The Quietest Air Conditioners

As a new HVAC professional, I have had to go on the dirtiest HVAC calls that came into the business.

I got to go along with an old HVAC tech, but I did the dirty work.

At first I thought it was because I was a woman, but after a couple years, I realized it was the way they initiated all the new HVAC professionals. I guess they felt that if you could handle the dirty tasks, you could handle any task that came up. I gained a lot of knowledge in that first year at the HVAC business. I also acquired a lot of confidence in myself. I knew there were some tasks that I excelled at and others that I was good at, but there were some HVAC techs who did better than me. I normally didn’t pick and choose which task I would take, but Last month was an exception. They gave me a house to go to that only needed a simple air conditioning inspection and service check. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck lay stand straight up. I asked if there was something else I could do and let someone else have this task. The dispatcher looked at me oddly. I swallowed and told her that was where my ex-boyfriend lived. Him and I broke up when I refused to give up my plans of being an HVAC professional. He didn’t think a lady should be an HVAC tech. The dispatcher told me she could genuinely find me something else, but it would not be as simple as this one. I smiled and told her thanks. I would rather take the most complicated job than to go to my ex-boyfriend’s house ever again.
HVAC equipment

As a new HVAC technician, I got to go on the dirtiest HVAC calls that came into the company.

I got to go with a seasoned HVAC tech, but I did the dirty work. At first I thought it was because I was a woman, but after a couple years, I realized it was the way they initiated all the new HVAC technicians. I guess they felt that if you could handle the dirty jobs, you could handle any job that came up. I learned a lot during that first year at the HVAC company. I also gained a lot of confidence in myself. I knew there were some jobs that I excelled at and others that I was good at, but there were some HVAC techs who did better. I normally didn’t pick and choose which job I would take, but last week was an exception. They gave me a house to go to that only needed a simple air conditioning inspection and repair check. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. I asked if there was something else I could do and let someone else have this job. The dispatcher looked at me oddly. I swallowed and told her that was where my ex-boyfriend lived. He and I split when I refused to give up my idea of being an HVAC technician. He didn’t think a woman should be an HVAC tech. She told me she could probably find me something else, but it wouldn’t be as easy as this one. I smiled and told her thanks.

Cooling products

Working in the HVAC industry was always fun for me because I got to meet so many people and at the same time learn from my peers and seniors. I have interacted with numerous HVAC systems and know-how most of them work by heart. On this visit to the suburbs to perform routine maintenance on a system, I had no idea that I was going to my kindergarten teacher’s residence. Once he introduced himself I knew who he was. He had complained that his boiler did not help with indoor comfort and since he did not know more about heating than any of the other homeowners, he opted to contact a HVAC repairman. We set out to perform the HVAC tune-up which entailed checking on the heat and AC products such as the furnace filter. We also checked the temperature control and confirmed it was perfectly functioning. As we were working on the electric heat pump, my ex-teacher and I chatted up and he was super proud of who I had become. The heat pump service on the heater lasted for approximately 3 hours since we were very efficient at our jobs. The heating dealer supplied new parts for the hydronic heating unit which greatly improved the functions. Mr. Pan, my ex kindergarten teacher confirmed that with the maintenance services, he had noticed that the boiler repairs had become fewer which was good news to him since he was a germaphobe who hated having strangers in his house. I was glad to have met him as he was always my favorite teacher and to think he was proud of me, was just out of this world. I had an amazing time at his house.

 

HVAC technician

With the experts knowing more about heating, they advised that we change the hydronic heating unit to a new heater which greatly improved the comfort as well as significantly reduced the energy bills

I have always had pets and when I became an adult and moved into my own home, I had gathered a total of 3 dogs and 2 cats, five pets in total. I remember I always had issues with my HVAC unit, all my pets were hypoallergenic and thus I did not worry about them affecting my asthma. However, I noticed that gradually my asthma and allergies would flare up every month. When I decided to consult the HVAC repairman, he first off performed a full HVAC tune-up and realized that the furnace filter was disgustingly dirty, full of pet fur and other debris. This issue was the cause of the frequent boiler repairs and the high energy bills. One of the dogs had chewed up the temperature control now it was not working well. The electric heat pump was always running and so it racked up the energy bill. Some of the heat and AC products had worked overtime because of the clogged siever and so we contacted the local heating dealer for a replacement. In order to help with indoor comfort, the technicians ran a heat pump service on the boiler. With the experts knowing more about heating, they advised that we change the hydronic heating unit to a new heater which greatly improved the comfort as well as significantly reduced the energy bills. Once the experts were done with the repairs, I realized that most of the issues were caused by my pets, so I set out to pet-proof my house in order to reduce these issues or completely do away with them. I could not get rid of my pets but I also had to protect the systems from further damage since the fixings were becoming costly.

Air conditioning repair

You would think that by now, A/C systems would be common household appliances.

I didn’t actually know that landlords were not required to provide air conditioning.

I had to learn this the hard way with the apartment I decided to rent. I thought it would be great living on my own and I actually went for one of the first places I looked at. Regrettably, it was during the spring season when I wasn’t even thinking about having to turn on the cooling system. When I finally got to a really hot day, I went looking for the thermostat. I tried to turn the cooling system on but nothing was happening. When I called the landlord, I asked him why the cooling system wasn’t working. He said there was no cooling system in the apartment and he was not responsible for providing air conditioning. I had to look over my lease agreement and sure enough, he was right. I was very disappointed that I didn’t look for a place that had an actual cooling system. I ended up having to get a cheap window A/C unit. It’s nothing fancy, but at least it works to keep me from feeling overheated in my apartment. I honestly can’t wait until my lease is up so I can find a good location with quality climate control. I think it’s crazy that people think it’s okay to rent homes to people that don’t have any air conditioning. I definitely will be leaving a negative review for this apartment building, that’s for certain!
heating business

A bunch of my co-workers at the HVAC company love to relax at the bar from time to time.

We often tell some of the craziest stories from various HVAC repair and maintenance jobs.

This one job I heard about was extremely funny, but messed up. This one homeowner was complaining that his HVAC system was no longer working. It wasn’t entirely old and the maintenance was up-to-date. When the HVAC worker was checking the HVAC unit, he thought he smelled dog urine. He had a good look at the HVAC cabin and sure enough, it was dog urine. He said that the dog must have arched his urine straight through one of the vents of the HVAC cabinet and the urine soaked the circuit boards inside the HVAC unit. It must have been difficult for the guy to explain to the homeowner that he had to replace his whole HVAC unit just because the dog peed on the thing. He was entirely outraged. I guess I would be too if my dog ruined something entirely costly like an HVAC system. Probably the best story I had was when I was at a customer’s house cleaning the A/C condenser unit. The father and his son were playing catch with a football. I even got into the action a little bit, but I had to focus on my work. Next thing I knew, the guy said, “Heads up!” and he came crashing onto the A/C condenser unit with all his weight! He smashed that thing like an aluminum can. It was a very expensive replacement, but I should have been paying more attention.
air purification system

I really have to say, I am thankful that I was able to move out to the country with my family.

I never appreciated living around so many neighbors. There’s always a bunch of neighbors who are always nosey and try to get into your business. I even had neighbors who told other neighbors about my business, and that’s something that ticks me off. When I was selling the house, everybody was nosey when I had an HVAC crew installing a new ductless mini split in the house. My realtor said it would add value to the home and people would want to buy the place in a jiffy. The realtor definitely was right, but everybody in the neighborhood suddenly knew I was selling the place. They were asking all kinds of questions like where was I moving or why was I upgrading the HVAC system. A lot of people wanted to tour the house, but I said it had to be by appointment only. I would only permit people to come see the home who were willing to make an offer. I didn’t want a bunch of nosey neighbors peeking through all of my things not even having an interest in the place. We actually were able to sell the home relatively quickly, and we sold it for a fabulous price. We had so much money to work with and the new home we got, we were able to upgrade the HVAC system. It was nice having the HVAC upgraded without anybody walking by the house or coming to the door. My neighbors are not even in view! It’s wonderful, and I really love the fresh air quality in the country!

 

Cooling expert

I went to get my HVAC certification at a trade school.

I didn’t do it to start a business, I just wanted to be able to repair my own HVAC system without requiring professional assistance.

I’ll tell you, I learned so much in the trade school and I pretty much consider myself a professional HVAC worker now. You can’t tell me that I’m not because I have the certification to prove it. I didn’t want a lot of people to know about it though, but the word got out. When I had friends asking me to repair their HVAC systems, I became a little bit agitated. They thought that I wanted to make money and didn’t see what the big deal was. I told them why I got my HVAC certification and how I just wanted to work on my own HVAC only. They left me alone about it for a little while, but later on people asked me again for help, especially during emergency situations. I ended up helping friends who I thought really needed it, and they actually paid me well for helping. I helped my buddy Tony and his family during a winter storm once. I actually felt really good about helping them out. Then there was this time when my grandfather had his cooling system break down during a heatwave. I was quick to help him out. I believe I might have saved his life. I don’t mind helping in these instances, but honestly, this isn’t what I do for a living. It’s just a valuable skill to have.

 

 

HVAC technology

As much as I love my wife, she drives me crazy.

I used to tease her about how much of a nag her mother was, but now I realize her mother isn’t that bad.

My wife is every bit as bad, if not worse, than her mother is. My dad used to say that a nagging wife is like a dog with a bone. Once they get a hold of something, they won’t let it loose. I’m beginning to figure out what he meant by that. My wife loves her honey-do lists. Usually I’ll take a casual look at the list she puts on the refrigerator. I didn’t notice she had put furnace maintenance on the list. I’m not sure how long it had been there before she asked me about it. She said the furnace maintenance was on the list, but when she showed it to me, it had been written on the back of the list. Why would I have turned the paper around? I picked up the phone to make the call to the HVAC company, but she stopped me. I told her I was going to call the HVAC company, but she was angry. She grabbed the phone out of my hand and said she would do it herself. I shrugged and handed her the phone. She started looking for the number in the phone and asked me why she couldn’t find it. I had the phone number listed under the owner’s name. She slammed the phone on the table in front of me, and rolled her eyes. I called and set up the appointment to have the furnace cleaned.

Digital thermostat

They tell me that some men get alcohol muscles when they’ve had too much to drink. I don’t know about muscles, but I definitely get a case of thinking I am more creative than I am. I don’t just get creative, but I suddenly get smarter; just not smart enough to realize that I really can’t do what I think I can do. Last week, my brother and I had been celebrating his getting married. My wife had been telling me there was something wrong with the window AC unit in our bedroom. She was visiting with her sister so we could have the bachelor party at our house. I was telling my brother about the air conditioning unit. He thought we should be able to repair the air conditioning unit if we put our heads together. It sounded like a great idea to me, so I stumbled to the basement and got my tools. We did a lot of laughing and cursing while trying to tear the air conditioning unit apart. We had parts laying all over the living room. We were trying to figure out which part was bad, and how to put the AC unit back together, when my brother passed out. I laughed and passed out right next to him. The next morning, we couldn’t believe the mess we had made of the AC unit. We jumped in the car and headed to the home store to pick up a new air conditioning unit before my wife got home. On the way back, we stopped at the coffee shop and grabbed two of the largest coffees they had in the shop.

 

Heating equipment