Signs That Your Tank Water Heater Needs Repair

February 15th, 2021
technician-working-on-water-heater-tank

It doesn’t matter what season it is or what the temperature is outside—there is one heating system in your home that you will always need to work flawlessly. The water heater! We can see how this system would be easy to take for granted. It’s easy to just rely on the fact that we’ll always have hot water coming from the taps whenever we need it in our homes.

But when you think about the amount of strain that your water heater undergoes—after all it works 365 days a year—you can probably understand that you can’t expect the system to work 100% free from problems forever. There will come a point that you might need to have your water heater professionally repaired. It helps to know what the warning signs are so you know when to give our team a call! Read on to learn what they are.

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How Can an UV Air Purifier Help My Home?

February 8th, 2021
UV-air-purifier-light

We offer several types of air purifier in Modesto, CA to help our customers improve the quality of their indoor air. Many purifiers target chemicals, smoke, molecule odors, and the insidiously common volatile organic compounds. We can help homeowners determine what pollutants are moving through their HVAC system and install the air purification system that will remove them, often up to 99%.

When it comes to dealing with the many biological pollutants that can roam through the rooms of a home, a house may need a special dedication purifier: a UV air purifier a.k.a. UV germicidal lights. These biological hazards include toxic mold spores, viruses, germs, bacteria, and many other microbes. You probably don’t need us to tell you these are undesirables—but you may need an explanation for how a UV air purifier can help you win the fight against them. 

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What’s Going On When a Heat Pump Won’t Heat

February 1st, 2021
woman-huddled-on-couch-in-hat-and-blanket

Temperatures may not get as chilly here as they do in the Midwest or Northeast, but if the last couple of weeks have been any indication, it does get cold. This means that furnaces and heat pump systems have been turning on for the first time in months recently. If you have a heat pump in your home, then it gets a lot of use… but you most recently used it in cooling mode, right? All it takes to switch it to heating mode is a quick adjustment on your thermostat.

But what if you adjust your thermostat to get heat from your heat pump, and nothing happens? Perhaps you’re still getting cooled air from the vents, or maybe the air feels like it is still room temperature. This is a clear indication that something is wrong. The problem might be something simple, or it could be more complex. Read on as we uncover what could be going on when your heat pump won’t heat.

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How Often Do I Need to Schedule Duct Cleaning?

January 25th, 2021
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The ducts in your house are hidden from sight, so you won’t have a good idea about how much dust, dander, lint, and other debris builds up inside them over the years. To give you an idea, a six-person home circulates on average 40 lbs. of dust through the ventilation system annually. Plenty of that will stay on the duct walls, and the more that collects, the more dust it will catch. This eventually leads to ductwork with so much build-up that it affects the energy efficiency of the HVAC system and adds to the amount of debris and allergens blown out into the air.

Professional duct cleaning will restore the ducts to near-pristine condition and help significantly to improve the HVAC system. But how often does your home need this service?

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“Is My HVAC Air Filter Protecting My Indoor Air Quality?”

January 18th, 2021
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The short answer to this is, “No.”

It’s not that the standard HVAC air filter hurts your indoor air quality. In fact, it does help a little. However, it’s not doing much to protect your indoor air quality, because that is not its purpose.

The air filter that comes standard with your HVAC system is actually in place to protect the system itself. It’s placed on the intake side, where your HVAC system draws in air. This prevents the system from sucking in dirt, dust, and other debris that can build up on its components and do the system harm. While it’s a very important component, it won’t do a whole lot to protect or help your indoor air quality in a significant way.

What will, then? A whole-house air purification system.

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How High-Efficiency Furnaces Work So Well

January 11th, 2021
gas-furnace

Heating and air conditioning systems have improved their energy efficiency vastly over the past 20 years. Today, the US Department of Energy’s ENERGY STAR program certifies the most efficient of these systems, which sometimes perform at 40% greater efficiency than older models. 

The high-efficiency furnace is one of the big success stories in energy-friendly comfort. For many years, the standard efficiency of most furnaces was between 70 to 80% AFUE, meaning that 70 to 80% of the furnaces’ fuel source was converted to heat, the rest lost to exhaust. Today, there are high-efficiency furnaces that score higher than 95% AFUE. 

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“What Happened to My Water Pressure?”

January 4th, 2021
water-dripping-from-faucet

Let’s say you’ve hopped in the shower on a cold winter morning only to realize that even though it’s warm, the water coming out of the showerhead doesn’t seem to be coming out at the same force that it used to. It could just be the showerhead, right? Limescale can certainly clog things up. That may be the case, but what if your faucets aren’t that powerful either? Well, then it appears you have a drop in water pressure.

If you ever have any questions about your plumbing system or why your water pressure dropped, you can always call us. In fact, you should call us in case you can’t find out what the issue is on your own. This isn’t a problem you want to ignore since it could mean you had a pipe rupture or a major blockage somewhere in your plumbing system. Read on to learn about some steps to take if you find yourself in this predicament.

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What You Need to Know About Heating Efficiency Ratings

December 28th, 2020
money-saving-house

Choosing a new heating system for your home requires balancing several different factors. One you’ll pay close attention to is the energy efficiency rating of the new heater. The number matters because you want to find a system that will save you money and help the environment with its performance. 

But energy efficiency ratings can be a bit confusing and people often are unaware of what a higher rating means. Below, we’ve provided some essential information to help you understand how ratings work for furnaces and heat pumps.

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Signs That It’s Time for a Plumbing Fix

December 21st, 2020
water-bursting-through-crack-in-pipe

Plumbing system problems can often be difficult to spot, especially without the right professional equipment and know-how about comprehensive pipe systems. Most of these pipes, after all, are hidden from view, and the problems that crop up are usually pretty subtle when they start.

For this reason, we recommend that our customers schedule preventive plumbing maintenance at least once annually. However, it’s also important to familiarize yourself with the warning signs that you do need a plumbing fix, even if you’re due for maintenance. The faster you detect a plumbing issue, the faster you can get it fixed, after all. So, what are these signs?

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Combating the Spread of Winter Illness With Air Purifiers

December 14th, 2020
virus-cells

This winter people are more worried than ever about the spread of illnesses inside their homes. Winter is traditionally a time when people are more exposed to colds and cases of flu because they’re spending a larger amount of time indoors in close proximity to other people. Additionally, many viruses and cold germs thrive in drier, colder environments, and these conditions contribute to dried mucus and sinus membranes that lower the body’s natural defenses. 

You do have options for improving the quality of your indoor air during the winter. There isn’t anything that can guarantee to stop the spread of all germs and microbes but using a professionally installed air purifier in Stockton, CA can significantly reduce the number of harmful particles circulating through your house. These same air purifiers can provide help against allergens and asthma triggers during the spring allergy season.

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