Traveling the American Road

When I initially moved to Florida to accept a job opportunity, I rented an apartment in Tampa.

I wasn’t happy in the city.

I didn’t like the traffic and high cost of living. I checked the surrounding areas and really loved Lakeland. It’s east of Tampa and a fairly easy thirty-minute drive. Downtown’s Munn Park Historic District is a great place to shop for antiques, and the architecture is just beautiful. Florida Southern College features buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. My favorite amenity of living in Lakeland is the lakes. I often run the path around Lake Mirror or relax and feed the swans at Lake Morton. Nearly every day in Lakeland is warm and sunny. The air conditioner is one of the most important systems of the home. I was able to afford a home in a nice area in Lakeland, because the property had been neglected for quite some time. The house required a lot of improvements. Since I couldn’t afford to do them all at once, I needed to prioritize. The leaky roof was the first investment. Because the roof had been re-roofed in the past, I needed to have the whole thing torn off and replaced. The job was quite expensive. I hoped that a new roof would make the house tighter and more energy efficient. The electrical system wasn’t up to current safety codes, which made rewiring essential. Updating appliances was also crucial. Living with an outdated air conditioner was difficult. Despite running constantly, the system couldn’t manage to keep the home comfortably cool. The electric bills were extremely high and yet I struggled to sleep at night because of feeling overheated. Eventually, I went ahead and took out a loan for a new air conditioner. Although covering the cost was difficult, it was worth it.

 

Lakeland Florida Air conditioning repair

Living in Elgin, Illinois, the weather is a year round difficulty. Winters are especially long, snowy and windy with temperatures steadily below freezing and often below zero. Summers are brutally hot and humid with temperatures regularly soaring into the eighties. The furnace trades off with the air conditioner, and the utility costs add up quickly. Last winter, the heating system seemed to run non stop and yet the house felt chilly. Specific rooms were especially cold and turning up the thermostat didn’t help much. Initially, I worried there was a problem with the heating unit. The furnace is only a couple of years old, and I’ve been conscientious about replacing the filters and scheduling maintenance. When I called the HVAC contractor in Elgin who installed the furnace for repairs, he tested the ductwork. He discovered that separations at the seams and tiny holes were allowing nearly thirty percent of the heated air to leak out. Because the maximum amount of air wasn’t reaching the intended destination, it was forcing the furnace to run longer, work harder and consume more energy. I am sure the cool air from the air conditioner was escaping throughout the previous summer as well. With the ductwork concealed inside the walls, I had no idea how the problem could be fixed. The technician explained a process called Aeroseal, where pressurized air is sent into the ductwork. The vents are blocked off, which results in the air seeping out through the imperfections. The air is laced with adhesive polymer particles that stick to the edges and gradually create an airtight seal. The Aeroseal process is non-invasive, quick and effective. It took several hours and is guaranteed for ten years.

gas furnace in Elgin IL

Living in Elgin, Illinois, the weather is a year round difficulty, then winters are especially long, snowy as well as windy with uneven temperatures steadily below freezing as well as often below zero. Summers are brutally boiling as well as humid with uneven temperatures correctly soaring into the eighties, the boiler trades off with the cooling system, as well as the utility costs add up abruptly, last winter, the boiler seemed to run non stop as well as yet the home felt freezing. Specific rooms were especially cold as well as turning up the thermostat didn’t help much, then initially, I worried there was a problem with the heating unit. The boiler is only a couple of years old, as well as I’ve been conscientious about replacing the filters as well as scheduling service. When I called the Heating as well as A/C business in Elgin who installed the boiler for repairs, he tested the HVAC duct, he discovered that separations at the seams as well as tiny holes were allowing nearly thirty percent of the heated air to leak out, because the maximum amount of air wasn’t reaching the intended destination, it was forcing the boiler to run longer, labor harder as well as consume more energy. I am sure the cool air from the cooling system was escaping throughout the previous summer time as well. With the HVAC duct concealed inside the walls, I had no idea how the problem could be fixed. The professional explained a process called Aeroseal, where pressurized air is sent into the HVAC duct. The vents are blocked off, which results in the air seeping out through the imperfections. The air is laced with adhesive polymer particles that stick to the edges as well as gradually create an airnarrow seal. The Aeroseal process is non-invasive, quick as well as effective. It took several hours as well as is guaranteed for ten years.

 

Elgin IL fireplace

I was never a big time cat person.

I wasn’t an animal lover at all to begin with. I never owned a cat though. I didn’t know if I would like one or not. When I moved to Tampa, Florida I was surprised by the amount of stray cats. There was a gray tabby cat that just hung around my apartment all the time. It got where I thought he looked thin and began feeding him. Then I started laying out water since it was so stinking hot in Tampa. Then I began playing with him since he seemed bored. During the heat of summer Tampa can get into the triple digits. That is how it all started. I felt bad for the cat dealing with the heat and humidity in a fur coat. So I invited him into my home. I let him enjoy the cold AC and sleep on my bed. I put his bowls inside so that I didn’t attract other cats and pests. He then started acquiring tosy, treats, scratching posts, and flea medicine. I then realized that this cat just decided that he lived with me. The summer season is long in Tampa. AC is on for the majority of the year. By the time it cooled off and I could let the cat go outside, it had been months. We were now roommates for life. I have since moved my feline friend with me to a more rural location further north so it isn’t so hot. He enjoys living the owned cat life a lot.

Tampa Florida Air conditioning worker

I wasn’t too pleased to move to Birmingham, Alabama but I needed to for my husband’s work. We toured a whole bunch of houses to see what would work out best for our growing family. Myhusband is pretty cheap. He really liked the idea of living in a total crap hole of a house, remodeling it, selling it for a profit, and then buying a new place. I really didn’t want that kind of stress. He pushed all sorts of bad houses on me. One we called the three HVAC system houses. He had three separate HVAC units. It was obvious that someone was building onto the house constantly and just throwing a new HVAC unit rather than connecting to the ductwork. Not all the rooms were properly insulated either. It was a big concern of mine. The thought of taking on a house with so much HVAC work was worrisome. It isn’t like Alabma has moderate weather either. We need quality cooling and sometimes heating in our area. The other house we toured had a giant hole in the backyard that was getting worse. Another place reeked of cat pee and had hair on the ceiling. I finally convinced my husband to up our price range and buy a house that was bigger, cleaner, and more modern. We love our place in Birmingham, AL. It doesn’t have the kinks and weird things the other places had. I am glad we took a sure thing rather than a risk to save some money.

 

Cooling industry in Birmingham Alabama

Have you often looked up and thought about your ductwork? The ducts are often overlooked by homeowners. They are responsible for a lot though. The air ducts transfer heated and cooled air from room to room. They also keep your HVAC unit efficient, operating happy, and promote lower energy bills. When ductwork has a small crack, the air is being released outside and being wasted. It costs a lot of unnecessary money. If there is a bit of dust in the ductwork, everytime the heating and cooling turn on, the dust is being blown into your air quality. You breathe that in day after day. So the moral of the story is to consider your ductwork on a daily basis. I have a home in Fort Worth, Texas. The majority of the time I rely on the cooling system to keep me content. The house is sealed up tight and the same air is being blown over and over again. That is why I often call for ductwork cleaning just to ensure everything is kept in tip top shape. I also make sure there are no leaks causing use and abuse on my system. The ductwork can really hinder or help production. The Fort Worth, Texas HVAC dealers that I call are really good. They strive to come in the same week and take care of everything. Considering my ductwork has led to a lot of good energy bills and healthier indoor air quality. I advise any friend or family member to consider their HVAC ducts.

 

Fort Worth Texas Cooling system

Sioux Falls, SD deals with a lot of cold weather.

That cold weather means my gas furnace starts up as early as Halloween and doesn’t let up until well after Easter.

It is a long time with the forced air constantly recycling around the home. The doors and windows are all sealed up tight to keep the heat where we want it. However, with a tighter thermal envelope comes other problems. No fresh air coming into the house means dirty, stale, and polluted indoor air. It also means the air is drying out quicker. The dryer the air, the colder the home. It is kind of a counterproductive process. The furnace dries out the air overheating and then you need to add moisture. That is why I bought myself a whole home humidifier. It was the best thing I ever purchased. I looked up ideal humidity levels and realized I needed a system. Rather than just have a small humidifier in a single room I opted for a large one that was installed right in the furnace. As my heater operates the air quality is getting moisture introduced. That extra blast of moisture is just what my family needed. More wet air means it feels warmer. You don’t have static shock or cling. There are no bloody noses, dry skin, rashes, or issues with electronics. A humidifier helps out everywhere it can for very minimal cost. Anymore who live in colder areas of South Dakota should reach out to their local heater dealership for a humidifier.

 

 

Sioux Falls South Dakota Heating dealer

I decided that I was going to redo my flooring in Minnesota.

For years I have had the ugliest carpets in the world.

They were these stained ugly looking brown shag rugs that came with the home. I hated the look, feel, smell, and the way they cleaned up. Finally I decided to treat myself. I ripped them all up and considered getting tile flooring. Thankfully I have a buddy that told me about heated flooring. He said that it is the perfect time for heating installation. You gotta rip the floors anyway. Also, heated flooring works best with tile. So I picked myself a great, modern gray tile that hardly shows dirt. I also got a local Minnesota heating dealership to do the installation for me. Yes, my flooring project nearly doubled with this heating installation on top of it. But instead of another ugly rug, I have stylish tile with a heating system underneath it. I wondered if it would be too much. Having a home heater and a floor heater could be overkill. That is the thing about Minneapolis though. It gets so cold here that having two heating systems is never a bother. I love having the heat at my feet. It is silent in operation, doesn’t rise to the ceiling, and creates no cold spots since it is evenly installed. Using electric vs forced air means the air quality is better too. It is a much better system than my central heater as well. I think I am always going to own heated flooring.

boiler installation in Minneapolis Minnesota

The winter season in St.

Petersburg, FL is pretty underwhelming.

What I mainly do is focus on the cooling situation. I have a high velocity AC plan that I use the majority of the year. The benefit of high velocity is the smaller than average ductwork. The ducts are half the size, bendy, and can flex into the slats of an older home. The air then quickly whips around the smaller ducts to lower the temperature in minutes rather than hours. High velocity systems are more common in hotter areas like Florida. The upkeep is pretty standard and the repairs are the common ones that crop up. I enjoy having really great AC most of the year. For heating I don’t stress as much. I have a ductless heater that I use in peak rooms of the household. The heater is basically worn. I sleep, work, and piping is. Other than that I don’t concern myself with heat. In St. Petersburg our winter can start as late as January and quit as early as March. Having only a couple of months of chill isn’t so bad. The nights get a little bad but during the daytime it warms up. I will say the biggest problem with the weather in Florida is deciding heating or cooling. Typically I start out with heating at night, in the early morning, change to AC, and then have to change back again in the spring. That means my St. Petersburg HVAC business needs to clean and inspect both systems every time. I use them both most of the year, just heavily favoring the AC plan.

 

 

New HVAC technology in St. Petersburg Florida

When I relocated to Springfield, Missouri, I was eager to experience all four seasons.

Born and raised in the deep south, I was accustomed to heat and humidity but had never seen snow.

My first winter was a bit difficult. I was not prepared for temperatures in the low twenties and even the teens. I didn’t have a warm enough coat, hat, boots or gloves. I didn’t own a snow shovel, snow brush or ice scraper. I learned that shoveling snow is time-consuming, labor-intensive and not enjoyable at all. Every time I wanted to leave for work or go anywhere, I needed to budget a great deal of extra time for clearing the driveway, scraping ice off the windshield and allowing the car to warm up and defrost. Walking across icy pavement can be treacherous and pushing a grocery cart through the snow is nearly impossible. I spent the entirety of that first winter hiding inside with the thermostat cranked up. It cost me a small fortune in heating bills. I thought something was wrong with the furnace because it was running non stop. When I hired a local Springfield HVAC contractor to take a look, he mentioned the unusually high thermostat setting. He explained how to change the filter, encouraged an annual maintenance program for the furnace and recommended the installation of a humidifier. I had not realized that insufficient humidity can be as problematic as excessive humidity. He explained that the lack of moisture in the air was making it feel colder. Also, overly dry air causes issues with headaches, congestion, coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, sore throat, allergy symptoms and dry skin. Everything from my frizzy hair and chapped lips was due to the lack of humidity. I was getting static shocks whenever I walked across the carpet and even suffered a bloody nose. The installation of a whole-home humidifier was a great decision, significantly improving the comfort of the home and making the winters a bit more bearable.

Springfield Missouri Ductless multi split