Colorado Heating & Air Conditioning Prep as Spring Arrives
Let’s hope that you have been changing filters regularly throughout the Colorado winter months. If you have then you have enjoyed better, cleaner air and slightly small fuel bill throughout the coldest months of the winter. If you have not replace the filter with a high quality “pleated” filter, then start today. It is good for the furnace and good for your health so start a regular program right away.
After you have turned off the power to the furnace and all fans have stopped spinning, you may want to wipe down the blower cage and burner chamber with a damp cloth. Remember the area around the burners may be very hot, so you may want to wait of bid to let things cool off and stop spinning before you start working. Did you know that you can save at least 5% of your fuel bill if the burners are kept clean and free of dirt and dust?
If you have a humidifier on your furnace or attached to it, you may want to service it right away before warmer weather gets here. That would entail changing the media pad, wiping off the inside of the humidifier so that it is free of the mineral deposits that have formed of the year. Check the humidistat to see that it is working properly. The only way to do that is to test it against another hand held humidistat to see if it reads the same amount of moisture in the air for the winter or spring months. Everyone seems to like the humidity level a little different, but one thing is for sure, if your windows are bleeding from all of the moisture in the house, then you have it set to high and should be lowered to get away from this condition which could rot the window casing and frames or cause mold to grow. You will have to find the happy medium where you get enough moisture that you do not get shocked when you touch someone or something, your skin fees moist but and not too much that the windows are bleeding water. Another sign that the window is leaking heat is the moisture (can be ice in the winter) that forms where the glass meets the frame. This gap in sealing your window will leak heat out in the winter and cool in the summer.
The last think you want to do before turning on the air conditioning condenser outside is to clean off any debris, leaves, or grass that has built up around the unit. This will allow the condenser to breathe a lot easier. The head pressure will be lower and the compressor motor will live longer because it will not over heat. Condensers are designed to reject heat and if they cannot, they may suffer a shortened life.
If these comments have provoked a few questions, please give me a call because the advice is free. (Denver 303-952-8668 or Summit and Eagle County 970.328.6001 ).
Tom D’Agostino, Service Manger
Kimmel Mechanical, Inc.
Plumbing System & Equipment – Prevent a Large Repair Bill this Spring
Colorado spring has arrived – what should you be looking for this season in order to prevent a large repair bill to your plumbing system and equipment?
The plumbing system in your home consists of the parts to the most used product in your home: kitchen sink, water heater, toilets (Water Closet as we say in the industry), outside faucets (silcocks), etc. We take their use for granted until they break without notice, or so it seems. Let’s take another look:
The kitchen sink faucet is the most used device in the home and because of this wears down with repeated use of the faucet or spray hose. One of the first signs of wear is that you may notice that you are not getting the same amount of water from the faucet. This is easily resolved by unscrewing the aerator on the end of the spout and cleaning out the debris that has accumulated over a long period of time. If the sprayer does not work any more, then you may need to replace the spray head or diverter part (depending on the make and model) so that 100% of the water is diverted from the spout to the spray hose when you need it to.
Water heater – If you have replaced the heater in the last 18 months, then you should have been drawing off 5 gallons of hot water from the drain valve located on the bottom of the heater. If you have not maintained this chore and you are beyond the 18 months, don’t start now because it would result in a plumbing service call to replace that valve because it will not turn off. Minerals plug up the drain valve and cannot be easily dislodge if you have not flushed them out regularly. You may also want to look at the flame on the heater just to see if the blue portion of the flame is 1 12/” to 2” tall. If the flame does not meet this criteria, do not try to make any adjustments with the heater fuel or air intake. Please leave that to a professional.
Water Closets(i.e. Toilets) – The internal parts of the toilet consist of a ballcock or fill valve as well as the flush mechanism or flush valve. Due to constant wear and tear, the flush valve or flapper valve usually needs to replaced every 1 ½ to 3 years. The quality of the water in your system will break down the rubber on these valves and cause the tank to leak water ever so slightly at first until it gets very noticeable. The result is that it can waste hundreds and even thousands of gallons of water before noticed and corrected. How can you tell if your valve is ready for replacement? You can tell by touching the rubber flapper valve. If it is very spongy and rubs off on your fingers very easily, then it should be replaced. Once replaced, you can test that your repair has worked by simply putting some food dye in the tank and not use it for 30 minutes. If the flapper valve is the correct type and size, then you will not see any of the food dye going from the tank to the bowl. However, if you notice that the food dye color is leaching into the toilet bowl you will know that your repair was incorrect or your flapper valve was the wrong type or size.
Outside faucets – We will soon be able to start using the outdoor faucets for lawn and garden use. If for some reason you did not take off the hose in time for the first hard freeze, then you may have a split outside hose faucet (freezless silcock). Be very careful when you go out to start gardening in early spring because if there is a split valve, it will flood your home inside while you are outside in the sun enjoying the good weather. The way to find out is to have someone outside turning on the water at the same time you are inside opposite the outside faucet and listening for the spraying noise which is very easy to detect by listening and watching to see if the floor starts to get wet.
If you see the water on the ground the stop and turn off the faucet and then call you local plumber for this repair. If you let this leaking faucet run for an hour or two while you are outside you will come back to a flooded home and a lot of work cleaning it up.
These are some of the most common problems or concerns that you SHOULD have regarding the plumbing system in your home. So, an ounce of prevention …… If you have any questions, please give Kimmel Service a call in Denver at 303-952-8668 or Summit and Eagle County at 970.328.6001 for some quick, free and easy advice.
Tom D’Agostino, Service Manger
Kimmel Service
Denver, Summit County and Eagle County Colorado
Prevent a Plumbing Disaster
Well, you survived last weeks' subzero temperatures in Colorado. There was no emergency and you are warm, but keep in mind that you are not quite over the hump.
If you want to read some suggestions to avoid an unexpected plumbing emergency as we experience more frigid weather this winter, read my "Blog of Ice" at YourHub.com.
What to do when the temperatures hit zero
Here at Kimmel Mechanical, our phones were kept busy with emergency calls due to the recent extreme cold temperatures here in Denver, Colorado. Since this will probably not be the last cold dip in temperatures this winter, we wanted to offer some advice to help you not only prevent frozen and broken pipes, but what to do if you have this situation occur in your home or business.
Plumbing – when it starts to get below 20°F, begin the preventative practice of opening your bathroom vanity cabinet doors so the heat in the room can transfer to the area where your pipes are located. This is a very simple procedure and it can help your pipes from freezing, unless there is a gap in your outdoor siding where the cold air can blow directly on your pipes.
One very important thing to know is that even if you have not experienced frozen pipes, be aware that they will freeze when no water is moving or circulating. If you have experienced frozen pipes at a particular plumbing fixture, such as your toilet or the bathroom lavatory, you should turn on the hot and cold water in the lavatory so that there is a small stream of water coming from the faucet. Make sure that you have the water mixed by turning on the hot and cold water so that it comes through in an equally mixed small stream. It may cost you a few dollars on your water bill, but this simple step can also help save you a large sum in repair bills for frozen and broken pipes. This should be done only on the coldest days and nights to conserve water. Raising the water level in your toilet tank during the frigid weather can also help so that it barely goes over the top of the overflow tube in the tank.
As always, if you are not sure about what to do when the freezing weather arrives, please call Tom in Denver at 303-952-8668 or 303-800-3781 and in Summit/Eagle County call 970-328-6001.
Heating - Saving money on your heating bills is not only good for the environment, but also gives you a break in high energy costs. There has been a lot of discussion about making your home almost airtight to keep the heat or cooling in to save money. Believe it or not, this approach can actually be dangerous to your health. The reason is that there is naturally occurring CO (carbon monoxide) in our homes. It comes from many sources including the gas cook top or oven, even though the amounts can be small. If we tighten up our homes to the extreme, we eliminate the infiltration of fresh air and that can result in more CO retention in our homes.
When the temperature dips below zero and you are confident that you have sealed up all of the windows and doors as much as possible, also remember that there may be cracks in the siding next to your hot and cold water pipes still exposed. The home generates heat (or to say it in another way it, the cold chases the heat in your home). To prevent a catastrophe such as frozen and broken plumbing, you may not want to turn down your thermostat, but do turn it up just a couple of degrees. The coldest days and nights will test the tightness of your home and the ability of your furnace to heat all corners of your home. So just keeping the thermostat at 70 degrees during the coldest times may prevent a plumbing catastrophe.
Take a few moments to go around your home to try to locate cold spots. Sometimes a little space heater will help to warm up a cold corner. There are some very safe models out there, but do take caution when choosing a heater. One good tip sheet to read is from the Underwriters Safety Laboratory - click here to read about space heaters.
Keeping the temperatures a little warmer than usual, and following the plumbing procedures listed above can help save you from costly service calls for frozen and broken pipes. In the event that you do have frozen and broken pipes, please call us immediately at Kimmel. We answer the phones 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our Denver number is 303-952-8668 and our Summit/Eagle County number is 970-328-6001 .
Welcome to our Blog
The goal of our blog is to serve as both an educational resource and preventive care guide for house or apartment dwellers in Colorado.
Weekly posts will contain top-notch advice and insight for keeping your home running smoothly all year long and avoiding expensive repairs that can turn your house into a money pit.
Look for articles about household plumbing, heating & cooling systems and guidance for keeping them running efficiently.
Seasonal maintenance tasks (and problems) are also discussed such as what to do with your air conditioner in winter, how to keep your pipes from freezing when it's -20, and how to protect your home from the elements.
Check back frequently for coupons and specials, as well as updates on rebate programs.