The Heating & AC Blog

The majority of homeowners experience clogged drains at some point in their lives; Clogs can be a pain, but they are consistently easy to fix.

If every drain backs up at once, a minor concern can become a major a single and you may be dealing with a sewer drain clog.

Clogs in sewer drains can be caused by a variety of factors; Tree roots, toilets, garbage disposals, and disfigured sewer lines are the most common. Tree roots can grow toward sewer lines as they grow. If your sewer lines are aging, cracked, corroding, or otherwise disfigured, tree roots can make their way into these pipes, interrupting the smooth flow of wastewater. Over time, the roots will expand. That can bring dirt into your pipes, but it can also cause a full blockage, then your drains will clog, and you may experience backups when that happens. It is also possible to cause sewer drain complications by treating your toilet like a trash can. Of course, you should avoid flushing foreign objects down your toilet; But did you also know that “flushable” wipes aren’t actually flushable? Other items flushed down the toilet can cause sewer line clogs and major complications! The same goes for your garbage disposal! Drains can clog abruptly if you throw everything down your garbage disposal, from grease to leftovers from last night’s supper. To catch larger debris, make sure you have a living room sink strainer. The sewer line can crack, corrode, sag, and fail over time, a sewer line that is more than 20 to 25 years old is more likely to suffer from these complications. Damaged sewer lines may let dirt and other debris into them, and wastewater cannot flow through them as easily. This can cause clogs and backups in sewer lines.

 

drain cleaning

When my husband and I received our tax return we knew exactly what we wanted to put the money towards.

While most people invest into a vacation or personal investments, we had less traditional plans.

The two of us wanted to use the money to have our ductwork replaced. We’d been living in the same house for over 10 years and the air quality seemed to decline as the years went by. The air quality was something we were always discussing with our HVAC contractor and he was always giving us small tips. We tried replacing the air filter more frequently and we attempted to move around various air purifiers. However, air filters add up over time and air purifiers aren’t a cheap investment either. The biggest change our HVAC contractor said we could make was to replace the ductwork. The ductwork was over two decades old and it not only needed to be cleaned, but it needed to be replaced. There were holes forming throughout, which was causing our energy bills to steadily increase every month too. Replacing the ductwork was a big task, but we were committed to doing it. My husband and I had no intention of moving anytime soon, so it was worth the investment. We not only wanted our air quality to be better but we wanted to waste less energy on our monthly HVAC bills. Once the process began, the replacement of our ductwork was quick and painless. The HVAC contractor handled everything and we sat back and reaped the benefits.
HVAC repairman

I decided to do something dramatically uncharacteristic.

When it was time to pick my vacation for the year, I decided to visit a health retreat.

I usually spent my vacation days at the beach or on a cruise sailing through various islands, but this year I felt inspired to do something different. I was turning 40 and I felt like I needed to readjust my life physically and mentally. I’d never been to a health resort before, but I had a friend who had visited one and raved about it herself. I always thought health resorts were for people who couldn’t function in society or were on the verge of a nervous breakdown, but I quickly learned that they’re for everyone. Everyone could benefit from a mental and physical tune up. When I checked into the resort, I was escorted to my room. When I went to adjust the temperature on the thermostat, the employee who checked me in told me that there was no private thermostat. In fact, the resort didn’t have an HVAC system at all. According to the resort, the lack of heat and air was a part of the health journey and I’d learn to live with the natural temperature of the weather. They even included something in my welcome pamphlet about how to naturally stay cool through opening a window or how to warm up by visiting their sauna. No HVAC system seemed ludicrous, but I was willing to submit myself for the benefit of my health.

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One of the first things I did after I moved into my house was contact an HVAC professional.

The current HVAC system was really old, but the inspection said that both the heat and the air were still running.

I understood that the HVAC system wouldn’t run efficiently at that age and it was likely to need to be replaced at some point, but I was still nervous about the HVAC tune up. I didn’t know what secrets the HVAC professional would find or how much it was going to cost me. When the day came to have it tuned, I braced myself for whatever the HVAC professional was about to discover. I let the HVAC professional know that this was the first time the HVAC equipment would be serviced under my home ownership, and he let me know that he’d communicate any issues that he found. I appreciated this because as hard as it was to hear bad things that would need repaired or replaced, it was good to be upfront about it right away. To my surprise, there wasn’t much wrong with the HVAC equipment when the HVAC professional was through looking at everything. He mentioned that I needed a new ductwork cap and there were a few holes along the ductwork that needed to be patched, but that was it. The cap would only cost a few dollars and the patchwork was a simple fix for the HVAC professional. Other than the fact that my HVAC system was old, it was still in good shape.

 

New HVAC technology

I had my old HVAC system replaced after living in the house for a year.

While the furnace and air conditioner still worked, they were both over a decade old and they didn’t run efficiently.

After speaking with an HVAC professional, I realized that I was spending too much money on my monthly utility bills and it didn’t make financial sense to keep my outdated HVAC equipment. Although it was a big expense, it made more sense to install a new HVAC system in the long run. My current HVAC system has been heating and cooling my house for five years and I’ve had no issues with it. My house is always comfortable and there’s been no emergency repairs to worry me. Lately though, I’ve noticed that the air quality inside my house hasn’t been as good as it usually is. When it was time for my next HVAC tune up, I asked the HVAC professional what could be causing the decrease in air quality. After taking a closer look at my HVAC system and considering how old my HVAC system was, he suggested I have my ductwork cleaned. He could see inside a few areas of the ductwork and it was covered in dust and debri from constant use over the years. He also recommended that I start using a better quality air filter because it would keep the dust and debri out of my ductwork for longer periods of time. I had never considered the ductwork before or switching air filters, but I knew it would improve my air quality drastically.

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My brother has never been the most responsible person in our family. Even though he’s older than me, he’s constantly forgetting things, he has no sense of time, and he’s somewhat naive. I love him dearly and he has a lot of other strong suits, but responsibility is just not one of them. When he went off to college for the first time, everyone in the family thought that he’d either die or come home within a few weeks. We never thought he’d survive on his own. Our mom had woken him up for school his entire life and she’d always been there to keep him on course. Going to college was a true sink or swim situation for him. Somehow, he managed to survive all four years and he graduated on time. A few years later, when he told us that he was purchasing his first house, we were shocked. Although he was slightly more responsible, he still wasn’t thriving. Having a house was a big responsibility, especially when there were things like HVAC systems to take care of. When I was helping him move in, I noticed the air quality was dusty and musty. I thought it was because we were stirring all the old dust up while bringing in packages. When I made a comment about changing the air filter, my brother casually mentioned that he took the old air filter out because it was dirty. However, he never said anything about putting a new one in. Turns out, he never put a new air filter in the system!

 

Air vent

For me, one of the best parts about traveling is the hotel room. I love the crisp linen, the daily maid service, ordering room service, and setting the temperature to whatever I want. I travel a lot for business, which means I’m away from my home and alone for short periods of time. It’s not always easy, but I try to make the most of it. My company pays for my lodging whenever I travel, so I’m usually staying in a hotel that’s really nice and it’s always the highlight of my trip. My wife and I have different HVAC preferences, especially at night. I like to sleep in a cool environment while she likes to sleep in a warm environment. The temperature of our bedroom has been one of the biggest disagreements of our marriage, so these business trips help ease that tension a lot. We typically compromise when setting the thermostat before bed to something mild, but it’s still uncomfortable for the both of us. I’m too hot and she’s too cold. Knowing that I get to escape on a business trip with my own HVAC system keeps me going on the really tough nights, and I think I can say the same for my wife. Whenever I check into a hotel, I always set the temperature to 65 degrees. This may be extreme to some, but I absolutely love it. I like my room to feel chilled so I can lounge in my sweatpants and sweatshirt comfortably. Whenever I set the temperature to 65 degrees, I have the best night sleep. I could never set my thermostat that low at home. My wife would freeze to death and our energy bill would be outrageous.

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