What to Expect During Furnace Maintenance

September 20, 2021

You rely on your furnace to keep you warm and comfortable every winter. Maintaining the heating equipment in your home can extend its useful life. This in turn allows you to enjoy its operation far into the future. What does the technician do to make this possible? Checking for Damage Winter weather can be harsh on heating systems. Technicians inspect furnaces for damage, so a fix can be found. This means removing blockages, clogs and debris buildup. It also means identifying cracked belts and components, tightening loose connections and inspecting the filter. Lubricating Moving Parts The more a part moves during operation, the more likely it needs to be lubed. This maintenance task helps the system work smoothly and keep up with the demand for hot air. Blowers and motor bearings are items that require this maintenance step. For a professional maintenance tune-up in Salisbury, locals rely on the skilled technicians at . We help homeowners like you maintain their heating equipment. Let us know you would like our assistance to close out your furnace this spring. Testing and Verifying Before completing your tune-up, the system will need to be tested for safety and general operation. Your technician will verify...

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Methods of Checking AC Efficiency

August 17, 2021

While the temperature is still hot in Salisbury, it’s the perfect time to ensure that your air conditioner uses energy efficiently. Maintaining the proper energy usage will help you keep money in your pocket and lengthen the amount of time your AC remains in good condition. Here are some simple methods of deducing whether your AC is efficient. Time Taken to Cycle A properly maintained system will turn on immediately and cycle until the air in the room is cooled to the desired temperature. Faulty systems will sometimes persist longer or cycle in short bursts that don’t really leave your home much cooler. Both of these scenarios are signs that your system is wasting energy. The issue could be the size of your unit. Indoor Air Quality Dust, pollen and dirt are trapped in your air conditioner’s filters, and they should be replaced routinely. This keeps your airways clean and the air you breathe free of particles. If those airways become clogged, the resulting situation will make your AC work harder to cool your home. In addition to that, your air quality could drop significantly. So, bad air quality could be a sign that you have airflow constriction in your...

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How To Tell if Thermostat Is Not Working

July 29, 2021

Are you having issues with your air conditioning or heater? If you experience any of the problems mentioned below, a faulty thermostat could be to blame. Find out how to tell if your thermostat isn’t working and what to do about it. The System Won’t Complete a Full Cycle If your HVAC system is starting and shutting off too early, it is not completing a full cooling or heating cycle. In this case, it would fail to maintain a consistent temperature. Short cycling makes your equipment less efficient and may cause an increase in your electric bills. HVAC System Doesn’t Start Your HVAC system’s thermostat controls the temperature inside your home by turning the system on and off. With a thermostat that doesn’t function properly, it may fail to start at all, or it might refuse to shut down. In the latter case, the system would just continue to run until you physically turn off the switch. No Response to Different Settings When you turn the thermostat up or down, the system should respond relatively quickly. If the thermostat is working properly, you should hear a clicking sound. If there is no change after a few seconds and you hear...

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How To Clean Air Conditioning Unit

June 6, 2021

An air conditioner plays an important role in keeping you and your family cool during the summer months. One way to prepare your air conditioning unit for the summer is to give it a cleaning before you use it. Cleaning your air conditioner can boost its efficiency and help you avoid many problems in the future. Here are a few tips on how to clean your air conditioning unit. 1. Disconnect Power and Remove the AC Grille You will need to always disconnect the power to your air conditioner before you begin the cleaning process. You can remove the AC grille by taking out the sheet metal screws once the power is off. The majority of units have plenty enough slack in the wires to remove the top without the need for disconnecting any wires. 2. Remove Debris The next step is to remove all of the debris in the air conditioner. Debris can quickly accumulate during the winter months, as taking the extra time to remove the debris is well worth the effort in keeping your system well-maintained and working at an efficient level. 3. Clean the Coils and Fins Once you remove all of the debris, you will...

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What Are Air Conditioning BTU’s?

May 10, 2021

If you’ve been looking into new air conditioners, you’ve likely seen the term “BTU.” What exactly does it mean? Defining BTU BTU stands for British Thermal Unit. It’s a way to describe energy. One BTU is required to increase the temperature of one pound of water by a single degree. The industry uses BTUs to refer to how much heat, or energy, an air conditioner can remove from the air. At this point, it’s important to remind people that AC units don’t just blow cold air. We know it seems that way, but in actuality, they remove heat from the air and cycle the air back through into the room. A unit with more BTUs would do a better job of removing heat from a room. If you have a large space to cool, you’ll need an air conditioner with many BTUs. If you use an AC unit with too many BTUs, however, it’s not a good thing. First, you’d be paying too much for your air conditioner since having more BTUs usually translates into being more expensive. Also, your AC unit would cool the space so fast that it would turn on and off in short cycles, and this...

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Who Invented Air Conditioning?

April 16, 2021

The history of air conditioning is a mixture of ingenuity and hard effort. People have been trying to cool off for thousands of years, but it wasn’t until fairly recently that we came up with an efficient way to do it. Who deserves our thanks? Simon Newcomb Charles Guiteau shot President Garfield back in 1881. In an effort to save his life, naval engineer Simon Newcomb oversaw the development of an attempt at an air conditioning unit. His work resulted in an engine with a fan that blew over lots of ice. Though President Garfield still died, Newcomb did manage to lower the temperature of the room by roughly 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Willis Carrier The actual invention of the air conditioning unit is thanks to a man named Willis Carrier. In the year 1902, he discovered that air could literally be conditioned by passing dry air through water in order to create fog. This innovation is the reason you no longer have to worry about the weather being excessively hot. Oddly enough, he came up with this invention while waiting to catch a train. The device he conceived was the foundation for the next innovation, the portable AC unit. Frederick...

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How to Winterize House Plumbing

March 17, 2021

Winterizing the plumbing system can protect your home’s pipes from severe damage during the winter. Freezing temperatures can cause breaks and leaks in your plumbing. When water freezes, it expands to become ice. This expansion causes excess internal pressure in water pipes, so taking precautions is important. Here is how you can winterize your plumbing to avoid leaking and bursting pipes. Upgrade to Frost-Free Hose Bibs Installing a frost-free hose bib is a smart long-term investment you can make to winterize your plumbing. Frozen hose bibs can be dangerous and costly to fix after they burst. Consider calling a licensed plumber to upgrade your hose bib and save money in the long run. If you’re in the vicinity of Salisbury and you’d like to discuss this possibility, consult with the expert plumbers from . Seal Air Leaks Even the smallest holes in your home can allow cold air to freeze pipes. Therefore, check for any leaks around your exterior wall sockets, plumbing, doors, electrical wiring, and windows. Ensure that you seal them. Insulate Pipes Another effective way to winterize your plumbing is to buy foam insulation sleeves and slip them over the pipes. You can place the insulation sleeves on...

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Can Too Much Rain Cause Plumbing Problems?

February 16, 2021

Heavy rain can cause you to have plumbing problems, especially if it’s been dry for a long time. There are a few problems that can occur, but luckily there are ways to prevent some of them. Clogged Drains When there’s heavy rain, it can cause dirt and debris to build in your drain pipes and block them. Residential drainage systems aren’t designed to manage a large amount of water with debris in it. A sign you have a problem is the smell of sewage coming out of your drains or pooling water in your sinks and bathtubs. To avoid this problem, have a plumber regularly clean your drainage pipes. Flooding Heavy rain causes water to enter your crawlspace or basement. This can cause many problems, including severely damaging your home’s foundation. It’s also a health hazard as it can result in the growth of mold and mildew. To avoid these problems, install a sump pump. A properly installed sump pump collects water and discharges it away from your home. Septic Flooding If you’re on a septic system, its drainage field can become saturated by heavy rain. With nowhere else to go, drain water will be pushed back through the pipes...

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How Does A Ductless Mini-Split System Work?

January 20, 2021

A ductless mini-split system offers an opportunity to reduce the cost of cooling your home. Operational savings arise mostly from only cooling the rooms that you are using and eliminating losses due to duct leaks. A heat pump achieves the cooling that you desire by moving refrigerant through piping between the indoor air handlers and the outdoor condenser. Collection of Indoor Heat To cool down a room with a ductless mini-split, you turn on the air handler mounted on the room’s wall or ceiling. A fan inside the unit draws in the hot air and moves it across an evaporator. The evaporator coil absorbs the heat into the refrigerant that is pumped through the coil. The blower then expels cooled air right into the room. Removal of Indoor Heat Conduits, such as pipes or flexible hose, connect the indoor air handler to the outdoor condenser. The refrigerant that absorbed the heat from a room travels to the outdoor unit. Once outside, the refrigerant enters a condenser that draws the heat out from the refrigerant. An outdoor blower vents the heat away into the outside air. Recirculation of Refrigerant Once the refrigerant has vented the heat outside, the heat pump moves...

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Ways to Avoid Damaging Your Plumbing System

December 10, 2020

Your plumbing system plays a crucial role in distributing clean water and getting rid of wastewater from your home. However, when this system is not working correctly, it can cause a lot of inconvenience and discomfort. Clogged drains and low water pressure are some of the challenges that you are likely to encounter. Fortunately, you can avoid these problems by taking care of your plumbing system. The following tips will help you avoid damaging your plumbing system: Deal with the Clogs Clogs in the drains and toilets can be avoided if you stop using them for disposing of garbage. However, when clogs occur, how well you deal with them will determine your plumbing longevity. Instead of using chemicals to dissolve the gunk, try the manual alternatives such as the plumbing snake or plunger. You should avoid harsh chemicals that eat away porcelain and ceramic appliances. A combination of baking soda, vinegar, and hot water is friendly to your plumbing and has excellent cleaning power. You can unclog your plumbing by: Using an old toothbrush to remove the debris Using a wet and dry vacuum to draw out the gunk Fishing the debris out with a bent wire hanger Pouring boiling...

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