HVAC information for Homeowners

I actually had a couple of bad dreams where he ended up going to buy the thermostat before I could give it to him! I guess I was pretty stressed out about the whole thing without even realizing it

I’m pretty sure my dad is really gonna love his birthday gift that I got him this year. He keeps talking about new smart thermostats and how he would like to get one for the house but he just hasn’t gotten around to it yet. I told him the other day that I was going to get a smart thermostat from my house and he looked almost offended. He said that he wanted a smart thermostat system too. I just laughed to myself because I had already purchased a new smart thermostat system for his house too at the same time that I was getting mine. I’ve known for a while now that my dad wanted a smart thermostat for his house, and I was hoping that he wouldn’t get it before I had the chance to. I was really afraid that I was going to be too by the time that his birthday got here. I actually had a couple of bad dreams where he ended up going to buy the thermostat before I could give it to him! I guess I was pretty stressed out about the whole thing without even realizing it. Anyway, I know that he is going to love it once we can get it installed. I think that I might actually pay the HVAC company to come to his house to install it for him too. I think that if he has to install it himself, he might not ever really want to get around to doing it and so I want to make it as easy as possible for him.
electric fireplace

When I went for a check up the other day, my doctor’s office was so cold that I couldn’t stand it.

I think that their heating system was broken or something.

I guess my first clue should have been the fact that there were two different HVAC maintenance vans parked out in the main parking lot out front. I wasn’t really thinking about it until I got inside, though. I was supposed to go up to the fourth floor, and I noticed right away that the heating wasn’t working in the elevator. When I stepped into the elevator, it felt like I was walking into a refrigerator or something! It was super cold. I expected for it to be warmer when I got off the elevator at the fourth floor, but when the doors slid open up there it was just as cold. I saw a couple of HVAC technicians coming up the stairs with tools and a big piece of something that looked like sheet metal. I have no clue what they were doing, though. I noticed that everyone in the doctor’s office still had on their winter coats, though. Plus, someone on the medical staff had plugged in a little electric space heater out in the waiting area next to the big goldfish tank. I don’t know if they were trying to keep the patients warmer or if they were trying to keep the goldfish from freezing! Either way, it was still way too cold in there for humans or for goldfish. The HVAC technicians hadn’t made any progress at all by the time that I left, either.

cooling expert

I work out on one of the big tree farms out on the outskirts of town and usually I really love my job.

• It’s a lot of fun to work outside and not have to be cooped up in an office somewhere all the time.

However, it’s really difficult for me to work out in the cold whenever the weather is so cold like it has been lately. I guess everyone can deal with it if they really have to, but sometimes I just want to stay at home whenever the weather outside is so cold. Working on the tree farm is really fun for me, most of the time. But when the weather is super cold like it has been lately, it makes you want to just give up and switch to a completely new job. I do really enjoy it most of the time, though. I just wish that they were better enabled to take care of their employees during the cold winter months. We do have some portable heating units set up here and there around the property, but they aren’t that much help when the temperatures outside are in the teens! At least there are a few buildings here and there around the farm that have great heating systems in them. Sometimes when it gets super cold outside, the farm workers will go and huddle inside one of the buildings just to get warmed up by the portable heating systems. I really hate being too cold, so maybe I really am in the wrong business. As a matter of fact, I don’t like it in the summer whenever the weather is too hot, either!

New air conditioning

I don’t know why in the world I have cold feet literally all the time, but it’s driving me crazy and it’s making my husband mad too.

• This has not always been an issue for me, but has started happening over the past year or so.

Even during the middle of summer, I end up having really cold feet and that means that we can’t use the air conditioning most of the time because it blows right out from the air vents on the floor. It is super annoying, mainly because I really don’t know what to do about it. All of the extra socks and fuzzy slippers in the world are not helping me, and it’s like I just can’t get warm no matter what I do. During the winter, it’s especially bad for me. The temperatures here are in the 20s and 30s for months at a time, and I walk around with chronically cold feet literally all the time! I know that it sounds like a silly issue to have, but honestly it is getting old trying to deal with it all the time. My husband especially hates it whenever I climb into bed at night and put my cold feet on him. That’s the only part about it that I think is funny, actually! I wish that I knew what the issue was, but the only thing that I know is that it’s driving me bonkers. I think that we need to get radiant floor heating in our house. Radiant floor heating will probably be the only thing that helps me!
hvac unit

I live in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by woods.

The closest house is over twenty-five miles away. I appreciate the peace, quiet and privacy. I get squirrels, groundhogs, rabbits, turkey, deer and foxes in my backyard. The weather is a challenge. The winters are especially difficult. I typically need to start up the furnace by late September. By Halloween, there is several inches of snow accumulated on the ground. The temperature regularly drops below freezing and even below zero for months at a time. A reliably working heating system is a necessity. I can’t get along without it. Living on a dirty road, my house sometimes becomes inaccessible during winter blizzards. I need to make sure that my furnace doesn’t break down and leave me without heat. I could take several days or weeks before a repairman could get to me to provide a repair. I do everything I can to make sure the furnace is running properly before the cold weather arrives. I have signed up for a maintenance program with the closest HVAC company. They send a technician to the house in early fall to service the heating unit. A thorough inspection reveals any worn or broken parts. A comprehensive cleaning, tightening of wires and lubrication of moving parts ensures maximum airflow and efficiency. The technician also verifies proper operation of the thermostat and provides me with a supply of air filters. The annual service gives me peace of mind. I know my heating system will keep my home comfortable during the worst weather without any problems.

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Our only choices for adjustment were on or off and switching between heating and cooling

Last winter, right around the first of the year, my husband and I spent almost three weeks traveling along the southern coats. Bob and I live in the northern area of the country. We are accustomed to extremely cold and snowy conditions at that time of year. We were excited for sunshine and warmer temperatures. We spent a lot of time on the road, visiting interesting sites, lying on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We only needed hotel rooms to sleep and shower in. Bob and I decided not to strain our budget on luxury accommodations. We were lucky that most of the cheaper hotels were clean and sufficient for our needs. They provided plenty of hot water, fairly comfortable beds and working air conditioning. However, we ended up in one hotel that was just terrible. Bob and I realized we had a problem when he stepped off the elevator. The hallway reeked of dog, cigarettes and mildew. Inside the hotel room, the carpet was stained and there were webs in the corners. The desk was dusty, the tub rust stained and the faucet dripped. We just needed a quick sleep before he got back on the road first thing in the morning. We discovered that the mattress was lumpy, the sheets scratchy and the pillows had a weird odor to them. The room was overheated and stuffy because of the ancient air conditioner. The cooling unit was dented, corroded and dirty. Our only choices for adjustment were on or off and switching between heating and cooling. We set it on cooling mode but the unit didn’t put out enough air to make much difference.

furnace/heater installation

About six months ago, I decided to make some home improvements.

I was hoping to fix problems with rooms that sometimes felt chilly or overheated.

The problem was a lack of sufficient supply and return vents. There weren’t enough vents to keep up with the demands of specific areas. Some rooms are exposed to afternoon sunshine while others are shaded by trees. During the winter, the living room was always a bit cooler than the rest of the house. Turning up the thermostat only made all the other rooms feel overheated and cost me extra in energy bills. My whole family would shiver while trying to relax and watch a movie together in the evenings. Our winter season often lingers for eight months, and the temperature can plummet down to negative digits. Heating is a necessity. Because the summers don’t last all that long, we’ve never seen the need to make the investment into a central cooling system. However, the house can become terribly hot and muggy. I did some research and came across ductless mini-split systems. A ductless system consists of a single outdoor air compressor that links to one or up to eight individual air handlers. The air handlers mount up high on the wall, provide both heating and cooling capacity and include an independent thermostat. A ductless system can be retrofitted into a home without causing a lot of damage. It requires little more than a small, three-inch hole in an exterior wall for the conduit. The installation is a lot less expensive than installing a whole new duct system. The indoor air handlers allow us to customize the temperature in each of the rooms. It helps to reduce energy costs and achieve perfect comfort.

air purifier

I’ve worked for a small HVAC company for the last ten years.

I am the receptionist, but I handle all sorts of tasks.

Along with scheduling installations, repairs and maintenance, I take care of billing and inventory. I keep track of the certifications, licensing, insurance and training updates for the technicians. I make sure our service vehicles are insured and serviced. I reach out to our clients who are enrolled in our maintenance agreements and remind them when it’s time to schedule a tune-up for their heating or cooling system. When I first got the job, I didn’t know very much about the heating and cooling industry. I gradually gained quite a bit of knowledge. I gained insight into the many types of heating, cooling and indoor air quality options. I can now talk to our clients about air conditioners, furnaces, boilers, ductless mini-splits, hybrid heating, boilers and air purifiers. I’ve learned the importance of proactive cleaning, testing and troubleshooting for all makes, models and ages of equipment. I’ve seen that the majority of repairs our guys handle are the result of neglected service. Having our guys take a look at the system catches problems and resolves them before they graduate into more expensive malfunctions. They make sure of maximum comfort, energy efficiency and healthier air quality. Our technicians provide proof of professional service to fulfill the requirements of the manufacturer’s warranty coverage. There are a lot of very good reasons to keep up with annual tune-ups. It’s sort of ironic that our heating and cooling system in the office is not very well taken care of. Our technicians are scheduled non stop from the beginning to the end of their shifts. They handle residential and commercial needs. There never seems to be time for them to check out our heating and cooling equipment.

 

 

Heating and air conditioning

My local area is known for its long and brutal winters.

It seems to take forever for the snow to melt and the weather to warm up.

The spring is typically wet, windy and chilly. The summers never last more than a few months. We hope for a hot and sunny June, July and August. There are years when the whole summer is cloudy, cold and rainy. There are summers when the temperature is consistently in the mid eighties. We expect high humidity levels. Although there’s no need for a big investment in central air conditioning, box fans aren’t enough. We need some way to at least cool down the bedrooms or we can’t sleep at night. The house gets far too hot and sticky. I’ve invested into window air conditioners for each of the bedrooms. They are compact, easy to store in the winter and no problem to install in the summer. They provide enough cool air to keep a larger bedroom comfortable. I am so happy with my window air conditioner. Even on especially hot and muggy nights, my bedroom remains at the perfect temperature. I sleep so much better with the cooling unit running. The operational noise is just enough to drown out sounds that might disturb me. I don’t get woken up by other family members walking around or watching television. I don’t hear the washing machine running, barking dogs or traffic. I’m not bothered by road construction or morning birds singing. The air conditioner also works to circulate the air and filter out contaminants such as dust, pollen and dander. My bedroom stays cleaner. I appreciate the air conditioner so much that I install it into my window as soon as the temperature climbs above sixty degrees. I leave in place until I feel chilly air coming into the house through the air conditioner.

hvac service plan

Plus, professional maintenance fulfills the requirements of the manufacturer’s warranty coverage.

Energy costs have a big impact on our household budget. I’ve done the calculations and figured out that heating and cooling adds up to approximately 50% of the energy we consume. The winter weather in my local area often lasts for eight months. The conditions are horribly cold, with temperatures sometimes dropping down to negative twenty degrees. We rely heavily on the furnace. It runs just about non stop at maximum capacity. Although our summers don’t last for more than a few months, the temperature can get into the mid eighties with excessive humidity. We need the air conditioner to cool down the house, prevent mold growth, filter out contaminants and prevent condensation. I am careful about the temperature setting on the thermostat. I know that raising or lowering temperature by a few degrees has a huge impact on my monthly energy bills. I keep up with air filter changes for the furnace and air conditioner and schedule professional maintenance every year. A certified technician provides a thorough inspection, testing, cleaning and adjustment for the cooling system in the spring and the heating system in the fall. By keeping all components operating at their best, the equipment runs at peak capacity and efficiency. It is less likely to malfunction, provides better comfort and air quality and should last longer. Plus, professional maintenance fulfills the requirements of the manufacturer’s warranty coverage. To minimize the chance of drafts, air leaks and energy waste, I walk around the house at the end of every summer. I look for any spots that might require weatherstripping or caulking. I check the insulation in the attic for signs of rodent infestation. My hope is to reduce costs.

new heating units