Spring seems to have finally made the decision to make its appearance this year. I was almost beginning to think we would bypass it altogether and move right from winter to summer. Granted, the days are a little cooler than they should be but at least the tremendous amount of rain has stopped. Everyone knows about the major storms we’ve had and all the damage that had been caused. Driving around and seeing all of the fences down, roofs damaged and worst yet, all of the trees that had been uprooted and destroyed. Wow. So many old-growth trees lost for good. I hope those of you who suffered damage from the storms have been able to get repairs underway and completed. An childhood friend of my wife actually caught video of the huge pine tree in her yard falling over ever so slowly and landing on the neighbors’ house. Thankfully there was no damage to speak of but the timing was incredible. My own neighbor had a pine tree that just started leaning over so they decided to have it taken down just to play it safe. I have to admit I will certainly miss that tree. It was on the north side of my house and did a wonderful job of blocking a lot of that north wind that we get during nor’easters. It also provided a good deal of privacy for the corner of the enclosed porch. While we didn’t suffer any damage (thankfully) I’m sorry to say we did have several neighbors who did, especially roof shingles that took off. So many of them landed on our property, I had four garbage pails full! Pretty much everyone has had repairs done or almost completed.

If you had water in your basement around your heating and water heater systems or around your central air system, be sure you get the units checked for any unseen damage. Don’t assume that they are fine because everything had dried out. Water damage can short out systems and cause electrical problems. Have a simple inspection done by a qualified heating and a/c person can prevent problems later down the line. Air conditioning is going to be needed very soon. You don’t want to flip that switch, hear that infamous “pzzzzzzzzzt” sound and then have the power short out. Have your system checked by a certified and licensed HVAC mechanic for the proper coolant levels, the wiring, the evaporator drainage (haven’t we had enough water damage already?) and proper cooling. Remember, the coolant in an air conditioning system requires special certification to be worked with. Don’t tempt fate (and the EPA and DEP) by using an unlicensed company. Just releasing some of the coolant can lead to fines and jail time for improper handling.

It's Finally Here!

Summer finally arrived. That was the longest Spring I can remember. It's hard to believe that it took until the second week of August for us to hit the 90 degree mark. By now we've usually had about 30 of them! Think about it, in roughly two months, it'll be Fall already. That would be the absolutely perfect time to get your furnace cleaned up for the Winter season.

Yes, I know you are probably wondering why bother but remember what I said earlier? One day soon you are going to realize that it got chilly rather quickly and your wife is going to ask for the heat to be turned on. What are you going to do when you flip that switch and nothing happens?

Want another reason to take care of it now? The parts that might be needed are cheaper now than on a day where it's below 60 outside. But you might not need parts. You might just need a cleaning and a tune-up.

Always take care of your heating and/or cooling units during their down season. Its easier on you and easier on me too! Who wants to work in a hot attic? Or in a cold basement when it's 15 degrees outside! Doing the job off season will make you happier in the long run so call now.

Reverse Thinking

It's finally here......summer. We're pulling out the grills and barbeques, cleaning off the patio furniture, sprucing up the yard and getting ready for some fun.

You know what else it's time for? It's time to start working on your heating system. Yes, that's right, your heating system. Now I know you're wondering what I'm talking about but believe me, now it the time to start. Think about it for a minute. That system ran its heart out keeping you warm all winter long. The inside got dirty (you oil people out there know what I mean!) and all you did was shut off the unit when it started to warm up outside. You don't put clothes away when they are dirty. You don't put tools away when they are dirty. The same thing goes for your heating system. It needs to be worked on every year to keep it performing properly and cost effectively.


Prices for heating parts are lower, now, in the summer months (and air conditioning parts are cheaper in winter). Every year around this time, I tear apart my own oil-fired system and clean it up, change the filters, flush the lines and perform all the other preventive maintenance necessary. Since I have a gas water heater, I only have to run the heat for about 4 months. That also means cleaning out the chimney every other year. For those of you who have to run the burner year round, clean that chimney once a year. But by taking the proper care of my oil burner I spent less than $600 last winter to heat my home. And my 100 year old home is drafty! The south shore of Long Island can get really cold and windy. Sometimes we can even see the curtains move in the breeze.


Besides, when the wife flips that switch to the on position that first really chilly day come September, you want your heating system to work so she's warm and comfortable, not annoyed at you because you didn't have the unit checked.