HVAC Tips

We have listed a few helpful tips and procedures that may save you from needing a service call or reduce damage in an emergency.

Shutting the water off to your home

There is a shut off valve located where the water comes into the home. This valve will shut the entire water supply system down. If you do not know where it is; follow the cold water line from your water heater back to the valve. There is almost always a direct line from the main valve to the water heater.

Lighting a pilot

Lighting a pilot is pretty much the same procedure on any gas appliance. Not all appliances have pilots. Newer furnaces and gas dryers generally ignite on their own. Water heaters, older furnaces, and ovens generally have pilots that need to be relit. The directions specific to the appliance is generally on a sticker attached to the appliance.

General procedure is to turn the gas valve to the pilot position, press down on the knob and hold, at the same time light the pilot, continue to hold the knob down for 60 seconds, release the knob, and turn the knob to on.

Garbage disposal not working

If the disposal is not humming, push the reset button under the disposal, this is a surge protection reset.

If the disposal hums but the blades do not spin, attempt to un-jam the disposal with either an allen wrench supplied with the disposal (there is a slot for the wrench on the bottom of the disposal) or you can try using a broom handle to manually turn the blades.

Air conditioner not working

Have you checked your electrical breaker or fuses? Electrical surges and thunder storms cause frequent service failures to the air conditioning system.

The outdoor unit should have a fused disconnect box located on the wall next the air conditioner. Test or replace those fuses. Check your air filter. Dirty or clogged air filters can restrict air flow and cause failures to the system or lack of cooling. If the system is running but not blowing air or you notice ice on the indoor or outdoor system, turn the system off. We cannot service the system if ice is present.

No heat

Check for a pilot if your system has as standing pilot system (usually older furnaces) and see above directions for relighting pilot.

Newer furnaces sometimes have circuit boards that show fault codes. Look for blinking lights located towards the bottom of the unit, behind the first door. Write down how the unit is flashing (example: 1 long – 3 short) and report them to the technician repairing your equipment.

Once you have recorded your fault code, turn the power off to the unit for 60 seconds. Turn the unit back on and it may recycle and turn on to give you heat until we can come test the system.

Winterize / Un-winterize your outdoor faucet

To winterize: Locate and turn off the indoor shut off valve to the outdoor faucet. Remove any hoses from the outdoor faucet and open the outdoor faucet completely. Lift any O-rings or backflow protection devices (located at the outdoor faucet) to allow system to drain properly. Go back inside and remove the bleed cap on the side of the indoor shut off valve. Some systems should be blown out with air from the bleed on the indoor shut off valve to help remove all water from the line.

To un-winterize, repeat in opposite direction.

HVAC in Spray Foam Insulation (SPF) Houses

For tightening up your home, there is simply nothing better than spray polyurethane foam (SPF) insulation. SPF is so good at tightening up your home, in fact, that you’ll need to be careful with many of the parts of your HVAC system to keep it working safely and efficiently.

Combustion Safety

Furnaces or water heaters with continuously lit pilots should not be used in homes with SPF insulation, as CO backdrafting can occur. Be sure you only use sealed combustion or power vented equipment.

Ventilation Issues

Since they are sealed so tightly, special care needs to be taken to ensure that SPF homes get proper airflow. Supply ventilation and balanced ventilation systems are the best ways to achieve this.

Sizing HVAC Equipment

Since the typical “rules of thumb” don’t apply to homes with SPF insulation (old estimates take into account natural airflow that you don’t get with SPF). Instead, Manual J calculations must be used to properly size HVAC systems. Having a properly sized HVAC unit is crucial in SPF homes not only because it helps your system run more efficiently, but it also helps prevent humidity and moisture buildup.

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What To Expect

Discover the Difference

Satisfaction Guaranteed

We stand behind every job we perform, because that’s what it means to be family. Your complete satisfaction is our guarantee.

Upfront
Pricing

You’ll never be stuck with an unexpected bill when your services are complete. We offer upfront, no-surprise pricing, so you can rest assured you’re only paying for the high-quality work you receive.

Trained
Technicians

Our secret to offering the best service in the business is simple. We hire quality people and continually train them to provide the best customer experience possible. We train weekly on service, equipment, diagnosis, and more. You can rest assured that our technicians will bring the industry expertise necessary to exceed your expectations.

Extended
Warranties

We work continuously to keep up with recalls, extended warranties, and notices regarding all plumbing, heating, and AC equipment that we may come in contact with in your home.

Commitment
to Community

We believe that as we grow, so should our community—that’s why we look for every opportunity possible to give back.

Special
Financing

We understand the financial strain that often accompanies new system installation, home remodeling, or unexpected service calls. That’s why we offer special financing to keep your household budget intact. Financing is subject to approved credit

Satisfaction Guaranteed

We stand behind every job we perform, because that’s what it means to be family. Your complete satisfaction is our guarantee.

Upfront
Pricing

You’ll never be stuck with an unexpected bill when your services are complete. We offer upfront, no-surprise pricing, so you can rest assured you’re only paying for the high-quality work you receive.

Trained
Technicians

Our secret to offering the best service in the business is simple. We hire quality people and continually train them to provide the best customer experience possible. We train weekly on service, equipment, diagnosis, and more. You can rest assured that our technicians will bring the industry expertise necessary to exceed your expectations.

Extended
Warranties

We work continuously to keep up with recalls, extended warranties, and notices regarding all plumbing, heating, and AC equipment that we may come in contact with in your home.

Commitment to Community

We believe that as we grow, so should our community—that’s why we look for every opportunity possible to give back.

Easy
Financing

We understand the financial strain that often accompanies new system installation, home remodeling, or unexpected service calls. That’s why we offer easy financing to keep your household budget intact.

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Thank you for sending such great individuals, Matt and John, to our home today. It was initially scheduled to be just a service call to diagnose our plumbing problems, but it turned out that they could easily correct our problem.I want to tell you that these two young men were the ultimate prof...

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Dear Mr. Wheat:We would like to take a moment to thank you sincerely for helping us with our water leak problem. We had no idea of the magnitude or scope of such an undertaking. All of your service men were excellent and highly professional. They were courteous, considerate and informative ever...

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This is a much belated thank you. The job that your service men did installing the fireplace units in our house was extraordinary. Our house is nearing a hundred years old and the interior fireplaces are huge solid brick columns extending to the foundation. Getting gas pipes up from the basemen...

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I wanted to write a brief note thanking you for the work you did on our front sewer line. In particular, I wanted to remind you how good your three employees are (Adam, Bill, and Desmond). All were courteous, neat, punctual, pleasant, and extremely hard workers during the week they spent at our...

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Thank you for the generous in-kind donation of Delta faucets and shower bathtub valves, valued at $1,500.00. This donation will help Rebuilding Together continue its work to keep families in need at home in safety and independence.The course of one’s life can change in the blink of an eye. Fo...

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I recently contracted with your company to complete repairs to a damaged air return and install new heating ducts in my basement room. Please know that your staff completed the work in a professional manner and in the timeframe promised and I am writing to express my thanks for a job well done!...

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First off, I wish to express our satisfaction with service performing on our air conditioning unit yesterday by your service technician, Cliff. My husband was impressed by the work that was done efficiently, quickly, and at a reasonable cost. My husband contacted your company yesterday morning....

Jan M.

I have been impressed with your company and its people from the day your sales person walked in here, through all service personnel, and now.By the way, this is a fantastic system. Our energy costs are much lower than before, the airflow is practically unnoticeable, the air temp inside is even,...

Mau V.

Tom, our service tech, was incredibly helpful and pleasant. Not only did he fix our much-missed kitchen faucet, but he was also kind to the family, including the energetic family dogs who played at his feet. There’s a reason we have a service contract with you!

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I am thrilled to have found James A James A. Wheat & Sons! There is nothing better than a complete feeling of trust when I need someone’s help and expertise.

Terri J.

Technician was prompt, polite, and obviously knew his business. He thoroughly checked our fireplace insert, and made a check for CO in the room. His work reassured us that the insert and its inlet-outlet system had not suffered earthquake damage. That’s just what we needed to know.

David L.

Our technician, Tom, was outstanding. He was thorough, thoughtful, explained the work to be done, the cost, options, and seemed to take the minimum amount of time to complete the work. The technician’s helper, who came along with Tom, was also a great asset. It was a wonderful experience for ...

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Dear Mike,I am writing to say thank you for the great service today. Tim Whistler came to install my gas oven and range. There were a couple of challenges along the way, beginning with the way the gas line had been routed up through my floor . Another challenge was the fact that I have propane,...

Patricia R.

I wanted to make a special note about how professional Mr. Carey was when he visited our home to conduct the estimate. In the last couple of weeks we have spent hundreds of dollars and met with multiple HVAC companies to fix our air conditioner, and we haven’t been impressed with any of them....

Nick H.

Danilo and Ken were here on June 16 to do my AC check. They were extremely thorough at the time and even made sure that my hose connections were nice and secure. today one of my units was not cooling (it may have been that a circuit breaker tripped—I thought I had checked but perhaps I didn...

Susan W.