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How to Safely Troubleshoot Your Furnace · Cool Talk with Hartzell's | Your HVAC Questions, Answered!

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_03: Every winter, perfectly rational homeowners make a mistake that can, well, literally turn their own living room into a localized bomb.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it's pretty scary.
• 0:08
  SPEAKER_03: And it usually starts with something as innocent as just, you know, flipping a kitchen light switch on a freezing cold morning.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: It really is a terrifying reality.
• 0:16
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we get so used to our homes being these safe havens that we just totally forget about the sheer amount of energy running through the walls.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_03: And that is exactly what we are unpacking in today's deep dive.
• 0:28
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_03: We are looking at a stack of field notes and source material from Dave Hartzell.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_03: Now, Dave is an HVAC expert based in Kingfisher, Oklahoma, and he's the owner of Hartzell's Heat and Air.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: He's got uh 47 years in the trade, right?
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, 47 years.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_03: He holds a master HVAC license and he is Nate certified.
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_03: So our mission today is to decode that early morning panic.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: You know the one, right?
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_03: The panic that happens on the very first really cold day of the year.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_00: When you wake up, it is, say, 38 degrees outside, you turn up the thermostat, and just absolutely nothing happens.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: Nothing at all.
• 1:03
  SPEAKER_00: Or or the fan kicks on, but it just blows freezing cold air right at you while you are standing there in your pajamas.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_00: We want to help you figure out if that situation is just a, you know, a two-minute fix you can safely handle yourself, or if it is a highly dangerous scenario where you need to step away immediately.
• 1:21
  SPEAKER_03: Because knowing that difference will save you time, it will save you money, and honestly, it might save your house.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_03: But before we even think about touching a dial to get you warm, we really have to establish the absolute line in the sand.
• 1:34
  SPEAKER_03: Dave's notes are incredibly strict about this part.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: Very strict.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you miss these specific signs, we are not just talking about an inconvenience anymore.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_00: We are talking about fatal consequences.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_00: The absolute most critical rule Dave lays out is this: if you smell gas, if you hear a carbon monoxide alarm going off, or if you see any smoke or fire, you just stop everything.
• 1:55
  SPEAKER_03: Stop everything.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 1:57
  SPEAKER_00: You do not try to diagnose the issue.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: You do not touch the thermostat on the wall.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: You do not even flip a light switch.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_03: Wait, really?
• 2:03
  SPEAKER_00: Not even a light switch.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_03: Not even a light switch.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_00: You get everyone out of the house and you call 911 or your gas utility from outside the building.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_00: Well Dave insists on this protocol so strongly that, well, if you call him with those symptoms, he will not even ask for your phone number.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: He just tells you to get out and call the authorities immediately.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell Okay.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I understand running from smoke or fire.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_03: That makes sense.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_03: But I really want to go back to the light switch thing.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_03: Sure.
• 2:28
  SPEAKER_03: Because I flip a light switch a hundred times a day and I never ever think about it.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_03: If I smell just a little bit of gas, why is it so incredibly dangerous to just, you know, turn on the hallway light so I can see my way to the front door?
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell To understand that, you have to look at what a gas furnace actually is.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: When you strip away the metal cabinet and all the ductwork, a furnace is basically a machine designed to manage a controlled explosion inside your house.
• 2:52
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Ross Powell A controlled explosion.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 2:56
  SPEAKER_00: It literally operates by injecting raw, highly flammable fuel into a contained space and setting it on fire.
• 3:03
  SPEAKER_03: When you put it like that, it sounds completely insane that we just keep these things in our basements.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_00: It does, right?
• 3:09
  SPEAKER_00: So if that controlled explosion suddenly becomes uncontrolled and gas is leaking into the ambient air of the hallway, well, the whole house is basically prepped for ignition.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, I see.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_00: And the reason the light switch is the trigger, it comes down to the actual mechanics behind the plastic plate on your wall.
• 3:26
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell Okay, how so?
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: When you flip a standard light switch, you are physically moving two pieces of metal together to complete an electrical circuit.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_00: As those contacts meet, or even as they pull apart when you turn it off, they often create a tiny microscopic electrical arc.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell Oh, like a like a static shock, just a tiny spark inside the wall.
• 3:45
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, exactly.
• 3:46
  SPEAKER_00: You usually cannot even see it because it is hidden behind the switch plate.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_00: But if the mixture of leaking gas and oxygen in the room hits the right ratio, that microscopic spark from turning on the hallway light is more than enough to ignite the entire ambient gas cloud.
• 4:00
  SPEAKER_03: That is terrifying.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: So you do not unplug the toaster, you do not use your landline phone, you just leave.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_03: That puts a completely different perspective on the do not touch anything rule.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_03: It's not just about avoiding the furnace itself, it's about recognizing the entire environment has become compromised.
• 4:16
  SPEAKER_00: Precisely.
• 4:18
  SPEAKER_03: So let us assume the house is safe.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_03: There are no gas smells, no alarms, no smoke.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 4:23
  SPEAKER_03: We are freezing, but we are safe.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_03: We are going to look at the homeowner checklist next.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_03: And I'm personally very grateful for this because these are the fixes that save you from the utter embarrassment of paying a professional$200 just to, you know, flip a switch in your hallway.
• 4:40
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, those simple fixes are actually the bulk of unnecessary service calls every single October.
• 4:45
  SPEAKER_03: Really?
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Oh yeah.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: The very first step on Dave's checklist is just investigating the thermostat itself.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: You first need to verify that it is actually set to heat.
• 4:54
  SPEAKER_00: People bump them all the time, or they just leave them sitting on cool from the summer.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_03: That makes sense.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_00: Then ensure the target temperature is actually set higher than the current room temperature.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell I know that sounds incredibly basic, but I am totally guilty of staring at a blank screen and panicking before realizing the batteries are just dead.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell It happens all the time.
• 5:13
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell But how do batteries actually stop a giant furnace from turning on?
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell It is all about communication.
• 5:19
  SPEAKER_00: A thermostat is basically a relay switch.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 5:22
  SPEAKER_00: When the room gets cold, the thermostat needs to close a circuit to send an electrical signal down wires to the furnace board.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: It is effectively making a phone call that says, hey, send heat.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_00: A lot of units rely on standard AA or AAA batteries to power the brain that makes that call.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell So if the batteries are completely dead, the furnace never even gets the signal.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_00: You swap those batteries out, wait a minute for the system to boot up, and the furnace often just roars right back to life.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell All right.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_03: So the brain is sending the signal, but let's say the muscle still is not moving.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_03: That makes me think about power.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Yes, checking the power is the next step.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell If I go check my breaker box, what am I actually looking for?
• 6:03
  SPEAKER_03: And what are the rules of engagement there?
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: Most gas furnaces run on a dedicated 120 volt electrical breaker.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_00: You are looking for a switch in the panel that is not sitting in the on position, but rather resting somewhere in the middle.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: It has tripped.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, tripped.
• 6:19
  SPEAKER_00: The rule of engagement Dave sets here is very, very firm.
• 6:22
  SPEAKER_00: You are allowed to reset a tripped furnace breaker exactly one time.
• 6:26
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly one time.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: You push it firmly to the off position to clear it, then snap it back to the on position.
• 6:33
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell But um what if I flip it back on?
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_03: The furnace hums for a second and then the breaker trips again.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_03: Because human nature tells me to just push it a little harder and try it a second or third time.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_00: And that human nature will literally burn your house down.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_03: Wow.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_00: You must step away immediately.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 6:51
  SPEAKER_00: A breaker is a vital safety device.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: It is designed to cut power when it detects an electrical short or a massive overload.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: If you reset it and it immediately trips again, the breaker is screaming at you that something is physically or electrically broken inside the machine.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_02: Like what kind of thing?
• 7:08
  SPEAKER_00: It might be a seized blower motor or chewed up wiring that is shorting out against the metal cabinet.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: If you stand there and repeatedly force that breaker back on, you are forcing raw electricity into a compromised shorted system.
• 7:20
  SPEAKER_03: That sounds really bad.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_00: It is.
• 7:22
  SPEAKER_00: You can easily turn a straightforward component repair into a major electrical fire.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_03: Message received on that.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_03: Reset it once and then surrender.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_03: Now, let us talk about the air filter, because Dave has a massive rule about never running the system without a filter.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_00: He does.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_03: But I am going to push back on this one a little bit.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, go ahead.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_03: If my filter is absolutely filthy, I mean what is the harm in pulling it out and running the furnace naked for just one single day while I drive to the hardware store to buy a new one?
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_03: It feels like getting some heat is better than no heat.
• 7:58
  SPEAKER_00: Well, Dave shoots that logic down completely.
• 8:01
  SPEAKER_00: And the actual mechanics of the blower system explain exactly why it is such a bad idea.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, why?
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: Your furnace is basically an industrial vacuum cleaner.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_03: A vacuum cleaner.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: It pulls air from your house through the return ducts, heats it up, and pushes it back out.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: And if you remove the filter even for a day, the system is pulling raw, unfiltered air directly into the delicate internal components.
• 8:23
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell But is the house really that dirty?
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, far dirtier than we like to admit.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: Think about pet hair, dead skin cells, aerosolized cooking grease, and just general dust.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yuck.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: When that debris bypasses a missing filter, it slams directly into the blower wheel.
• 8:41
  SPEAKER_00: A blower wheel relies on perfect balance to spin quickly and quietly.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_00: When it gets caked in heavy dust, it gets thrown out of balance.
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: That destroys the motor bearings.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_00: But even worse, that dust travels up into the indoor coil.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_03: What exactly is an indoor coil?
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: Picture a network of metal tubes and tightly packed aluminum fins.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_00: It looks almost identical to the radiator on the front of your car.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, I can picture that.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: And it sits inside your ductwork above the furnace.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_00: When you run the system without a filter, that par radiator gets coated in a thick, fuzzy blanket of household debris.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: Oh man.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_00: Suddenly air cannot pass through the fins at all.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_00: What was supposed to be a$5 trip to buy a filter just transformed into a massive repair bill to have a technician dismantle your ductwork and chemically clean the coil.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, so running it naked is bad, but leaving a deeply clogged, heavily caked gray filter in place has to be just as destructive, right?
• 9:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, it is, but in a totally different way.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_03: How so?
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: A caked filter is like trying to run a marathon while breathing through a thick wool blanket.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_03: That sounds awful.
• 9:45
  SPEAKER_00: The furnace is still trying to sprint.
• 9:47
  SPEAKER_00: It manages to ignite the gas burners, but because it cannot pull enough fresh air through that dirty filter to push the heat out into the living room.
• 9:54
  SPEAKER_00: Well, the heat just gets trapped inside the metal cabinet.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_03: Oh, so it cannot escape.
• 9:59
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: The furnace starts to literally cook itself.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell That sounds like a recipe for a total meltdown.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Ross Powell It would be, except modern furnaces have a built-in safety sensor.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_00: It is called a high limit switch.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 10:11
  SPEAKER_00: When the internal temperature of the cabinet reaches a dangerous level, the high limit switch forcefully cuts the power to the gas valve to protect the equipment from melting or causing a fire.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell So a severely dirty filter will actively cause your furnace to shut itself down.
• 10:25
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Exactly.
• 10:26
  SPEAKER_00: It shuts itself down to save itself.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: Alright.
• 10:28
  SPEAKER_03: So we check the thermostat, we put in a fresh filter, and the breaker's fine.
• 10:33
  SPEAKER_03: But it is still blowing cold air.
• 10:35
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_00: So now what?
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_03: It is time to transition from trying to fix the machine to just investigating the machine.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_03: We're going to look at how to be an excellent detective for your technician.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_00: That is a great way to look at it.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_03: So let us talk about the startup sequence.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_03: The fan is set to auto, but the air is cold.
• 10:55
  SPEAKER_03: What is the machine actually trying to do?
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Ross Powell Mechanically, the furnace is going through a very specific checklist to try and light the gas, and it is failing at one of the steps.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: The usual suspects here are specific, delicate components.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: For example, it might be a dirty flame sensor.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell I saw that in the notes.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_03: A flame sensor is described as a tiny metal rod that sits right in the path of the fire.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_00: That is right.
• 11:20
  SPEAKER_03: But how does a metal rod actually feel if the fire is burning?
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, does it just measure the temperature?
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_00: No, it is actually much more fascinating than that.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: It uses a principle called flame rectification.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Ross Powell Flame rectification?
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Fire actually conducts electricity.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_03: Wait, really?
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_00: Fire conducts electricity.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_03: It really does.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: The furnace control board sends a tiny microscopic electrical AC current down to that metal rod.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_01: Okay.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_00: When the gas ignites and the flame physically engulfs the rod, the flame itself acts like a wire, completing the electrical circuit back to the metal grounding of the furnace.
• 11:57
  SPEAKER_01: Wait, so the fire itself conducts the electricity to complete the circuit?
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_01: That is incredible.
• 12:02
  SPEAKER_00: It really is amazing engineering.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: The control board monitors that current.
• 12:06
  SPEAKER_00: If it feels the current flowing through the fire, it knows the flame is established and it keeps the gas valve open.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: Got it.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: But if that little metal rod gets covered in a thin layer of carbon buildup from just normal operation, well, the carbon acts as an electrical insulator.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_03: So the current gets blocked.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_00: The board thinks the fire went out, so it immediately shuts the gas valve off as a safety precaution.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell Because if it kept the valve open without a flame, it would just be pumping raw gas into the living room.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_00: Precisely.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Wow.
• 12:34
  SPEAKER_00: Another common failure point in that startup sequence is the hot surface igniter.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: What is that?
• 12:40
  SPEAKER_00: Well, decades ago, furnaces had standing pilot lights, you know, a tiny blue flame that just burned 24 hours a day waiting to light the main burners.
• 12:47
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 12:48
  SPEAKER_01: I remember those.
• 12:49
  SPEAKER_00: That was incredibly inefficient.
• 12:50
  SPEAKER_00: So modern furnaces use a hot surface igniter.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_00: It is a fragile piece of silicon carbide that heats up when electricity passes through it.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell Like a light bulb filament?
• 13:01
  SPEAKER_00: Sort of.
• 13:02
  SPEAKER_00: It glows bright orange, almost white hot to actually ignite the gas.
• 13:06
  SPEAKER_00: But because it gets so incredibly hot, the material becomes brittle over time and eventually it just cracks.
• 13:12
  SPEAKER_03: And once it cracks?
• 13:13
  SPEAKER_00: Once it cracks, the electricity cannot flow, it does not glow, and the gas never lights.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_03: Yes.
• 13:26
  SPEAKER_03: He says they might suffer from a plugged condensate drain.
• 13:30
  SPEAKER_03: I always thought drains were just for air conditioning condensation in the summer.
• 13:33
  SPEAKER_03: Why on earth does a heater need a drain?
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: That is a good question.
• 13:37
  SPEAKER_00: High efficiency furnaces are designed to extract as much heat as physically possible from the exhaust gases before venting them outside.
• 13:45
  SPEAKER_00: Okay.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_00: They pull so much heat out that the exhaust vapor actually condenses back into liquid water.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Ross Powell So the furnace generates water while it produces heat.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: And that water has to drain away safely.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_00: If the plastic drain line gets plugged with sediment or algae, a safety switch detects the water backing up into the machine.
• 14:04
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Ross Powell And water and electricity do not mix.
• 14:07
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Right.
• 14:08
  SPEAKER_00: Since water and high voltage electrical boards are a terrible combination, the switch shuts the whole furnace down to prevent internal flooding.
• 14:14
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell makes perfect sense.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_03: Now let us talk about the blinking lights.
• 14:18
  SPEAKER_03: The source material mentions looking through a little plastic window on the lower furnace cabinet door.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Yes, the diagnostic window.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Ross Powell You'll see these blinking status lights.
• 14:27
  SPEAKER_03: Honestly, it feels exactly like a car's check engine light.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell It is very similar.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_03: I have to ask, why should a homeowner bother getting down on their hands and knees to count the blanks or take a picture of them if Dave is absolutely adamant that they are not allowed to open the cabinet to fix the problem themselves?
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell It really comes down to the economic and practical value of that information.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: That blinking light is the control board trying to tell you exactly where the failure occurred during that startup sequence we just talked about.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I see.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_00: It might blink three times, pause, and then blink two times.
• 15:00
  SPEAKER_00: That specific rhythm translates to a code, like pressure switch failure or ignition failure.
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_00: If you snap a picture of that code or just write down the rhythm, you can relay it to the dispatcher when you call for help.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron Powell And that helps the technician.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_00: Huge help.
• 15:15
  SPEAKER_00: This allows the technician to pull the correct parts from their warehouse before they even drive to your house.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_02: Aaron Powell That is huge.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_00: Because that's time as money.
• 15:22
  SPEAKER_02: It is.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_00: It saves the technician perhaps twenty or thirty minutes of diagnostic hunting upon arrival.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: But Dave's boundary is incredibly strict.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_00: You look through the window, but you never pull the furnace door off.
• 15:34
  SPEAKER_03: Never open it.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_00: Behind that thin metal panel is high voltage electricity, raw gas, and open flames.
• 15:41
  SPEAKER_00: It is strictly hands-off for homeowners.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell So we use our eyes for the lights.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_03: What about our other senses?
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_03: Are there auditory or olfactory clues we should be logging for the tech?
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_00: Sound and smell provide critical diagnostic context.
• 15:55
  SPEAKER_00: Listen closely when the thermostat calls for heat.
• 15:58
  SPEAKER_01: Aaron Powell What should we listen for?
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: Do you hear a small motor start humming but then abruptly click and shut off?
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_00: Or do you hear a rapid clicking sound, like a gas stove trying to light, but you never hear the large whoosh of the main burners catching fire?
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell So you just write that down.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, write that down.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Ross Powell And smells.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_03: Because I know the very first time I turn my heat on every fall, the house smells awful for about 10 minutes.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_03: I always panic for a second.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Ross Powell Dave points out that is completely normal.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_03: Okay.
• 16:24
  SPEAKER_00: Your heat exchanger, which is the large metal chamber where the fire actually burns, has been sitting idle all summer long.
• 16:30
  SPEAKER_00: Household dust has settled all over the outside of that metal.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_00: The very first time the metal gets hot in October, that dust simply burns off.
• 16:38
  SPEAKER_00: It produces a quick, dusty, slightly burnt smell that fades very fast.
• 16:42
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell Okay.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_03: So what smells should we worry about?
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_00: What you need to pass along to your technician immediately is a smell that keeps getting stronger.
• 16:50
  SPEAKER_00: If you smell sharp electrical burning, melting plastic, or certainly anything that smells like raw gas, those are vital clues that a component is melting down or leaking.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_03: So we have investigated the machine.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_03: We have pictures of the blinking lights, notes on the clicking sounds, and we know our filter is clean.
• 17:07
  SPEAKER_03: The next logical step is calling the expert.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_00: Time to make the call.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_03: Let us transition to the financial reality of that call.
• 17:14
  SPEAKER_03: Dave's notes give us a rare look behind the curtain of HVAC pricing.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, he is very transparent.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_03: For his specific service area in Oklahoma, which includes Kingfisher, Canadian, Garfield, Major Logan, and Blaine counties, he breaks it down to the exact dollar.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_00: Which is so helpful.
• 17:31
  SPEAKER_03: It is.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_03: Now, the value for you listening everywhere is not necessarily that exact dollar amount, but understanding the anatomy of that bill.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_00: Having this transparency up front just completely changes the whole dynamic of contractor anxiety.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_03: Yes, it does.
• 17:50
  SPEAKER_00: That$210 fee breaks down into two distinct parts.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: There is a$99 dispatch fee.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell And what does that cover?
• 17:57
  SPEAKER_00: That covers the costs of maintaining the truck, paying the technician to drive to your property, and just keeping the business operational.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 18:05
  SPEAKER_00: Then there is a$111 diagnostic fee.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: That is what you pay for the technician's expertise to open the cabinet, use their tools, and pinpoint exactly which component failed.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_03: But emergencies rarely happen at noon on a Tuesday.
• 18:19
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, what if the furnace dies on a Saturday night?
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell Well, that is when the after hours rate applies.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_00: So nights and weekends jump to$309.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: Ouch.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 18:29
  SPEAKER_00: The diagnostic fee stays exactly the same at 111 because the expertise does not change, but the dispatch fee goes up to$198 to cover the overtime and the emergency response.
• 18:38
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell I have to be honest, paying over$300 on a Sunday morning just to have someone tell me my furnace is broken really, really hurts.
• 18:47
  SPEAKER_00: It definitely does.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_03: Let us unpack Dave's philosophy here because he specifically says the cheapest no-heat call is the one that never happens.
• 18:56
  SPEAKER_00: It is the absolute core argument for proactive maintenance.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_00: Dave offers what he calls the Spring and Fall 360 plan, which costs$360 a year.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_02: Okay.
• 19:07
  SPEAKER_00: Let us connect the dots here.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: For roughly the cost of one single emergency weekend service call, this plan gets you a scheduled cooling check in the spring and a scheduled heating check in the fall.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_03: That makes sense.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_00: And honestly, whether you have a standard gas furnace or even one of those ultra-efficient geothermal heating and cooling systems Dave offers as an option out there in Oklahoma, the principle of regular checks just remains the same.
• 19:31
  SPEAKER_03: So the goal is really catching the problem while it is small.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_00: During a scheduled September check, Dave is not just looking at the machine.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_00: He is using tools like a multimeter to test the electrical resistance on your hot surface igniter.
• 19:44
  SPEAKER_01: What does that tell him?
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_00: Testing electrical resistance is basically checking if the electrical pathway inside the igniter is starting to wear thin, sort of like a fraying rope before it actually snaps.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is smart.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_00: He is also pulling out that flame sensor and cleaning the carbon off the metal rod before the flame rectification process fails.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_03: Aaron Powell So by paying for the plan, you are allowing him to find the fraying rope in September.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_03: And that completely prevents that freezing expensive panic call in November.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell It is the absolute definition of an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure.
• 20:16
  SPEAKER_00: And his plan also includes a 10% discount on any actual repairs needed, capped at$300, which adds just another layer of financial protection.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_03: So what does this all mean for you listening right now?
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_03: Let us bring the whole journey together.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 20:30
  SPEAKER_03: If you wake up to a freezing house, you are going to take a breath and start a logical process.
• 20:36
  SPEAKER_03: You start with the absolute safety check.
• 20:38
  SPEAKER_03: If you smell gas, see smoke, or hear an alarm, you leave immediately and call for help.
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_03: Do not touch a light switch.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_00: And if the house is safe, you move to the DIY checklist.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_03: Right.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_00: Check the thermostat settings and put in fresh batteries.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_00: Swap out that heavily caked filter so the machine can actually breathe.
• 20:56
  SPEAKER_00: Check your electrical breaker panel exactly once.
• 21:00
  SPEAKER_00: And if it trips again, you step away.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_03: And if the simple fixes fail, you transition into detective mode.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_03: Use your eyes, your ears, and your nose to gather intelligence.
• 21:10
  SPEAKER_03: You write down the rhythm of the blinking lights, you note any clicking sounds or plastic smells.
• 21:15
  SPEAKER_00: And you understand that you never ever cross the line into opening the high voltage cabinet yourself.
• 21:20
  SPEAKER_03: Never.
• 21:21
  SPEAKER_03: And if you are in Oklahoma and you need a pro to take over, Dave Hartzel is the guy.
• 21:25
  SPEAKER_03: You can reach his team at 405-375-4822 or visit them at Hartzelsheatandair.com.
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_00: As we wrap up this deep dive, there is a fascinating contradiction in home technology that I want you to consider.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_02: Well, what is that?
• 21:39
  SPEAKER_00: We live in an era where our thermostats are incredibly smart.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_00: They learn our daily schedules, they track our phone locations to know when we are driving home, and they adjust the temperature automatically to save pennies.
• 21:49
  SPEAKER_03: They're basically powerful little computers hanging on the drywall.
• 21:52
  SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
• 21:53
  SPEAKER_00: Yet the most critical appliance in our home, the massive machine generating the literal fire that keeps our pipes from freezing and our family safe, still communicates major internal failures through a primitive blinking light in a tiny plastic window.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_02: That is so true.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_02: It is crazy when you think about it.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Aaron Powell It makes you wonder about the future of residential infrastructure.
• 22:12
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps the next great frontier in home heating is not just about squeezing out one more percentage point of high efficiency.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_03: It is about breaking down that communication barrier between the machine and the homeowner.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_00: Precisely.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: Imagine a furnace that has the onboard intelligence to bypass the blinking light entirely.
• 22:28
  SPEAKER_03: That would be amazing.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: A machine that monitors its own flame sensor and hot surface igniter and texts you its exact diagnostic failure codes before the house even has a chance to get cold.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_03: That would be incredible.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_03: It would finally take that controlled explosion in a metal box out of the murky, mysterious diagnostic landscape.
• 22:46
  SPEAKER_03: It would give us back that clean, clear clarity we expect from modern technology.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_00: Completely agree.
• 22:52
  SPEAKER_03: Broken or not broken, with the exact solution sent right to your phone.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_03: Definitely something to think about the next time you walk past that quiet metal cabinet in the hallway.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_03: Thanks for joining us on this deep dive.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_03: Stay warm out there.