Enhance Your HVAC Efficiency
More Ways to Enhance HVAC System Efficiency
During the service call, your Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical HVAC technician will thoroughly clean your HVAC system. Before leaving your home, the Green Apple technician will turn on the heat, and let it run for a few minutes to make sure everything is working properly. During this time, it may smell a bit odd from disuse, but that’s normal. The real goal is to make sure that it is blowing out heat. In addition to scheduling preventive maintenance and staying on top of filter changes, there is more you can do to further aid air conditioning efficiency:
- Ensure you are using and programming your thermostat correctly. The preventive maintenance visit is a perfect time to check with your Green Apple technician if you are unsure about how to correctly program your thermostat.
- Keep all vents/registers open so heat will circulate properly throughout your home. Keeping vents closed can damage the ductwork and HVAC system.
- To help your furnace to do its job, you will also need to check the windows and doors around your home and seal air leaks that could allow drafts to enter your home. Caulk and weatherstripping are simple and inexpensive materials that go a long way toward reducing energy waste.
Taking preventive action is important for efficient HVAC performance and to help your system to live up to its expected life. Our skilled technicians at Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ can provide service and advice that will guarantee comfort throughout the colder months. Give our experts at Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ a call at 888-315-5564 to learn more about getting your furnace or other heating systems ready for fall, or about our energy-efficient HVAC systems.
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.
HVAC Maintenance For Homes With Pets
HVAC Maintenance Tips for Pet Owners
Our pets are our family, they bring us joy, companionship, and love. However, with the wagging tails, playing and countless petting, pets can cause a few issues with air quality in regards to your HVAC system. Here are some HVAC maintenance tips to consider if you own pets.
Changing the HVAC Filter
Pets are like family, however, they shed like crazy. If you have any furry critters taking up occupancy in your home, then you’ll have to change the filter more often. Cat and dog hair, as well as dander, gets everywhere in your home- including the air filter! It’s also important to note that depending on the season, you may need to change the filter more often. For example, animals tend to shed more when the weather is hotter.
Seal Ducts
The air ducts main purpose is to transport the air throughout your home. Now, if the air ducts are dirty and filled with pet dander, this can make it relatively difficult to breathe. This is because the pet dander will continuously circulate throughout the air and your home. Making sure air ducts are sealed properly can remove the dust, dander and debris and keep it from circulating throughout your home.
Lastly, if there are gaps and/or cracks in your air ducts be sure to get them fixed. All that unwanted dander and dust can easily make its way into the ducts. Thus, the pet hair and dander will circulate throughout the home. Once these cracks are sealed and those portions of the air duct replaced, this will help stop the dander and dust entering the air ducts.
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 at 888-315-5564
Experiencing Clogged Drains & Water Temp Changes?
What’s the Best Solution for Clogged Drains?
When drains are clogged in your home, it can throw off the entire flow of the day. One common solution is buying a liquid formula that flushes through the pipes and removes the debris blocking the water’s flow. That may solve the problem temporarily, but you have to be concerned about damage to pipes and recurring clogs when you use these chemicals. It’s better to talk to a Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ plumber about clearing the pipes with specialized equipment. Our professional plumbers will then advise you on how to avoid clogged drains in the first place.
Is There Any Way to Avoid Water Temperature Changes?
It can be quite a shock when the water temperature drops abruptly while you’re in the shower. The problem may arise when someone turns on a faucet in a neighboring room, or when someone flushes the toilet in the bathroom. This problem occurs when the same pipe feeds water to the shower, the sink, and the toilet. It’s not a cause for concern other than your comfort level and a Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical plumber can advise you as to whether it’s possible to add pipes for maximum comfort in the shower.
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 plumbing or HVAC needs call toll-free @888-315-5564
The Key To Unlock HVAC Excellence
The most important maintenance task that will ensure the efficiency of your air conditioner is to routinely replace or clean its filters. Clogged, dirty filters block normal airflow and reduce a system’s efficiency significantly. With normal airflow obstructed, the air that bypasses the filter may carry dirt directly into the evaporator coil and impair the coil’s heat-absorbing capacity. Replacing a dirty, clogged filter with a clean one can lower your air conditioner’s energy consumption by 5% to 15%.
For central air conditioners, filters are generally located somewhere along the return duct’s length. Common filter locations are in walls, ceilings, furnaces, or in the air conditioner itself. Room air conditioners have a filter mounted in the grill that faces into the room.
Some types of filters are reusable; others must be replaced. They are available in a variety of types and efficiencies. Clean or replace your air conditioning system’s filter or filters every month or two during the cooling season. Filters may need more frequent attention if the air conditioner is in constant use, is subjected to dusty conditions, or you have fur-bearing pets in the house.
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 at 888-315-5564
Items You Should Never Ever Flush Down The Toilet
1. Baby Wipes
Yes, even the ones that say they’re flushable. These are frequently the cause of clogs and should always be thrown out in a wastebasket instead. Even “flushable” wipes don’t disintegrate the way toilet paper does, which can eventually cause plumbing issues.
2. Q-Tips & Cotton Pads
Cotton balls, cotton pads, and Q-Tips are definitely not safe to flush. They don’t break down the way toilet paper (even cotton toilet paper) does, and all they really do is clump together in your pipes and cause problems.
3. Menstrual Products
This one might shock you, but menstrual products (tampons, pads, etc.) should also never be flushed down the toilet. Why? They’re products that are meant to absorb water, not break down in it, meaning they’ll only expand when you flush them and that’s no good for your plumbing.
4. Condoms
Condoms are also not designed to break down in water, so flushing them can cause clogs in toilets and septic tanks.
5. Diapers
Honestly, you shouldn’t even be able to flush a diaper (like menstrual products, they expand in water and diapers are probably already too big to get down the drain) but on the off-chance that you can and do, it’ll expand and get caught in your pipes. That’s what diaper pails are for!
6. Dental Floss
Not only can dental floss clog your pipes, but it can also cause environmental damage. Floss basically turns into a net when flushed, catching and holding onto other debris it can even wrap around parts of your septic system and burn out the motor.
You might think paper towels and tissues aren’t all that different from toilet paper, but they’re simply not designed to break down the way toilet paper does. In the event that you need to use paper towels or tissues in place of toilet paper for any reason, put them in a wastebasket instead.
8. Medication
If you have old pills that you need to get rid of, don’t flush them. Toilet water doesn’t break them down properly, meaning the medication gets into the water and can cause toxic environmental effects.
9. Cigarette Butts
Speaking of toxic chemicals, that’s exactly what flushing cigarettes down the drain adds to the water, too. Not to mention, it’s a huge waste of water when you can simply throw them out properly. Cigarette butts can also cause clogs.
10. Kitty Litter
Some brands of kitty litter claim to be flushable, but most toilets don’t use enough water to move the litter along properly in your pipes and all it does is add more things to the water that make it harder to purify. Cat waste from the litter box should also not be flushed, because the litter dehydrates the waste and toilets are meant to flush water-soluble waste.
11. Hair
Like dental floss, hair forms a sort of net when you flush it down the drain and gets caught on basically everything plus, it floats, and it never dissolves in water no matter how long it’s in there.
12. Gum
As you can probably imagine, chewing gum doesn’t exactly break down in the water, either. Plus, it’s sticky and can easily adhere to the inside of your pipes and cause a clog. You should always throw gum out in the wastebasket for this reason.
Call Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ with any questions or concerns you may have regarding any of your plumbing or HVAC needs. Call toll-free @888-315-5564
Effects Of Humidity On Your HVAC System
Humidity and Central Air Conditioning Systems
If your air conditioning system is working efficiently, it will remove the proper amount of heat and moisture from your living area, resulting in the comfortable environment you want.
If not, you may not achieve the comfort level you desire for your home, regardless of the temperature setting you are using.
When humidity is high, it makes sense that A/C systems have to work harder to keep the home cool. If you’re dealing with an older, inefficient or wrong-sized system, it may not be able to handle the job. Your home may end up feeling warmer than it actually is because the air is holding extra moisture that isn’t being properly removed.
What’s more, the system will be working longer and harder without providing the desired result. This adds wear to the unit and can result in higher utility bills.
It’s important to know that a larger capacity system of air conditioning will not necessarily produce the cooling effect that you want in your home. It’s imperative that your system is sized properly for your unique home by a Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical professional.
If you are using your central air conditioning system, but not getting the results you want, you can safely assume one of the problems is excess moisture in the air. Some obvious signals that you’ll experience if this is the case include:
- The air in your home feels moist
- There is a damp or musty smell in parts of your home
- Your windows are foggy.
These factors can tell you there is too much humidity present and you should take action to adjust humidity levels. 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
Things To Consider When Purchasing A new AC System
Buying a New Central Air Conditioner
There are a few main things that homeowners will want to take into consideration when deciding which AC unit or brand is best for them. It really depends on what you value the most in a replacement HVAC system. The major factors for most homeowners will be the cost, lifespan of the AC unit, warranties offered, energy efficiency (SEER ratings), and size of the unit you need for your home’s square footage (TONS.)
Things to Consider:
Quality of AC Unit: Every central air conditioner has a different value depending on how much you are wanting to pay. Most brands offer a quality tier air conditioner and a cheaper budget-friendly option for your HVAC replacement needs. Each brand has a different advantage and you will learn about them below.
The lifespan of Air Conditioners: If you do any research on Consumer Reports, it’s easy to realize that a standard HVAC repair can become costly. This means you will want to pick an air conditioner that has ratings and reviews that bode well for their life expectancy. The average lifespan of a central air conditioner is 12 to 15 years if it is properly installed and maintained. Top brands will last longer and have fewer repair issues over time.
HVAC Warranties: The best central AC brands on average have a general parts warranty up to 10+ years. The best brands will be able to offer warranties that are hard to find anywhere else. 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 at 888-315-5564
How Liquid Drain Cleaner Can Be Harmful
Liquid Drain Cleaners are a quick, inexpensive, convenient solution for many people with a slow or a clogged drain. Chemical drain cleaners are easy to find and relatively cheap, particularly when you compare the price of a bottle of drain opener to the cost of a visit from a plumber. However, these popular products could end up being very expensive in the long run, as they are dangerous both to pipes and to people.
These liquid drain cleaners are caustic chemicals that are best used to dissolve soft clogs like hair or grease. While most of these are available to anyone in your local discount store, some are very heavy duty and should only be used by licensed plumbers. These chemicals eat away at these soft clogs near the surface of the drain opening, but they can eat away at other things.
Liquid drain cleaner can cause a lot of damage to you if it gets on you or in you. These chemicals can burn you if they come in contact with you externally or internally. If even a little splashback on you during use, be sure to wash it off immediately (or to follow any other protocol the manufacturer lists on the packaging), if it is left on your skin it could cause some serious burns. If ingested, a liquid drain cleaner can be fatal; this is why it is important to keep these products away from children and pets. These are some of the most hazardous items that the public can easily and readily purchase.
While these drain cleaners can often be effective, they may not always unclog your drain, particularly if the clog is deep. Shallow clogs near the surface work best with these products. If you have used a chemical drain opener with no success, you will have to manually unclog the sink. If these caustic chemicals remain in the pipes behind a deep clog, they may be stirred up by your further unclogging efforts. This means that these chemicals might come up the drain and could splash back onto your skin or even in your face.
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
When Is The Best Time To Install Central Air
Before Your Current HVAC Unit Dies
If you don’t want to find yourself without cool air during a hot summer day or without heat during the cold days of winter, then don’t wait until your HVAC system dies before replacing it. HVAC systems usually give warning signs as they near the end of their life. If your system is more than 15 years old, is not heating or cooling as it used to despite regular maintenance, and isn’t as energy efficient as it used to be, it could be time to replace it.
Call your Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical HVAC professional for an inspection. They will be able to advise whether it simply needs a tune-up, more extensive repairs or needs replacing. It may be that only the air conditioner or furnace needs replacing rather than the entire HVAC unit, which will help you save money.
If You’re Doing Constant Repairs
If you find yourself calling your Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ HVAC technician on a regular basis because your system is always acting up, it’s time to stop spending money on endless repairs and replace the system instead. Just as it isn’t worth spending money on constant repairs to an old car, it isn’t worth it to continually fix an old failing HVAC system. When you add up what you’ve spent over time, you may find you’ve spent more money on repairs than you would have on buying a new system.
Spare yourself the frustration, inconvenience, and the expense and replace the unit. A well-functioning HVAC system is more energy-efficient, will decrease your electric bill and makes life more comfortable for the whole family. Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical 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 at 888-315-5564
Your Essential Labor Day HVAC Guidelines
1. Turn Down The Air Conditioning
You can conserve energy while you are gone this Labor Day simply by changing the temperature just a few degrees. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can even set it up so that you will still come home to a cool house. Unless you have animals in the house that could suffer from the heightened temperatures, invest in a programmable thermostat so that you can save money and energy while you’re away!
2. Change Your Filters
Whether you’ve got a programmable thermostat or not, chances are that you’ll at least keep your system running while you are gone to ensure that your home’s indoor air quality stays even. If your filters are clogged, it can cause your system to break down, meaning you could be coming home to an uncomfortable house. It really doesn’t take too much time to clean or replace your filters, and we feel that it will make all the difference in your energy bill as well as the comfort level of your home!
3. Burglary Protection
One thing that many homeowners need to be aware of when taking a vacation, is that thieves tend to target homes that look vacant, after all, they know it’s a vacation weekend! Your HVAC equipment is expensive, and an appealing item for any burglar intending to steal something of value. To avoid these vacationers worries, install a device that turns on lights at the same time every day so that your home doesn’t look empty and keep your blinds closed! You can take anti-theft measurements like motion light sensors, and outdoor HVAC unit cages for added protection. Since the copper in the system is valuable, protection is necessary!
We encourage you to enjoy your Labor Day weekend with relaxation! Take the proper precautions and prepare your home for your absence! Happy Labor Day weekend from Green Apple Plumbing & Mechanical NJ! 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