Author: Matt

For quite a few years, our family got by without operating central cooling.

Because of the long plus dire Wintertide weather in our current area, the heating system is the priority.

During the brief summer time months, you know, all of us always managed with open windows, some box fans strategically placed around plus window cooling systems for the study rooms. I was never triumphant with the level of comfort we achieved. I didn’t love the look of the window cooling systems, the security risk of open windows or the exact way the box fans tended to stir up dust. Eventually, I finally decided that I was ready to make the investment into central a/c systems. I contacted a local Heating, Ventilation plus A/C contractor to finally give a free estimate for replacement. He highly proposed to me that I spend a bit more currency to purchase plus incorporate an upgraded electric air-source heat pump. He explained that a dual fuel system easily provides a whole bunch of cost-saving benefits. I had certainly never even heard of a dual fuel system. I then did some research. A new dual fuel system is the combination of a natural gas oil furnace plus an old electric heat pump. During the warmer weather, the heat pump does the exact same task as an AC unit. It pulls heat out of the indoor air plus uses refrigerant to move it rattly outside. The advantage is that the heat pump is better at the process of dehumidification plus costs less to run. Plus, once the weather cools off once and for all, the heat pump is capable of reversing the process to easily bring ambient heat into the home. It’s also beautifully energy efficient. It costs less to operate than the oil furnace.

New HVAC systems

I recently invested in a smart temperature control for our home for our family.

My former temperature control was over 30 years old.

While it still did the task, the temperature control gave only a single function to us plus required manual operation. Although the smart temperature control easily cost myself and others many hundred dollars, it has honestly paid for itself very quickly in convenience plus energy savings. I hired a licensed Heating, Ventilation plus A/C contractor at the time to help myself and others determine the ideal temperature control device for our particular lifestyle plus to accommodate our family heating plus cooling system. The Heating, Ventilation plus A/C contractor also easily handled the replacement plus familiarized myself and others with the method of operation plus the many features. For the first week after powerful replacement, the temperature control kept track of the adjustments I personally made plus l received our family’s preferences plus schedule. It then automatically built a program to suit us. I now entirely find myself rarely make any changes to settings. The temperature control automatically Barnes and caters to our comings plus goings, conserving energy when the entire up-to-date home is empty plus welcoming us up-to-date home to our ideal comfort. Because of this, I save a considerable amount of additional currency on heating plus cooling costs. The temperature control further managers and tracks our energy usage plus offers tips for potential savings. It easily sends alerts when it’s time to change air filters or in order to schedule professional maintenance. I love this smart thermostat.

HVAC duct

I was looking for a brand new heating plus cooling system that would install easily without major upheaval plus handle comfort throughout the family home.

I needed an effective cooling system to handle brutal heat while in the summer time months plus an incredibly efficient furnace able to combat temperatures down to more than nine below zero each winter.

I was hoping to avoid super high monthly utility bills. Unfortunately for me, our up-to-date home is rather old plus not equipped with any sort of conventional air duct. Unless I was willing to tear down all the walls plus make a huge investment, there weren’t a lot of excellent options available. I finally came across a fairly up-to-date innovation on the market called high-velocity. A high-velocity heating plus cooling system apparently is similar to an older, conventional model in the sense that the conditioned air comes from a second heat pump or outside compressor. However, rather than utilizing big ducts, the system takes advantage of entirely skinny tubing. These extremely slender plus bendy ducts are only two inches in diameter or less plus can be snaked through existing walls without causing damage. Plus, it turns out the vents are much smaller. They are officially round, only perhaps five inches in diameter plus come in a wide range of styles. The volume of heated or cooled air enters the room with more pressure than a conventional system, thus creating a gentle suction that provides an entirely efficient and rapid circulation. This means that the temperature of the interior room reaches the desired temperature faster than with other assorted types of systems.

Heating technology

The furnace we’ve had for nearly 25 years just gave up and died.

I sort of knew it wouldn’t be long before it happened but, I wasn’t replacing it until it died.

Unfortunately, it couldn’t wait until the end of winter to put out it’s last bit of heat. I was pretty naive to think that an HVAC guy was simply going to show up in a truck, take out the old furnace and replace it with a new one. This was actually my thought process. Had I known it was going to be different, I would have prepared for it a bit more. I’m just very fortunate that we were not in the dead of winter with a foot of snow on the ground. My luck continued because I had such a competent and professional HVAC company to guide me through the process. The HVAC contractor came out the very day the old furnace died. He spent more than two hours taking measurements, inspecting ducts and listening to our HVAC needs and concerns. The good news is we were able to find a model of furnace that would fit our system and budget. The bad new was the air duct system was not at all up to standard. The HVAC contractor took me to have a look and it was certainly true. There were joints in the air ducts which had simply sagged to the point of hardly fitting together. Other sections were just worn out. The metal was coming apart. The air duct system was original with the home. So, it was nearly 45 years old. I had to replace the whole thing.

 

a/c worker

But, as soon as I boarded the plane, the heat and humidity hit me like a wall

I was lucky enough to grow up around airplanes and the airlines. My father was a Captain for a major airline for 41 years. My childhood was filled with trips to thrilling airshows and long afternoons in aerospace museums. It was a wonderful way to grow up. And, I think I witnessed the best or the pinnacle of air travel. Back when I was a kid, the seats were spaced so people could actually enjoy their trip. And the HVAC system was designed to actually keep everyone comfortable. It was actually nice and cool on a plane. The time in the air was something to be endured. Once I was well into my career, I stated flying a lot again. After college, I couldn’t fly for free anymore so, I didn’t really get on a plane all that much. I just drove everywhere. But once I reached a certain level in my company, I was required to travel a great deal more. This is when I witnessed what a nightmare the air travel industry had become. Much of my travel was post 9/11. The travel time was extended much more due to all the safety precautions. This is also when I noticed how cold the terminals in the airport had become. It seemed like every time I showed up at a an airport, I needed a sweater if I took my suit jacket off. But, as soon as I boarded the plane, the heat and humidity hit me like a wall. And, generally speaking, it stayed like that the entire flight. I’ll stick to driving when I have the choice.

Space heater

And, being on the automatic maintenance list keeps me from forgetting to make the appointment.

I have been know to take absent minded to a how other level. I have spent a lifetime deep in forgetting what I’m supposed to do. Being in my fifties sure isn’t helping any. My only chance is to make list after list and hope that I am somehow able to remember to follow the list. I have even put my lists out for my wife so she can add the things that I will surely forget to get done. It’s my only hope of getting anything done at all. And even then, there is a solid chance I will only get to about half the list. It is what it is I suppose. There are so many household tasks that just sit forever on those lists. I always do everything else first. But, some of those tasks are really important like the HVAC stuff I need to do. Honestly, I don’t even think of the HVAC system unless it isn’t working and I’m uncomfortable. However, I am really trying to get better. The HVAC tasks are important. I started off by calling our HVAC company to sign up for the semi annual maintenance program. HVAC maintenance is really important because we all really depend on our HVAC systems to perform reliably. And, being on the automatic maintenance list keeps me from forgetting to make the appointment. While I was on the phone with the HVAC folks, I made an additional appointment. They have a sister company who does nothing but clean air ducts. I don’t think these air ducts have ever been cleaned before. My wife will be so impressed.

 

 

HVAC

Walking in to my home feels like walking into some sort of zoo.

• There are animals all over the place.

And with each week, it seems we trade out one bunch of animals for another. The women in my life have become increasingly involved in fostering animals who are looking for a new home. My wife has always been an extreme animal lover. So, it seems natural that my daughter would be right there along with her. It is actually quite beautiful to see the bond between daughter and mom brought about by all these needy animals. I just do my best to help out where I can. Recently, I even turned part of our house into a sanctuary for these foster pets. However, I still have to be diligent about protecting the HVAC unit. With all these pets in the house, the fur is literally flying. In a house without 20 or 30 pets, the air filter is changed about once per month. But this just won’t do for our situation. I buy some of the very best air filters on the market. They are built to catch as much of the allergens and pet hair as possible. However, changing these filters just once a month would probably kill my HVAC. Every HVAC unit needs maximum air flow to perform to its best. The amount of pet hair accumulating on these air filters is massive. I actually buy the filter by the case. I change the air filters at least once a week to give the HVAC unit a chance to breathe.

Quality heating and air

A huge ball of fire resulted from that

As kids and young adults, most of us have already learned that you are never supposed to consume alcohol and drive a vehicle. What could result from combining those to activities is dangerous to not only yourself but also to others. Today, I am here to give you even more advice concerning the consumption of alcoholic beverages. You should never install space heaters while also being intoxicated. What could result would be dangerous to both you and your family. Last night, we had a lot of trouble with our furnace. It was late in the evening, and I was already completely drunk from a party that we had with our friends and family. People were starting to become cold, so I stumbled up to the attic to try to find as many space heaters as possible to keep us warm until we could call the HVAC technician the next morning. However, since I was entirely drunk, I wasn’t in the right mind to remember where to put the space heaters. I literally put all of the space heaters against the walls directly under the curtain. Then, my friends and I had the bright idea to try to catch pieces of paper on fire using the space heaters. After a few minutes, the space heater in the living room caught the curtain on fire, and we tried to put it out with vodka. A huge ball of fire resulted from that. Thankfully, my wife had enough sense to put the fire out and move all the space heaters. Don’t drink and use space heaters.

Washable filter

Around ten years ago, I purchased a large Native American Indian Dog named Kota.

I had just gotten back from my first military tour overseas, and I needed some companionship.

Now, I am married and working for a recruiting office in the north. I still have Kota, and I plan to have him for another ten years. If there is one thing that my dog doesn’t like, it is warm weather. Kota hates the heat, even the mild heat in the north. He is a large hunting dog. He was made for cold weather. However, since our dog is so massive, we aren’t able to keep him in the house during the warmer months. He would love the air conditioner and cold temperatures from that, but since he is so large, he would begin breaking everything by accident. Instead, he has to stay outside in the warm temperatures without an air conditioner. We have given him his own large fan, and he lays in front of the fan all day. During the winter, he absolutely loves being outside. He hates the furnace and the warm air that it provides. He happily bounces and jumps around outside in the snow, and he will sleep in the snow throughout the night. Some people accuse me of abusing my dog because he doesn’t get to stay in a house with a furnace but trust me when I say that this is his preference. He doesn’t want to be inside with a furnace. He loves anything that is cold, and furnaces aren’t conducive to that.
Air conditioning maintenance

There is a myth going around that older people like to keep their homes warm all of the time.

I say it is a myth because all of the elderly people I know keep their homes freezing cold.

No one keep their home colder than my grandparents. Every time I come to visit I make sure to bring lots of extra sweaters and warm socks. I know their house will be below 60 degrees. It doesn’t matter what time of year it is either. In the summer, they have the air conditioner blasting away all day and all night. In the winter they have their air conditioner on too. I love seeing my grandparents but they just don’t seem to understand how uncomfortably cold their home is. On more than one occasion I have looked for the thermostat but have not been able to find it. I assume it is in my grandparents’ bedroom but I don’t want to go snooping in there. I have mentioned how cold I am and they say that I must be cold blooded. But, I know I am not the only one who freezes when they go to their house. If I visit in the summer, I usually open up my bedroom window at night to let some of the glorious outside warmth in. Of course, I have to make sure to close the window in the morning otherwise Grandma or Grandpa will get upset about letting all of the cold air out the window. I would bring a space heater if I thought I could get away with it.

 

Radiant floor heating