Pumping systems that keep up with the times.

"Environment One" is one of the most progressive companies that keep up with the pumping needs of this era. In fact they have been doing so for more years than most other pump companies out there. They have both their own fully packaged pumping stations complete with control panel. But they also offer an aftermarket grinder pump. You may be asking what that is. This is a pump that will replace your old centrifugal style grinder pump. This is the ones with the float switches in the pit. All of the junk that is in the pit comes out and a single pump simply sets down into your current pit. This simplifies the station and it comes as a complete package. One of the best things about Environment One is that they come with a two year warranty. Most all other pump companies only allow a limited one year warranty. The difference is that Environment One will pay me to come out and fix your pump and send me the parts free of charge. Try to get that from another pump company. My company has been servicing Envirnment One pumps for over 22 years. I like to think that we are the experts in working on Environment One Grinder Pumps. I would never tell you that their product is flawless, but of all of the grinder pump companies that have entered the market in the last few years its good to know that you are dealing with a pump company that has been doing it for many years. That is Environment One. Of course if you own a grinder pump that is operating in sewage everyday, you have to expect some degree of service being needed. This is where we come in. We are your local experts.

www.mcconnellphac.com

"Give us a chance to prove to you our excellent service"

McConnell Plumbing, Heating, & Air Conditioning.

Why Home Warranties Make Sense!

Let me be the first to say that I have always hated extended warranties. But since I have been involved with a home warranty company, I have changed my mind. This is not just a prejudice developed by my cooperation with the warranty company. I have personally seen people have several items go bad and need replaced and the total bill of all of the replaced items including the labor out weighed the annual warranty premium. Of course, with all insurance plans there are risks and you take the gamble. One thing to remember, find a company that is very highly rated and has good reviews. There are some companies that I will not even work with. Some of the companies have so many loop holes in the contract that they can find a way not to pay the claim.
My experience with First American Home Warranty has been overall very positive both for me and my customers. I want a company that is treating my customers well and paying me without too much hassle. This is what I have found them to do. I'm sure there are those who have gripes and complaints with First American, but overall I would give them a favorable score. One of the down sides of using a warranty company is that you have very little control over what they use to replace items with. As you would expect they are going to use the least expensive items. In some cases, this is okay but when it comes to heating and cooling equipment, I hate to take out a first class piece of equipment and install a third class piece. This is what happens as part of the home warranty experience. First American will allow the homeowner the option of taking a buyout. This just means they assign a figure to what it would cost them to replace the equipment and you can make up the difference for better equipment. It is still a great deal of help compared to nothing. This way you get what you want. Many people do not know that this option is available to them. So the next time you have to deal with you home warranty company, keep in mind that there are options. You don't have to just take what is being offered. Ask the service provider about the possibilty of taking a buyout.

www.mcconnellphac.com

For more information or questions. Visit my website above. Thanks for reading.

Why switch to the new "R-410A" refrigerant?

Many times we are asked to buy something that is a new product because "It is good for our environment" This always begs the question, is it really or are we just being told this for other reasons? Maybe I'm the only one that thinks this way, but I think that there are many more of you out there that thinks the same things. Well, this is one of those times when we are asked to think of the environment and suck it up. But the interesting fact is that the "R-22" refrigerant that we are letting be phased out has a greater ozone depletion potential than the "R-410A" but the "R-410A" has a greater carbon dioxide polution potential. Its funny how the unintended consequences of our many government laws cause use to wonder who is making these senseless rules that cost so much money to implement and for what purpose? Just my rambling thoughts.
On a side note, the R410A systems also run at much higher temperatures and pressures potentionally causing shorter life spans as compared with the old systems. Who am I to question these wizards that throw down the regulations. I guess I'm just some guy that is supposed to do what I am told. Oh well I guess I will have to conform. Finally to answer the question, why switch because its the only choice you now have and it works.

www.mcconnellphac.com

Where did all the business go?

I have heard from many others that this economy has sucked the life out of small business. I am here to testify that this is what I have found to be true right now. But if we as small businesses are to survive we must continue to fight and cut our expenses and increase our productivity so that what we offer is the best product and/or service for the customer's money. I think that is really what we have always tried to do, but now it is critical that we do just that. My hope is that when we see the economy turning around we will be able to thrive because we will have a lean mean business machine. My customers have depended on my company for many years and I want them to be able to continue to depend on us for years into the future. I am not willing to roll over and play dead. Now is the time to fight for life. The lazy part of me wants to say, oh well I tried, but the other parts of me say, I'm not about to give up on so much hard work. If I am preaching to the choir just let me look like a fool here. I have the feeling, though, that there are many people out there who share my concerns as well as my hopes for the future. If you are a small businessman and are reading this, drop me a note and let me know your thoughts. For those of you who were hoping for mechanical solution, I am sorry but I took this opportunity to rant. Now that this is out of the way maybe I can clear my head and get back to writing about mechanical solutions. Thanks for taking the time to read this post.

www.mcconnellphac.com

Way more incentives available right now.

This is definitely the time to think about your heating and cooling systems. There are sooo many incentives to do an upgrade right now. If you are on Vectren for natural gas, they are offering a $200.00 rebate for the installation of a new 95% furnace. Here is the link to their
rebates. https://www.vectrenenergy.com/selectState.do;jsessionid=xnncLQ2KVf8J1QtJm5BrxJFLtfpNn6rH1p7fjTY12xbvDFRPq4yH!2127972626
The state of Indiana is offering a tax credit of $300.00 for the installation of a new 95% furnace. And the Federal tax credit for the installation of a new 95% gas furnace is 30% of installation up to $1,500.00. These are some very enticing incentives to install a new high efficiency furnace. Along with these incentives, you get to save on your energy bills from now on. That is the biggest savings since it keeps on coming. If you have an old inefficient furnace, now is definitely the time to think about an upgrade.
One of the systems that often gets overlooked is geothermal. Right now there is a big state tax credit of $1,000.00 for the installation of a geothermal system and a Federal tax credit uncapped of 30% and a huge energy savings once the system is installed. Now one of the incentives that often gets overlooked on geothermal is the property tax exemption that is available once you have a system installed. That is a huge advantage since it keeps paying you year after year. I will not kid around about the first cost of installing a geothermal system. It is quite costly but the long term return is just as sweet. We are your professionals for installing a geothermal system. We are IGSHPA certified and Water Furnace trained. We also have our own boring equipment to install the loops.
Don't forget about tankless water heaters. They are also on the list for rebates and incentives. The tankless water heater that we handle is 98% efficient and is not like most of the others. It stands head and shoulders above the rest. Again they are not cheap to have installed, but the long term payback is sweet.
If you have questions about any of these systems, we have the answers. Please do not hesitate to call us at 765-644-5290 or 317-773-8495.
Check out our website at: http://www.mcconnellphac.com

Where are the professionals?

The dictionary defines professional as "a person who is expert at his or her work." This would, i suppose be open to interpretation to what the definition of an expert is. In my mind, one who is an expert is a person who has had many years of experience in making mistakes and learning what to do and not to do. That is what makes someone an expert. So back to my question where are the professionals? I think as it has been easy to engage in something as a business and claim that you were a professional as whatever, that is exactly what many people have done. This seems especially true in the mechanical areas of expertise. I find many home owners who have moved into a "professionally built" home and the plumbing or heating and cooling system does not operate anywhere close to acceptable. It is my frustration to have to report to them that unless they want to tear out walls and sometimes ceilings, they are stuck with a system that simply will not do the job that it was supposed to do. On occasion I can salvage the system but the fact that the home is only a few years old and they are having to totally revamp the system is beyond frustrating both to me and to them. So again having a professional install your mechanicals in your house is to me of paramount importance. Often to a builder, however, only the cost is weighed and not whether the contractor is a true professional who knows what they are doing. We are professionals who come in many times and fix what has been inadequately installed. This is what we have done for many years. It is what sets us apart from the other contractors out there. It has long been my hope to find a builder that I could work with that cared more about the quality and professionalism of the mechanical contractor than about the cost. I am not saying they are not out there, I am just saying that I have not found one yet. If you are looking to build a custom home I would suggest that you as least meet with the mechanical contractor and discuss the systems with him before just allowing the builder to pick
the mechanical contractor for you. Professionals are out there but they do cost more to have them install a job. My opinion is that it is worth the cost to get a quality system that does what it is supposed to do.
One other point that I forgot to mention, often those "professionals" that leave a home with an inadequate system are often not in business a few years later when all of the problems begin to show up. So look for a contractor that is not just builder focused but is also service focused and has been in business for a number of years.

http://www.mcconnellphac.com/

There are few things more important than clean air and water to our health.

Often we don't think about the air we breathe and the water we drink when thinking about our health. But we deal with both of these things in our business on a daily basis. Having clean water, especially when its well water, can be acheived by the use of proper filtration. This does not happen by adding a simple water softener. We have systems that filter iron, sulfer, and many other water pollutants out. When coupled with a water softener this system can provide much cleaner and more healthy water for your family. If you want to go a step further, you can add a system for drinking water called an Reverse Osmosis Purification System. This system can make the water up to 99% pure. This water is fairly tasteless since nearly all of the minerals have been removed and it is simply water left.
On the clean air side of things, as an American Standard dealer, we have a whole house system that purifies the air. This system is slightly better than a HEPA filter but purifies the air for the entire house as the furnace or air conditioner is running. One of the challenges of air filtration is that the filters air restrictive to the air flow causing the air delivery system to work harder to deliver the same amout of air to the space. Often a really good filter becomes a really bad air restriction. This is not the case with an American Standard Accu-Clean whole house air purifier.
One other side benefit is that the system is totally cleanable and does not need parts or filters replaced periodically, only regular cleaning schedules should be followed. This saves the homeowner money as a good filter is expensive to replace again and again over many years.
Having clean air inside your house is very important as much of the contaminants that we breathe come from air that is stagnant such as that which is inside your home. Most systems are not very difficult to install and provide years of protection. I have many home owners that will testify that they love their Accu-Clean whole house system.

Questions?

765-617-4206

www.mcconnellphac.com