| FAQ |
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| HVAC Questions: |
| Q: How often should I have my equipment serviced? |
| A: Heating and Air Conditioning equipment should be serviced at least once a year. The best scenario is to have the heating system checked in the Fall and the air conditioning checked in the Spring. |
| Q: Why should I have my equipment serviced? |
A:
Annual servicing includes cleaning the system, checking for any problems or potential problems and adjusting for Peak efficiency. The benefits include:
- Increased dependability
- Find potential problems and fix them quickly
- Provide maximum efficiency which lowers energy costs
- Prolongs the life-span of the equipment
- Maintains safe and healthy operation
- Can help to protect the environment
- Drastically reduces the chance of a break-down which usually happens at night or on weekends when repair rates are higher.
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| Q: When should I use my Emergency Heat? |
| A: The Emergency Heat switch on a Heat Pump thermostat confuses many people. The fact of the matter is that most people don't seem to understand exactly what Emergency Heat is and when they need to use it. Many people think that Heat Pumps don't work in cold weather and they are supposed to use the emergency heat whenever it gets really cold... Wrong! |
| Q: What is Emergency Heat? |
| A: Simply put, usually it is in the form of electric resistance heating. This is an all-electric Heat Pump. The supplemental heat is also referred to as "second-stage" or "back-up" heating, "first-stage" being the Heat Pump only. The supplemental heat is also what is used as the Emergency Heat. Different systems have different ways of determining when the second-stage comes on to assist the heat pump but it is always done automatically. So the two stages will work together in the colder months and it is not necessary to switch your thermostat to Emergency Heat. Now we know what supplemental heat is and that it is also used for Emergency Heat |
| Q: So when do I actually use the Emergency Heat? |
| As the name implies, it is only used in emergency situations. It is used when there is something wrong with first-stage heating [the Heat Pump itself]. In other words, if you notice your house is cold and it isn't heating properly that would be a good time to switch to Emergency Heat and call for service. |
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| Plumbing Questions: |
| Q: We don’t use our basement bathroom very often however it has a bad odor. What can we do? |
| A: Plumbing systems are designed with a trap attached to the
fixtures. The traps form a water seal to prevent odors from entering the
house. If the fixtures are not used very often the water evaporates
therefore breaking the seal and allowing the odors into the house. Therefore
in order to prevent this problem, simply pour a bucket of water into each
fixture such as the toilet, sink, shower, etc.
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| Q: When my water bills seemed to be higher than usual I
checked all my faucets for leaks and did not find any. Is there anything
else that could be leaking that I am missing? |
| A: Your toilets are usually a good place to start. Check the water
level to ensure that water is not overflowing the tank by way of the
overflow pipe (the pipe in the middle of the tank) If water is running into
the overflow, adjust the fill valve to stop the flow approximately 1 inch
below the top of the overflow tube or to the water level mark stamped on the
side of the tank. Second, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank to
test the flush valve mechanism. If the water in the bowl changes color
within 15 minutes this is an indication that water is leaking into the toilet
bowl and that the ball or flapper needs to be replaced. |
| Q: We turned off the outside faucets before the weather began
to freeze however the pipes to our outside faucet still froze and broke. Why? |
| A: Along with turning off the water you must also disconnect the
garden hose from the faucet to allow the water to drain out of the pipe.
This helps the piping endure the cold.
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| Q: Is there any way to get the white build up off of my
shower head and faucet aerators? |
| A: To remove the mineral deposits, try pouring vinegar in a plastic
bag, put the bag over the shower head and fasten with a rubber band or twist
tie. Let the shower head soak overnight and in the morning take a soft brush
(such as an old toothbrush)and scrub off the mineral deposits.
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