HVAC and Insulation From a Working Tech
Last August, I got a service call from a homeowner in the middle of a heat wave. She’d had a brand-new 5-ton central AC installed three weeks earlier — top-of-the-line equipment, not a budget unit — and she was miserable. The house was 74°F, technically “cool,” but she described it as feeling like a wet … Read more
Last July, I got a call from a homeowner in Saint George, Utah — a guy named Mark who was convinced his HVAC system was undersized. His second-floor bedrooms were hitting 82°F even with the AC running full tilt. He’d already replaced his thermostat, added a return air duct, and was ready to spend $6,000 … Read more
Last spring I got a call from a homeowner in Charlotte, North Carolina — let’s call him Mike. He’d just had his house spray-foamed top to bottom, new windows, new doors, the whole nine yards. The place was so tight he was proud of it. He’d cut his heating and cooling bills nearly in half. … Read more
Last August, I got a call from a homeowner in a four-bedroom colonial — two stories, built in 2004, single HVAC system serving the whole house. She’d already had two other contractors out that summer. Her complaint was the same one I hear constantly: upstairs is an oven, downstairs is a freezer, and my thermostat … Read more
Last October, I got a call from a homeowner in a panic. Her furnace had stopped working the night before, temperatures were dropping into the 30s, and she’d already paid a local HVAC company $189 for a “tune-up” just six weeks earlier. When I got there, I pulled the furnace panel and found a flame … Read more
Last July, I got a call from a homeowner in the middle of a heat advisory. Her central air had “just stopped working” overnight. When I pulled the air handler panel, the blower motor was seized solid — the shaft wouldn’t turn by hand, the winding insulation had that unmistakable burnt varnish smell, and the … Read more
It was a Tuesday afternoon in late July — the kind of day where the asphalt shimmers and your phone starts blowing up with service calls before 9 a.m. I pulled up to a house where the homeowner had been sweating through the night. “It just hums,” she told me, pointing to the condenser unit … Read more
Last summer I got a call from a homeowner in the middle of July — let’s call him Ron — who was convinced his AC was “out of freon.” His house was sitting at 81°F when the thermostat was set to 74°F, and a buddy of his had already told him it was definitely a … Read more
I got a call last Tuesday from a homeowner in Raleigh who was frustrated. “Dana, my house smells musty and I’m seeing mold spots on the basement walls. I ordered a big portable dehumidifier online—50 pints—but it’s not helping. What am I doing wrong?” I went to inspect. The basement looked fine. The real problem … Read more
I got a call last Tuesday from a homeowner in the suburbs who’d discovered condensation on his attic sheathing during a winter inspection. His first instinct? Buy an attic dehumidifier. He’d already ordered one online when he called me. “Dana, it’s got great reviews,” he said. “Should arrive tomorrow.” I asked him to hold off. … Read more