Basic Furnace Safety Tips

Basic Gas Furnace Safety Tips

When you adjust the thermostat on your gas furnace, an ignitor activates the gas burners that create heat in a combustion chamber. This warm air is then distributed through the ductwork by blowers and thus heats your house. Gas furnaces are great if you’d like a more cost-efficient and even heating system, but also come with their own set of unique safety issues. Here’s a list of ways to keep your gas furnace functioning safely, and when it might be best to contact a Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ professional.

• Schedule a furnace cleaning and check-up to be performed annually by a NATE-certified technician. Request that they check for cracks in the combustion chamber, as these cracks could allow carbon monoxide to leak into your home.
• Change the air filter regularly. Dust particles can build-up on the furnace’s air filter and reduce efficient airflow and heating capabilities, as well as becoming a fire-hazard or furnace failure potential in extreme instances of neglect. The air filter is usually located inside the front cover of your furnace, and should be changed before the winter season starts, and at least once every 1-3 months during regular use.
• Don’t close off more 20% of the furnace registers in your house. This can cause unnecessary heat build-up and affect efficiency. Make sure to avoid obstructing registers as well, and keep them free of lint, dust, and pet hair by vacuuming them at least once a month.
• Don’t store anything flammable or combustible near or around your furnace to avoid a furnace fire.
• Keep the area around your furnace clean and unobstructed.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector in your home, and check to make sure it’s working properly at least once a month during the winter season. Gas furnaces have a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning if they’re not functioning properly, but having a detector installed can help you stay on top of risks.
• If your pilot light seems to go out often, make sure there aren’t any drafts preventing it from staying lit. If pilot light issues persist and it seems that the issues stem from the ignitor (or the pilot downright refuses to relight), call a Green Apple Plumbing and Mechanical expert.
• If you detect a gas smell or suspect other gas feed or valve issues, call a professional at once.
• Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ are the experts you can trust. We have been serving the NJ area for years with professionalism and expertise. Customer service and care are always our number one priority. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of your HVAC or plumbing needs call toll-free @888-315-5564

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Signs Your toilet Needs To Be Replaced

1. Constant Clogging

Nobody likes to deal with a clogged toilet. While they’re not uncommon, random or recurring clogs can indicate an issue. If you have an old, low flush toilet, you may experience stoppages far too often. If you experience clogs more than once a week, or the clogs seem random and odd, you should probably replace your toilet.

If you don’t want to lose the water-saving benefits of a low-flush toilet, simply replace your current toilet with a more efficient and effective commode. Modern technologies have come a long way, and low-flush toilets are much better than they used to be.

2. Cracks

When you notice puddles of water around your toilet, you may want to check for cracks in the porcelain. While the toilet may work fine, leaks can waste a lot of water, and that water exposure can damage your flooring over time. It can also result in mold or mildew growth.

Look for cracks in the bowl or the tank of the toilet. If you notice any, or if you hear constant running from your toilet, replace it right away before the situation gets worse. If you can’t tell if there’s a crack, put dye in the water of the tank or bowl and see if the dyed water makes it to the floor.

3. Plentiful Repairs

Toilets shouldn’t need to be constantly repaired. If you find yourself regularly calling for a plumber to fix the toilet, replace it. Frequent repairs can add up, and you can save yourself a bit of cash over the years if you invest in a new toilet.

Or, if your toilet requires numerous repairs all at once, it may be cheaper to replace the toilet instead. Discuss the situation with your Green Apple plumber, and they can help you weigh the pros and cons of each option.

4. Excessive Age

Even if your toilet is a little old, it may work just fine. But older toilets are often more inefficient than the newer models, so it may be a good idea to replace your toilet and save some money and water. Consider a toilet with a dual-flush feature. It allows you to partially flush for liquid waste and fully flush for solid waste. That way, you can maximize your savings both in water use and utility costs.

5. Wobbling

If your toilet wobbles, it may be a simple problem of loose screws. A plumber can easily tighten the bolts and ensure everything is properly placed. But wobbling can also signify a bigger problem. The floor beneath the toilet may be rotting away or water damaged, so if you notice wobbling, call a Green Apple professional to check it out.

6. Inefficient Flushing

When you find that your water bills are high, investing in a new, water-efficient toilet can help you keep your bills down. The average toilet uses three to five gallons of water with each flush, while a low-flush toilet uses about two gallons for every flush. If you have a large family or are environmentally conscious, such a change can help lower your water bill and water usage.

7. Surface Damages

If you have a lot of scratches on the surface of your toilet, you may want to replace your toilet for cosmetic reasons. Excessive scratches can make it difficult to keep the fixture clean. This damage is more common with older toilets that have been scrubbed numerous times over the years, so if you find that you’re cleaning your toilet more often than you should, it could be time for a replacement.

8. Built-Up Mineral Deposits

In areas with hard water, the minerals in the water can collect in the inlet holes and siphon tube. Such buildup can keep water from flowing effectively, making the toilet inefficient. In some cases, you may be able to clear some of the deposits away by chipping at the buildup, but this step is not always successful. If the buildup gets bad enough, your toilet may need replacement.

Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ are the experts you can trust. We have been serving the NJ area for years with professionalism and expertise. Customer service and care are always our number one priority. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of your HVAC or plumbing needs call toll-free @888-315-5564

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7 Golden Rules For Your Furnace

7 furnace maintenance tips for your furnace

• 1. Get a professional tune-up. By far, the best thing you can do to ensure that your furnace performs to the best of its ability is to schedule a professional furnace inspection every year. During a tune-up, our HVAC technicians will inspect your furnace for any operational problems and perform a number of maintenance tasks (like cleaning your system) that will help avoid future breakdowns, improve efficiency levels and make sure that your system is running safely.
• 2. Keep your air filter clean. You’d be surprised at the number of furnace breakdowns we encounter that could have been prevented if the homeowner would have changed his or her air filter. A dirty filter will cause all sorts of performance and efficiency problems, and you can avoid them by simply checking and changing your filter once per month.
• 3. Test your CO detectors. CO detectors will warn you if your furnace develops a carbon monoxide leak, which could potentially be life-threatening to the people in your home. Make sure that your CO detectors are working and that they have a fresh set of batteries during the heating season.
• 4. Allow your air registers to breathe. If any of your air registers are closed or blocked off by furniture, your furnace will have a hard time heating your home evenly and effectively. Make sure that all of your floor registers are open and free of obstructions.
• 5. Check the pilot light in older furnaces. If you have an older furnace with a pilot light, check to ensure that the flame is burning a bright blue. If it’s a different color, it is likely burning inefficiently and you should contact Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical so we can investigate the problem.
• 6. Don’t block outdoor exhaust pipes. High-efficiency gas furnaces have exhaust pipes that lead outside of the home and near the ground. It’s important that nothing is blocking these pipes so that your furnace can operate safely and efficiently.
• 7. Keep the area around your system clear. Keep the area around your furnace clear so that you and your service technician can easily access it when the time comes for any maintenance or repairs.
• Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical are the experts you can trust. We have been serving the NJ area for years with professionalism and expertise. Customer service and care are always our number one priority. If you have any questions or concerns regarding any of your HVAC or plumbing needs call toll-free @888-315-5564

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