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

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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Why Heating Repair Is Not a “Do It Yourself” Job

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014

Do-it-yourself projects are much easier today than they once were thanks to the availability of instant access to resources such as free online tutorials. And while such projects may allow you to learn a valuable new skill, heating repair is not something that should be done without the help of a skilled technician. Technicians go through a lot of training to be able to recognize repair needs and make repairs quickly and accurately. That’s why it is important to call on a specialist any time you need repair, like the dependable folks at Red Rock Mechanical in Williston, VT. Let’s take a quick look at a few of the reasons you should always call a technician first whenever you need professional heating repair.

  • The problem may not be what you think. Many guides can give you ideas about what may be causing reduced heating or strange noises from your system. But a lot of problems have several possible causes, which is why you should always depend on a technician to help you diagnose the issue. Reduced heating, for example, may be a result of anything from duct leaks to a faulty motor to dirt on the furnace.
  • Technicians can finish the job more quickly. You want your heater up and running as soon as possible, and an experienced repair technician will probably get the job done much more quickly. This is because technicians go through a lot of training to be able to assess damage quickly and are equipped with the proper tools to get the job done.
  • A new heating system will be costly. Perhaps the most important reason to schedule heating repair is to avoid the need for costly system replacement. The opportunity to learn how to fix your heater is simply not worth the chances of a sudden breakdown.

At Red Rock Mechanical, we carry the proper certifications to handle any heating repair and offer a one-year warranty on our labor, something you definitely won’t get with home repairs. We also offer 24-hour emergency service, so you can get repairs at any time of day. For heating repair in Williston, VT, give us a call now!

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What to Look for in a Plumbing Repair Company

Thursday, August 14th, 2014

Picking out the right company to handle your plumbing repairs can present some difficulties: you only have to make a quick search on the Internet to pull up a seemingly unending list of people who will offer to fix your plumbing troubles. How best to make the choice?

Below, we’ve listed a few qualities to place high on your criteria for a company to call for your plumbing repair service in Williston, VT. We think that you will discover that Red Rock Mechanical can meet all your needs, and that we go above and beyond to deliver quality plumbing work, whether it’s repairs, installation, or maintenance.

Look for These Qualities in a Plumbing Repair Company

  • Longevity: A criteria that applies to almost any company in any field: how long has the company served customers? A plumbing contractor with only a few years of experience (or which doesn’t reveal how long it’s been in business) is generally not as dependable as one with at least a decade of work under its belt. Longevity not only means more hands-on experience and better decision-making, but it also indicates a company that has earned the respect of many customers and the community in general.
  • 24-hour emergency service: Plumbing troubles wait for no one. If you have a pipe burst, a toilet overflow, or an unconquerable sink clog, it won’t necessarily happen during weekday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. business hours. You will need to have a repair company you can reach around the clock and around the week, and which can dispatch out emergency repair technicians when you need them.
  • Proper certification and licensing: Anybody can call themselves a “plumber,” but to work as an actual professional plumber you must have certification. The highest certification is Master Plumber, so make sure you find a company that keeps certified Master Plumbers on staff. If you need plumbing work for gas and propane pipes, you must also look for a company that has the special licensing required for these jobs—this is a major safety issue.

When you have emergency need for plumbing repair in Williston, VT, give Red Rock Mechanical a call any time of the day: you won’t receive a recording, but a live person who can send out the fast service you need. We have served Northwest Vermont for over 23 years, and we have Master Plumbers on staff and the proper licensing for propane and gas line work. We think that you will have a hard time finding repair plumbers more suited for whatever job you need done.

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Increase Efficiency with a New Air Conditioner

Thursday, July 10th, 2014

Efficiency is important when it comes to the large appliances in your home. Efficiency can translate directly into dollars saved, so when appliances like your whole-home air conditioner aren’t working efficiently, you can lose money; this can be especially true for air conditioners that are 10+ years old. Just as a new car can be more efficient than an older one, so, too, can a new air conditioner. If you are thinking of investing in a new air conditioning installation for your Williston, VT property, let our Red Rock Mechanical experts give you a few reasons how this can increase your system’s efficiency.

SEER Numbers

Before we talk about specific ways a new AC can be more efficient than your older one, we want to talk about SEER numbers.

SEER stands for seasonal energy efficiency rating, and it tells consumers how energy efficient a specific model is on a scale from 1 to 20. In 2006, the federal law regarding SEER was upgraded from a minimum SEER of 10 to 13. This meant that starting in 2006, all air conditioners had to be manufactured with a minimum SEER of 13. Therefore, if you have an air conditioner that is 8+ years old, it is likely that your AC is not as energy efficient as it could be.

Increasing Efficiency with a New AC

As we outlined above, air conditioners made and purchased before 2006 had a lower required energy efficiency number. Here are some other ways a new air conditioning system can help increase your overall energy efficiency:

  • Less repair work – if you experience a high level of malfunctions and/or breakdowns that require multiple repairs, not only are you paying service fees but your AC is most likely not running well, either. This inefficiency results in additional monetary loss.
  • Better overall operating efficiency – not only is the minimum requirement for a new air conditioner more stringent, but advances in technology have also made today’s air conditioners more efficient – some as much as 60% than ACs from just a decade ago.
  • Better fit for your home – as air conditioners age, their ability to cool your home can decrease with time; this can result in warm and cold spots that can occur throughout your home. To compensate for the shortfall in cooling properly, your air conditioner may start to cycle more frequently, or for longer periods of time. Either of these scenarios mean more energy is used – energy you have to pay for. With a new system that can handle your home’s cooling load, you won’t have to worry about extra energy usage.

Is Your AC Ready to Handle the Heat?

Choosing to move ahead with a new air conditioning installation in Williston, VT is something that requires consideration and calculation, and we are here to help. Call Red Rock Mechanical today and schedule an appointment to meet with one of our installation experts.

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