Category: Blog

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the signs your furnace might need replacement, plus why this warm part of the year is often ideal for performing such tasks. HVAC professionals are often far busier with furnace-related tasks in fall than during spring and summer, meaning you get a clearer schedule plus a better opportunity to assess your various furnace options if you look into replacement now.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re proud to offer a wide range of furnace services, from furnace repair to replacement and numerous installation services. Today’s part two will detail several additional signs your furnace may be giving you that it’s run its course and it’s time to replace the system.

Poor Heating Quality

One of the simplest and most common signs it might be time for a new furnace is the current model simply not providing the same heating quality level you expect during recent heating months. Perhaps you’ve noticed major cold spots throughout the home, or the furnace is almost constantly on as it tries futilely to provide enough heat despite no longer being efficient.

In these cases, it’s often obvious the furnace has worn down. These conditions tend to accompany a furnace that’s older or has been through significant wear-and-tear during its life period, and the best course of action is often to go with a new furnace that will save you huge sums in monthly energy costs while providing higher-quality heating.

Dust Concerns

The furnace isn’t only here to heat the home – it should also be circulating air through your filter system, removing various contaminants that include dust. If you’ve begun to notice significant amounts of dust kicking up through your home, though, it could be a sign of a few issues.

The first of these could be a clogged filter, which will require immediate cleaning or replacement. In other cases, however, permanent damage based on poor filtration may be done to the furnace itself, something our HVAC technicians will be happy to check for if you’ve been having dust issues. In some situations, this damage may warrant a replacement furnace.

Visible or Audible Signs

Finally, if you spend just a few minutes every week or two near the furnace itself, you’ll often pick up signs of damage or other issues, You may hear strange sounds like screeching or squealing, which indicate the blower could need adjustment. You might also smell must, burning or some other unusual odor, which could signal its own set of issues taking place.

For more on how to spot the signs of a furnace that needs replacement, or to learn about any of our HVAC or plumbing services, speak to the staff at Action Pluming, Heating, Air & Electric today.

We’re firmly into the cooling season of the standard HVAC year, with spring giving way to summer and the hot desert temperatures Utah can bring. This means many homeowners stop thinking about their furnace system until the fall rolls back around – but if your furnace is older or has had significant issues in the recent past, this might actually be the ideal time of year to consider repairs or replacement.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re proud to offer a variety of furnace services, including furnace replacement for models that have used up their lifespan. In this two-part blog series, we’ll discuss why this might be an ideal time of year to consider furnace replacement, plus some of the general signs that your furnace might be reaching this point.

Why Now?

Why consider performing furnace replacement services during the spring or summer when the furnace isn’t being used? There are a couple reasons, and the first is convenience. If you wait until fall when numerous other homeowners are looking at their furnaces and considering upgrades, your HVAC professional’s schedule is certain to be more filled at that time – but this will be a far less common request this time of year. In some cases, you may even get great deals on end-of-season parts or leftover special products.

In addition, replacing the furnace now gives you the time to assess your options carefully while there’s no pressure. If you wait until there’s an active heating need in your home, you may be forced to rush or choose quickly because your home is waiting on a heating system.

Simple Aging

In many cases, the simplest cause of a need for furnace replacement is the current model aging out. Furnaces tend to last around 15 years on average, depending on care quality and their strain levels, though electric models may last a bit longer.

If your system is already this old, and especially if you’ve begun to notice heating capacity or other issues near the end of the previous winter, it could be time for a replacement. If you’re unsure here, our team will be happy to inspect your furnace and determine its remaining lifespan.

Common Repairs

Another common sign it’s time for a new furnace is an existing furnace with regular, recurring repair needs. After a while, these constant repairs will add up to more than the cost of just replacing the furnace, and will continue to become more and more common as you let issues slide.

Rising Energy Bill

Furnaces are also large consumers of energy in the home, and if you notice your energy bill has gone way up compared to previous years, this could mean something is wrong. The furnace may be wearing down or working harder to provide the same heating level, and could require either repair or replacement.

For more on replacing your furnace during spring or summer, or to learn about any of our HVAC or plumbing services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the common reasons why you might have begun to notice slow hot water being provided to certain taps or fixtures in your home. There are several potential culprits behind this event, ranging from the distance of your fixtures to the hot water heater to the quality of the heater itself and several others.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re proud to offer a wide variety of water heater repair and replacement services to help remedy any such concerns, including tankless water heaters that provide on-demand water and limit any concerns of proper temperature. In today’s part two, we’ll go over a few additional potential causes of slow hot water, including a primer on water heater tank recovery periods for such systems.

Improper Sizing

In some cases, your system’s issues with providing hot water fast enough to all fixtures may actually trace back to the water heater’s initial installation. Whether due to a mistake by a previous HVAC company, an increase in family size or some other cause, the current water heater might actually be far too small to service your entire home.

When this is the case, it will not have the capacity to handle the regular requests for hot water throughout the home. If this is the situation, our plumbers will be able to quickly identify this problem based on simple volume, plus recommend a larger upgrade to meet your needs.

Water Heater Failure

In other situations, the simple reality will be that your water heater has run its standard lifespan and is now wearing down after many years. If your water heater was installed at least a decade ago or has shown other signs of wear-and-tear over recent years, they may either fail suddenly or simply become less effective over a period of time.

Again, our plumbers are here to help. We’re happy to assess your water heater and recommend to you whether repairs might solve your concerns or whether an upgrade to a new system is your most cost-effective option.

Recovery Times

Finally, for all homes using a tank-style water heater, recovery times must be considered. These refer to how long it takes the tank to re-heat and deliver more hot water once it’s depleted its current stores, and they will depend on several factors:

• Size of the tank (larger tanks take longer to recover, but also have larger initial capacities)
• Fuel type (electric heaters take about twice as long to reheat as gas heaters)
• FHR: Short for first hour rating, this is a metric where the higher it is, the shorter your recovery time
• Temperature rise: The temperature of your incoming water makes a huge difference, as cold water takes much longer to heat than warm water

In most cases, it will take a standard 80-gallon gas water heater roughly an hour to recover after being fully depleted. Our plumbers will advise you on whether your time might be shorter or longer.

For more on understanding why your hot water supply is slow arriving, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

No one wants to wait around for their hot water supply, and you’re probably wondering what’s going on if long waiting periods have begun to show up for some of your home’s hot water fixtures. Why is a given shower, tub or any other fixture taking so long for water to heat up?

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re here to help. We offer a huge variety of water heater repair and replacement services, including offering high-quality tankless water heaters that provide water on-demand so you’re never stuck waiting for a slow heating process again. There are several reasons you may be experiencing slowness with your hot water heater, some of which can be easily remedied while others tie back to installation or related themes. This two-part blog will dig into everything you need to know in this realm.

Simple Distance Themes

In some cases, particularly in larger homes or areas where significant plumbing pipes are required to transport water from the heater to the fixture that requires it, the reason for slow heating traces back to this distance. It simply takes a bit longer for hot water to make its way through a longer set of pipes to a distant faucet or showerhead.

Homeowners in this situation often find numerous benefits from a tankless water heater installation. Instead of having to wait for water to travel through pipes, this system provides hot water on-demand for all your fixtures immediately.

Sediment Buildup

Maybe the most common issue that leads to slow hot water delivery, and luckily one that’s easily remedied, is the buildup of sediment and minerals in your water heater tank. Various loose minerals will be present in the water, sinking and settling at the bottom of your tank. When this reaches a significant enough point, this sediment will block the hot water outlet pipe either partially or even completely, stopping hot water from flowing out at the normal rate. This sediment will also block heat transfer from the heating element to the water itself.

As we noted, however, sediment buildup can be removed. Just call our plumbers to flush your water heater and drain this sediment.

Volume Restrictor

In other cases, you may have some kind of volume restrictor present on various fixtures in your home. A good example here is a low-flow showerhead, which is meant to lower the amount of water pressure and overall water used – but in some cases, it may not be working properly and could lead to issues with hot water flow and timing. In these situations, our plumbers will usually be able to make some basic tweaks to any restrictors in place to solve the problem.

For more on the potential causes of slow hot water in your fixtures, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

For the majority of home HVAC systems, ducts are a vital component to keep an eye on throughout the year. Responsible for carrying treated air to various parts of your home, ducts must be both open and properly sealed to perform these duties – and issues in these areas can lead to both HVAC component damage and reduced efficiency as air is either blocked or escapes from ducts in the wrong places.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, several of our high-quality HVAC services include basic duct inspections and even minor repairs if needed, such as our air conditioning maintenance and repair services we offer to many during this spring season. There are two broad categories for duct issues that may take place in the home: Those caused by prior installation issues and those caused by general damage or wear-and-tear over time. Let’s look at both areas to help you understand how to ensure your air ducts are operating properly.

Improper Duct Installation and Sizing

In some cases, issues with your air ducts trace back to when these were installed, usually to specific sizing problems during this installation. The most common concern here is ducts that are too large for the space and the air conditioner or furnace in question – the first signs you’ll likely notice here are strange noises due to blocked or restricted airflow.

This airflow will also result in uneven temperatures, including in common areas of the home. The air that’s conditioned will be moving through too large a space, meaning it won’t be able to reach all of your vents properly. In fact, research has shown that improper duct sizing often leads to over a 50% loss in cooling during the summer (and similar heat losses during winter). Not only will this lead to discomfort in the home, it will also up your energy bill and also strain your HVAC components.

Duct Damage Concerns

In other cases, ducts may form issues based on damage or natural wear-and-tear over time. Some common types here include:

• Leaking ducts: Whether caused by a specific impact or ducts that have worn down, leaks – even small ones – will cause significant amounts of air to escape from the ducts and be wasted. This lowers your system’s efficiency and strains the components as they try to work harder to make up for the lost air.
• Duct clogs: If your ducts are not cleaned regularly, they may accumulate buildups of things like dust, debris and even bacteria. If these are allowed to build up enough, they will restrict air flow.
• Duct pinches: This issue can be caused by damage concerns or may also come about due to poor installation. It refers to pinched sections or improper turns in the ducts, which can also be caused by a collapse in a certain area. Think of this situation like a hose that’s been pinched – just like no water will come out, air flow will be heavily restricted.

For more on issues with your air ducts, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

While a significant factor in comfort for homeowners within the heating and air realm is temperature, it’s not the only one at play. In particular, air quality has become a larger point of interest for many homeowners in recent years, with greater attention being paid to areas like air filters and related items that keep your air free of contaminants and allergens.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re proud to offer a variety of HVAC services, including several indoor air quality solutions. One such solution is known as the UV air purifier, which uses ultraviolet rays to remove contaminants from your air – let’s look at how UV air purifiers work, what UV rays do to begin with, and the elements that ensure this technology is completely safe when installed in your home.

Common Uses of UV Rays

Ultraviolet rays, which are generated naturally by the sun and sent into the atmosphere, are used in a number of applications across industries today. These include:

• Inspections: UV rays can be used for detailed inspections of surfaces, as a number of materials react differently to UV light than standard light. Many such materials create fluorescent reflections, for instance, such as many chemical spills.
• Disinfection: UV light is also used to disinfect various surfaces or materials, including drinking water. The light blocks bacteria from reproducing, stopping any contamination from growing.
• Tanning and skin solutions: Those who tan may utilize tanning beds that use UV rays, though care is needed here.
• Air purification: More below.

How UV Air Purifiers Work

While most air purifiers work by drawing in air and then trapping contaminants, pollutants and other undesirable particles, UV purifiers are slightly different. These items are made of a set of lamps that send out low-frequency UV radiation, which kills microbes and other small pollutants moving through the air.

The major benefit here compared to other purifier types is the number of contaminants covered. Traditional purifiers that draw air in may not reach areas like ductwork or other closed-off parts of the airflow system, meaning contaminants might remain – UV purifiers, by sending out UV rays to the entire space, solve this problem.

UV Purifiers Are Safe

Some might be worried about safety with UV air purifiers, and on its own this is a justifiable concern. UV rays, after all, also cause issues like sunburns and can lead to skin cancer in some cases, and homeowners do not want to be exposed to these risks. Luckily, this is not a problem at all: UV air purifiers use much lower levels of UV rays than are needed to adversely impact human health in any way. While they are able to kill various contaminants, your skin and overall health will not be impacted.

For more on UV air purifiers, or to learn about any of our HVAC or plumbing services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the issues posed by chemical drain cleaners. While these products are advertised to clean out drain clogs and blockages, they often create more issues than they solve, including pipe damage, breathing hazards and several others.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re here to provide not only a detailed range of drain cleaning services for any tough clogs or blockages that arise within your plumbing, but also tips on how to handle minor clogs properly from a DIY perspective. Today’s part two of our series will cover some of these DIY methods, plus tools available for tougher clogs, how our team will help in these cases, and some basic tips on items to avoid putting down drains to help limit the risk of a drain clog to begin with.

DIY Methods for Minor Clogs

Rather than using chemical drain cleaners that might damage your pipes or cause other issues, there are a couple simple solutions to use for minor drain clogs you need to clear:

• Hot water: Find the largest pot you have in your home and fill it with hot water – not quite boiling, but very hot. Then pour this entire put down the drain that’s giving you problems. From here, follow this up with some basic cold water (you don’t need to fill the entire pot again necessarily) to flush out any clogs your hot water just helped loosen or melt.
• Vinegar and baking soda: Arrange half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of baking soda, then pour the latter down the drain. Follow that up with the half-cup of vinegar, then plug the drain in question and let it sit overnight. In the morning, flush the drain with hot water.
• Plunger: For smaller clogs, there are several plunger types that do well. The most well-known here is the cup plunger.

Larger Clog Cleaning Methods

If you’re having issues with a significant drain clog, it might be time to call our pros for assistance. We offer a wide range of services here, from identifying the cause of your blockage to using modern hydro-jetting technology to clear major clogs. This technology utilizes high-speed and high-pressure water flow to blast out clogs like grease, sand, silt and other sediments. In rarer cases, items like snakes or augers may be used for significant clogs.

Drain Item Avoidance

To avoid many of these risks altogether, only approved items should be flushed down drains. In the case of toilets, this means nothing but proper toilet paper and human waste; other drains have similar limitations. Some items that should never be put down the drain include:

• Grease, oil or fats from cooking
• Any significant food debris, such as pasta, rice, eggshells, bones or stringy, fibrous foods
• Feminine products like sanitary napkins
• Coffee grounds
• “Flushable” wipes (many are not what they claim)
• Hair
• Paper towels or tissues

For more on how to remedy drain clogs without harmful chemicals, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

Nearly all homeowners and residents have experienced at least one clogged drain in their lives, and these are never fun occasions. Drain clogs may arise for several reasons, from basic blockages from items to issues with the main sewer line and other more significant problems, and while some are luckily remedied using nothing but a plunger, others may require more dedicated efforts.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re happy to provide professional drain cleaning services in addition to our numerous plumbing and HVAC solutions. We’ve handled a huge variety of drain clogs, from minor blockages to full sewer clogs that require major cleaning methods. One area we preach caution in to all our clients: The use of chemical drain cleaners for drain clogs. This two-part blog series will focus on the issues with chemical drain cleaners and the problems they often pose, plus some alternatives for DIY cleaning and some other basic themes to consider.

Plumbing Pipe Damage

For starters, while chemical drain cleaners claim to benefit your pipes by clearing them of certain blockages or clogs, they may actually cause more harm than they do good. This is because many chemicals found in these cleaners are directly harmful to plumbing drain materials – namely hydrochloric acid, the primary chemical in many such solutions.

This acid damages pipes in multiple ways. For one, it eats away at pipe materials the longer it sits – and there’s no way for you to know whether traces of the chemical remain and sit for hours and even days once poured down your drain. For another, hydrochloric acid also chews off enamel and other finishes from your kitchen, bathroom or any other room where you’re pouring this cleaner.

Toxicity and Environment

In addition to potentially damaging pipes, these cleaners may also be dangerous to both humans and the environment. Fumes from commercial drain cleaners, especially generic and cheaper brands, are often highly toxic – inhaling them will lead to eye and nose irritation plus potential respiratory concerns for some people.

On top of all this, these cleaners are bad for the environment. They leave residue in bottles that end up in landfills, sometimes entering local water supplies or other environmental areas and creating poisoning risks for wildlife.

Cleaner Efficiency

Finally, there are a number of situations where these chemical drain cleaners simply won’t work. Chemicals aren’t going to solve a backed-up sewer line, for instance, and they also won’t do anything about broken or cracked pipes that are causing similar issues. Even for clog types they’re ostensibly supposed to handle, they often don’t work as advertised and will leave part or all of a blockage intact, wasting the money you spent on them.

For more on the issues with chemical drain cleaners, or to learn about any of our drain cleaning or other plumbing and HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

In parts one and two of this multi-part blog series, we’ve gone over many of the sounds you might hear coming from your water heater and what these might mean. While certain water heater sounds are relatively common and may not indicate any problem, others could be signs of issues taking place that you need to consider repairs or replacements for.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we provide new water heater installations for models that have worn down past repair, or water heater repairs for those models that will benefit from it. In today’s final entry of our series, we’ll go over a few of the less common sound types you might hear from a water heater, including the sorts of sounds that may come from a modern tankless water heater if you’ve recently installed one.

Screeching or Screaming

If you’ve begun to hear a high-pitched noise that almost sounds like screaming or screeching from a steam engine, this is often an issue with one of several potential valves. Such valves are present on the heater and help direct water flow, but their openings may contract over time and cause water to attempt to squeeze through extremely small openings, creating the noise.

Some of the most common valves that lead to this issue:

• T&P relief valve: Short for temperature and relief valve, this is an escape valve that lets water escape in situations where too much pressure is in the tank.
• Inlet valve: In other cases, the inlet valve might not be completely open, limiting the amount of water that can flow through.
• Lines and outlet valve: If neither of the above is the cause of the issue, water lines or the outlet valve could have kinks or other minor issues restricting water flow.

In any of these cases, call our plumbers for assistance.

Water Hammer Banging

If the water in your home is abruptly shut off for some reason, whether accidental or intentional, it may cause a loud banging or hammering sound. This sound, which is sometimes referred to as the Water Hammer, is due to water in the system having nowhere to go, and therefore flowing backward.

Water Hammer issues risk burst pipes and major water damage, and if enough pressure is present the tank itself might even be damaged. If you experience this issue even once, call our team for possible solutions.

Tankless Water Heater Sounds

So what about tankless water heaters? Because they do not have tanks like most other water heater models, their possible sounds are very different. You might sometimes hear pops or ticks, and clicks are also common when the heater turns itself on and off. In general, though, proper maintenance from our plumbers will prevent any unusual sounds from a tankless water heater.

For more on the noises you may hear from a tankless water heater, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the noises you might hear from your water heater indicating potential issues. Unusual sounds are often some of the first signs you’ll get that your water heater is experiencing problems, and having a basic understanding of what these noises might be indicating can go a long way.

At Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we offer high-quality water heater repair services for anyone whose water heater is acting up at any point in the year. In today’s part two, we’ll go over a few additional noises you might be hearing coming from your water heater or nearby areas, and what these could be telling you about your unit.

Screeching or Whistling

While high-pitched screeching or whistling noises might sound alarming and worry you, they’re actually usually indicating one of the lowest-impact issues in water heaters – and one of the easiest to fix. Many such noises are caused by a partly closed control valve at the water heater inlet, and remedying this just involves opening the valve entirely.

In other cases, the size of your exhaust flue might be causing a strange sound frequency. This is a simple fix for one of our plumbers, who will resize the exhaust system to get rid of this noise.

Sizzling or Hissing

Sizzling, hissing or cracking sounds, when coming from an electric water heater model, are generally signs of mineral buildups in the tank. Heating electrodes in these models often hiss when they heat up if they are infused with sediment. This will require a draining and cleaning of the heating element.

If you hear a sizzling noise from a gas-powered water heater, on the other hand, this is likely due to an issue with your tank’s condensation. Condensation forms when water is heated, but a leak within the tank may cause this water to drip down onto the burners, leading to the sizzling noise you hear. If you notice water around the unit in addition to these sounds, call our plumbers for repairs.

Ticking, Clicking or Tapping

Ticking, clicking or tapping noises from the water heater are generally due to pressure changes, and in many cases they are actually completely normal. They often come from the heat trap in the water supply piping downstream form the actual water heater.

In some cases, though, replacing nipples or allowing for larger openings in this area will be a prudent move. There could also be issues where these noises are coming from your pipes rather than your heater itself – this could be due to expansion and contraction as water warms or cools, and you may need to tighten some pipe straps to limit this.

For more on the noises that could be indicating issues with your hot water heater, or to learn about any of our plumbing or HVAC services, speak to the staff at Action Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric today.