Month: June 2022

If you’re thinking about installing an HVAC system in your home, you’re probably going to have some questions along the way. For example, how much does an HVAC installation cost? How long does it take to install? What can I do about my home’s heating and cooling when I am away on vacation? These are just some of the most commonly asked questions surrounding an HVAC installation, but you don’t have to worry because you are not alone! Here are the five most common questions that people ask about HVAC installations.

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How can I tell if I need a new unit?

While there aren’t hard and fast rules for determining whether or not you need a new unit, there are several signs that suggest you may need a replacement. The first thing to consider is age. If your system is over eight years old, then it might be time for an upgrade. You should also take into account how much money you have spent on repairs in recent months. If they amount to more than one-third of what a new system would cost, then a replacement might make the most sense. If these two things don’t apply but your unit still isn’t running as efficiently as it used to, then perhaps upgrading makes sense. Your best resource when it comes to determining whether or not you need a new air conditioner is a trained technician. One of our Cool Touch technicians will be able to tell right away if your unit needs replacing and can advise you on getting a new one that suits your home’s specific needs. 

Do I need to replace my ductwork?

When you’re getting an air conditioner installed, ductwork is often considered a necessary evil. But do you really need to have your ducts replaced? Not in every scenario. As long as they aren’t damaged and are in good shape, meaning not too brittle or dirty, they won’t cause problems for your new system. During your estimate, a technician will be able to inspect your ductwork to help determine if your home is a candidate for new ductwork and will be able to give you their recommendation.

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What size air conditioning system do I need?

First, you’ll need to consider how much space you want to cool, then add 20%. Most A/C units are unable to cool your home evenly because they’re designed to cool a specific number of square feet. For example, if your home is 1,200 square feet, that means it has 1,440 sq. ft. of air-conditioning territory. Your technician will be able to help you determine the appropriate size based on your home during the consultation. Purchasing the wrong size can have a negative effect on your cooling efficiency. If you purchase too large of a system, you won’t be able to run it as often as needed because it will take longer to cool down your home. If you purchase too small of a system, then you won’t be able to cool down your entire house at once. This could mean that some rooms are too hot while others are comfortable. This wastes energy and money! However, you don’t have to worry because our Cool Touch team will always steer you in the right direction!

How long does an HVAC installation take?

This depends on a variety of factors, but you should be able to get a basic idea from the technician. If you’re looking for an A/C system for your home, installation can take roughly one day. If you are looking for additional services, like installing ductwork, this could take more time depending on the complexity of the installation. In any case, it is important to have realistic expectations about how long installation will take and what it entails. You should always ask as many questions as possible so that you know exactly what to expect during your installation. 

How much will it cost?

Of course, people want to know how much it will cost to get an HVAC system installed. This is a very important question in order for you to budget properly for a new system. Many factors can determine the cost including brand, accessories, and what size unit your home needs. However, there are some general guidelines on how much it should cost to install an HVAC system. If you’re looking for a price range, expect to pay around $3,800-$6,300 on average, when installing an HVAC system with ductwork. 

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This post first appeared on https://www.thetrustedplumber.com

Some of us are quite handy around the house; others, not so much. However, there are a few things that any homeowner should know how to do. Knowing how to do these fifteen DIY repairs can save you from calling in an expert and save you some money.

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Your water heater is arguably one of the most important appliances in your home. It accounts for nearly 17% of your home’s overall energy consumption. We know that 17% can seem like it’s not the largest statistic in the world, but it’s a little different when you consider that it’s coming all from one appliance. This is why it’s so important to make sure that your water heater is high efficiency and always ready to work for you.

We understand that it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the different things you should know about your home. If you’re looking for tips concerning your water heater in Orlando, FL, then we’re the ones you should turn to. Here are a few tips you can try out…

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Common Things To Do To Help Your Water Heater

Here are a few things you should know about your water heater, its operation, and how you can help it perform. 

1. Take Note of Your Thermostat

Your water heater has a thermostat. If you’re trying to improve your efficiency, then it’s important to make sure that your thermostat is set to a proper temperature. It’s easy to have your thermostat set to a temperature of around 130-140°F. Although this is typical, homeowners can usually find themselves satisfied with a temperature of around 120°F. Just an adjustment of a few degrees can save you 3-5% annually of your total water heater costs. 

2. Make Sure Your Water Heater Is Properly Sized

It’s important to make sure that your water heater is properly sized to meet the needs of your home. For example, the water heater needs of a 5-bedroom home that has 4 family members living in it will be different than those of a 1-bedroom home with 2 family members living in it. 

3. Insulate Your Water Tank and Pipes

It’s always a great idea to insulate your hot water tank and your water heater’s pipes. This is a simple to-do and it’s something you can do all on your own as a homeowner. Just run out to your local hardware store, get some insulation, and apply it to some of the exposed pipes of your system.

4. Consider a Water Treatment System

One of the best ways to save on your water costs or improve your water heater efficiency is by using less hot water or water in general. An easy way to do this is by improving the quality of your water. You can do this with the following water treatment systems we offer:

• Reverse osmosis systems
• Water softeners
• Water filters

What water treatment system or service you need depends on the specific factors affecting your home. We’ll identify those factors and help you find the right water treatment system.

5. Consider Going Tankless

Have you considered going tankless? This is a great thing to do if you’re concerned with the efficiency of your water heater. Tankless waters, or “on-demand” water heaters, generate hot water when you turn on your tap–not a moment sooner. The beauty of this is that it eliminates the standby heat loss of tank water heater systems. You can save yourself a significant amount of money with this type of investment. 

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This post first appeared on https://www.modernpi.com

We don’t really use ice to cool the air in our home. While ice might be a great addition to a cool beverage, or to a cooler when you go camping, it’s not going to do any good when your home is in need of cooling. For starters, ice only cools small objects and areas. You don’t want to know how much ice it would take to cool your entire home, and the energy involved in making that much ice would be absurd!

However, ice can still form on an air conditioner. We know this not just because we’re HVAC professionals, but because it’s a common problem that we hear about all the time. If you’ve ever noticed ice growing on the coil of your AC, then you’ve got a problem we might be talking about down below. Just make sure you call us for your air conditioning in Roseland, NJ.

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1. Ice Can Form From a Refrigerant Leak

When refrigerant leaks from an air conditioner, it can have trouble cooling your home. Now, you might be thinking that this is a bit paradoxical. If an air conditioner is struggling to run properly, wouldn’t it warm up rather than cool down? Well, it depends on where in the cooling process the issue is expressing itself!

When refrigerant travels to the evaporator coil, it heats up as the air inside of your home cools down. But when an air conditioner doesn’t have enough refrigerant to run a normal cycle, it might send the refrigerant through without retaining all of the heat. Continue this for a few cycles and the interior components of the air conditioner will start cooling to below freezing, causing the moisture in the air to turn into ice as it condenses. The worst part about this is that your air conditioner will be supercooling the air inside of it, but not the air in your home!

2. Clogged Air Filter

Another reason for ice growth on an air conditioner is due to a blocked air filter. Your AC requires a continual flow of air through the system in order for it to function properly. If the air filter is clogged, the unit will struggle to blow air through it and into your home, causing it to stagnate while it operates. Then, over time, the air will cool too much and ice might start growing. This can be fixed simply by changing out the air filter every 1-3 months.

3. An Issue With the Blower Fan

The blower fan is in charge of sending cooled air through your ductwork and into the rooms of your home. If it’s not working properly, or if it’s not running entirely, the cool air will be stuck in your air conditioner as it continues to cool. Thus, if you’re following along, ice will start to form as the air inside your AC gets cooled but it can’t travel anywhere.

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This post first appeared on https://margoplumbing.com

You hear about it all the time, but do you actually know what a main sewer line is — or how important it is to your home?

We have all of the information regarding main sewer lines right here for you to read at your convenience. Once you have a little more knowledge of main sewer lines, you’ll be better prepared if (and when) a problem rears its ugly head.

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What is the Main Sewer Line?

The main sewer line is exactly what you think it is. It’s the plumbing line that channels all of the waste from toilets, tubs, and sinks out of your home, toward the main sewer under the street in front of your home.

Can the Main Sewer Line Become Clogged?

Chances are you’re on this page because you’re dealing with a clogged main sewer line as we speak. So the answer is an an obvious — yes.

You’ll know when this line becomes clogged when multiple plumbing fixtures experience frequent clogs and there is a noticeable sewer smell emanating from those fixtures.

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What is a Sewer Main Clean-Out?

A home’s main sewer line is located underground as it travels from your home to the city’s street. However, there are some homes that have a sewer clean-out.

What’s that?

A sewer clean-out is a small portion of the sewer line that can be accessed by unscrewing the cap. When the sewer line becomes clogged, it’s infinitely easier to clear the blockage via the clean-out.

Homes without this unsung hero will provide a tougher challenge for your local plumber and can be more expensive for the homeowner. Avoid having a difficult time clearing your clogged sewer line by having a clean-out installed now — before a clog does develop.

Who is Responsible for the Main Sewer Line?

Most homes’ main sewer lines are connected to the city sewer system beneath the street in front of their home. So if it’s part of the city’s system, doesn’t that mean the city should pay for any repairs or sewer line replacement?

Not always.

Even though the sewer line is connected to a city sewer system, the homeowner is responsible for their sewer line. Therefore, you should always have your plumber stored in your phone’s contacts in case a blockage does occur.

(There are times when a blockage can occur at the junction of the sewer line and the sewer system — if this is the case, the city could be held responsible.)

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This post first appeared on https://lentheplumber.com

Drain clogs and wastewater backups will bring your plumbing system to a halt.

Whenever it’s time for drain cleaning service, you need a local plumber you can trust—you need the experts at Len The Plumber!

When you contact us for drain cleaning services, here’s what you can expect during the service and what you can do to prepare it.

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What Happens During a Drain Cleaning Service Call?

When you contact us for professional drain cleaning service, we’ll greet you in a friendly, professional manner and put on shoe covers before entering your home. Then, we’ll:

• Ask some questions: To get more background on the history of your home and your plumbing system, we’ll ask a series of questions, including whether or not you’ve had drain or plumbing problems before and, if so, what those were.
• Set a clear agenda for the service upfront: We do this so that you fully understand the diagnostic process, the drain cleaning service, and the camera inspection.
• Perform diagnostics: We’ll test your plumbing fixtures and inspect the location of any backups. This step helps us decide what equipment is best suited for the job at hand.
• Set up for service: After establishing clear access to the service area, we’ll put down drop cloths to protect your home.
• Run the drain cleaning machine: This is when the cleaning happens! With our machine, the sewer line will be cleared of holding sewage. If, however, we believe the clog is outside or the line cannot be cleared, we’ll recommend an immediate camera inspection to determine the severity of the problem.
• Test your fixtures: Once the sewage has drained out of the sewer line, we will run several fixtures simultaneously to test flow.
• Conduct a final camera inspection: After cleaning your drains and clearing your sewer line, we’ll do a camera inspection to identify the cause of the clog. This may uncover damaged or broken sewer lines, in which case our plumber would recommend sewer line repair or replacement (so you don’t continue to experience drain and sewer line problems).

The average drain cleaning service takes about 1 to 2 hours to complete.

If, during your drain cleaning service, we discover sewer line damage that requires excavation and replacement, we’ll work with you to schedule the sewer line replacement service.

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How to Prepare for Drain Cleaning Service

Before a plumber comes to your home to clean your drains, here’s what you can do to prepare so that the service goes as smoothly as possible:

• Make sure there is a clear path from the front door to the access point: This path needs to be at least 3 feet wide to allow room for our drain cleaning equipment.
• Remove items around the affected fixtures and access point: The plumber will need easy access to these, so remove personal items from these areas. For example, you’ll want to clear out items under sinks that are having backups.
• Remove sewage waste: If there are several inches of sewage in the work area, contact a remediation company to have it removed before your plumber arrives. The plumber may not be able to diagnose and fix the problems if the access point is buried in sewage.
• Be aware that drain cleaning may not be a permanent solution: In fact, if you have a damaged pipe or your sewer system gets heavy use, drain cleaning will not be a permanent solution. Defects that impact the flow of sewage are progressive, and they will eventually lead to complete sewer system failure. Similarly, continuous abuse of sewer systems will cause continuous backups, and it may even contribute to pipe damage and defects.

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This post first appeared on https://lentheplumber.com

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Top 5 Summer HVAC Maintenance Tips For Homeowners

The last thing you want to deal with in the middle of a hot summer is an AC unit that doesn’t work. A well-maintained unit, however, can help you stay cool. Not only that, but it can give you peace of mind that you won’t need to worry about being without AC on the hottest day of the year. Luckily, there are HVAC maintenance tips to help you get through the summer comfortably. We list out 5 of them below!

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1. Replace Your Air Filter

It’s recommended you change your air filter every 1-3 months. An air filter that gets clogged with dust, pet dander, debris, and other contaminants also blocks the airflow. This means your AC unit will have to work twice as hard to cool your home. Not only that, but it also might not be able to keep your home at an ideal temperature until your air filter is replaced.

2. Check Your Wiring

You should plan to check the wiring around your house regularly, but when you do, don’t forget about your HVAC unit. Checking the wiring will help you make sure the HVAC unit continues to work properly and keeps you safe. If you notice any wires are frayed, damaged, or look burned, it’s time to call a professional to have them replaced. You should never operate an HVAC unit with faulty wiring.

3. Clean Around Your Outdoor Unit

If you have an outdoor unit, it’s important you make sure it’s clear of any debris and dirt. Grass, trees, sticks, and other objects can obstruct the airflow of your systems. This means your unit won’t be able to work as effectively or as efficiently as it could. We recommend you sweep the area and clear the debris that may have fall into or around your unit.

4. Clean Your Condenser Coils

The condenser coil is an essential piece of your system, but one that isn’t cleaned can greatly impact the performance of your AC unit. When covered with dirt and debris, for example, the heat gets trapped inside and can’t be released into the outside air. Not only will this lead to inefficient cooling, but you may also see an increase in your energy bill as a result. First, you’ll want to turn off the power to your condenser and then spray water over the coils in order to remove the debris that has built up.

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5. Upgrade Your Thermostat

If your home isn’t already equipped with a programmable thermostat, then consider upgrading this summer! A programmable thermostat allows you to schedule when your cooling equipment powers on. This means you can control your comfort and your energy costs from anywhere. For example, if you’re not home, you can schedule your AC unit to power off. On the flip side, you can also schedule it to power on right before you get home. That means you’re never in a position where you’ll have to walk into an unbearably hot home in the middle of summer. Consider investing in a programmable thermostat with WiFi capabilities so you can access your thermostat remotely – from anywhere.

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This post first appeared on https://www.thetrustedplumber.com

Introduction:

Sump pumps are an important part of keeping your home safe from flooding. If your sump pump fails, it can cause serious damage to your home and belongings. In this article, we will discuss the three most common problems that can cause a sump pump to fail: An Overworked Sump Pump, Blockage, and Poor Installation.

We will also give you tips on how to fix each of these problems so that your sump pump will be up and running again in no time!

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Major Causes of Sump Pump Failure

1. What is a Sump Pump and why do I need one?

A sump pump is a pump that is installed on the lowest level of your home, typically in the basement. The purpose of a sump pump is to remove water that has accumulated in the sump pit and to prevent flooding. Sump pumps are usually activated by a float switch, which turns the pump on when the water level in the sump pit rises to a certain point.

2. The three most common problems that can cause a sump pump to fail

A Sump Pump That is Overworked

Some sump pumps are better than others. If you buy a cost-effective plastic model, you are at a greater risk of burnout. You might have a higher-quality pump, but sometimes only one is not enough to handle a high volume of water.

It is advisable to invest in a high-capacity sump pump, which will get you out of most situations when you need it most. If your system isn’t strong enough, you should have a battery-powered backup on hand.

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Blockage

Dirt and dust will accumulate in lidless sump pumps over time, eventually clogging the pump. Your system will either perform poorly or will not function at all if you do this. A clean system is necessary to prevent a blockage from making a bad situation worse, so you should have your system checked annually. It is important to get a technician out as soon as possible if you notice anything wrong with your sump pump.

Poor Installation

Your sump pump will work best if you hire the right installation team. It is possible that your system may not be there for you in your time of need if you hire a company that does not follow the manufacturer’s instructions. This could cause severe water damage. By hiring a reputable company with a guarantee of quality work, licensing, and insurance, you can prevent this problem.

3. How to fix a clogged sump pump

If your sump pump is clogged, the first thing you should do is check the inlet screen. The inlet screen is located where the water enters the sump pit. If the inlet screen is clogged, it will prevent water from entering the sump pit and cause the sump pump to run continuously. To clean the inlet screen, simply remove it and rinse it off with a hose.

If the inlet screen is not the problem, then the next thing you should check is the impeller. The impeller is located inside the sump pump and helps to move water through the pump. If the impeller is clogged, it will prevent water from being pumped out of the sump pit and cause the sump pump to run continuously. To clean the impeller, simply remove it and rinse it off with a hose.

If the impeller is not the problem, then the next thing you should check is the discharge pipe. The discharge pipe is located where the water exits the sump pit. If the discharge pipe is clogged, it will prevent water from being pumped out of the sump pit and cause the sump pump to run continuously. To clean the discharge pipe, simply remove it and rinse it off with a hose.

Conclusion:

It is important to know how to address the three most common problems that can cause a sump pump to fail-clogs, power outages, and broken motors. In this article, we have given you tips on how to fix each of these problems so that your sump pump will be up and running again in no time!

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Summer is almost here. Although it’s not officially summer on the calendar quite yet, the weather might have had you fooled. It’s hot out there and when the temperatures start to rise, it’s easy for the focus in your home to become air conditioning, air conditioning, and more air conditioning.

While this isn’t a bad place to set your sights, it’s not the only place you should be focusing your attention for the next few months. We also suggest that you pay attention to your plumbing in Orlando, FL. We understand that plumbing is one of those things in the home that’s easily overlooked because it’s out of sight and out of mind. That’s why we’ve created a checklist so that you can ensure your plumbing is pristine all year-round.

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Your Summer Plumbing Checklist

Make sure you check in with all the following parts of your plumbing system.

Gas Appliances

Summer is the perfect time of year to entertain. Warm weather has a way of making you want to get outdoors. There’s no better way to spend the day than in the comfort of your backyard with friends and family. If you’re really into entertaining, then it’s likely you have gas appliances. If these are connected to a gas line in your home, then it’s worth checking in with them before the start of the summer season. The last thing you want is any upsets in your outdoor kitchen.

Pool Heaters

While summer is a great time of year to take a dive into your pool, it’s also important to consider those night swims. You want a properly heated pool and we have the systems and services to make this a reality. 

It doesn’t matter if this is your first time investing in a pool heater or if you just need repair to get your system back up and running. Our professionals are around the make sure you’re safe, sound, and warm.

Garbage Disposal

An uptick in entertaining probably means an uptick in cooking as well. Make sure your garbage disposal is ready for this. If you need maintenance or repair, our experts are here to perform it. 

Water Heaters

We know that winter is typically prime time for your water heater, but it’s still important to make sure that your water heater is ready to work during this season too. Just because it’s warm doesn’t mean you’re going to want to take a cold shower for the next three months. Not to mention washing your dishes or your clothes in warm water. We’ll make sure that your water heater is properly maintained no matter if it’s a tank or tankless. 

Sewer Line

What’s worse than horsing around in the pool and being interrupted by the stench of a sewer line problem? Not only is the a killjoy, it’s also a problem that can denote a health issue within your home. No matter what’s going on, it’s important to have a professional out to your home as soon as possible for a problem like this. We can check-in and make sure your backflow systems are in proper working order.

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This post first appeared on https://www.modernpi.com