Furnace Repair and Furnace Type

Many customers are unsure what type of furnace they have and how efficient it should run. The basic categories of forced air furnaces are: High (90+) efficiency, medium (80%) efficiency, and standard efficiency. Any furnace that has PVC plastic vent piping is at least 90% efficient and therefore belongs in the most efficient category. If a furnace is vented by metal vent piping, it is at best a medium (80%)efficient furnace, however depending on it's age, it may also belong to the standard efficiency category. One easy way to determine whether your metal vented furnace is a standard efficiency or medium (80%) efficiency furnace is to find out whether the furnace has a forced vent motor. All furnaces that utilize a forced venting system are at least 80% efficient. When calling for furnace repair it will help the service technician to know what type of furnace you have. Some problems may even be able to be diagnosed over the phone.


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Air Conditioning Repair and Tune-Ups

Air Conditioning repair and tune-ups in May are a great way to make sure your prepared for the hot summer days (yes they will eventually come)! Give us a call at 734-216-4312 to schedule a $70 ac tuneup. Includes washing the condenser and checking freon levels.






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Absolute Michigan's Michigan Blog: Celebrating Ice and Snow!

Welcome and thank you for visiting our blog site. For Heating and Cooling service please visit our website at www.fourseasonshvacr.com or call 734-216-4312, otherwise, please enjoy the following articles.


Absolute Michigan's Michigan Blog: Celebrating Ice and Snow!

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Marriage? A “Prisoners Dilemma” or “Romantic Get Away”

Article first published as Marriage? A Prisoners Dilemma or Romantic Get Away on Technorati.    By Randy Koch

There is a concept in the criminal investigation world known as “The Prisoner's Dilemma”.  This “Dilemma”, highlights the internal struggle two interrogated, and guilty, suspects find themselves in when facing the possibility of conviction.  You may be wondering, “How in the world does this have anything to do with my marriage”?

The answer to this question lies in an important principal we can all learn about human nature.   If your marriage resembles a priceless heirloom misplaced in a dark closet, and you need some practical ideas on how to restore it, you will appreciate the following simple advice. 

Maybe your marriage is good, even a little above the curve, however somewhere in the back of your mind you realize it could use a little restoration, then follow along as we share a few romance kindling ideas.  Before we dig in though, let's take a closer look at the Prisoner's Dilemma and see what hidden treasures lie just beneath its surface. 

“Two suspects are arrested by the police.  The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction,  and having separated the prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal.  If one testifies for the prosecution against the other (defects) and the other remains silent (cooperates), the defector goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence.”

“If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for minor charges.   If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence.  Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent.  Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation.  How should the prisoners act?”

Over the years, history has shown that more often then not each person will act according to his or her own self-interest rather than the greater interest of both.  Remarkable considering their irrational decision ultimately increases both individual sentences.  Given the heated scenario, the behavior of the two suspects may not seem too surprising, but is it possible the Prisoner's Dilemma has somehow crept into your marriage?

To find out, let’s look for signs of this robber in our marriage, and, for good measure, break out the trusty ounce of prevention to ensure our relationships are full of life, trust, and first-love romance.  By the way, having these qualities alive and well in our marriages is the best security system we can have against unwanted intruders.   Are you ready?  Lets begin preparing the scene for our Romantic Get Away?

Marriage robber #1 Self-Interest

When our lives are filled with self-interest we rarely recognize our spouses sacrifice or thoughtfulness as we’re too busy focusing on our own wants and desires to notice.  There is an old phrase I first heard early in our marriage that has guided me over the years.  Periodically I examine my life to see how it measures up to this simple little phrase:  Do I love people and use things, or, do I mainly love things and use people.

It is very hard to do both at the same time!

The ounce of prevention

Practice words of encouragement and praise.  This may mean praise for a wonderfully prepared dinner or for a husband that takes time to fix all those things that seem to break down.  The words you speak have the power of life or death so use them wisely.  You can build your spouse up or tear them down by using words chosen carefully or carelessly.

Make it a point to release a fountain of blessing on your spouse each day with carefully chosen words of life.  Does your wife or husband need your emotional support to fulfill a dream?  Let them pursue it while you find ways to be an encouragement along the journey.   When you do this your Romantic Get Away Vehicle is just around the corner.

Marriage robber # 2 Distraction

In every marriage there comes a time when our most cherished commitments are tested.  Think back to that wonderful day when you and your spouse exchanged vows.  Are you reminded of your promise to cherish, love, honor, and live a life of devotion for one another?  Are these promises still worth keeping?

Since every marriage will face an investigator that will challenge its promises, we must determine in advance whether or not we will stick to them?   There’s a country song I've come to love whose chorus goes “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!”   What about you?  Have your wedding vows suffered from chronic distraction?  Here are a few ideas to help you beat marriage robber # two.

The ounce of prevention

Every relationship requires maintenance.  Don’t let distraction rob you from developing strong lines of communication.  The number one distraction is busyness, so plan ahead to deal with this robber head on.  Defeat distraction by planning date nights centered around activities you both enjoy such as walks, cozy restaurants, or site seeing.  The important point is to do them consistently.

My wife and I suggest you and your spouse pick a time each week to be alone together.  Date nights were not just for dating.  By keeping date nights active and encouraging your partner daily you can defeat the "Prisoners Dilemma" and watch the "Romantic Get Away" speed around the corner!

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Marriage? A “Prisoners Dilemma” or “Romantic Get Away”

Article first published as Marriage? A Prisoners Dilemma or Romantic Get Away on Technorati.    By Randy Koch

There is a concept in the criminal investigation world known as “The Prisoner's Dilemma”.  This “Dilemma”, highlights the internal struggle two interrogated, and guilty, suspects find themselves in when facing the possibility of conviction.  You may be wondering, “How in the world does this have anything to do with my marriage”?

The answer to this question lies in an important principal we can all learn about human nature.   If your marriage resembles a priceless heirloom misplaced in a dark closet, and you need some practical ideas on how to restore it, you will appreciate the following simple advice. 

Maybe your marriage is good, even a little above the curve, however somewhere in the back of your mind you realize it could use a little restoration, then follow along as we share a few romance kindling ideas.  Before we dig in though, let's take a closer look at the Prisoner's Dilemma and see what hidden treasures lie just beneath its surface. 

“Two suspects are arrested by the police.  The police have insufficient evidence for a conviction,  and having separated the prisoners, visit each of them to offer the same deal.  If one testifies for the prosecution against the other (defects) and the other remains silent (cooperates), the defector goes free and the silent accomplice receives the full 10-year sentence.”

“If both remain silent, both prisoners are sentenced to only six months in jail for minor charges.   If each betrays the other, each receives a five-year sentence.  Each prisoner must choose to betray the other or to remain silent.  Each one is assured that the other would not know about the betrayal before the end of the investigation.  How should the prisoners act?”

Over the years, history has shown that more often then not each person will act according to his or her own self-interest rather than the greater interest of both.  Remarkable considering their irrational decision ultimately increases both individual sentences.  Given the heated scenario, the behavior of the two suspects may not seem too surprising, but is it possible the Prisoner's Dilemma has somehow crept into your marriage?

To find out, let’s look for signs of this robber in our marriage, and, for good measure, break out the trusty ounce of prevention to ensure our relationships are full of life, trust, and first-love romance.  By the way, having these qualities alive and well in our marriages is the best security system we can have against unwanted intruders.   Are you ready?  Lets begin preparing the scene for our Romantic Get Away?

Marriage robber #1 Self-Interest

When our lives are filled with self-interest we rarely recognize our spouses sacrifice or thoughtfulness as we’re too busy focusing on our own wants and desires to notice.  There is an old phrase I first heard early in our marriage that has guided me over the years.  Periodically I examine my life to see how it measures up to this simple little phrase:  Do I love people and use things, or, do I mainly love things and use people.

It is very hard to do both at the same time!

The ounce of prevention

Practice words of encouragement and praise.  This may mean praise for a wonderfully prepared dinner or for a husband that takes time to fix all those things that seem to break down.  The words you speak have the power of life or death so use them wisely.  You can build your spouse up or tear them down by using words chosen carefully or carelessly.

Make it a point to release a fountain of blessing on your spouse each day with carefully chosen words of life.  Does your wife or husband need your emotional support to fulfill a dream?  Let them pursue it while you find ways to be an encouragement along the journey.   When you do this your Romantic Get Away Vehicle is just around the corner.

Marriage robber # 2 Distraction

In every marriage there comes a time when our most cherished commitments are tested.  Think back to that wonderful day when you and your spouse exchanged vows.  Are you reminded of your promise to cherish, love, honor, and live a life of devotion for one another?  Are these promises still worth keeping?

Since every marriage will face an investigator that will challenge its promises, we must determine in advance whether or not we will stick to them?   There’s a country song I've come to love whose chorus goes “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!”   What about you?  Have your wedding vows suffered from chronic distraction?  Here are a few ideas to help you beat marriage robber # two.

The ounce of prevention

Every relationship requires maintenance.  Don’t let distraction rob you from developing strong lines of communication.  The number one distraction is busyness, so plan ahead to deal with this robber head on.  Defeat distraction by planning date nights centered around activities you both enjoy such as walks, cozy restaurants, or site seeing.  The important point is to do them consistently.

My wife and I suggest you and your spouse pick a time each week to be alone together.  Date nights were not just for dating.  By keeping date nights active and encouraging your partner daily you can defeat the "Prisoners Dilemma" and watch the "Romantic Get Away" speed around the corner!

Furnace Repair,Heating Contractor, Air Conditioning  


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How to Raise Socially Healthy Children That Find it Irresistible to Be at Home

Article first published as How to Raise Socially Healthy Children That Find it Irresistible to Be at Home on Technorati.     By Randy Koch

During our twenty-seven years of raising children my wife and I have discovered three very powerful lessons in raising socially healthy children who love to be at home. They are timeless lessons that have produced positive results in families around the globe and are a foundational base for healthy relationships of every kind.

The tips I am about to share will point your families compass in the right direction and help secure your dream of family gatherings surrounded by love, joy, and heartfelt relationships. These are not philosophical musings from high on a mountaintop, rather, they are principals grounded in the stuff of life. They are for you. Right where you live. Right where life is most difficult. And best of all, they are possible for you today.

First though, let me mention that family development is very rarely a one-event make or break experience. Life is a process and though from time to time we fail, it is important to continue progressing even in the face of an occasional setback. In fact, as my wife and I have learned, failure can quite often lead too much larger gains within our children s hearts. With that said let's be bold and ask ourselves a few questions.

Do your children like being at home? Do they enjoy inviting friends over for dinner or for the holidays? If asked, would your children rate their home life as positive?

If you’re like most parents, the answer to those questions will depend on a few important details. Age will have a lot to do with how your children view their happiness and it is very common for children to distance themselves from parents during their teenage years. Don’t judge yourself too harshly during these awkward times, however, (I cannot stress this enough) keep doing the things I am about to share. Most parents find it hard to practice these life-giving tips during the difficult seasons, so take heart, but remember the sacrifice you make now, when it’s hard, will be more rewarding in the end.OK, let’s get started- are you ready to win your child’s heart? Are you ready to pave the way for well-adjusted children and grandchildren that just happen to enjoy your company? If you’ve let your coffee get cold now may be the time to heat it up.

§ Intentionally and consistently find ways to encourage your children by recognizing the uniqueness of their gifting. Don’t fall into the trap of projecting your dreams and desires onto your children. Instead, take time to study what makes them unique. Find ways to encourage and promote noble efforts they undertake toward any positive goal. Especially those that God has given you special privilege to discern. Are they artistic? Encourage them by listing how moved you are by certain details of their painting or artwork.

When you take the time to communicate approval in this manner you instill in them the confidence that your love is unconditional. Simply stated, you allow them to escape the trap of condemnation brought on by constantly seeking the approval of others. Isn’t it funny that parents quite often teach their children independence, as a way to keep them from harm or peer pressure, while subconsciously enabling this behavior by granting or withholding affection based on personal expectation?

The key: Keep your radar active and look for opportunities to speak a word of encouragement to your children. As they mature into the teenage years find something they excel at and tell them so. If you can’t find anything, it most likely means you need to change the shade of your glasses.

§ Life is hard for adults. It’s also hard for kids. Find ways to make life fun. This is extremely important in my book but don’t misread what I am saying. The most important aspect of this point is to find something your children enjoy that can be done together. This is not about buying them a new video game or buying them anything for that matter. It is about finding ways to enjoy each other’s company doing something fun. Remember, each child will most likely define “fun” differently. As a parent, that means it’s extremely important to find out what “fun” is for each child. This can also be one of the more difficult things to do.

Sometimes accomplishing this second point requires a little creativity. My oldest son enjoyed playing chess as a teenager. Chess was not one of my favorite games or one that I was very good at. However, I have a friend who is an avid chess player and it always excited me when opportunities arose for them to play chess together. In a sense, sharing their excitement allowed me to be a part of that activity. We cannot be everything to our children; however, more often than not we can find someone in our community willing to fill in the gaps. Find ways to make this happen and don’t be surprised if your community is enriched by the experience.

The Key: Find ways to make life fun. Most importantly, find activities that can be done together.

§ Be there for them. As grown ups we value friendships that have stood the test of time- friends that have been there when we’ve needed them. Give it your best shot to pause before giving a lecture. When we are in need do we seek out friends who tend to lecture us or friends that lend an ear? Our children will need us to fill two different roles at times. Understand when it’s your time to be a friend who listens.

The Key: Be there for them.

 Lastly: Try keeping the kitchen open. There’s nothing like a little food to make great fellowship!

Randy





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When is it Time to Replace Your Furnace?

Many who are faced with the decision to make an expensive repair on their home furnace contemplate whether or not it’s time to replace rather than repair it. Here are some tips on how to make that decision.

1-  Is your existing furnace at least 80% efficient?  Older furnaces may have efficiencies as low as 60% and that means if the repair estimate approaches one-fourth the cost of a new furnace it may be time to replace it.  Consider the furnace operating at near 60% efficiencies.  Replacing this furnace with a 95% efficient model will save 35% on your heating bill.  If you pay, on average, $1200 dollars a year to heat your home, the savings is about $420 dollars per year.  Remember, each year utilities tend to go up so this number will increase over time.

Now factor in the repair estimate for your furnace.  Lets say the repair will cost $650 dollars.  At this level, you’re close to $1070 dollars toward a new furnace after the first year’s energy savings are figured in.  Factoring yearly energy increases and this new furnace will most likely pay for itself within four years.  This estimate is somewhat conservative since it doesn’t consider other expenses such as the potential for additional furnace repair bills.

2-  Will your old furnace continue to be safe?  This is an important question worth giving some time to, however, we should be careful about salesman who play to hard on this point.  Many older furnaces will run just fine without any major safety concerns.  The advantage of newer furnaces is that they have additional safety features built into their normal operation.  Integrated circuit boards help monitor many aspects of the combustion process and will alert homeowners if problems are detected.  Furnaces that are fairly old don’t have these features.

3-  Reliability-how important is it for you to know your furnace has a good chance of working without problems?  If reliability is important to you than consider replacing your furnace.  There is a point when a vehicle has so many miles that it may not be worth rebuilding the engine.  The point being, what happens to your pocket book if one year later $650 dollars is needed to repair an additional furnace component?  Rebuilding an engine on an old car may be the right thing to do but remember there are other components to consider as well.

There are times in life when purchasing a new furnace is simply not a financial option.  If this is the case make sure you communicate this to your heating and cooling company.  You may find options available that you had not considered such as in house financing.

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January Thaw

Take a passing glance at furnace and boiler repair because winter is breathing its last gasps. Good old January thaw; just what we need to remind us that this too will come to pass!



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Shout it Again!

One More Time!



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Words of Encouragement

Approximately two years ago the United States Navy issued a solicitation for innovative ideas on how to decrease the size of heat exchangers on mobile equipment. The solicitation was titled: “N091-074 High Velocity Compact Cooling Coils” and eventually funded several heat exchanger proposals from companies located in the United States. Our company was one of many that submitted proposals who were not selected.

As in any endeavor, being passed by a selection committee is never a fun experience. For everyone receiving a gold, silver, or bronze medal on stage there are multitudes of hard working and dedicated athletes who will go home figuratively empty handed. When this happens, it can be hard to go back to an 8-5 job and make sense out of it all. For solicitation opportunities such as the Department of Defense there are no funds or consolation prizes for entries not selected, so it can seem at times that all of the investment and energy poured into a project is wasted if you are not chosen for funding. I’d like to talk a little about what happens the morning after, because, if you are a contractor you will invest time and energy into projects that never receive compensation, compensation that is in short term profits in the bank.

I am a itinerate engineer who becomes visible to the customers of Four Seasons Heating and Cooling on most days from eight to five. Besides moonlighting as an engineer, I have also dabbled as a part-time HVAC-R instructor teaching heating and cooling at a local community college. However, for my eight to five day-job I wear the heating and cooling salesman hat and find myself bidding on jobs the selection committee will at times award to someone else. No gold, no silver, just a gas tank that’s a little less full. And as many know, who have wore the hat of business owner, salesman, and technician, time wasted on a bid that ends up at someone else’s doorstep can be extremely frustrating. So what can we learn from these seemingly wasted investments of time and energy? I believe there is a great deal and here is some simple advice:

1- Focus on what your good at:

Is there something that relates to your particular microcosm of HVAC-R that you are considered an expert in? This day and age it is particularly hard to be an expert at everything. There are just too many disciplines within our field. Don’t be fooled into thinking you have to be the best at everything. Remember, most who become great at what they do focus on one small area of their discipline. Tom Brady is a great quarterback, however, he would probably not start on the defensive line. Sorry Brady fans.

Are you good at restaurant refrigeration? Concentrate your energies there and leverage your satisfied customers as references. If you seek to meet your customers needs doing what your good at then you will have laid the first foundation for a successful business, a happy customer who will tell others.

2- When possible choose customers and projects that enhance your skills:

Is there a pattern of displaced or unfruitful time investment? Try focusing your marketing dollar toward customers and projects that will be a good match for your services. Are you the king or queen of low price repair but have little patience for the customer who spends a lot of money on projects that are nit-picky in nature? Do you thrive in an environment where massaging every last detail of an installation is important? You will be happier working on jobs that fit your personality type and this will be evident to your customer. Put yourself in your customer’s shoes, would you want to hire someone who dislikes the type of work they are doing or someone who’s job closely mirrors their disposition?

3- Lastly, Use past failures to fine tune your approach:

Every area of our life can be improved on; especially areas you are already good at. If you are drawn to restaurant refrigeration then seek to become an expert at it. Be careful about resting on your laurels. Stay informed about past and present industry standards for repair and installation. Be ready to answer the customer that wants to know about energy recovery systems for their marketplace but don’t loose sight of the fundamentals of refrigeration such as the refrigeration cycle and superheat. In short stay informed and develop sound technical habits. Customers who watch (and they are) will take note of your proficiency and knowledge and will store your card in a safe and accessible spot. That’s usually the spot where the last HVAC company’s card was filed. And almost as important, make sure you smile on the job site. If you’re not enjoying your work can you expect your customer to enjoy having you involved in their project?


Randy Koch

Four Seasons Heating and Cooling Inc.
1000 Clear Lake Road
Grass Lake, MI 49240

734-216-4312




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Furnace repair and facial hair

It had been nearly three days since my discharge from the Air Force in the fall of 1983 and I was ready to dive wholeheartedly into my new freedoms and newly formed heating and cooling business. Just yesterday, I had taken out the assumed name of “Koch Heating and Cooling” and was already facing the stairs of an old well-manicured house to greet my first ever customer. Completing the paperwork and forming the backend of the business was a small chore, however, the business ad in the local paper reeled my first customer in almost effortlessly.

The gentleman who greeted me at the door was in his early nineties and must have thought they were sending teenagers into the field. It was easy to discern his displeasure at my arrival, but at twenty-three years old I considered myself a seasoned veteran. Heck, I had just spent four years of my life working on many of the latest Air Force commercial systems. In my book, there wasn’t much the residential market could throw at me.

I should have guessed by the half-amused look on my customers face when he described the problem as “A real hair raiser” that a measure of caution was in order, but what could be dangerous about a small furnace? The fact that he chose to control the thermostat upstairs while I investigated the furnace in the basement was probably another clue. Looking back, it seems that someone as concerned about my age as he was would have been interested in keeping an eye on me throughout the repair process. His final word to me as I removed the front panel to his furnace, “Whale of a fire in that tube” was also wasted on deaf ears.

There comes a time in most of our lives when the simple wisdom of ages, experience, takes a firmer grip on the way we approach our world. This, seemingly teacher of all, usually guides us best when our eyes and ears are open. Some people require more patience.

As I looked down the single-barrel burner supplying a 150,000 Btu’s of natural gas into my customers ancient converted coal furnace, I was initially concerned with the amount of time it had been since I first heard the gas valve open. But maybe I was wrong? The sound of an opening gas valve can be hard to discern sometimes and besides the pilot was burning tall and strong. To this day it’s hard to describe the experience in any better metaphor than my customers own words “A real hair raiser” and “Whale of a fire in that tube”.

The last thing I remember before feeling his arm under mine as I attempted to stand upright was a bright flash and a sudden sharp pain at the base of my skull. After a moment of dizziness it occurred to me that the face starring into mine was completely void of facial hair. No eyebrows, no eyelashes, no mustache. As I rubbed my own burning eyes to regain focus it all came home to me. Where were my eyebrows and my eyelashes and my mustache? The next morning when I woke it took the better part of an hour to open my eyes. A series of warm wash clothes eventually unglued the mucous that had hardened overnight and it wasn’t long before service calls had my attention again. But one thing stands out. Quite often customers have valuable things to say. Sure, quite often it does us well to listen with a grain of salt, however, even an untrained ear can give us clues. “Whale of a fire in that tube” means a lot to me even after twenty-seven years.

Randy Koch
http://www.fourseasonshvacr.com
randy@fourseasonshvacr.com


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