Author: Pedro

So we were faced with the decision of whether or not to sell our house.

And it turns out, the fact that the HVAC equipment had to be replaced was the tipping point for our choice.

The HVAC unit was put in when we bought the house just after our girls were born. They are just over a year apart and started life inside the not so quality heating and air of an apartment. But we were fortunate enough to get some help with the downpayment on this place and the rest is history. A great aunt happened to leave me some money in her will and that’s what allowed us to buy this house and install that old HVAC unit. Now, the girls are out of the house and starting their own lives. With an empty house, we just weren’t sure whether we should keep it for just us. But when the HVAC unit had to be replaced and we got to talking with the HVAC contractor, we decided we wanted to stay put. Eventually, we’ll sell the house and move to the south to retire in all of that glorious HVAC cooling. But until then, we chose to stay put but add value to our home. And we did that by getting the latest in residential HVAC for upstairs and putting a pair of ductless heat pumps downstairs. Now, we have a full on, 2 bedroom apartment in the basement that we are renting out. Not only did we add value to the home, we’re making some money on it until we sell it as well.

furnace/heater installation

Can you imagine investing thousands of dollars in new residential HVAC equipment only to void the warranty just months into owning it? That sounds like just a nightmare scenario but it happens. Actually, it happened to a friend of ours. He bought the a new gas furnace and was just so excited to have it that he neither read what he was supposed to nor did he listen to the HVAC contractor. So after 90 days, the warranty on his new gas furnace was void. That’s right, thousands of dollars in gas furnace and no warranty all because he didn’t register the warranty with the factory in time. He was beside himself and still, that gas furnace HVAC warranty situation is a very sore subject. That’s why when we even started talking to the HVAC contractor about replacing the residential HVAC in our home, we asked about the warranty. The warranty on our new HVAC equipment is just the best and covers us for a very long time from defect. But of course, we only had 90 days to register that HVAC warranty with the factory. I made sure that we did it the day of the installation. And it was so easy. The whole thing was done in minutes online. I just can’t imagine not having a warranty on the investment of residential HVAC. But I’d probably be beside myself as well if I didn’t have that HVAC warranty because I didn’t bother to register the HVAC warranty. Plus, we signed up for the HVAC service plan the day after installation. Between all the HVAC maintenance and the warranty, we should be covered.

electric furnace

Getting into the landlord business was something that I chose to do after I was lucky to get a buyout from the company I work for. They offered me full retirement less 8 percent if I left about 5 years early. That was the easy decision I ever made inside the zone controlled HVAC of that place. I said yes before they could get the offer all the way out. I loved my job but I was also really ready to do something else. Owning properties and renting them out was something that I had always wanted to do. So once I was out of the zone controlled HVAC of the office, I started learning about owning rental properties. I actually even took a class or two. It was the financing and the legal stuff that I really wanted to be sure that I had down pat. The ability to work on the homes and be that sort of landlord wasn’t a problem. I’ve always loved home projects. My wife and I have turned our home into just the perfect spot by doing those projects together. She was right there with me in this rental property thing as well. We’re a team. But the first house we bought, fixed up and rented out hit a big snag right at a deadline. The HVAC company was out to replace the central air conditioning just a week before our first tenant was to move in. But it turned out the ductwork was shot. The HVAC contractor was quick thinking though and kept us on deadline as well as on budget with the ductless multi split system we installed.

air conditioner

It’s just starting to be summer around here and I’m already eager for it to end.

That’s not because of the heat and humidity of summer so much.

We have great residential HVAC in our house that provides all the HVAC cooling we could ever want or need. And it’s not because the kids are now out of school. I really actually like that they are free in the summer to just be kids. We’re quite lucky to have two really good people as children and they are pretty easy to raise. No, the reason I want the end of summer to get here sooner is because that’s when vacation starts. We like to go for 2 weeks at the end of summer for our family vacation. It’s just a blast and we normally go back to the same area. I love being at the shore and the kids do to. My wife loves taking care of all the arrangements from the lodging to the entertainment to the menu. Well last year, she straight outdid herself in all aspects of that vacation. It was the best one we’d ever had and that’s really saying something. It starts with the fact that we got a vacation rental instead of staying at the resort we had frequented. I’d been disappointed with things like the air conditioning and space for what we paid. Well my wife saved us money on this vacation rental and it came with superb air conditioning. This place had brand new HVAC equipment along with all the HVAC technology as well. I had a thermostat in our bedroom that was for that space alone! You got to believe that we booked it again.

new heating

I thought the realtor was just being a bit crazy when she suggested that we replace the heating and cooling equipment prior to putting our house on the market.

The HVAC unit we had was 15 years old and had, at the very least, another decade of good quality heating and air left in it.

When we bought this house, we replaced the HVAC equipment and got the best residential HVAC we could find. Heating and cooling are just so essential to us that we wanted to be sure that we had the latest when it came to residential HVAC. Plus, we made sure to join the HVAC service plan to be sure that the HVAC equipment got all the necessary HVAC maintenance it needed. By being part of the HVAC service plan, there wasn’t a missed HVAC maintenance appointment because the HVAC company set them. So when the realtor said we needed to replace that HVAC unit, I was just sort of incredulous. Where was the value in that? It was in perfect working condition and had never suffered so much as a hiccup when it came to providing quality heating and air. To her credit, the realtor didn’t relent. Instead, she proved it to me that replacing the HVAC equipment was in our best interest. She produced data from comps in our community and our region to show that new HVAC technology was a top priority for home buyers. Boy was she ever correct. We did spend the money to replace the HVAC unit and we got it back with so much more once we sold the house. Indeed, at least in this region, residential HVAC and HVAC technology add enormous value to the home one is trying to sell.

Air conditioning installation

I work at home now and I don’t think I ever want to go back to an office setting.

Had someone told me that this would be the case just a few years ago, I would have laughed in their face.

I’ve only had two jobs in my life. They were both in the same industry but with two different companies. The first was right out of college for just a few years before I got this one. This job was quite the upgrade. The office had zone controlled HVAC and I had a thermostat right near my office. I got to travel for business and even had an expense account. Before I started a family, this was just the best life ever. But once you’re a mom, those business trips just mess up everyone’s schedule. Still, I really loved where I worked and the zone controlled HVAC was just heaven. If you have to wear business attire all the time, at least I had wonderful quality heating and air so I was comfortable. Honestly, I couldn’t have imagined working from home. I’d done it a bit after the kids were born and I didn’t care for it at all. I wanted to be back in the zone controlled HVAC of the office. That changed for good once I was forced to figure out working from my own air conditioning during the pandemic. And to my utter astonishment, I was even better at my job in my own air conditioning than I was inside the zone controlled HVAC of work. That’s where I plan to stay as well.

More about HVAC

I tend to be a bit more sentimental that I would really like to be.

And it’s been that way all my life.

Even when I was growing up in the quality heating and air of my parent’s house, I was pretty emotional. When my gerbil died, I was inconsolable for weeks and weeks. Going outside of the air conditioning to play with my friends was out of the question. I was in mourning. That’s pretty heavy for an 11 year old. Honestly, I’ve tried to not be quite so sentimental and avoid getting so attached. However, that’s not met with great results. In fact, I just sat with a 24 year old HVAC unit to honor it before it was torn out, tossed in a truck and recycled. But to me, that HVAC equipment was more than equipment. That was the heat pump that kept my family warm in the winter with great HVAC heating and comfortable in the heat and humidity of summer with perfect HVAC cooling. So it only seemed correct to honor that effort. Sure, I spent money every year on HVAC maintenance. I called for heating maintenance from the HVAC company in the fall every year. And by late spring, I called again for an air conditioning tune-up prior to the summer heat and humidity. So that old HVAC unit definitely got taken care of. That’s why it went 24 years without a single heating and cooling problem. When it was time to add new HVAC technology and new residential HVAC, I would have felt ashamed had I not at least tipped my cap to that heating and cooling warrior that took care of my family for all those years.
thermostat

I’ve always enjoyed going to this little spot on a remote lake where my family has had a small place for generations.

It’s not all that easy to get to and there isn’t much to do outside of being there.

But it’s not the zone controlled HVAC of the office for sure. For me, just being up at that lake is enough. The place is just still one of those completely untouched, pristine natural spaces. The lake and the property are essential the exact same as they were when I was a kid 40 years ago. Can’t say that about much else these days, that’s for sure. But the house of there just went under some changes. And it was my brother and I that finally instituted those changes in order to get more participation on lake trips. Both of our families have been more than a bit reluctant to get out of the air conditioning of home to spend time at the lake. That’s just stupefying to me and my brother. When dad even hinted that we were out of the quality heating and air for even a weekend at the lake we went wild. But our kids just want to stay home, crank the thermostat and game online. So we decided to pay an HVAC technician we know a bit extra to follow us up to the cabin. On his suggestion, we bought 3 ductless heat pumps for the lake house. And he helped us install them all in one day. We also added satellite wifi, painted, upgraded the kitchen appliances and got some decent furniture. Now, everyone is onboard for the lake.

Cooling corporation

When it comes to lots of details in life, I sort of just overlook them. That’s a risky way to go about things and I know that. So every now and again, that sort of approach comes back to bite me in the rear end. This has never been more true that with the HVAC equipment in our home. The HVAC unit we have now is the second one we’ve had installed in this house. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been here for just over 30 years. The last HVAC unit lasted 24 years and that’s not too bad. Of course, I made sure that the HVAC unit got all the HVAC maintenance it needed over that near quarter of a century. That’s the reason it not only lasted that long but never had a serious repair of any kind. So when that old one wore out, we stuck with the same HVAC company to get us our next residential HVAC. They came through for us just as they always have. The HVAC contractor was great and made the process almost effortless. But I was so excited about the new HVAC technology that came with this new residential HVAC that I got ahead of myself. I didn’t read the warranty. Thankfully, my wife not only read the warranty but made sure that it was registered with the factory. Because she read the warranty, my wife stopped me from voiding it. We came home from work to find the HVAC unit running but the house wasn’t cooling. I thought I’d have a look to see what the problem was. My wife stopped me in my tracks because the warranty would have voided on our HVAC unit had I tried to repair the thing myself.

boiler

I really had no clue the impact having air purification in our home would make on our lives.

For sure, I thought it would finally end all the indoor odor turmoil we’ve dealt with for years and years.

When you have 3 boys, 2 dog and a cat, there are going to be odors. On top of that, my husband keeps the house sealed very tight in order to maximize the efficiency of the HVAC equipment. Throw in all the cooking I do inside that air conditioning and there was a big soup of odors in this house. I tried just about everything that I could possibly think of to get rid of the smells. But nothing lasted. The best I could hope for was sort of a perfumed house here and there from sprays or candles. But as soon as the HVAC unit kicked on, the odors were right back to taking over the house. So we finally decided to seek the guidance of the indoor air experts. We called the HVAC professionals and they sure did have the answer. But the whole home air purification system that was added to our HVAC equipment is much more than an expensive deodorizer. The air purifier is also providing the best indoor air quality we could possible even ask for. It’s just tremendous the sort of crisp, clean and healthy air we have inside now. Like this spring, I didn’t have any seasonal allergy problems once I was inside the house. And my husband no longer fights a sinus infection a couple of times a year. Like I said, I sure wish I had simply gotten the air purifier a long time ago.
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