First the disclaimer… I am not going to name the unit manufacturer or distributer in this column because I have not asked them for permission and don’t want them affected… either positively or negatively. I am going to name the installer because I want them to get credit for how they do business.
Over the past few years I have mentioned more than once that Twila and I purchased an older house and basically gutted half of it for a very interesting remodeling project. I’m pretty sure our builder had never dealt with people as uniquely crazy as we are and some of the design changes… if they didn’t shock him and his brilliant designer… at the very least challenged them. But, in the end Twila and I got exactly what we wanted and we love our new home, office and photo studio.
During the remodel project one of the major decisions was whether to replace the HVAC units or not. I’m not sure they were original to the house but both units… one large and one small… were in the 20-year-old neighborhood. But at the time of the remodel they both seemed to be working well and the builder said waiting to replace them later would save us about $15,000. At the time, when I cringed with each monthly bill and draw… it was not a tough decision to wait.
But, as time passed and the units aged even more, it became evident that, while the heat continued to work well, the AC unit just could not keep up. Even though our new office and photo studio were heavily insulated, any time the outside temp exceeded 85 degrees it began to get warm inside and if it topped 90 outside it began to get uncomfortable. Sweating at my desk is not my idea of an acceptable work environment so it was time to do something.
We contacted a recommended HVAC company and in short order the owner, Mr. Burton, came by, looked over our old units and provided a suggestion on replacements and a price. After a little discussion an agreement was reached and in a few weeks we had all-new HVAC units and once again cool air reigned in our office and house.
Everything was great until the leaves started to turn colors and fall and the outside air cooled. The new unit in the house was rocking and everything was comfy. But in our office, now instead of issues with cooling it was trying to stay warm that became a problem. The heat would come on, run for a while and then with no warning… it would quit.
A call to Mr. Burton brought a visit the same day. After a few minutes the diagnosis was a reset was needed and sure enough… heat came from the vents and all was well… for a day or two… before it started to get cold again. Another call brought a visit from one of Mr. Burton’s team and another reset and some work on the thermostat and… then there was heat.
This went on for a few weeks… no heat… a visit… then heat. And, then, all was well. The heat just started working and worked the rest of the winter. Nobody was sure what had fixed it and, to be honest, we didn’t care… it was just fixed and forgotten.
That is until the next fall. You guessed it… cool weather arrived… the heat worked… until it didn’t. Another call to Mr. Burton and more visits. His team was great. They tried everything they could think of and some things the manufacturer’s tech people thought of. After several more visits… again the heat began to work perfectly and again we sighed a sigh of happy warmth, forgot about it and got on with our comfortable lives.
Another summer came and went and this year, nearly as soon as we turned the heat on, it began to act up. When I called Mr. Burton… keep in mind this unit was now a full two years old… I told him I was convinced it was haunted. It would work for a night. Then not work at all. It did this for a couple of visits from his team and then it just quit. We had to bring electric heaters into our office and studio to work and I kept expecting to hear weird sounds coming from the vents. There just was no excuse for two years of strange behavior except the unit was totally haunted.
To his credit, Mr. Burton did not tell me I was nuts. He just continued to display the calm patience of Job and, without any screaming or wild demands from us… decided he had had enough and it was time to totally replace the unit. I don’t know, after two years of this, who he had to threaten or how many favors he had to call in, but in no time his team showed up and installed a brand new unit and took away the old one… and, thank God, the ghost seems to have left with it. Now, when we need heat… we get heat, with no complaints or surprises.
I didn’t have the nerve to ask Mr. Burton if he had a priest bless the new unit before it was installed but I can tell you I went upstairs and said a few words over it after his guys finished the installation. I don’t normally believe in ghosts and such, but I’m also old enough to have seen things I can’t explain, and if this unit decides to start acting up next fall… I’m thinking it might be time to install a wood fireplace. Whatever happens… I know there are many excellent HVAC companies in our area but if you want to deal with a company who does things right and has an owner with an amazing amount of patience… I can recommend Burton’s HVAC. Maybe it should be Burton’s HVAC & Ghostbusters!
