Imagine you are leaving your snow-covered home to go on a much needed and highly anticipated vacation to a place with white, sandy beaches and warm island breezes. You might double or triple check your packing list to make sure you have all of the chargers for your mobile devices, your tooth brush and passport, but have you thought about what condition you are leaving your home in? Have you checked the weather forecast? Is there going to be another snow storm? Will the temperature drop below freezing again? Are your pipes going to freeze? You do not want to come home from a relaxing vacation to frozen and split plumbing, damage to your home and costly repairs. Here's how to prevent your pipes from freezing this winter.
First things first, pipes splitting are not caused by ice swelling in place. It is the pressure from the unfrozen water between the ice and the closed faucet that is the primary cause of broken pipes.
How to Prevent Your Pipes from Freezing
If negative temperatures are predicted in the weather forecast while you're away, you need to take preventative measures.
- Ask one of your neighbors, friends or relatives to stop by your house to make sure the faucet in your kitchen or bathroom is dripping ever so slightly to reduce pressure in the pipes. A slow trickle is best, not a stream.
- Be sure to use insulating faucet covers, rags or trash bags around your outdoor faucets.
- Leave some of your cabinet doors under the sinks in your kitchen and bathrooms open to allow heated indoor air to circulate around the pipes.
- Don't forget to disconnect water hoses from faucets. Drain the hose and bring it indoors if you can.
What to Do if Your Pipes Freeze
Life happens. Even if you're prepared for the worst, there's always a chance something could go wrong. If your pipes do freeze and cause damage to your home, follow these guidelines.
- Turn off the water immediately. Leaking water from thawing pipes could cause an electrical shortage.
- Call Chapman Heating & Air Conditioning for help.
- Do not use heat lamps or electrical appliances to thaw your pipes.
- Contact your insurance agency if severe property damage has occurred.
- Take as many photos of the damage as possible before repairs are made.
Mother Nature can be cruel and unpredictable, so it's always best to try and prepare for the worst, especially if you are leaving your home for a few days. Make sure you check the weather and take the proper precautions. If your pipes freeze or split this winter, call Chapman Heating & Air Conditioning right away.
Chapman Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing, carries a full line of high efficiency furnaces. Contact us to recommend the best services to your home
After that crazy snow storm and cold snap here in Indianapolis, we all appreciate just how important our furnaces are. Without them humming away, things can get unpleasant in a hurry. So to make sure your furnace is always in tip-top shape, there is one critical thing you must do. Even if you do nothing else for your furnace (except scheduling your annual heating check, of course), make sure that you regularly change your filter.
How often you need to change your filter depends. Some filters need changed once every month. Some can go three, six or even a full 12 months before they need to be replaced. Still others have washable, reusable filters. Check your manufacturer's instructions to be sure, but change your filter as directed. Here's why it's so critical to the health of your furnace and your home:
Dirty Filters Strain Your Furnace
A filter is the gateway between your furnace and the rest of your home. All heated air must pass through that furnace before it reaches your ductwork. When your furnace gets clogged with dust, dirt and other particles, there isn't as much room for air to flow through. That means the air has to be pushed harder to reach its destination, which in turn means the entire system has to work harder to shove it through the filter. The end result is a higher energy bill and more wear-and-tear on your furnace. In some extreme cases, it can cause your furnace to overheat and even fail entirely. The small investment of buying new filters is always less expensive than buying a whole new furnace.
Dirty Filters Strain Your Lungs
Besides helping your furnace work better, filters help you work better. They screen out dust, pollen and pet hair that can cause allergies, make asthma worse and are just unpleasant to be around. When your filter is clogged, pieces of those allergens can be pushed through into your living space. If you or your children have allergies or other breathing problems, a dirty filter can make breathing much, much more difficult.
If you're not sure how to change your filter or what sort of replacement filters you need, check with the literature on your furnace, or call us. We'll be happy to help you take this one crucial step to furnace health.
Chapman Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing, carries a full line of high efficiency furnaces. Contact us to recommend the best services to your home
For the past several years, the federal government has been encouraging Americans to buy new, energy efficient furnaces, heat pumps, air conditioners and other HVAC equipment. But as more and more folks upgraded their systems, the need for the tax credits was reduced with every passing year. Now, in 2014, the Energy Efficiency tax credits have been eliminated. This move is expected to save the government $700 million over the next several years, but what about you? You want to save money too. So with these tax credits expiring, what's the best way to get the most HVAC bang for your buck?
First, don't be pennywise and pound foolish. When it comes to HVAC equipment, that means purchasing used equipment or having a friend or family member install your system for you. While you might pay less to begin with, it's almost certain the job won't be done properly or the new system will fail the first time you hit a hard freeze. Make sure you're working with a reputable Indianapolis heating and cooling company like us.
Next, make sure you aren't buying more system than you actually need. Sometimes, bigger is better, but when it comes to your HVAC system, a bigger unit can actually wind up costing you a bundle. Not only is the unit more expensive to buy in the first place, it's also more expensive to operate. The bigger unit takes longer to reach its peak efficiency and makes it more difficult to dehumidify the air. That means the air feels warmer, so in the summer, you'll often find yourself cranking the thermostat down to get the same cooling effect, which results in bigger energy bills. It's a mess. The solution is simple: work with a qualified HVAC tech to find the right unit size for you.
Also don't be afraid to see if you can save with rebates from the manufacturer of your furnace or air conditioner. Depending on what you purchase, you could save up to hundreds of dollars on your system. That's better than most of the expired tax credits.
Even without the tax credits, this is still a great time to invest in a new furnace or air conditioner. The increased efficiency and comfort of today's systems will blow you away if you've been muddling through with old equipment. Ready to get started? Contact Chapman Heating and Air today.
Give Chapman Heating, Air Conditioning, and Plumbing, to provide air conditioning services for your home today
