Heating and Air Conditioning Experts

I couldn’t understand why our furnace made so much noise when it was running.

We had excellent heating, if we didn’t have as much as we once had.

I thought it was just because the furnace was getting old. Now that the air conditioning is running, I am hearing the same noise again. I know it isn’t because the AC unit is old. The air conditioning unit was bought only three years ago. When my husband got home, he noticed the noise and asked if I had called the HVAC company. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to call, or if he had just thought about it. He apologized and said he was thinking about it this morning and thought he had asked, but apparently he didn’t. He picked up his phone and called the HVAC company. He told them the persistent noise we had coming through the ductwork. He thought it was just the heat, but now it was happening with the air conditioning. When the HVAC technician arrived, it didn’t take long for him to diagnose the problem. He told us the ductwork needed to be checked. He thought,at the very least, we needed to have the ductwork repaired. Unfortunately, the least didn’t happen. We needed new ductwork in several parts of the house. It wasn’t the diagnosis my husband and I wanted, nor did we want to pay the cost for new ductwork. We didn’t have a choice. Two weeks later, we had the ductwork cleaned, some of the ductwork was repaired, and other sections were being removed and replaced.

gas heater

Ten years ago, my husband started looking into having ductless HVAC installed.

We didn’t have ductwork in our home, and we wanted to get a new HVAC system that didn’t require ductwork.

We knew the ductwork was almost as expensive as the HVAC system. Three years later, we had to put a new well on our property and we didn’t have the money to get ductless HVAC. Within three years, we had the well paid off, and now we were considering the new HVAC system again. I was surprised at how much the price had come down, and how much more efficient it had become. We talked to the HVAC company to get a price on the ductless HVAC system and what it would cost to the installation done. We had made our appointment to have the system installed, when we had a horrible wind and rain storm. Our roof had shown signs of leaking, and now we had water running into our upper bedroom. We were now facing having a new roof on the house. It was now ten years since we first talked about ductless HVAC, and we were finally able to afford ductless HVAC. I asked my husband if he thought something more could happen that would make this once again impossible. He said it had already happened. Our boiler system is irreparable, and we needed a new HVAC system. It was finally a necessity, and not an I want this situation. Two weeks later, our HVAC system was being installed. I didn’t know how good the ductless HVAC system could work until we had it running.

central heater

Over the last three weeks, we have had six days in the nineties. The humidity was low, so my partner didn’t think it was necessary to turn on the air conditioning. I told him I couldn’t survive in the house if the AC wasn’t turned on. After being told I should quit complaining, I had enough. He told me the weather forecaster said he didn’t have his air conditioning on. He had window air conditioning units and wasn’t planning on installing the AC units until it got into the mid-nineties and not just kissing them. I couldn’t believe he was talking about the weather forecaster and not worrying about my comfort. I called in to the news station and asked how hot it had to be before turning the air conditioning on. The person who answered the phone thought I was joking, but I assured her I was not. She told me it was personal choice. Some people turned their air conditioning on a certain date, while others go by temperatures. She told me if there was a problem with our air conditioning, I should call the HVAC company. I told her about my partner going by what their weather forecaster said, and he didn’t think we needed air conditioning yet. She laughed. I couldn’t believe she laughed. I called the HVAC company and asked them to come in and turn on the air conditioning unit. I didn’t know how to turn it on, and I didn’t care what it cost. I would deal with my partner when he got home, and if he got too angry, I would move back with my parents.

More about air conditioning

I loved where I work and I couldn’t imagine working anywhere else, or doing anything differently in my life.

Not only have I been here for ten years, but I hoped to be here until retirement.

Last month, that feeling of love for my job and job location ended. I walked to work one morning, and all my energy was zapped. It was so hot and humid outside that I could barely breathe. I was smiling only because I knew when I got inside the building, the air conditioning would be working and I would be cool and comfortable again. Unfortunately, I walked into the building and it was more humid inside than outside. I asked the maintenance guy when they were going to repair the air conditioning, and he shrugged. I went into the HR office and told her our working conditions were horrible, and they needed to repair the air conditioning. She shrugged and said it would be fixed when the new business owner gave her the go-ahead. I caust the new business owner comment and knew it was time to go. If they wouldn’t allow us to have excellent HVAC in our building, or had to think about having the air conditioning repaired, it wasn’t someplace where I wanted to work. They didn’t care about their employees..An hour later, I had sweat running between my shoulder blades, and my blouse was wet. I saw several people falling asleep at their desk, because of the lack of air conditioning. I packed up my desk and was heading out of the office when the head of HR stopped me. She said the HVAC technician would be there in less than an hour.
heating business

I talked to my husband and tried to explain that we didn’t need anything as elaborate as a smart thermostat

I knew I needed a new thermostat when I had to change the batteries twice last year. It’s only May, and I am changing the batteries again. I bought new batteries, wondering if my batteries were old and unable to hold a charge for very long. When the batteries were still dying, I knew it was the thermostat. My wife wasn’t sure if we should get the same thermostat, or a different type. He was talking about Nest thermostats and smart thermostats. I thought my digital thermostat was fine, but he wanted to upgrade. I told him to buy a new thermostat that was digital and programmable. It wasn’t like we went anywhere that we needed to keep a watch on the house for more than a few hours. We didn’t have a Google account for the Nest thermostat. I knew I couldn’t talk him out of the smart thermostat if he had a choice. He had listened to our son talk about his smart thermostat, and Michael made it sound like it was the gold standard of thermostats. I talked to my husband and tried to explain that we didn’t need anything as elaborate as a smart thermostat. It wasn’t until Michael told him he traveled a lot for work, which is why he wanted the smart thermostat, that he considered buying one. My husband shrugged and said he guessed he would just get the boring digital, programmable thermostat. He ordered the thermostat through the HVAC company instead of buying one at the home center, but at least he bought a new thermostat.
Cooling and heating provider

My husband didn’t even notice when he got home from work a week later

We had a brief heatwave a couple of weeks ago, but it was a hint at what we were going to experience this summer. I didn’t like it, and I told my husband we had to get our new air conditioning unit soon. He told me it was just a fluke, and it would be a couple of months before summer set in. I didn’t want to wait much longer. It was now the middle of May and in our area, when Memorial Day arrives, it is like someone flips a switch. It goes from spring to summer overnight. My husband thought we had plenty of time to get the new air conditioning unit, but I wasn’t sure. Yesterday, we had another one day heat wave. It was so hot; I swore my eggs were cooking just sitting on the counter. I would not wait any longer. I picked up the phone and called the HVAC company. I told them I needed a new air conditioning unit and requested they send someone out so they could help me pick one out. The next morning, I was going through the process of choosing new air conditioning. I picked out a unit with SEER over 20, and it was big enough to keep my entire home cool while saving on energy. My husband didn’t even notice when he got home from work a week later. He said he didn’t notice much different with the air conditioning on or off. I was sure he was just being mean, unless he was just upset that I bought the AC unit without talking to him..

 

 

electric furnace

Being an HVAC technician puts me into a lot of odd situations.

Usually I go with the flow and never worry about it. The only thing I am wary of is being in the dark. I have been afraid of the dark since I was little and my brother locked me in a closet to play ball with his friends. My parents found me three hours later, when they got home from work. I know it sounds silly, but I never got over that incident. Whenever it is totally dark, I have panic attacks. I hate this happening, but there is little I can do about it. Every time I need to go into a basement to work on a furnace, I hope no one turns the lights out. I work quickly, but efficiently, hoping the lights don’t go out. Last month, I was working on a furnace when the power went out. I knew there was a storm raging outside, and it was lightning. I knew it was possible the power would go out, so I worked on the furnace, praying the entire time the power wouldn’t go out. My prayers didn’t help that way. The lights went out, and I was stuck in the dark. I could feel the panic beginning. There were people upstairs talking, and I wondered if they remembered I was downstairs. Two minutes later, the door opened, and I could see light filtering down the steps. I told them I was fine, but I would need to come back and finish the furnace when the power was restored.

Air conditioning corporation

I knew there was something wrong with the air conditioning unit even before I had the HVAC technician do the inspection.

He told me he had to order the parts, which I was perfectly fine with.

He said he would orderI the AC parts, and the next week he would come back and install them. When he installed the new parts, the air conditioning still didn’t work. He seemed surprised the AC was still broken, He told me he was going to have a colleague come look at the air conditioning unit. I asked if I was going to need to pay extra, but he said it would all be part of the original service call. The second HVAC technician arrived and he said I needed a fan motor. They ordered the fan motor and returned the next day to install it. The fan motor worked, but I still wasn’t getting good air conditioning. They both look stymied and wanted to call another HVAC technician. I told them if the air conditioning wasn’t repaired this time; I was going to hire another HVAC company and I would contact the owner of their HVAC company. The third HVAC technician arrived and hit the reset switch. Within seconds the air conditioning unit was running and there was cool air coming from the air vent. When the first HVAC technician turned off the power, he forgot to hit the reset switch. I wasn’t happy when they tried to make me pay for three HVAC technicians and all those parts, when the reset switch hadn’t been touched.

Smart HVAC

I travel a great deal for work.

I enjoy experiencing new places and making an effort to explore the area.

Unfortunately, my time is limited. I spend long hours sitting in airport terminals, standing in line to get a rental car and sitting in conference rooms. Being away from home can be difficult. I sleep in hotel beds as often as I do my own. When I first started my job, I had issues with insomnia, migraines and aching joints. I gained quite a bit of weight and felt unhealthy and even a bit depressed. I’ve since learned to take better care of myself. When I arrive at my destination, I stop at a grocery store and purchase bottled water, yogurts, granola bars, apples, bananas, grapes, carrots and various fruits and vegetables that are easy to consume. I try to stay in hotels that include a fitness center. Sometimes these facilities are little more than a single treadmill and an elliptical. Other hotels provide a full selection of equipment, including free weights, stationary bikes, medicine balls, incline benches and more. I often am required to workout at very odd hours. I might be in the fitness room first thing in the morning or very late at night. I am especially excited when the hotel includes a swimming pool. I’ve learned to pack a jump rope, resistance bands and running shoes in my suitcase. When there is no designated fitness room, I can still manage to get a good workout. I really enjoy going for a run and having the opportunity to appreciate my surroundings. I make an effort to get a thorough stretch, get my heart pumping and work up a sweat.
Workout classes

Without the anode rod, the hard water minerals will corrode the new tank

We’ve had some trouble with our water heater. Although the tank was not all that old, it ruptured. I discovered the problem when I turned on the kitchen faucet to wash dishes. The water temperature was so extremely hot that steam rose up out of the sink. I opened the door to the basement and heard the water running. When I got to the bottom of the stairs, I found several inches of water on the floor. It’s fortunate I caught the issue when I did, because the leaking tank could have easily caught fire. It was continuing to heat with very little water inside. I immediately shut off the water pump completely. My husband is quite handy, so we didn’t need to call a plumber. We purchased a new tank-style water heater and he installed it. For a couple of months, everything was fine. We had a plentiful supply of hot water. However, because of an excessive amount of iron and minerals in the water, the anode rod went bad. It’s a long metal rod that extends down into the tank’s interior. It attracts particles of limestone, iron and all sorts of minerals. It uses an electrochemical process. Instead of the tank corroding, the anode rod corrodes. In our situation, the deterioration was accelerated. It caused a rotten egg smell and discoloration. Our water turned almost black. We had no choice but to remove the anode rod, which voids the warranty. Without the anode rod, the hard water minerals will corrode the new tank. It will shorten its service life.

tankless hot water heater service