Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Cedar Falls Blog’ Category

Savings with a High-Efficiency Furnace

Monday, March 11th, 2024

As spring makes its grand entrance in Evansdale, adorned with vibrant flowers and longer, sunlit days, it’s tempting to think the winter has said its final goodbye. Yet, those unexpectedly cool evenings persist, gently reminding us of the importance of a comfortable and reliably warm home throughout the seasons. Enter Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc, your premier partner in achieving the perfect home climate with an efficient heating system. With a dedication to superior service, we are poised to ensure your living space remains perfectly tempered, blending seamlessly into the beauty of spring.

Continue Reading

Panel Vs. Fuse Box: What’s the Difference?

Monday, February 26th, 2024

An electrician would easily know the answer (or answers) to this question, but it’s not exactly obvious to every homeowner. Some homes have fuse boxes, and others have electrical panels, and understanding the differences between these two systems can seem like a nightmare without a trustworthy source of information.

Well, we’re happy to be your electrical authority for questions like these, and we’ll simply answer your questions down below or over the phone if you’d prefer. Yes, there are some significant differences between a fuse box and an electrical panel, and your home is more likely to function better if you have one of these systems over the other.

Which system is better? Why are we even comparing these types of systems? The answers will be clear down below. Just make sure you call our electricians in Cedar Falls for help with your electrical panel or fuse box.

The Electrical Core of Your House

The fuse box or electrical circuit breaker of your house is the “core.” What we mean by that is every electrical appliance in your home must draw its power from this place which comes from outside of your home. Unless you have solar panels or some other kind of generator creating an inflow of electricity, the panel or fuse box likely receives electricity from your municipality or the power plant.

You just won’t find a home without this kind of thing. Even garages and sheds can have their own circuit breaker boxes or fuse boxes to direct the electrical flow somewhere in the building. They’re a requirement for modern-day living and you need to have one of these in your home. So what’s the difference?

The Invention of the Fuse Box

When electrical appliances were first invented, houses needed a way to limit the amount of electricity that came through the wires and into your devices. Too much electricity could start a fire or short circuit appliances, which was not a good idea. So, fuse boxes were invented to direct the flow of electricity from one central place in your home through a fuse.

If there was too much electricity going through the fuse, it would melt down or blow, which is where the term blown fuse comes from. This was a simple and smart way to monitor your home electricity. But these soon become outdated.

Electrical Panels

Electrical panels, or circuit breakers, do everything that a fuse box does without the need for a blown fuse to stop electricity from flowing. It has its own electrical switch which detects an overloaded circuit and automatically disconnects the power, stopping the chance of a broken device or fire hazard. These units can be easily reset without the need for additional fuses like an old fuse box would.

Additionally, you can just flip the circuit back manually on your panel to get power back on to wherever it was shut down. Electrical panels are just a safer, more modernized version of the fuse box which uses less materials and can monitor a much greater flow of electricity.

After this blog post, we hope we made it clear that your old fuse box could use a major upgrade to a circuit breaker panel.

At Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc., your comfort is our promise! To set up an appointment in the Cedar Falls area, give us a call at the number above, email customerservice@daltonphc.com or schedule an appointment online.

Continue Reading

Is a Ductless Heat Pump the Best Option?

Monday, February 12th, 2024

Many homeowners are face to face with a conundrum this season. 2024 is indeed a great year to start investing in heat pump technology, but the estimates of ductless heat pump installations when compared to conventional furnaces or boilers can be hard to understand.

For instance, you might see a ductless mini split system quoted at several thousand dollars more to set up than a conventional heating system, even if they’re both providing you with heat. This might seem like a dealbreaker and might shake your faith in heat pump technology, but we promise that there’s a silver lining to all of this. These quotes and estimates, even if they’re accurate, don’t show the full picture of what ductless HVAC in Cedar Falls is and how it might save you money elsewhere.

So, to answer the main question of this blog post–yes, a ductless heat pump is the best option for a lot of our customers. But in order to figure out why, we’ll need to sink our teeth into some data.

Continue Reading

Don’t Panic: A Guide on Buying a Replacement Heater

Monday, January 15th, 2024

Your heater is starting to sputter out of control and we still have a few months of cold weather left. That can be a scary predicament and a lot of homeowners would feel the stress and pressure in this particular instance. We get it.

We want to start by saying one important thing–don’t panic. Panic can cause customers to purchase systems and services cheaply and without enough research, causing them to require an early replacement eventually or to be unhappy with their new heating system. We get that you need heat and there’s no time to wait, but you don’t need to buy a system that won’t keep you happy.

In other words, we’d like to talk about how a heater replacement in Cedar Falls can be an opportunity to improve your home, your comfort, and your budget in the future. But the first step is to calm down and keep reading our post for a guide on buying a replacement system.

Continue Reading

Top Financial Tips for Your HVAC System

Monday, January 1st, 2024
piggy-bank

As any homeowner might already know, appliances can be extremely expensive to maintain and install. When you’re renting your first apartment or living in a transitionary period, it’s much easier to have a landlord deal with those expenses while you save your money and spend it on things you enjoy.

But when you’re settling down and making a long-term commitment, homeownership can be rewarding–if done correctly.

Your HVAC system represents an essential part of your home. No home is complete without a powerful heating installation in Waterloo, IA, but clearing out your bank account for said heating system might not be a smart choice either. Maintaining the equipment in your home is always an important point to consider, and you should make these choices responsibly.

So, how can you make a good financial decision when it comes to such expensive equipment? Here are just a few tips you can follow.

Continue Reading

HVAC Tips for When You’re Expecting

Monday, December 18th, 2023

First of all, congratulations! This is likely one of the most stressful and exciting times of your life, and we’d just like to help in any way we can. When new parents start making changes to their lives and family planning, there can be some unexpected concerns that pop up.

For instance, you might not have cared much about the air quality of your home before you became pregnant, but now that might be on the forefront of your mind. How safe is my breathable air? Is it stuffy? What can I do to fix this?

On the other hand, hot and cold spots can be devastating to your home comfort if you’ve got an old and outdated HVAC system. Pregnancy makes people more aware of how comfortable (or uncomfortable) they might be, and we’re here to help you problem-solve. For your HVAC or indoor air quality in Waterloo, IA, just give us a call.

Continue Reading

3 Awesome Reasons to Choose Our Team This Winter

Monday, December 4th, 2023

So, your heating system has finally decided to call it quits after almost a decade of dutiful service. You’ve probably called for help numerous times this year and it’s finally becoming financially unfeasible to keep fixing this machine. Now, with such a large purchase on the horizon, things are getting financially tight and you’re probably looking for reasons to invest in a professional team.

After all, an amateur or family friend installing a system you purchase would probably be a lot cheaper, right? And that doesn’t sound so bad. But in truth, you’ll likely end up paying more and dealing with some serious consequences if you purchase amateur installation or service.

On the other end of the spectrum, our services like installation and replacement might seem more expensive in comparison, but they’re well worth the cost. Let’s talk about three distinct reasons why you’ll want to choose our team for heating in Waterloo, IA.

Continue Reading

3 Holiday Plumbing Tips

Monday, November 20th, 2023

The holidays are just around the corner, which means your plumbing system is going to see a ton of action. From cooking wonderful meals to entertaining your friends and family with cocktails, you’ll be running things down the drain 24/7. That is–until something goes wrong.

Drains can undergo a lot of pressure during the holidays. From the risk of them freezing when temperatures drop to extremely low temperatures, to clogs that can hold up your holiday plans. There’s really no easy way to encounter a plumbing problem, unless you’ve got some tips on hand and a team of licensed professional plumbers to help you when things get rough.

So, this blog will be dedicated to three specific holiday plumbing tips that should carry you through the season successfully. And if they can’t, you can always call our team for plumbing service in Waverly, IA.

Continue Reading

What Exactly Is the Heat Exchanger?

Monday, November 6th, 2023

If you were to ask HVAC technicians about the most important component in your gas furnace, many of them would likely say the heat exchanger. But to explain what this component is and why it’s so important, we’d need to dive into the internal processes of your furnace and see where all the pieces come together.

Don’t get us wrong, if you’ve been told by a licensed technician that your heat exchanger is faulty or is in need of repairs, don’t ignore this advice. A broken heat exchanger can lead to devastating consequences like leaking gas or carbon monoxide in your home. Also, if your heat exchanger is having problems, then it’s likely there are other issues inside your furnace as well that need to be addressed.

All of this can be fixed or at least addressed properly with professional furnace service in Waverly, IA, but as you’ll soon find out, the more you know about your furnace’s components, the more comfortable you’ll be with getting help.

Continue Reading

3 Noises Your Furnace Shouldn’t Make

Monday, October 23rd, 2023

It’s the season for scary movies and falling leaves, which is the best season for a lot of people. While you’re cuddled up with the family watching some midnight horror movies, or if you’re baking a delicious pumpkin pie, you might want to be wary of some spooky noises that you notice on your own!

In all seriousness, furnaces are supposed to work behind the scenes. You might hear a click, and a gentle “whoosh” as air moves from the system to the vents in your rooms, but that’s basically it. Anything more than that and you might have a problem on your hands.

Of course, it’s impossible to completely diagnose a problem with a blog post. But we want to empower our customers to do a little detective work when finding out if they need heating repair in Waterloo, IA, or if the sound was just a one-time thing.

Continue Reading