What Counts as an HVAC Emergency
What genuinely needs somebody out tonight, what can wait until morning, and what you should handle yourself before calling anyone.
Derek Mills ·
Advice from the shop
We get the same questions over and over, usually on the coldest or hottest day of the year. These are the honest answers, written by the two people who own the company and do the work. Nothing here is a sales pitch. If a repair is the right call, we say so.
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Why Some Rooms Are Always Cold: Ductwork in Older Houses
If one room has never been comfortable, the equipment is probably not the problem. What goes wrong in older duct systems and what is worth fixing.
Chris Wheeler ·
Converting from Oil Heat: What the Process Actually Involves
Leaving oil behind is one of the most common projects we do. The realistic sequence, the decisions along the way, and what to do about the old tank.
Chris Wheeler ·
Dry Winter Air: Why It Happens and What Actually Fixes It
Static shocks, cracked woodwork, and dry sinuses every January. Where the moisture goes and why a bigger humidifier is not always the answer.
Chris Wheeler ·
How Long Should a Furnace Last, and When to Replace It
Age alone is a poor reason to replace working equipment. The five questions that actually decide repair versus replace.
Chris Wheeler ·
Radiant Floor Heat: What to Know Before You Commit
The most comfortable heat there is, with real constraints on where it makes sense. Retrofit versus new construction, floor coverings, and response time.
Chris Wheeler ·
Rust Stains and Grit in the Water: Iron and Sediment
Orange staining, black specks, and sand in the aerators are three different problems with three different fixes. A softener is not always the answer.
Derek Mills ·
What Should Be in a Commercial HVAC Maintenance Agreement
Most agreements are priced per visit and say very little about what happens on the visit. What to require before you sign one.
Chris Wheeler ·
Why Your Mini Split Smells Musty When It Turns On
That damp gym-bag smell has one common cause and one uncommon one. Neither of them is fixed by an air freshener.
Derek Mills ·
Spring AC Tune Up: What Is Worth Doing
What a real tune up includes, what you can do yourself in twenty minutes, and how to tell a genuine service from a sticker on the side of the unit.
Derek Mills ·
Tank, Tankless, or Heat Pump Water Heater?
Three good options with genuinely different tradeoffs. Which one fits depends on your house, your water, and how your household actually uses hot water.
Chris Wheeler ·
What Auxiliary Heat Means on Your Thermostat
Aux heat is normal in a cold snap and expensive if it runs all the time. How to tell which one you have.
Derek Mills ·
Your Heat Just Went Out. Do These Things First.
Six checks that solve a real share of no-heat calls, what to do about the house while you wait, and when to stop and call immediately.
Derek Mills ·
Are Condensing Boilers Worth the Extra Cost?
High efficiency boilers earn their rating only under conditions a lot of existing houses do not give them. How to tell if yours will.
Chris Wheeler ·
SEER2, HSPF2, and Which Numbers Actually Matter
Efficiency ratings are real but they are lab numbers. What they mean, and the specification that matters more than any of them in a cold climate.
Chris Wheeler ·
Why Your House Feels Clammy Even With the AC Running
Seventy two degrees and still sticky usually means a humidity problem, not a cooling problem. Often the air conditioner is the cause.
Chris Wheeler ·
Why Your AC Coil Freezes Up
Ice on an air conditioner in July looks backwards and always means one of two things. How to thaw it safely and stop it recurring.
Derek Mills ·
Hard Water: What It Costs You and How Softeners Work
Hardness is not a health problem, it is an equipment problem. What scale does to a water heater and how to size a softener properly.
Chris Wheeler ·
Rooftop HVAC Units: What Neglect Actually Costs
RTUs are out of sight and they stay that way until the tenants complain. What a real quarterly service covers and the failures that come from skipping it.
Derek Mills ·
Mini Split Maintenance: What You Can Do Yourself
Ductless systems are low maintenance, not no maintenance. The filters you should be rinsing monthly and the deep clean that needs a tech.
Derek Mills ·
One Zone or Multi Zone? Choosing a Mini Split Layout
Multi zone systems look like the obvious choice on paper. Here is where they work well and where separate single zone units are the better buy.
Chris Wheeler ·
Why Is My Heat Pump Blowing Cold Air?
A heat pump that feels like it is blowing cool air is usually working fine. Here is how to tell the normal reasons from the ones worth a service call.
Derek Mills ·
Furnace Turning On and Off Every Few Minutes
Short cycling wears equipment out early and it is almost always one of five things. Two of them you can check without tools.
Derek Mills ·
Boiler Pressure: What the Gauge Should Read
Where the needle belongs on a residential boiler, what sends it too high or too low, and which of those you can safely deal with yourself.
Derek Mills ·
Heat Pump or Furnace: What Works in a New Hampshire Winter
Cold climate heat pumps really do work here, but they are not the right answer for every house. What we look at before recommending one.
Chris Wheeler ·
How to Bleed Air Out of a Hot Water Heating System
Air in the loop is one of the most common heating complaints and one of the few you can genuinely fix yourself. The order matters.
Derek Mills ·
Getting Your Heating System Through a New Hampshire Winter
A fall checklist worth working through in October, when a problem is an appointment instead of an emergency.
Chris Wheeler ·
What Those Noises From Your Water Heater Mean
Popping, rumbling, and a high whine are three different problems. One is nearly always sediment and one means shut it off now.
Derek Mills ·
Repair or Replace? How We Think About It
A framework for deciding, including the parts of the calculation that have nothing to do with the price of the repair.
Chris Wheeler ·
Air Conditioning Not Cooling: What to Check Before You Call
Four things a homeowner can check in ten minutes, and the symptoms that mean you should stop and pick up the phone instead.
Derek Mills ·
Well Water in New Hampshire: What to Test For
About half the state is on private wells with no required testing. What actually shows up in our groundwater and which results call for treatment.
Chris Wheeler ·
What Size Mini Split Do I Need?
Square footage charts get this wrong more often than they get it right. What actually determines the size of a ductless system, and why oversizing hurts.
Chris Wheeler ·
Baseboard Heat Not Getting Hot? Work Through This First
One cold zone, one cold room, or the whole house cold are three different problems. Sorting out which one you have narrows it down fast.
Derek Mills ·
Preventing Frozen Pipes in a New Hampshire Winter
Which pipes actually freeze, what to do before the cold snap, and what to do in the first ten minutes if one already has.
Derek Mills ·
How Often Should You Really Change Your Furnace Filter?
The number on the box assumes a house that does not exist. What actually determines your interval, and why a thicker filter is not always better.
Derek Mills ·
Questions Worth Asking Before You Hire an HVAC Contractor
License, insurance, and eight questions that separate a contractor who measured your house from one who read a number off a chart.
Chris Wheeler ·