Fall 2013
Give us a call today: 856-467-0527Five Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Furnace
For many people, the sound of a furnace kicking on reminds them of the winter and a warm home. But while furnaces are regarded as one of the most efficient and consistent heating systems on the market, they will eventually break down and need to be replaced. Knowing when that time has come for your furnace can be difficult though. Take a look below to see some of the signs that indicate a need to replace your furnace rather than just repairing it.
- Rattling. If your furnace makes a rattling noise, it could just be a loose part. But it could also be a cracked heat exchanger allowing carbon monoxide to leak into your home. (Your furnace’s heat exchanger is a long tube of metal that gets heated by the burner and warms the air coming into your home.) The exchanger is also responsible for removing all of the dangerous combustion gases from your home. If it gets cracked, it almost always needs to be replaced instead of repaired.
- Rust. If your furnace is coupled with an air conditioner system, condensation from the AC can actually drip down onto the furnace. This usually happens when the condensate drain system gets clogged and overflows. The water often drips onto the heat exchanger and rusts it until a hole develops in the heat exchanger, necessitating replacement.
- Inefficiency. As your furnace ages, it will start to deteriorate. Even if you get it serviced twice a year, time marches on and your furnace won’t be able to heat your home as well. If you start to notice an increase in your utility bill, you should probably call for repair or replacement. Your heating technician can tell you whether he or she can repair the system and improve its efficiency or if it’s time to start thinking about replacing it.
- Frequent repair. Your furnace shouldn’t require that much professional attention except for some maintenance visits each year. If you have to call for repairs on a regular basis, you may be better off spending that money on a new system.
- Age. Age can be a very important determining factor in whether or not you decide to replace your furnace. You don’t always have to wait until your furnace is completely dead in order to consider replacing it. As your furnace ages, it will likely develop several of the issues listed above. You could save yourself a lot of headaches by replacing it early.
Whenever you detect any problems with your furnace, make sure that a professional performs any replacements and installations. Also, be sure to call early when you notice any problems so that you can keep them from developing into larger, more costly issues.
Trenchless Technology is the Ideal Method for Conducting Pipe Repairs
Your home’s plumbing system is incredibly complex and if it is like many homes out there then you likely have some pipes buried deep under your property. Usually, the water main and the sewer main are both buried in the ground near the street. While this is a great way to keep them out of sight (and protect them from accidents), it makes it very difficult to perform any repairs on them. However, trenchless technology allows your plumbing contractor to quickly and easily work on the pipes. Read on below for a quick description of how this technology works and call your local plumber for any services that you need.
How Trenchless Pipe Repair and Replacement is Done
When many people hear about trenchless pipe repair and replacement they immediately wonder how it’s possible. With traditional pipe repair and replacement, your entire yard would have to be excavated in order to gain access to the problem pipes. But with trenchless technology, only two holes need to be dug: one at either end of the pipe.
Here’s how it works. If you discover that your sewer line is cracked or if it is completely clogged with tree roots, replacement is a possible option. With trenchless technology, your plumber will dig one hole at either end of the sewer main: one near the sidewalk where it comes in and one near your home where the line connects to your drains. From there, your plumber will use powerful pumps to literally pull a new sewer line through the old one, which effectively destroys it and leaves you with a brand new pipe. There’s another method, called pipe relining, where a new, loose and inflatable epoxy pipe is pulled through the old one and then sealed to the inside of the old pipe.
As you can see, there are tremendous benefits to getting your pipes repaired and replaced this way. Probably the main benefit is that your yard doesn’t need to be dug up. If you have expensive landscaping, a driveway, walkways or trees throughout your yard, then you don’t have to dig them up. Also, with trenchless technology the job can usually be done within a day.
But how can you tell when you need trenchless pipe repair or replacement? If you start to notice soggy patches around your yard, a sudden loss of water pressure or the smell of sewage, it could be an indication that your water line or your sewer line needs help. Call your local plumbing contractor today to see if they offer trenchless technology.
