Red Rock Mechanical, LLC Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Heating Repair’

The 50% Rule of Thumb for Heater Repairs

Monday, February 13th, 2023

Sometimes making a repair to your heater is a great idea because it can get you through another heating season. But, when repair expenses begin to add up too quickly, it may make more sense to install a new heater instead. The trick is knowing when it’s time to repair and when it’s time to replace.

Many heater experts follow a 50% repair or replacement rule, and you can follow it too.

You can also take other factors into consideration when making your decision. If you suspect that you need heating repair in Plattsburgh, NY, our team is here to help. We can offer a free assessment of your heater and discuss the problems that you’re having. Then we can offer solutions for both repair and replacement so that you can make an educated decision.

In the meantime, keep reading and learn more about when you should invest in repairs and when you should go ahead and replace your heater completely. 

Continue Reading

Haven’t Scheduled Heating Maintenance Yet? Now Is the Time!

Monday, November 8th, 2021

service-reminder-clockWe always recommend that homeowners arrange for heating maintenance during the fall. We’re deep into the fall now—it’s past Halloween—and the temperatures are making their slow and sure drop down to what will eventually be the full cold of winter. So if you haven’t gotten your heating maintenance done yet, right now is a great time to have it done.

Continue Reading

Start Considering Furnace Replacement Options

Monday, March 5th, 2018

technician-examines-furnace“Spring hasn’t even arrived yet, and yet I should be thinking about replacing my furnace?”

Yes! Your current furnace is still working away, and will continue to do so until the warmth finally settles in. But the “spring/summer break” for your furnace is an ideal time to make plans to replace it. The point when you need the furnace the least is the time to have it taken out and a new one put in, because…

  • You’ll be far ahead of the next cold weather and won’t have to worry about cramming in an installation in fall.
  • Local HVAC contractors don’t have schedules that are packed during the spring and can find a convenient time to arrange for the work.
  • You’ll have enough time to review your options carefully for a new furnace installation.

Let’s take a deeper look into that last point. Choosing a new furnace is trickier than it may seem, especially if you’ve never had to have one replaced.

Continue Reading

Duct Sealing May Be the Answer to Your Heating Problems

Monday, November 13th, 2017

ductwork-in-atticHeating systems put in a lot of work here through the winters, and we’re about to get into the most intense period of using our heating systems to make it through the winter. (You did remember to have maintenance, right? It’s easy with our one of our Preventative Maintenance Comfort Plans.)

But not all apparent heating system problems stem from inside the actual heater components, or even from the thermostats. The heating system is only one part of the entire HVAC system, which includes the ventilation ducts. Issues with those ducts may be the source of difficulties you may encounter with the heater during the winter. Some of these troubles include:

  • The compressor of a heat pump turning on and off rapidly (short-cycling)
  • Hot spots in rooms due to low airflow or insufficiently cool air from the vents
  • A steep rise in utility bills that’s out of the ordinary for when you usually run the heating system.

Continue Reading

Watch for Boiler Repair Concerns Early in the Fall

Monday, October 2nd, 2017

boiler-residentialWe aren’t quite at the true heating season yet—the time of the year when home heaters turn on to provide warmth. Temperatures are still hovering in the cool-to-warm region. But it’s October, which means fall is here and just over the ridge is winter. If you use a boiler system to heat up your house in winter, you want to ensure that it’s in the best shape possible before the cold weather hits. You can do this by arranging for a heating tune-up and inspection through one of our preventative maintenance comfort plans.

But today we want to focus on what happens once your boiler actually gets to work—especially if you end up putting it to work before it has maintenance. We urge you to avoid this situation, but it can still happen. If it does (and even if you did have routine maintenance this year) look out for some of these early indications that you need to call us for boiler repair in Burlington, VT. The sooner you have the trouble fixed, the less expensive it is likely to be and the less long-term damage it will do to the boiler.

Continue Reading

The End of Winter: Watch for These Heating Troubles

Monday, February 27th, 2017

winter-weather-sceneThe official end of winter and the start of spring is March 20, less than a month away. But as anybody who has lived for a few years in Northwest Vermont and Northeast New York can tell you, the weather is extremely unpredictable during this last period of winter. The saying that March “enters like a lamb and leaves like a lion” (and sometimes vice versa) is a short way of saying that you never quite know what the temperatures are going to be like until it finally settles into spring weather. Your heating system still has some work ahead of it.

Continue Reading

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

Monday, February 6th, 2017

child-welcomes-springHere 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.

Continue Reading

How to Catch Furnace Repair Problems Early

Monday, November 7th, 2016

When temperatures plummet in the middle of winter, the last thing you want to happen is for your gas furnace to suddenly quit working. Although you can call for emergency repairs, you’re still in for an uncomfortable wait… especially if many other homeowners are experiencing the same problem. The best strategy when it comes to repairing a furnace is to have the repairs done as soon as you notice anything wrong with the furnace, even if it’s minor. A furnace rarely suffers a complete breakdown without some warning. We’ve put together some specific warnings to watch for during the late fall when your furnace starts to run regularly.

Continue Reading

Does Your Furnace Have a Repair Hangover from Last Winter?

Monday, October 10th, 2016

Here’s a situation that you don’t want to run into when the first chilly day of winter arrives: a furnace that breaks and stops working almost as soon as it turns on. You might think, “What’s the chance of that happening?” But if you let your heating end the previous winter with possible repair issues left unattended, you’re taking a big chance that it won’t work when you need it from the coming winter.

Continue Reading

Is It Too Late to Bother with Heating Repairs?

Monday, April 18th, 2016

It’s spring, and summer is around the corner… but we’re still experiencing cold days here in Plattsburgh and Northwest Vermont. April is never a sure thing when it comes to weather, and you probably know that if you’ve lived here for a year or more. And that means you may still need your heater for a few more weeks before you shift over to the warmer part of the year.

Continue Reading