Many years ago when I was renting an apartment I got to know the maintenance person pretty well.
He was fairly young at the time and was still attending the local trade school but he was pretty well-versed in general repairs.
Now, years later, he owns a local HVAC repair company and I have contracted with them for service on my system at my home. Steve is a really great guy and I am glad he is doing as well as he is and I am glad to say that I have known him for many years and consider him to be, not only my repairman, but my friend is well. He never tries to sell me anything that I don’t need and is very knowledgeable in the upkeep of my HVAC system. He comes to my house twice a year to tune up my appliances and we usually end up heading out for a couple of drinks later that evening. Not many people can say that they have a long-term relationship with a repair person or that they consider them to be a personal friend too. On the professional side he is certified to work on just about any type of system and his company has hired several other qualified technicians as well. Weather I just need a filter, or advice on how to save energy I know I can rely on them to give me sound advice and sell me just the right item that I need. You can’t get that kind of service when you are dealing with a big box store or purchasing online so I highly recommend getting to know your local HVAC company instead. The long-term relationship that you form with these type of companies means a lot and in most cases can be a very valuable one as well.