Your HVAC Troubleshooting Guys

When the HVAC technician came out to have a look at the heat pump, it was the first time in more than 20 years there was a problem.

• That’s a pretty impressive run for any residential HVAC.

But this was a sort of mid tier piece of HVAC equipment. When we bought this house, we had to replace the heating and cooling equipment. There were other things that also needed renovating so we had a limited budget. That meant we had to get reliable but basic HVAC equipment. From there, we just made sure that the HVAC unit was able to get seasonal HVAC maintenance year in and year out. That was made all the easier when we joined the HVAC service plan once it was offered by our HVAC company. Still, when the HVAC professional told that the heat pump was pretty much at the end, I was a bit excited. I wasn’t all that thrilled about coughing up a bunch of cash for new heating and cooling equipment. But I was excited to finally be able to upgrade to the latest in HVAC technology. And I’m so thrilled with the new smart thermostat and the zone controlled HVAC that we have in the house now. Additionally, the SEER rating for the new heat pump is triple what the old one had. That means the new heat pump is exponentially more efficient than the old heat pump. So I can expect a bunch of utility costs to be carved off my bill when it comes to all the air conditioning we use in the summer. I couldn’t be more pleased with my new HVAC unit and all this great HVAC technology.

residential heat and ac

Man, the last few years have really had me honing my skills when it comes to saving a dollar.

• First, the pandemic keeps me stuck inside the central air conditioning of my house for a year and a half.

Then, just as we’re trying to embrace the new normal, we get a fistful of inflation in our faces. Granted, it was good to be back inside the commercial HVAC of the office and receiving my full paycheck. During the pandemic, just to keep my job so I could work from home, I had to take some pay cuts. And it wasn’t just me, it was companywide. So being back inside the zone controlled HVAC of the office is a good thing and I’m very thankful to have my normal income. But with the cost of everything going through the roof, it’s almost like I have less than I did during the pandemic. This is so frustrating for me but I continue to do all I can to save every dollar out there. If I have to go across town for specials to save twenty five dollars on our grocery bill, you know I will. But when it comes to certain things, I simply don’t cut corners or trying to save just for the sake of saving. That certainly is true when it comes to the residential HVAC in our home. The heating and cooling of our home is just too essential to leave to anybody but the HVAC professionals. So while I would love to save money on a handyman, that’s just not something I would ever do when it comes to HVAC service.

 

heating device

This is the third winter that I’ve spent down here and I’m still loving every minute of it.

I thought that maybe I would acclimate to this climate in such a way that I’d actually be asking for some heating from my residential HVAC.

But we’re into January now and my heat pump is still basically silent. Not that the heat pump doesn’t get plenty of work the rest of the year. The four months of the summer demand an amount of air conditioning that keeps the heat pump running almost night and day. And the shoulder seasons require cooling as well. So it’s nice that the heat pump has some time off before it all starts again come mid March. Moving down here, I knew that I was going to embrace being outside all winter long. I’m so thankful that I was able to get the transfer I had been seeking for a long time. My wife is from the south and she is wanted to come back home for a long time. Initially, I had to sort of make my bones inside the commercial HVAC of the office I worked in straight out of college. And to my wife’s credit, she stuck it out all those winters and this has been the payoff. It’s just so nice not to have to deal with the type of temperatures that require constant heating. I still can get up each morning and sip my coffee outside and don’t need of any big overcoat or anything like that. I soak in every minute of it because it won’t be too long before the heat pump is kicking back on and we’re dealing with all kinds of heat and humidity again.

wifi thermostat

Let’s start with the fact that there is an HOA rule that no heating and cooling equipment can be seen from the street.

While seemingly irrelevant, this seems to be the heart of the problem between me and the HOA.

I mean, what’s so terrible about seeing residential HVAC equipment next to a person’s house? I mean we all have residential HVAC so it’s not like we are pretending we don’t. And since we all have very similar versions of the same sort of heating and cooling equipment, what’s so offensive about seeing it from the street? But apparently, there is a rule and my HOA is being super picky about enforcing this rule. This all came about because my son got a little overzealous when it came to trimming a hedge. My kid is 13 and he’s still learning his way around lawn and garden equipment. But the only way we learn is to make mistakes and do things we haven’t done before. So my kid ended up trimming the hedge of a little bit too low and now the heating and cooling equipment can be seen from the street. It didn’t take 24 hours before I had a ugly email sitting in my inbox. The HOA was ready to begin fining me daily until I put up a fence. I wrote back that the hedge would certainly grow back in a few months and I wouldn’t be paying any sort of fine. So now, I’ve ruffled those feathers and they’re coming after me with daily threats to the point where I’m about to turn all this over to my lawyer. I’m all for rules and regulations but I draw the line at being bullied.

a/c serviceman