The first thing you should remember is that safety comes first. If there are any electrical appliances nearby, turn the electricity off at the main breaker. Then, turn off your main water shut-off valve. It’s a must to know where this is!
If you have a water meter, that is where your main valve should be located. Once the immediate water flow is stopped, call us to have a plumbing technician promptly sent to your home.
Did you know that a broken pipe or washing machine hose could flood your home with more than ten gallons of water a minute?
Carbon monoxide, also known as the silent killer, can pose a serious threat in some instances and is yet another reason to have your furnace and water heater inspected by Parker & Sons. A carbon monoxide detector is a wise investment. Parker & Sons offers a high-quality carbon monoxide detector that has a 5-year warranty.
Nothing is wrong with your unit. What appears to be smoke is steam from the outdoor coil after it completes a defrost cycle. After extended run times, the outdoor unit will start to build frost or ice on the coil. The system is designed to go into defrost mode when needed to clear the ice away and keep the efficiency level up.
Vents are the pipes (about 12” high) that stick out of your roof. Vents are necessary to vent sewer gasses outside of the home. You can think of a vent pipe as a straw. When you put your thumb over the end of a straw, you can pull liquid up from the cup.
What happens when you remove your thumb? The liquid drains out and the straw fills with air. Similarly, when a liquid goes down a pipe, air needs to follow it. This air is pulled from the vent pipe.
Without a vent pipe, the liquid will try to pull air through the P-traps on plumbing fixtures such as your tub and sink! If this happens, you’ll know from the smell! Likewise, without a vent, draining one fixture may cause another fixture in the house to back up!
UV is the abbreviation for ultraviolet. Located in the return air ductwork and by the indoor cooling coil, the ultraviolet air treatment system continuously emits high-intensity ultraviolet (UV) energy.
The energy eliminates (kills) a very high percentage of airborne bacteria and germs passing over the UV light field inside the ductwork. The UV light mounted next to the indoor cooling coil will help eliminate the growth of mold, mildew, and other contaminants from the drain pan and coil surface.
At Parker & Sons, we recommend installing non-ozone-producing UV products.
Cleaning your ducts may be beneficial in improving your indoor air quality. A premium whole house duct cleaning will help decrease the spread of contaminants in your ductwork and home. New construction homes can benefit from having the ductwork cleaned to remove drywall dust, sawdust, and other debris from the construction process.
More than likely, it’s either low on refrigerant or low on airflow. As a homeowner, replace your filter and allow the unit to thaw out. If the problem reoccurs, call Parker & Sons to schedule service on your system. We recommend having annual maintenance performed to keep your systems in peak operating conditions.
Ask your Parker & Sons representative about our energy-saving maintenance agreement program.
Burning candles can be the culprit for the black on your walls and ceilings as well as polluting the air your family breathes. Keep wicks trimmed to no longer than 1/4th of an inch to help reduce soot from the candles.
As we heat our homes, the air has a tendency to dry out. This dry air can damage the woodwork and furniture you have in your home as well as zap the moisture from your skin. Dry air even makes you feel cooler because your body senses heat as a combination of temperature and humidity.
Adding humidity to offset this drying process will improve your comfort as well as preserve the woodwork in your home. As an added benefit, you may actually be able to lower your thermostat a couple of degrees. You will not only feel warmer but you may actually lower your heating bill! Adding this much-needed moisture will make your home a healthier and more comfortable place to spend your time.
Contact us and we would be happy to discuss your choices and provide you with pricing for adding a humidifier to your home.
SEER stands for “Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio”. Basically, it tells you how efficiently it converts electricity to cooling comfort. The higher the SEER rating, the more efficient the system.
By federal law, all units must be a 10 SEER or higher. Parker & Sons recommends having a Parker & Sons Consultant come to your home and perform a heat load calculation to ensure the proper size unit is installed. This is a free service to our customers that may help you save money and increase your indoor comfort.
AFUE stands for “Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency”. This rating tells you how much of your heating dollars are converted to heat energy put into your home and how much is lost up the flue pipe. Most older furnaces are 50% to 60% efficient. That means that for every dollar you spend for gas from your utility company, 40 to 50 cents are being sent up the flue pipe to the outdoors. Federal law mandates that all furnaces being produced today be at least 80% efficient.
Parker & Sons offers several different sizes of furnaces with up to 96% efficiency. That means that for every dollar you spend on gas from the utility company $.96 is converted to heat your home and only $.04 is sent out the flue pipe.
A Parker & Sons Comfort Consultant can visit your home, perform a heat load calculation and recommend the proper system to keep you comfortable and save you money. In many cases, homeowners have saved enough on their utility bills to more than cover the investment of a new comfort system.
The only way to size an air conditioner or furnace for your home is to do a heat load calculation. The capacity needed is based on how quickly your home gains or loses heat (and not by square footage alone). The Air Conditioning Contractors of America’s Manual J is an industry-approved method that Parker & Sons uses to ensure the proper system is selected.
Heat rises, thus the reason it’s hotter in the summer. Assuming the system was sized and installed correctly, you should consider installing a zone system if possible. Sometimes the addition of return air ductwork will help improve air movement and help make upper levels more comfortable.
It’s a fact: the trapped air we breathe in our homes can be loaded with dust, pollen, plant spores, and other pollutant particles. In many cases, it’s worse than the air outside.
You may have hot water in your toilet because of a bad flapper in the toilet tank or a bad fill valve. When a toilet has a mixing valve (to prevent condensation), a little hot water is added to bring the temperature up. When this system is not functioning correctly, you can get a bowl full of hot water!
Yes! Even though your system is new, it still needs to have annual maintenance performed. This will help keep the warranty in effect. For most equipment, manufacturers state in terms of their warranty that annual maintenance must be performed by a qualified technician. Keeping your system maintained will give you the assurance that it is operating at peak efficiency and safety.
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