Understanding Your Thermostat Options

May 22, 2018

Thermostats help your HVAC system keep your home temperature regulated, letting you reside in comfort year-round. You also save money by not expending too much unnecessary energy. Are you sure you have the right thermostat for your needs? Real HVAC Services in Maryland provides you with a number of different options for your home. Are you looking for a high-tech thermostat model? Or do you prefer something more manual? Here’s an overview of different thermostat categories: Mechanical Thermostats These thermostats use metal strips to respond to temperature changes, with the temperature usually stays within five degrees of your selection. The lower price range makes this a good option for the budget-conscious. Electronic Thermostats Digital sensors these thermostats to read the temperature of a room and adjust accordingly. Rooms stay within one degree of your settings. Programmable Thermostats The biggest benefit you receive from this thermostat type is the ability to program temperature presets for your home. You can schedule what you want the temperature to be at any point during the day. Many models allow you to allow the thermostat to auto-adjust based on the outside temperature. That keeps you from needlessly wasting energy that ends up costing you money....

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How to Size a Hot Water Heater

May 2, 2018

When you need to get a new water heater, how will you know what size to get? There are big water heaters, there are small water heaters—get one too big and you waste money, get one too small and you won’t have warm and hot water when you want it. For a tankless or traditional (tanked) water heater, one of the first things that you’ll need to determine how much demand will there be and the flow rate, which is the number of gallons per minute. How many different things might be pulling hot water at the same time? Whatever that answer is, you’ll want to have a big enough water heater to satisfy your family’s needs and requirements. Probably one of the things to keep in mind is if you’re in a shower and using another appliance, you don’t want to run out of hot water! A fairly common flow rate for a shower is 2.5 gallons per minute. Water coming from a faucet to fill a clothes washer might be .75 gallons per minute. Water heaters are normally set at 120 degrees. You can figure that normal water coming through the faucet is about 50 degrees, so it...

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When is a Good Time to Get AC Maintenance?

March 30, 2018

Regular AC maintenance will keep your air conditioning in top shape so you can get through the summer months staying cool and comfortable. The best time to get AC maintenance is in the fall and spring. If you get your maintenance in the spring, you ensure it will run through the warm months. If you get the maintenance done in the fall, you will rest easy knowing that once you stop running your system in the winter, it will be ready to go again in the summer. Since you only need maintenance once a year, it’s best to decide when you are going to run your system more. If your system is just for cooling, then the spring is best. If your system is both heating and cooling, do you run it more in the summer or in the winter? Right before you run it the most is the ideal time for maintenance. When the unit gets inspected in the fall it will likely need some more cleaning, since summer can be a lot dustier than winter in many areas. Some people choose to get their system looked at twice a year for these reasons. Summer is not a good...

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Why Get a Video Camera Inspection for Your Sewer?

February 16, 2018

Showers, sinks, toilets — these household fixtures can become clogged from time to time. Using a plunger is often a homeowner’s first attempt to find a solution. Thankfully, this works for small clogs. Other times, a homeowner might use a liquid drainage solution. This is also effective, to a point. What happens when a plunger or a liquid drainage solution is ineffective? The problem might not be as local as first believed. Drainage Issues If there is a drainage issue, the problem might be farther down the pipe. Sewer lines, often times, run underneath the home. The trick is to find out where the issue is. To assist in diagnosing the location of the backup, a video camera inspection should be considered. The video camera will look for the following: buildups, stoppages, a broken pipe, or even roots. Once the backup is located, work can begin to rectify the problem. Buying a New Home Another time to get a video camera inspection is when purchasing a new home. The plumbing system might work today but it’s not guaranteed to work tomorrow. A comprehensive home inspection is often conducted before a buyer closes on a home. While home inspections are common,...

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Why is Backflow Prevention Important?

January 26, 2018

What is Backflow? Water is vital to your entire household. You drink it, shower in it, wash laundry with it, and water the lawn with it. However, not every source of water is the same. For many places, the pure, clear drinking water that comes from your kitchen taps is different from the water that runs through the toilet or irrigates your garden. This system can work very well as long as the different kinds of water are kept separate. However, that doesn’t always happen. When water travels through your house, it passes through many connection points. Some of these pipes connect with non-drinkable water sources. By law, all of these sources should have a one-way valve that prevents potentially contaminated water from getting into the drinking water system. However, sometimes a change in water pressure or other issue causes these valves to fail. That’s where backflow prevention comes in. Where can Backflow Affect Your House? One of the most common areas for backflow to occur is in your property’s irrigation system. Water that’s suitable for keeping your lawn lush and green may not be suitable for washing your dishes. If backflow occurs, you may find your drinking water contaminated...

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Why Should I Pay Attention to the AFUE Rating?

December 20, 2017

When you think about heating your home, it’s rare that an AFUE rating crosses your mind. This rating is more important than you think. A lot of energy is required to heat your home, and choosing the correct furnace for your home has a lot more to do with the AFUE rating than the price of the unit. The US Department of Energy set standards to help consumers choose the best furnace for their home based on fuel consumption. Learning About Your Furnace Rating AFUE (annual fuel utilization efficiency) is the number that is found on all furnaces. This number tells you how much fuel the unit uses to covert fuel to heat your home. The minimum furnace rating is 80. Whatever the furnace rating, this is the percent of fuel that is used to heat the home. The remaining percent of fuel is used in the process of converting fuel for heat. Older furnaces use the remaining fuel as a standing pilot light. Why Should I Pay Attention to An AFUE Rating? AFUE ratings are important for lowering short-term and long-term heating expenses. This rating is especially important if you intend on replacing your heating system. It’s best to replace your current heating system with one that has the...

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Extend the Life of Your Furnace

November 21, 2017

It is common knowledge for the average heating system to live up to 15 years. The correct maintenance has to be carried out on your heating system to decrease problems that could lead to system damage or, even worse, carbon monoxide poisoning. This is how you can extend the lifespan of your old or new furnace in Seaford, MD. Furnace maintenance  One of the crucial things you should do for your system is schedule a furnace maintenance at intervals. Summer and spring are great choices for this chore. Because your furnace works the most during fall and winter, carrying out maintenance service before those peak periods will be wise. When you follow these regular furnace tune-up schedule, a professional can check for leaks, carbon monoxide poisoning, and other issues a long time before they grow into bigger problems. Replace furnace filters Problems with air quality can be avoided by replacing furnace filters regularly. A clean filter will help boost the lifespan of your furnace, and this should be done more regularly than the furnace tune-up. Check the filter on a monthly basis and change it if it looks dirty. Clean environment The room where your furnace is located has to...

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Comparing Heat Pumps and Furnaces in Ocean Pines

October 10, 2017

You have a few options to consider when it comes to heating your home. You may think the only choice you can afford is a traditional furnace. But heat pumps shouldn’t be counted out. If you need a furnace installed in Ocean Pines while building a new home, or if you need a furnace replaced from normal wear and tear, consider the differences between heat pumps and furnaces before you make your decision. Furnaces Furnaces run on either gas or oil and are popular in places that have harsher winters. The unit warms your home by having a pilot light heat the forced gas that is pushed into the unit first. It then pushes the air through the house until the sensors on your thermostat register the home has reached the pre-set temperature. This process involves low-voltage electricity from the thermostat to light the pilot as well as the energy used to warm the gas or oil. Your gas bill will fluctuate depending on how often the furnace goes through the process of regulating the air temperature. Furnaces also require filter replacement, which is an additional cost. Heat Pumps Heat pumps run on electricity and are typically best in places with...

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Why You Need a Plumbing Inspection in Salisbury

September 21, 2017

A burst pipe, overflowing toilet, or broken faucet can ruin your day. At Real HVAC, we strive to offer the kind of emergency plumbing Salisbury residents trust. However, we know that no matter how polite or knowledgeable our plumbers are, or how reasonable our prices and fast our service, you would probably rather avoid the problem altogether. To help avoid the need for this we also offer plumbing inspections. A plumbing inspection is a complete check-up of all the plumbing in your home. It includes pipes, fixtures, water lines, drains (both indoor and outdoor), vent systems, and many appliances. Our licensed plumbers will look for any leaks, check your toilets, and even look at your sprinkler valves to ensure that all of your plumbing is working correctly. Regular inspections can help diagnose problems before they become emergencies, saving you time, money, and stress. Plumbing inspections should be conducted about every 3 to 4 years. During these inspections, we will also perform any routine maintenance that your plumbing system may need. If you are buying a new home it is very important to have the plumbing inspected before you purchase it. A regular home inspection does look at some plumbing issues but is...

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5 Tips to Extend the Life of Your AC Unit

July 11, 2017

No one likes to think about the end of their AC unit’s life. So don’t! There’s no reason you’re your machine can’t stay with you for many, many years to come. Keeping your AC unit around is easier than you think. At , we sell you products that are guaranteed to last. Still, there are a few easy ways to make sure everything stays running well. Here are 5 simple tips on how to extend the life of your AC unit: Got a lot of stuff hanging around your condenser? Clear all of that away! Keeping too much stuff around your condenser can cause its functions to become restricted, which is never good. Make sure to keep your bushes trimmed and debris cleared out around your condenser as a way to add a few more years to your air conditioning unit’s life. Try to keep your AC unit out of direct sunlight. Doing so can make sure it stays cool and doesn’t overheat. Think about planting some trees near your air conditioning unit in order to keep it in the shade— maybe even a palm tree, for a tropical feel. Clean your AC unit regularly. Leaving the unit dirty can...

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