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

Do I Need an Air Purifier or an Air Filter?

Monday, August 1st, 2022

pleated-air-filterDepending on your home, you may need both. Air purifiers and air filters aren’t mutually exclusive: you don’t have to choose one and stick with it. Many homes can manage with just a set of the right type of air filters, while others will need to have an air purifier in Williston, VT provide help to their air filters to remove some of the more elusive and difficult-to-trap pollutants. 

If you’re wondering if you need either, the answer is probably yes. Air quality in many homes today is often shockingly poor because there’s not enough fresh air circulation. With more people concerned about the transmission of diseases than ever before, indoor air quality is something all homeowners should look into attempting to improve. Air filters and air purifiers are some of the best ways to get started, as well as among the most effective and affordable.

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Tips for Keeping the Garbage Disposal Healthy This Holiday Season

Monday, October 25th, 2021

Halloween is the signal for the big end-of-the-year holiday flood to start, with major holidays arriving at the end of both November and December, all of which involve feasting and guests. If you are entertaining in your home this year, you can expect your kitchen to handle an enormous workload, probably more than it experiences at any other time of the year. Making sure all your kitchen plumbing is in good shape to handle the pressure can help make the holiday season far more enjoyable for your and your guests.

There’s one part of your kitchen plumbing that needs specific attention at this time of year because it’s most vulnerable to failures: the garbage disposal. If you have an old and often faulty garbage disposal, we strongly recommend you get a new garbage disposal in Williston, VT. That’s a job we can do for you. If your garbage disposal is still in good shape, we have some important tips to help you keep it that way.

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Some Tips to Prepare Your Plumbing for Fall

Monday, September 28th, 2020

The change of seasons is already on us, and if you aren’t already in the middle of making household preparations for the coming winter, you’re planning to get started soon. We’d like to help! We offer service to maintain both your heating and plumbing in Williston, VT. In this post, we’re going to look at what you can do to help prepare your plumbing this fall so it’s ready for the colder months ahead.

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5 Steps to Make Your AC More Efficient

Monday, August 31st, 2020

air-conditioner-money-saverAt the end of the summer is when you’re most likely to notice your air conditioning system is wasting money. The bills for the summer have accumulated, and you may see a difference in how much you’re paying—an unpleasant difference.

But you don’t have to accept the fate of a bank-breaking Williston, VT, HVAC system. You can take steps to improve the energy efficiency of your central AC. Some are bigger steps than others, and you may require the assistance of our expert air conditioning technicians. But making the changes are worth it since an inefficient AC is not only expensive, it’s going to decline further and end up sticking you with a non-working cooling system on a day when you need it most.

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Summer Water Conservation Tips

Monday, July 8th, 2019

young-womanMost households use more water than they should on a day-to-day basis. And that adds up to higher water bills on a month-to-month basis. Some of this water waste comes from bad habits (such as running the faucet while brushing your teeth rather than shutting the faucet off until you need it). Others are plumbing concerns that will require some assistance from your favorite local plumbing contractors—which we hope is us! If we’re not yet, we’ll soon be your favorite after you call for professional plumbing in Williston, VT.

Below is a list of smart ways to conserve water over this summer. Make a few simple changes and call us for anything more extensive.

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Does Loss of Water Mean a Plumbing Emergency?

Monday, September 17th, 2018

faucet-drippingYou turn on a faucet—and no water comes out. You run over to another faucet, or to the shower, and find no water their either. This certainly sounds like an emergency, especially if it’s morning and you depend on running water to get the basic parts of the early-day routine done.

But is a lack of water a reason to make an emergency call to a plumber in Williston, VT? Well, it certainly can be! We’ll take a closer look at “no water” troubles and what they may mean.

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3 Signs that You Need Pipe Repair

Friday, March 20th, 2015

When your pipes are in need of repair, you may notice it right off the bat. For example, you may not be able to use your drains at all or you may notice water leaking from underneath your sink. However, pipe damage does not always present itself so clearly. When you find yourself in need of plumbing repair in Williston, VT, contact the friendly plumbers at Red Rock Mechanical today. For your information, we’ve gathered a list of some of the warning signs.

  • Low Water Pressure – Pipe leaks may not always be so obvious. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average household may have pipes that leak up to 10,000 gallons a year! And many of these leaks go undetected for long periods of time. Sometimes, you notice the drip-drip-drip of water in the sink. Other times, however, a leaking pipe will present few warning signs besides an obvious effect on your water pressure. When you notice that the water pressure in your home is low, call on the help of a technician ASAP. Water may not make it to your faucet as quickly because it is leaking underneath the property or through the walls, potentially resulting in thousands of dollars in damages.
  • Slow Drains – When the drains in your home don’t seem to clear out as quickly as you’d like, you can probably guess that there is a clog in the pipes. What you may not know is that those drain cleaning liquids found in stores can do serious damage to the pipes and to your health (especially to your skin and eyes). Slow moving drains are always a job for a professional plumbing technician when a regular plunger won’t work. Our plumbers use only high quality tools to remove drain clogs and ensure the life of your pipes.
  • A Musty Smell – An annoying musty odor that won’t seem to go away is a huge warning sign. Unfortunately, excessive leaking can lead to mold. And mold can result in a number of ensuing issues with your family members’ health. Pay attention to this issue so that you can catch mold early on if it has become a problem.

Call our professionals at Red Rock Mechanical today for expert plumbing repair in Williston, VT.

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Should You Replace Your Furnace with a Heat Pump?

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

Furnaces are the most common type of heating system in the country, and by a pretty wide margin at that. There are many reasons for this popularity, including versatility and cost. However, being popular does not necessarily mean that a furnace is the best option for everybody. Heat pumps have been gaining in popularity among home owners for their energy efficiency and safer operation. So, should you replace your furnace with a heat pump? Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of each system and see if that can make your choice easier.

Furnaces

As mentioned above, furnaces are the most popular type of heating system largely because of their versatility and cost effectiveness. There are many different kinds of furnaces available, from electric to natural gas to wood, making it easier for homeowners to find one that fits their needs. Due to their widespread availability, furnaces are also relatively cheap to install and fix, compared to more rare systems.

The downside to furnaces is that they aren’t that energy efficient. A furnace burning natural gas, which is the most common fuel type for furnaces, tends to lose a lot of heat to various factors like duct leaks and combustion gases. Many furnaces still use standing pilot lights, as well, which constantly burn fuel in to stay lit. These cons lead to a lot of wasted energy and money.

Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are non-combustion heating systems. They don’t burn any kind of fuel to create heat, and only require electricity to run. They don’t use heating coils either, as electric furnaces do. Instead, a heat pump moves heat from one place to another by evaporating and condensing refrigerant. By siphoning heat from the outside air and releasing it inside, the heat pump saves a great deal of energy that would otherwise be spent on combusting fuel.

However, heat pumps do have one big drawback. In areas where the temperature frequently dips below zero, there is not as much thermal energy in the air for the heat pump to draw on. This leads to a decrease in the heat pump’s energy efficiency, as it has to work longer to heat the same amount of space.

If you aren’t sure whether or not to replace your furnace with a heat pump, call Red Rock Mechanical. We provide heating installation in the Williston, VT area.

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Ways to Avoid Plumbing Repair Problems

Wednesday, December 17th, 2014

You don’t have to be a plumbing expert to do a few things that can help reduce the incidence of plumbing problems in your home. While you should leave repair work to a trained and certified professional, there are some simple steps you can take to help maintain your plumbing:

Schedule Annual Plumbing Maintenance

Just as your heating and cooling systems need annual maintenance, so does your plumbing system During an annual plumbing maintenance appointment, your entire plumbing system is inspected for problems, safety issues and performance. This includes all water-using appliances, faucets, toilets and sinks. Water pressure will be checked, and if any problems are found, you’ll be given a written report and recommendations on how to repair the issue. Annual plumbing maintenance can get you ahead of potential repairs before they can become large problems.

Fix Faucet Leaks

The vast majority of faucet leaks occur because the seals and/or rubber around the faucets wear out and break. Leaks do not repair themselves, so while a leak may be quite small at first, it’s best to have it taken care of right away.

Don’t Put Everything Down Your Drains

It can sometimes be pretty amazing what will get flushed down a toilet, dumped down a drain or put into a garbage disposal. Plumbing is made to remove liquid and items that easily break down in water; things that can clog, like plastic, large amounts of paper and hard items like metal or glass, should never be put into any kind of plumbing.

Don’t Do Repairs Yourself

Unless you are a trained and certified plumber, it is never advisable to conduct plumbing repairs on your own. Plumbing systems can be complex and come into contact with other systems in your home; a mistake made in your plumbing repair can affect other parts of your home, including the sewer and septic.

There’s no way to guarantee that you’ll never need plumbing repair service in Williston, VT, but taking the steps above can help reduce your incidence of it. If you do experience problems with your plumbing, call the people you can count on: Red Rock Mechanical.

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Ways to Save Money on Heating in Williston This Winter

Wednesday, October 29th, 2014

Energy efficiency is always a priority when it comes to heating during our cold Vermont winters. There are a number of small things you can do to help save energy this winter, as we’ve outlined below, but should you need repair, maintenance or installation of a heating system in Williston, VT, call the people you can count on: Red Rock Mechanical.

Energy-Saving Tips for the Winter

Here are some energy-saving tips that our Red Rock Mechanical technicians have put together:

  • Schedule an energy audit – an energy audit allows you to pinpoint exactly where your home is losing energy. Several tests are conducted during an energy audit, including a blower door test. All of the results from an energy audit are put together in a comprehensive report detailing any issues that are found, as well as recommendations on how to repair them.
  • Cover drafty windows – there are a couple of ways to effectively cover drafty windows, such as using a plastic window coverings or winter drapes. Plastic kits are easy to use, widely available and work for any standard-sized windows. The plastic is clear, so you can still see outside without a problem. Winter drapes are usually made of heavy material that helps block drafts, and are available in many retail outlets.
  • Set EPA-recommended temperatures – EPA thermostat recommendations are that an occupied home shouldn’t have the thermostat set any higher than 68 degrees, and, when your home is unoccupied, the temperature should be set 10-15 degrees lower. Following these recommendations can help you save as much as 10% each year in heating costs.
  • Install a programmable thermostat – programmable thermostats allow you to set a program of temperatures for different times of day, different days of the week and even vacation time. This gives you great control over your heating during the winter.
  • Schedule annual maintenance – annual maintenance provides a thorough tune-up for your entire system, as well as the cleaning of components. This allows your system to run at the energy efficiency level it ought to.

Winter energy costs are a large part of your household budget. By utilizing some of the tips above, you can reduce some of your heating costs in Williston, VT this year. Need some additional help? Call Red Rock Mechanical today and schedule an appointment with one of our experts.

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