DeHart Plumbing, Heating, and Air Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Modesto’

The Troubles With Old AC Units

Monday, September 6th, 2021
air-conditioner-with-dirty-coils

We encourage our customers to invest in energy-efficient heating and air conditioning equipment in Modesto, CA for their homes. The newest high-efficiency air conditioners can make a tremendous difference in how much energy a house uses and also helps the home lower its impact on the environment. 

We also recommend people upgrade to this new equipment because we know too many homes that keep their air conditioners far longer than they should. Letting an air conditioner sit in place years after it should normally retire leads to numerous problems and unnecessarily high costs. 

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How Do Duct Leaks Start in the First Place?

Monday, August 23rd, 2021
Inside-an-Air-Duct

Our top concern with our customers is helping them enjoy the best energy efficiency for their home so they can “Live Green, Save Green!” One of the major sources of energy loss in homes comes from ductwork leaks in the HVAC system, and unfortunately, this is a problem that’s easy to escape homeowners’ notice for a long time. 

We’ve previously written about how you can detect duct leakage in your home, and in this post, we’ll address another question about this problem: Why do duct leaks start in the first place? 

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Could Your Water Quality Use Improvement?

Monday, August 16th, 2021
mom-and-son-getting-water-from-sink

If all of your home’s water comes from a city water main, rather than a well, then you likely know that the water supply goes through a heavy treatment process before it reaches your household. The effectiveness of these water treatment facilities vary from city to city, though most of them are definitely good enough to remove the majority of harmful materials from the water. It’s important to remember though, there are a lot of miles between that water treatment plant and your home, and so a water treatment plant can’t be 100% effective at eliminating all possible contaminants.

There’s always a chance that some trace elements such as lead or mineral deposits can get into your home’s water supply. While some contaminants are definitely more unhealthy than others, nobody wants impurities in their water, period. In order to add an extra layer of protection to your home’s water supply, you may want to consider installing a water treatment system. This is especially a good idea if you notice the following symptoms:

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Are Window ACs an Energy-Efficient Option for Cooling?

Monday, August 9th, 2021
air-conditioning-grill

More than 75 years ago, Robert Sherman invented the window air conditioner. Most homes and buildings today have some type of air conditioning system, making it easy to overlook what a tremendous breakthrough in comfort the window AC was. At the time, central air conditioning was bulky and extremely expensive, and few homes had any type of ductwork to allow it. Thanks to the window AC, homes everywhere could enjoy summer cooling. This single invention opened up the sunbelt to a population boom.

But that was long ago. Window ACs are still here, but advances in technology have made central ACs affordable for many homes. Is there a serious choice between the two for today’s homeowner? Can window ACs compete when it comes to saving energy?

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Heed These Signs Your Home Needs Repiping

Monday, August 2nd, 2021
pipe-with-water-bursting-out-of-crack

Just like any other component that helps provide comfort and modern conveniences to your household, your plumbing system wears down over time, with some material types aging more quickly than others. This means that at some point during your homeownership, particularly if your home is more than a few decades old, you’re likely to need pipe relining, plumbing repair, or perhaps even complete home repiping. This is a complex job. However, our professional plumbers are very familiar with the work it entails, and we’ll be able to manage it for you with ease!

Additionally, you will benefit in many ways from whole-house repiping. First of all, you won’t need to worry about any sudden plumbing leaks or repair needs for years. Of course, the inevitable plumbing problem doesn’t seem so inevitable if you haven’t experienced one yet, right? And we absolutely understand any hesitance in investing in a large plumbing project.

But managing your repiping needs as soon as you can will help you avoid many potential issues, such as higher water bills, potential property damage from leaks, and more. But how do you know if you need repiping? We’ve provided some guidance on that question below.

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Better Insulation: Useful All-Year Round

Monday, July 26th, 2021
ductwork-in-attic

We can offer plenty of tips to cut down on summer air conditioning costs. For example, we encourage customers to invest in high-efficiency equipment, which is one of the best ways to make cooling less costly while benefiting the environment.

One idea for lowering AC costs you may not have thought of is improving the insulation in your house. We offer installation and replacement of insulation in Modesto, CA. This is one of the best investments homeowners make because it’s useful year-round. 

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Unique Ductless Needs to Be Aware Of

Monday, July 19th, 2021
hand-with-remote-turning-on-ductless-air-handler

When it comes time for you to choose a new air conditioning system for your home, there are so many options to choose from, right? To make sure that your AC system of choice works as effectively and efficiently as it is meant to, you’ll need to ensure that you work with a professional to find one that fits your specific home and budget.

One of the options you’ll find in your research is the ductless HVAC system.

Rather than utilizing a system of air ducts to function–connected to a single indoor air handler and outdoor unit–a ductless system does not use ductwork. It’s comprised of a single outdoor unit and up to 4 indoor air handlers, which can be discreetly mounted up on the walls in the rooms where you need cooling (or heating).

If you already have a ductless system, you’re familiar with this concept. If, however, you aren’t a ductless owner yet and you’re considering it, then you should learn about the unique needs your system may have.

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How We Can Improve Ventilation in Your Home

Monday, July 12th, 2021
airflow-diagram

Proper home ventilation is on people’s minds more. Too many houses today have limited ventilation to allow for the proper movement of air and to allow fresh air to circulate. This poor ventilation is one of the main causes of bad indoor air quality, which has been on the rise over the past few decades. 

At Greenhart, our goal is to help our customers enjoy the best quality of living in their homes thanks to better indoor air quality—and helping their homes achieve energy efficiency at the same time. There are steps you can take to help with better fresh air ventilation, such as opening multiple doors and windows and remembering to use exhaust fans in the kitchen and bathrooms. But we have several ways to better your ventilation and improve your home’s indoor air quality in Modesto, CA.

Energy and Heat Recovery Ventilators

These devices allow for fresh air circulation through a home without also causing heat loss or heat gain that will affect energy efficiency. Opening up windows and doors brings the outside temperatures with it, but energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) and heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) solve this problem. They draw fresh air into the HVAC system and use the air from indoors to either pre-heat or pre-cool it. This can recover 80% of the energy that would otherwise be lost to opening up windows and doors. There are differences between the two types, and we’ll help determine which one is best for your home.

Duct Sealing

Your house may have problems with leaky air ducts without you even knowing it. Duct leaks are common issues, and they can throw off air circulation for the whole house as well as cause the AC and heater to waste power. We recommend you schedule duct testing with our team if you aren’t certain about the condition of your ducts. We’ll discover if you have duct leaks and how extensive the problem is, then use advanced techniques to make the ventilation system airtight once more. 

Duct Cleaning

After three to five years, the ducts in your home will have picked up enough dust, lint, and other debris on the walls that it will interfere with proper airflow and ventilation. Professional duct cleaning can restore the ducts—just make sure you have actual professionals like our team to do the job. There are many low-cost “duct cleaning” services that do next to nothing at all. You can expect the best from us. 

Air Filters

You already have an air filter on your HVAC system, but it isn’t there to help with the indoor air quality; it protects the interior of the cabinet. If you want to have healthier air circulating through the house, you’ll need to have professionals install powerful pleated or media filters into the ductwork. These filters will remove dust, lint, dander, dust mites, and more. You will need to change the filters every few months or else they will start to block proper airflow. 

Talk to our experts today for great IAQ solutions. At Greenhart, we help you “Live Green, Save Green!”

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Signs That It’s Time for an AC Replacement

Monday, July 5th, 2021
checklist-with-red-marker

Summer is officially here, and if you haven’t done so already, now is the perfect time to ensure that your air conditioning system is up to the job of getting you comfortably through another warm season.

If your current cooling system isn’t up to this task, then now is a great time to replace it… before temperatures warm up too much more and you potentially face a sudden breakdown when you need the system the most.

But of course, if your system is on the newer side (less than 10-15 years old), then it could be that you just need a repair. So where do you draw the line? Read on to find out.

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Why Your Cooling Costs Have Spiked and How We Can Help

Monday, June 28th, 2021
air-conditioner-money-saver

At Greenhart, our motto is “Live Green, Save Green!” We’re more than a company offering standard service for air conditioners, heaters, insulation, and water heaters. We specialize in finding ways to help customers save money with equipment that also helps the environment thanks to high energy efficiency. We can help you solve problems you may have with inefficient home equipment performance.

And since it’s now officially summer, the time is right to address troubles with rising home cooling costs. You may not realize it, but the air conditioner in your house consumes more electricity than any other appliance (unless you have an electric water heater). The average AC uses 3,500 watts per hour to run. A clothes dryer uses 3,000 watts per hour and a ceiling fan a mere 100 watts. When you see your electricity bills start to go through the roof in summer, the likely culprit is the air conditioner. 

Let’s take a look at why those costs may be skyrocketing and what we can do to help.

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