Carney All Seasons Blog: Archive for March, 2013

Hiring Guide When Looking for a Plumber

Monday, March 25th, 2013

While it may not be difficult to find a plumber in Lansdale, PA, finding a good one can be challenging. After all, your particular home needs are different from the next homeowner, and you want someone who’s fair, reliable, and does exceptional work. You shouldn’t have to settle for anything less. In this post, we’d like to draw on our experience as a team of comprehensive plumbing specialists to give you some tips on choosing a local plumber. When you need a plumber in Lansdale, PA, call Carney Plumbing Heating Cooling today! 

Here are some things to consider when hiring a plumber:

  • Reputation. In this trade, plumbers and homeowners alike rely on reputation. For plumbers, a good reputation is a seal of public approval for plumbing excellence. For homeowners, a plumber’s good reputation is a barometer of quality and trustworthiness. Check with your local Better Business Bureau to see if your plumber is in good standing.
  • Reliability. No matter what size your job is—to fix a leak under the kitchen sink or a comprehensive repiping—you need to be able to depend on your plumber to show up at the right time and to perform the work efficiently.
  • Quality. Quality is a difficult thing to measure, but you’ll know it when you see it. Most homeowners are adept at detecting when a tradesman has cut a few corners. Find a plumber whose reputation precedes him, so that when you hire him, you know you’ll receive exceptional work.
  • Courtesy. When you invite a plumber into your home, you need him to be courteous and professional. But you also want him to think of your home as an important place, whose cleanliness you take seriously. Find a plumber who is going to keep your home clean while he works, whether by wearing clean booties, or by using a drop cloth.
  • Value. A good plumber will give you exceptional quality at great value. You’ll know exactly what you’re paying for and why the work was performed.

We hope this brief hiring guide helps you find the right plumber for your needs. If you’re looking for a plumber in Lansdale, PA, look no further than Carney Plumbing Heating Cooling for exceptional service at great value. Call us today! 

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Why Replace Your Heating System in the Spring

Monday, March 18th, 2013

While most homeowners are considering cleaning out the garage or arranging their patio furniture when spring comes around, many are quick to forget about their heating system. That’s too bad, because the off-season is an opportune time for replacing your heating system, without incurring any unpleasant downtime without heating. There is a host of heating options on the market today, and if your heating system is over 10 years old, or requires frequent repairs, it’s probably an ideal time to invest in the future of the home, rather than its past. When you’re ready to replace your Blue Bell, PA heating system, count on  Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling for exceptional heating installation. Call us today!

Here are some things to consider for heating replacement this spring:

  • Energy-efficiency. Technological advances have made the heating efficiency of heaters over 10 years old obsolete. Today’s gas furnaces can reach AFUE ratings of up to 97%. Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency measures the amount of heating output against the energy input. This means less waste and increased energy savings. Often, upgrading to a new system will pay for itself in a few years, depending on your heating needs.
  • Prevent heating downtime. If your heater is on its last legs and you’re weighing your options, consider this: do you really want to keep paying to keep that old furnace alive, when you could save money in the long-term by investing in a new heater? Moreover, delaying the inevitable may catch up to you during the coldest months. Spring is a great time to upgrade because you can avoid heating downtime when you really need it.
  • Switch to natural gas. Not only can upgrading save you energy and hassle, making the switch to natural gas from oil also has its benefits. Natural gas is eco-friendly, highly efficient, and available without the associated costs of foreign importation. Gas is known to burn cleaner than oil, with less energy going to waste.

As you tidy up your attic or perform various spring cleaning duties, think about upgrading that old heater in the basement. Doing so can help you save money. For heater replacement in Blue Bell, PA, call Carney Plumbing Heating Cooling today! 

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What is a Hybrid Heating System?

Monday, March 11th, 2013

A hybrid heating system combines a gas furnace with an electric heat pump. It provides excellent comfort year round, and tends to be most energy-efficient during moderate heating conditions. While conventional heating solutions opt for one or the other, a hybrid heating system seeks to find a balance between comfort and efficiency, and passes the savings on to you. For more information about hybrid heating in Maple Glen, PA, get in touch with Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. We offer an extensive selection of hybrid heating systems, and we have a team of highly experienced and certified technicians ready to help you install it.

As you probably know, a gas furnace works by drawing energy from natural gas and converting it to hot air to be distributed throughout your home by ducts. A heat pump does not heat air, so much as move heat indoors or outdoors, depending upon the season. It works similarly to an air conditioner, although it does not tend to cool as effectively as a stand-alone air conditioner. That said, an air conditioner only cools, while a heat pump can work throughout the year.

The purpose of the hybrid heating system is to react automatically to changing outside temperatures, and to adjust to the most energy-efficient heating method accordingly. The beauty of this system is in its versatility. On those extremely cold days, your system senses the necessary adjustment and fires up your gas furnace to provide extra heat. On moderate days, your heat pump moves the heat inside the home by the circulation of a refrigerant.

The great thing about this system is that a heat pump also provides cooling in the summer. As a comprehensive system, your hybrid heating system can actually work for you all year long, which means energy and cost savings throughout the year. Not only that, but putting your heat pump to work on moderate days, you are also reducing the amount of fossil fuels used, which make the hybrid heating system far more eco-friendly than conventional furnace-based systems.

For more information about hybrid heating systems in Maple Glen, PA, or to schedule a consultation, call Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling today!

 

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How Are Geothermal Systems Installed?

Monday, March 4th, 2013

Geothermal  systems are becoming more and more popular. Not only are they versatile—capable of both heating and cooling your home—but they also use far less energy than conventional systems. The installation process of geothermal systems is often misunderstood. We want to clear up any confusion our customers have so we put together a short description of how they’re installed. For fast and reliable geothermal installation in Ambler, PA, call Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling.

There are a variety of different types of geothermal heat pumps, including closed loop, open loop, ground source, water source and others. All of these systems are different, but they all share the major geothermal components: the loop, geothermal heat pump unit, and ductwork. The most important consideration of every homeowner thinking of a geothermal unit in their home is professional installation. Only a qualified geothermal expert will be able to ensure that your system is installed correctly. 

So, how are geothermal systems installed? Knowing the installation process can be a valuable asset during the installation process. Here are a few steps:

  • Planning. This stage involves a comprehensive evaluation of your home and the surrounding area in order to ensure your geothermal heat pump matches your heating and cooling needs. We can’t stress enough the importance of planning the installation. There are many factors to consider: from the windows, insulation, and ceiling height to the home’s layout and its orientation on the land.
  • Excavation and Loop Installation. Depending on the size and layout of your property, there are two basic options for the excavation and loop installation process: deep, vertical holes that go more than 100 feet into the ground, or a relatively shallow horizontal bed of piping. The loop itself is made out of high-density polyethylene (HDPE)that is thermal-fused for strong connections.
  • Unit. The heat pump itself typically resides in the basement, just like a furnace or air conditioner unit. The refrigerant or water mixture that circulates through the pipes are branched together and run from the heat pump out into the loop.

Geothermal installations in Ambler, PA require quality workmanship, which is why many homeowners rely on Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. We perform exceptional work and deliver superior customer service. Call us today! 

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