Due to the EPA regulations requiring toilets to use only 1.6 gallons of water each flush, many people experience problems with their toilets flushing properly. They find themselves flushing 2 or 3 times and constantly having to use a plunger to unclog the toilet. These multiple flushes end up using more water than the old 6 gallon toilets used. This is no fun and can be an embarrassment when guests use their bathroom. Many times, people will not be able to clear the commode with a plunger and they have to call a plumber like Reliable Heating, Air & Plumbing of Woodstock to help. This has become a serious problem in past years. People actually purchase old commodes made before the EPA regulations went into effect and have then refurbished so they can have a toilet that actually flushes well. There are stories of some actually smuggling toilets from other countries where the regulations do not apply to get a properly flushing toilet. I know this may sound funny to you, but it is actually a real issue and problem with some of the commodes on the market today.Reliable Heating, Air & Plumbing has the answer. American Standard makes special toilet called the Champion that is virtually unable to be clogged. They use a new design and water valve to make sure all waste is removed in one flush without ever backing up. I challenged my own by rolling up a large clump of toilet tissue just to see the results and away it went no problem. The American Standard Champion toilet can actually flush 20 golf balls down in one try! They are very affordable and will save hundreds of dollars in water costs and potential damage to your home due to an accidental overflow situation.
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Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Toliets that Don’t Backup?
Thursday, January 12th, 2012Control Your Home From The Palm of Your Hand
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011by Dan Jape of Reliable Heating & Air
It is not often that a new product gets me so excited I want to write about it twice, but this is one of those times. A few months ago I wrote about a new remote access thermostat Trane had brought out that allowed a user to control their heating and cooling systems from any web enabled phone, I-pad or computer. The system is called Nexia Home Automation system and now that I have one actually installed on my unit, I wanted to go over it again, as I truly believe it is a very cost effective, easy to use “Smart House” device that many will find useful in their lives. If you enjoy tech, you will love this system. It is being expanded everyday to do provide more and more useful features.
First, it is a remote access thermostat that allows one to monitor and control the temperature and energy consumption in your home, business and second vacation home. If you are like me, it is hard to use a normal programmable thermostat because you are never sure when you will come home in the evening. With ComfortLink, you can simply adjust your cooling or heating when you start home to make sure it is comfortable when you arrive. I have in the past just left my home cool all day since I work in homes every day without cooling and want my home nice and cool when I arrive. ComfortLink will also send me a text message if something ever goes wrong with my heating or cooling which allows me to be proactive on getting it fixed early so I do not have to spend an evening without conditioned air. It will send text messages reminding me to change my filter also, which I find is something even I forget to do. (Remember the saying about the cobbler’s kids shoes?)I can keep track of energy usage and take action accordingly. I can control dehumidification with this system and have multiple fan settings and circulation modes that will allow constant fan operation without adding moisture during the summer. If you have a second home, you can periodically run the HVAC to keep it fresh and dehumidified.
Another nice feature is the ability to adjust lights, fans or small appliances from a remote location. This can be handy if you think you forgot to turn off the coffee maker or curling iron or if you want to simply turn on lights when away from home for security. Outdoor lighting or appliances can be controlled as can over 200 different compatible devices. The possibilities are almost limitless.Regular receptacles in your home or business can be installed so almost anything you desire will be controlled from anywhere in the world.
Door locks are easily installed that can be opened from your phone allowing a maid or service person easy, one-time access to your home without leaving a key. Then once in your home, you can watch what is taking place in all areas of your home by simply installing a Trane wireless camera that shows you real time how many teenagers are actually in your home after school and what your maid is really cleaning out. Never worry about your children getting locked out again, as you can simply give them a code to get in and your system will send you a text message when they arrive home after school. Without bothering them or causing them to think you are “checking in on them;” you can check in on them with the camera.
There is a simple walk around remote control device that is similar to a TV remote device that you can use in your home to control all these items if you just do not want to walk around and adjust all the lights etc. You can also turn off your cable box or satellite receiver during the day which, according to Clark Howard, can save you hundreds of dollars each year. You can turn it back on 10 minutes before you arrive and you won’t have to wait for your TV to boot back up.
These are just a few of the possibilities this system can bring you and Trane is constantly developing more and more uses for the Nexia system. It will soon control your home sprinkler system and all types of audio equipment. This is truly an exciting product that has only begun to scratch the surface of home automation and remote access that will surely be the standard in the future. Call Reliable Heating & Air today to get information about this product or arrange to have an in house demonstration. I think you will feel more connected to your most valuable asset, and enjoy features never available before in the world of “smart house technology”.
It’s not just “routine” maintenance this time of year.
Monday, October 3rd, 2011by Dan Jape of Reliable Heating, Air & Plumbing
Cold weather is right around the corner and you will soon be in need of heat in your home. Furnaces need a complete service and cleaning each year before they are turned on to make sure they are safe and efficient. Many times, a homeowner will make the assumption that just because a furnace ignites, it is safe to operate. This could not be farther from the truth. Modern day furnaces are a very safe appliance and when maintained, can give years of service. But it is important that the series of safety devices and components that make them safe are in good working order. All modern day furnaces are safe if they are maintained properly, but if neglected could cause a problem. Reliable Heating, Air & Plumbing employees 100 plus Nate certified techs to make sure all is in good shape for a long cold winter.
One of the most important items to check and clean is the heat exchanger. A furnace burns gas and heats up a metal box that contains the gas burners and when the box is warm, a fan blows air across the outside of the box and transfer heat to the air stream, which is then distributed to all the rooms of a home. This heat exchanger heats and cools thousands of times a year and this causes expansion and contraction. This can cause metal fatigue and cracks in this burner box which allows carbon monoxide to leak into the air stream. We have long optical scopes that can be inserted into a heat exchanger to check for cracks and fatigue to make sure they are airtight. This is extremely important to be checked every year, as this piece is a very stressed component of the furnace and can fail at any time a furnace is over 10 to 12 years old. It is also very important that any rust and debris that accumulates in the heat exchanger is vacuumed out to allow all the heat generated by the combustion of the gas to be properly transferred to the air stream.
Another very important series of devices that need to be checked are high temperature limit switches which monitor a furnace for an overheated condition. These high limits are crucial in making a furnace safe and they need to be checked and tested each year to make sure they operate correctly. If a fan or blower stops operating on a furnace, the gas will continue to ignite until these limit devices sense the furnace is overheated and shut off the burners and turn the furnace off. These limit switches are directly in the air stream and take a lot of abuse and they fail after a number of years.
Furnaces have a device that moves air and fumes through the heat exchanger and it is often a component that needs service in a modern furnace. This “draft inducer” is in the combustion stream of the furnace and is exposed to the hot, acid laden fumes of the by-products of gas combustion. Some manufactures make the housing of these inducers out of plastic and they become so hot, the plastic housing cracks allowing flue gases to be emitted into the living space of a home. Some early models also used metal housings and fan blades that was not built out of corrosive resistant materials and they rusted out quickly. These units need to checked at the start of every season for proper operation and integrity of the housing. A complete and through inspection on all the controls on a furnace have to checked every year to assure one all is working properly on their gas furnace.
A gas furnace that a builder installs in your home can give you 14 to 18 years of service if they are taken care of properly and serviced regularly. A furnace that a consumer purchases can last 20+ years and provide safe efficient heat if properly maintained. Have your local heating and air contractor check for correct operation and your family should be warm and safe this winter. If you are need of a new furnace, they start out as low as $1495 and can go up to $3500 for a top of the line model.
When it’s time, it’s time!
Friday, June 17th, 2011by Dan Jape of Reliable Heating & Air
When it’s finally time to replace your old heating and cooling system, there will be many choices and different decisions to be made that will affect your comfort, efficiency and overall happiness with any new system selected. It would benefit anyone to become familiar with the different components and terms you will face when that day does arrive.
There are 3 separate pieces of equipment you have to replace when purchasing a new HVAC system and they are the furnace, the indoor cooling coil, and the outdoor condenser or air conditioner. You have choices of different furnaces and condensers, but generally there is only one coil for any system.
There are many different manufacturers of furnaces and many different models available, but there are really just two distinctly different types of furnaces, single speed, single stage furnaces and two stage, variable speed furnaces. A single speed single stage furnace comes on full blast anytime it runs and the motor in it consumes $250 a year of A/C electricity. A two stage variable speed furnaces comes on gradually and only uses the amount of gas needed at any given time to heat your home and it’s blower consumes only $30 annually of D/C current. The Variable Speed furnace also comes with a special thermostat that actually allows the furnace to reduce the amount of humidity in your home by an additional 5 to 10%, and when it is drier in your home, you can actually keep it warmer and feel the same comfort level, which will save you money.
You have many choices in different outdoor condensers and what you pick is critical in your comfort. There are two different types of outdoor units, single speed units and two speed units. The two speed units are the best choice for most homes in the south, as they can be large enough in capacity to handle the extreme hot days, but because of their two speed design, they slow down to remove more moisture than a regular single speed condenser. The efficiency of these two speed units is usually so much better than a single speed unit that they can reduce the electric consumption by over 50% compared to your old cooling system you have in place now.
There are “builder grade units”, consumer grade units and top of the line units in both single speed and two speed. Builder grade units are units designed for a low, upfront price point and come with short warranties and will usually provide a shorter life span, as most builders are only interested in how a particular appliance operates for one year, which is the standard warranty a new home comes with.
Consumer grade units today come with a 10 year parts warranty and some companies offer a 10 year labor warranty or even a lifetime warranty if properly maintained. Units such as these can last 18 to 20 years often times and are available up to 16 seer in most cases.
Top of the line air conditioners are loaded with safeties and controls that allow them to last 20+ years and cut operating costs up to 60% while doing the best job in dehumidification and cooling and come in single speed, two speed single compressors, two speed twin compressors and even solar powered. Units such as these are more expensive up front, but are a better investment in the long run, by offering superior operation, efficiency and comfort.
It helps in any market place to know about the different products that are available and it is always a good idea to get at least 3 different estimates to see if there is a general consensus to what each company recommends.
Reliable Heating & Air Summer 2011
Monday, May 16th, 2011Dan Jape, Reliable Heating & Air
Now that warm weather has arrived, it is very important that your cooling system is checked to make sure it is operating at peak efficiency. If your system is low on refrigerant or coils are dirty, it can cost you hundreds of dollars more each year to cool your home. Make sure you do not waste your money operating a cooling system that is not operating at peak efficiency.
Most HVAC companies offer a service contract which provides two visits a year to clean and tune up your heating and cooling systems and the summer inspection should include cleaning the outdoor unit of mud and debris lodged in the outdoor coil. This cleaning helps a unit give the best efficiency possible. It is always best to sign a service agreement with your company, as it gives your priority treatment during peak times and a discount on parts. At Reliable, we offer a lifetime warranty on most parts if a service agreement is put into effect at time of repair. If that same problem or part ever fails again, we fix it for free, no questions asked.
There are some big changes in the HVAC business brought about by the passage of the new Georgia State Energy Code, which goes in effect this year. It calls for some new tough policies regarding the heating and cooling systems that are installed in new homes.
Blower door tests are now required on all new homes to check the infiltration rate of a new home. The result must be less than 7 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals . Companies such as Reliable Heating & Air are required to have a DET certified specialist on staff to check the tightness of the duct systems and the thermal envelope of the structure. Duct leakage now has to be tested and certified to meet the new standard for tightness. Duct mastic has to be used to seal ducts to make sure they are tight and not leaking conditioned air.
Programmable thermostats are required with every system as are attic tents or covers over the attic staircases. Attic vent fans can no longer be installed in a new home unless they are solar powered. Electric furnaces cannot be installed in any new homes after January 1, 2011. A heat pump must be installed as the primary heat source if natural gas or propane is not used.
There are many other facets of this new energy code, but these are some of the highlights that might affect your HVAC system in the future.
For over 33 years, Reliable Heating & Air has been known as the company to trust for all your heating and cooling needs, providing top quality service at affordable prices. Many times, our customers have looked to us for referrals to handle their plumbing needs also since they have always felt a high level of trust and satisfaction from conducting business with Reliable. We have searched for many years for the right plumber who gave the same great service experience we like to provide our customers and have never been able to give a recommendation without worrying about the outcome. We are now proud to announce we have opened up a plumbing division offering the same great pricing and helpful cheerful service our customers have always had counted on for their heating and cooling needs and we guarantee 100% customer satisfaction. Call us today for any plumbing or heating and cooling needs.
Dan Jape, Owner – Reliable Heating & Air
Big Savings Available Now!
Friday, April 15th, 2011by Dan Jape of Reliable Heating & Air
This is an exciting time to be in the market for a new HVAC system in the greater Atlanta area due to the many programs and specials available to help with the cost of replacing an old inefficient system.
The tax credit program is still available for homeowners and it is $500 as a straight bottom line credit off your income taxes. It is called the 25C program and it is available to most taxpayers without any income limits. You simply have to purchase a high efficiency furnace and air conditioner or heat pump and you can earn this lucrative credit.
There is money available from all the major EMC electric companies to finance a new heating and cooling systems and it is in the form of a 36 month no interest loan that can make the payments very affordable on a new comfort system that can save hundreds of dollars in energy bills every year. They also have very low interest loans for people who need long term payments.
The Atlanta Gas Light company has a number of specials that are available to almost anyone in the Atlanta area that has gas at their home. There are a number of different gas marketers, but they all buy their gas from Atlanta Gas Light Company. There are a few cities that have their own gas companies such as City of Austell or Sugar Hill that do not participate in the gas promotions, but the vast majority of Atlanta homeowners can take advantage of these specials. If in doubt if you qualify, call our office and we can help you. If you replace a furnace and an air conditioner and use an 80% efficient furnace, you can earn a $200 cash rebate and if you purchase a 90% furnace and an a/c unit, you can earn a $400 cash back rebate. If you currently have a heat pump or a dual fuel system with a gas furnace or a heat pump, you can earn a $1000 cash rebate if you replace the gas furnace and air conditioner or if you just replace the gas furnace and have the heat pump rewired to work as an a/c unit. This is a very lucrative program and this money will go a long way in helping with the cost of a new HVAC system replacement.
Trane also has incentives of $200, $400 and $1000 dollars or interest free financing for 36 months. All you have to do is purchase a high efficiency heating cooling system and the rebate is an instant rebate given at the time of time of purchase.
If you have not had your existing system serviced for the summer, now is the time. If your unit’s coils are not clean or if your units are slightly low on refrigerant, it can cost hundreds of dollars in wasted energy bills. A dirty blower wheel and any number of items out of sync can come back to haunt you in higher bills and poor comfort. People who have their routine service performed are assured they are getting their monies worth when the long hot summer days arrive with a vengeance.
Don’t forget the ducts
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010By Dan Jape – Reliable Heating & Air
One of the most important aspects of your home’s heating and cooling system is the duct work. Proper duct work can make a huge difference in the comfort and efficiency of your home. I visit four or five customer’s homes each day and in the vast majority of them, I find duct work issues that need to be corrected to make sure the new heating and cooling system we install will deliver what is promised in terms of comfort and efficiency. I see a number of customers who simply are talked into replacing the equipment in their home without analyzing the distribution system and they end up with the same poor comfort level they had before they purchased a new system.
One of the most frequent problems we find is lack of the proper amount of return or intake duct work. A proper operating system has to have the correct amount of return ducts to match the output of the system. Without the correct amount of intakes, many problems will arise such as lack of cooling capacity, overheating furnace heat exchangers, freezing cooling coils and reduced life of the entire system. Many homes suffer this issue and it must be corrected when upgrading your HVAC system.
Many homes have duct work built out of fiberglass or duct board. This a foil covered, glue impregnated sheet of fiberglass that is used as plenums or distribution boxes on the top and the sides of furnaces and is a very poor choice for ducting material. It is very porous and rough inside and collects dirt and debris and after a few years of service is always filthy dirty. Mold grows on the inside of this material and it is very hard to keep the corners and seams sealed up to keep air from leaking out in attics or basements. Metal ducts and plenums need to be installed to replace this inferior product when a new system is installed in your home to assure you of proper airflow, comfort, and efficiency. In some extreme cases, I find actual splitter boxes or wyes made of this duct board to try and save money on new home construction. You can find these by looking for boxes made into triangle shapes with many ducts attached to them. These impede airflow, overwork the furnace blower, and provide inferior comfort to the entire home. They have to be replaced to make sure you are getting the full comfort and efficiency a new HVAC system can provide you.
The last and one of the most important aspects of your ducts is making sure they are sized properly to deliver the correct amount of airflow to each room in your home. Almost every homeowner I visit complains about the comfort in their bonus room or the room over their garage in a two story home. This discomfort is caused by lack of airflow to overcome the heat loss or heat gain in this special room, which is over unconditioned space and needs more air flow to make this room comfortable. I will never understand why builders ignore this room and provide a space that in many cases cannot be used in peak weather conditions. This problem is easily corrected when replacing your comfort system and should not be overlooked and if it is, the problem will still be there after the new system is installed.
One should never purchase a new HVAC system without having a competent contractor inspect the duct system to assure you that your new heating and cooling system will actually deliver the promise of comfort and efficiency that you should demand from this purchase.
Goodbye, my old friend..
Monday, February 15th, 2010by Dan Jape of Reliable Heating & Air
After a ten year phase out, Freon is now dead and gone forever and this change will have an impact on most every home and business in the country. Back in the early 1990′s, law was enacted that called for the phase out of CFC’s, halons, and HCFC,s due to the fact they destroy the ozone layer and are responsible for creating an ozone hole over the South Pole. Freon is an HCFC and whether you believe in the ozone issue or not, everyone who currently has an old air conditioner that runs on Freon will be affected by the phase out since the law mandated that no new Freon based a/c units can be built after January 1, 2010 and after January 1, 2015, there is a ban on the sale and use of Freon in residential use. As the production of new Freon is limited, the price of this gas is going up to the point to where if you have an old leaky a/c system that uses Freon R-22, it will be a better idea to replace your a/c system instead of spending hundreds of dollars fixing leaks and recharging the system with Freon. Freon is going to be expensive this summer and to keep adding more to a leaky system is not a good use of your money. The state of the economy has the price of new systems lower than ever before and warranties have been escalated to 10 years parts and labor making this the best of times to cut ties with your Freon based a/c system.
New units now use R410a refrigerant which is far better than Freon in removing heat and moisture and is the only refrigerant available for home use. New units can cut your electric bill by 50 percent while giving you comfort you have never known. There are tax credits available of $1500 from the federal government which will pay the cost of upgrading to the very best furnace and a/c system. You will get a variable speed furnace with a built in dehumidifier and a 16 seer a/c system that will keep your home cool and dry in the summer and an even temperature in the winter. There are also factory rebates of $1000 or 36 months same as cash to help with the cost of upgrading your comfort system.
Every year people who know they have to replace their cooling systems get estimates over the winter when business is slow and they get the best prices of the year. But instead of going ahead and getting the work done early before the warm weather arrives, they procrastinate until it get hot and contractors are already busy, then they call and try to get off season deals. The heating and cooling business is all about supply and demand. In the warm months, there is an abundance of jobs and customers waiting to have work performed and no contractor can give you a special deal because the time to do your work could be sold at full price to the next person waiting in line. Do not wait until spring to try and repair or replace your a/c if you already know you need service. Get it done early if you want the best price and experience no waiting in a hot house.
New Modulating Comfort Available Now
Monday, February 15th, 2010There is a new furnace on the market that provides unparallel comfort and efficiency and includes features that will be the standard for all furnaces in the future. The furnace is a modulating variable speed furnace that has an efficiency rating of 95% that means that 95 cents of a dollar worth of gas is converted into heat and 5 cents is wasted up the chimney.
The modulating feature is the part of the furnace that makes this furnace unique and is the feature that will someday be included in all furnaces, not just top of the line models. Furnaces today are single stage, two stage or three stage. A single stage furnace is either on or off and anytime the furnace is on, it puts out the maximum amount of heat possible. This design works ok for very cold climates. But in climates like Atlanta, where the temperatures can vary drastically from moderate to extreme cold, it is not the best choice. The early answer for this comfort problem was a furnace with a two stage gas valve that can put out a little heat on a moderate day and then ramp up to put out more heat on a very cold day. This design is much more comfortable and even as it can keep the temperature band of plus or minus one degree. This two-stage furnace was first introduced with a two-speed blower motor that had a low and high-speed setting and then later brought out with a variable speed blower with infinite fan settings that really improved the comfort level.
The three-stage furnace was an attempt to improve comfort even more by having three distinct heat levels combined with a variable speed motor to give many more potential settings. These furnaces have efficiency ratings of 95% and were more comfortable than two stage models as they were able to adjust their heat output more accurately to the need than a furnace with only two stages.
The new modulating furnace has a gas valve that has infinite numbers of settings that allows the heat output to be precisely matched to the need in your home at any given time. As the temperature in your home starts to reach the preset setting, the gas valve starts to throttle back and the furnace slows down to just achieve the temperature settings and not overshoot it. It then puts out just enough heat to maintain the desired temperature plus or minus one degree. This type of operation will provide a type of comfort never before experienced before with a quiet, warm feeling that you will love. It also will save gas dollars and electrical costs. The blower motor or fan uses D/C current to allow it to be variable speed and this motor only consumes $30 a year in electric. The furnace also has the ability to commicate with the other components in the system and sends reports back to the installing dealer as to its performance and proper operation. This feature is the start of the wave of the future in home appliances to be part of home automation systems and to be interactive with the owner and the servicing dealer. The furnace also has an integrated dehumidification feature that will help remove extra moisture in the summer.
The new modulating furnace is a great option to look at if you are in need of a new furnace and it also qualifies for a tax credit of 30% of the installed cost from the federal government.
Kudzu.com
Monday, February 15th, 2010One of the most important aspects of having a new comfort system installed in your home is who is going to install it and maintain it. For many years, potential customers would perform their due diligence by asking for a number of references from former customers and of course, contractors would give a
list of their customers who were the most pleased. Somehow unhappy former customers would never be included in this reference list. Due to the advent of certain Internet sites, these days are over. Customers never ask for references anymore, instead they turn to websites that list former customer
reviews that are posted on these sites and give all the details of their experiences with contracting firms, both positive and negative. The most popular site people turn to is Kudzu.com and it lists reviews all types of companies.
Kudzu.com has been online for 4 or 5 years and it is an amazing tool to be used in selecting a service business. Kudzu.com is anonymous, so many people open up and write reviews they might not if their identity was disclosed. They are brutal if a company does not perform up to snuff, and many times will write very negative reviews over small missteps. They are also quick to
sing the praise of a company that goes above and beyond the normal level of expectations that they had. What also is very useful and fascinating is the fact the business owner or manager has the ability to answer every review listed about their company. One of the most telling parts of this website is how they respond, if they respond and what their response is to negative comments. We at Reliable Heating & Air use every comment about our company
as a learning/training experience. We go over every detail with the employee or crew and see what caused a negative review and how we could avoid a similar reoccurrence. We then answer each and every review and if a customer is not 100% pleased, we try and rectify the problem. I strive for 100% customer satisfaction and will not stop until we achieve that goal. We will redo the service or refund a customers money if that is what it takes to make sure every one of our customers is pleased.
The best outcome of having a website like Kudzu.com is it has raised the bar of the industry by keeping companies on their toes and forcing them to perform their best work. Before the Internet, companies could sweep unhappy customers under the rug and go on. Now the whole world can read each and every detail about each unhappy experience. I personally know some HVAC
company owners who have changed the way they do business to keep their Kudzu clean and they have had employees change the way they treat their clients.
There are also some big heating and air/plumbing companies who just can’t get it when it comes to the level of service needed to have a good Kudzu rating. Several companies refuse to even answer their reviews because they get so many negatives ones. Some blamed their negative reviews on other companies writing fake reviews about their companies instead of taking a long hard look at their own level of customer service. It is an attitude that will catch up with them soon or later.
The next time you need a service business, a new restaurant, a doctor or a lawyer I suggest you turn to Kudzu.com to look at reviews from other people who have used these business’s to see how they stack up.
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