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

What Tonnage Is Your New AC?

Monday, August 15th, 2022
two-outside-ac-units

For anyone who isn’t entrenched in the HVAC industry, there are a number of terms and quite a bit of jargon that may not make much sense. There is some jargon you don’t need to know–but others that are helpful to have a basic understanding of. Tonnage is one of the latter.

Tonnage is an essential part of new air conditioning installation and AC replacement. You can always trust the Dalton technicians to successfully and reliably install your air conditioner, no matter what type of air conditioner you choose to have installed. But understanding a bit more about tonnage and how it applies to your new air conditioner can help you understand why it’s so important that you only trust the pros to service this system. Read on to learn more!

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Signs That Your Tankless Water Heater Needs Repair

Monday, August 1st, 2022
tankless-water-heater

If you’ve chosen to have a tankless water heater installed on your property, it’s probably due to their high energy efficiency and effectiveness at providing you with hot water throughout your home. Tankless systems are much more capable than their storage tank counterparts of handling periods when you’re away, as they aren’t as susceptible to heat loss and water waste.

Tankless water heaters in Cedar Falls help numerous homeowners throughout the country save a lot of energy, which equates to lower utility bills. However, tankless water heaters are not immune to repair needs. When these needs crop up, you want a team on your side to get the system back to its full functionality. We are that team.

Of course, it also helps to know some of the signs that you do in fact need repairs. Read on to learn more!

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When It’s Time for AC Replacement, Consider a Heat Pump

Monday, July 18th, 2022
Floor-mounted heat pump unit installed in a cozy room with wicker furniture and a laundry basket.

We’re in the midst of summer, and if you’re reading this blog post now, then chances are that you’re in a bit of a hurry to get a new air conditioner! This isn’t, however, a purchase you want to rush into. Doing so could leave you with an inefficient system, or an air conditioner that isn’t correctly matched for your specific home and needs. It may not even be sized correctly, which causes a whole host of other problems.

Plus, you may find that you would benefit from a whole different type of air conditioner altogether–the heat pump system! This is actually a 2-in-1 HVAC system that not only cools your home but also efficiently heats your home. When you’re ready to learn more about air conditioning in Cedar Falls, IA, don’t look any further than our team. Read on to learn more about these highly efficient and effective HVAC systems. If you’re on the fence, it may help to explore why now is a good time to consider a heat pump for AC replacement—especially if you want year-round comfort from a single system.

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Is a Water Softener Really Worth It?

Monday, July 4th, 2022
water-softener

Water softeners are a type of water treatment system that aren’t needed for every home, but they are beneficial for many! Hard water is an issue that’s pretty common throughout neighborhoods in our area. There’s nothing particularly unhealthy about hard water when it comes to you and your family ingesting it. It can, however, definitely impact your quality of life in subtle but annoying and possibly even expensive ways.

For homes with this problem, a water softener is absolutely worth it, so long as it’s a whole-house water softener, professionally installed by an experienced team such as ours. Read on to learn more about these systems!

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The Best (and Worst) Ways to Treat Your Plumbing System

Monday, June 20th, 2022
lady-getting-glass-of-water-in-kitchen-sink-for-child-sitting-on-counter

We don’t mean to say that the most underappreciated system in your home is the plumbing, but let’s face it, it probably is.

It’s one of those modern conveniences we rely on each and every day without ever really thinking about it. But in not thinking about it, we could be making big mistakes that have dastardly consequences later on. Read on as we uncover some of the best and some of the worst ways to treat your plumbing system. And don’t hesitate to reach out when your system needs some professional help!

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Why Is My Air Conditioner Freezing Up?

Monday, June 6th, 2022
ice-on-coil-of-ac-unit

Air conditioners cool down indoor environments. This is an irrefutable fact. What’s less well known, however, is how an air conditioner actually does this. It will depend on the type of system–for example, an evaporative cooler uses a much different process than a central air conditioner–but for the sake of this blog post, we’re going to make the assumption that you have a refrigerant-based air conditioner like a central air conditioner or heat pump system.

This being the case, you might, at some point, notice ice development on your air conditioner. We hope this is never the case because it’s actually bad news for the system. That’s right, an air conditioner cools, but ice is never part of the process. So then, if you do see ice forming on your air conditioner, why is it a problem? And, what causes the problem? These are questions we’re going to answer below. Read on!

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Common AC Repairs to Be Aware Of as the Weather Warms

Monday, May 23rd, 2022
woman-trying-to-cool-off-in-home-sitting-in-front-of-fan

Do you know if your air conditioner is in good enough shape to handle the warmer temperatures coming our way? Before you say “mine is fine,” let us ask you a follow-up question… have you scheduled spring maintenance for your system yet?

Maintenance allows our technicians to fully inspect, clean, and adjust the components that need it, helping your system operate as effectively and efficiently as possible, for as long as possible. So, if you answered “no” to our follow-up question, now is the time!

Maintenance has a ton of benefits, not the least of which is helping you avoid up to 85% of the repairs your air conditioner might ever need! But regardless of whether you’ve had maintenance done recently or not, it’s still wise to be aware of the signs that you need AC repair. Read on as we cover some of those signs.

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Signs That Your Home Has Hard Water

Monday, May 9th, 2022
sink-drain

If you’ve never heard the term “hard water” before, then you may wonder why it even matters if your home has it. The thing is, it’s not necessarily harmful to you or your household. But, it is potentially harmful to your plumbing system and your quality of life as result.

Hard water is water that has a high level of minerals in it–namely magnesium, calcium, and sometimes iron too. These minerals are harmless to ingest, but cause sediment buildup that can be bad for your drains. But how do you know if your home has hard water? Read on for some telltale signs.

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The Benefits of Whole-House Generator Installation

Monday, April 25th, 2022
whole-home-generator

Many homeowners are familiar with portable generators–and at their core, there is nothing wrong with these systems, when used as they should be. Portable generator systems are a great solution for many scenarios. For example, if your family is going on a campout and you want to power up an electric grill, or hey let’s say you’re “glamping” and you want to hook up a TV… whatever the case, a portable generator is a great system.

However, the thing you need to know about portable generators is while they’re good in many cases, the one scenario where a portable system is not a good option is to power your entire home during a widespread power outage. For this, you’ll definitely want a whole-house automatic standby generator.

A whole-home system enables you to power up all the important components of your home, from the water heater and refrigerator to the air conditioner, and even your electronic devices and, if you need it, medical equipment. Read on as we uncover some of the leading benefits of having a whole-home generator installed.

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How to Use Your Air Conditioner As Efficiently As Possible

Monday, April 11th, 2022
woman-using-smartphone-to-adjust-thermostat

There are not many things that an HVAC professional will tell you that you can do on your own when it comes to servicing your air conditioner or heater. The fact of the matter is that for bigger repairs and large-scale maintenance, you only want a professional doing it, for many reasons–not the least of which is for your safety. There are components of your air conditioner, like refrigerant, that can be hazardous.

That said, there are some small things you can do to both help maintain your air conditioner and help it run more efficiently, draining less power and costing you less to run. For example, keeping the parts clean that you’re able to, like the air filter and the exterior of the outside unit. We’ll talk about this more below, in addition to some other tips to boost your air conditioning efficiency this year!

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