Red Rock Mechanical, LLC Blog

Preventing the Need for Plumbing Repair

March 4th, 2015

Plumbing emergencies are never ideal. When a pipe bursts, you may experience flooding to a degree that requires immediate attention. Even a small leak can be a major annoyance and may cost you extra on your utilities. A drain clog is not only an inconvenience; it can also cause waste to backup into the drains in your home.

Take preventive steps to protect your plumbing system today. Call a plumber at the first sign of trouble, and try taking any of the following steps to protect you from the cost of plumbing repair. Speak with the friendly professionals at Red Rock Mechanical for more information.

  • Pay attention to what goes down the disposal. Your garbage disposal helps make your work in the kitchen go a little more smoothly, but it should not be treated as a catch-all for whatever waste you need to get rid of. Of course, this includes non-food items, like cigarette butts, paper, and plastic wrappers. But you should also avoid hard food items like shellfish, bones from meat, and unpopped popcorn kernels. Fats, oils, and grease belong in a separate trash container, and be sure to rip large pieces of food into smaller bits.
  • Purchase a drain trap. In the bathroom especially, hair is a major source of clogging. Keep your locks from clogging the drains by purchasing a simple drain trap from a hardware store and cleaning it out daily.
  • Look for signs of leaks. Learning to spot the signs of plumbing leaks is the best way to schedule repairs in a timely manner, potentially saving you money and protecting you from a big mess later on. Look for any sudden drops in water pressure, water spots on the walls, or pooling water in the yard.
  • Call a plumber at the first sign of trouble. Don’t delay plumbing repair as a small leak can always develop into something much worse.
  • Schedule regular plumbing maintenance. Finally, schedule annual plumbing maintenance with a trained specialist. A plumber will look at every portion of your plumbing system, from the water heater to the drain pipes, cleaning and adjusting some parts and recommending services that may help further prolong their lifespans.

Call Red Rock Mechanical today for professional plumbing maintenance, repair, and advice from professionals you can trust in Montpelier, VT.

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Choosing the Most Efficient Furnace

February 25th, 2015

The word “furnace” actually represents a wide variety of different heating systems today. Though they all share a basic function (they are all forced air heating systems) the method by which they accomplish that function can be vastly different. For a homeowner looking to install a new home heating system, the sheer number of options that furnaces provide can be overwhelming. Fortunately, we’re here to help. Here’s a look at some of the factors that you should consider when looking for the most efficient furnace to meet your needs.

AFUE

“AFUE” stands for Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency, and is one of the primary metrics by which furnace efficiency is judged. As the name suggests, the AFUE number is an approximate measurement of how efficiently the furnace uses its fuel over the course of one year. The number is displayed as a percentage, indicating how much of the fuel the furnace burns is converted into heat and how much is lost as waste. Generally, you’ll want to look for a furnace with an AFUE rating of at least 75-80%. Any less than that, and you’ll be spending an undesirable amount of money on fuel that’s not being converted into heat.

Size

The size of a furnace is actually quite important to how well it performs in a home. A lot of homeowners simply go for the largest furnace that they can physically fit in the space, in the mistaken belief that bigger furnaces are more desirable. In fact, if a furnace is either too large or too small it will break down much more often and have a shorter overall lifespan. You should consult a professional if you are uncertain of what size furnace you should install.

Fuel Type

Always be aware of what kind of fuel best fits your situation. Natural gas is the most popular kind of fuel, but it requires a gas line installed in your home by the city in order to work. Electric furnaces will work anywhere that electricity is available, but they are more expensive to operate than other furnaces. Always do your research, and consult a professional if you aren’t sure which furnace is best for you.

If you need to have a new furnace installed, call Red Rock Mechanical to schedule a service appointment. We provide professional heating services throughout Stowe, VT.

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Why Pinhole Leaks are so Damaging

February 16th, 2015

Pinhole leaks are one of the most dangerous kinds of pipe leaks that can occur in your home. They also happen to be one of the most mysterious. Despite years of research, the EPA has yet to determine the cause of pinhole leaks. This makes them difficult to predict or prevent, with regular professional examinations being the only reliable way to identify and fix them before they cause too much damage. Let’s take a look at what pinhole leaks actually are, and why you should have your pipes checked for them periodically.

What are Pinhole Leaks?

Pinhole leaks are small leaks that exclusively affect copper pipes, which are resistant to almost all other types of corrosion. The type of corrosion that causes pinhole leaks is called “pitted corrosion,” where the pipe inexplicably begins to degrade from the outside in. Eventually, this opens up tiny holes in the pipe, no larger than the end of a pin. The leak is large enough to allow water to drip from the pipe, but not enough to cause a noticeable drop in water pressure. This makes pinhole leaks very hard to detect.

Why Should I Worry About Pinhole Leaks?

Pinhole leaks are a problem both because of their size and location. Most of a home’s plumbing pipes are located in the walls and ceilings, surrounded by insulation and support studs. A pinhole leak in such a location will cause severe water damage to the insulation and even rot out the studs, if given enough time. Wet insulation also provides an ideal environment for mold growth, adding a health hazard on top of the structural damage to the wall.

Most leaks have symptoms that are visible to the homeowner in some way, either through a loss in water pressure or water discoloration from rust travelling up through the pipes. Pinhole leaks have neither of these indications, as the corrosion is from the outside in and the leak is too small to cause a drop in water pressure. As such, the only way to protect your home from pinhole leak damage is to have a professional investigate your plumbing at least once every year.

If you haven’t had your home’s plumbing examined in a while, call Red Rock Mechanical to make an appointment. We provide professional plumbing repair service throughout Burlington, VT.

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Some of the Unusual Movies Released for Valentine’s Day

February 14th, 2015

Hollywood has always tried to match movies up to the seasons to draw droves of viewers to the theaters: October is packed with fright-offerings, while the winter holidays skew toward warm and pleasing family films (as well as Oscar hopefuls). Valentine’s Day falls in an odd spot when it comes to the movie release calendar, however, since February tends to be a slower time for the film industry. The studios are as likely to slot strange movies that don’t fit anywhere else in their annual schedules into the Valentine’s Day weekend as they are films with powerful romantic appeal.

So, while the second weekend of February has featured hugely successful romantic comedies like Hitch, The Wedding Singer, and (of course) Valentine’s Day, some truly weird choices have debuted in this weekend as well. And a few have even gone on to tremendous success despite the bizarre match with the holiday. Here are a couple of the odder Valentine’s Day movie releases:

  • Dracula (1931): Yes, this Halloween perennial and the start of Universal Studio’s Classic Monsters actually came out on Valentine’s Day! But perhaps this makes some sense, as the Dracula legend has often received a “doomed lover” approach in the many years since Bela Lugosi made the aristocratic vampire a screen icon.
  • The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Does any film seem less appropriate for Valentine’s Day than this unnerving and sometimes very violent psychological thriller? What’s even more astonishing than the film’s release date is that The Silence of the Lambs eventually nabbed the Oscar for Best Picture, an almost unheard of occurrence for a movie released so early in the year.
  • Daredevil (2003): This Marvel comic adaptation featuring Ben Affleck as a blind superhero does contain a romantic subplot, but the stronger connection to Valentine’s Day may just be that Daredevil wears a bright red costume.
  • A Good Day to Die Hard (2013): The least successful of the Die Hard film franchise, this is an excellent example of a studio dropping a film into a weekend where it doesn’t fit in the hopes that it works as counter-programming. (It didn’t.)
  • Wayne’s World (1992): Now here is an example of counter-programming that clicked with audiences. This comedy based on a Saturday Night Live sketch turned into one of that year’s biggest hits and spawned a sequel.

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with a trip to the movie theater, or you have your own special plans, everyone here at Red Rock Mechanical hopes you and your loved ones have a wonderful weekend.

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Should You Replace Your Furnace with a Heat Pump?

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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The Facts about Water Hammer

January 30th, 2015

Have you ever been disturbed by a loud knocking noise in your pipes? When this happens while you are comfortable resting at home, it may come as a bit of a shock. In fact, when homeowners believe that paranormal activity has occurred in a home, they often list knocking on the pipes as one of the reasons. But this noise actually has a far more probable explanation: water hammer.

Get the facts about water hammer in today’s post, and be sure to schedule plumbing repair in Essex, VT with the friendly technicians at Red Rock Mechanical at the first sign of pipe problems.

“Water Hammer” Describes a Particular Plumbing Event

Many people use the word “water hammer” to describe any strange noise in a plumbing system, assuming it’s a fairly universal term. But it turns out that water hammer is actually a specific event caused by changes to your plumbing system or an imbalance in the pipes. Water hammer occurs when there is a sudden change of pressure. If water is forced to stop suddenly, a wave of pressure forces it to change direction and knock against the pipes. This may happen because of a waterlogged air chamber or a valve that shuts too quickly.

Water Hammer May Severely Damage the Pipes

This change in momentum can actually cause some detriment to your pipes. The vibration that follows from the pressure wave may knock fittings loose and could even force a pipe to burst. This will result in costly renovations, an enormous mess, and the potential for mold growth.

What Works In Some Plumbing Systems May Not Work for Yours

Although many plumbing systems are fitted with air chambers that work to provide a cushion of air to protect against water hammer, these may become waterlogged and will need to be purged. In other cases, there are not enough protective features in your plumbing to safeguard against water hammer, and a technician may recommend any of several solutions. A new air chamber may not be possible because they are quite large, so your technician may prefer to install an arrester part. Sometimes, plumbers choose instead to install slowly-shutting valves or even new pipes.

Your best bet is to call an expert, like the plumbers at Red Rock Mechanical, to check out your pipes and decide on the optimal course of action for plumbing repair service in Essex, VT. Call us today!

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This Is Why a Heater Must Be Properly Sized

January 21st, 2015

A lot of people think of heaters in terms of “bigger is better.” This is true, in the sense that larger heaters do have a greater heat output. It is not true, however, that a larger heater is always a better option. After all, if you follow that logic you end up with a commercial heater larger than your basement. In all seriousness, though, a heater absolutely must be properly sized to fit the home in which it is being installed. Let’s take a look at what can happen if you pick the wrong sized heater, either too large or too small.

Too Large

A heater that is too large tends to provoke one major problem, by putting out more heat than the rest of the system is used to. That major problem is short-cycling. Short-cycling is what happens when your heater rapidly turns itself on and off throughout the day. This is caused by the heater’s limit switch, which is designed to monitor the internal temperature of the heater. When the heater’s internal temperature gets above the safety limit, the limit switch shuts the system down to prevent it from overheating. After the heater cools off, it starts up again and provokes the same reaction. This locks the system into a never-ending cycle of on and off that wastes energy and damages the system. Now, the oversized heater isn’t actually overheating, but its heat output is high enough to provoke the limit switch anyway.

Too Small

A heater that is not large enough for the home it’s supposed to be heating will still have a much shorter lifespan, though not from short-cycling. Instead, an undersized heater will simply run indefinitely in an attempt to heat a space that it does not have the output to adequately service. The stress of constantly being on will wear down the heater much faster than one which is properly sized, eventually causing the system to die an early death and require replacement.

If you aren’t sure what size heater to install in your home, call Red Rock Mechanical and let us know. We offer quality heating installation in the Montpelier, VT area.

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How to Tell You Need New Toilet Installation

January 13th, 2015

Of course, you use your toilet every day, but you probably try not to think much about the fixture itself until it needs a good scrubbing or when something goes wrong. In today’s world, a D-I-Y mentality leads homeowners to believe that they may be able to fix a broken toilet with a few supplies from the hardware store and a little bit of skill and hard work. But there are many circumstances under which it may turn out you simply need a new toilet, which a trained technician should install.

Always leave major plumbing installation in Stowe, VT to the professionals, like the certified plumbing experts at Red Rock Mechanical.

Signs that a Toilet Has Passed Its Prime

If you notice any of the following signs, a simple repair most likely won’t do the trick. While professionals may be able to find a way to fix some common ailments, the following signs likely indicate that replacement is necessary.

  • Cracks in the Tank or Bowl: If you notice a crack developing in the tank or bowl of your toilet, the risk of a broken toilet and water leaking all around your bathroom is simply not worth it. No amount of sealant can prevent the risk of a flooded bathroom and a major water leak.
  • Frequent Repairs: If you find yourself frequently making repairs on your older toilet, new installation may be your best option. Replacing the toilet today is likely to actually save you some money over time.
  • Wobbling: A toilet should never wobble, as it means there is a potential for leaking and even the possibility of a damaged floor. You should have a technician come and check out the problem to make sure the damage isn’t too extensive. While it may just be that you need a new wax seal, it could also be that your toilet is compromised.
  • Old Age: Finally, old age often indicates that it’s almost time for a toilet to go, especially when you consider the money-saving benefits of a new toilet. New low-flow toilets flush with ease using high pressure instead of exorbitant amounts of water like older toilets did, cutting your toilet’s water usage in half.

Call Red Rock Mechanical today to speak with an expert about toilets and any other new plumbing installation in Stowe, VT that you’ve been considering.

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3 Ways to Improve Your Heating for the Rest of the Winter

January 7th, 2015

Everyone looks for ways to stretch their heating during the winter, both in terms of cost and effectiveness. While most people are content to simply keep doors and windows closed to keep as much heat in as possible, there are a number of better ways to ensure that your heating system is operating at peak efficiency. Let’s examine some of the best ways that you can improve your heating for the winter.

Schedule Preventive Maintenance

The best way to make sure that your heating system provides maximum heat output is to have it serviced at least once a year. The prime time to do this is usually during the fall, right before you start using the system more heavily. If you haven’t scheduled it yet this year, however, winter should do just fine. Having preventive maintenance done at this time of year ensures that your system is prepared for the stress of daily use during the winter, saving you the money and stress of repairing it when it breaks down.

Get Your Ducts Sealed

Forced air systems lose an incredible amount of heat each year to leaks in their homes’ ducts. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates this loss at about 30% of total heat, on average. This means that almost a third of the energy you paid for could be going to waste instead of heating your home. Since ducts are largely out of sight, and the leaks are often small, you probably won’t be able to find them yourself. Call a professional to examine and seal your ducts for you, and you’ll be able to significantly cut down on heat loss during the season you need it most.

Replace Your System

If your heating system is more than 15 years old, it’s probably a good time to consider replacing it. Even if you don’t have any mounting issues with the health of your old heating system, replacing it with a new one is almost guaranteed to increase the efficiency of your home’s heating.

If you’d like to know more about how to improve your heating, call Red Rock Mechanical. We provide professional heating services throughout Burlington, VT.

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12 Grapes for 12 Months: An Unusual New Year’s Tradition

January 1st, 2015

Across the world, many cultures have specific traditions to celebrate the transition from the old year to the new. In the U.S. and Canada, we associate New Year’s with the ball in Times Square, kissing at the stroke of midnight, resolutions, and singing “Old Lang Syne.” But for many Spanish-speaking countries, one of the key traditions has to do with eating grapes as fast as possible.

The “twelve grapes” tradition comes from Spain, where it is called las doce uvas de la suerte (“The Twelve Lucky Grapes”). To ensure good luck for the next year, people eat one green grape for each of the upcoming twelve months. However, you cannot just eat the grapes during the first day of the new year any time you feel like it. You must eat the twelve grapes starting at the first stroke of midnight on Nochevieja (“Old Night,” New Year’s Eve) as one year changes to another. And you have to keep eating: with each toll of midnight, you must eat another grape, giving you about twelve seconds to consume all of them. If you can finish all dozen grapes—you can’t still be chewing on them!—before the last bell toll fades, you will have a luck-filled new year.

Where did this tradition come from? No one is certain, although it appears to be more than a century old. One story about the Twelve Lucky Grapes is that a large crop of grapes in 1909 in Alicante, Spain led to the growers seeking out a creative way to eliminate their surplus. But recent research through old newspapers shows that perhaps the tradition goes back almost thirty years earlier to the 1880s, where eating grapes was meant to mock the upper classes who were imitating the French tradition of dining on grapes and drinking champagne on New Year’s Eve.

It can be difficult to consume grapes this fast, and the lucky grapes of New Year’s Eve have seeds in them, making the job even trickier. (Seedless grapes are not common in Spain the way they are over here.) For people to manage eating all the grapes before the last stroke of midnight requires swallowing the seeds as well and only taking a single bite of each grape.

Oh, there is one more twist to the tradition: you have to be wearing red undergarments, and they have to be given to you as a gift. The origins of this part of the tradition are even more mysterious, and it’s anybody’s guess why this started.

Whether you go for the grape challenge or find another way to ring in New Year’s, all of us at Red Rock Mechanical hope you have a great start to the year and a, uhm, fruitful 2015.

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