Traveling the American Road

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

I am very conscientious about taking goodcare of my forced-air furnace.

The cost of purchasing and installing the heating system was significant. Due to the weather in South Bend, Indiana, it operates for approximately eight months of the year and makes a big impact on the household budget. I need to make sure it performs reliably every single day of the winter, year after year. When the furnace runs at peak capacity and efficiency, it provides ideal comfort and keeps utility bills to a minimum. It ensures safety, lower sound levels and healthier indoor air quality. I know that even a little dust buildup inside the furnace can restrict airflow, cause it to continually cycle on and use more energy. There is the possibility of a cracked heat exchanger and furnace failure. To protect my investment, I have enrolled into a maintenance plan with an HVAC contractor located in South Bend. They call to remind me when it’s time to schedule service. A fully licensed, NATE-certified technician shows up in the fall and completes a very thorough inspection. He cleans, adjusts and tests all of the various components and fixes minor issues. The troubleshooting of everything from the thermostat to the ductwork, helps to prevent more costly repairs and disruptive malfunctions. This service fulfills the obligations of the manufacturer’s warranty and extends the lifespan of the furnace. Plus, my enrollment in the maintenance plan includes 24/7 emergency response with no after-hours fees. The severity of the climate in South Bend makes upkeep of the furnace especially important. It gives me peace of mind knowing that I can start up the heating system at any time and be sure it’s running properly.

South Bend Indiana HVAC system

I have looked into buying myself a boiler system.

I liked the thought of having a good quality heating system for the Tuscaloosa winter.

It is not like it gets severely cold with snow, ice, and below freezing temperatures. However, it still gets cold and I like that boilers are so versatile. A boiler system is a tank of a heater that lasts a super long time. With a boiler you don’t need to give it much upkeep or love. With ongoing cleaning and inspection a boiler can live fifty years. Another perk is a boiler can be hooked up to baseboards, radiator, or your home’s water. It can serve as a water heater, hydronic heater, snowmelt system, pool heater, and so much more. Living in Tuscaloosa I don’t use all those functions. What I have spoiled myself with is having a hydronic heater. I love having heated flooring. With this system you don’t have anything large in the way for heating. The boiler sits in the basement and the radiant heater is under the floorboards. It is silent when it heats, does not stir up dust, and due to it being water based, you aren’t getting any forced heat rising to the ceiling. Nothing gets wasted or not used. A hydronic heater is really great for any type of weather. I do feel I added value to my home relying on a hydronic heater. The only con of the system is redoing the flooring after the installation. My floors were old and due for an update though.

 

Tuscaloosa Alabama HVAC technology

Air quality is a big concern in a Texas household.

The sticky heat and high humidity means we are stuck indoors a lot.

The inside living is harsh on the air quality. Never being able to open our windows to let in a fresh breeze guarantees the same, stale air is recycling over and over again. The dirt, debris, pet dander, and hair gets breathed in over and over again. I have invested in air quality services in Plano. I found a Plano, Texas HVAC business that does IAQ testing, products, and installation. I first started with testing. I found that my air quality was a bit moist due to the air conditioner constantly going. The humidity allows mold, bugs, and pests to form. The humidity also is a breeding ground for bacteria, mildew, and fungi. I also found that my indoor air quality had a lot of debris in it. So the recommendation from my HVAC dealer was to get a dehumidifier to work with my air conditioner and an air purification plan to work with the HVAC unit. The dehumidifier pairs with the AC to eliminate excess moisture. The air purifier removes dust, dirt, and dander before it hits my breathing air. Both require annual upkeep and repairs, but are necessary to a healthier home. I am fine with this. Having a healthier home is so nice. We do spend around 90% of our day time indoors. So having equipment investing into keeping it healthy is very smart. My IAQ devices are great to have and ideal for Plano, Texas.

Plano Texas heating and cooling