HVAC Repair Tips for Homeowners

When I bought my first house, I was determined to keep everything running optimally.

I wanted to take care of the lawn, take out the trash regularly, and keep up with my biannual HVAC tune ups.

In the beginning, I was really good about staying on top of things. I was outside every few days to keep the lawn tidy and I rarely missed a trash day. I even hired an HVAC professional twice per year and changed out my air filter every four months! After a year of this though, I felt my responsibilities slipping away from me. When one thing fell behind it was hard to catch back up and I felt like I was trapped in a never ending cycle of chores. This was the downfall of home ownership that everyone talked about. I didn’t want to fall too far behind though, so I decided to contact my local HVAC company about joining their annual HVAC comfort club. This one year membership would ensure that my HVAC system was cared for properly without having to put too much thought into it. I would receive priority scheduling, get two HVAC tune ups, and a discount on all parts and repairs. The HVAC comfort club also offered free emergency service calls. I liked knowing that my HVAC system would be looked at by HVAC professionals without having to think twice about it. The annual fee was inexpensive and it brought me a lot of comfort. I’m so glad I signed up for it.

HVAC tune-up

The entire city was experiencing a power outage

After a long day of traveling, I wanted nothing more than to go home and rest. However, when my plane landed on the runway, the pilot told us that it was over 100 degrees! This was an unusually high temperature for the city, but I was determined to get home to my cool apartment. After taking a taxi, I walked into the lobby of my building. I noticed that it felt unusually warm inside because I was expecting to feel the blast of the cool air right away. The doorman told me that the building was requesting everyone to keep their AC units off for as long as possible due to an increase in power across the city. All of the buildings in the city were being asked to refrain from using AC if possible. This sounded absurd, but I understood the reason for it. I tried to settle into my apartment without turning on the AC unit, but it was excruciatingly hot. After a long day of travel, all I wanted was to relax in the cool air. Although I knew it was wrong, I decided to turn on the AC for just a few minutes. I needed to cool my apartment and my body temperature down again. After running the AC unit for a few minutes, everything in my apartment went black. As I looked outside, I saw complete darkness. The entire city was experiencing a power outage. When I went down to the lobby, the receptionist had the radio on and was talking about the mass amounts of electricity that was being consumed due to the heat wave. I know it wasn’t all my fault, but I felt somewhat responsible for the power outage.

Clickable live link

While I love my job and the people I work with, I hate the office building I’m required to work from.

The HVAC system is never maintained by an HVAC professional and it’s impossible to get the management team to put money towards any HVAC issues.

One time, our furnace went out for two months without a single person doing anything about it. The conditions were so terrible that someone complained to someone important and the entire building was shut down until they got it repaired. While I was thankful for the forced repair, I wish it would have had a better impact on the company to manage the HVAC system better. Recently, my coworkers and I have noticed a shift in the air quality. There’s so much dust floating around the air and our desks have to be wiped down regularly. The lady who sits beside me sneezes at least 30 times a day due to the dust irritations. Lately, we’ve been talking about purchasing an air purifier for our portion of the office. If management won’t do anything about the HVAC system and the air conditions, then it’s up to us. We’ve decided that if we pull our money together then we can invest in a decent air purifier. We’ve been looking at different air purifiers online, but we haven’t taken the plunge yet. We’re debating if it’s worth contacting someone again about having the air filter replaced or a general HVAC tune up. Something has to be done.

space heater

One of the best parts about where I live is the weather.

It’s warm most days and there’s very little humidity.

I grew up in an area that had a high humidity level, so I was excited to move to a region without constant humidity. I had visions of being outside in the backyard, entertaining my friends and family whenever possible. What I didn’t realize though, was that I was trading humidity for extreme heat. The heat here is unbearable, and it’s almost as bad as the humidity back home. I didn’t want my dream of being outside and entertaining to go to waste though, so I researched my options. I discovered a portable evaporative cooler that was designed for outdoor spaces. It was specifically for regions like the one I lived in where the heat was intense but there was limited humidity. It could be placed outside on my patio in order to keep the surrounding area cool. All I needed to do was put ice inside the top compartment and let it blow cool air out into my patio. There were three speeds that the fan could run at and it was portable, meaning that it would be easy to move around if I needed to. The portable evaporative cooler was also for indoor and outdoor use, making it a great option for extra cool air inside my home. I was concerned about the weight of it since it was large, but there were wheels on the bottom to make it easy to maneuver.

 

air duct