Since I was a little kid, I’ve had a love hate relationship with the spring time.

Of course, like all kids, I loved when the spring came because that meant warmer temperatures and a return to playing outside nearly all the time. What’s not to like about that? After a winter of being cooped up in a house with the gas furnace cranking, I loved the idea of fresh air and green grass. But with that green grass came a whole bunch of allergies for me. Grass and tree pollen just tore me up. So bad in fact, I had to be on prescription meds when I was a kid. As I aged, the allergies were less but still there and still a real bother. Even inside the HVAC treated air of my house, I still suffered the allergy symptoms brought on my all that pollen in the air. And it went on like that for decades until I learned about HVAC air purification. My wife is actually the one who got interested in it for the health benefits and the fact air purification destroyed indoor air odors. We did some research and then reached out to our HVAC company. They showed us our options when it came to air purification. We chose to go with the whole home air purification system. And it is amazing. I knew it would help my allergies but I was shocked by just how much. Inside my house, I don’t suffer with allergy symptoms at all any longer. The whole home air purification system simply eradicates the pollen from the air.

oil heater

I learned pretty quick when I moved up here that HVAC heating was a big deal.

Well of course it is when I’m moving to an area where the winter is nearly 6 months long.

And that winter is full of cold, snow and ice. So much so that it boggled my mind for a few years. Thankfully, the house we bought also came with a new gas furnace. That was part of the package with the house. Yet, I learned over that first winter that it’s not all about the gas furnace when it comes to heating. The house had to be prepared as well. And that’s something that I would learn to do in later years after the sky high heating costs that first year. Additionally, the gas furnace needs attention as well. Sure, I change the air filter regularly but I’m talking more about attention from the HVAC professional when it comes to the gas furnace. And I was doing a great job of that. Every fall, I made sure the HVAC technician got the gas furnace in great shape. This ensured maximum efficiency as well as knowing that the gas furnace was ready to go all winter long. Then, I forgot last fall to call the HVAC company for HVAC maintenance. And as if on cue, the gas furnace stopped working during a brutal cold snap. Of course, the HVAC technician told me that the defective part was something he would have caught had the heating maintenance been done properly. That will be a hard learned lesson for me. I can’t forget to make sure that the gas furnace gets the HVAC service it needs from an HVAC professional.

air quality

Let me state for the record that I’m not a person who gives personalities to inanimate objects.

I understand the difference between machines and people. Still, it’s sometimes hard to not get attached to certain essential machines in one’s life. Like my car feels like a part of my life since I’m in all the time. The same goes for the HVAC equipment in our home. This was the first and only home I have ever owned. Buying it was part of a very exciting but scary time. My wife and I had decided to start a family and scraped everything together for a downpayment. We just decided that we no longer wanted to live in an apartment with less than stellar heating and cooling. That went double when we thought about having our children. Thus, we found this house and with some help from a great realtor, we negotiated a price that was pretty unbelievable. Some of that negotiated savings came from the fact that the seller didn’t want the hassle of putting in new residential HVAC. So we did that and ended saving a bundle on the home price. That was the first and only HVAC equipment I bought until recently. After 25 years, the old HVAC unit had seen better days. The heating and cooling costs had spiked and it was time to replace the HVAC unit with new HVAC equipment. Still, I found it a bit difficult to think that this HVAC unit which had taken such great care of us was now going to the recycling yard. But again, I remind myself that HVAC equipment are machines and not people with feelings.

information here

I think many of us, if not most of us, take heating and cooling in our homes a bit for granted.

I mean we’re all so used to having residential HVAC comfort at the tip of our fingers.

Residential HVAC has been around since the 50’s so it’s pretty much everywhere you go these days. I’ve never lived in a home that didn’t have modern HVAC technology. I once spent a winter in a cabin with a wood stove instead of a gas furnace but I don’t think that counts. Even though residential HVAC is pretty much common to all of us, that doesn’t mean it’s totally self sufficient. And I think that’s where some of us are making a mistake. The HVAC equipment is just so well engineered that we tend to not realize that the HVAC unit still needs our attention. And so I do my best to make sure that I’m doing what it takes to get the most from my HVAC unit. That starts with changing the HVAC air filter every months without fail. This is the single most important thing any homeowner can physically do to aid the HVAC equipment. A clogged air filter results in forcing the HVAC unit to work too hard thus degrading the HVAC equipment in the process. And that ends up with a shorter life span and less than maximum efficiency. Plus, I make sure that the HVAC equipment gets HVAC service from an HVAC professional in the fall for the heating maintenance. And the HVAC professional is back out in the spring for the air conditioner tune-up. I’m committed to taking the best care of the HVAC unit that I can.
Steam boiler

Selling our home and moving elsewhere was really like the last thing I wanted to do.

However, my wife and I had been discussing that very thing for years.

She actually started to broach the subject when our oldest went off to college. Now that our youngest is graduating from college with a job all lined up, I couldn’t avoid the inevitable any longer. It’s just the idea of leaving our home has been really tough on me. However, the tipping point was when the HVAC technician said that our HVAC equipment wasn’t going to make it much longer. This was sort of the push I really needed. We had a realtor friend come check out the house and give us an idea of what needed to be changed prior to it going on the market. Her first suggestion was to replace the HVAC equipment. So when we heard that from the HVAC technician, it was time to move on and engage in selling our home. The HVAC contractor actually made it very easy for us to deal with the HVAC unit upgrade. He came out to the house to inspect and go over all the options. So much had changed in residential HVAC technology since we put the old HVAC unit in some 25 years ago. We chose to go with the works. That meant HVAC equipment with a very high SEER rating. Then we added zone controlled HVAC and a smart thermostat. Honestly, having the new HVAC not only got us the price we wanted for the house, it was a joy to experience while we could. I’m sure going for all the latest in residential HVAC in our next place.

heating technician

I’m just so glad that I love the people I live with and the home that we share.

My family genuinely gets along with each other and shares plenty of interests.

That’s a good thing when you’re facing staying together inside the air conditioning safety of home for a year. Of course, like many other families, we just accomplished this feat. And I have to say that I’m really proud of our effort and the results. It took a bit of adjustment as we learned to work and go to school from the HVAC security of our own home. But we figured it out. We figured that part out and we also had to figure out how to do more with less when it came to our finances. Both my wife and I had to take deep pay cuts in order to maintain our employment. So we really had to do some cost cutting. Basically, our entertainment budget was available because we couldn’t go anywhere or vacation. That was a big addition to our revised budget. We also got serious and committed to saving on the HVAC costs. The big one around here is the HVAC cooling costs. We were really good about letting the house heat up during the peak heating hours each day. But one thing we weren’t willing to cut when it came to the HVAC unit was the HVAC maintenance. We stayed in the HVAC service plan we had joined years ago despite the costs. The HVAC equipment is just too essential to do anything else.

heating corp

After a year at home in the air conditioning safety of our house, I thought that maybe I would learn some valuable lessons.

The pandemic forced my family to stay very close to the HVAC security of home.

My wife has a chronic health condition that put her at a very high risk with the virus. So I worked from home in the air conditioning and the kids were home learning remotely. There was some adjustment for sure. But I was actually very pleased to see us all making the effort to get along and get through the pandemic unscathed. Living at home in the air conditioning all the time really slowed me down. My schedule was such that I was actually left with some free time now and again. That was a great feeling that I promised to maintain. Of course, that didn’t last and I’m back to having more on my plate than I have time for. And I’m back to forgetting about my HVAC responsibilities. I just let them fall through the cracks due to me trying to do too much. But that’s just not acceptable really. The HVAC air filter needs to be changed every single month. And the seasonal HVAC maintenance has to happen as well. I took care of that by signing up for the HVAC service plan offered by our HVAC company. And then, I made sure to set alarms across all of my devices when it comes to changing the air filter. I’m determined not to fail my HVAC unit just because I overschedule myself.
space heater

I called the HVAC company because we were definitely going to need some heating and cooling comfort up there.

For me and my son, it’s almost all girls, all the time inside our home. There is my wife and 3 daughters. My son is smack in the middle with his sisters as far as age and household location. So we do our best to try and make sure that we buddy up a bit and be boys. I know that it’s really nice for me to have that one on one time with my son. And a recent HVAC equipment addition will only add to that for us. This past winter, my son and I were taking the Christmas decoration boxes from the attic. This is a chore that we get every year. That and all the other furniture moving, light stringing and tree setting assignments. But we are good boys and get our stuff done. While we were up in the attic, my son pointed out how cool a place it would be for us to hang out. When I thought about it, I realized that he was right. It wouldn’t take much to put up some drywall and put down a rudimentary floor. Plus, it had electric already. So we decided to go for it. With a few weekends worth of effort, we cleared out the attic and turned it into a room for us. I called the HVAC company because we were definitely going to need some heating and cooling comfort up there. The HVAC technician installed a ductless heat pump in an afternoon. My son and I were in business. It’s an awesome place to hang out just the two of us. None of the girls like our attic spot either which so doesn’t hurt our feelings.

HVAC corporation

I’m a fairly engaged homeowner actually. This is the second home I’ve owned. The first one was a starter house that my wife and I bought right after we were married. That was not only a starter house but a learner house as well. We learned all about being a homeowner. From the HVAC equipment to the roof and everything else in between, we learned a whole lot about what it meant to own a home. That house needed some help and we slowly worked on it ourselves. But when we decided to start a family, we knew we’d need a new place. So we upgraded the HVAC equipment and sold the house for a handsome profit. This really helped us to get into the house that we own today. However, we also brought our homeowner knowledge with us. Our house had new HVAC equipment when we bought it and I immediately signed up for the HVAC service plan. Well, during one of the heating maintenance visits from the HVAC technician, my neighbor came calling. He wanted to let me know what a scam HVAC maintenance was. Of course, that’s utterly untrue. But the guy was a true believer in all things conspiracy so I just let it go. The facts are that HVAC equipment getting consistent HVAC maintenance lasts, on average, 7 years longer than those that don’t. So I ignored this neighbor about HVAC just as I do about most everything else that comes out of his mouth. I just don’t know when this guy is going to get the message that I am so not listening to anything he says.
Air conditioner service

I have been making the case for the smart thermostat for years now.

But I kept getting dismissed.

My wife kept vetoing the idea of having a smart thermostat installed. And I know just where that comes from. She is simply reacting the way she does when I want some sort of new technology. And rightly, my wife knows that new tech gadgets are just grown up toys to me. Plus, I am just such a sucker for any tech advance or new electronic gadget. She basically had to cut me off on spending for more new tech stuff. However, as much as I was interested in having an app on my phone for the new smart thermostat, it wasn’t totally about toys. My main objective with wanting a smart thermostat had everything to do with saving on HVAC costs. Where we live, the air conditioning comes on about mid March and runs into November anyway. That’s a lot of HVAC cooling and it doesn’t exactly come cheap. As a family, we haven’t been super consistent about maintaining thermostat discipline. So I plead my case again with facts and figures. My wife came around and I got the green light to call the HVAC company. The HVAC technician who installed the smart thermostat put in the basic parameters and that was it. The very first month, we saved over 15 percent on HVAC cooling costs. Even my wife commented on how much she liked the addition of the smart thermostat. I will admit that I do love having the smart thermostat app on my phone so I can work it remotely or just see what’s happening.

Heating tune up