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

Duct Care: Tips and Tricks

Monday, November 6th, 2023

Air ducts aren’t usually the first thing that comes to mind when you think about the big powerful players of your HVAC system. First, you probably envision your heater or air conditioner, hard at work to keep the temperature comfortable. Then, there’s the thermostat, working diligently to have an easy-to-use interface with immediate control. We could go on, but you get the point.

Not only are air ducts incredibly important for the heating and cooling process, but it’s also one of those components that can completely grind your home comfort to a halt if you’re not careful. If your air ducts aren’t receiving any attention, or at least the bare minimum of input from you or a licensed contractor, then you might be in trouble.

Don’t worry! We’re here to help ease the burden of duct care by giving you some tips and tricks. For duct services in Cedar Rapids, IA, you can count on our professionals as well.

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5 Quiet Signs of a Disgruntled Furnace

Wednesday, October 25th, 2023

Furnaces come in all shapes and sizes, which means that when they’re encountering problems, they display themselves with different symptoms. Sometimes, a furnace will make a booming noise, and other times it will click rapidly as it tries to start up. And sometimes, unfortunately, a furnace will make no noises at all and will work incorrectly until you detect something else.

What kinds of symptoms could be displayed that aren’t sounds? Well, that’s what this blog topic is going to cover. Heating systems are machines that work exactly as well as their parts require them to. Any slight change in how a furnace would ideally or efficiently work, is usually a sign that something is misaligned, broken, or not set up properly.

Our team can help you when encountering this kind of problem. Before you panic, make sure you schedule an appointment for heating repair in Cedar Rapids, IA with our team. Then, we’ll get into the details!

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Calculating Your Heating Efficiency

Monday, October 23rd, 2023

People are a lot smarter these days when it comes to using energy for heating in the fall and winter. With helpful apps that can keep track of our comfort preferences, to notation software and smart homes that operate automatically, a homeowner has never been more empowered to take control of their home efficiency and reach new heights.

But all of this calculation has to start somewhere. It’s not very helpful if you make up how much energy or fuel you think a furnace or heat pump consumes. There are specific rating systems like AFUE, SEER2, and HSPF that can help you fully understand just how much energy you’re using, and how to curb it and save money.

Yes, this blog is going to be all about heating in Cedar Rapids, IA, but more importantly how you can calculate your home’s efficiency using some basic arithmetic.

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Why a New Thermostat Is a Big Deal

Monday, October 16th, 2023

Thermostats aren’t really like your HVAC system. HVAC equipment is big, bulky, and does a lot of work to heat or cool your entire home. This is why it’s so important and often so expensive to repair or replace this kind of technology. So, anywhere you can find a bargain is going to help you afford your next heating or cooling repair or installation.

That’s why we’d like to talk about thermostats today, since they’re the unsung heroes of heating and cooling. They make our lives more convenient, they’re modern and sleek to fit in with our modern home aesthetics, and they also help to keep us energy efficient. New thermostat upgrades can go a long way in making your home a sanctuary of efficiency and comfort, as long as you invest in them.

Let’s talk about why you might benefit from a smart or Wi-Fi thermostat installation in Cedar Rapids, IA, and how it could make noticeable improvements to your lifestyle.

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What Can You Do With No Heat?

Monday, October 9th, 2023

So the cold temperatures are finally coming along and your heater has broken down. It’s a busy season so no matter which HVAC professional you call, they’re all giving you dates that are a few days in the future before they can get your heating system working properly. So, what do you do?

This is an unfortunate situation for a lot of homeowners this season, and no matter what we say on our blog, schedules can always get hectic and out of control. We want to first start by apologizing if this is your situation. It’s frustrating and no family deserves to be without heat, no matter who they are or where they live.

But the most important thing is that you and your family follow along our step by step guide to ensure that you don’t get hurt or live your lives uncomfortably while you wait for a trusted technician to help you with HVAC in Cedar Rapids, IA.

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When Is It Time to Replace My Sump Pump?

Monday, October 2nd, 2023

This is an excellent question, but it’s easy to be fooled by it.

Shouldn’t you just replace your sump pump when it’s broken? This is likely how a lot of our customers are responding to it and it makes sense. If your sump pump were like any other appliance, a television or a washing machine, you’d just replace it when it breaks down. But it’s not just like any other appliance, it’s special and requires different care.

Your sump pump is a preventative appliance, meaning it’s designed to prevent catastrophes from happening (like a basement flood). This means that if it’s not working, you need to know that it’s not working, otherwise you risk losing a lot.

Not only should you schedule sump pump service in Cedar Rapids, IA when it’s needed, but you should also be maintaining the system and ensuring that it’s ready to be replaced ahead of the next torrential downpour.

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5 Reasons Not to Ignore Winter AC Repairs

Monday, September 25th, 2023

The terms “winter” and “AC” don’t look like they belong in a sentence together, right? Who wants their air conditioner blasting cool air during the coldest months of the year? Certainly not us.

But that’s not really what we’re talking about today. As much as we don’t want to think about air conditioning during the wintertime, it’s still in your home and it’s practically a member of the family. For how much we use AC on a regular yearly basis, it’s essential to keep it in good shape even in the months you’re not using it.

So, if your air conditioner encountered a serious issue during the summer, it’s likely that you’ll still need AC repairs in Cedar Rapids, IA. And the good news is that these repairs can be done during the wintertime when schedules are open and air conditioning techs can take their time.

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Maintenance Season PSA

Monday, September 18th, 2023

It’s hard to believe that fall is already here. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday that we entered the summer months, but with September here in full swing, we need to start talking about fall.

From an HVAC perspective, fall is an interesting season. Temperatures are milder, which means that we can finally take a break from running the air conditioner or heating system all day. But this also means that we’ve got a window of time to get our technology repaired and maintained by professionals.

Yep, it’s the season of maintenance! AC maintenance in Cedar Rapids, IA is a great idea for homeowners who otherwise have functioning air conditioners but would like to remain proactive. Maintenance can keep things efficient, extend the lifespan of your air conditioner, and do more to make you feel much better about the future.

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When Not to Use Flexible Pipes

Monday, September 11th, 2023

We’ve all seen the aisle at the hardware store, full of different plumbing materials. There are rigid copper pipes, PVC pipes, PEX pipes, and the list continues–but there’s one thing to be mentioned that is not like the others, and that’s flexible plumbing lines. These are the wire mesh pipes that can bend and form different shapes in your Cedar Rapids plumbing.

Flexible plumbing lines are usually what you’ll see under your sink or connecting your toilet to the water line. They’re perfect for these situations because they can bend into the exact configuration that might fit your bathroom toilet or kitchen sink, without needing to break apart your wall, floor, or other more sensitive and expensive parts of your house.

But don’t be fooled by the convenience and affordability of flexible plumbing lines, they’re not intended to be used for everything.

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Why Go With Copper Plumbing?

Monday, September 4th, 2023

There are all sorts of different plumbing materials available today, from PVC to copper. But in the history of plumbing appliances, they’ve been constructed of hundreds of different types of materials. Human history is a bit of a “trial and error” experience, with people using different materials for their plumbing systems, only to find out later that they’re not very good at the job.

For instance, lead is a perfect example of what should not be used as a plumbing material. Water that flows through lead pipes can pick up some of the runoff and cause lead poisoning in anyone who drinks from that water source. Many other plumbing materials like galvanized steel and copper don’t have this problem, but there are still some preferences today towards materials like copper.

So, let’s talk about plumbing in Cedar Rapids, IA and why copper is the gold-standard material to use.

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