If you add an ‘O’ to HVAC—you can create HAVOC

With a little shifting around of the letters…

This past December, our 29-year-old HVAC system, both the air handler and heat pump, failed simultaneously. I don’t know why I should be surprised by this. We have a motto in the Lowe family when it comes to hardware—run it until it explodes.

Which is essentially what it did.

“Nothing stops a Trane… except you not taking care of it.” Words I remember from our home inspector many years ago

Inside the garage, I could hear clicking and an accompanying, intermittent noise. It sounded like the alarm those old dryers make when they finish a cycle. The one we had growing up had a horrible sound—not like these digital ones with the little happy jingle that says "Yay! More laundry to fold!"

No, this one was more like the buzzer on my high school gym's scoreboard.

“Hmm...that doesn’t sound right.” I reflected

As it turned out, the electronic board had melted, and the noise was caused by electricity arcing. 

Eat your heart out, Nikola Tesla.

This is a picture of me drawing in the corner while my HVAC is electrocuting my house.

Meanwhile, the outdoor system was… screaming. I’ve never heard a C-47 take off, but I don’t think it was as loud as this noise. It was so thunderous, probably enhanced by the fact that the sound was reflecting off my neighbor’s home.

“That doesn’t sound right.” I reflected

The first repairman mused, “It just sounds like metal rattling around in there.”

To be fair, we do try to get our hardware serviced, our oil changed, etc. Even still, our motto stands: Run it until it explodes.

Mission complete.

What I imagine was happening inside my unit.

So we then began obtaining quotes and learning about HVAC systems. 

Did you know, there are a bunch of things to learn when you swap out your HVAC? You need to understand tonnage, duct sizing, and SEER2 ratings. You can get them in one-stage, two-stage, or variable-speed. A buffet of options. I was not prepared.

I’m watching YouTube videos (yes, there are many on HVAC) and reading the always-full-of-wisdom Reddit boards. Do this, but DO NOT DO THAT. Next person, NO THAT IS CRAZY TALK, DO THIS OTHER THING.

We had many sales teams out offering pricing and details while we conducted Lowe family operations from Fort Space Heater. Super thankful for our neighbors who helped us build our hot air army.

We settled on a company called Peterman Brothers. Phillip and Zander, the installation team, were out working on the new unit that same day. From about noon until eight in the evening, these lads cranked out the unit and fitted it in 15-degree temps.

De-installation commencing. Or just a normal yard sale at my house.

Beyond the obvious benefit of gaining a new (and functioning) heating unit, the Lord brought some things to my attention throughout the day.

First, these guys worked HARD. It's been years since I worked with my mechanic dad, and it was a special thing to catch a glimpse of the work he did. I work hard at anything I do, but I don’t always have to endure the kinds of tough physical conditions that come with this sort of work. You can easily forget the kind of work that exists. 

I was in awe of them. Pulling copper cable under the slab and re-running it. I didn’t hear any complaining the entire time… well, at least not to me!

I tried to keep them fueled with coffee throughout the day. Anytime I asked if they needed anything, they said ‘nope!’ with a smile. I tried to grandma them as much as I could, but they were self-sufficient.

Second, I got to observe a great teacher/apprentice moment. It came when my daughter Julia came downstairs and said, “What’s that smell!?” We opened the door to see Zander brandishing an intense open flame, sweating the copper tubing onto the air handler unit. His friend Phillip was coaching him the whole way.

There’s something uniquely special about teaching, coaching, and, even more so, discipling. Teaching a subject is worthy, but teaching in the presence of someone while working and doing life alongside them, well, there’s just nothing quite like it. 

One of the things I love about teaching is that you can make mistakes. You have computer issues, programs misfire, you forget things you meant to do. You also say things wrong. Especially at the end of a long day of teaching, your words can just… stop working.

I remember one semester teaching a night class after already teaching three classes that same day. I could hear my words coming out, and my brain asking me, “What are you even saying right now?”

“That doesn’t sound right,” (says your brain… and your mouth.)

You’re not looking to mess things up; it’s most certainly not your goal, but when you fail, and fail you will, it happens in front of everyone. Students get to see you misfire… and what you realize that they need to see this themselves.

And when your students fail, you get to decide how to respond, too. There’s a balance in how you correct. Sometimes it's gentle; other times, it has a little extra spice. Always though, it is meant to push them forward. As our pastor Randy Gooder once said, “You can bring heaven or scorch the earth—and you get to decide." What you hope is that what you say and do spur them into action.

One of my favorite stories in the gospels is the feeding of the 5,000. There is a moment recorded in the book of Matthew, where Jesus tells the disciples something that, when I read it, struck me to my core.

“You give them something to eat.”

The disciples have nothing to offer that could possibly fulfill the need. They know it, and they must have been feeling hilariously deficient. But Jesus isn’t asking them if it’s enough, nor is he telling them to go get more. He just tells them to act. The multiplication that’s coming isn’t their responsibility—he’s got that covered—the obedience, though, that part is.

At the end of the HVAC installation, I wanted to express our gratitude for their efforts. I felt led to give each installer a copy of Your Body! The Fuel Factory. I don’t exactly know why. I knew from conversations with them throughout the day that they didn’t yet have children. But my job wasn’t to make sense of it, just to act. Joanna later said to me, “There was just a lot of genuine gratitude and sweetness. I think they felt cared for.”

Not everything that I say sounds right. Thank the Lord, he can use it anyway.