The Heating & AC Blog

The HVAC professional did pass along that had I gotten the HVAC heating maintenance, this would never have happened

Whatever happened to cause that sound from the basement, it definitely got my attention. By the time I had my robe on, I knew it had to be the gas furnace and I was already cussing myself. I hurried to the basement as fast as I could. When I got down there, I could smell acrid smoke in the air and hear the ticking of hot metal. I knew that couldn’t be good. It was so cold outside that there was no way we were getting through the night without some HVAC heating. So I went back upstairs to call the HVAC company. My wife met me in the kitchen with a pair of space heaters. I think had it not been in the single digits, we might have tried to get through the night. But she and I both knew a pair of space heaters just wasn’t going to get it done. I sure didn’t want to have the pipes freeze and have a whole other repair bill for that. So I called for emergency HVAC service and gritted my teeth. The HVAC technician took hardly any time at all to get to us. I think he was there in like 15 minutes. I literally only took him about 25 minutes to fix whatever was wrong with the gas furnace. What I do know for sure is it was a worn part. The HVAC professional did pass along that had I gotten the HVAC heating maintenance, this would never have happened. I knew this of course when I started cussing myself on the way to the basement because I forgot.

 

 

Hydronic heater

It’s almost getting to the point of a slight obsession.

But I just love figuring out new ways to save on HVAC cooling.

But that wasn’t always the case. It’s just been a few years now since I actually got a handle on the HVAC cooling costs. The biggest change was not turning on the air conditioning until mid May at least. I got that little nugget from a native who has lived here all his life. We just stopped turning on the air conditioning right away when the temperature is jump over 70 or 75. That’s just spring around here and you just enjoy it. Doing so allowed us to get more accustomed to high temperatures which has made a tremendous difference. Increasingly though, I’ve added to that strategy each summer. I prepped the house to be sure that it’s sealed up tight. That might mean replacing weather stripping or making sure the seals around the windows are tight. I also caulked up any gaps I can find on the exterior. Of course, you have to mitigate direct sunlight heating with shades. This summer I took it to another level by not using the stove or the oven. I simply cooked outside on the grill for anything that needed to be hot. Additionally, I stopped using the clothes dryer whenever I could. Instead of heating up the house, I started hanging the clothes out to dry. My wife loved that part. And again, we beat our savings on HVAC cooling from the previous summer. I’m going to have to keep thinking up ways to save even more on air conditioning costs for next summer.

Air conditioning worker

In my mind, the cabin was always the very best place to be.

I loved everything about it but then again, it was easy to love. From the first time I got to go up there as a kid until now, I’ve loved that place. However, I do understand it it was also pretty basic and not very appealing to the rest of the family. My brothers and I inherited that cabin from our parents. We had been discussing updating the cabin for a while. Stuff like residential HVAC and good couches, etcetera. We were all sort of worried about doing too much and losing the feel of that cabin. None of us wanted to transform it into something we didn’t recognize. But the need for something more updated was apparent. None of our families wanted to leave the central air conditioning of our homes to spend the weekends at the cabin. And it wasn’t just the heating and cooling equipment that was keeping our kids and wives at home. The kitchen needed big help. That’s where we started. We found some decent appliances that were slightly used. And we took those up there. Then we worked on improving the furniture and the beds. Once that was done, we thoroughly cleaned the place and then gave it a new coat of paint. The finishing touch was having the HVAC professionals come all the way out there to install a ductless multi split system. We now have three ductless heat pumps in that cabin and it’s super comfortable.

 

Cooling equipment

There was just so much to learn and I was overwhelmed.

I took my first big promotion that had me leave the HVAC cooling for the HVAC heating.

There was just so much to learn when it came to living up north and I really felt like I didn’t have a clue. So when it came to trying to have a cozy house without heating costs breaking the bank, I turned to the HVAC professionals. When I took the promotion, I had to buy a house pretty quick. Thankfully I had a really good realtor who guided me through that process. I had no idea what I needed when it came to residential HVAC up here. In fact, the first time I ever saw a gas furnace was when we went to look at houses. But even with that great gas furnace, I was still pretty clueless on how to get through a winter. So that first winner was just the worst. I was trying to steer the ship in a new direction inside the zone controlled HVAC of the office. And that took up most of my time. So when I was at home, I just was trying to stay warm through the night. And that was no easy task given how cold it is up here. It’s just not anything I ever would have guessed I’d have to endure. Thankfully, my neighbor showed me the ropes when it came to winter prep before the second winner. I got the HVAC maintenance done by the HVAC professionals. And then I learned how to seal my house up really tight. It was definitely a much toastier winter last year so I’m not near as dreading it this year.

Air conditioning expert

Just like most everyone else, I can be bad about taking things for granted.

It’s like having a car is just essential and an expected part of life.

When in fact, I could use public transportation easily. The same goes for the quality heating and air in my home. I know that I don’t give enough attention to the residential HVAC and I’m trying to change that. The heating and cooling equipment is so essential to our lives and yet like most of us, I just don’t think about it. I’m always too busy being in the commercial HVAC at work or dealing with some drama at home. So I just haven’t been paying attention to the HVAC equipment the way I should. And with a bit more attention paid to the HVAC equipment, I could be saving a lot more money on operating costs. And it’s not just the operating cost that are important when it comes to paying attention to the HVAC equipment. With regular maintenance and care, HVAC equipment lasts a lot longer too. So I’ve tried to start at the basics. I’ve set alarms across all of my devices to remind me to change the air filter each month. This seems like a pretty small thing to do when it comes to the health of the residential HVAC. But along with consistent seasonal HVAC maintenance, changing the air filter is one of the most important things that can be done. Leaving dirty air filters inside the HVAC unit simply restricts the airflow for the heating and cooling equipment. That makes it work harder putting more stress on the delicate parts inside the HVAC unit. So I’m going to be on top of the HVAC air filter from now on.

 

 

Air conditioning repair

The math was pretty clear.

There were four kids but only three bedrooms.

Our two youngest girls had been sharing a bedroom inside the residential HVAC of our home. But that just wasn’t going to work. Having them share a room wasn’t all that bad when they were little. They actually kind of liked sharing a room together. My wife and I almost thought that we could skate by forever like that. But once the girls hit middle school, we’ve hardly had a moment of peace and quiet inside the central air conditioning of our house. Those two girls were just screaming at each other all the time, it was a constant fight. So we started looking to perhaps buy a new house. We didn’t look very long as it was just way out of our budget. But we still needed another room so the only thing we could do was add on. But that turned out to be okay because it added significant value to our house to add on a master suite. And I’m not too upset about getting to have a little sanctuary for my wife and I inside our home. The new addition went on to the back of the house and actually has a cathedral ceiling along with its own private deck and French doors. We also have a wonderful master bath that even has a space heater in it for cold mornings. Additionally, I have a ductless heat pump it provides all the quality heating and air that we need in our new master suite. The girls now have their own rooms and we will be cashing in once all the kids get out of the house. The master suite has really made this place an awesome house and we’ll sell it for a lot more than we could have before.

Heating corporation

It was obvious as soon as I walked in the house and could see my breath.

• It was that cold so the HVAC equipment had been off all day.

Yet, I walked to the thermostat to see if it had power and it sure did. After that, I checked the fuse box to make sure the breaker hadn’t tripped as we have two breakers for the HVAC equipment. But everything was just as it should be. And in my head, I knew I needed to just pick up the phone and call the HVAC company. But somehow that thought didn’t go from my head to my hands. I hesitated because it was after hours and I knew that that would be an expensive HVAC service call. So I decided to see if maybe I could figure out what was going on. Of course, that’s a stupid thing to do and in my head and heart I knew that. If it’s an air conditioner or a gas furnace, that’s the realm for HVAC professionals. It’s definitely not a place for a guy who works in the commercial HVAC of an office all day. But there I was trying to take the front panel off the gas furnace. I had no idea what I was actually looking for but I was just hoping there was something obvious. I’m lucky because that was right about when my wife came home. She put a stop to that immediately and called the HVAC company. Of course, my wife had read the HVAC warranty and knew that me messing around would void HVAC warranty. Plus, she knew full well I wasn’t going to fix anything anyway.

Cooling expert