I don’t have to worry too much about getting overpriced clothing. Basically, I put my children first and also my wife if she wants anything nice. I think people probably see me and guess that I don’t have the nicest style, but I don’t care too much about that sort of thing to be honest. I guess back when I was in school, I always liked to wear all the fancy name brands. I still wear name brand pants and nice shirts, but they are kind of old anyway. Many of my jeans have rips in them and it’s probably time I go for something new. It’s not like I can’t afford it, I have been making pretty good money from my work-from-home job and I can’t really complain too much about what’s going on in my life these days. The biggest expenses I had to worry about recently was getting the heating system worked on. Of course I always get regular inspections of my HVAC system and tune-ups. I always change the air filters as needed and recently, I even invested in a whole-home air purification system. This has made my home so much more comfortable with improved air quality. I think my family appreciates me making sure the HVAC is working well for our comfort. I know we’ll get through the winter just fine, with low energy bills and all. And who knows, maybe my loved ones will buy me some nice new outfits for Christmas.
An AC emergency before the big game
Football season is sacred in this house.
Not the NFL, of course, that is just a bunch of overpaid old men.
I love college football, which is the greatest game on earth in my humble opinion. Two weeks ago was the big game for the local team. Instead of getting tickets for the stadium and tailgating in the parking lot I decided to host a viewing party at my house. I got drinks and snacks, set up the big screen TV and the sound system, and was ready to make a day of it. At the very last minute, my air conditioner stopped working. This was especially infuriating for me, because I had just been given a clean bill of health during my last HVAC inspection. My regular HVAC tech is named Ed, and he had checked my system just three weeks ago. According to Ed my air conditioner was in tip-top shape, so I was bewildered and angry at it breaking down at such an inopportune time. With an hour before kickoff, and guests already showing up, I called Ed on the HVAC emergency hotline he has for his shop. I explained my situation to him, and although this wasn’t a life-and-death emergency, I really needed air conditioning so we could enjoy the big game. Ed was at my house within 30 minutes, and the air conditioning was working again before the opening kickoff. We were all so stoked to have the cooling system back online that I invited Ed to stay and watch the game with us. But he had more work to do.
I need extra cooling when I sleep
I am what is called a “hot sleeper.” Whenever I go to sleep my body temp starts to rise, to the point where I feel feverish and clammy.
I find it so unusual, because at all other times I have no problems with overheating.
If anything I am in good shape and fair health, it is only when I rest that my temperature spikes. There is no medicine that can help me with this, so I had to get creative. I talked to Ed, the guy who handled my annual HVAC inspection, about getting a custom cooling system for my bedroom. Ed had a lot of good ideas, and was aware I didn’t have a lot of extra money to spend on a new cooling system. He recommended a new product I had never heard of before. It is a small air conditioner, no bigger than the size of a space heater. Instead of having air vents it has flexible air ducts attached to the side of it. These air ducts are two feet long, and can be moved in any direction. By sitting this cooling unit behind the headboard of my bed, I could air the air ducts directly at my pillows. The air conditioner would flood my upper body with a consistent air flow of 68 degrees all through the night, and thus offset my “hot sleeping.” The best part about all this was the cost. Ed hooked me up, and I got instant cooling relief for my condition for less than two hundred bucks. What a deal!
I have a date with my HVAC specialist
When she was finished I wrote a check for the HVAC inspection, and in return she gave me her phone number
Last weekend I had arranged for my annual HVAC inspection. In the old days I would have done it twice a year, but the economy sucks right now so once a year is all I can afford. I knew the specialist would be coming by at noon, but they showed up a little bit early, so I was still in my bathrobe when I answered the door. Standing on my front porch was Lucy, also known as “the one that got away.” I had loved her passionately, many years ago. Seeing her standing there, wearing her HVAC company jumpsuit and boots, those old feelings came back all at once. Lucy was not surprised to see me, of course, she had seen my name on the HVAC work order. In fact, she had traded shifts with another HVAC specialist just to be able to handle my order, because she wanted to see me again. It took her a few minutes before I let her look at my HVAC system, because I wanted to catch up on old times with her. It had been ten years since I last saw her, but Lucy was as beautiful as ever. I followed her around as she checked my thermostat, my air filters, and shone a flashlight into the major air ducts. When she was finished I wrote a check for the HVAC inspection, and in return she gave me her phone number. I am very curious to find out how a biker chick like Lucy wound up as an HVAC service specialist, but I hope to find out on our date.
dual fuel system
The HVAC system fit for a king
The customer is king – that’s my motto, and the slogan for my business.
Every home is someone’s castle, and every castle deserves an HVAC system fit for a king.
That’s a new slogan I’ve been playing around with in my online ads. Social media has been the fastest and cheapest way I’ve found to promote and market myself. Using social media advertising gives me 100% control over what ads I run, who sees them, and how much they cost. This has given my company a gradual and organic rate of growth which is almost more than I can handle. Since I tell people my HVAC company can give them whatever they desire, I tend to get some pretty wacky requests. One guy wanted a dedicated air conditioner for his bedroom, located on the floor directly under his king-sized bed. I set up a series of air vents that attached to the four posts of the bed frame, so the mattress would be flooded with direct cooling. The guy was a “hot sleeper” and needed that much air conditioning aimed right at him while he slept. He was a satisfied customer! Another client wanted a hot water heater installed so they could convert a sunken bathtub into a jacuzzi. I set them up with the water heater and voice activated temperature controls so he could change the settings without getting out of the tub. I am telling you the most interesting and unique HVAC systems I have worked on, but the vast majority of my workload are normal inspections and repairs.
Converting my attic into a smoker’s den
Once I had kids I had to stop smoking in the house.
- Secondhand smoke is far too dangerous for babies and young children, and I was focused on being the best dad I could be.
That said, I couldn’t just stop smoking weed or I would go insane. I decided to turn the small space in the attic into a smoker’s den. I laid down some nice carpets, and hung tapestries on the underside of the slanted roof. I got a couple of easy chairs, along with a television with a gaming system. The most important part of the smoker’s den was the ventilation system. I would quickly find out that I needed overall climate control for the attic, and not just an air purification system. I was so focused on maintaining a good indoor air quality I never considered temperature control. The air purifier would pull the smoke out of the air and run it through an air filter, so the secondhand smoke wouldn’t permeate the rest of the house. But I was also in an attic, which is exposed to the most direct sunlight and is always the hottest room of the house! I needed a portable air conditioner just to make the temps low enough that I could enjoy getting high. I had to replace the tapestries on the ceiling with additional insulation, and after that the little air condition worked pretty well. The air quality in the smoker’s den was superior, but it was never quite cool enough for my liking. Being a parent means making sacrifices.
Building a house with a hydronic heater
My husband and I got together later in life. We both had been married before and had our own homes. We decided it wasn’t fair to ask the other to give up their home. It was smarter to both move into a new place together. We couldn’t agree on a house though. So it made sense to sell our places and use that money to build the one we wanted. It was really nice deciding on the perfect home. I got to design my dream kitchen and not have to give up any square footage. My husband got a giant garage to house his cars and all his tools. We also sprung for a giant bathroom, outlets in our living room floor and a wood ceiling. One thing I pushed heavily was hydronic heating. I wanted a boiler system in the basement that had piping connected to it. I wanted the piping pushed throughout the floors. The boiler heats hot water that flows through the pipes to create a heating effect. It isn’t air based so nothing rises to the ceiling and gets wasted. It also doesn’t create a noise or hot and cold spots either. Hydronic heating is silent, efficient and warms anything that touches it. A boiler lasts a very long time too. It can last 50-80 years as long as replacement parts are still being made. I think the hydronic heater might be my favorite part of our new house. It makes the place feel classy and not having an indoor air handler is really nice. We didn’t lose any square footage to an ugly HVAC unit.
hvac service