Carney All Seasons Blog: Archive for February, 2015

When Is It Time to Schedule Drain Cleaning?

Friday, February 27th, 2015

Nope, these aren’t the sounds of a tasty treat, they are the sounds a slow drain makes as it struggles to move your waste water from the drain to your outlet pipe. Many of us wait for these sounds to disappear, but unfortunately, they are usually the harbinger of an imminent clog. So what can you do? You can try some home remedies for the problem that may work if the build-up isn’t too bad: using the combination of white vinegar and baking soda in the drain, plunging or boiling water. But if none of these options work, it may be time to schedule drain cleaning in Montgomery City, PA.

Reasons to Schedule Drain Cleaning

Along with the above-listed sounds and slow drainage, there are some other signs that can indicate it’s time to call an expert to clean your drains:

  • Multiple clogs/slow draining on the same plumbing line – if you are experiencing multiple clogs, or multiple drains that all have slow drainage, it is likely there is a clog deep in the main pipe that all these drains are connected to. Reaching deep problems in your plumbing can be challenging and should always be left to an expert.
  • The same clog keeps happening – do you have one drain that won’t stop developing a clog, even after you’ve unclogged it several times? This is usually indicative of a clogging issue that hasn’t been completely resolved, but can be solved when you hire a trained expert.
  • It’s time for annual plumbing maintenance – drain cleaning is a part of plumbing maintenance, so if you haven’t scheduled your plumbing system for maintenance in the last 12 months, call and schedule a drain cleaning appointment.

Can’t I Clean My Drains Myself?

We hear this question a lot, and the answer is: unless you have the training and expertise to use drain cleaning equipment, no, you shouldn’t clean your own drains. Likewise, using over-the-counter drain cleaners is not considered drain cleaning. For the best results and healthy, undamaged drains, call your plumbing professional for all drain cleaning work.

The plumbing experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling have been helping customers in the Montgomery City, PA area with their plumbing needs since 1976, so if you need drain cleaning or any other plumbing services, call us today!

Continue Reading

Tips to Help Your Heating This Winter

Friday, February 20th, 2015

Sometimes it can be pretty amazing to see how a small change can make a big difference. When it comes to saving money on your winter heating, there are some small changes that homeowners can make that can have a positive impact on their winter heating budgets. None of these heating tips for your Warrington home are very difficult and some are things you can manage to do on your own. However, if you need repair, replacement or maintenance for your heating system, call the experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling today!

Winter Heating Tips

Here are some winter heating tips to help you become more energy efficient this winter:

  • Install ceiling fans – ceiling fans help circulate the air and help keep the warm air in your home from trying to settle toward the floor, where the cooler air is. This can help keep your home warmer and more comfortable.
  • Upgrade your thermostat – if you are using a slide or dial thermostat with your heating system, you may be missing out some significant savings due to less energy efficiency. With a digital thermostat, you can set a precise temperature instead of aiming for a range, and if you install a programmable thermostat, you can create a program that will power down your heating when your home isn’t occupied.
  • Change the air filter regularly – if you heat your home with a furnace or heat pump system, your system has an air filter. It’s recommended that air filters are changed every three months because they gather dirt and dust fairly quickly. Having a clean air filter keeps the air flow in your system at the level it needs to be to perform optimally.
  • Close the fireplace damper – if you have a fireplace in your home, leaving the damper open is akin to leaving a window open. A simple check of your fireplace damper can save you from sending valuable heat out your chimney.

These simple steps can help reduce your energy usage, which you’ll see in your monthly heating bills. Need more in-depth help? Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment with one of our experts.

Continue Reading

Some of the Unusual Movies Released for Valentine’s Day

Saturday, February 14th, 2015

Hollywood has always tried to match movies up to the seasons to draw droves of viewers to the theaters: October is packed with fright-offerings, while the winter holidays skew toward warm and pleasing family films (as well as Oscar hopefuls). Valentine’s Day falls in an odd spot when it comes to the movie release calendar, however, since February tends to be a slower time for the film industry. The studios are as likely to slot strange movies that don’t fit anywhere else in their annual schedules into the Valentine’s Day weekend as they are films with powerful romantic appeal.

So, while the second weekend of February has featured hugely successful romantic comedies like Hitch, The Wedding Singer, and (of course) Valentine’s Day, some truly weird choices have debuted in this weekend as well. And a few have even gone on to tremendous success despite the bizarre match with the holiday. Here are a couple of the odder Valentine’s Day movie releases:

  • Dracula (1931): Yes, this Halloween perennial and the start of Universal Studio’s Classic Monsters actually came out on Valentine’s Day! But perhaps this makes some sense, as the Dracula legend has often received a “doomed lover” approach in the many years since Bela Lugosi made the aristocratic vampire a screen icon.
  • The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Does any film seem less appropriate for Valentine’s Day than this unnerving and sometimes very violent psychological thriller? What’s even more astonishing than the film’s release date is that The Silence of the Lambs eventually nabbed the Oscar for Best Picture, an almost unheard of occurrence for a movie released so early in the year.
  • Daredevil (2003): This Marvel comic adaptation featuring Ben Affleck as a blind superhero does contain a romantic subplot, but the stronger connection to Valentine’s Day may just be that Daredevil wears a bright red costume.
  • A Good Day to Die Hard (2013): The least successful of the Die Hard film franchise, this is an excellent example of a studio dropping a film into a weekend where it doesn’t fit in the hopes that it works as counter-programming. (It didn’t.)
  • Wayne’s World (1992): Now here is an example of counter-programming that clicked with audiences. This comedy based on a Saturday Night Live sketch turned into one of that year’s biggest hits and spawned a sequel.

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with a trip to the movie theater, or you have your own special plans, everyone here at Carney Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning hopes you and your loved ones have a wonderful weekend.

Continue Reading

What Is a Sump Pump?

Thursday, February 5th, 2015

In your home, you may have never experienced a single problem with flooding before. But when a sudden flood does catch you off-guard, you may wish you had taken preventive action sooner. A flood can force you to spend thousands of dollars on repairs, mold remediation, seeking alternative shelter, and replacing lost items. But installing a sump pump keeps you from worrying about the unexpected costs of a flood, whether you’re no stranger to flooding or you’re just trying to protect yourself from future trouble.

For sump pumps or any other installations for your plumbing in Oreland, call on the professionals at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

Two types of sump pumps

A sump pump is a component that is typically installed in a basement or the lowest point in your home. These are recommended for homes in areas with low water tables, but they’re useful additions to nearly any home. If your basement begins to fill up with water, your sump pump should turn on and begin draining this water to the outdoors. And flooding may occur due to a storm or even if a neighbor’s pipe were to burst.

There are basically three major parts to a sump pump. There’s the pump that uses an impeller to pull in water. There’s the drainage system that allows it to drain to the outside. And then there’s the “sump” portion, the pit in which the pump is set. Sump pump installation should always involve a professional plumber to properly install the system, size it for your home, and to choose from the two types of sump pumps: submersible and pedestal.

The difference between the two is in how the pump is set up. A submersible unit is set into the pump in a waterproof encasing. A pedestal pump perches above the sump instead. Your technician will select the sump pump based on the size and shape of the sump, but there are a couple of other considerations that may come into play as well. For example, while a submersible pump is usually safer for children and pets, a pedestal pump won’t need as many repairs.

Calling the experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling is a great way to ensure your new sump pump works properly, especially when you include sump pump maintenance as part of yearly maintenance for your plumbing in Oreland. Contact our team today!

Continue Reading