This is a common question people have when they first hear about how a heat pump works. The conversation usually goes something like this …
HVAC Tech: A heat pump is basically like an air conditioner. But it can work in reverse.
Homeowner: What happens when an AC runs in “reverse”?
HVAC Tech: Well, normally an AC draws heat from out of your house. That’s why the air feels cooler indoors.
Homeowner: I thought an AC generated cooling.
HVAC Tech: Cooling is the lack of heat. The AC takes the heat away, making the air cooler. But the AC has to put that heat somewhere, so it releases it outdoors. Now imagine doing it the other way. A heat pump when in heating mode draws heat from the outside and releases it indoors. Presto! Home heating.
Homeowner: Oh, I see. But … wait a minute, I’m only going to run the heat pump in heating mode when it’s cold. So that means the heat pump is bringing in heat from the cold air outside?
HVAC Tech: Yes.
Homeowner: How does that work? It’s … cold outdoors!
Leaks of any kind in your home are a problem, and most will need to be addressed with the help of skilled plumbers. The most troublesome leaks are the sort that escape notice because they’re coming from pipes hidden in walls, floors, or in the foundation. If there’s a leak you can see, you can move fast to have it repaired. For example, water on the bathroom floor that shouldn’t be there? You’ll probably need a plumber.
Cooking grease, as well as fats and oils left over from cooking, should never go down the kitchen drains. Ever, if you can possibly help it! It’s unavoidable for some grease to go down the drains when you’re cleaning up, but if you have grease in a pan or skillet after you’ve finished cooking, don’t tip it over and send it down the kitchen drain.
This is a flip-side one, a Bizzaro World problem that’s more common than you may think. In fact, you’re probably reading this because it’s happening to you—you’ve turned on the shower, but the water is too hot and you can’t get it to cool down. This can actually be worse than having no hot water in the shower, because nothing-but-hot-water may mean the water is at dangerous scalding temperatures. Cold water at least won’t damage your skin. 
If you’re asking this question, this is probably the first winter you’ve spent with a heat pump providing comfort for your home. You made a change in spring or winter to your HVAC system and replaced it with a heat pump. This is a great choice—heat pumps are able to deliver excellent cooling in hot weather and energy efficient heating in winter. Thanks to advances in heat pump technology, heat pumps operate in cold temperatures better than ever before.
You never want bad odors wafting through your house, but especially not during times when you have guests staying over. And one common source of unpleasant odors in your house is the garbage disposal. Although you should never be placing actual garbage down the garbage disposal (and every plumber wishes these devices had different, less misleading names), you can still end up with a disposal giving off a “garbage” smell.
You might love the winter season, but your plumbing isn’t as happy about it. One of the biggest threats to your plumbing arrives along with the cold weather and snow: freezing pipes. When pipes freeze solid, it not only blocks water flow, it threatens the pipes with bursting.
The end of the year is when you’ll probably entertain more houseguests than any other time. You want the inside of your home to be a welcoming place, clean and tidy. You absolutely don’t want strange, foul odors of sewage wafting through the rooms!
The cold is the biggest obstacle for comfort during winter—that’s why you have a powerful central heating system in your home. (If you don’t, call us right away and we’ll arrange to have one installed before the winter weather arrives.) But homeowners often ignore, or aren’t aware of, another winter comfort obstacle: dry conditions. Relative humidity during the winter often plunges below 30% because of all the moisture frozen from the air. When the air is this dry, it makes it harder to stay warm, even with a great heating system at work. And this isn’t the only problem dry air can inflict on you and your household during winter. 
Wow, the end of the year is moving up fast! Of course, it seems like it does this every year. If you’ve found the winter has surprised you more than once by striking before you can get your heating system ready, then we recommend you find a 
