Your HVAC Equipment Blog

Believe it or not, there is a reason they are called HVAC professionals.

Too often in our culture these days, we see titles that are simply ridiculous. Dog catcher is now some sort of canine treatment specialist or something. But an HVAC technician is a legit HVAC professional. I know this all too well having spent the better part of a day with my buddy who takes care of heating and cooling for a living. For starters, my friend is actually passionate about providing quality heating and air. He sees his job very much in the light it should be seen. My buddy is responsible for a very essential part of living in our homes. Without someone as dedicated to his heating and cooling craft, we’d be up a creek. Of course, most of us take our HVAC equipment for granted. It’s always doing its job behind the scenes. And it does the heating and cooling job so well that we don’t even pay attention. We just expect to walk in from the heat and humidity outside to a home with cooling comfort and balanced humidity levels. It’s just how we are. Riding along with my friend that day was so enlightening. I was stunned by the amount of continual training, education and certification this guy goes through. Down here in this part of the country, he doesn’t get many calls to work on a gas furnace or a boiler. But the man is certified to work on any and all HVAC equipment. That means whatever problem there is with either residential HVAC or commercial HVAC, he can handle it. I know people who use a handyman to service or repair the heat pump. And those folks end up having to eventually call the HVAC company to get it right. That’s because the HVAC technicians are indeed HVAC professionals.

 

heating and air conditioning products

The first two years up here were not exactly what I would call being in my comfort zone.

Work was insanely intense as there was a huge learning curve to my new position.

I don’t think I socialized but at holidays when friends or family would come to visit. And even then, it was right back to the zone controlled HVAC of the office that I was not accountable for. This was a giant step in my career. While I was convinced that I was up to it. Those first couple of years would test me and my resolve more than ever before. However, I would never have applied for the position if I didn’t think I could do it. The fact is, I’d been working more than 15 years for the same company and looking for this sort of opportunity. It’s just that this opportunity was more than a challenge. Actually, when I got here, this regional office was a complete dumpster fire. The previous 3 managers had been culled because they couldn’t turn the ship around. And when I got here, this place was hemorrhaging cash and the morale was in the toilet. Throw in the fact that I had never lived and worked above the Mason Dixon line and it was such a challenge. The small house I purchased came with a gas furnace that I inherited. Actually, this was a really quick sale because I agreed to take the place as is for the right price. That worked out for me financially and shelter wise, but it was far from comfortable just like being in the office. But last Fall, I replaced all of the residential HVAC and now have central air conditioning that comes with a new gas furnace. This Winter was easily the toastiest ever inside my home.

 

 

air conditioning filter

I learned a lot from our realtor when it came to selling our house.

It’s hard to believe that I’m 56 years old and this is the first time I’ve ever sold a house.

The only other time I’ve dealt with a real estate professional was when we bought the one we just sold. My wife and I were so excited to walk into a newly built home with appliances and HVAC equipment that were also all brand new. I still can see it in my mind like it was last month or something. For sure, a seminal moment in both our lives. I don’t think the plan was actually to live inside the central air conditioning of that house for as long as we did. But it turned out to be just the perfect place to raise our children. Now, the nest is empty and the real estate market is crazy intense. So it seemed like selling the house might be the way to go. But it was the old HVAC equipment that tipped the scale for us. Once it went down for good, we knew it was time to replace the residential HVAC and get on with listing the house. Our realtor was so on top of just what we needed to do as far as improvements. When it came to new residential HVAC, we listened to her about the sort of HVAC technology buyers really wanted. With that information, we went to the HVAC professionals who have taken care of all of us all these years. They were great and got us the best residential HVAC which added huge value to our home. Selling the house was tougher than we thought it was going to be emotionally. But his great, big bag of money sure helps.

ac filter

Wow.

The humidity level sure is banging away already. But I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised given that we are now in the middle of May. Still, walking out this morning to get the mail was a big reminder that we are for real entering Summer. It was so thick and warm outside and it was only 9 in the morning. But I could feel the warm humidity draped around me as though it were some sort of moist cloak that wasn’t in the drier long enough. When I walked back inside the central air conditioning of the house, it was so refreshing. That’s the first time I’ve felt that yet this year. The air conditioning is really just for spot use during the hottest periods of the day during the Spring. But once we get to about now, the thermostat setting is left on cool and we start to program the digital thermostat. I honestly can deal with temperatures in the 90’s. It’s not like I want to go just sit in the sun during the peak heating hours of the day. But I can handle the higher temps fairly well. It’s just when you add in all of that humidity that being outside becomes sweltering and smothering. This is why I’m so thankful that we are getting more than just cooling from the HVAC unit. The air conditioning process is also reducing and balancing the humidity levels inside the house. That makes for that refreshing, crisp feeling when you walk in from being outside in the Summer. I love that feeling.

thermostat

I’m still sort of unclear on just how exactly the air conditioning tune up got by me this Spring.

But it sure did and now, I’m paying the price for that lapse in mental acuity.

Normally, I’m all over getting the HVAC maintenance done on the heat pump like in March. Where we live, the heat pump is quiet all Winter. There’s virtually no demand for heating down here. Sure, there is the once a Winter thing where we might have to bring in the plants. But even that’s not guaranteed. And when that happens, I don’t even bother with the thermostat as I opt for the space heater instead. Spring comes early as the pollen is covering the cars by Valentine’s Day. For certain, the main HVAC concern of our entire year is the Summer heat and humidity. So how in the world was I not prepared this year for it to be Summer already. We are now smack in the middle of May and the humidity is already at Summer levels. Thankfully, the temperature hasn’t fully kicked in yet but still, we are in the air conditioning portion of our annual program around here. Spring is enjoyed with the doors and windows open so we all get more accustomed to the heat. That way, we need less air conditioning in the Summer and we keep the cooling costs reasonable. But that really doesn’t matter if the air conditioning doesn’t work. I flipped the thermostat over to cool it and left it last week. It took three days before the thing just stopped working. Now, I have to pay for an HVAC repair that never would have been necessary had I gotten the air conditioning tune up.

heat pump install

I can hardly believe that I have my garage back.

And now, thanks to the HVAC professionals, I have a place that I can go for a bit of quiet and privacy.

To be clear, I absolutely love my wife and daughters. They are the center of my life and the biggest motivator for me to spend all the hours I do inside the commercial HVAC of the office. I’m enriched every single day by all of those ladies and couldn’t be more grateful to be husband, partner and father to my girls. But dang, those girls can get loud and stay loud. When my daughters were little, I’d walk into the central air conditioning of my home and they’d all come running. I was their king and it never felt better to be the king. I loved that feeling of being their daddy. I’m still their daddy but they’d much rather me not be around so much because I embarrass them in front of their friends. I’m not really clear on what behavior other than just existing that is so embarrassing. Seriously, I’m a quiet guy so it’s not like I’m trying to be cool. Still, I remember what it was like to have parents around when you have friends over to hang out in the air conditioning. So I have been looking for a place to call my own. The garage was basically the only spot. But it was basically an indoor dump. The space was just littered with junk that one or all of my girls weren’t willing to toss. So I did that for them and then called the HVAC company. They put in a ductless heat pump so I have air conditioning for the Summer.

 

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