DuAll Heating & Cooling Blog : Archive for February, 2014

Why Should I Flush Out My Water Heater?

Friday, February 28th, 2014

Running hot water is one of the greatest home conveniences ever invented (after indoor plumbing, of course, which was the first step toward running hot water). But your supply of cleansing hot water depends on the steady operation of your home’s hot water heater, and like any mechanical system, it can sometimes develop faults or even shut down.

Flushing the tank of a hot water heater is an important step in maintaining the system and keeping it healthy so you always have hot water ready for you. Flushing is done to remove sediment that can begin to develop at the bottom of the heater’s tank. This task can be done as part of annual routine maintenance, or performed when a specific problem has started to threaten the water heater’s operation.

Whether you need flushing for maintenance or water heater repair in Plainfield, IL, you should have professionals take care of this job. Contact DuAll Heating & Cooling for water heater flushing or any other problems with your system.

Why Flushing The Water Heater is Beneficial

Sediment build-up inside a water heater tank can cause a number of problems that will lead to repair needs—or even a full replacement. The sediment will often prevent the drain valve from working, and this will cause the system to run inefficiently, draining power while providing substandard heat.

The sediment that develops in your tank often comes from impurities inside the water, such as the minerals found in hard water. When these minerals begin to gather inside the tank, they can cause the water to become discolored and promote the development of rust inside the tank. Flushing will not only eliminate short-term problems with sediment, but it will help prolong the system’s life.

As the sediment level increases, the available volume for the water in the tank will decrease. When this happens, the tank will start to overheat and increase the water pressure throughout the system, a frequent cause of leaks.

Take Care of All Your Water Heater’s Needs

Flushing out a water heater is only one of the ways to help your system have a longer service life with fewer repairs. Our staff at DuAll Heating & Cooling has the training, equipment, and experience to perform any of the work you need to repair a malfunctioning water heater. We also offer regular maintenance, one of the best ways to keep away the need for water heater repair in Plainfield, IL. Call us today and trust our NATE-certified technicians to handle the job.

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How to Tell if You Need an Emergency Heating Repair

Wednesday, February 19th, 2014

Nobody ever wants to make an emergency call, no matter what the emergency is. But it’s necessary to have emergency services available to us for the important part of our lives. In Illinois, having your heater working during the winter is crucial for your comfort and your safety—so you need to have a repair service that can deliver 24/7 assistance. Call DuAll Heating & Cooling when you need service fast, any time of the day or night.

Here are a couple of warning signs to heed that tell you it’s time for emergency heating repair in Naperville, IL.

Warning Signs You Need Emergency Repairs

  • The heater will not come on: This is the big one—a possible full breakdown. Although it seems obvious that you should call for repairs when this happens, people sometimes wait to call for help because they think the issue is temporary and the heater will kick back on soon. But, even if the heater does come back on at some point, any failure indicates there is a serious flaw in the operation that will lead to more breakdowns and very inefficient, energy-draining operation.
  • The heater starts making loud, unexpected noises: You should always call for repairs when your heater makes noises that you don’t expect. But when these noises are particularly loud—such grating, grinding, and screeching—there is something amiss in the heater that needs remedy as soon as possible. Shut the heater down and call for repairs.
  • Acrid smells come from the vents: If you have a forced-air system in your home, smells from the vents are major warnings of repair needs. If you smell an acrid scent, like burning, it could indicate failing motors inside the heater’s cabinet, and you need repairs before the heater breaks down entirely.
  • Your carbon monoxide detectors go off: If you have a gas-powered heater in your home, we recommend that you have CO detectors put in your house as well to warn you of an increase of carbon monoxide (which is colorless and odorless). Should these detectors go off, leave you house and call for professionals.

Make Sure You Have a Contractor With Emergency Service

Not all heating repair contractors offer 24-hour emergency service. Since heaters rarely break down at convenient times, you’ll need a contractor ready to rush to your aid when you require with heating repair in Naperville, IL. DuAll Heating & Cooling has technicians standing by for your emergency needs, whatever they may be. We can also provide you with maintenance and installation for all types of home heaters.

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Other Anniversaries of Valentine’s Day

Friday, February 14th, 2014

For more than a hundred years, people in countries around the world have marked the 14th day of February as a time for lovers to give each other gifts and for children to write cards to each other and eat heart-shaped candy. But Valentine’s Day isn’t the only important event to occur on February 14th. There are many other anniversaries to mark on this day. Here are a few:

1400 – The death of King Richard II: The same English king whose engagement resulted in the first love poem mentioning Valentine’s Day (from court poet Geoffrey Chaucer) dies in prison in Pontefract Castle after his cousin Henry overthrows him. He probably starved to death, although another famous author, William Shakespeare, would portray his death as murder.

1859 – Hello, Oregon: The Oregon Country is admitted to the United States of America as the 33rd state.

1876 – Who invented the telephone? Alexander Graham Bell applies for a patent for his new invention, the telephone. Another inventor, Elisha Gray, applies the same day for a similar device, sparking a long controversy over who invented what first.

1912 – Hello, Arizona: Continuing the statehood tradition that Oregon established, the Territory of Arizona is admitted to the U.S. as the 48th state. Women are granted the right to vote in Arizona the same year, eight years before the rest of the nation.

1929 – The world’s most infamous mob hit: Unknown assailants shoot down seven people in Chicago, IL. Six of the dead are gangsters in the mob of Bugs Moran, an enemy of Al Capone in the business of selling Prohibition bootleg liquor. No one is ever arrested or charged for the crime—but there isn’t much doubt who masterminded it.

1931 – “I am… Dracula”: The most influential vampire movie ever made, and the start of Universal Studio’s famous monsters series, Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, premieres in theaters. Universal cannily uses Valentine’s Day to promote the film as “The Story of the Strangest Passion the World Has Ever Known!”

1961 – The Periodic Table becomes larger: The 103rd chemical element, Lawrencium, is discovered at the University of California. The name comes from the laboratory where it is synthesized, the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

2005 – Now it’s easy to watch funny animal videos: A group of college students launch a video sharing website call YouTube.

Even if Valentine’s Day itself isn’t a major holiday for you, February 14th has many reasons to celebrate—unless you are a member of Bugs Moran’s gang or a supporter of Richard II. All of us at DuAll Heating & Cooling would like to wish you a happy Valentine’s Day, however you observe it.

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Problems Caused by a Poor Furnace Installation

Wednesday, February 5th, 2014

When it comes to saving money on home heating, you have many options: thermostat upgrades, window caulking, improved insulation, replacing an aging heater. One option you shouldn’t choose to save money: hiring amateurs to install your furnace. (Or install any heating system, but we’ll stay with furnaces for this post since they are the most common in homes.)

We can’t emphasize enough how important it is that you only hire licensed professionals to handle furnace installation in Naperville, IL. If you have a gas furnace, local codes may even prohibit anyone but a licensed contractor from installing it. But beyond legality, the reason you want experts on the job is that poor furnace installation can lead to numerous problems, some of them dangerous.

Our staff at DuAll Heating & Cooling wants you to have the best furnace installation possible, and we strive to deliver top quality with each job. Call us today to schedule a service appointment.

Here’s What Could Go Wrong Because of a Bad Furnace Installation

  • Gas leak hazards: This is the #1 reason you don’t want amateurs putting in a gas furnace. If they make poor connections between the furnace and the gas main, it can lead to leaking of carbon monoxide. CO is colorless, odorless, toxic, and combustible… you want it kept inside the pipes where it belongs. Professionals take special precautions and run tests to make sure your furnace doesn’t have CO leaks.
  • Electrical wiring problems: If you have an electrical furnace, you won’t have the worries about carbon monoxide—but you can run into serious issues with faulty wiring unless you have professionals on the job. A poor wiring job can lead to a furnace that constantly trips circuit breakers, drains power, and may even become a fire hazard.
  • Faulty ductwork connections: A furnace needs to be hooked up to ducts so there is a complete seal between the furnace at the ventilation shafts. If this job is done poorly, it will cause a loss of air pressure throughout the ductwork, and a subsequent loss of heating power.
  • General inefficiency: Even if the amateur installers avoided creating major problems, the furnace will likely have numerous smaller issues that will lead to it running inefficiently and draining power. This is why amateur installation won’t save you money: you’ll end up paying more in energy bills (and probably repair bills).

Start out right with your new furnace: have professionals with years of experience as well as the proper licensing and insurance do the job. Already too late? Make sure to give us a call to learn mroe about your furnace repair options. Our technicians can remedy an issue before it becomes a long-term problem. For furnace installations and other heating services in Naperville, IL, call the experts at DuAll Heating & Cooling, where we take pride in our professional service.

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