A positive perspective on small business.

One of the most positive things about owning a small business is the freedom to make decisions about how to accomplish whatever it is that you do and how you would like to structure payment and possibly give someone a special deal.  With that said, I have considered all of the corporate structures taking over so many of the small businesses these days and the freedom to make those decisions goes out the window.  The bottom line is the bottom line with a corporate structure.  Now I do understand that this is how they keep the upper management happy but, this is not my biggest concern.  I have my name on every invoice and truck and building and with that comes my reputation.  I consider having a good name of more importance than the bottom line of my balance sheet.  Don't get me wrong, I am not in this to loose money. You don't stay in business for 19 years without turning a profit.  I love small businesses and love to take part in supporting them.  Since both my wife and I run small businesses, it is very gratifying to see small business grow and be supported and not just for our sakes. This is the great thing about living in this country. We have the freedom to do whatever we want to support ourselves. I am very thankful to be in this country and hope that you too will consider supporting small businesses whenever and wherever you can.  Thanks for reading.


Chuck McConnell 

Now is the time to start thinking of getting your furnace cleaned and serviced for winter.

Yes I know we hate to admit that winter is coming and we just are not quite ready.  However, this is the time to have your furnace serviced and tuned up for the winter. You can save yourself the headache of having a nuasance service call in the middle of a cold night by having a service pro look at and check over your furnace.  Although we don't often think it makes a difference, cleaning and servicing a furnace does allow a trained tech to detect a potential problem before it becomes a breakdown.  You always benefit from having a cleaner furnace because it can cause reduced burning efficiency when it is really dirty.  I love my service agreement customers because they always have cleaner and easier to maintain furnaces because they are cleaned once a year. Your furnace will last longer when it is cleaned regularly.  There is only one down side to cleaning a furnace- it costs money.  but right now I am going to offer a half price service agreement to anyone who mentions this blog post to my office.  Just our way of saying thanks for following us on our blog site.


Chuck Mcconnel

Tax Credit facts for 2011. Not so grand!

Well here we are in 2011. I can't believe that it's already February.  The Federal tax credits for this year consist of 30% of the parts cost only and not the labor with a cap of $500.00.  Last year the cap was $1500.00.  Now let me qualify that if you have already claimed a tax credit in previous years this $500.00 dollars only applies to the amount left from previous years. So if you have taken $1200.00 of the tax credit you would only be eligible for $300.00 in this year. If you have taken $1500.00 in previous years you have $0.00 eligible for the tax credit this year.  It, as you can see, is a very poor incentive program.  These kinds of programs work to stimulate purchases and that is the type of stimulation this economy needs.  On the other hand I don't think that people that owe $0.00 in tax and pay nothing should be allowed to be paid from our Federal treasury to buy something.  This is where I find fault.  As long as people are being allowed to lessen their tax burden, I think that is always a good plan since I think we all pay way too much in taxes anyway.  I got just a little off track there with the opinions but I hope these things clerify the Federal tax credit guidlines for this year.


http://www.mcconnellphac.com/ 

Heat pump qualification.

I have many customers ask me about their heat pumps. The questions often come from a lack of understanding of how they work. I am going to go through what may seem to be an oversimplified explaination of how a heat pump works. So here goes. The first thing that happens is there is a call for heat which means that the temperature has dropped to the point that the thermostat is "calling" for the heat to come on. This is what is called a first stage call for heat. At this point, depending upon the outside temperature the outdoor unit comes on in reverse of the air conditioner to bring the heat from the outside into the space. Now this is where the problem happens. Often a heat pump has no control on it to turn it off when it is too cold outside and the customer feels the "cold" air blowing on them. The air is not necessarily cold but is not very warm so it is referred to as cold. Because often there is nothing to stop the outdoor system from trying to heat even when there is not enough heat to be practical, the customer has to wait until the thermostat temperature falls 1 degree and at this point the backup heat is staged in. This is called a second stage call for heat. Depending upon the type of system you have the backup heat can be electric or gas. When this call happens, this is when the real heat begins to pour out of the register. Now for those of you who have no mechanism to shut off the heat pump when it gets too cold outside (That is a majority of people from what I have seen but not if you're one of my customers), you have a choice. At about 20 degrees outside, the heat pump is close to what is called it's balance point which simply means that it is using more energy to make heat than it is giving you. At that temperature and below you could simply go over to your themostat and turn it to emergency heat. There is a button on the thermostat that says exactly that. Just don't forget to turn it back to heat when the temperature gets above 20 degrees. Or you could have a professional come and install a new thermostat that can do that automatically. This is the way I now make all my systems operate. For those of you that are colder natured and have electric backup heat, we can also stage your backup heat in which simply means that at say 30 degrees we run not just the heat pump but one stage of electric heat to make the temperature warmer. Mind you this will cost you more to operate but it will make it run warmer. Just a note, when the electric backup heat comes on is when the meter really starts to spin so if you don't have to run that much, you will have a lower electric bill.
Now for those of you who have a hybrid which simply means that you have a gas furnace as your backup heat source, your system is a bit different in that you cannot stage this system on with the heat pump. These two systems never operate at the same time. Either the heat pump is on or the backup furnace is on. But you can and often will have a two stage gas furnace as your backup system. This means that the furnace does not come on at full at first. Most of the two stage furnaces come on at about 80% for first stage and then 100% at second. For us in Indiana, there are many days in the spring and fall that a heat pump is practical but in the winter, You will be using a lot of backup heat source. A hybrid system does qualify for the tax credit. If you have questions or would like to have an evaluation of your system for free, just give us a call.

www.mcconnellphac.com

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