HVAC Tips for All

And I have to say that it has those big wall units beat

There are certain times in life where a person, or in our case a couple, just have to hit the reset button. I realized that this was happening about the same time my wife did. We were just crawling into bed after I set the thermostat for the night. We like to sleep a bit cooler inside the central air conditioning of our home. The kids were finally down and our chores done for the night. But it was just Tuesday and the weekend felt such a long way away. Plus, we had another round of toting the kids all over for the weekend on tap which isn’t exactly relaxing. It’s better than being stuck inside the commercial HVAC of the office but not by much. It was that Tuesday night earlier in the Spring when it was apparent that we were in need of that reset button. It took a couple of weeks to put everything together to make a four day weekend happen for just the two of us. The grandparents are always game to have the kids and our kids love staying with them. They have a pool and our kids just can’t get enough of that. Just leaving on a Thursday morning for our trip was a thrill. There was no need for heating and cooling as the weather was perfect. We rolled down the windows and opened the sunroof to enjoy our ride. The room at the cool spa we stayed in was also quite comfortable thanks to a ductless heat pump. This was my first experience with this HVAC unit. And I have to say that it has those big wall units beat. Our stay was magical and I have to say that the quality heating and air we enjoyed from the ductless heat pump was the best ever.

 

zone control

For years, my husband and I had been going back and forth about removing the old fireplace.

• We seldom used it, and when we did, it was so much work that it wasn’t worth using the fireplace.

We had to either cut up downed trees and bring it in to dry, or buy firewood that was expensive. We had to have the chimney cleaned and maintained, and there was usually a lot of smoke in the house. This past winter, we knew why we were vacillating about keeping the fireplace. There was a deterrent we couldn’t place a finger on. When our furnace broke, it left us in the cold for almost a week. Our furnace needed to be replaced. We had heat tapes on our water pipes, and we didn’t need to worry about them freezing. We ended up using the fireplace to keep our house warm. We had the kids camping on the living room floor, so they were warm all night. My husband slept in the recliner while I slept on the sofa. The boys thought it was an adventure, but we thought it was a pain in the back. We had a space heater in the bathroom, so it wasn’t overly uncomfortable in the house, except for when I had to go to the kitchen to get food. I was glad when the week ended and our furnace was finally delivered and installed. The boys were upset they could no longer camp in the living room, but we promised they could sleep in front of the fireplace once in a while. Last week, they wanted to invite some friends and camp in front of the fireplace. I couldn’t think of a reason to not allow it.

 

 

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Most people worry about their power going out and losing heat during the winter.

• I don’t worry about the power going out and losing air conditioning during the summer.

That doesn’t mean I live in an area where you don’t need heat during the winter, because I do. I love living up north. I don’t worry about the power, because I have a generator. Even with the generator, when the well pump goes out, I don’t have heat. We have a boiler system that produces hot water, and it flows through pipes to give heat to the house. When our well pump died, we had to call the plumbers to talk about getting a new well pump. We had no water, and without water, we had no heat. Our boiler was trying to work for almost twelve hours before we realized we didn’t have water. We were using the water that was in the overflow tank and hot water from our water heater. Once that water was used, the boiler was overworking, and we still didn’t have heat in the house. We not only paid for a new pump and all the work that went with have the old pump pulled up and replaced, but for a new boiler. We now have a new ductless HVAC system, and there is no need for a furnace or an air conditioning unit. The ductless HVAC system runs on electricity, and as long as our generator works, there is no need to go without heating or air conditioning. I need no ductwork, and no window air conditioning units.

 

Quality AC service

My boyfriend kept asking me to go camping with him.

• After almost a year of refusing him, I thought he would just give us and go without me.

I told him to have fun, and let me know when he got back and I would come over, but that didn’t satisfy him. He wanted me to go camping. One afternoon, he came to the house, and he was adamant about me going camping. He was tired of being the odd man out on the camping trips. Everyone else had their significant other, and he wanted me to go with him. He told me that if I wouldn’t go he would find someone else to share a tent with him. I shook my head and told him that was his choice, but I wasn’t going camping. He looked at me with tears in his eyes and asked why. I told him there was no HVAC when you’re camping. He couldn’t believe that was my reasoning. I explained I had asthma, and he never noticed because there was excellent HVAC and air purification in my house. I could go to a restaurant or on a day trip as long as I had my inhalers. I couldn’t go overnight, even with my inhalers. I would end up in a hospital before the weekend was over. When he asked why I hadn’t mentioned the HVAC previously, I shrugged. I didn’t want him to think less of me because of my allergies and asthma. He asked me if I would go camping if he could get a portable air conditioning unit and air purification system. How could I say no to that offer?

Energy saving help

When the HVAC technician told us he could work with us on a new HVAC system, I thought he was just being nice and not vague.

We needed a new furnace before winter, so we ordered it as soon as winter ended.

We called the HVAC company, told them who our HVAC technician was and what he had told us. When the contractor showed up, He measured the house and told us what our choices were. He began talking about SEER and other ways to tell about the efficiency of the furnace. I tried to stop him several times, because he kept saying HVAC system instead of furnace, but he wasn’t listening. He was intent in covering all the information so he could get to his next appointment. When he was almost finished, I finally interrupted him. I told him we were purchasing a furnace. Our furnace was giving us a lot of trouble, but our air conditioning unit was only four years old. He stopped and looked at his paperwork. He told us there was notation that they were to replace the entire HVAC system. He called the HVAC company to confirm what his notes were telling him. When the HVAC technician called back, he said we did have a fairly new air conditioning unit, but he was offering to work with us on a new HVAC system, and not on a furnace. The contractor wasn’t happy with the way the HVAC technician had duped us, and he told us he would work with us on the new furnace.

 

Heating and air conditioning system