HVAC information for Homeowners

I wasn’t a real sizable fan of A/C until I started going through menopause; Then, all bets were off, then i now am severe about my cooling situation.

I want A/C all the time now.

I used to make do with overhead fans and a basic window A/C! Once I started having sizzling flashes I invested in whole house temperature control. I tossed out my ugly overhead lights and changed them with recessed lighting. I freed up my window by removing that oversized unit, but now I have a HVAC system that controls the entire home’s temperature. I can have cooling in every single room of the house. Ductwork affixs the A/C to every room and creates the same temperature throughout, a whole house A/C is really the way to go if you run a little hot. A buddy of mine proposed zone control since I need A/C when I sleep at evening. What about when I toil in my office? What about when I cook? Yes I could have done multiple indoor air handlers with a ductless mini split. I could have set timed areas with AC. I like that I can have a nice, frigid house everywhere though; My spouse is also quite ecstatic that I have A/C throughout, however he used to sweat to death all summer. Now the two of us have a single of the coldest houses on the block. It will only add value to our house. Having the ability to both heat and cool just makes sense when you own a sizable house with all 4 seasons.

Video Surveillance Repair

I didn’t think I complained a lot about the lack of air in my bedroom, but I guess I was wrong.

The other week, my parents told me that they had a present for me and I was really caught off guard. Christmas wasn’t for another two weeks, so I had no idea what they had to give me. My mind began to wonder about all the gift possibilities and the reasons that my parents needed to give it to me so soon. Of all the things I thought it could be, I was not prepared to open up a ductless mini split system. In fact, I was really confused! I didn’t remember ever asking for a ductless mini split system and I didn’t even know where to put it. It wasn’t until my parents explained that it was for my bedroom that I began to realize why they had gotten it. I had been complaining about how hot my bedroom was and how the airflow was really poor. I didn’t sleep well in the evenings because of the temperature, and apparently, everyone was tired of hearing me talk about it. When I realized why they had gotten me the ductless mini split system, I felt embarrassed. I had no idea that my complaints about the lack of air in my bedroom would become so overwhelming that my parents would feel obligated to invest in a ductless mini split system. Either way, I’m really thankful for the generous gift and I’m even more thankful that I don’t have to lose sleep over the lack of air in my bedroom now.

air conditioner

My parents are super particular about their HVAC settings.

• When I was still living under their roof, they had very strict guidelines about who could and couldn’t touch the thermostat settings.

Basically, my parents and grandparents were the only people who had access to the HVAC settings. I tried changing the temperature one evening when my parents went to bed and I thought I would get away with it, but my parents discovered the change as soon as they woke up and the house was freezing cold. They grilled my sister and I to find out who changed the temperature and I eventually caved and told them that it was me. I was grounded for two weeks, which kept me from ever touching the thermostat settings again. Now that I’m a grown adult, I still don’t touch their thermostat settings. However, last weekend while I was visiting my parents, I accidentally left the back door open for hours and nobody noticed. When I finally realized my mistake, I panicked just thinking about all the heat that had escaped through the door. For weeks I worried about the heat loss and how much energy my parent’s furnace probably burned. I was convinced that if my parents noticed a higher utility bill, then they’d discover what I had done and reprimand me for it. I felt so stupid becuase I was fearful over accidently leaving the door open and my parent’s heat bill being higher. Of course they never said anything to me because they would have no way of knowing.

 

air conditioning professional

I do my part in taking care of my HVAC system.

It’s 7 years old, which means it’s not super young but it’s also not super old either. Knowing this, I do everything I can in an attempt to keep it running efficiently all year long. One of the best things I do for my HVAC system is hire an HVAC professional twice per year to service the equipment. An HVAC professional not only cleans and repairs various parts and pieces, but they also look for anything concerning. HVAC professionals are trained to find problems that haven’t even started yet. The HVAC company I use is excellent in doing this whenever they service my HVAC system. On multiple occasions, I’ve had an HVAC professional tell me that although my HVAC system was running perfectly fine at the moment, there were smaller things that needed to be done if I wanted to avoid a much larger problem. For instance, last year, the HVAC professional who serviced my HVAC system in the fall told me that the furnace and air conditioner were in great condition, but my ductwork looked really dirty. It wasn’t causing significant issues at the moment, but it would later on if I didn’t get things under control. All the dust and debri would cause a lot of stress on my HVAC system, causing it to run inefficiently and possibly create tiny holes in the ductwork itself. This was a much larger issue I wanted to avoid, so I hired a professional to clean my ductwork for me.

heating service

When I purchased my current house, there was a gas furnace installed.

I didn’t love the idea of having a gas furnace instead of an electrical one, but I loved everything else about the house and it felt like something I could look past. As soon as I moved in, I called an HVAC company so they could come examine the entire HVAC system but especially the gas furnace. I wanted to make sure that everything was running safely with the gas and speak to an HVAC professional about proper maintenance before I began using it to heat my home. The HVAC professional was really understanding of my concern and he validated my feelings by explaining that a lot of homeowners with gas furnaces had the same concern. After looking at the gas furnace, he assured me that it was running safely. He even checked for carbon monoxide detectors around the house and found one. The HVAC professional suggested that I install a few more carbon monoxide detectors just to be safe. He also said that I needed to keep a close eye on the carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they had working batteries. Other than the carbon monoxide detectors though, the best thing I could do to keep my gas furnace running safely was hiring an HVAC professional to come service it at a minimum of twice per year. This would not only keep the gas furnace running efficiently, but it would also bring me peace of mind.

 

Commercial AC

I wanted to save money, but I didn’t want to constantly be changing the thermostat settings

While the HVAC professional was servicing my HVAC system, I stopped him and asked him for some tips on energy saving. My HVAC system wasn’t old by society’s standards, but it was young either and I felt like I was paying more than normal for my monthly utility bills. I didn’t have much to compare it to, but I thought that the HVAC professional could help me out. He gave me two tips and one of them I was already doing. First, he said that I needed to continue having my HVAC system serviced at least twice per year. HVAC professionals were certified to keep HVAC systems running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Secondly, he suggested that I lower the thermostat settings when I wasn’t in the house and at nighttime. If I was setting the thermostat to run my furnace at 68 degrees during the daytime, then I should set it at least 5 degrees lower during the evenings and while I was away. In doing so, I would keep my house warm without causing my furnace to run hard. When I was ready to return home, I could adjust the thermostat back to 68 degrees so I was comfortable. I liked this idea, but I thought it was a lot of work. I wanted to save money, but I didn’t want to constantly be changing the thermostat settings. When the HVAC professional heard this, he suggested that I program the thermostat to match the pattern of my life. I thought this was an excellent idea and I couldn’t believe I couldn’t’ think of it myself.

 

 

central heater

I’m really good at acknowledging what I can and cannot fix.

• Whenever something breaks or stops working as it should, I delicately try to fix it myself.

However, as soon as I realize that things require professional help, I immediately give up trying to fix things and contact someone who knows what they’re doing. While I’m really good about doing this, my husband is horrendous at it. He never likes to admit that he isn’t capable of doing something himself. I think it’s a man thing. Unfortunately, there are some things that need professional guidance and should be left alone otherwise. For example, when our furnace started running inconsistently, my husband decided to take things into his own hands. While he’s really good at fixing and repairing a lot of things, HVAC systems are not his forte. I advised my husband that we should hire an HVAC company to come find the issue, but he wouldn’t have it. Instead, he spent an entire day taking things apart and trying to find the root of the problem. He couldn’t put all the pieces back together and our furnace stopped working entirely. After I begged him to give up, we called the HVAC company to come fix our furnace. The HVAC professional charged us a fortune to put everything back together and “repair” the issue. According to the HVAC professional, we just needed a new air filter. Had we called him first, we could have saved several hundred dollars. I don’t think my husband will ever learn.

hvac products for sale

Although I was late, I decided to hire an HVAC company to come service my HVAC system for the winter.

I had been meaning to contact them months ago, but life slipped away from me and I continued to put it off.

When I finally had a spare weekend at home, I called the HVAC company and scheduled to have my HVAC system serviced for the season. It was late, but it was better than never. When the HVAC technician got to my house, he told me how grateful he was that I’d schedule an HVAC tune up even though it was late in the season. I was really glad that he mentioned it because it made me feel better. According to him, he said that a lot of other homeowners would have simply avoided calling an HVAC technician at this point in the season out of convenience. It was these homes that suffered the most and ended up doing more damage whether they realized it or not. Having your HVAC system serviced by an HVAC professional at least twice a year was essential. Only HVAC technicians were trained to find issues that hadn’t even happened yet and they were able to prevent them. Having your HVAC system serviced also kept your HVAC equipment running more efficiently, which meant lower utility bills. Along with all of this, the professional care and attention would create a longer lifespan for your HVAC system. Hearing all of this from the HVAC professional really validated my decision to call and I’m so glad I did!

 

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I decided to begin house hunting during one of the most difficult times in history to purchase a house.

I didn’t arrange this, but unfortunately it was the way things worked out.

I saved diligently for a reasonable down payment and I told myself that whenever I had enough saved up, I would contact a real estate agent. It just so happened that I had my down payment saved up during this crazy real estate market. After trying really hard and putting in countless offers on houses, I finally moved into my first home. As a new homeowner, I’ve been learning a lot about general maintenance and upkeep. One of the areas that I’ve been really struggling with is my HVAC system. I didn’t know anything about HVAC systems or how they worked or how much maintenance went into running them efficiently. During my first month of living in this house, we experienced a significant drop in temperature and I thought it was a good idea to raise the temperature on the thermostat. In my mind, the thermostat needed to be set higher in order to combat the cold temperatures. I learned the hard way that this was a horrible idea because my house was already warm! All I did was make my furnace run extra hard and cause stress on my HVAC system. Not to mention that I overheated my house and I was forced to open a few doors and windows to let the heat escape. I still don’t know much about HVAC systems, but I know raising the temperature on the thermostat when the temperature outside is cooler isn’t the answer.

 

 

air quality systems

Even though it’s considered the middle of winter, the temperature has been moderate for the past week.

Last week, the high temperature was 40 degrees and this week, the temperature has risen past 70 degrees every day! I went from sweaters and boots to t-shirts and sandals within a matter of days.

At one point, the temperature got so warm that I considered turning my furnace off and switching my air conditioner back on. This was only a brief thought because I didn’t want the hassle of switching the air conditioner back on. I had already had the HVAC system serviced before I turned on my furnace for the season, so I didn’t want to mess anything up with my air conditioning system. I didn’t know much about HVAC systems, but turning on the air conditioning randomly for a few days and then shutting it off for an entire season seemed impractical. My HVAC system would have to run tirelessly to cool the entire house down, only to be told that it no longer needed cooled. Then, my furnace would have to do the opposite and warm up the entire house again. My house isn’t large, but it isn’t tiny either. Heating and cooling an entire house within a short time frame used a lot of energy and put a lot of stress on an HVAC system. This is why I didn’t actually turn my air conditioner back on when there was a warmer than normal week during the winter. Instead, I opened the doors and windows and let my home cool naturally.

zone control