Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Bethesda’

Clear Signs You Need a New Electric Water Heater

Monday, August 21st, 2023

Water heaters are usually out of sight and out of mind. But what happens when you encounter problems that feel much bigger than the last time? You have to listen to the signs and know when it’s time for electric water heater replacement in Bethesda, MD.

Here’s a list of classic signals that an electric water heater can send your way to let you know it’s nearing the end of its life. Once you know what to look for, you’ll be much better equipped to listen and get a replacement before it breaks down for real.

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Most Common Tankless Water Heater Problems

Monday, January 23rd, 2023
tankless-water-heater-installed-on-wall

Tankless water heaters are innovative and extremely helpful for many homeowners, but they’re not perfect. Even your efficient tankless water heater can still runs into its fair share of problems.

At one point or another, you’ll need water heater service in Bethesda, MD for your tankless water heater. We’re here to tell you about the most common problems you’ll run into so you can know what to expect.

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Heating Problems That Regular Maintenance Helps You Avoid

Monday, January 9th, 2023
man-freezing-on-couch-because-the-heater-is-broken

If you don’t change the oil in your car, eventually it turns to sludge, clogs the engine, and you have a bigger mess on your hands than that $30 oil change you avoided. The same works with maintenance for your heater.

Don’t wait to call heating service in Bethesda, MD until your heater is busted; schedule preventative maintenance and keep your system in tip top shape as often as possible. Let’s run through some common heating problems that can happen when you neglect maintenance for too long.

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Why Drain Cleaning Maintenance Is Important

Monday, October 17th, 2022
Technician wearing gloves putting snake into sink drain for cleaning and maintenance.

When was the last time your home had drain maintenance? If you don’t know when it was, that might explain these common drain problems we’re going to talk about. Your drains need regular maintenance just like your air conditioner system does, and this is why.

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What Can Happen If You Leave a Dirty Air Filter in Place

Monday, August 8th, 2022
clean-air-filter

Changing your air filter is one of the most important parts of maintaining your air conditioning system, but many homeowners forget to do it. Without giving your AC a new air filter every 1 to 3 months, you run the risk of short-cycling, low airflow, and even system damage. 

The air filter is one of the simplest but most critical components of your HVAC system. It prevents dirt, dust, and debris from building up in your AC. It also defends your system against larger hazards that could break the entire AC or even start a fire.

If you ever find yourself in need of air conditioning repair in Bethesda, MD, your air filter may be the reason why. 

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How Long Should You Keep Repairing Your Furnace?

Monday, January 24th, 2022
hand-holding-wrench

The majority of homeowners often wonder when they should stop repairing their furnace and replace it with a new one instead. While it’s impossible to generalize all furnaces, there are several tips you can use to help you determine when to stop repairing your heating system. From rising heating costs and the age of the furnace to temperature fluctuations and loud noises, there are multiple signs to watch out for that will tell you it’s time to replace the old furnace with a new eco-friendly one.

This post will discuss how long you should keep repairing your furnace and the signs to look out for. If you want to make an informed decision about replacing your furnace, get in touch with Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing technicians to discuss the most recent eco-friendly heating systems in the market.

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Some Plumbing Resolutions for 2022

Monday, January 10th, 2022
check-boxes

Have you already made your New Year’s Resolutions for 2022? Even if you have, you can always add a few more—especially ones that aren’t too difficult to follow through on. We recommend you make some resolutions about your plumbing system for this year. These resolutions will help keep your plumbing in the best shape possible and lower the chances you’ll need to call professionals for plumbing service in Bethesda, MD due to an emergency. 

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Why DIY Plumbing Is a Bad Idea

Monday, July 12th, 2021
wrenches

“Fix-it-yourself” is a popular modern philosophy, and we agree with it—for some parts of a house. Getting out the tools and going to the hardware store for supplies can help you save money with several repairs around your home, and some people even enjoy getting hands-on with solving issues on their own. 

When it comes to the plumbing in a home, however, DIY should be off the table except for some basic fixes such as cleaning out aerators in faucet heads. As tempted as you may feel to put on a belt filled with all the wrenches you can carry, residential plumbing jobs such as leak repair, toilet replacement, drain cleaning, and anything to do with water heaters are not for amateurs. Unless you’re a professional plumber yourself, leave your plumbing in Bethesda, MD in the hands of our licensed plumbers.

Below we’ll go over some reasons amateur plumbing is a mistake.

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How Many Years Can My Air Conditioner Last?

Monday, June 28th, 2021
ancient-ac

Nobody wants to get caught with a failed air conditioning system during the summer. When it does happen, you hope that proper repairs can get the system going again—and often this is the case. When you’re looking for repairs for your air conditioning in Bethesda, MD, the team at Tuckers is ready to help.

But some AC failures may be permanent. If an air conditioner is too aged, a breakdown may signal that the best fix is to retire the AC. We want to help you avoid getting blindsided with an AC replacement by talking about how long you can expect your cooling system to last. Knowing when your air conditioning system is in its final years will help you arrange for a replacement at a convenient time.

Average AC Life Expectancy

Most manufacturers list the service life expectancy of central air conditioning systems as 10 to 15 years. You may have heard contractors say that an AC needs to be replaced every 10 years, but this isn’t necessarily true. Air conditioners reaching 15 years without experiencing severe drops in efficiency or performance are common when the system has regular maintenance. And that brings us to an important topic… 

What Can Affect AC Life Expectancy

There are several other factors that can change how long an air conditioner lasts. The biggest is the lack of regular maintenance. We talk about routine professional HVAC maintenance often on our site, but that’s because we know that it’s a vital service that saves our customers money and helps them protect their home comfort. 

Here’s an important fact to keep in mind: the majority of repairs the average central air conditioner needs are due to lack of maintenance. Now consider those repairs are also contributing to a decline in the general health of the AC, and you’ll see why neglecting maintenance can also cause an air conditioner to fail years early. Without maintenance, an air conditioning system’s lifespan can be cut in half. So instead of enjoying an AC for 10 to 15 years, you’ll only have it for 5 to 8 years. That’s a lot of lost years of potential cooling!

Another factor that can cause a rapid decline for an AC is ignoring repair needs for too long. We always urge our customers to be proactive when it comes to getting an air conditioner problem repaired: at the earliest sign something is wrong with your AC (loud noises, a drop in cooling capacity, a rise in humidity, uneven cooling, skyrocketing electric bills, tripped circuit breakers), call our technicians to investigate the problem and fix it. If a malfunction is allowed to continue, it will place stress on other components and age the system rapidly. If you end up with a burnt-out compressor, that usually means you need to replace the entire system.

Let Tuckers help you keep your AC running for as many years as possible with our repair and maintenance service. We’re also here when you’re ready to have a new system installed. 

Call Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing when you need AC service. We pledge to exceed expectations at every turn.

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Why Won’t the Furnace Burners Ignite?

Monday, December 14th, 2020
burner-assembly

You don’t have to know much about how your gas furnace runs other than the basics about an ignition system (either a standing pilot light or an electronic igniter) lighting the gas burner flames that generate the heat that in turn is blown into the ventilation system.

So when the burners in your gas furnace won’t ignite, you know you’ve got a problem. But what kind of problem, and how big is it? There may be a simple explanation, or you may need to call our technicians for heater repair in Bethesda, MD. When in doubt, always play it safe and let certified professionals examine the issue—gas furnaces should never have amateur repairs!

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