Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Cedar Rapids Blog’ Category

5 Ways to Keep Your Mobile Home Cool

Monday, August 29th, 2022
mobile-home

When you are a mobile homeowner, you might imagine that your only choice when it comes to keeping your living space cool and comfortable is to use strategically placed fans. This is especially true if you are part of a Homeowners Association that won’t allow you to have a central air conditioner installed. Fortunately, you actually do have options, and our team is here to help you go through them.

We provide trustworthy and professional mobile home cooling services throughout the greater Cedar Rapids area, and we look forward to helping you keep your mobile home as cool and comfortable as possible. We also can help improve your indoor air quality, and help with your plumbing and electrical needs too!

As for how to make sure you’re doing everything you can to cool off your mobile home, read on!

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How to Choose the Right Ceiling Fan

Monday, August 15th, 2022
ceiling-fan-in-modern-kitchen

Ceiling fans have an important purpose in the modern home. No, they cannot lower the temperature in a room. But, they can help circulate the air more effectively. This means that they can help your home efficiency since you can adjust your thermostat by a couple of degrees so you and your family will feel cooler.

Plus, the direction of your ceiling fan’s blades can be reversed using the small switch at the center of your fan, in order to push heat down in the wintertime and help your heating system keep you warmer. So ceiling fans have advantages no matter what time of the year it is!

But how do you choose the right fan or fans for your specific home? Read on as we share some pointers!

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4 Common Plumbing Issues in Older Homes

Monday, August 8th, 2022
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Buying a “new” home is very exciting. But what if the home that’s “new” to you was actually built decades ago? While we don’t think it’s haunted or anything, there is still a very good chance you could be dealing with some structural repairs when you move in. It may impact your home’s wiring, HVAC efficiency, and plumbing.

Plumbing is especially important here. The material that was previously used for plumbing pipes corrodes faster than what is used today, which can pose a problem.

Fortunately, you have our team on your side, ready to help. We’re here for any and all of your plumbing needs. Read on as we uncover some of the common plumbing problems owners of older homes run into.

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Why Does My AC Run Constantly?

Monday, August 1st, 2022
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Do you have a “runaway air conditioner”? Okay, this isn’t an official term or anything, but when your air conditioner just keeps running and running without ever shutting off, you might think of it that way. What could possibly be going on? It’s not that hot, is it?

The fact is, the run time of your air conditioner might have nothing to do with the temperature at all. There are actually several reasons this might be happening, and unfortunately, it’s wasting a lot of the energy that you’re still paying to use. The compressor within your air conditioner draws on a large amount of electrical power to operate, so this becomes even costlier if it’s always running.

When you need a trusted professional for your AC service in Cedar Rapids, IA, you needn’t look any further than Dalton! In the meantime, read on to see what could be behind this “runaway air conditioner” problem.

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What to Do After a Burst Pipe

Monday, July 25th, 2022
burst-pipe

We’re in the fortunate position that it’s currently summertime, and you don’t have to deal with a burst pipe right now. Why’s this? Because it’s a problem that happens when your pipes freeze, which can occur when temperatures outside dip below 30°F. Before you click off this blog post though, this is still a good thing to keep in mind for later! Because not only can we help you fix a burst or frozen pipe, we can help you prevent this problem from occurring altogether.

Read on as we uncover not only what to do when you have a burst (or frozen) pipe, but how to prevent this and other plumbing problems in the future.

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How Much Does an AC Installation Cost?

Monday, July 11th, 2022
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Buying a new air conditioner is a huge investment. We get it! We do applaud you for looking into this purchase now rather than waiting for temperatures to warm up. This gives you time to truly explore your options, looking at not only the initial cost of your system, but how much it will likely cost you to operate from month to month, the type of system you want, and how efficient of equipment you want.

These are all factors we’ll go into when we help you with your purchase and installation–because you should only ever trust a pro for this job. Trained and experienced HVAC professionals, like the members of our team, will be able to adequately match and size the right air conditioner to your specific home, for your specific needs. Read on as we uncover the factors that go into your AC installation cost.

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Air Filters Versus Air Sanitizers

Monday, July 4th, 2022
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Something that many Cedar Rapids area homeowners fail to realize is how the quality of their indoor air can actually be worse than the outdoor air. At least, this is the case without the right indoor air quality products and services in place. The right air filtration, purification, and even humidity balance can help improve the overall comfort of your living space, and therefore improve your quality of life! Contaminants in the air can cause a number of problems, both in comfort and for your family’s health.

At this point, you might be wondering if you really need anything more than the standard air filter that comes with your HVAC systems during manufacturing and installation. The answer is probably yes! The thing is, the purpose of this air filter isn’t to improve your indoor air quality. Rather, its purpose is to protect the interior components of your HVAC system from dust, dirt, and other debris that can get inside and damage its components.

Read on to learn about more powerful options that are designed to improve your overall indoor air quality.

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Dalton’s Guide to Water Treatment

Monday, June 27th, 2022
water-rushing-over-persons-hands

There’s no secret that homeowners today not only want to be comfortable in their homes as affordably as possible, but that they also want to be as safe and healthy as possible. There are many ways to achieve this–with the right comfort control systems, the right indoor air quality solutions, and the right water treatment!

That last one doesn’t get talked about a lot, but it should. Even though the water that comes from the city’s plant is heavily treated, it has many miles to travel from that plant to your home, and along the way can pick up minerals and contaminants that affect the taste, the water quality, and even your plumbing system.

Read on as we uncover the types of water treatment systems on the market today, the signs you need water treatment, and what the benefits are of having a whole-house water treatment system installed.

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How Long Should I Run My AC During the Summer?

Monday, June 20th, 2022
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There’s a common belief among homeowners that air conditioners have their limits. They do, just maybe not in the way that you think.

For instance, most air conditioners can not reach over 20°F below whatever the temperature is outside. So, if we were to experience a 100°F day, setting the thermostat to 70°F won’t do anything except cause the compressor to keep running, and do so inefficiently.

Another limit is that even with careful, routine maintenance, all air conditioners will eventually wear down to the point that they’re no longer usable. The useful service life of the average cooling system is 10-15 years.

A common question we get, in regards to air conditioning limitations, is “how long should I run my AC during the summer?” The short answer to this is, “as long as you want to!” Here’s the thing…. you can keep your thermostat set to “cool” mode 24/7 during the summer if you want to. This only becomes inefficient and leads to faster wear and tear if you fail to have your system professionally maintained and/or you don’t use your thermostat correctly. Read on to learn more!

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Dalton’s Guide to Geothermal Systems

Monday, June 13th, 2022
geothermal-lookps-on-lot-for-building

More and more homeowners throughout the Cedar Rapids area are seeking ways to cut expenses and explore alternatives to their current HVAC methods in order to do so. Geothermal energy can often get overlooked, with folks assuming that it’s “just as expensive” as any other type of air-source heating and cooling applications.

But this simply is not the case. Geothermal cooling and heating may be the perfect solution for your home. Below, we’ve outlined how this might be the case. If you want to keep your home as comfortable as possible, as affordably as possible, read on!

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