Learn To Deal With Common Problems With Hot Water Heaters
Hot water heaters may have problems regularly that you have to deal with. When you are aware of what to watch out for, it is very easy to avoid serious complications in the future. Being prepared helps you get problems fixed before they cost you a lot of money.
Water Has A Bad Odor
There are different reasons why a strange odor would be coming from the water in your home. You have to figure out first whether the source water is the problem or if it's the water heater. Do you have a problem with both the hot and cold water or just the cold? Then that means it's probably from the source water.
If your only source of problems is the hot water, it probably has something to do with the anode rod and how its interacting with the water.
The odor issue can be dealt with by flushing your hot water heater tank if it smells like rotten eggs. If that doesn't really help, then it may be time to replace your anode rod. For a garlic like scent in your water, you may just have a pilot light that went out. Your gas control valve should be turned to off, and then after the smell of gas is gone you can try relighting the pilot light. If you ever have this problem, you should call an
HVAC company right away.
Never try to light it if you notice that the gas smell is sticking around and is strong.
Hot Water Issues
Sometimes your hot water will be far too hot to comfortably use. You can always turn down the temperature. Make sure you take note of the setting and then that you try turning it down. After a couple of hours, you can check the water to see if it's not as hot. If there are still problems, you may have serious issues like a faulty temperature pressure relief valve.
You must get a professional out to help you if this valve has problems and in the meantime you need to turn down the water heater as much as possible until then.
If you have a hot water heater, chances are you are going to end up having to deal with these common issues. They may not be apparent for a while or they can happen later today. Keep an eye on your hot water heater and it will be easy to notice when issues arise.
Learn more about
heater maintenance here.
Your heater have to be properly maintained if you want it to work well during cold days of the year. Not only will it work properly, but it can also last you a longer time. Having a heater break down when it's cold out can make your home uncomfortable and in some situations it can be dangerous.
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| The M. J. Mac Inc. Team |
The filter attached to your heating system is going to need to be replaced regularly. There are various filter types and usually the more expensive they are, the more they do for you. Your home's air quality can be drastically worse if your HVAC system doesn't have the right attention paid to it. If you notice that lately, you have been having allergies while you're inside your house, the filter may need to be replaced. Another sign that you need to get a replacement put in is if your electricity bills have gone up when using the heater the same amount.
Check to see if any of the vents that are attached to your heating system are blocked. They can end up causing your furnace to overheat. When you're moving any furniture you should keep it away from vents because covering them can lead to problems and can make it hard for you to keep your home warm. Another common issue is an older thermostat that is no longer working properly that could be causing heating issues. It needs to be responsive and should also be able to regulate the temperature even when you are not around to turn it on or off.
Heaters tend to have to work a lot harder if your home has windows that are not sealed properly. Doors can leak air too if they are not put in right or if they are just old and the stripping around the door is failing on you. You may also want to replace an older heating unit if you are not happy with how your home feels on a regular basis. If you've replaced the filter and have made sure to keep up with changing it but still have a cool house no matter what you do, it's probably your heater.
The heater that you have will need to be properly maintained if you want it to work its best. An HVAC specialist should be contacted if you're not comfortable with keeping your heater maintained.
Additional Resources:
Air conditioning shopping is complicated until you learn the basics of the different types of air conditioners. Read on to learn more about today's cooling options. If you are not already using one, get a fan because it will evaporate the moisture to make you feel cooler which will tax air conditioning systems less. Now, onto the best part -- the basic types of air conditioning units and systems that are available to cool the home.
There are swamp coolers, also known as window units. The portable, packaged terminal air conditioners, central air, ductless and split systems.
The window units sit in the window, while the portable are mobile and can be rolled throughout the home to be wherever you are. Central air conditioning is another, which most people are aware of and makes a great example for explaining the components of any air conditioning system. Each one, whether a window unit or a central air system, will include a condenser, expansion valve, refrigerant, and the compressor, along with an evaporator coil.
Central air is still very popular and the most sought after option because it is out of the way, quiet, and hands down the best at cooling a home. It turns out the reason smaller homes may not be able to have central air is that systems cannot accommodate the small size and would permit mold growth because they could never dehumidify properly.
They would have trouble operating on a thermostat too because they would always be running because of short cycling.fa
Central air has an evaporative aspect and condensing portion, with a connection to the refrigerant coil. The condensing box is outdoors and has its fan, coils, and compressor.
The evaporative portion is within the furnace normally and has the valve and coil.
The window air conditioner system has all of these components in one compact unit, which spits out cool air into the home, and spews out heat out of the home. The portable
AC is also a single unit that has a hose to spew the heat out of the home, and the cool air into the home.
You may have seen the PTAC, split, and ductless units in operation, more likely in public spaces such as hotels. The AC is sandwiched with an exterior-facing and interior-facing aspect, with refrigerant flowing between them. The evaporator fan is interior facing, and everything else faces outside.
That rounds out the different types of air conditioning.
Choose based on cooling needs, budget, with an eye on the appropriate sizing of the unit for your home.
Read the original page on M. J. Mac Inc.
How Do I Know if My AC Unit Needs a Tune Up?
Depending on your geographic location, running an AC unit to cool down the interior of your home can set you back to varying degrees. Following are some great tips on how you can make this degree much less acute and still enjoy a cool environment within your home.
1. Avoid the “Set It and Forget It” way of thinking
If you like the convenience of a central unit controlled by a thermostat, adjust the temperature according to the daily conditions. If there will be many people in the house, it's ok to turn it up to counterbalance the body heat, just be sure to turn it back down as soon as they are gone.
On days no one is home leave the setting low, and feel free to knock it back up a notch or two if the night is especially hot. The goal is to keep the temperature at about 80°, which is a comfortable cool by anyone’s standards.
Coupled with a solid plan to reduce energy expenses during the winter, carefully adjusting the thermostat settings can save as much as $200 in a year — perhaps more if energy saving measures haven't been practiced regularly.
2. Regularly Clean the Air Filter
Whether your environment is conditioned by a central unit or the type that fits in a window, it is essential that the air filters are kept clean. The dirty filter causes the AC unit to work harder to accomplish less, thus reducing the efficiency of the machine and costing you much more in energy expenses.
The air filters must be addressed at least once a month, many environments high in dust or other airborne contaminants should be addressed more often. With an HVAC system, the filters should be replaced every three months.
3. Regular Maintenance
A professional tune-up will keep your AC running at optimal performance for many moons. In the same way car benefits from a tune up or the human body benefits from a medical check-up, an AC unit can begin to develop small problems with the compressor, motor or wiring that a trained professional can address, successfully prolonging the life of the cooling device.
4. Thinking Small
Cooling the entire home with a central cooling system is luxurious and all, but think about how much you could save by only cooling what needs to be cooled. If 90% of the activities in the home will be done in one single room, think of getting a smaller unit to cool that room alone.
By properly selecting, arranging and enhancing the performance of the AC with stand up or ceiling fans a very cooling effect can be accomplished with minimal energy expenditure.
5. The Energy Star
The Energy Star does much to reduce energy expenses. Whether you are installing an AC unit, a Central Cooling Unit or even having new windows installed, searching for products with this symbol will ensure you are using and paying for only the energy you need.
If you believe that you need a tune up and you live in the
Hatboro area give us a call!
This post originally appeared on
www.mjmacinc.com
