When I moved into my home in St. Petersburg, Florida there was an old wood stove in the living room. The woodstove sat on a brick pad and was properly vented through my wood ceiling. There then was a stack added to the roof. It wasn’t pretty but it was functional. When you live in Florida, heating isn’t a requirement. The house came with a really good heat pump system too. The heat pump controls both heating and cooling. There was no need for the woodstove. I found out later the previous owner was a history buff and liked the historic look of it. Well I immediately got to work removing it. I had the brick pad torn up and removed. I then needed to patch my flooring. I then removed the woodstove and the piping that vented up in the ceiling. The wood ceiling was patched and had to match the rest of the wood. I then got roofers to remove the stack. Next was trying to pawn off that wood stove to someone else. Getting a HVAC business to take a wood stove isn’t possible. All the St. Petersburg HVAC dealers told me that the wood stove was too small. It was mainly for a hunting lodge or a man cave. It wasn’t suitable for a house. What an idiot who first bought it. I ended up selling it to a guy for a few hundred bucks. Then I was able to free up living room space and enjoy that location. Who would ever want to own a woodstove in the state of Florida? That is just dumb.
Ductwork is to blame for heating/cooling complaints
When my husband and I purchased an older home in Springfield, Missouri, we knew numerous updates would be necessary.
We expected to invest into an updated electrical and plumbing system to meet code and effectively answer the daily needs of our family. We weren’t surprised by the cost of a roofing replacement and accepted the challenge of replacing windows. However, the home inspection assured us that the furnace and air conditioner were in good working order. Both units were less than ten years old and showed no signs of corrosion, aging or malfunction. Our first year in the house was very uncomfortable. Summers in Springfield tend to be quite hot and muggy. Our central air conditioner ran just about non stop, cost us a small fortune in electric bills but couldn’t manage demand. The house constantly felt overheated and sticky. When winter arrived and the temperature plummeted, we noticed that certain rooms were downright chilly. Raising the thermostat setting accomplished very little. I finally scheduled a service from a NATE-certified technician associated with a local HVAC company in Springfield. He tested the operation of the ductwork and discovered holes and gaps at the seams. He estimated that around 25% of our conditioned air was escaping from these flaws. Fortunately, repairs and duct sealing fixed the complaints with the furnace and air conditioner. We were dreading the potential cost and disruption of replacing the entire system. With the ductwork operating at maximum capacity, we’ve noticed superior comfort, fewer cleaning requirements and much lower energy bills. We have fewer concerns with humidity and there is less wear and tear on the furnace and air conditioner.
Happy with snowmelt system
My driveway is always perfectly clear.
South Bend, Indiana, averages an annual snow accumulation of 64.5” We sometimes have significant snow on the ground by Halloween. We expect a white Christmas and freezing cold temperatures for eight straight months. It is not unusual for there to be snow on the ground at both Easter and Mother’s Day. The snow creates a lot of work and problems. It can be necessary to clear the driveway multiple times per day. Shoveling is labor intensive and can even be dangerous due to the cold temperatures and wind chill. There is also the issue of where to pile all of that snow. I am very fortunate that my home in South Bend is equipped with a boiler heating system. The boiler connects to a series of pipes that create radiant flooring. The boiler sends hot water through these pipes and they spread heat evenly across the floor. In much the same way, the boiler links to a network of pipes that are installed beneath the pavement of the driveway, garage and walkways. The snowmelt system responds to the combination of temperature drop and moisture and automatically starts up. Hot water circulates through the pipes, melting away snow and ice. It eliminates the need to shovel or plow and worries over slipping and falling on icy pavement. I feel very sorry for my neighbors in South Bend when they are bundled up, shoveling their driveways in the morning before work. My driveway is always perfectly clear. Plus, the inside of the home is always wonderfully warm and cozy. The boiler is efficient, effective and reliable. It requires very little maintenance, operates quietly and makes the winters in South Bend much easier.
Ductwork cleaning after renovations
You see everywhere that it is recommended to get ductwork cleaning.
Every 5-7 years the ducts should be professionally scrubbed.
I recently moved to Tuscaloosa, AL. When I bought the home I decided to do some major updates on it. There was a popcorn ceiling spread throughout it. I got the popcorn shaved, sanded, and then I repainted it. I then sanded the wood walls in the living room and painted white. The bifold doors were sanded and painted. My husband pulled up all the old rug and laid down a new cement board. There was a lot of dust, debris, and dirt flying around. Of course during the whole project we had our cooling system on high. The AC was sucking up all that dust. We then moved in our stuff and cleaned everything up. I have noticed dust on the surfaces. When the AC fires up I start to sneeze. I think that might be a sign to call for ductwork cleaning in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I don’t know if it is totally necessary though. I have found online that a lot of gross stuff can be lingering in the HVAC ducts. It might not hurt to get it scrubbed up. I found a company that is local to Tuscaloosa that does all kinds of duct services like cleaning, sealing, maintenance, and repair. I hope they don’t try to upsell me with a cleaning appointment. It can’t hurt to have the dust removed. After a major renovation it would be nice to get the dir tout. Also I don’t want the previous homeowners dirt and hair flying around the air as well.
Getting my air conditioner properly fixed
For a long time my air conditioner just wasn’t that impressive.
It blew out hot air most of the time.
My house would have the thermostat set at 74 but it would never be that temperature. I honestly thought AC devices weren’t that good. I had recently moved to Plano, TX and it was my first air conditioner. Perhaps they aren’t super effective. Well after making friends and inviting people over it was a steady complaint over how hot my house was. I started asking around and realized that my AC just was a menace. I called the first Plano AC dealership I could find and asked about a repair. The Texas air conditioning business assessed all parts of my unit. Everything was wrong with the device. There was a dirty air filter, clogged condensate drain, mold on the cooling coil, low refrigerant, low on lubricate, you name it. I realized that there was upkeep I should have been doing as a homeowner and stuff that the previous owner definitely neglected. That wasn’t fun at all. I am really glad that I am informed now. I know how to properly care for my cooling unit. I make it my mission to change filters, clean the inner workings, and often inspect it. What I do next is apply for yearly AC service from my local Plano, Texas air conditioning dealership. It makes sense to invest money in order to save some. Having a well working air conditioning system is a game changer for living in Plano. I can’t believe how hot I used to be in my house.