October 29, 2024 • 23 mins
Discover the inspiring journey of Carl Sliwinski, founder of The Heating and Cooling Pro, as he opens up about overcoming personal battles and finding redemption in the HVAC industry. From dealing with depression and addiction in his early life in central Ohio to transforming these challenges into a thriving business, Carl’s story is a powerful testament to resilience, hands-on learning, and the drive to provide for loved ones. His passion for skilled trades not only reshaped his future but also laid the foundation for a company that offers fresh starts for others with similar backgrounds. Join us as Carl discusses how connecting with diverse families through his work inspired him to establish a supportive company culture that mirrors his own journey of transformation.
As the seasons change, we shift focus to practical advice for maintaining your home’s heating systems. Ensuring your furnace is winter-ready is crucial, and we've got you covered with essential tips like scheduling tune-ups and checking safety devices. For those who prefer a hands-on approach, we offer simple maintenance tricks and insights into the benefits of professional analyses to ensure your heating system is safe and efficient. Finally, we extend our gratitude to our engaged listeners, sharing how your feedback and support help us bring stories like Carl's to a wider audience. Don't forget to subscribe and share this episode to inspire others with Carl's story and gain essential HVAC maintenance tips.
Please remember to:
Rate and review the podcast- that feedback is a gift!
Share this with other- that is the greatest compliment you can give Carl and me!
Follow the show so you never miss another episode!
To contact Carl:
Carl Sliwinski
614-886-4024
www.theheatingandcoolingpro.com
Sarah Thress
614-893-5885
First Time Home Buyer course: https://sarahthress.graphy.com/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/sarah_thress_realtor/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SarahThressRealtor/
https://www.youtube.com/@LIFEINCOLUMBUS
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Sarah (00:00):
Hi and welcome to this week's episode of Come to Find
Out.
This week, we are joined byCarl SloSwinski from the Heating
and Cooling Pro, so that is thename of his company, but also
he is the Heating and CoolingPro.
So thank you so much, carl, fortaking time out of your
extremely busy day to meet withus.
Carl (00:22):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
Sarah (00:24):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I know that you've been inthis industry for a while.
Would love for you to just kindof walk us through.
Like you know, are you from thecentral Ohio area?
Like you know, kind of tell usyour story Like where, how did
you even get into heating andcooling?
How'd you come up with the ideaof you know your company?
Just, you know all the, all thethings that we can get to know
(00:45):
you a little better.
Carl (00:46):
Yeah, thank you.
So Columbus, ohio I've beenhere for 30 years.
I was born in Toledo, ohio, um,so when my family moved, this
became home and grew to lovecentral Ohio due to the Buckeyes
Of course.
I definitely, yes, we lovethat's a big tradition in our
family.
But, yeah, just being, you know, Columbus, ohio, I've grown to
(01:12):
really love and to see thegrowth around here.
I've taken a great pride in thearea and there's just so much
diversity, with just everythinggoing around Ethnic, you knownic
cultures is awesome and so,yeah, and I enjoy what I do.
I go into people's homes,heating and cooling, I get a
(01:35):
small window with you and youget to share and I get to serve
you.
And your ways Didn't alwaysstart out that way.
I was always just someone thatI would say the black sheep of
the family.
Sarah (01:48):
So me too, it's OK yeah.
Carl (01:51):
My brother's a chiropractor and I don't know if
I was expected to do big andgreat things in school, but I
was just not one to in theclassroom setting, so I
definitely had more of a way tohave fun outside of school.
(02:12):
That was not healthy habits,but that started and I grew to.
You know, do things that Iwouldn't want my kids to do.
Now you tell your kids that youwant to avoid you know,
partying and all that, and itjust that's, that's just what I
did, um, so that grew afterschool.
College did not work for me andI realized, uh, my life is
(02:37):
heading nowhere, but I just kepton doing the things that made
me feel good and throughdepression, anxiety, drug
addiction, uh, that's that'swhere my life had led and um it,
yeah, I'm not proud of it, butit's part of my story, so I
definitely embrace it.
And it wasn't until I I went toa place that was a rehab, um,
(02:59):
and I started learning aboutdifferent skilled traits.
So with that, different thingswere kind of approached to me
and I sought out differentthings.
And when I had completed this,this, this rehab, I stayed at a
transition housing and a few ofus guys got into heating and
(03:20):
cooling.
There was a company that haddid some charity work, and he
hired one at a time, though, andthe first guy did really well.
So then now he made a path forlike three or four of us, and so
it was a company out East, andI'm grateful I didn't have to go
to a traditional schooling, noteven like this tech school, uh,
(03:43):
so they were able to provide mewith what you know, the tools I
needed to learn, and then,after that, was all on the job,
and on the job training, as youhear, is always the best yes.
But it's always can be painfulas well and lots of stress.
And I was now newly married anda kid on the way, so I was
(04:07):
driven by a passion to learn anew career and to provide for my
family and hearing and knowingwhat other people the success
they were having in the industry.
That was my goal and so I setout for that and I really
enjoyed heating cooling I stilldo, but it's it's something that
(04:27):
I was driving around.
From each home I get a littlewindow inside of their family
cause, uh, it just happens, youmeet people that are struggling,
you meet people up in theirhighs and lows and I thought
that was always, uh, a way to tomaybe get back in a sense.
But, most importantly, I wouldserve them for their heating
(04:48):
cooling needs.
Sarah (04:49):
Yeah.
Carl (04:50):
And find that and be able to, and so I really enjoyed that
and then, before you know it,I'm going on to the next call.
So it's very intense, very longhours, very demanding weather,
depending you know, verydemanding weather, depending you
know.
And so, after that of learningthe base, for a few years I
really had this, you know, mythought of owning a company and
(05:14):
having this company culture yeahit seems like the company I did
work for.
It was a few years there beforeI left.
You know they were great, but Iwanted to provide that culture
to some other people thatpotentially had gone down the
same road as I have.
Even.
Sarah (05:31):
Yeah.
Carl (05:32):
And they just don't know what to do with life.
They're on a new start and youknow providing them with a
career can actually help themrather than, you know, working a
job they don't like.
That can be a hindrance totheir path, and so, with that, I
(05:54):
was just driven by owning myown company.
Sarah (05:55):
That that thought and writing it down to the point
where, eventually, it did happen.
Carl (05:58):
I started out from working a company, then doing calls
after my normal like 10 hourshift, so then I was running,
and then, on top of that, afamily, and that's hard.
Yeah, I didn't want to be goneall those hours, but if I was
working so much anyway forsomeone else, I thought I could
do this for myself andeventually dial back the hours.
(06:21):
Yeah, and so that's what I'mdoing now Been in service for a
year and a half for myself,officially, uh, but but but been
doing this for almost 10 years,uh, you know so, with that, and
I've just had a blast, uh, youknow, helping people out, making
(06:41):
good money at it.
You know, people referringbeing able to also see other
people have a career in thisindustry, and it's awesome
because a lot of people thatdon't want to go to college or
can't afford it even so, this isgreat to see.
The skilled trades.
They need people too, theskilled trades.
(07:08):
They need people to.
They need, uh, people that willjust show up and that are, you
know, that can pass a drug testas well.
They're sober.
It's hard to find that intoday's uh day and age to find
someone to, you know, and notnot to mention open up their
home to you.
Sarah (07:20):
Yeah.
Carl (07:21):
Huge, you're letting a stranger in.
Sarah (07:23):
Yeah.
Carl (07:24):
You know, hopefully there's been some trust built
with the company or orappearance.
You know that, hey, I'm lettingthis person in my home.
Sarah (07:33):
Yeah, so yeah.
Carl (07:34):
I've taken great joy and, and where I'm planning on being,
is having a few extra guys realshortly with me doing all these
service calls, training someoneelse up as well and repeating
this process, because it's memyself and I I do have a crew
(07:55):
that will help me on theinstalls full service HVAC
company falls.
Full service HVAC companyservice sales, insulation
maintenance and yeah, it's good.
Sarah (08:15):
I love it.
Well, and there's a couple ofthings that I love about your
story.
One is that I appreciate youbeing so vulnerable.
I didn't even know that part ofyour story, but I love that
you're that vulnerable, becauseit shows that clearly you did
the work to get past that, whichis amazing, and clearly you're
doing much better.
But the other thing that I loveabout it is that I think that
unfortunately, in our society,we have put way too much
(08:38):
pressure on people to make themthink that college is the only
way to go, and that's why wedon't have as many trades people
as we need now.
So I love that.
You know, even though you knowyou felt like it was like you
took the wrong path, youactually took the right path for
you and I think there is aright path out there for
everyone, and so I love that.
(08:58):
You know you're also you'reclearly servant hearted, because
you are already thinking of,like how can I make this?
You know, like, how can I reachback and pull people back up
with me instead of just likeit's all about me, you know, so
I love those parts of your story, so I just want you to be very
proud of yourself for thosethings.
Um, and I love that.
(09:19):
Uh, you know you guys are a fullservice HVAC, so walk me
through kind of the process,like if someone was to call you
and say, hey, like you know, byI don't know, my pilot light
went out.
I can't get it to relight.
You know, like, what can I do?
Would you like you knowschedule a time, go out there,
like.
What would that process looklike?
Carl (09:40):
yeah, definitely.
The first step would be to call, so you've got my number or a
referral has happened.
You asked your friend hey,what's a good HVAC company?
And they would say the Heatingand Cooling Pro.
Sarah (09:50):
Yeah.
Carl (09:50):
And so you call me and they would say, carl's great,
but anyway, then we'd schedule atime.
Come out, first thing is I'dcome out.
We always put shoe protectionon for your floors and for
whatever.
So we come in the door and alot of times people can be kind
of not sure what to expect,because of, maybe past
(10:13):
experiences with serviceindustry.
But it's something that I cansense.
But I always just start off andI ask questions.
You know, hey, how's it going?
Tell me a little bit aboutwhat's going on, and I would get
to hear what the customer'sexperiencing from them, and then
I would still ask maybe somemore probing questions and just
(10:34):
go down and they'd show mearound their home.
Um, down to wherever the the thepilot light, whether it was on
the furnace or the hot watertank.
Sarah (10:43):
Yeah.
Carl (10:44):
And from there I would just be very honest with them
and say, hey, this is what we'regoing to do.
We're going to look foranything that's causing this and
I'll let you know.
And if I see anything else,I'll write it down and let you
guys know.
And no pressure type atmosphere.
And so I get to work and that'smy first thing diagnosing,
telling you what's wrong and umand, and that's what we do.
(11:07):
And then we, after you knowI've found out what's wrong and
I've looked over the entiresystem, uh, I would present what
I found wrong.
I would either call thehomeowner down to show them, see
them, what this is going on.
We provide pictures as well, soif someone's not wanting to go
down, or whatever, I alwaysrecord pictures for the records
(11:30):
and for their file, but alsojust to keep them in line of
where I'm at.
I'm not gonna explain somethingto them that they have without
showing it to them yeah and ontheir piece of equipment.
So I think that's also veryimportant to build trust,
because, no, you don't know meand yeah, you know, I mean, it's
(11:51):
just something that we do tobuild that trust, and so, and
after that, yeah, then then wetalk about what do we want to do
?
Do we want to repair it?
Because we can repair it?
Yeah and then, um, you know if,it's a furnace with a pilot
light a lot of times.
Uh, it's.
It's a very old furnace, by theway, and there's a lot more
(12:14):
upgraded options with a new onethat don't have a pilot light,
so you're not wasting gas.
That pilot is just on all yearyeah and so you know we may
start talking about options toreplace and uh see what they say
, but other than that it's justtotally driven by what's wrong.
What are your needs?
Yeah and and what would youlike to do?
Sarah (12:36):
um, yeah, so well, and I love that, because I feel like
some of the you know bigger namecompanies are out there and it
feels like and maybe they're not, because I don't know, I don't
want to judge or throw shade butit feels like they are quick to
(12:57):
just say, oh, you need a newthing, you need a new, you know,
you need a new HVAC instead oflike well, like well.
Here's the problem and here'swhat we can do and we can
band-aid it.
And you know, you never knowyou may get another, like six
months, two years, five years.
Who knows?
Like you know, none of us.
Unless you have a crystal ball,mine's broken.
So it's too unfortunate right so, since none of us have those
(13:20):
that are working, um, we have tojust kind of, you know, go with
like here are the facts, here'show it is.
I can bandaid it and I can'tguarantee how long it'll last,
but it could be another fiveyears, or it could be six months
or, and if that's what you needto save up the money to buy
your HVAC, cool, or you know, wecan go ahead and do this.
So I like that you providethose, those options.
Carl (13:42):
Yeah, a lot of people ask what would you do?
And obviously you know that'sthat's not for, that's not my
decision to make, I'm not inyour financial shoes, or
anything like that.
But I can guide someone as toindustry standards and what
other people have done myprevious clients what they
thought was reasonable for them,you know, and it's just
determining hey, do you want toput you know hundreds of dollars
(14:04):
more into an older unit that'sgoing to eventually break in
other areas or replace, andunfortunately there are a lot of
bigger companies that willteach their techs and they're
about numbers and I think thewhole service gets lost.
And I think the whole servicegets lost.
It's just my opinion.
And then technicians are kindof driven by money at that point
(14:31):
and it's just the whole tellingsomeone they need to replace it
.
I don't like that verbiagebecause you don't need to do
anything.
Honestly.
Sarah (14:41):
I'm just there to assist and help you.
Carl (14:42):
I'm not going to tell you you need to do anything.
Honestly, yeah, I'm just thereto assist and help you.
I'm not going to tell you youneed to do something.
So that's yeah, and I can onlysee it because I've been a part
of bigger companies with thatculture too.
Sarah (14:51):
Yeah.
Carl (14:53):
And it's all mentioned with service, service, service.
But then when that money getsthrown out there and there's
goals to meet, um it just thisyeah, you can get technicians
that get lost in the umnefarious slash.
You know ways of not beinghonest anymore.
Sarah (15:15):
Um, yeah, Now I love that and I think that that is
the beauty of you creating yourown company is that you can
remain servant hearted, you canremain all about taking care of
the client, and you and I bothknow if your number one job is
just providing top customerservice and meeting people's
(15:37):
needs, the money follows youdon't?
You don't have to like have themoney grab so um.
So I love that.
Um.
I also love the fact that youknow you give people options and
things like that and with usgoing into fall and winter,
obviously you know one of theways that you can keep your
(15:59):
system running and keep it fromhaving to be replaced at its
life.
You know, maybe you're addingextra life, like there are
things that you can do.
What are your like top tips for?
You know homeowners right nowthat um have, you know, even if
it's a newer unit, what do yousuggest like, what are your top
tips of keeping it in?
You know the top performingstate.
Carl (16:22):
So I would definitely recommend getting a tune-up is
what we call it.
If that's not an option, I'llleave this with checking your
batteries in your thermostat.
You know, a lot of timesthey'll have a low battery.
Replace those, change yourfilter.
(16:43):
It's very, very big.
A dirty filter will causerestriction and it can cause the
furnace to fail at that moment.
Okay, so it overheats and itshort cycles and it goes into
this cycle and then eventuallyshuts off.
And keeping, depending on thetype of furnace.
There's high efficiency andthere's standard efficiency.
(17:05):
The high efficiencies will needa little bit more.
I say maintenance, but withthat is there's intakes that can
create.
They can get leaves bunched upin them.
And just checking that checkingthe outside exhaust and intake,
making sure they're free ofleaves especially this time of
year as they're falling theywill get bunched up and can
(17:25):
create an obstruction in thepipe.
With a maintenance from acompany, as a lot of us are
doing right now this is the timeof year to do it I would
definitely look at first, asksome friends if they recommend a
company and then, if not, thenjust go online, if you have
(17:47):
access, and start looking andlook for those that have a good
review rating and, just you know, try one A good average.
You'll hear costs.
You know good deals now, fromlike 49 to even 129.
And you know, I don't know ifyou've heard of the Just yeah,
(18:11):
just be on the lookout for anydeals.
Trust the, you know.
Try to find some company youcan trust.
Sarah (18:18):
Yeah.
Carl (18:18):
If you don't feel comfortable with someone coming
in your home.
I totally understand that,especially after COVID.
But then just do what you canwith replacing your filters and
kind of like people have themindset well, it's been working
great for years.
And also make sure your smokedetectors and carbon monoxide
detectors are up.
(18:39):
Most people have smoke, but notalways do they have carbon
monoxide.
That is very, very important,since a byproduct of furnace
gases, the exhaust is going tobe carbon monoxide.
The exhaust is going to becarbon monoxide, but a furnace
tune-up will look like you knowa technician coming in and
(19:00):
hopefully asking you knowquestions and whatnot.
Sarah (19:02):
Yeah.
Carl (19:02):
And then, proceeding with the tune-up, they clean flame
sensors, check electricalreadings, they check the intakes
and the exhausting.
So in case those they takepictures, make sure the blower
is not obstructed and filteryeah, Some obstructed and filter
.
Sarah (19:17):
Yeah.
Carl (19:18):
Some companies may include a filter.
It's hard to do that, though,just not knowing the sizes of so
many filter sizes out there.
And then also what's been a lotof companies have been doing,
and this is what I do.
It's called a combustionanalysis.
A lot of companies have beendoing it and this is what I do.
It's called a combustionanalysis, so we drill a small
(19:44):
hole in the exhaust and it'llmeasure carbon monoxide, oxygen,
the temperature, and so withthat you can get an idea of how
a furnace is running internally.
Wow, so that could also allowus just to see what's been going
on with it.
A furnace could have had issuesfor years.
It may not have and it canstill run.
Sarah (20:01):
Yeah.
Carl (20:02):
So I've had it many, many times too.
An older furnace and not allold furnaces will have this.
But the furnace was heating andit wasn't producing carbon
monoxide in the home.
But the carbon monoxide thatwas leaving was way over like
five, six thousand parts permillion.
(20:23):
Should not be anything reallyover 50, but older furnaces may
produce over 100, over a couplehundred.
And that's relatively OK, andthat's the exhaust.
Sarah (20:32):
Wow.
Carl (20:43):
So you have a furnace that's essentially could be a
ticking time bomb and not knowit because it's exhausting so
much carbon monoxide.
If there was ever you know anyholes in the heat exchanger or
cracks in any sort of like waythat that could get out, that
could be very disastrous and sothat's another reason.
So to to see anything in theforeseeable future but the main
thing is for the reliability ofthe winter is to keep it going
and to update you with anythingthat's going on.
Sarah (21:05):
Yeah, I love that.
So obviously, um, I mean, I'mgoing to say that they need to
just call you the heating andcooling pro and that way they
can, you know, have you come inand, uh, you know, just kind of
diagnose it.
Uh, give you know the tune up,all the things I love, the
additional things that you know,that you do, um to just you
(21:27):
know all the behind the scenesstuff.
It's almost like you'rex-raying the, you know, the HVAC
system to see anything thatyou're not able to see on the
outside.
Carl (21:36):
So yes, that's exactly it.
Sarah (21:38):
I love that.
I love that.
Well, thank you so much fortaking time out of your day.
Like I said, I know you'resuper busy, probably doing a ton
of tune-ups, um, but, um, Iwill have all of your
information in the show notes sothat people can get ahold of
you.
Um, are you on socials?
Carl (21:55):
Not, yet I do have my website,
theheatingandcoolingprocom.
Sarah (21:59):
Perfect, yes, all right.
So theheatingandcoolingprocomis your website, so I'm going to
put a link to that and a linkto the best way that you want to
be contacted.
Carl (22:09):
Perfect.
Sarah (22:10):
And then, um, excuse me, and then definitely, that way,
people can, you know, reach outto you and schedule your
services.
Awesome, all right, thank you.
Well, thank you so much.
I truly appreciate you comingon.
Carl (22:21):
It's a pleasure being here , thank you.
Sarah (22:22):
Yeah, absolutely.
Thank you so much for tuning into this week's episode.
Please make sure that you arerating and reviewing, because
feedback is the greatest giftyou can give me.
Please make sure that you aresharing this with others,
because that is the greatestcompliment that you can give
Carl and myself, and also makesure you're following this show
(22:43):
so you never miss anotherepisode.
Thanks so much and have a greatday.
Hi and welcome to this week's episode of Come to Find
Out.
This week, we are joined byCarl SloSwinski from the Heating
and Cooling Pro, so that is thename of his company, but also
he is the Heating and CoolingPro.
So thank you so much, carl, fortaking time out of your
extremely busy day to meet withus.
Carl (00:22):
Thank you.
Thank you so much for having me.
Sarah (00:24):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I know that you've been inthis industry for a while.
Would love for you to just kindof walk us through.
Like you know, are you from thecentral Ohio area?
Like you know, kind of tell usyour story Like where, how did
you even get into heating andcooling?
How'd you come up with the ideaof you know your company?
Just, you know all the, all thethings that we can get to know
(00:45):
you a little better.
Carl (00:46):
Yeah, thank you.
So Columbus, ohio I've beenhere for 30 years.
I was born in Toledo, ohio, um,so when my family moved, this
became home and grew to lovecentral Ohio due to the Buckeyes
Of course.
I definitely, yes, we lovethat's a big tradition in our
family.
But, yeah, just being, you know, Columbus, ohio, I've grown to
(01:12):
really love and to see thegrowth around here.
I've taken a great pride in thearea and there's just so much
diversity, with just everythinggoing around Ethnic, you knownic
cultures is awesome and so,yeah, and I enjoy what I do.
I go into people's homes,heating and cooling, I get a
(01:35):
small window with you and youget to share and I get to serve
you.
And your ways Didn't alwaysstart out that way.
I was always just someone thatI would say the black sheep of
the family.
Sarah (01:48):
So me too, it's OK yeah.
Carl (01:51):
My brother's a chiropractor and I don't know if
I was expected to do big andgreat things in school, but I
was just not one to in theclassroom setting, so I
definitely had more of a way tohave fun outside of school.
(02:12):
That was not healthy habits,but that started and I grew to.
You know, do things that Iwouldn't want my kids to do.
Now you tell your kids that youwant to avoid you know,
partying and all that, and itjust that's, that's just what I
did, um, so that grew afterschool.
College did not work for me andI realized, uh, my life is
(02:37):
heading nowhere, but I just kepton doing the things that made
me feel good and throughdepression, anxiety, drug
addiction, uh, that's that'swhere my life had led and um it,
yeah, I'm not proud of it, butit's part of my story, so I
definitely embrace it.
And it wasn't until I I went toa place that was a rehab, um,
(02:59):
and I started learning aboutdifferent skilled traits.
So with that, different thingswere kind of approached to me
and I sought out differentthings.
And when I had completed this,this, this rehab, I stayed at a
transition housing and a few ofus guys got into heating and
(03:20):
cooling.
There was a company that haddid some charity work, and he
hired one at a time, though, andthe first guy did really well.
So then now he made a path forlike three or four of us, and so
it was a company out East, andI'm grateful I didn't have to go
to a traditional schooling, noteven like this tech school, uh,
(03:43):
so they were able to provide mewith what you know, the tools I
needed to learn, and then,after that, was all on the job,
and on the job training, as youhear, is always the best yes.
But it's always can be painfulas well and lots of stress.
And I was now newly married anda kid on the way, so I was
(04:07):
driven by a passion to learn anew career and to provide for my
family and hearing and knowingwhat other people the success
they were having in the industry.
That was my goal and so I setout for that and I really
enjoyed heating cooling I stilldo, but it's it's something that
(04:27):
I was driving around.
From each home I get a littlewindow inside of their family
cause, uh, it just happens, youmeet people that are struggling,
you meet people up in theirhighs and lows and I thought
that was always, uh, a way to tomaybe get back in a sense.
But, most importantly, I wouldserve them for their heating
(04:48):
cooling needs.
Sarah (04:49):
Yeah.
Carl (04:50):
And find that and be able to, and so I really enjoyed that
and then, before you know it,I'm going on to the next call.
So it's very intense, very longhours, very demanding weather,
depending you know, verydemanding weather, depending you
know.
And so, after that of learningthe base, for a few years I
really had this, you know, mythought of owning a company and
(05:14):
having this company culture yeahit seems like the company I did
work for.
It was a few years there beforeI left.
You know they were great, but Iwanted to provide that culture
to some other people thatpotentially had gone down the
same road as I have.
Even.
Sarah (05:31):
Yeah.
Carl (05:32):
And they just don't know what to do with life.
They're on a new start and youknow providing them with a
career can actually help themrather than, you know, working a
job they don't like.
That can be a hindrance totheir path, and so, with that, I
(05:54):
was just driven by owning myown company.
Sarah (05:55):
That that thought and writing it down to the point
where, eventually, it did happen.
Carl (05:58):
I started out from working a company, then doing calls
after my normal like 10 hourshift, so then I was running,
and then, on top of that, afamily, and that's hard.
Yeah, I didn't want to be goneall those hours, but if I was
working so much anyway forsomeone else, I thought I could
do this for myself andeventually dial back the hours.
(06:21):
Yeah, and so that's what I'mdoing now Been in service for a
year and a half for myself,officially, uh, but but but been
doing this for almost 10 years,uh, you know so, with that, and
I've just had a blast, uh, youknow, helping people out, making
(06:41):
good money at it.
You know, people referringbeing able to also see other
people have a career in thisindustry, and it's awesome
because a lot of people thatdon't want to go to college or
can't afford it even so, this isgreat to see.
The skilled trades.
They need people too, theskilled trades.
(07:08):
They need people to.
They need, uh, people that willjust show up and that are, you
know, that can pass a drug testas well.
They're sober.
It's hard to find that intoday's uh day and age to find
someone to, you know, and notnot to mention open up their
home to you.
Sarah (07:20):
Yeah.
Carl (07:21):
Huge, you're letting a stranger in.
Sarah (07:23):
Yeah.
Carl (07:24):
You know, hopefully there's been some trust built
with the company or orappearance.
You know that, hey, I'm lettingthis person in my home.
Sarah (07:33):
Yeah, so yeah.
Carl (07:34):
I've taken great joy and, and where I'm planning on being,
is having a few extra guys realshortly with me doing all these
service calls, training someoneelse up as well and repeating
this process, because it's memyself and I I do have a crew
(07:55):
that will help me on theinstalls full service HVAC
company falls.
Full service HVAC companyservice sales, insulation
maintenance and yeah, it's good.
Sarah (08:15):
I love it.
Well, and there's a couple ofthings that I love about your
story.
One is that I appreciate youbeing so vulnerable.
I didn't even know that part ofyour story, but I love that
you're that vulnerable, becauseit shows that clearly you did
the work to get past that, whichis amazing, and clearly you're
doing much better.
But the other thing that I loveabout it is that I think that
unfortunately, in our society,we have put way too much
(08:38):
pressure on people to make themthink that college is the only
way to go, and that's why wedon't have as many trades people
as we need now.
So I love that.
You know, even though you knowyou felt like it was like you
took the wrong path, youactually took the right path for
you and I think there is aright path out there for
everyone, and so I love that.
(08:58):
You know you're also you'reclearly servant hearted, because
you are already thinking of,like how can I make this?
You know, like, how can I reachback and pull people back up
with me instead of just likeit's all about me, you know, so
I love those parts of your story, so I just want you to be very
proud of yourself for thosethings.
Um, and I love that.
(09:19):
Uh, you know you guys are a fullservice HVAC, so walk me
through kind of the process,like if someone was to call you
and say, hey, like you know, byI don't know, my pilot light
went out.
I can't get it to relight.
You know, like, what can I do?
Would you like you knowschedule a time, go out there,
like.
What would that process looklike?
Carl (09:40):
yeah, definitely.
The first step would be to call, so you've got my number or a
referral has happened.
You asked your friend hey,what's a good HVAC company?
And they would say the Heatingand Cooling Pro.
Sarah (09:50):
Yeah.
Carl (09:50):
And so you call me and they would say, carl's great,
but anyway, then we'd schedule atime.
Come out, first thing is I'dcome out.
We always put shoe protectionon for your floors and for
whatever.
So we come in the door and alot of times people can be kind
of not sure what to expect,because of, maybe past
(10:13):
experiences with serviceindustry.
But it's something that I cansense.
But I always just start off andI ask questions.
You know, hey, how's it going?
Tell me a little bit aboutwhat's going on, and I would get
to hear what the customer'sexperiencing from them, and then
I would still ask maybe somemore probing questions and just
(10:34):
go down and they'd show mearound their home.
Um, down to wherever the the thepilot light, whether it was on
the furnace or the hot watertank.
Sarah (10:43):
Yeah.
Carl (10:44):
And from there I would just be very honest with them
and say, hey, this is what we'regoing to do.
We're going to look foranything that's causing this and
I'll let you know.
And if I see anything else,I'll write it down and let you
guys know.
And no pressure type atmosphere.
And so I get to work and that'smy first thing diagnosing,
telling you what's wrong and umand, and that's what we do.
(11:07):
And then we, after you knowI've found out what's wrong and
I've looked over the entiresystem, uh, I would present what
I found wrong.
I would either call thehomeowner down to show them, see
them, what this is going on.
We provide pictures as well, soif someone's not wanting to go
down, or whatever, I alwaysrecord pictures for the records
(11:30):
and for their file, but alsojust to keep them in line of
where I'm at.
I'm not gonna explain somethingto them that they have without
showing it to them yeah and ontheir piece of equipment.
So I think that's also veryimportant to build trust,
because, no, you don't know meand yeah, you know, I mean, it's
(11:51):
just something that we do tobuild that trust, and so, and
after that, yeah, then then wetalk about what do we want to do
?
Do we want to repair it?
Because we can repair it?
Yeah and then, um, you know if,it's a furnace with a pilot
light a lot of times.
Uh, it's.
It's a very old furnace, by theway, and there's a lot more
(12:14):
upgraded options with a new onethat don't have a pilot light,
so you're not wasting gas.
That pilot is just on all yearyeah and so you know we may
start talking about options toreplace and uh see what they say
, but other than that it's justtotally driven by what's wrong.
What are your needs?
Yeah and and what would youlike to do?
Sarah (12:36):
um, yeah, so well, and I love that, because I feel like
some of the you know bigger namecompanies are out there and it
feels like and maybe they're not, because I don't know, I don't
want to judge or throw shade butit feels like they are quick to
(12:57):
just say, oh, you need a newthing, you need a new, you know,
you need a new HVAC instead oflike well, like well.
Here's the problem and here'swhat we can do and we can
band-aid it.
And you know, you never knowyou may get another, like six
months, two years, five years.
Who knows?
Like you know, none of us.
Unless you have a crystal ball,mine's broken.
So it's too unfortunate right so, since none of us have those
(13:20):
that are working, um, we have tojust kind of, you know, go with
like here are the facts, here'show it is.
I can bandaid it and I can'tguarantee how long it'll last,
but it could be another fiveyears, or it could be six months
or, and if that's what you needto save up the money to buy
your HVAC, cool, or you know, wecan go ahead and do this.
So I like that you providethose, those options.
Carl (13:42):
Yeah, a lot of people ask what would you do?
And obviously you know that'sthat's not for, that's not my
decision to make, I'm not inyour financial shoes, or
anything like that.
But I can guide someone as toindustry standards and what
other people have done myprevious clients what they
thought was reasonable for them,you know, and it's just
determining hey, do you want toput you know hundreds of dollars
(14:04):
more into an older unit that'sgoing to eventually break in
other areas or replace, andunfortunately there are a lot of
bigger companies that willteach their techs and they're
about numbers and I think thewhole service gets lost.
And I think the whole servicegets lost.
It's just my opinion.
And then technicians are kindof driven by money at that point
(14:31):
and it's just the whole tellingsomeone they need to replace it
.
I don't like that verbiagebecause you don't need to do
anything.
Honestly.
Sarah (14:41):
I'm just there to assist and help you.
Carl (14:42):
I'm not going to tell you you need to do anything.
Honestly, yeah, I'm just thereto assist and help you.
I'm not going to tell you youneed to do something.
So that's yeah, and I can onlysee it because I've been a part
of bigger companies with thatculture too.
Sarah (14:51):
Yeah.
Carl (14:53):
And it's all mentioned with service, service, service.
But then when that money getsthrown out there and there's
goals to meet, um it just thisyeah, you can get technicians
that get lost in the umnefarious slash.
You know ways of not beinghonest anymore.
Sarah (15:15):
Um, yeah, Now I love that and I think that that is
the beauty of you creating yourown company is that you can
remain servant hearted, you canremain all about taking care of
the client, and you and I bothknow if your number one job is
just providing top customerservice and meeting people's
(15:37):
needs, the money follows youdon't?
You don't have to like have themoney grab so um.
So I love that.
Um.
I also love the fact that youknow you give people options and
things like that and with usgoing into fall and winter,
obviously you know one of theways that you can keep your
(15:59):
system running and keep it fromhaving to be replaced at its
life.
You know, maybe you're addingextra life, like there are
things that you can do.
What are your like top tips for?
You know homeowners right nowthat um have, you know, even if
it's a newer unit, what do yousuggest like, what are your top
tips of keeping it in?
You know the top performingstate.
Carl (16:22):
So I would definitely recommend getting a tune-up is
what we call it.
If that's not an option, I'llleave this with checking your
batteries in your thermostat.
You know, a lot of timesthey'll have a low battery.
Replace those, change yourfilter.
(16:43):
It's very, very big.
A dirty filter will causerestriction and it can cause the
furnace to fail at that moment.
Okay, so it overheats and itshort cycles and it goes into
this cycle and then eventuallyshuts off.
And keeping, depending on thetype of furnace.
There's high efficiency andthere's standard efficiency.
(17:05):
The high efficiencies will needa little bit more.
I say maintenance, but withthat is there's intakes that can
create.
They can get leaves bunched upin them.
And just checking that checkingthe outside exhaust and intake,
making sure they're free ofleaves especially this time of
year as they're falling theywill get bunched up and can
(17:25):
create an obstruction in thepipe.
With a maintenance from acompany, as a lot of us are
doing right now this is the timeof year to do it I would
definitely look at first, asksome friends if they recommend a
company and then, if not, thenjust go online, if you have
(17:47):
access, and start looking andlook for those that have a good
review rating and, just you know, try one A good average.
You'll hear costs.
You know good deals now, fromlike 49 to even 129.
And you know, I don't know ifyou've heard of the Just yeah,
(18:11):
just be on the lookout for anydeals.
Trust the, you know.
Try to find some company youcan trust.
Sarah (18:18):
Yeah.
Carl (18:18):
If you don't feel comfortable with someone coming
in your home.
I totally understand that,especially after COVID.
But then just do what you canwith replacing your filters and
kind of like people have themindset well, it's been working
great for years.
And also make sure your smokedetectors and carbon monoxide
detectors are up.
(18:39):
Most people have smoke, but notalways do they have carbon
monoxide.
That is very, very important,since a byproduct of furnace
gases, the exhaust is going tobe carbon monoxide.
The exhaust is going to becarbon monoxide, but a furnace
tune-up will look like you knowa technician coming in and
(19:00):
hopefully asking you knowquestions and whatnot.
Sarah (19:02):
Yeah.
Carl (19:02):
And then, proceeding with the tune-up, they clean flame
sensors, check electricalreadings, they check the intakes
and the exhausting.
So in case those they takepictures, make sure the blower
is not obstructed and filteryeah, Some obstructed and filter
.
Sarah (19:17):
Yeah.
Carl (19:18):
Some companies may include a filter.
It's hard to do that, though,just not knowing the sizes of so
many filter sizes out there.
And then also what's been a lotof companies have been doing,
and this is what I do.
It's called a combustionanalysis.
A lot of companies have beendoing it and this is what I do.
It's called a combustionanalysis, so we drill a small
(19:44):
hole in the exhaust and it'llmeasure carbon monoxide, oxygen,
the temperature, and so withthat you can get an idea of how
a furnace is running internally.
Wow, so that could also allowus just to see what's been going
on with it.
A furnace could have had issuesfor years.
It may not have and it canstill run.
Sarah (20:01):
Yeah.
Carl (20:02):
So I've had it many, many times too.
An older furnace and not allold furnaces will have this.
But the furnace was heating andit wasn't producing carbon
monoxide in the home.
But the carbon monoxide thatwas leaving was way over like
five, six thousand parts permillion.
(20:23):
Should not be anything reallyover 50, but older furnaces may
produce over 100, over a couplehundred.
And that's relatively OK, andthat's the exhaust.
Sarah (20:32):
Wow.
Carl (20:43):
So you have a furnace that's essentially could be a
ticking time bomb and not knowit because it's exhausting so
much carbon monoxide.
If there was ever you know anyholes in the heat exchanger or
cracks in any sort of like waythat that could get out, that
could be very disastrous and sothat's another reason.
So to to see anything in theforeseeable future but the main
thing is for the reliability ofthe winter is to keep it going
and to update you with anythingthat's going on.
Sarah (21:05):
Yeah, I love that.
So obviously, um, I mean, I'mgoing to say that they need to
just call you the heating andcooling pro and that way they
can, you know, have you come inand, uh, you know, just kind of
diagnose it.
Uh, give you know the tune up,all the things I love, the
additional things that you know,that you do, um to just you
(21:27):
know all the behind the scenesstuff.
It's almost like you'rex-raying the, you know, the HVAC
system to see anything thatyou're not able to see on the
outside.
Carl (21:36):
So yes, that's exactly it.
Sarah (21:38):
I love that.
I love that.
Well, thank you so much fortaking time out of your day.
Like I said, I know you'resuper busy, probably doing a ton
of tune-ups, um, but, um, Iwill have all of your
information in the show notes sothat people can get ahold of
you.
Um, are you on socials?
Carl (21:55):
Not, yet I do have my website,
theheatingandcoolingprocom.
Sarah (21:59):
Perfect, yes, all right.
So theheatingandcoolingprocomis your website, so I'm going to
put a link to that and a linkto the best way that you want to
be contacted.
Carl (22:09):
Perfect.
Sarah (22:10):
And then, um, excuse me, and then definitely, that way,
people can, you know, reach outto you and schedule your
services.
Awesome, all right, thank you.
Well, thank you so much.
I truly appreciate you comingon.
Carl (22:21):
It's a pleasure being here , thank you.
Sarah (22:22):
Yeah, absolutely.
Thank you so much for tuning into this week's episode.
Please make sure that you arerating and reviewing, because
feedback is the greatest giftyou can give me.
Please make sure that you aresharing this with others,
because that is the greatestcompliment that you can give
Carl and myself, and also makesure you're following this show
(22:43):
so you never miss anotherepisode.
Thanks so much and have a greatday.
Popular Podcasts
Bookmarked by Reese's Book Club
Welcome to Bookmarked by Reese’s Book Club — the podcast where great stories, bold women, and irresistible conversations collide! Hosted by award-winning journalist Danielle Robay, each week new episodes balance thoughtful literary insight with the fervor of buzzy book trends, pop culture and more. Bookmarked brings together celebrities, tastemakers, influencers and authors from Reese's Book Club and beyond to share stories that transcend the page. Pull up a chair. You’re not just listening — you’re part of the conversation.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!