Sometimes people wonder if a maintenance agreement is worth it. Let’s try to put it into perspective. If compared to a car, an average heating and cooling system runs the equivalent of 330,000 miles in a year. Would you run your vehicle that long without service? If it is difficult for you to remember to change your filters, you should definitely invest in a maintenance agreement.
Clogged filters cause air flow restriction, which can cause higher utility bills, and system damage. Frequency of filter changes depends on the type you have. If you just have the fiberglass throw away filters, they are only about 7% efficient and were designed just to keep large items like a plastic grocery bag or piece of paper from being sucked into the blower compartment. They should be changed very 4-6 months. If you have pleated filters, they typically need changed less often. If you have pets or perform construction in your house or install new carpet, check them more often.
Our Maintenance Agreement page has an area where you can view the agreement and also the comprehensive check list. If you are interested in signing up, let the St. Clairsville or Barnesville office know, they will send out the agreement, you sign it, send in payment and we will call to schedule your check up at the appropriate time. As well, you will automatically be offered a renewal. You only sign up for one year at a time, we do not automatically bill you for another year. If you don’t want to renew, that is fine.
Please call or email with any additional information you may need.
May 10, 2013
Loudin Attends National ASBDC Conference and Capitol Hill Visits
The Association of Small Business Development Centers (ASBDC) held their annual spring conference in Washington D.C. from April 14-18, 2013. As a member of both the regional and state advisory boards, Kellie Loudin, Vice President of Rumer-Loudin, Inc., was in attendance along with Daryl Hennessy, Assistant Chief, and Karen Shauri, SBDC State Director, Business Services Division of the Ohio Development Services Agency.
Small Business Development Centers are funded, in part, by the Small Business Administration and are located throughout all fifty states plus U.S. territories. The purpose of the SBDCs is to help small business owners start, grow, and sustain their businesses with education, free counseling, and assistance with funding procurement. Each state typically contributes funding to the SBDCs for operation, as well as regional partners.
During the conference, attendees heard from the Small Business Administration regarding how sequestration is affecting funding for fiscal year 2014, possible new funding for veteran business startups, and a new entrepreneurial education program. A new logo was also revealed, various committees reported on their activities, and members were updated on revisions to the reporting software used to provide impact data. Representatives from Google presented information on their business outreach efforts and what tools are available for businesses to use for launching a website or elevating their position in search results.
Hennessy, Shauri, and Loudin met with staff of 13 out of the 16 Ohio Congressional districts and both Senators to share information about the impact the Small Business Development Centers have made for businesses in their area. Congressman Bill Johnson personally met with the three to discuss the Centers and their benefit to the state. For Congressional District 6, representing in whole or part of 18 counties, the SBDCs created or retained 1,729 jobs, helped 54 businesses start, infused $8,180,356 of capital into the area, and provided 7,490 hours of counseling representing 791 clients.
The SBDCs serving our area are located at Zane State College, Willet-Pratt Training Center and Kent State University at Tuscarawas. Cindy Voorhies and Stephen Schillig are the directors, respectively.
Things to Check Before Requesting a Repair…
No one likes to pay for a repair they may have been able to handle themselves and we don’t like charging for them. Here are some things you can check on your own before requesting a repair. Please be sure you are comfortable doing this, we don’t want you to harm yourself or your home if you don’t know how your system is connected to your electrical and water systems so of course we have to say this is a disclaimer of any responsibility if you don’t do things correctly.
- Check all fuses and breakers. Breakers for the condenser (outdoor) unit for an air conditioner can often become tripped over the winter.
- If you have a digital thermostat and your screen is blank, you could need to replace batteries in the thermostat itself.
- If you have a high efficient gas furnace, which vents gases and sometimes intakes air with white plastic (PVC) pipe, the pipe can get plugged with all kinds of things: ice, snow (if deep enough), birds’ nests, bug nests, dead birds, children putting gravel, marbles, balls and other items in there, and we have even heard of drunk neighbors urinating in them. If the pipes become blocked, a safety in the furnace senses it and will shut the furnace down. If that blockage is removed, often it will fix the problem.
- Also on a high efficient gas furnace, there is usually a condensate drain. If that gets plugged, a safety is triggered and will shut the furnace down. The damp environment invites mold, mildew, and green icky junk to grow, so you may want to try to clear that out to see if it gets you up and running again.
- Make sure you have oil or propane. Yes, we get a few calls a year where we find the tanks are empty.
- Check your air filters. Clogged air filters can cause many problems: lack of air flow, higher energy bills, dirty evaporator coils, cracked heat exchangers, over heating of the furnace causing safety lockouts.
- Check to be sure icy weather hasn’t caused your condenser fan motor to stop working on your heat pump. This can happen when there is sleet or an ice storm. To get rid of the ice, just pour warm water over the fins on the top of the condensing unit.
- An air conditioner removes humidity and a condensate drain typically runs into a floor drain or is pumped out with a condensate pump. If you see water on the floor in the summer, it could be your condensate drain piping is plugged up with slimy gunk. If you get it cleared out, it may stop your water problem.
If you need or want repair, please call, but these suggestions may save you from spending your hard earned money on a repair you could have made yourself. Call 740-425-3134 for Barnesville or 740-695-2487 for St. Clairsville.
