My motorcycle-ridin' buddy with-whom I hit Daytona bike week each year (until COVID), is a childhood acquaintance, he's been his own business-owner with a HVAC master's license since his mid-20's, which means he's well-over 40 years in the business in so. FL.
We needed a new system at one of our houses. He referred me to a guy he partnered-with, when we needed a replacement system. He met him when they were installing AC systems in housing tracts with hundreds of homes, when he lived closer. Now, since my buddy's in Palm Beach Co. and we're in Miami-Dade Co. almost 100 mi. away, he referred me to the guy he used-to work with in the Ft. Lauderdale area. The guy he referred me to, is (was) something-else. In his 70's, he worked alongside the techs he hired, getting as-dirty as they did. No ductwork in attics for him, that's why he has employees.
I'll call him, "the Old Guy." (OG)
I needed a replacement in a 1600 sq ft ranch home, for a unit from the 1980's, (this was about 10 yrs ago) and as you can see, it was overdue, we hit summer, and by August, it couldn't cool the house adequately. He did the calcs and told us what size, he wasn't going to change any ducts in the attic, but the duct to the attic would be new. A worker had checked the attic and said things were OK, a few minor things that they would address but no new runs. Our electric not burying the thermostat in the summer for Aug. prior was $285.
The OG recommended Bryant, I wanted something high-efficiency, he gave us (remember, this was ~10 years-ago) a SEER of 19.5. It had one of those variable-speed motors, there were a couple of incentives which knocked off a lot of $.
I wanted the outside unit moved from where it was and I trenched for the refrigerant lines to his spec, and came-through the slab. They completed the install, I buried the lines, everything was inspected, and the system ran. It cooled well, the variable-speed motor was quiet, the thermostat had settings for humidity control, all-OK. Aug. came and went, our bill came-in $130! That's compared to $285 and inadequate cooling. If we spent the same amount on electric each month, the system would pay for itself in 2-1/2 years! We don't, but with the rebates and tax credit the federal government was offering at the time, the cost of the unit was comparable to full-cost of a Rheem-RUUD. That's what my bike-ridin' friend installs the most.
The OG had an interesting back-story. He was an A&P USAF member as a young man. He served as a service person for everybody's favorite kick-*** plane the SR-71. His tour of duty was Kadena AFB, Japan.When his enlistment was over, he came stateside and worked as an A&P guy for Pan-Am in Miami. I'm not-sure how, but he began doing AC service work, maybe as a sideline. He was able to pass the masters exam, and that's when he met my ridin' buddy.
Jump ahead about six years from when he did the install for us in a Ft. Lauderdale area house. We had a house in a Miami suburb, we remodeled it and did additions. He came-in during the planning stage and did the specs for a new install, including new ductwork. We got a Bryant variable-speed system, again high-efficiency. The project was for us to retire after it was done, we both were at full SS age by then. We had paid for the majority of the work, there was some small amount due. We hadn't heard from him in awhile, and we got a call from his #1 subordinate, who said, "I'm closing-out all of Joe's outstanding permits, and I saw that yours is still-open with the city." About that time, we'd gotten a notice from the city, so we were glad to-hear from the subordinate. He showed-up at our home, to give everything a once-over and he said, "everything looks-good, I'm trying to close all Joe's open permits and that will help-out his widow."
"What??? 'Help-out his widow!??' What happened to Joe?"
This is his story:
"I was working on a remove/replace for a small condo building on Miami Beach, I was up on the roof, Joe got up-there (he's in his early 70's by-then) to over-see things, and he was going to climb down. He was walking-away from me, and he wasn't paying-attention to where he was going, and he walked-right-off the roof. He didn't last-long in the hospital."
Jesus, what a surprise! He was a good guy, smart, and my friend the biker-buddy said he was better with the math in HVAC than he was. His info to us was spot-on, he did great work, his employees were good on our jobs, and he was knowledgeable on a variety of subjects. It's a shame that in a moment of inattention, he ended his life.
Our two systems are still going strong, and they saved us $$ on operating costs. Humidity is low, and even on the hottest days of a south Florida summer, we're comfortable. His subordinate had no-problem passing the HVAC masters exam, and now he has his own company. He maintains our systems. I'm missing the OG, Joe. RIP.
