Air conditioning systems are not the only ones to see overuse during the dog days of summer. This season also marks a notable increase in water usage. Water is essential to your daily activities, and ensuring that it flows smoothly without any issues should remain at the top of your priority list when it comes to summer household chores.
We here at Palo Alto are proud of our designation as a Bryant® Factory-Authorized Dealer. Not only do we offer some of the best heating and cooling systems in the country, our team of certified plumbers and HVAC technicians are also dedicated to doing whatever it takes to provide exceptional customer service. Here’s an overview of the benefits of working with Bryant Factory-Authorized Dealers.
Water is one of the most important resources we have on Earth, and plumbing and heating systems play a huge role in ensuring its sustainability. That’s why, in celebration of World Plumbing Day last March 11, our experts at Palo Alto Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning have listed our best plumbing tips to help your home become more efficient at water conservation. Read more
Water is a vital component of any home’s daily activities. From the heating and the plumbing to cooking and even landscaping, there’s almost an endless list of ways in which we use water every day. According to a 2016 study by the Water Research Foundation (“Residential End Uses of Water, Version 2.”), an average American home with four members will use over 10,000 gallons of water monthly. This amounts to almost 100 gallons per day per person. Read more
Water pipes are expected to route tap water into your home, so if you have persistently noisy water pipes, they should be addressed by a professional plumbing contractor. The following are some common causes of noisy water pipes.
Water Hammer – One of the most common causes of noisy pipes is known as water hammer. Water pipes carry a significant amount of pressure. If running water is interrupted by turning the faucet off quickly, the halted pressure travels back through the pipes, making a hammering noise that sounds as unnoticeable as a single tap, or loud and continuous like a jackhammer. Typical residential plumbing has air cushions that absorb the excess pressure, but can get worn out over time and will need to be fixed by a professional.
Squealing Pipes – There are many reasons why water pipes can start squealing. One of the most common causes is an old, worn-out main shut off valve. You can tell this is the source if the sound carries throughout the house. Worn-out washers are another common cause of squealing pipes. Replacing these parts should be fairly simple with proper precautions, but if you’re not confident in replacing parts of your home’s plumbing, call a professional.
Loose Pipes – Loose pipes are somewhat similar to the sound a water hammer makes, except that it happens randomly, instead of being triggered by faucets and showers opening and closing. If this is the case, your water pressure may be too high. Installing a pressure-reducing valve solves this problem.
Toilets – A common problem with toilets is a banging or rattling noise heard as the tank ends its fill cycle. If this is the case, the ballcock assembly, the part that regulates the fill process, is worn out and will need to be replaced.
To learn more about our plumbing services, call Palo Alto Plumbing Heating & Air today at (650) 856-3400 or fill out our contact form to schedule an appointment. We are located in Palo Alto, CA and service surrounding areas.
Thanks to technology, your home can reduce the amount of energy it uses to maintain its temperature and get rid of waste. While some of this technology could be more expensive upon installation, being able to save money on water and electricity bills for the rest of your life may be a good payoff. At some point, you’ve recouped the cost of installation and are working on reduced bills.
Using the wrong air filter can affect your heating and air conditioning’s performance and energy efficiency. We recommend consulting with AC professionals before choosing your air filter if you want to prevent future problems with your system.
You can learn a lot over the years as a homeowner. While some info you may pick up can be of a trivial nature, there are essential things you need to pick up sooner rather than later. Basic plumbing concepts fall into this category. Read more
If you suffer from allergies, you know their symptoms can make life miserable. Obviously you’d be interested in anything that can bring you relief, and that’s why you may want to seriously consider buying at humidifier for your home.
Humidifiers are electrically-powered machines that use various methods to turn liquid water into vapor. The vapor is spread across adjacent rooms, moisturizing the air and raising relative indoor humidity in the process. Humidifiers are commonly employed during the winter time in cold climates, where excessive dryness of the air is a constant problem, and all year round in arid or desert climates where the air is chronically lacking in moisture.
Point-of-use humidifiers are portable devices that can be moved from room to room and are generally appropriate for any house or apartment. But another type of unit, known as a whole-house humidifier, disperses much larger quantities of moisturized air from a centralized location. Whole-house humidifiers are used in both commercial and residential settings.
Allergy attacks can dry out the throat or nasal linings even as they clog sinuses. Excessively dry air will only exacerbate the trouble, making this type of allergic reaction more severe than it otherwise might be.
Boosting indoor humidity can help eliminate most of this unpleasant dryness, and humidifiers are extremely efficient at doing this. Good-quality units usually include a control device called a hygrometer, and if you set it to produce relative indoor humidity of somewhere between 40 and 49 percent it should bring you almost instant relief. Colds and the flu often manifest in the same way as allergies, so humidifiers can also make you feel better when you’re sick.
Some allergies cause rashes or itchiness, which is also related to excessive dryness (of the skin in this case). People who suffer from eczema also experience much more intense and frequent outbreaks of this disorder when the air is dry. But higher humidity levels works as a remedy to skin allergies and eczema; comfortably humid air can moisturize the skin even more effectively than many over-the-counter topical creams designed to treat dry skin conditions.
One word of caution: if you let your indoor humidity get too high (50 percent or more), it can encourage the breeding of dust mites and the growth of mold, both of which are frequently responsible for allergic reactions. When using a humidifier for allergy relief you have to be careful not to overdo it.
Evaporative humidifiers rely on the forces of nature (evaporation, in other words) to moisturize a home’s air gradually, while vaporizing humidifiers use an extra energy input to convert water directly to steam. Point-of-use and whole-house units both require the regular replenishment of water supplies in order to keep functioning, as do impeller and ultrasonic humidifiers, a couple of other options you may want to investigate.
If you or a family member suffers from allergies, adding a humidifier to your home’s climate management system may be the perfect solution.
In Palo Alto and surrounding cities, we encourage you to visit Palo Alto Plumbing, Heating and Air if you’re in the market for a humidifier. We offer a complete line of outstanding humidifiers from Bryant, the preeminent name in the HVAC/air quality management industry. Contact us today and we’ll help you choose the best style, size and model of humidifier for your home—or for your place of business, if that is where you need it.
Follow our blog to learn more about exciting developments in heating, cooling, plumbing and air quality management.
Water heaters are one of the larger and more expensive appliances in a home. They are typically placed in an inconspicuous location within the home, such as a corner in the basement. The location can be the root of an “out of sight, out of mind,” attitude that often results in neglecting the ongoing condition of a water heater.
Homeowners typically get a wake-up call when a shower turns cold due to an irreparable water heater that needs to be replaced. The silver lining will generally be the purchase of a much more energy efficient model that will, in the long run, save money to the homeowner. There are other elements to consider before making a water heater shopping trip.
Tank or tankless water heaters can operate with gas or electric, and both are available in sizes that are dependent on the water capacity that is needed for a particular home. Conventional tank water heaters should coincide with the number of bedrooms and bathrooms within a home. Tankless models are purchased on the basis of a predetermined flow rate measured in gallons per minute (GPM). The flow rates for fixtures or appliances that are primarily used in a home are combined with the expected water temperatures for each function to determine the necessary size of a tankless unit. Hybrid water heaters operate with electric and are more expensive at the time of purchase, but save money over the course of a year. Modern technology allows a heat pump to draw in surrounding air and use extracted heat to provide water at warmer temperatures.
Energy efficiency should be a primary concern to save on cost and overall energy use. Water heaters with an energy factor (EF) closest to 1 will be the most efficient.
Once a water heater is chosen, its dimensions should be taken into consideration for an ideal fit. Larger units might need additional plumbing. Remember to pay close attention to other options such as self cleaning, which will promote the longevity of a water heater. A quick recovery speed indicates how quickly a tank of water will be heated and an auto shutoff valve can prevent a catastrophic fire when using a gas-operated water heater. Take time to thoroughly research available water heaters while contemplating the advantages and disadvantages of each model.
Please follow our blog for additional plumbing and HVAC information.
