Red Rock Mechanical, LLC Blog: Archive for January, 2014

Heating Repair FAQ: What’s That Sound?

Wednesday, January 29th, 2014

Has your heater started to make strange and loud noises? Do you wonder whether your heater is supposed to rumbling, hissing or clanging? Heater problems are often recognized by unusual sounds. Taking heed of these warning signs is important—today’s minor repair is tomorrow’s major repair. Staying alert to your heating system is part of ensuring system longevity and energy-efficiency. Heating problems are often increasing your utility bills in some way. For heating repair in Burlington, VT, call Red Rock Mechanical today!

While our descriptions of sounds vary from person to person, there are some commonly recognized noises that indicate certain problems. Let’s take a look at a few:

  • Rumbling. If your gas boiler or furnace rumbles, then it’s possible the burner or heating element is no longer working properly. This can also indicate an issue with the pilot light.
  • Hissing. If you hear hissing near your heat pump unit, either indoor or outdoor, then you may have a refrigerant leak. This can cause significant damage to your system if left for long. If you hear hissing in the ductwork surrounding your heater’s air handler, then you may have a leak or crack in your ductwork. This can cause inadequate and uneven heating.
  • Squealing. If your heater squeals, then it’s probably a loose or worn belt, which connects the blower motor to the fan. It may even sound a bit like a loose radiator fan belt in your car on a cold morning. This is often a quick fix, but it depends on the condition of your blower motor and how bad the damage is.
  • Grinding. Grinding is typically caused by the friction of metallic parts. If you have dry bearings in your motor, then that is probably the culprit.
  • Rattling. This is often a vibration issue, caused by loosely connected panels and components. Ensuring that your heater is securely fastened at all times is important to the integrity of the machine as well as your safety.

We hope this brief guide helps you to identify strange noises in your heating system. When you’re ready to fix your heater, call Red Rock Mechanical for Burlington, VT heating repair. 

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My Furnace Broke Down: Should I Repair or Replace It?

Tuesday, January 21st, 2014

In towns like Plattsburgh, NY heating concerns are quite serious, especially considering how cold our winter has been thus far. A new furnace entails time and investment, which may entice you to just hang on with your old one for a time. On the other hand, you may be experiencing such significant problems that replacement is preferable to repairs. The status of your furnace should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, but a few general tips can help you decide what to do.

It usually boils down to a question of cost, and whether this particular round of repairs is worthwhile or simply throwing good money after bad. If the repairs are particularly expensive, or if this single repair costs a great deal of money, it may be preferable to install a new one rather than fixing the old. This gives you the opportunity to install a more efficient heater (which can save you money in monthly bills) and/or a heater that includes technological upgrades such as digital thermostats and variable speed fans. All of that can help offset the additional cost, or at least make that cost worthwhile.

Similarly, the age of the furnace should come into play as well. A newer furnace – especially one still under warranty – should likely be repaired instead of replaced. Otherwise, you won’t be getting your money’s worth out of it. If the furnace is more than ten years old, however, and it’s experiencing serious or more frequent repairs, then the time may have come to replace it with a new unit.

If you’re saying to yourself “my furnace broke down: should I repair or replace it?” then the experts at Red Rock Mechanical can help. Call us for any Plattsburgh, NY, heating repairs you need. We can inspect your furnace to see what the problem is and either instigate repairs or install a new furnace depending on what you need. Our trained staff of experts can answer any questions you may have, then schedule a repair or installation on a timetable that meets your needs. Pick up the phone and give us a call today!

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What to Do When Your Heating Malfunctions

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014

What to do when you heating malfunctions depends a lot on your particular circumstances. There always comes a time when sinking more money into an existing heater just isn’t worth it. When your heater malfunctions – especially in the dead of winter, when you need it up and running again fast – you need to look for signs to tell you which decision to make. A brief overview of some of the more obvious signs is included below.

  • Higher heating bills. As your heater wears out, it spends more and more energy to do the same basic job, which translates to higher monthly bills. If you’ve noticed higher costs every month, even though your heater isn’t being used any more than normal, then a malfunction may be the final straw indicating that a new heater is in order.
  • Recurring repairs. It’s quite possible that the malfunction is being caused by something that you’ve had repaired before. Or, it may be that the malfunction comes at the end of a long string of further repairs. Either way, it’s a good sign that your existing furnace is ready to give up the ghost, and you should probably invest in a new one.
  • Age. An older heater isn’t necessarily ready to give up the ghost, but if your heater is more than 10 years old and evinces the kinds of problems described above, it’s definitely time to consider a replacement. You might also want to think abo a replacement if you want a more efficient heater (newer heaters are invariably more efficient than old ones) or if you want to install improved features like a variable speed blower.

Repair or replace? What to do when your heating malfunctions can be extremely tricky to determine. Luckily, the Plattsburgh, NY heating repair experts at Red Rock Mechanical can help. Pick up the phone and give us a call today!

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The Winter Is Already Here: Can I Put off Heating Maintenance for Another Year?

Tuesday, January 7th, 2014

We all lead busy lives and sometimes mundane tasks can get put off longer than they should. Case in point: your heating system. Here in Burlington, VT, heating is a serious issue, and ideally every homeowner should schedule maintenance before winter starts in order to ensure that their home is kept warm without undue inefficiency. But life has a way of putting more pressing concerns in the forefront, and homeowners might very well find themselves in the middle of winter without scheduling a maintenance visit for their heater. “The winter is already here: can I put off heating maintenance for another year?” Yes, you can, though like everything else, it comes with a price.

Maintenance basically serves two purposes: to ensure your heater is running at maximum efficiency and to identify potential problem areas.  In both cases, it benefits you to schedule maintenance as soon as possible. In the first case, if you don’t clean off the dust and tighten loos bolts and fittings, the furnace is going to use more energy when it runs. This translates to higher monthly bills for you, as well as increasing wear and tear on individual components overall.

The second purpose is even more significant. If you can’t spot a smaller issue before it becomes a larger one, you run a greater risk of a more serious breakdown: costing you more money and possibly cutting you off from heat in the dead of winter. Considering the severity of the weather this time of year, that’s no small concern.

In light of that, it’s in your best interest to schedule a maintenance visit, even if winter has already arrived. True, you can push it off until next year, but doing so will ultimately cost you money in some form or another. If you need to schedule an appointment, call Red Rock Mechanical today. We work in Burlington, VT, heating maintenance and repair issues are our specialty, and we can help lower your bills and retain a reliable heating system with routine maintenance. Call us today to set up an appointment!

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