A sister in need of heater maintenance

MaryLou and her husband purchased a five-acre piece of land adjacent to the woods. The only downside to this piece of land is that it is far from civilization. The nearest hospital was miles away, and so was the heating business. The few residents in the area got their whole-home heating and cooling products from heating dealers from the nearby town. It is usually a cumbersome task as the customers have to wait a few days to receive their new heating equipment or get a hold of a heating industry specialist. MaryLou called me the other week complaining they were not enjoying summer because their heat pump wasn’t working as efficiently. Due to my history as an HVAC professional, MaryLou consults me on matters concerning help with indoor comfort. Her husband explained the few issues he could hear or notice in the unit. They had yet to call in for heater maintenance since they moved into the house, which was well over a year. The only thing they had done in terms of HVAC care was to replace the air conditioning filter. MaryLou still needed to call a heating company to care for the rest. Since my family and I was planning to visit them that weekend, MaryLou asked me to carry my toolset so that I could help them fix it. Waiting three more days was a manageable stretch. When we eventually arrived, we set off to the heat pump installation right after lunch. I was relieved that the system required minor repair, and then it was as good as new. I took it upon myself to teach Marylou and her family more about heating so that they could take better care of the system and not entirely depend on the heating technician. I also installed the smart thermostat they had asked me to purchase.
space heater