Living the high life

As an artist, I need a place to connect with the elements.

The distractions of city life, sounds, lights, and people tend to get in the way of my creativity.

I had an opportunity to get away from those distractions once and for all and I took it without hesitation. My uncle left me his cabin in the mountains and I couldn’t think of any reason not to pack my things and move up there. It took a few weeks to tie things up and sublet my apartment but within no time I was off to my mountain retreat. I had never seen the place before but I knew that my uncle lived there year round so I couldn’t imagine that it was that bad. Reality hit when I realized that there was no built in HVAC system. Apparently he had used two wood stoves to heat the place during the colder months and just left the windows open in the summer. That was something I couldn’t imagine myself doing. I may have wanted an escape from the craziness of the city but I wanted some of the comforts of living there too. One of the first things I did was to contact an HVAC dealer in town to see about having an HVAC system installed. I couldn’t believe how complicated that process was. First off, just getting the unit and equipment up the mountain was an undertaking. Then I learned that I needed a specialized unit because it had to operate at the higher elevation with less oxygen than one closer to sea level. I began to realize why my uncle had foregone the expense of having a system installed. I also had to have a propane tank installed to fuel the system. I am sure that I will be happy once it is all done.
furnace/heater repair

My project is melting

He did say that we should always take that into consideration if we planned on becoming professional bakers one day

I worked for nearly a week on my final project for school. It was going to count as fifty percent of my final grade in my bakery class and I made sure that every detail was exactly as I wanted it. This five layer cake told the story of Noah and the Flood. I had the ship made out of modeling chocolate and each animal was shown in great detail on the various layers. They were climbing the cake and heading towards the boat. On the day of the presentation I learned that the air conditioner had broken. This wasn’t that big of a deal at first because my cake was carefully stored in the cooler. I knew if I could just leave it there until it was my turn it would be fine. The temperature in the classroom was nearly eighty degrees and that would melt my creation for sure. When the instructor told us to bring out our projects so he could see them all side by side my heart sank. I knew that within a matter of moments the animals would start sliding down the side and falling off. The water, which I had carefully made out of fondant, would start to become a puddle as well. I put off going to retrieve it as long as I could. Before I took it out I carefully documented all of the details in photos so I could at least have those to show in the event that the heat ruined it. The professor was very understanding and took the room temperature into account. He did say that we should always take that into consideration if we planned on becoming professional bakers one day. I think I will stick to regular food instead, baking is too stressful.

heating corporation

A cool place to volunteer

I am always hearing about organizations that are in need of volunteers. My heart goes out to them but I have to admit that I shy away from this obligation. Oftentimes they need people to work at a booth, in a hot kitchen, or work outside doing something. None of this sounds like something I want to do. I will write a check to help with fundraising, buy whatever they are selling and even make phone calls from the comfort of my own home, just don’t ask me to do anything where I will feel uncomfortable. I hate to be cold or hot so I just don’t help out if there is no climate control. Now, most of these places don’t have the budget to provide this type of environment for their volunteers or the people who use their services. I get it! If I could afford to install an HVAC system in each location I would. This would be impractical as the organizations can not afford the added cost to their energy bills either. I really wish that there were opportunities where I would feel comfortable helping out. Maybe I will look into reading to children at the local hospital or library. At least I know that those places have quality HVAC systems and I can work with the staff to make a difference. I know that there are other places where the need is great and I will try and find others that can help them as well. Being a good person is difficult at times and I only hope that I can make a difference.

new hvac systems

Power outage left us with a huge mess

Storms have been raging in our area for over a week and it looks like the forecast is calling for more. The problem with this is the fact that they can not be up on an electric poll during these storms due to the danger of lightning. This means that we have been without power for the last four days and it has caused a lot of problems. Thankfully the temperatures are mild so losing the HVAC system hasn’t been a problem. The fridge, freezer, and hot water tank are another story. We have been using the grill to cook just about everything so we don’t have to throw it out and heating water in a big pot to wash dishes. The freezer has started to defrost and we have a huge mess on our hands. I really wish we would have listened to our HVAC technician when he was at the house last time to service our system. He said that his company was running a special on whole house generators but we chose not to spend the money. Now, we are out of luck because we have no way to power those appliances that we really need. We have decided that once this crisis is over we will definitely be contacting our HVAC dealer to have a generator installed. What if this had happened in the middle of winter? We would be in far worse danger because the house would be too cold as well. We are not taking any more chances. Hopefully they will have a deal going but if not we will just pay whatever it costs.

air quality

In control even while on vacation

Going on vacation is always fun but stressful at the same time.

  • We always worry about the safety of the house, animals, and even the cars.

We decided that installing a fully monitored security system was the answer. Little did we know how much this would change our lives. The installation was expensive and we often commented that we spent a lot of money on monitoring fees. All that changed this last trip. We were over three thousand miles from home when a near disaster happened. If we did not have that monitoring system in place we could have lost our pets, had major home damage, and come home to a tragedy. We were away in the middle of February and enjoying a tropical vacation. When we left everything was working fine. Our monitoring company sent us a message that the HVAC system had died and they had already arranged for our contact at the HVAC company to come and fix it. We were so relieved that we could finally be away and not worry about what was going on at home. We decided that the money that we spent each month was more than worth it and even if the price when up we would gladly pay that too. If you have ever considered having a security system installed make sure you include monitoring for your appliances too. A broken HVAC system can cost you dearly when you are not home and don’t know that there is a problem. It was really easy to incorporate this with the installation of a Smart Thermostat. We can even log in and check the status ourselves if we want to with our cell phones.

space heater

Silence is not always golden

When you own a house you become very familiar with the noises it makes.

The creaking stairs, shuttering sounds of the doors and windows, and the sounds the appliances make as they turn on and off. You become so intune with your home that you are immediately aware when something is wrong. This was the case last month when I awoke to the dead silence that filled the air. My house is never really quiet because there is always one or more appliance motor running. Total silence meant that something was probably wrong. I started walking around and checking things out. First, I headed to the kitchen. I opened the fridge and it was running ok, then I checked the freezer and hot water heater. All seemed normal there too. Then dread settled over me as I came to the realization that my HVAC system was not running. I was used to it cycling on and off and I hadn’t heard that the entire time I had been awake. That was the last thing I needed was a repair bill for this system as it normally costs well over a hundred dollars. I needed to have it working because the nights were getting really cold because it was late fall and I knew that soon it would be freezing. I called later that morning to set an appointment with my HVAC dealer. Thankfully they had one available and I only had to wait a few hours. The technician had it up and running in just under an hour and even though it cost me I was glad to have the system humming along again and making its normal noises.

 

radiant heater

First day of school, no AC

The kids were so excited this morning and I wish that wasn’t a fading thing. I say that because it is the first day of a new school year and they couldn’t wait to go and reunite with their friends. That is the fun part but as the week goes on and the homework assignments start, that excitement leaves and they are left with the reality that they are back in school. So for today, I enjoyed their excitement and happily drop them off. Unfortunately, when they got home they were all in a very foul mood. I couldn’t imagine that the first day had been that hard but after a brief explanation I totally understood. Apparently the HVAC system in the building was not up an running. They showed me a letter from the district that said that the new HVAC system that was supposed to be installed by the first day of school was not ready and it would not be until two weeks from then. The temperature outside during those weeks would be in the upper eighties and they would do as much as they could keep the kids hydrated and comfortable. I couldn’t understand why we were not notified of this ahead of time and I worried that the kids would be miserable during that time. They started the installation weeks ago but I guess there was an issue with some of the components fitting where they were supposed to and they needed to order different ones. I sent them all with frozen water bottles each day until the system would be up and running.

smart thermostat

Indoor sports are so much better in my opinion

The kids love to be involved in activities.

  • This can be anything from groups like Scouting and 4H to sports.

It seems like I am always running them from one place to the other and we have a huge schedule on the wall in the kitchen so we don’t forget anything. During the winter things slow down a bit and all of the activities switch to indoor events. I am grateful for this as I really don’t like sitting out in the hot sun during the summer and watching endless games. It isn’t that I don’t want to spend time with the kids, it is just that it is too hot. During the cooler weather my son plays hockey and our daughters both play basketball. I am able to hang out at the ice rink and gym which are both climate controlled. In fact, the observation area at the rink has a better HVAC system than we do in our own home. I am always perfectly warm there and enjoy the company of other parents while the kids practice or play. I sometimes wish that their summertime activities would be indoors as well but many of them take place at the local parks and there is just no way to have any sort of climate control there. We are simply exposed to the elements and if it is rainy and cold or hot and muggy we have no choice but to just sit there and suffer through the games. If they’re at an event that has to do with one of the other organizations those normally take place outside as well. Occasionally we will have the opportunity to to a service project or event indoors and I always make sure to volunteer to help with those.

 

Information here

Deciding to replace seasoned cooling system

I was delighted to move from the northern part of the country to Largo, Florida.

I was more than glad to leave behind sub zero temperatures plus long months of snow plus cold.

There was no longer a need for a four-wheel-drive vehicle, snow shovel or ice scraper. I left behind my heavy boots, wool coat plus blazers. I was able to afford a nice location in Largo, because the home was a fixer-upper. It had stood empty for quite a few years, plus everything from the appliances to the floor coverings were old. I needed to replace the roof, windows plus water heater. I tore down walls plus installed new drywall, kitchen cottageets plus plumbing fixtures. While I knew the cooling system was older plus nearing the end of its repair life, I hoped it would continue to operate for a few more years. The device was gigantic, noisy plus uncharming however managed to keep the dwelling perfectly cool. It ran for three years before nothing however moderate air flowed from the vents. When I called a local Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C supplier for a repair, he found a refrigerant leak. He said that the device was too seasoned to find replacement parts. He could have added refrigerant plus got the system running again, however the fix would have been temporary, however rather than invest into a repair, I decided on a new cooling system installation, then upgrading the cooling system helped to significantly lower my weekly electric bills, and plus, the up-to-date system does a better job of filtering out air contaminants plus handling excess humidity. It’s super quiet plus provides a more consistent indoor temperature.

 

cooling largo FL

High velocity AC solves complication of no air duct

About five years ago, my spouse plus I obtained a dwelling in Largo, Florida.

The home was built during the mid 1780’s plus retains much of its historical charm.

My associate and I are delighted by the crucial windows, high ceilings plus hardwood floors, doors plus moldings. The home features a gorgeous stairway plus banister plus a crucial front porch. Our only complication with the home was a/c. Because of the age of the house, centralized air duct was never installed. The previous owners got by with a collection of window cooling systems, box fans plus overhead fans. My associate and I weren’t glad with this arrangement. The window AC units clogged our view from the windows plus destroyed the curb appeal of the home. There are also security risks friendd with open windows. My associate and I wanted whole-dwelling cooling however were unwilling to tear down the original plaster walls to implement air duct. I did some research plus came across high-velocity a/c. This type of system utilizes mini-ducts that are only two inches in diameter. The ducts are slender flexible tubes that can be routed through existing walls without harm. They bend to accommodate studs, plumbing pipes plus electrical outlets. The mini-ducts affix to circular-shaped vents that are only six inches wide plus allow flexibility of location. The actual cooling device is small enough to install into a closet or the attic. By delivering cooled air at an especially high rate of speed, the indoor air temperature is lowered easily hastily; Shorter run times plus smaller plus insulated air duct helps to minimize running costs. The local Heating, Ventilation as well as A/C supplier handled the new cooling system installation easily hastily plus professionally. It is such a relief to have a single thermostat to control temperature throughout the entire home.
air cooling largo FL