Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing Blog: Archive for September, 2014

Ways to Tell You Need Duct Repair in North Potomac

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014

We are in that small seasonal window where you don’t need your air conditioning full-time any more, and haven’t switched to heating yet. It’s a great time of year to perform maintenance on your system, including duct repair in North Potomac. Your ductwork isn’t visible like other parts of your HVAC system, which can make it difficult to decipher the signs of problems with your ducts. As such, the technicians at Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing have put together a list of common signs that indicate it may be time to repair your ductwork.

Signs of Faulty Ductwork

Here are some signs to look for if you think your ductwork may be faulty:

  • Whistling sounds – are you hearing pronounced whistling noises every time your HVAC system runs? This can be an indication that air is leaking though holes and cracks in your ductwork.
  • High energy bills –  faulty ductwork can account for up to 30% of total air loss in your home. When you lose this much air, your system has to compensate for it, and does so by working harder. If your system has to work harder, it will need more energy to do so.
  • Uneven heating and cooling – are you experiencing numerous hot-and-cold spots in your home? This could be a sign of broken or disconnected ductwork.
  • Decrease in indoor air quality –with faulty ductwork, not only does air escape from your system, outside air and particles can also get into your system through the holes and cracks. This can compromise your indoor air quality and also increase the amount of humidity in your home.

Duct Testing Helps Pinpoint the Problems

Determining exactly where your ductwork is failing can be challenging, which is why our technicians will conduct duct testing. With duct testing, your ductwork is pressurized, which allows the technician to check for the parts of your ductwork where the air flow is interrupted. Once the problems are assessed, steps can be taken to repair them.

Faulty ductwork can cost you money, compromise your comfort and decrease your indoor air quality. If you suspect your ductwork may be faulty, schedule an appointment by calling Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing today and ask us about our professional duct repair service in North Potomac.

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Indoor Air Quality | Comments Off on Ways to Tell You Need Duct Repair in North Potomac

How to Tell You Need Water Line Replacement

Wednesday, September 17th, 2014

The water line of your home runs from the municipal water supply to the appliances and fixtures in your house. These pipes should stay in good condition for many years, but, eventually, you will need to replace the water line to ensure your water supply is safe. But these pipes are buried deep under the ground, and it may be difficult to determine the right time for water line replacement.

In general, you don’t want to wait for a major repair need to flood your yard or basement before scheduling replacement. While you should ultimately trust an expert’s advice, here are some of the ways you may be able to tell you need water line replacement in Bethesda.

  • Frequent Leaks: Leaks may occur from time to time, but if you feel you’ve repaired your pipes over and over again, it simply makes more sense to replace. Most likely, your pipes are corroding and will continue to corrode until you’ve amassed quite a few repair bills. Scheduling replacement means a one-time service charge and peace of mind knowing leaks will not occur for some time. Not sure if you have a leak? Low water pressure throughout the home is a good indicator.
  • Older Pipes: If your pipes are leaking too often, it may be a sign of old age. Pipes built before the 1970s were made from galvanized steel, a material which can easily be home to rust and other major plumbing problems. These days, most pipes are made from copper or plastic. It’s important to replace pipes made from galvanized steel, even if you don’t notice any problems, in order to protect your potable water supply.
  • Mineral Buildup: Low water pressure may be a sign that minerals have built up along the insides of your pipes and that the problem is too serious for repairs. Have a professional install a water softener to keep this from becoming a problem, but a plumber may recommend total water line replacement.

Choosing a dependable professional plumber like one of the experts at Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing can help you decide whether you’re ready for water line replacement in Bethesda. Give us a call!

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on How to Tell You Need Water Line Replacement

Are Air Conditioning Repairs Still Urgent During the Fall?

Wednesday, September 10th, 2014

When you have a problem with your air conditioning system, you may be tempted to wait for repairs. It’s already fall, and you don’t expect to have to use your air conditioner for much longer. Are air conditioning repairs really still urgent in the fall?

If you put off repairs until spring, you may run into serious problems with your system. Problems with your air conditioner often worsen over time, or a damaged component may eventually affect other components of your unit as well. Even if you only plan on running your air conditioner a few more times this fall, you’ll bring your system one step closer to a sudden breakdown. Let’s look at a couple of examples of problems that can’t wait until the next cooling season.

Low refrigerant is a common problem that often results from a leak. When your system was installed, refrigerant was measured out according to the cooling capacity of your unit. Refrigerant is meant to stay at this level throughout the life of the air conditioner, but corrosion or loose connections may cause it to leak from the system. If you have a refrigerant leak, you may notice reduced cooling power from your system. But low levels also keep other components from working properly. The compressor, for example, is sized to handle a certain load of refrigerant. If you wait for repairs, and you turn on your unit the first day of the cooling season, more refrigerant may have left your system. In this case, your compressor will struggle to turn on and may overheat.

Another problem that can’t wait for repairs is a frozen evaporator coil. This may happen if there is a faulty fan motor, low refrigerant, or even a dirty air filter. Every time you turn on your unit, ice continues to build on the coil, and every time you turn it off, water may leak into your home or damage your unit. It’s important to have a technician find the cause of the frozen coil and check for further damages as soon as possible.

If you have problems with your air conditioning system in Clarksburg, call Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing right away. Our experts can get your unit back to normal so you can feel secure running your system on an unseasonably warm fall day. Call us today!

Continue Reading

Tags: ,
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on Are Air Conditioning Repairs Still Urgent During the Fall?

The Fashion of Wearing White and Labor Day

Monday, September 1st, 2014

You may have heard about the fashion faux pas of wearing white after Labor Day. In the present, this tradition is usually treated as old fashioned and a joke. Few people will criticize you for wearing white articles of clothing after the first Monday in September, or even take notice of it except to wonder why it was ever a major concern at all.

Where did this tradition of white clothing going out of fashion after Labor Day come from, and why did it fade away like colorful fabric washed in a hot load in the washing machine?

In general, white makes sense for the heat of summer. Light-colored clothing reflects away the radiant heat of the sun, instead of absorbing it the way dark colors do, so for thousands of years of human history people have preferred to wear white clothing during the hotter months.

However, the idea of white as strictly fashionable during the summer season only emerged in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries—the time when the very concept of “fashion” began to spread across the Western Hemisphere.

It was only the highest level of post-Civil War society in the U.S. that strict and often bizarre rules for fashion controlled whether someone was in with the “in” crowd. Compared to our ideas of what’s fashionable today, the Czars of Style in the 1880s were true despots. Things as trivial as sleeve length could determine whether a woman in high society—no matter her level of wealth—was fashionable or a pariah.

Wearing white during the only summer, when it was common for weddings and outdoor parties, was only of these restrictive society rules. When the U.S. government made Labor Day a federal holiday in 1894, the Fashion Czars gained a definite cut-off point for when wearing white was no longer “acceptable” in the upper echelons of wealthy society.

For many decades, this rule only applied to a small number of millionaire socialites in a few big cities, but in the 1950s it reached general fashion magazines that were read around the country and started to affect more people.

But time eventually broke apart this odd rule, and during the 1970s fashion became more individual. Some fashion legends, like Coco Chanel, also purposely rejected the restriction and wore white throughout the year. Today, the “no white after Labor Day rule” is little more than an amusing gag to tease friends, and almost nobody takes it seriously.

Whatever you choose to wear after Labor Day (and if it’s white, we won’t tease!), everyone here at Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing hopes you have a happy end of the summer and great plans for the fall!

Continue Reading

Tags:
Posted in Happy Holidays | Comments Off on The Fashion of Wearing White and Labor Day