Another Day in the HVAC Industry Writing Game

It’s wild how much different life is now with my workday compared to thirty years ago.

I’ve done so many different manual labor jobs and grew tired of it in my late 30’s so I found an escape hatch and snuck through it.

My plan was to simplify my life to the extreme and cut down on my workload each week. I’ve been semi-retired since I was 32, working about 15 or 20 hours a week in the HVAC industry, and have enjoyed life a lot more since doing so. I think the past ten years I have worked about 12 hours a week for a few HVAC companies, and I will probably keep this amount for another 15 years till I call it quits. I have been writing a lot for a living ever since getting into the comedy field back in 2005. I now write for HVAC businesses and help them with their marketing campaigns. I like working from home and not having to battle that rush hour traffic like I was doing back in the states. I remember being 23 years old and getting my engineering degree, so that I could work for this HVAC company, but not feeling like I was on the right path. I should have changed career paths then but had no idea what I wanted to do in life and didn’t even have comedy on my radar back then. Instead of building and designing HVAC equipment I should have got into the performing arts and picked up the microphone, at least it would have been a fun and exciting path.
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You Can Never Win or Lose if You Don’t Run the Race

I see many people afraid to live and also afraid to die.

They’re trapped in this episodic same old same old way of living where they aren’t growing or changing because of fear.

I know a lot of people living this way will have regrets in the end and I choose to challenge myself and push my boundaries so I won’t have lived a life of regrets from things undone or unsaid. I took the chance and got my HVAC certification and worked in the HVAC industry for many years, and was successful in it because I took that chance. I’ve let many opportunities pass me by, never to come around again, and I am not going to let others pass me by without taking a chance. I wouldn’t have met my lovely lady, who I passed by on the street by my flat many times, if I hadn’t taken the chance and talked to her. I work now at the local business near my house and am grateful for it and that I took the chance and walked into the place to try and get a job there. Life is full of opportunities if you open your eyes and if you have the courage to act on them, otherwise you will grow old and bitter for letting fear bully you around. So that is my motivational speech for you today and I hope I’m not sounding too preachy. I think I’ll clean my HVAC system today and then take a slow leisurely ride along the coast and think about taking those chances.

new air conditioning

A ductless mini split air conditioner is perfect for an RV or camper

During the pandemic, my brother James purchased a RV camper.

He has always wanted to take road trips to see the country.

So, when he bought the fifth wheel, I wasn’t surprised at all. I wish that I could go on road trips with him, but unfortunately, I need to go to work. The camper has one full bedroom, and another area with 2 beds as well as other sleeping options. It has enough space for an entire family. This means, when he’s on the road with his family, they will be comfortable inside the RV. So far, he has been on a few trips, and he has raved about the great time that they had. To date, they have visited approximately 20 states and they plan on taking more trips in a couple of weeks. But before they head out again, he wanted to upgrade the A/C in the camper. With the high temperatures outside, the factory air conditioner is not enough. So, James purchased a ductless mini-split system for his RV. Believe it or not, but this is a very popular option for many owners of RVs and campers. The mini split provides a more comfortable cooling option for the mobile home. And the fact that it is so easy to install, makes it even more attractive. All you need is to install a small hole for the pipe and find a place to mount the indoor and outdoor unit. If I do take a trip with them, I am glad that the RV will have a good air conditioner installed.

a/c care program

There is no backlog for HVAC service calls in smaller towns

My mother lives about 45 minutes from me.

She lives in the next town over and she prefers her town because it’s a quiet small town where everybody knows each other.

Me, on the other hand, I prefer to live in a larger city, where I have access to entertainment. My mom comes to visit me a lot, but deep down, she prefers it when I drive over to see her. A few weeks ago, I took Friday off so that I could spend a long weekend with my mom. I told her I would be in town for the weekend, but she expected me on Saturday morning, so you can only imagine how excited she was, when I showed up on Friday morning instead. When I pulled up to her house, there was a HVAC work truck outside. Apparently, my mom’s A/C had broken down the night before. Luckily, she was able to get an appointment the very next day. I guess that is a perk of living in a small town, there is no wait or backlog for service calls. When my HVAC unit broke a few weeks ago, I had to wait a couple of days for it to get fixed. Thankfully, I have a ceiling fan in my bedroom because that made it easier for me to sleep on those 2 nights. Well, the HVAC guy was there for about an hour while I was there, and he was able to get the unit back up and running with no real issues. I was happy to know that I would have air conditioning for the weekend.

 

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An A/C capacitor can malfunction due to the heat

Last year, the summer was extremely hot, and I have noticed the same this year as well.

The temperatures outside are feeling like they are in the three-digit range.

Thankfully, we have been getting some rain, so that does help to cool us down. I live in the Southern part of the country, and this is also our rainy season. Those random rain showers are our only saving grace from the blistering heat. My A/C broke last summer and I am afraid that it will break again this year, and not even a service will be able to prevent it from happening again. The capacitor overheated last year because of the hot temperatures outside. And once it overheated, it was unable to charge the system. The capacitor stores electricity and it gives the A/C the jolt it needs to get the motor running. Last year, when my HVAC technician replaced the capacitor, he mentioned it broke because it overheated. My A/C is in direct sun, and it is being exposed to that extreme heat every single day. So, I am expecting the capacitor to go out again. I have thought about getting a cover for my HVAC unit, but not many technicians recommend covering the air conditioner. Perhaps, I could install a screen to provide additional shade. Currently, there is a small bush around the unit, but it is not protecting it from the direct sunlight. And to be honest, the leaves of that bush are also getting burned by the heat from the sun. I need to figure this out before it is too late.

 

air conditioning install

HVAC technicians work long hours to cover service calls

My husband has been working 16hour days and there is nothing that he can do about it right now.

He works as an HVAC technician and the company has been receiving a huge number of service calls and they are having a hard time keeping up with all of them.

There are some clients who must wait between 48 to 72 hours before they can have their A/C unit serviced. He works with commercial HVAC systems and most of the calls that they are receiving are from units that are breaking down unexpectedly. His company is giving priority to companies and organizations that are considered top priority. For instance, a nursing home will be serviced faster than a restaurant. With the high temperatures that we have been receiving, the patients in the nursing homes need to have air conditioning to remain comfortable. Yesterday, he had two service calls at two different nursing homes, so those calls took priority over other calls that came in. He also had a school and he needed to get to them as well. So, due to all of these HVAC systems malfunctioning, he’s having to work the extra hours to cover all the service calls. Furthermore, it doesn’t help that his company is currently understaffed, so that further adds to the issue. My husband has been doing this for about 15 years and he’s one of the senior technicians at his company. This means that in between all these hours, he is used as a source for information for the other HVAC technicians. He has a lot on his plate right now. I just hope things will get better soon.

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I changed my grandmother’s A/C filter and scheduled a service appointment for her

A few weeks ago, I went to visit my grandmother.

Currently she lives in a retirement community with her little dog Charlie.

We lost my grandfather a couple years ago and ever since then, we got her the dog so that she doesn’t feel alone. The community that she lives in is great. It’s on a golf course and there is a fantastic clubhouse. It has a pool, a gym, a restaurant, and they have something happening every night. She has a lot of friends, and they spend a lot of time at the clubhouse. Anyway, that night as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed that it was a bit warm in her house, so I decided to turn down the temperature on the thermostat. For some reason, that didn’t work, and her house still felt warm even after 2 hours with the A/C running. I had to go grab the fan that she had in the living room and that is how I was able to sleep through the night. The next morning, I asked my grandmother about the A/C, and she said she had noticed that it wasn’t cooling as well as it was before. I asked her the last time she had it serviced, and she couldn’t remember. So, I decided to change the filter, which was a bit clogged, and then I made an appointment with an HVAC technician to get her A/C serviced. From now on, I will need to make sure I schedule her HVAC appointments because I believe this is something that my grandfather took care of before we lost him.

 

 

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