A visit from my friend who lives in the tropicals prompts a heat and AC product crash course

Jack is quite afraid of the cold… Convincing him to simply come over for a week’s visit this winter season was something I did not expect to pull off but here my associate and I are, then she has been here before but just on a layover; now I know where she is from, they do not rely on heat and Ac products so much but here, it is the order of the day… Their seasons are relatively friendly and they can survive most afternoons without heating or any major HVAC repair.

The first thing she inquired upon arrival is the reliability of our heater, the biting freezing got to him fast indeed.

Not to leave him with any doubt, I provided him with a quick overview of our component and showed him how to operate the one in her room; then my good friend and I recently renovated our home, so most of the components were new. The heater/heater replacement was quite a lengthy process especially after realizing that the residing room heater my associate and I bought was the wrong instance. The heating dealership that my associate and I have been relying on for our heater repair assumed our living room was still the same size. That’s basically why she made the mistake; Jack then talked about hydronic heating she read about somewhere but I told my associate and I couldn’t incorporate that into our dwelling yet. The best my associate and I could do is a hybrid heating replace that eliminated the cost of boiler repair, hence fewer calls to the HVAC repairman, however as for the seasoned heat pump my associate and I had, that found its way to dad’s garage! I am glad Jack did not find a difficult time during her visit and the highlight of it all was a visit to the local heating company to learn a few things about ACs.

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A youtuber on the road and free from all furnace/heater installation

May marks 12 months since I stopped renting and turned into a travel vlogger.

It has not been easy but I have learnt a lot along the way.

In the last 12 months, I have visited 3 states but faced some challenges I did not foresee. Before I embarked on my journey, I bought an RV and stationed it outside my house for a month. I would spend lots of time practicing how to adjust to life there. I did spend a couple of nights in it beforehand. Now, I did think about heating at first. So, I had my portable heater with me. I had to learn about the best heat and AC product out there for van living so that I don’t end up stranded in the cold. What encouraged me most was that there are some heating dealerships willing to ship or deliver any appliances you need to your doorstep. Since I was offgrid most times, this came in handy because I could just call on any HVAC repairman to take me through troubleshooting any issue I might have. The best thing about van living was the fact that I didn’t have to pay power bills as we know it. Being off grid, I didn’t have to worry about boiler repair, hydronic heating, regular HVAC maintenance or even furnace/heater installation. In fact, just before I left, tenants at my previous apartment had a back and forth with the landlord trying to have the heat pumps cleaned and serviced regularly. A number of people felt cheated because their furnaces were failing but no help ws coming forth. The heating business tasked with servicing the apartment said the delay was attributed to delayed contract renewal. They also mentioned they suggested a better hybrid heating system to increase efficiency. Once that was out the way, they would definitely fix things around.

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A much needed stopover that resulted in an interesting night with boiler repair

Any heating business can tell you they dispatch a qualified HVAC repairman to perform HVAC maintenance whenever it is due.

I travel a lot across the country. At times I can stay at a place up to a week for work. The last trip I took last month ended in such an anticlimax for me. That is because I fell ill after a tiring day that ended in rainfall. Heading back to my hotel room, there was a bit of mix up because we were supposed to travel back but we didn’t. So we ended up rebooking the place. Unfortunately this decision was made late in the day and we didn’t get our previous rooms. That disorganization landed us in a much cheaper section of the hotel with not so good a service. For starters, room service was wanted but that was just a tip of the iceberg. heating was generally a problem here. I needed to stay warm so I was hoping for a room with a reliable heater. As we waited to be directed to our rooms, we made use of the furnace at the reception to keep warm. The hotel relies on boilers to heat and manage heat and AC products but it seemed they were performing boiler repair until late in the night. From my understanding, a well done furnace/heater installation should service any building well as long as proper heater maintenance takes place on equipment such as a heat pump. Any heating business can tell you they dispatch a qualified HVAC repairman to perform HVAC maintenance whenever it is due. But to handle troublesome repairs such as this one, late into the night on a cold night, can cost a good business loyal clients. If a hybrid heating system can be problematic for such an establishment, I wonder how managing hydronic heating can turn out because it requires lots of water in the system. It is not always the first choice for any heating dealership doing commercial set ups unless the client specifically requests it.

 

a/c tune up

Buying an off plan house with the option to install hydronic heating

Most people go for ready-made houses.

As for me, I prefer waiting it out and being part of the building process, especially for a house I want customized to my taste.

The developer was very clear about the options we have, from windows, fittings, lawn sizes and an option for a DSQ. Those were the least of my worries, I just wanted standard fittings and a reasonably sized backyard. My biggest concern was the furnace/heater installation. I have lived in rental houses with some of the most worrying heating problems. It gets cold in this state so I wanted to ensure my heater will be the best I can possibly get. I wish I could throw in a furnace as well but the boiler repair issues I have experienced before, totally discouraged me. I am not an expert in heat and AC product selection but I wanted to understand in depth how hydronic heating operates, and if it can connect to the heat pump in any way. So, when the show house was ready, the developer brought in the heating dealership contracted to fit equipment and provide HVAC maintenance. They took us through how each system works and briefed us on the signals that require the help of an HVAC repairman. At the end of it, I settled for my choice and hoped that when everything is finally done, I can have reliable services. To be honest, I wanted to give hybrid heating a wide berth and try something else, especially for a house I’ll own. That way, I can also monitor my consumption, maintenance needs and have a reliable heating business on speed dial to assist with anything I cannot handle.

Electric heating

Finally bought a house and realized I didn't know a lot about handling HVAC maintenance

I must admit, I am a spoiled brat! As an only child, my parents always wanted the best for me.

  • We had helpers around the house 24/7.

Although my friends envied me, some of them pointed out that if I ever stay alone, I will have a hard time with the basics around the house. Right they were. Months after I moved into my new house, it dawned on me that I needed to have a few things fixed. The kitchen sink gave out, I called a plumber in, the hot shower stopped emitting hot water and worst of all, my power bills were going through the roof. So I contacted my dad because he keeps checking on me, and I explained my problem. The first question he asked was, “did you confirm the last time HVAC maintenance was done?” I didn’t even have an answer. But he knew that was coming next. So, I hurriedly went online to look for a HVAC repairman but he stopped me. He then told me to ask the previous owner if there was a heating dealership that assigned someone to handle heater maintenance in that building. I took his advice and went looking for the previous owner. He was kind enough to connect me to the heating business and I reviewed everything with them. I did make it clear that I don’t know much about any heat and AC product, I just use them. So the technician took me through a crash course about what a furnace does, how a heater ensures I have sufficient heating and ways the heat pump regulates my indoor temperature. Anyway, he did check my system when he came around the neighborhood to perform a furnace/heater installation for a new house that opted for hydronic heating after a failed boiler repair that messed up their hybrid heating.

 

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I attended a convention like no other about heat and AC products

I work from home and hardly go out. After losing my job a few months back, I decided to change several things in my life. One of them being, no dates, parties or meaningless group meetings. Now, I only attend conventions, seminars and expos. Usually I am alone but when I get company from one of the few friends I kept, we are on. The last expo I attended was about real estate and homeownership, so when a heating dealership came into town to showcase their heating business products, I jumped onto the opportunity. The objective was to sensitize residents on how best to maintain and get the best out of heat and AC products. I have a narrow understanding of how heating works. However, to understand how a furnace or heater can save me money with proper use, I needed to first understand what furnace/heater installation entails and what really requires the call of a HVAC repairman to come and carry out heater maintenance. From what I gathered, the heat pump might face a lot of challenges based on its positioning around the house. But what caught my attention was the connection between hybrid heating and repeated boiler repair. The more the latter keeps happening the more it becomes necessary to replace it to improve efficiency of the former. Alternatively, you can also switch to hydronic heating if you can afford to install it and abandon your traditional AC equipment altogether. All in all, taking measures to ensure that proper HVAC maintenance is observed is key. The demonstration on how all these equipment work and the approach to maintenance was well done and quite an eye opener in this convention. I am glad I turned up for the showcase.

 

Heating and cooling equipment

I attended a dinner date and steered the conversation towards heating

I was green to all that I must admit so despite hogging the conversation with my heat and heat AC products inquiries I couldn’t get much out of the conversation but now I had a starting point

I did not know that making slight changes in my energy usage can save me money overtime. Time and again I bring the subject up when with my colleagues and friends to determine their energy usage habits. Turns out the difference is not much, but this time, I got a response that could make a difference. While out on a dinner date recently, one of my colleagues brought a date who happened to be in the heating business. So I took the chance to pick his mind on several things related to heating. In particular, I wanted to understand how to achieve energy efficiency by minimal usage rather than an overhaul to a hybrid heating system or hydronic heating. I understand that both of these are super efficient and not HVAC maintenance demanding. From his point of view, he clarified that the starting point is to ensure timely boiler repair, heater maintenance by a certified and licensed HVAC repairman. That covers accountability should I need to escalate a matter to his heating dealership. These were just random examples. For more specific answers, he inquired if I have a portable or stationary heater, furnace or heat pump and whether I understand their power consumption capacity. I was green to all that I must admit so despite hogging the conversation with my heat and heat AC products inquiries I couldn’t get much out of the conversation but now I had a starting point. To find out the model, size and usage instructions of my equipment. Checking the last date of service and confirming I have the right equipment for my house or rooms will make quite a difference consumption wise. I enjoyed getting out that day and I challenged myself to learn more about furnace/heater installation and everything that comes with maintenance.

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