The Non Stop Travel Blog

The best decision I ever made was getting heated flooring put in my home.

When I moved to Texas my family was all shocked.

They told me it was going to be so hot there that it would drive me out. Yes it gets hot, but not that bad. There is a distinct winter season. It gets cold but there is no snow or ice. That sounds like a win to me. When I told my family I was going to get radiant flooring they thought I was crazy. They didn’t believe that it gets to be in the 30s at night living in Fort Worth, TX. It really does get cold for about three months out of the year. Investing in an expensive heating system for only three months seems dumb, but I was at the perfect time in my life. I moved into my house and didn’t have major furniture. I also remodeled the flooring. I removed the carpet and got my floors down to the cement board. This was the moment I was able to set up electric heated mats on the cement. Then I laid a fresh tile overtop. This seals in the heating system and keeps it safe. A tile floor is way better than carpet for heated flooring. I can actually feel the heat better. I love having radiant heating in Fort Worth, TX. Sure, I don’t use it more than around 30% of the year, but when I do use it, It is fantastic. I love that the heating system is silent. It also doesn’t stir up dust and affect my air quality due to it being eclectic based. It also is a space saver since it is hidden under my flooring.

Fort Worth Texas Cooling install

My Sioux Falls house deals with a lot of ice, snow, and below freezing temperatures.

It is just something I have to deal with.

I am not a fan of the cold. What I do to combat it is have an optimal heating device. I recently upgraded to a boiler system and it was a game changer. A furnace just can’t get the job done. It seemed like I was constantly calling a Sioux Falls HVAC contractor to come and perform a furnace repair or service. A boiler is a tank. It doesn’t need the amount of maintenance, repairs, and updates. It can just keep going and doesn’t require cleaning. It can heat my entire household without a hitch. I decided that the way I wanted it to heat was through piping within my floorboards. I got the floors redone. I now have tile throughout most of the house and a few pieces of carpet in the bedrooms. The pipes have hot water from the boiler that flows all throughout the home. That hot water creates a heating effect. Hydronic heating is the way to go in South Dakota. It is powerful enough to combat the severe chill. It is quiet in operation since it isn’t forced air. It also doesn’t stir up dust or create hot and cold spots because of it being water based. Anything that touches my heated flooring feels warm as a result. It doesn’t need a lot of care and has a long lifespan. I am so glad I made this upgrade.

Sioux Falls South Dakota heating provider

I wanted to own a heat pump system for a long time. When I moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota I figured those dreams were over. Have you ever looked at the weather report there? The weather basically is freezing cold all year long. Winters in the single digits and snow all the time. The summer season barely needs a cooling system. So owning a heat pump seems stupid. I liked the stats though. I liked the idea of not having ductwork in my home. I wanted to do HVAC zone control. I liked that a heat pump does green heating. It uses existing heat energy to transfer it room to room in the house. The snag is that when the temperatures drop below freezing, you’re screwed. The heat pump can’t do its job anymore. More modern, high efficiency heat pumps are better at it, but not great. It is better to own a boiler or a furnace. I then found online that you can do a dual fuel system or a hybrid heater it is called. This is where you pair a heat pump with a furnace. So for most of the year I can rely on a heat pump to provide energy smart heating and cooling. It uses clean, renewable energy that saves me money. On colder nights the device automatically changes settings to gas heating. Then the furnace tags in and I never experience a cold burst. So I save as much as my Minneapolis, Minnesota home will let me. It is not the device’s fault that I live in a cold location.

boiler installation in Minneapolis Minnesota

When I moved into my Lowell, Massachusetts home I got kind of crazy with remodeling.

I immediately felt I had to modernize the home before I moved my stuff in.

The first thing I did was have the floors redone. I paid a ton of money to remove all the carpets and put down tile instead. I am so glad that a buddy of mine mentioned heated flooring. I live in Massachusetts. It is cold 90% of the time. Having a supplemental heater is never a dumb idea. I checked the home’s HVAC unit and saw it was over 15 years old. How long would it last? I could be potentially saving my butt with another heater. So I dumped even more money into that project to get heated flooring. Everyone said I was crazy but I was excited. Every space got new floors with a heating system underneath. I then painted, cleaned, and redid one bathroom. Because of the electric heated flooring I wasn’t able to redo the kitchen like I wanted. At first I thought I made a mistake. After one winter in Lowell, Massachusetts, I was so happy I did radiant heating. It is amazing having the heat at my feet. No heated air rises to the top and gets wasted. No noise, dust being stirred and anything that touches the system feels warm as a result. My cat certainly enjoys the heating system. I don’t cook that much, so the heated flooring was the better choice. My current HVAC is threatening to quit and I am not even worried.

 

Lowell Massachusetts Central heating

I moved to Lakeland, FL not too long ago.

I used to live in Jacksonville and I wasn’t a fan. There seemed to be more danger, homelessness, and garbage. Lakeland is much cleaner, friendly, and a wealthy area. The sights are gorgeous and there is so much to do. It is definitely a better location to raise a family in. I right now am a single woman and I just enjoy where I live. I love biking through Bonnet Springs Park and seeing a film at Polk Theatre. There is the food truck rally every Thursday that is a highlight of mine as well. The Florida Air Museum is quite cool too. Even if there was nothing to do, the weather can’t be beat. I won’t live anywhere but Florida from now on. The summer season is long, brutal and tough. But if you have a great cooling unit, you are set for the summer. I really enjoy the winter honestly. That is when I really start going outside and enjoying some of the more tourist friendly things Lakeland has to offer. I like when the weather is in the 60s and I can wear pants. Wearing a jacket is almost like a treat. My heating system hardly gets to be in use. I mainly focus on cooling maintenance, repair, and upkeep. The times my heating equipment gets tagged in, I am downright delighted. I like that the winter season never brings snow or below freezing temperatures. It is just a really great place to live and I can’t recommend it more.

Lakeland Florida Air conditioning repair

I used to live in a major city down south.

It was kind of a nightmare raising kids in it.

The heat was a constant fight. I had to make sure my fair skinned babies were blocked, wearing hats and out of the sun. When my kids started expressing interest in hockey, I realized I was in the wrong area. Why was I fighting to stay down south? I took a promotion at work and moved us to Illinois. Now we live in a colder state where hockey is much easier to get to and there are more teams. I settled in Elgin since it is a 45 minute drive to the city. We can do the big city teams or a local Elgin team if we want. The professional team is the Chicago Blackhawks and we can always get tickets. The cold weather means that hockey season is basically all year. I like the snow and the cold. My kids are way happier with it too. I don’t have to worry about them playing outside as much. With some good snow gear we are good to go. What is nice is that living in Elgin means that I can afford a bigger place. We went from a small apartment with neighbors on each side to a huge house, a big plot of land and privacy. I can’t believe I waited so long to move to Illionios. This state has offered everything we could possibly want and more. No way would I ever move back to the south.

 

 

gas furnace in Elgin IL

My mother & I are giant time concert goers, however my nice friend and I are always on the hunt for a modern show; It is really nice that residing in Florida means a lot of giant acts come to us, however sadly most of them are country acts.

• I don’t really like country music, however the rock bands tend to go to major cities like Tampa or St.

Petersburg… Luckily that is only about a two hour drive for us. So anytime an act goes there, I instantly start texting my mom. My nice friend and I agree that if a band we want to see is in the state of Florida, we will go see them, and driving isn’ta giant deal. It is nice being able to take our pillows, sound machines, snacks & all our clothing possible, then when you fly that isn’t really feasible. St. Petersburg hosts a really nice venue for the concerts. I honestly adore that over Tampa. I am on a list that anytime an act comes to St. Petes, I get an text. My mother & I plan a concert season every year. It usually happens around the summertime. In Florida the summer time cna get quite hot. I honestly wish more bands came when it is cold. The winter season season is more favorable! Yes a lot of the sites are outdoors; But Wouldn’t mind wearing a coat vs sunblock & a hat. The intense heat & humidity tends to be a giant issue after a while. That is the only negative to Florida residing I would say… Other than that, we have ideal weather for outdoor concerts.
HVAC for sale in St. Petersburg Florida

My mother as well as I are big time concert goers, but my friend and I are always on the hunt for a new show… It is definitely nice that residing in FL means a lot of big acts come to us! Sadly most of them are country acts.

• I don’t definitely like country tunes, but the rock bands tend to go to major cities like Tampa or St.

Petersburg… Luckily that is only about a two hour drive for us. So anytime an act goes there, I instantaneously start texting my mom. My friend and I agree that if a band my associate and I want to see is in the state of FL, my associate and I will go see them; Driving isn’ta big deal. It is nice being able to take our pillows, sound machines, pretzels as well as all our clothing possible, however when you fly that isn’t definitely feasible. St. Petersburg hosts a unquestionably nice location for the concerts. I sincerely care about that over Tampa. I am on a list that anytime an act comes to St. Petes, I get an SMS. My mother as well as I plan a concert season every year. It usually happens around the summertime. In FL the summer time cna get quite hot. I sincerely wish more bands came when it is cold. The winter season is more favorable, then yes a lot of the locations are outdoors; But Wouldn’t mind wearing a coat vs sunblock as well as a hat. The intense heat as well as humidity tends to be a big issue after a while. That is the only downside to FL residing I would say, other than that, my associate and I have ideal weather for outdoor concerts.

 

Zone controlled HVAC in St. Petersburg Florida