Hiring an Owner Operator HVAC Company

Many people hire an HVAC company by simply choosing the company with the best looking or biggest yellow page ad. This can often produce a great company; however, it is truly a roll of the dice on what type of company you are going to get. There are many factors which you should consider when hiring an HVAC company such as referrals, length of time in business, and guarantees of work to name only a few. However, one of the big factors which many people overlook is whether or not this is a large company with many technicians or small independent owner operator.

Many large companies tend to lose touch with the customer. As layers are added onto a business there are more and more people in between the owner and the customer. A service technician may need to answer to a field supervisor. That field supervisor may have a manager, and that manager may then report to an owner. This is how customer service is usually lost in these types of companies. HVAC technicians are not given the authority to make a customer happy and it may take days or even weeks for customer complaints to be resolved, if at all.

This is where dealing with an owner operator can be an enjoyable experience. If the HVAC technician installing your system is the actual owner you should receive much better customer service. Concerns about the installation can be answered right away without delay. Also, owner operators tend to deliver much better service because of the financial risks at stake. Many technicians who work for big companies are simply there to collect a paycheck. This is not the case with many owner operators. Many of these individuals are trying to build a lifelong HVAC business which may be passed on to children in the future. If you are here in Atlanta, I’d suggest giving Atlanta HVAC a call. I’ve gotten to know the lead technician Jay Thompson and I can tell you that he is one of the best.

Its Heating Up Atlanta

Hey fellow Georgians and internet perusers! I wanted to make a quick post today to discuss the upcoming summer months and a few steps that you can take now before the temperatures start topping 90 degrees on a day to day basis. Now if you haven’t run your air conditioner since last summer let me be the first to advise you to crank that puppy up and let her rip for a few hours. This is an absolute imperative and if you haven’t stopped reading this blog entry yet to go do it, you should stop now! Go crank her up and let her run for a while. I know it may get a little cool in the house but that can be solved by just opening the windows for half an hour and mother nature will make sure to heat you right back up. Now why do you need to do this. Well now is the best time to find out whether or not you may have an issue with your AC system. Waiting until its a hot summer day and finding out that the the air has gone out is a recipe to ensure that you have a miserable afternoon. Not only is that the busiest time of the year for us HVAC techs but it is also the time where the local companies make all of their money. This means that you may pay higher service call rates and you may even get hit with emergency service fees if the repair takes place after hours. Save yourself the hassle and go and test your system now!

All About the HVAC System

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know:

The acronym HVAC generally stands for ‘Heating, Ventilation, and Airconditioning’. It is a term commonly used to describe a building’s or a home’s interior air system. The main function of an HVAC unit is to adjust heat supply, humidity levels, and air quality inside a building. The system is commonly attached to an outside unit, which serves as its supply source. It is important to regulate the unit at proper temperature levels to ensure a comfortable and healthy indoor environment.

Technically, HVAC units are dissected into three fundamental elements – the heating, ventilation, and airconditioning system.

Heating is an important element used in keeping appropriate room temperature especially during the winter season. The heating system can be classified into two major types – local and central. Local heating systems are usually the choice when heating a particular room in the house. Local heaters are much cheaper and easier to maintain. On the other hand, centralized heating systems are commonly incorporated in homes situated in places experiencing colder climates. Since they are intently built to supply the entire home or buildiing, higher energy consumption should be expected.

The ventilation system functions to remove moisture, smoke, dust, and other harmful particles that are present in the air. Moreover, it ensures efficient air exchange within the building. You can either opt for a natural or mechanical ventilation. Natural ventilation, as the name implies, does not use any types of mechanical equipment to improve air quality. On the contrary, mechanical ventilation greatly depends on a specialized equipment designed to boost indoor air exchange.

Meanwhile, air-conditioning units provide cold air, and helps in controlling humidity inside a room or within an entire building. Centralized air-conditioning systems are best suited for offices and commercial buildings, while single units are ideal for home use.

Proper care and maintenance is needed to keep your HVAC unit in optimum condition. And in case you require serious ventilation, air-conditioning or heater repair , it is highly advised that you seek the help of an experienced and professional HVAC technician.

Recovery System Hookup

It’s getting hot Atlanta! It’s time to start thinking about getting that spring AC tune up. For those of you who have never had this service done you are definitely playing with fire. Don’t get burned and get stuck with a huge AC repair bill. Take the time to do a little preventative maintenance so that you can be confident that your system will perform efficiently throughout the summer. OK enough of my lecture, now let’s get to some useful hvac information. Today I want to discuss how to purge a hose and what it means to do a recovery system hookup. I found a nice video from another old HVAC tech who you’ve seen on this blog once or twice before Yes its our good friend Dr. Zarkloff. Here is today’s video lesson:

Now I really liked that video although it is a little advanced for some of the readers of this blog. For those who followed along let me know what you thought. If you couldn’t follow along let me know that as well and I can give a little bit longer of an introduction to the material. I just want to get an idea of the best way to communicate certain material and hearing back from you all is a great way to help me do that.

OK readers remember whether you are in Atlanta or someplace else, spring is the time to get those AC units tuned up. Trust me the $50-$100 you are going to pay could literally save you thousands this very year. Do it!

Review Requests

After a brief hiatus I am back to announce that a few people saw my review of Atlanta HVAC and have requested that I review their companies as well. This is pretty cool since I get a chance to network with some of the other heating and air conditioning professionals here in our great city. The first company is called Atlanta Heating and Air Pros. They have been around about 13 years and are looking to build their reputation online the way that they have built their reputation via word of mouth. I want you all to stay tuned to this blog because I am going to schedule a phone conference with one of the head honchos over there and then I will report back to you all on what I find. My suspicion is that they are good people. Anytime you request that someone evaluate your business chances are pretty good that you are confident in the product or service that you offer. I will however, reserve judgement until I have the opportunity to actually talk one on one with these folks. Now the second company is called JR Cooling and Heating of Atlanta. Unfortunately the link that they sent me to their website seems to be down at the moment but once I get the right URL I will go ahead and share that website with you all as well. Oh one more thing, check out some of the comments because Angel commented that she had a good experience with Aames plumbing and heating. I don’t know much about those folks but you may want to read her comment and check out their site as well. You see the key thing is when you are looking for a reputable HVAC technician is just to do a little legwork. Read blogs like this one where you can get information from real people who aren’t paid spokespeople. That is the best kind of information since it doesn’t come wrapped in an agenda. OK enough soap-boxing, stay tuned for those reviews and remember to get your Spring tune-ups!

Spring Maintenance

Howdy folks! Well this weekend the time sprung forward so that is a sure sign that Spring is right around the corner. Now for those of you who made it through the cold season without having to do any major HVAC repairs I congratulate you! Now for some free advice. If you want to be able to say the same thing this time next year then I would highly suggest that you go ahead and get yourself a seasonal HVAC tuneup. There are many companies here in Atlanta and all over the country that offer seasonal maintenance packages for very reasonable prices. You can check out a company like Atlanta HVAC if you are local. So why is a seasonal check up important? Well for a few reasons; for one, there are several parts within your unit that operate differently depending on whether or not your system is heating or cooling. These parts of the system will not have been used for quite some time and they will need to be examined before they potentially fail. Another reason is that repairs that are done off-season are  generally discounted when compared to repairs that are done in season. Summer and Winter are the busies times of year for heating and air conditioning professionals and you know the law of economics, more demand with the same supply = higher prices. Get your repairs while demand is low, your wallet will thank you. OK folks thats all for today, have a great week!

Checking Your Pressure Switch on a Gas Furnace

Ok folks I wanted to share something information on checking your pressure switch. Now this is really more for my intermediate readers and if you are a total novice then you might want to be extra careful with this one. For those of you who are comfortable with some of the interior parts of a furnace then this video is sure to help you learn about checking a pressure switch. Now in this video they use a gas furnace and anytime you work with a gas furnace you should always keep safety as your number one priority. Now with that said let me jump right into the video:

So what did you folks think of the video? I thought it was very straight forward and informative. These are the types of videos that I love posting because they are short, direct and to the point. Not only that but the information is very accurate and there are no safety steps that have been skipped. Many times I’ve seen videos where they are explaining how to do something but unfortunately they are doing it wrong. They might end up with the right results in that situation but they will at some point realize that their methods are not universal and don’t work in every case. This is why I try to screen these videos thoroughly to make sure that you all get trained the right way. Ok that’s all for today. As always comment away if you have any questions.

Turn Up the Heat for Valentines

Howdy readers! Let me let you know right away that in this post you will learn nothing about heating or air conditioning. I will be teaching you a little bit about how the old man heats things up though with the Mrs. I just wanted to share some of my plans for Valentines so those of you who are romantically challenged can have some ideas on ways that you can turn up the heat in your house. First off I’m going all out, candles, rose petals, the whole nine yards. Yes thats right a nice dinner by the fireplace. That’s how we’ll be celebrating Valentines this year. It is sure to be a it. Well now you know how I am going to romance my lady, how about you all? Go ahead and leave a comment with some information about what you are going to do or have done in the past. Anybody have any creativity out there that they would like to share? We’re all ears!

Installing a Furnace

I’m back! Yes I am back to say GO SAINTS! Super Bowl Champs! Now I don’t want to rub it in too much but those of you who follow my blog know that I talked about the Saints in my last post and sure enough, they won it all! Sorry Peyton, but this was the Saints year. After this post I’ll be off to one of the best online shopping websites I know of to buy some commemorative gear. OK so I know you don’t want to continue to hear me talk about my beloved Super Bowl Champ Saints so I will move on to some heating and air conditioning information, since I know that is why you are here in the first place. As the youtube junkie that I am, I came across yet another video that talks about installing a furnace. Now installing a furnace isn’t the most complicated task that an HVAC technician faces but it is useful to learn for the novice or home-owner. Since my blog readers have such a diverse skill and ability set I try to give a little bit to everyone. This post will be more geared toward the novice so for my pro’s bear with me and I will have some good stuff for you all in the coming posts. Alright so here is the video, watch it and then read on.

Now I know that the guy giving the video was trying to promote his book a little but I actually think that the information is helpful by itself. I have no idea how good his book is or whether it is even worth the paper it is printed on. However, I will say this, he has taken the time to really provide some useful information for free via youtube. To me this says something about the guy and I think that it would probably be a safe be to check out the book. OK well that’s all for today folks, keep practicing and I’ll be here when you have questions!

Induction Heating

What a great video I have for you all today! This is a great one folks, and it is on the topic of induction heating. Now for those of you who ar unfamiliar with induction heating it is essentially similar to many other forms of heating except that its primary source of energy is electricity. It has the distinct advantage of being very energy efficient and it heats and cools extrememly rapidly. Now-a-days high end cooktops are being marketed with induction heating and let me tell you that these are the very best cooktops available anywhere. I know that many chefs and cooks would never dream of cooking on anything besides a gas stove but once you try an induction cooktop you may very well eat your own words. I was doing a little shopping at Sears the other day and I saw an awesome slogan for an induction range. The slogan “A watched pot never boils….until now.” How cool is that? The point here is that induction has the ability to heat at lightning speed even much faster than gas and ligth years ahead of the traditional electric range. The technology uses special pots and pans and this is why the cooking process is so fast because it is not actually the aisle that is being heated, it is the pot itself. This gives inuction cooktops the unique advantage of generally being cool to the touch just seconds after a pot is removed. No more worrying about little Billy touching the hot stove. He won’t be able to get his little paws up there fast enough to get hurt! OK so I started out promising you a video on this topic and since I am a man of my word I am going to deliver the vide now. Enjoy:

What did you think? Pretty cool huh? OK That’s all for today folks, enjoy your weekend and Go Saints!