Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

Month: December 2019

Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning gives back to the community. It’s why we did the FCHA charity of the month for years. Here’s how it worked:

We are continually asking for feedback from our customers on which non-profits they support and why. Our marketing team keeps a list of all organizations that are submitted.
Each month, our management team nominates three local non-profit organizations from that list.
We then have our customers vote via our email campaigns on one of those three charities to be the recipient of the $1,000 and be that month’s FCHA Charity of the Month.
These are the charities we chose for the year of 2019.

December 2019 Winning Charity: Athletes in Tandem

FCHA Charity

Pictured left to right: Dennis Vanderheiden – President of Athletes in Tandem, Glenn Frank – CEO Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning.

Congratulations Athletes in Tandem, December’s FCHA Charity of the Month. Their goal is to provide a path for anyone, regardless of physical ability, to participate in outdoor events; from 5Ks to Iron Man distance triathlons.

November 2019 Winning Charity: Larimer Retired K9 Foundation

November 2019 Winning Charity: Larimer Retired K9 Foundation

Pictured left to right: Glenn Fran (FCHA CEO), Todd Harding (FCHA Marketing Coordinator), Sergeant Jackie Knudsen (LCSO), Lucille Braden (Larimer Retired K9 Foundation Treasurer), Barbara Bennett (Foundation President), Oso, Corporal Jamie Smith (LCSO).

Congratulations to Larimer Retired K9 Foundation, November’s FCHA Charity of the Month.

Larimer Retired K9 Foundation financially supports a happy and healthy retirement for the amazing Larimer County Sheriff’s Office K9s that have given so much to our community safety and their handlers in Larimer County.

October 2019 Winning Charity: SAVA Center

October 2019 Winning Charity: SAVA Center

Pictured left to right: Mike Missimer (FCHA COO), Dorothy Farrel (SAVA Executive Director), Vania Kacir (Bilingual Therapist), Tara Doudy (Practicum Student), Hannah Butler (Prevention Education Coordinator), Tanya Cadwell (Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator), Brett Naylor (Prevention Education Coordinator), Todd Harding (FCHA Marketing Coordinator).

Congratulations to SAVA Center, October’s FCHA Charity of the Month winner!

The Sexual Assault Victim Advocate (SAVA) Center provides crisis intervention, advocacy and counseling for all those affected by sexual violence in Northern Colorado while also providing prevention programs through community outreach and education.

September 2019 Winning Charity: Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity

September 2019 Winning Charity: Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity

Pictured left to right Nadia Engka (Database Administrator), Erika Nossokoff (Faith and Global Engagement Director), Theresa Bain (Homeowner Services Director), Abby Krstulic (Volunteer Manager), Mara Johnson (Philanthropy Director), Glenn Frank (Owner – Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning), Kristin Candella (Executive Director and CEO), Jim Skog (Corporate Relations Manager).

Congratulations to Fort Collins Habitat for Humanity! September’s FCHA Charity of the Month winner!

“Our mission is to build safe, decent, and affordable homes in partnership with hard-working families in need. This grassroots effort is made possible through the generous donations of materials, money, and labor from members of the Fort Collins community.”

August 2019 Winning Charity: Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department
Congratulations to Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department

Pictured with Chief Carol Dollard and FCHA’s Glenn Frank.

Congratulations to Rist Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, August’s FCHA Charity of the Month winner!

“RCVFD, as an organization, is committed to providing, to the best of our ability and within constraints of providing for RCVFD responder safety, emergency response to life and property threatening fires, life or property threatening emergencies such as natural disasters and medical emergencies, accidents and rescue situations. RCVFD operates within our response boundaries as defined in the RCVFD by-laws.”

July 2019 Winning Charity: Veteran’s Compass
Veterans Compass

Pictured left to right Eric Peterson (Vice President), (Glenn Frank), Gordan Thibedeau (Director/Veterans Standown Chair), Christiane Makela (Secretary) and Donna Chapel (President).

Congratulations to Veterans Compass, July’s FCHA Charity of the Month winner!

Veteran’s Compass is a 501(c)(3), created by Veterans and their families to guide Veterans and their families. While several services currently exist to assist Veterans in Northern Colorado, many Veterans are still not finding their way to these resources.” We are the extended family that can help you navigate existing resources, share the loneliness you may be experiencing during deployment or assist you during your husbands, wives, sons or daughter’s transition between service and civilian life. We know the burdens that those left at home must deal with, and we are here to help.”

June 2019 Winning Charity: Voices Carry Child Advocacy Center
Veterans Compass, July’s FCHA Charity of the Month winner!

Pictured left to right: Glenn Frank and Executive Director Robert Fallbeck.

Congratulations to the June Charity of the Month winner Voices Carry Child Advocacy Center!

Voices Carry Child Advocacy Center’s mission statement: “is to reduce trauma to children and their families through a comprehensive response to child abuse.”

Voices Carry Child Advocacy Center is a safe place for children and families when there are concerns about child abuse or emotional trauma. Voices Carry provides proven child abuse prevention, victim support, family advocacy and forensic interviews through a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach. As the only agency accredited by the National Children’s Alliance that serves Larimer and Jackson counties, we minimize additional trauma by bringing the team of experts to the child and family.

May 2019 Winning Charity: Neighbor to Neighbor
Congratulations to the May Charity of the Month winner Neighbor to Neighbor!

Pictured left to right Jenny Maeda, Brooke Cunningham, Melissa Frasure, (Glenn Frank) and Morgan Krueger.

Congratulations to the May Charity of the Month winner Neighbor to Neighbor!

Neighbor to Neighbor mission statement: “Throughout our community, neighbors are helping neighbors stay in their homes, regain stability and achieve home ownership.

While changing the world is daunting, helping your neighbor is second nature. It was on this premise that Neighbor to Neighbor was founded in 1970, when neighbors in Fort Collins banded together to keep a family from losing their home.Together, we’ve experienced the exponential effect of that one simple, neighborly act. Today, we help more than 5,000 neighbors achieve, preserve and own their own homes each year.”

April 2019 Winning Charity: The Mathews House
Congratulations to the April Charity of the month winners The Mathews House!

Pictured left to right Mary, Cicely, Amy, (Glenn) and program founder Jerri.

Congratulations to the April Charity of the month winners The Mathews House!

March 2019 Winning Charity: Turning Point Center for Youth & Family Development
April Charity of the month winners The Mathews House!

From left to right: Turning Point Director of Business and Operations Paul Christenson, FCHA CEO Glenn Frank, and Turning Point Marketing and Development Coordinator Scott Von Bargen.

Congratulations to our March FCHA Charity of the Month Turning Point Center for Youth & Family Development! Thank you so much for all that you do for youth and their families in our community.

Turning Point’s Mission: We are dedicated to turning lives around for youth needing substance abuse treatment, help with behavior or mental health issues, or a combination. We offer the broadest range of programs from outpatient services to intensive residential treatment, offering help and hope for youth and their families.

February 2019 Winning Charity: Childsafe
February FCHA Charity of the Month ChildSafe!

From left to right: FCHA Marketing Administrator Rachel Wagner, ChildSafe Clinical Director Val Macri-Lind, FCHA CEO Glenn Frank, ChildSafe Executive Director Carol Bennis and ChildSafe Development Coordinator Sonali Kovoor-Misra. Not pictured: ChildSafe Business Operations Manager Tim Alexander.

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Congratulations to our February FCHA Charity of the Month ChildSafe! Thank you so much for all that you do for victims of sexual abuse and their families in our community.

ChildSafe’s mission is to repair the damage done to victims and their families, reduce the risk of re-victimization, and prevent the cycle of abuse from carrying over into future generations.

January 2019 Winning Charity: Respite Care, Inc.
December 2019 Winning Charity: Athletes in Tandem

From left to right: Respite Care Development Director Lauren Whynott, Respite Care Volunteer Manager Amanda Sciarabba, Respite Care Community Engagement Officer Abbi Lockner, FCHA Marketing Administrator Rachel Wagner, FCHA CEO Glenn Frank, Respite Care Executive Director LeAnn Massey and Respite Care Program Support Megan McIntosh.

Congratulations to our January FCHA Charity of the Month Respite Care, Inc.! Thank you so much for all that you do for children with developmental disabilities and their families in our community.

Respite Care provides short term quality care for children with developmental disabilities and respite to their families, enabling them to enhance their quality of life.

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Heating Repairs

Wouldn’t it be great to invest in that heater that will never give you any problems and will never require repair service? Yes, it would be. Unfortunately, there is one major problem with this plan. That heater does not exist. If you find a heating contractor telling you otherwise, then you’ve found a heating contractor that cannot be trusted. While investing in a good heater and scheduling routine maintenance will keep repair needs minimal, there’s just no avoiding them entirely.

What you can do, however, is keep any such repair needs as minor as possible. How? By scheduling your heating repairs at the very first sign of trouble with your system. The longer that you wait to have your system repaired when it is in need, the worse off your system is going to be. Now, how do you go about doing this? You learn to recognize early signs of trouble. That’s what today’s blog is all about.

 

Your System Is Costing too Much to Run

One sure sign that there is something wrong with your heater is a steady creep upward in heating costs. However, there is a big difference between something being wrong with your heater and the actual need for heating repair in Loveland, CO. It could be that you have a dirty air filter in your system restricting airflow, for instance.  That will drive up operating costs, but it’s not something you need professionally repaired. If you continue to run a heater with a very dirty filter in it,  however, you may find yourself in need of repairs!

If there’s not an obvious solution to the problem, unfortunately, there may be any number of issues requiring repairs to get your heater and its efficiency back on track. Our team is trained to diagnose problems with your heater accurately, and we’ll make sure that any problems we find are resolved completely. We do it the right way, the first time, every time.

Your System Makes Strange New Sounds

If you hear the occasional sound from your heater, there is probably nothing to worry about. Your heater may make a bit of noise when it cycles on. Maybe its ductwork contracts and expands as it heats up and cools down. There are definitely noises that fall within the confines of normal operational sounds.

Then there are noises that can’t be explained away as being part of normal operating sounds. Grinding, screeching, booming, etc. If your system really starts to make strange sounds that it hasn’t in the past, don’t just do your best to ignore it. Schedule repairs with our team right away.

Your Heater Won’t Start Up

That’s a pretty clear sign that something is wrong, right? First things first, check your breaker box. It could be that the flip of a breaker switch is all you need to resolve the problem.

If all is well there, then call us in. It could be a faulty thermostat, it could be that there is a fuel delivery problem. Whatever the issue, our professional heating technicians will get to the bottom of it.

Schedule your heating services with Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning. Big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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Before & After

Every year, Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning accepts nominations for local families in our community who need a new furnace. There were so many great entries this year, but one stood out above the rest.

The winner of the free furnace is a woman from Wellington who lives on a fixed income because she had broken her back and can’t work. Her daughter-in-law, Sarah P, nominated her. The following is taken from her official entry:

“I would like to nominate my mother-in-law Cecelia R. She is on a fixed income (SSDI) which makes it difficult to make necessary home improvements. Not only is she in need of a new furnace, but she has been living without a central air conditioning unit for at least two years. She watches our two girls for us 4 days a week and we’d love to help give back to her for all that she does for us.”

Free Furnace

We were very excited to be able to help provide Cecelia with comfort in her home. Before we installed the new furnace, she had to bang the old one just to get it going! However, When we heard about her situation, we not only gave her a new furnace, but a new air conditioner as well. It was emotional for all of us. From our family to yours, have a very merry Christmas and happy New Year!

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Furnace Running Properly

Make no mistake about it—you are going to require professional furnace repair in Wellington, CO, at some point. No amount of planning or precaution is going to completely prevent the risk of problems developing. That being said, you can take some measures to ensure that any problems with your furnace are kept as few and far between as possible. That’s what we’re going to be focusing on today. Our technicians have the tips and tricks you’re looking for!

The truth of the matter is that there is really no “trick” about it. If you take good care of your furnace, your furnace is going to take good care of you. It’s just a matter of educating yourself about what your furnace actually needs from you. This is a combination of doing the things that you should do for your furnace, and not doing the things that are best left to trained professionals. Feel free to reach out with any questions.

Get Your Furnace Off to the Right Start

We know that most homeowners, even those that are pretty DIY-driven, wouldn’t actually try to install a furnace on their own. However, not doing it on your own is not the same as not doing it right. While you may well know a handyperson in the neighborhood or have one in your family, this is a job for qualified professionals only. Not even the most skilled handyperson can install a furnace if they’re not trained and licensed appropriately.

When a furnace is first installed in a home, there is a whole lot to consider. This includes the sizing of the furnace to optimize performance and efficiency levels. the layout of the ductwork to be installed, electrical wiring matters, and much more. It’s a very complex job, and only a heating professional can be trusted to do it right every step of the way.

Maintain Proper Airflow

Wait, what? I thought I’m not supposed to work on my furnace myself?  

No, you’re not. And maintaining proper airflow doesn’t require that you do so. It simply requires that you change your air filter regularly to ensure that your system is not fighting against excessive airflow resistance, and that you don’t obstruct the registers in the house.

Changing your air filter is actually the best thing that you yourself can do for your system, and it’s incredibly easy. As for the registers, just make sure that you’re not pushing your furniture up against them by accident. And, if you’re looking to maintain different temperatures in different areas of your home, make sure that you talk to us about zoning your system—don’t just close off registers in an attempt to achieve the desired effect.

Schedule Routine Maintenance

This is what it all comes down to. Schedule annual heating maintenance to keep your system in the best working condition possible. Nothing is better for your heater, furnace or otherwise, than giving it a clean bill of health through professional maintenance from a qualified heating technician.

Schedule your heating services with Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning. Big enough to serve, small enough to care.

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