Fall 2016 Update: As I said below, I have a maintenance contract with Dr. HVac and yesterday, Ryan came by to do the fall inspection on the furnace. As always, there was a quick and thorough checking of my equipment. The big surprise was seeing Ryan with an old furnace filter and a humidifier filter that he was taking out of the house. Without asking me and without charging me for the service, Ryan had found both filters needed changing and that I had new ones right there to do the deed. I normally order my furnace filters from a company specializing in those, while I do my humidifier filter shopping on Amazon. i hate to admit it, but I normally get a visiting brother (I have two) to swap out the filters for me at Christmas. I am supposed to do it more often, but since I need help to do it, it's not that rare to make a switch once a year rather than the recommended twice (or more) a year. First, I thanked Ryan for stopping me from asking Rick or Wayne to go down to the basement when they are usually dressed in good clothing when making the rounds at holiday time. THEN, I asked if it would be possible to add GETTING the filters and replacing them in their visits in the spring and fall. "Sure," said Ryan. This accomplishes several things. It means not having to ask (or wait for) a brother to do fixer-upper stuff on what should be a social visit. Secondly, it means the filters are going to be replaced on a schedule, likely improving the quality of the air in my house ... which should slow my health issues from becoming worse. Lastly, I'm willing to wager that Dr. HVac can get the filters at a better price point than an end consumer like me can. Even with a mark-up for doing that work, I suspect I will come out of the bargain with a small savings that might even be bigger than small. I could very well have over-looked the nice thing that Ryan did for me in doing the replacements without charging for them (really, it was no cost on a no cost inspection that was part of a maintenance contract that I essentially paid for by NOT buying a smart home thermostat that wouldn't add all that much to my home, while costing a fair bit of money just to have a hot new toy). The replacement was notified on the invoice, but I tend to look at the bottom line and just file them. He could have left without mentioning his going the extra yard. Dependability and performance plus. No need for anything but a renewed ten stars. ... [The Summer 2016 Review] ...
Thursday's continuation of the heat wave was of little interest to me ... until I noticed I no longer felt like I was living in a hockey arena. I'm a semi-invalid and keeping my house temperature at 72 all year round is an indulgence, but one that I feel permitted to have, given the lack of other vices in my life. I joke about being able to feel a single degree's difference, but it's awfully close to the truth. When it finally dawned on me that the home office was feeling more than little bit uncomfortable, I checked the various thermometers in the house and discovered the cooling wasn't cooling. To protect the computer equipment, I shut that down and went downstairs and called Dr. HVac. I've been a happy customer for a half-decade AND I'm a user of their subscription services to get two checks a year on both the furnace and the air-conditioning unit. It also means they take calls from me, remember my name, and have somebody out to see me within 90 minutes. I find that insurance comforting given the fact that the A/C unit is 30 years old. But a unit that HAD passed inspection with few qualms in the spring. About 90 minutes later, with full communications while he serviced two customers ahead of me, Erich arrived to check things out. A thorough examination of the furnace, the air-conditioning unit, the electrical situation and any connection issues later, Erich showed me the offending item, an electrical capacitor that is the heart of the majority of A/C issues. I saw the old part, noticed some electrical blackening on it and asked how much? "Well, you are a customer in our program, so the visit is half the usual 89 dollars and you'll be happy to know that that part is less pricey than the last time you had it replaced (about five years ago). The total was (a little over 200 dollars)." A half-hour after he arrived, my house was back to being a frigid haven from the effects of global warming. I've been happy every time I have had any dealings with Dr. HVac. I know that my problems will always be temporary with them. I don't shop this kind of support around. Given my health problems, which includes a quick temper when things I can't live without break, it's good to have somebody who you can trust. I'm picky with my ten stars, preferring to find some little nit to keep them on their toes. Problem is, there's nothing to complain about. So, ten stars it is.
