It’s almost time again for the Home Show at the Gwinnett Center. Holtkamp Heating & Air will be there with bells on, talking HVAC and giving out all kinds of goodies. Use the discount ticket below and save $2 on admission. Not only that, but the Gwinnett CAN Challenge will receive $1 for every discount ticket redeemed at the Gwinnett Civic Center. The Home Show runs Feb. 10-12, 2012. Time to start thinking spring!
Discount Coupons for Gwinnett Home Show Feb. 10-12, 2012
I can’t believe I am writing this a few days after Christmas and we still are having days in the 50s, 60s and even 70s! Matthew and I took a bike ride yesterday (on the spiffy new bike that Santa brought me) in Dacula and we were pleasantly warm coasting through the park. Crazy! Normally, I would be writing about how the winter zaps the humidity from your indoor air. No problem this year with all the rain!
One thing to keep in mind, maintenance right now for your furnace or heatpump is critical. During these crazy temperature swings, your hvac system needs to be properly and professionally maintained in order to continue working at optimal efficiency and to keep your family comfortable. Right now we are offering a $68 heating tuneup that can’t be beat! Give us a call so we can help you sail through winter in Georgia!
Well, just when you thought that Matthew (Holtkamp’s) mug was plastered enough across Atlanta, along comes… Mobile Matthew! Check out these photos of our new van wraps. If you are the first to spot one of the vans and scan the QR code on the back, text “I see you Matthew” and win a $100 Visa giftcard!
The code is on the back of the van. Good luck!!
Hope your turkey has been digested and you’ve finished all the pumpkin pie because, guess what? It’s time for the Festival of Trees 2011 at the Aurora Theatre! This year there have been many, many elves hard at work on this year’s Holtkamp CAN Challenge Tree. So sit back and enjoy the show!
It all started with a drawing on a napkin. Then DSM Ductworks joined in and created my dream tree frame!
But before you see the tree, you have to see some of the awesome laser cut work that DSM can do.
Under the Doolys direction (the owners of DSM), Alfredo cut and welded just what I had in mind - a spiral tree.
Then it was time for Theresa (from the Holtkamp crew) to start emptying 200 cans! No beans were hurt during the making of this tree; all were taken safely to the Quinn House for consumption!
Theresa and I spent some quality time together as we wrapped the frame with over 1300 lights and 200 feet of shiny garland. Bet you're wondering what we're gonna do with all those cans aren't you?
After hours and hours of labeling and hanging, here's the finished 2011 Holtkamp CAN Challenge tree! A rotating base was the final touch.
Each CAN used on the tree has the name of a group or person who contributed to the 25 tons of food that was given to Gwinnett food banks in 2011.
Can’t wait for you to stop by the Aurora and vote for the Holtkamp Heating & Air Tree by placing canned food or unwrapped toys underneath. All food (regardless of what tree it’s placed under) will go toward the Gwinnett CAN Challenge and all toys will be given to Toys for Tots. But, hey, I would be lying if I told you that I don’t want to win “Best of the Fest” again this year!
Thanks again to all our hardworking elves this year especially DSM Ductworks and Theresa Stewart!
1) Higher humidity in the winter is more comfortable.
True. Humidity is a friend in the winter, a menace in the summer. Proper indoor humidity (between 35-45%) not only helps you feel more comfortable, but helps save on your power bill. Signs of low winter humidity may include static electricity, shrinking wood molding and floors, nosebleeds and upper respiratory problems.
2) Dust in my home means I need to have the ducts cleaned.
False! Dust in your home is a symptom that you have either leaky ducts or outside air infiltration. Either way, cleaning your ducts will only take care of the symptom, not the cause. A properly sized and maintained hvac/duct system that is serviced regularly, should constantly remove dust from your home. Just make sure you keep your filter changed. If you have excessive dust, save your money from duct cleaning and call Holtkamp Heating & Air. Let’s find the source of your problem!
3) George Washington invented a fan chair that could have been considered the first personal AC.
True. At least from our perspective! This fan chair is still on display at Mount Vernon. Quite an engineering feat and pretty darn cool too! (Yes, that was a bad pun.)
4) Central heating & air systems are designed to last about 25 years.
False. Most come closer to 7-10 years. Of course, it depends upon the manufacturer, the quality of installation, and regular maintenance. We can’t tell you which manufacturer we think blows this average out of the water but let’s just say, “It’s Hard to Stop a …”
5) Planting a tree beside your outdoor hvac unit helps increase its efficiency.
False. It may actually reduce it. All landscaping should be kept a minimum of 18-22 inches from your outdoor unit in order to allow for adequate air circulation. Planting near your outdoor unit is always a bad idea! And don’t even think about screening it in! How would like it if someone shoved a towel in your mouth when you’re running a marathon?
6) Electrical static shocks when you touch your honey means your relationship is still alive.
Well, we just can’t make that call. But refer back to 1) above!
And last but not least,
7) Your furnace filter only needs to be changed two times per year.
Huh? Is there really someone who believes that? Okay, let’s just make this short and sweet. A big FALSE! Your hvac filter should be changed on average, every 60 days unless you have a high efficiency filtration system. In that case, the filter should be changed once per year.
Now that you’ve gotten the hang of this quiz, “Like” Holtkamp HVAC on Facebook and answer the following question to be entered into our drawing for a $300 Visa Gift Card! What 1959 Marilyn Monroe movie starred Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon about two men hiding from the mafia? (hint – you know the title has to do with heating and cooling!)
It was cold. It was dark. It was an awesome night to help Gwinnett Food Banks! Can’t wait to tell you that the Parkview and Brookwood High School fans came out in droves to not only support their teams but to raise 9,804 items for the Southeast Gwinnett CoOperative Ministry, a food bank located in Grayson. Wow. I am overwhelmed. This is by far the biggest haul we’ve taken in for one event. The total was a combination of food items and cash donations. Below are a few of the pictures that capture the spirit of the event! The final score: Brookwood 7851, Parkview 1953. Brookwood earns a $500 grant and Parkview earns $250 from the Holtkamp Family Foundation. Thank you everyone!
Brookwood students get revved up before the Challenge!
Brookwood students sort and bag the food.
Parview fans show their spirit with Mrs. Coach Whitley!
Parkview - Where are u with the next CAN Challenge?
What does BBQ and screaming in the woods have in common? The Holtkamp Team’s conquer of the Treetop Quest, that’s what! Say what? Well, we decided that the team needed a little pick-me-up after a very LONG, HOT summer! So we gathered up the crew - all those that would take on the quest - and met at the Gwinnett Environmental & Heritage Center for the Treetop Quest.
Now, mind you, this is not a zip line. It is a ropes course, combat training, ballet workout, work-your-muscles-until-they-scream kind of thing! We Holtkamps really know how to relax! Here’s a few shots of the team in action.
Some of the Holtkamp Team getting suited up for the course. Notice the attractive derriere straps.
Well, the Chickpea Course looks innocent enough!
Wait a second! This ain't no Chickpea course!
Beverly and Richard spend a few moments deciding how Beverly should fling herself through the trees.
Theresa and Suzanne emerge triumphant after completing the black course, but missing a few muscles!
Just so you know... Pre course Virgil.
Post course Virgil... and he thought selling air conditioners was hard.
All Holtkamp Team Members who started... finished. All accounted for. No one calls in sick guys!!
Can’t wait until the next company outing. Can anyone say “bungee jumping”?
Who says helping others can’t be fun?
The sixth annual Celebrate Service Music Festival is slated for Saturday, October 1 in Suwanee Town Park. Starting at 8 a.m., ten local bands make up the day’s playlist that culminates at 7:30 p.m. when the famed Atlanta Rhythm Section takes the stage.
The purpose of the free family festival? Food and water. Collecting food for Gwinnett’s hurting food banks and raising money to lay water pipe in Nicaragua. John Bland, the director of Amigos For Christ, the local charity sponsoring the festival puts it this way, “We’re a Gwinnett-based charity that serves the poorest of the poor in Chinendaga, Nicaragua. We’ve received such blessings and support from the local Gwinnett Community that we decided this year, our music festival would have a two-fold purpose. We wanted to fill local food banks while we bring attention to the need for clean drinking water in Nicaragua.”
It’s not such a wild pairing. Water is plentiful here in the United States but the economy is putting a strain on local food banks. Conversely, food is more available in Nicaragua, because of the accommodating growing climate, but clean drinking water is scarce. So food for Gwinnett and water for Nicaragua is service worth celebrating.
And of course, we at Holtkamp Heating & Air, are proud to announce the Celebrate Service Music Festival as a Gwinnett CAN Challenge event, an on-going effort to raise 10 tons of food in twelve months.
How can you get involved? By having fun! Come to Suwanee Town Center Park on Saturday, October 1 any time from 8 a.m. up to 10 p.m. Participants are asked to bring nonperishable items in lieu of admission to the all day concert. And of course, better come early if you want a prime seat for the Atlanta Rhythm Section!
The festival will include family-friendly events such as jumpies for the kids, a 5K run, a 30 mile bike ride, ultimate Frisbee tournament and lots of other activities. 106.7 FM will be on site as well as numerous restaurants making for a fun, family day with a very serious purpose. Visit www.amigosforchrist.org for more information.
John Bland, “We’re expecting thousands of people in the park on Saturday. The resulting effect for both Gwinnett and Nicaragua will be huge. And it doesn’t hurt that we can jam out too!”
Barbara Runkle with all the food collected at Oakland Meadow School for the Holtkamp CAN Challenge
Congratulations to Barbara Runkle and Oakland Meadow School in helping to fight local hunger and in earning a $250 grant from the Holtkamp Family Foundation! Job well done!
I have been getting inquiries lately as to the status of our fine-feathered friends, the chickies. I can’t believe I forgot to write about the spring brood! We added 11 new baby chicks to the family. They were shipped overnight, like all the others we have. Here is how they arrived!
They keep eachother warm by huddling close together!
One of the triplets. We don't know which one!
Demand for Holtkamp House eggs has now exceeded supply. So I mentioned this to Margaret (our daughter). She promptly replied, “Well, then, you’d better tell the chickens that!” And I’ll end with that tidbit of wisdom.
