Red Rock Mechanical, LLC Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Plattsburgh’

Taking the AC for a Test Run to Prepare for Warm Weather

Monday, April 3rd, 2017

Now that spring has arrived—officially, if not as far as the weather is concerned—you’re probably making various “spring cleaning” plans and prepping your home for the middle of the year and the change in seasons. One of the important tasks to take care of is to arrange for a routine maintenance inspection and tune-up for the air conditioner, something we talked about in our previous blog post.

Regular maintenance gives an AC the best chance to make it through the coming summer without problems. But maintenance isn’t magic, and it’s a good idea to give your air conditioner a “test run” yourself a few weeks afterwards and before the real heat arrives. There are a number of common air conditioning problems that can strike even a system with the best regular maintenance, so it’s wise to be as prepared as possible. Testing the air conditioner allows you to catch any lingering trouble and have it fixed in time for summer weather.

Tags: Air Conditioner Repair, Air Conditioning Maintenance, Plattsburgh
Posted in Air Conditioning | Comments Off on Taking the AC for a Test Run to Prepare for Warm Weather

Taking Care of Your Heat Pump After the Blizzard

Monday, March 20th, 2017

A major storm swept through most the Northeast last week, and we weren’t spared. Storm Stella dropped heavy levels of snow on Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Ontario, and our own Vermont and New York region, with an average of two feet of snowfall. Schools shut down, flights were cancelled, and states of emergency were declared in some areas.

We hope you and your family weathered Stella’s assault in safety and that your home’s heating system worked steadily during the storm. Now that the weather has settled, it’s time to take stock of the situation and see if there are repairs necessary to restore you home and see that it’s ready in case of another March surprise.

Tags: Air Conditioning Repair, Heating Maintenance, Plattsburgh
Posted in Heat Pumps | Comments Off on Taking Care of Your Heat Pump After the Blizzard

Tank vs. Tankless Water Heaters

Monday, March 6th, 2017

When people think about residential water heaters, they have a distinct image in mind. It’s a simple image: a tall metal cylinder containing a supply of water. This is a storage water heater, also called a tank water heater. (Or, if you want to be extremely specific, a storage tank water heater.) The reason this is what people think of when they hear the term water heater is that tank water heaters are the most common way to heat water in homes and they have been for many decades.

This doesn’t mean they are the only choice. There are alternatives to the conventional electric or gas-powered storage water heater on the market. The most popular of these alternatives is the tankless water heater. More homes each year are adopting these models and finding out they love their multiple advantages.

Tags: Plattsburgh, tank water heaters, Tankless Water Heaters, water heater installation
Posted in Water Heaters | Comments Off on Tank vs. Tankless Water Heaters

There’s Water around My Furnace… What’s Going On?

Monday, February 20th, 2017

Most people have a basic idea about how gas furnaces operate: a pilot light or electronic ignition system lights gas burners, which generate the heat that warms up the air sent into the house. This process doesn’t sound like it involves water at any point. So when a homeowner notices that there is water coming out the base of a furnace, it seems strange.

This does happen with furnaces, and if you see it occurring with yours, you almost certainly need professional heating repair in Plattsburgh, NY or elsewhere in Northeast New York or Northwest Vermont. A number of problems might be at work, ranging from minor malfunctions to the need to replace the entire furnace. But no matter what, you must have trained technicians on the job: a gas furnace is potentially dangerous if someone without licensing and training tries to work on one.

Tags: Air Conditioning Repair, Furnace Repair, Plattsburgh
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on There’s Water around My Furnace… What’s Going On?

Groundhog vs. Groundhog: No Matter Who’s Right—Be Ready for More Winter!

Monday, February 6th, 2017

Here in Vermont and Northeast New York, we’re divided between the two most famous Groundhog Day prognosticators. On the one hand, there’s Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania. On the other hand, there’s Staten Island Chuck in… Staten Island. Sometimes the two make similar predictions. This year it was different. We would love to think that Staten Island Chuck is right, since he predicted an early spring.

But let’s be honest: Groundhog Day accuracy isn’t something you should use to plan for your home heating needs over the next six weeks. There’s still cold weather ahead, and you want to make sure that your heating system will make it through to whenever it is that spring comes to the rescue. We have some advice on how to do this.

Tags: furnace replacement, Heating Repair, Plattsburgh
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Groundhog vs. Groundhog: No Matter Who’s Right—Be Ready for More Winter!

Does a High AFUE Rating Guarantee I’ll Save Money with a New Furnace?

Monday, January 23rd, 2017

Planning for a new furnace installation in Plattsburgh, NY means balancing out multiple factors to find the right furnace model to meet your home’s heating needs. You probably already know about at least one important furnace stat: AFUE, which is the standardized measure for furnace energy efficiency. Does it make sense to purchase only a furnace with the highest AFUE rating you can find? Is that a guarantee you’ll save money on heating your home in the future?

There’s a Simple Answer—But It Needs a Longer Explanation

The simple answer is: “no.” AFUE is not a guarantee you’ll save money. AFUE is information about how the furnace performs, but it doesn’t automatically mean the furnace will reduce household energy bills during the winter. We’ll explain further how AFUE is measured and how it can affect your decision for furnace installation.

Tags: furnace replacement, Heat Pump installation, Plattsburgh
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on Does a High AFUE Rating Guarantee I’ll Save Money with a New Furnace?

How to Tell You Need a New Garbage Disposal

Monday, January 2nd, 2017

If you’re used to working in a home kitchen with a garbage disposal in the sink, you wouldn’t want to have to go without it. Even a single day with no disposal will make you understand what an essential part of your daily life it is.

Unfortunately, people often ignore signs that their garbage disposal is coming to the end of its service life (usually 10 to 15 years). Below are a few of the indications that will tell you it’s time to call our expert plumbers and arrange to have a new disposal put in. It’s a good way to get your kitchen off to a fine start to the New Year!

Tags: garbage disposal, Plattsburgh
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on How to Tell You Need a New Garbage Disposal

Two Winter Heat Pump Problems—That Aren’t Really Problems

Wednesday, December 21st, 2016

Heat pumps have improved so much over the past decade that they are now practical in colder areas. Our winters are mighty chilly, but if you have the right heat pump installation from our experts, you can expect the system to make it through the season without trouble.

If this is your first winter using a heat pump, you might run into some behavior from it that will seem alarming. Actually, these odd-seeming occurrences are normal. If you know what to look for, you won’t need to panic and call for repairs.

Tags: Heat Pump Repair, Plattsburgh
Posted in Heat Pumps | Comments Off on Two Winter Heat Pump Problems—That Aren’t Really Problems

How to Deal with Frozen Pipes in Winter

Monday, December 5th, 2016

This is a topic that we need to turn to ever year right as winter starts to close in because it’s one of the major threats that household plumbing faces when temperatures plunge below zero. Frozen pipes are bad news for a whole range of reasons, but the two most important are:

Frozen pipes stop the flow of water
Frozen pipes can lead to pipe bursting and potential flooding

What can you do about frozen pipes? Let’s look at the steps you can take:

Tags: frozen pipes, Plattsburgh
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on How to Deal with Frozen Pipes in Winter

The Dangers of a Cracked Heat Exchanger in a Furnace

Monday, November 21st, 2016

Are you one of the many people who use a natural gas furnace to provide heat for the winter? If so, then you probably understand why they’re so popular for home comfort: gas furnaces are dependable and provide a level of heating that few other systems can top—and that’s especially important in our part of the country, when it gets cold.

You need to take some special precautions with gas furnaces, however. They aren’t automatically dangerous—they’re built with safety uppermost in mind—but they may run into some troubles that might lead to carbon monoxide poisoning. (Always have CO detectors in your home if you use natural gas.) Perhaps the most worrying problem is a cracked heat exchanger, which we’re going to look at now.

Tags: Gas Furnace, Gas Furnace Repair, Plattsburgh
Posted in Heating | Comments Off on The Dangers of a Cracked Heat Exchanger in a Furnace