Wisler Plumbing and Air

Serving Roanoke and surrounding areas.

Menu
Schedule Online
or call (540) 483-9382

Our Biggest Challenges in the Heating & Air Industry

HVAC

by

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

Almost a year after getting into the heating & air industry, we’ve been doing our best to overcome some interesting challenges. Here are some of the biggest ongoing hurdles we’ve encountered so far.

Staffing Shortages

Being able to find people to work in our industry is an ongoing issue. I don’t think this is necessarily something unique to the heating & air industry. Across the board (at least before the recent months), unemployment was at record lows. This was even more pronounced in the trades, where there aren’t as many people coming into the industry as there once were. The trades are a very technical, specialized type of role, and it takes time for on-the-job training and classroom learning. With high demand and low supply, the situation has been very challenging.

Dependency on Weather

With HVAC, the workload is very dependent on the weather. Air conditioners have to work really hard when it stays hot outside for a long time. Of course, when you don’t have working air conditioning during a hot day, you definitely don’t want to wait on a service provider. Providers have trouble getting to homes quickly because of the high seasonal workload, which is compounded by the staff supply/demand issue.

Complex, Interdependent Equipment

Heating & air is largely equipment-based. What I mean by that is the bulk of your system is made from equipment, such as the air handler inside the home, the furnace, or maybe the condenser or heat pump outside the home. There are a lot of technical considerations and a lot of different components that all need to work together. You might have to change one part that blew out just to get the system up and working to check it fully. It’s analogous to what would happen if something broke on your car. A flat tire would need to get fixed first, so that you can check the brakes. HVAC systems are frustratingly similar.

Poor Design/Engineering

I think that the design and engineering of an actual HVAC system often gets overlooked. There are a lot of systems that haven’t been designed or engineered properly, which leads to insufficient hardware which is prone to service problems and inadequate heating and cooling of the home. We’ve come across multiple homes where a room wasn’t being cooled, which could have been solved if people just took their time to get the design and engineering done right.

If you have any questions, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air today or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

by

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

Plasma Generators

When it comes to saving money, one of the coolest heating & air innovations we have is a piece of equipment called a plasma generator. It improves the air quality in your home and it’s actually capable of doing everything a UV light can do. Plasma generators can kill viruses (which is even more relevant now that we’re in a coronavirus pandemic). The cool thing about it is you don’t have to worry about the cost involved with replacing bulbs like you would with a UV light. It doesn’t really have a limited lifespan because it uses the oxygen that’s already in your home to create the plasma that kills any bacteria or viruses. It’s just a phenomenal product.

We just tend to assume that the air quality in our house is good, but that actually might not be the case. We should pay careful consideration to areas like the ductwork, where mold can start to grow and then blow all over the house. The ideal use case for a plasma generator is anyone who’s concerned about the quality of air they are breathing. People with respiratory issues, asthma, or allergies would especially benefit from getting one.

Whole Home Air Filters

I’ve mentioned the differences between air filters and how some of them can be more effective at removing small particles, catching dust, and helping reduce allergies. But the filters you buy are only about 3/4” thick and don’t last very long. Whole home air filters, on the other hand, are about 4” or 5” thick and go directly inside the ductwork. They are made from a much denser filter media which can catch more particles, but they also last much longer than a regular air filter because of the higher surface area.

Efficient Equipment

Another area of innovation that leads to saving money is the SEER ratings, or the efficiency ratings, of HVAC equipment. As we’ve mentioned before, our HVAC equipment is such a big user of energy in our homes that we want to make sure we’re not overpaying for an old, outdated system. I will say, though, just installing a high-efficiency unit doesn’t necessarily mean that you now have a high-efficiency HVAC system because the ductwork is also part of the equation. If you put in a high-efficiency unit but you have major ductwork issues (like leaks or improper sizing), you’re really just spending extra money on a piece of equipment. Make sure you have a professional check out the whole system so that the higher SEER (or higher efficiency) that you gained with new HVAC equipment is actually going to net you a proper return.

Smart Homes & Thermostats

When it comes to controlling an HVAC system, there’s nothing cooler than being able to make adjustments right from your phone. Maybe you’re on vacation or you just left for work and forgot to set the thermostat. You’ll be able to see the current temperature and make adjustments using a smart thermostat from Nest or Ecobee. We have them on our trucks and can install them during a visit without any advance notice.

Dual Fuel Systems

As we’ve talked about in the past, electric isn’t as efficient as gas. Let’s say you have a heat pump, but you also have gas availability. You could get a dual fuel system consisting of a heat pump with gas backup. Whenever it gets below a specific temperature (e.g., 40 degrees), the gas backup will kick in and be much more efficient at heating the home than just the regular heat pump.

To learn more about any of these products, request an appointment, contact us, or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

by

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

Cool Air and Humidity

It’s easy to overlook the impact of humidity in our area during the summer. Once the season approaches, homeowners might decide to turn off the air conditioning while they’re away. Turning it off or raising it to where it’s very hot could possibly cause issues in the home and maybe even damage wood products, furniture, cabinets, etc.  You wouldn’t want to return to a humid, practically steamy house that would take several days to get back into a conditioned state. At that point, any savings you would have gained by turning it up are going to be spent by trying to get it back to a comfortable level.

Keeping Humidity Low

Therefore, our recommendation is to leave the air conditioning on and raise it 4 degrees higher than its normal setting. This is going to give you some savings while also continuing to condition your home’s humidity level. During the wintertime, we recommend going 4 degrees cooler than the normal setting, or 8 degrees if you have a gas furnace. (Gas furnaces are much more efficient at overcoming cool temperatures than a heat pump.)

How to set a Programmable Thermostat

If you have a programmable thermostat, don’t just adjust the temperature up or down before you leave on vacation. All you would be changing is the temporary hold. If the thermostat is set to a schedule, it will just hold the temperature until the next timeframe—then it will go back to its normal setting. Instead, you want to make sure to change the thermostat to have a permanent hold of 4 degrees higher while you’re out of town.

Vacation Mode

Some programmable thermostats have a vacation mode you can enable while you’re away. The thermostat will know when you’re set to return home so it can revert to its normal state right before you get back. Smart thermostats just make this process easy to do right from a mobile device. If you have a smart thermostat made by someone like Nest or Ecobee, you can use a phone app to make adjustments while you’re away on vacation. (This is probably your best bet.) Aside from setting holds, you can also use the app to turn it back before you get home so you won’t have any fluctuations while also maximizing efficiency.

For more information about smart thermostats, request an appointment or give us a call at 540-483-9382. We carry them on our truck and we can actually upgrade your home without any advance notice. Any time we’re already out on a heat check, cool check, or HVAC service call, you can decide to get one put in your home.

by

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

What you Already Know

I think most people can relate to the refrigerants used for a car’s air conditioner. You might have heard someone saying that the refrigerant needs to be recharged, especially with an older car. What they mean is that the freon (or refrigerant in newer cars) needs to be replaced because the pressure is too low. The refrigerant might have leaked, which is kind of scary when you think about the environmental implications. Most people know that they have to take a car to a repair shop to get this kind of work done. That same system and components are in your home’s heating and cooling system. If you have a heat pump, this refrigerant is used for both heating and cooling.

A Recent Change

A change just recently happened in January 2020 where a refrigerant called R-22, or freon, is no longer being produced. (It’s still available for a high price, but it’s being phased out.) A refrigerant called R-410A is being made now, and it’s much more environmentally friendly than R-22. HVAC units older than 2010 year models more than likely use R-22 refrigerant. So, if one of these older units has a leak, you’re not going to be able to recharge it any longer simply because the Freon/R-22 isn’t going to be available anymore. In other words, you’ll have to shop for a new HVAC system.

Proper Care and Handling of Refrigerant

Not just anyone is capable of having a refrigerant in their custody or using it to recharge a system. These substances are not meant for use by anyone except those with proper certification. Our technicians are EPA certified, and we are required by the EPA to track the use and storage of all refrigerants. That’s something we take extremely seriously because refrigerants shouldn’t get out into the environment.

If anyone has an HVAC system and thinks it might need to be replaced, repaired, or checked for refrigerant levels, reach out to us today. Request an appointment, contact us, or give us a call at 540-483-9382. We can set up a cool or heat check, depending on the season. We’ll also be able to check that the refrigerant levels are properly aligned with that particular piece of equipment.

by

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

Here’s a 5-item checklist everyone can use for heating and cooling each quarter of the year:

Replace indoor air filters.

Everyone’s HVAC system has an air filter somewhere inside the home. It may be behind your return grille, it may be a whole house air filter that’s next to the HVAC unit, or it could be an air filter that’s just right on top of the unit. It’s so important that those filters are changed and maintained. One point I would like to mention about filters is that it’s easy to go to a big box store or hardware store and find filters marketed as being able to trap allergens. You need to be very careful with those types of products because they have very fine filtration, which can get stopped up really easily. Yes, they do catch a lot of stuff, but they’re not going to last anywhere nearly as long as a normal fiberglass filter. If you do get one of these types of products, you’ll have to replace them more often.

Clean and clear outside units.

Most people in our area have heat pumps, which have a unit outside of the house. Generally, it’s located along the outside wall of the house somewhere. In the fall, it’s a good idea to make sure there are no leaves near the unit. In the winter when we may have snow for a long period of time, make sure that there isn’t any snow buildup on or around the unit. Pollen or other debris should also be removed before it has a chance to build up. Additionally, you should make sure not to set objects like water hoses on top of the unit.

Keep indoor floors clean.

The floor around the inside unit—regardless of whether it’s a gas furnace or even an air handler—should be kept clean. This is where the unit draws in air, and sometimes there are leaks around the return air. If this area is really dusty or it has a lot of pet dander, it can get sucked up into the system. That’s why it’s a good idea to keep the floor around the return air grille clean. The filter blocks these things from getting into the system for the most part, but not around the unit.

Turn off water to humidifiers during summer.

The humidifier is an indoor item that isn’t needed during the summer. You wouldn’t want it dripping water, and you also wouldn’t want anything within the unit to malfunction. That’s why turning off the water to the humidifier during this season is a good idea.

Keep an eye on the condensate drain.

Most indoor units have a condensate line. Some units (like gas furnaces) will condensate year-round, while others (like heat pumps or air handlers) will just condensate in the summer. Just make sure that you’re keeping an eye on it because sometimes the condensate drains or the inside pan can get stopped up. If you see any water around the unit, you’ll definitely want to get it checked out before a flood or water damage occurs inside the house.

For homeowners who want an easy way to keep their heating and cooling systems well-maintained, we offer a Diamond Club membership. Included with the membership is one free annual plumbing visit where a technician flushes the water heater and inspects the plumbing. It also includes two free maintenance checks for the HVAC: one for the heating and one for the cooling. This is an ideal plan to check the system and make sure it won’t encounter problems in the future. If you have any questions, contact us, or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

☐ ☑ ☒

by

Play

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Android | Google Podcasts | RSS

Right now, we’re really focusing on bringing on apprentices onto our team. We do hire people with no experience in all areas of the field, whether that be water treatment, plumbing, HVAC, HVAC/plumbing installation, or HVAC techs. Although someone might not have any experience or have absolutely no idea what they’re getting into, we can put them through a training program specifically suited for what they’ll be doing. One thing every technician within our company is definitely going to experience is a lot of training. It’s centered around the technical aspects of the job, but it also covers soft skills like how to communicate important details to our clients in an effective manner. The training process will take a different amount of time for everybody, but it generally takes around 6 to 8 months for someone starting at a very low skill level.

 

People coming from factory or assembly line work regularly tell us that they were tired of doing monotonous tasks. Some people just don’t thrive in an environment where they do the same thing over and over, every day. Fortunately, a tech’s day-to-day activities are very diverse. Our technicians visit one or more homes on a daily basis. The job could involve a shower faucet one day, then a toilet or a water heater on the next. The customer’s needs always keep things interesting and fresh.

 

Almost every aspect of a homeowner’s life is tied to relying on working plumbing (like running water, a working toilet, a working kitchen sink, etc.). Sometimes they can be upset about a problem or fearful about what it might cost to have it repaired. When we repair one of those fixtures to make them functional again, or even when we upgrade them to work much better, the job that we’re doing is extremely fulfilling. This is truly a customer service industry, and we sometimes say that we’re here to repair the client. I think we have the opportunity to really impact people and build relationships while we fix their plumbing problem.

 

One of our main values is family. (You can use the word team here whenever it’s in a professional setting). Whenever I think about family, what comes to mind is the people who have my back, those who I can count on, and those who I can be open with. But the idea of family also comes with expectations, tension, challenging times, and tough conversations. Those things exist in healthy families, and they are imperative for growth. I think it is very rewarding to be part of a family/team with all these qualities. If you get stumped on a plumbing problem as a technician, you can call another technician or manager for guidance and support. Our service managers have technical ability because they’ve been in the field themselves. I think that’s what brings the family atmosphere together.

 

For anybody interested in learning more about joining the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air and perhaps becoming an apprentice technician, visit WislerJobs.com. Once you apply online, Maryanne will field the application and start you through our process.

Diamond Club

Our Ads

Jobs

Blog