Emergency duct cleaning goes as planned

My daughter called me the other night and she was almost in tears. As a father, I worry about her safety when she is out baby sitting so I immediately thought the worst. But then the story came out. Apparently she was playing with Mr. Opa’s very expensive gold watch once the kids were asleep. She knew she wasn’t supposed to touch it but she did and now it is down the air conditioner vent. I had a million questions on how this happened but I skipped them and asked, instead, when the Opas would be home. My daughter said in 2 hours. Of course I grabbed my tools and rushed to their home. Sure enough, I could see the watch down inside of the ductwork for the air conditioning and heating when I used my flashlight. Thankfully, I was able to remove the vent cover, use my grabber tool, and extract the watch. It appeared to be in perfect condition. We then replaced the vent cover and I left before the home owners returned. I barely made it back home when my daughter called and said she was ready to be picked up. She didn’t say anything more about the watch so I hope all went well. I also hope she learned a very valuable lesson: don’t play with things that aren’t yours. And, always have a few tools on you just in case. You never know when you have to do an emergency ductwork cleaning to retrieve something you shouldn’t have been touching in the first place. I think I will get her a little tool set to carry in her purse.

 

Emergency duct cleaning goes as planned

Looking forward to alone time

My wifey works from lake house and genuinely likes staying at home… I never get to be alone in the new home at all… Some women don’t like being left alone because they get lonely, bored or scared, but not me, I want some alone time occasionally.

I want to be able to mop my floors without my wifey walking through it.

I want to choose what I want to watch on TV. I also want to set the control machine without consulting him first, however basically my wifey wants AC all the time and I want heating. It is a constant fight. Someone is either cold or too hot. Nobody is cheerful, and my wifey has a golf trip booked with his friends for a long weekend. I am so freaking gleeful I can hardly contain myself. I already am planning on what I am going to do while he is gone. I am going to get up early so I can work, workout and wash a part of the house. I want to do a deep cleaning. I want to rip my Heating and Air Conditioning machine apart and wash everything. I want to wash inside my dining room cupboards and wash all the sheets. I also want to crank up the control machine and love quality heating the whole time. My goal is to not need to use a blanket or wear a coat in my own house. I want to be toasty and watch terribly girly movies on the couch at night. It is going to be multiple glorious days and 3 amazing days to myself.

 

Heating technology

Looking forward to alone time

My wifey works from beach beach house & entirely cares about staying at home… I never get to be alone in the beach house at all… Some girls don’t like being left alone because they get lonely, bored or scared, and not me, I want some alone time occasionally.

I want to be able to mop our floors without our wifey walking through it.

I want to choose what I want to watch on TV. I also want to set the temperature control without consulting him first. Basically our wifey wants AC all the time & I want heating. It is a constant fight. Someone is either chilly or too hot. Nobody is ecstatic… My wifey has a hockey trip booked with her friends for a long weekend. I am so freaking happy I can hardly contain myself. I already am planning on what I am going to do while she is gone. I am going to get up early so I can work, workout & wash a part of the house. I want to do a deep cleaning. I want to rip our Heating as well as Air Conditioning unit apart & wash everything. I want to wash inside our bedroom cupboards & clean all the sheets. I also want to crank up the temperature control & prefer quality heating the whole time. My goal is to not need to use a blanket or wear a coat in our own house. I want to be toasty & watch terribly girly movies on the couch at night. It is going to be several glorious afternoons & 3 amazing afternoons to myself.

HVAC repairman

Ceiling fans help with comfort

The fans have made a significant improvement in our comfort

In my local area, winter arrives early and seems to last forever. I typically start running the furnace sometime in September. We expect below freezing temperatures and snow on the ground by Halloween. There’s often blizzard conditions over Christmas, and we rely on the heating system until early April. I take the long winter as the perfect opportunity to clean my house. Since I’m trapped inside because of the cold and snow, I take advantage of it. I move from one room to the next with my vacuum cleaner, bucket of soapy water, ladder and disinfectant. I launder the curtains and bed linens and move furniture around. I wipe down the walls and ceilings and clean the windows and the overhead light fixtures. This past winter, when I climbed up on the ladder to wash the ceiling light in the living room, I noticed a significant increase in the room temperature. Down near the floor, the air felt borderline chilly. Up near the ceiling, the air was warm enough to cause a sweat. I realized that the hot air from the furnace was rising straight up. This problem was forcing higher thermostat settings, resulting in the furnace working harder, running more often and using more energy. Because of the high cost of my monthly heating bills, I am always searching for new ways to reduce household energy consumption. I’ve insulated, caulked, invested in a smart thermostat and replaced windows. I decided it was time to invest in ceiling fans. Ceiling fans are available in all different sizes, styles and prices. My husband and I were able to handle the installation ourselves. The fans have made a significant improvement in our comfort. The rotation of the blades pushes the heat down toward the floor in the winter. In the summer, we can reverse the direction of the blades so that the heat is pushed up toward the ceiling.

 

climate control

Getting approval for high velocity HVAC

The actual heating and cooling components are so compact that they can be installed into a closet or attic

My home is located downtown in the historic district. The residence was built in the early eighteen hundreds and quite a few features are still original. The house is absolutely beautiful but a great deal of work. It is much harder to maintain wood siding rather than vinyl. It’s a lot more difficult to heat a home with lots of small rooms, extremely high ceilings, big windows and no ductwork. The house is not properly insulated and the windows leak air. Even if we wanted to tear down walls and install a duct system, we’re not allowed. Because it is a historical residence, we have to get approval to make any major changes. We’re not permitted to suddenly paint the house pink, pave the driveway or put on a metal roof. We need to preserve the architectural history and integrity of the home. We weren’t happy trying to manage temperature control with a bunch of space heaters, box fans and window air conditioners. When I petitioned to have a high-velocity HVAC system installed, I argued that this type of system was a lot less noticeable than the window air conditioners. A high-velocity system uses miniature, flexible ducts that can be snaked through existing walls without causing any damage. The supply and return vents are only six inches in diameter and can be installed just about anywhere. They blend right into the decor. The actual heating and cooling components are so compact that they can be installed into a closet or attic. It took a lot of meetings, deliberation and paperwork, but we finally got approval to have the high velocity HVAC system installed. It is such a pleasure to have access to centralized temperature control.

HEPA filter

Installing a ductless heat pump into backyard shed

When we bought a new house, I was especially delighted by the backyard shed. It’s ten feet wide and twelve feet long, which is plenty of space for a home gym. It has a cement floor, a window at each end and eight-foot high ceilings. The shed is old, and I needed to make some improvement before setting up my equipment. I tore down the old pegboard from the walls, installed new insulation and put up drywall. I replaced the old, drafty windows and carefully caulked around them. I spent quite a bit on an Energy Star rated exterior door and weatherstripped. I hoped to make the shed as airtight as possible for the sake of heating and cooling. In my local area, the outdoor temperature swings from negative twenty to the high eighties. To enjoy my workout space, I needed to install some type of temperature control unit. I didn’t want to spend a fortune or sacrifice valuable square footage. I needed something compact, affordable and energy efficient that could handle the demands of the square footage. After some research and consulting with a local HVAC contractor, I invested in a ductless heat pump. It’s just perfect for my needs. I can start up the heat pump through an app on my phone shortly before I head out to the shed to exercise. By the time I step through the door, my workout space is perfectly comfortable. Along with heating and cooling, the heat pump also works to circulate and filter the air. It helps to combat the very unpleasant smell of sweat and eliminate air contaminants such as dust and pollen.

 

Heating service

Choosing a hydronic heating system

When we built our home, my husband and I debated the various types of heating and cooling systems.

Because of our location in the northeast, heating is definitely the priority.

We need a system that can handle temperatures well below zero yet operate efficiently. While central air conditioning might be nice, it’s not essential. Our requirements led us to hydronic heating. A system that uses water rather than air to move heat energy is especially clean and quiet. It doesn’t blow dust and other contaminants into the breathing air. There’s no ductwork to leaks, pollute the air or make noise. Rather than hot air getting blowin in from vents and rising straight up to the ceiling, a hydronic system radiates heat. There’s less temperature fluctuation from floor to ceiling, and it’s a more gentle comfort. The system starts with a boiler installed in the basement. Boilers are known for being exceptionally reliable. Because there’s few moving parts, there’s not a lot that can go wrong. With nothing more than annual professional maintenance, we can expect the boiler to last for decades. The boiler takes care of heating up the water and sending it through a looping network of pipes hidden beneath the floor. There is no ugly equipment taking up valuable space or detracting from aesthetics in the living area. I absolutely love having heated floors. The heat is spread from corner to corner with no cold spots. Plus, we have the house set up for zoned control. Each room features an independent thermostat that allows us to tailor the setting so the requirements, preference of occupancy. We save money by not heating empty rooms. Each bedroom accommodates personal choice for temperature level.

ductwork cleaning

No a/c in our car

I live in an section with a unquestionably tepid weather conditions.

10 months out of the year, the use of an a/c plan is required.

At one time, our car did not have a/c and it was the greatest month of the year. To make things worse, I had leather upholstered seats which wasn’t a good combination with sizzling heat. I had to throw a couple towels over our seats and try to park in the shade as much as possible to prevent higher temperatures inside the vehicle. If I was really tepid and uncomfortable, I had a stretchy flat ice pack that I would place under the towel to keep me cool at times. I was working a full time job and surviving paycheck to paycheck and could not afford to get our A/C fixed so I had to get creative when it came to staying cool, but only many of our windows rolled down too. Luck wasn’t on our side for sure. I tried to regularly keep the other many windows rolled down to circulate the warm air. That helped a little. But a fan doesn’t create cool air love an a/c does. It only circulates it. Adding to air circulation, I also added a portable can that connected to the inside of our car and it helped a tad bit. I tried to avoid streets with a lot of stop lights because I knew the longer our car stayed still, the longer I’d go without a breeze and beginning perspiring. This went on for the whole Summer And finally I had saved up enough currency to get our a/c fixed in our car. Thankfully, I did not have to drive drenched in sweat anymore and could prefer our driving experience for once.

multi split air conditioning

Staying cool at night

I have consistently gotten hot during the night when I sleep.

  • I would fall asleep entirely comfortably and cool, wrapped up in a soft fuzzy blanket.

But, for some reason I would wake up in the middle of the night sweaty around my neck, chest, and head. I used to know maybe my Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C idea was shutting off during the night when I’m asleep. But once I found out that it was running like it was supposed to, but since I was able to rule that out, I learn somewhere that turning down my AC system’s temperature a few degrees lower can help people sleep better. So, I thought I would supply it a try and a few nights ago, I turned the temperature control temperature to 77 instead of the normal 68 I kept it on during previous nights. This did help me sleep a little more comfortably, despite the fact that I still have some nights where I’m still waking up hot and hot. The two of us just bought a memory foam mattress and these cooling pillows for the bed. I have seen quite a difference in my comfort since purchasing these. I also have a cooling towel that I can use if I get too hot. I’m sure if things get worse, I’ll have to look into some other solutions that won’t require me to spend more money. Between the increased utility bills of the AC running more often and buying all sorts of stuff to help me stay cool such as the mattress, pillows, towels, and lighter blankets, I’m going broke..Possibly, it could have something to do with me, and not a result from my environment. I should look into this. I would care about to just have a single fantastic night of sleep.

multi split air conditioning

No cooling system in my car

I live in an section with a entirely hot climate.

10 weeks out of the year, the use of an cooling system idea is required.

At a single time, my vehicle didn’t have cooling system and it was the biggest week of the year. To make things worse, I had leather upholstered seats which wasn’t a fantastic combination with sizzling heat. I had to throw a couple towels over my seats and try to park in the shade as much as possible to prevent higher temperatures inside the vehicle. If I was particularly hot and uncomfortable, I had a stretchy flat ice pack that I would venue under the towel to keep me cool at times. I was working a full time job and surviving paycheck to paycheck and couldn’t afford to get my air conditioner fixed so I had to get creative when it came to staying cool; Only multiple of my windows rolled down too, and luck wasn’t on my side for sure. I tried to consistently keep the other multiple windows rolled down to circulate the warm air. That helped a little. But a fan doesn’t create cool air like an cooling system does. It only circulates it. Adding to air circulation, I also added a portable can that attached to the inside of my vehicle and it helped a tad bit. I tried to avoid streets with a lot of stop lights because I knew the longer my vehicle stayed still, the longer I would go without a breeze and beginning dripping with sweat. This went on for the whole summer time And finally I had saved up enough money to get my cooling system fixed in my car. Thankfully, I did not have to drive drenched in sweat anymore and could appreciate my driving experience for once.

 

Heating equipment