Carney Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

Will a Heat Pump Provide Sufficient Warmth for the Winter?

February 3rd, 2014

Heat pumps are popular HVAC systems because they pack the power of a heater and an air conditioner into a single unit. Using the process of heat exchange—moving heat from one place to another in order to heat up or cool down the indoors—heat pumps provide effective cooling in summer and heating in winter without draining excessive amounts of power.

But you may have heard that heat pump suffer from a serious drawback: a loss of efficiency in heating mode when the temperature drops too low. If you live in Hatfield, PA, heating your home will be important to you, so you do not want to get trapped with a heater that will start to give up on the job when you need it the most.

However, don’t let this frighten you away from considering a heat pump, as we’ll explain. Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling for more information about heat pump installation, as well as the personal attention to help you decide if a heat pump is the right choice for your home.

Heat Pumps and Hybrid Systems

It is true that a heat pump can have difficulty with extreme lows: the refrigerant inside the heat pump must extract heat from outside and bring it inside, and once the temperature drops below the economic balance point (which varies depending on humidity, but is usually around 32°F), the heat pump will work harder to remove enough heat. If you expect temperatures below freezing for a good part of the winter, a heat pump alone may not be enough to keep you warm.

However, a hybrid heat pump offers a solution. These systems combine a heat pump with a back-up heater that uses a separate fuel source, usually a gas furnace. Whenever the temperature drops below the economic balance point, the second system turns on automatically to make up the difference. You get all the benefits of a heat pump, and only have to pay a slight bit more in fuel costs for the secondary system, which will only run occasionally.

You should always consult with heating experts before making a choice about a heat pump, or any heating system. Experts can perform a heat load calculation at your house to determine how much heating power you need for your comfort, and then match you with the ideal system. Perhaps a standard heat pump is sufficient, or maybe you should invest in a hybrid.

Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling has delivered quality comfort to our customers for over 30 years. Contact us if you need heating service in Hatfield, PA.

How UV Lights Give You Higher Quality Water

January 27th, 2014

Finding quality water is a major concern with homeowners today. Increasingly, people have turned to whole-house water treatment systems to ensure they have the best water quality possible.

In this post, we’ll talk about one of the major tools for water treatment: ultraviolet (UV) lights. This may sound a bit odd as a way to clean water; most people associate water treatment with filters and water softeners. What can lights do to improve water quality? We’ll explain what UV lights do and how they can benefit you. If you are interested in having a UV light system installed in your home, call our Hatfield, PA water treatment system specialists at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

Ultraviolet (UV) lights

UV lights are used to eliminate microorganisms that can enter your water and threaten your health. Chemical disinfectants are rarely effective against these contaminants.

A UV system destroys these organisms through ultraviolet germicidal irradiation. Light at a very short wavelength destroys the nucleic acids inside microorganisms and disrupts their DNA. This destroys them and also prevents them from spreading.

Using UV lights to disinfect water has become increasingly popular since the middle of the last century because it does not risk putting chemicals into the water. UV lights are also easier to install and take up less room than other water treatment systems. UV treatment is approximately 20,000 times more energy-efficient than boiling water to remove contamination.

UV radiation does pose some risk to humans if their skin is exposed to its direct light, so installation of ultraviolet water treatment systems should be left to professionals who will make sure the lights are installed safely so they will only affect the water supply.

Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling has years of experience installing UV light systems and we carry and service the major brands. If you want the cleanest drinking water possible in your home, contact Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling today for installation of a UV light water treatment system in Hatfield, PA.

What Causes Bad Smells from Your Drains

January 20th, 2014

Having bad odors enter your home is unpleasant and potentially embarrassing. If you detect a sewer-like odor emanating from your drains, it’s something you will want eliminated as soon as possible. Sometimes the fix is simple. At other times, it will require calling for plumbers to resolve the trouble.

Here are some reasons for those bad drain odors. For any assistance you need with plumbing in Wayne, PA, contact Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling. We offer same-day service, satisfaction guaranteed.

Reasons for bad-smelling drains

Dry p-trap: This is the simplest problem, and easy to fix. If you only notice a sewage smell coming from one of your drains, the trouble might be a dry p-trap. The p-trap is the curved section of the drainpipe underneath the sink. It is responsible for capturing water to form a plug against sewer gases coming back up the pipe. If the bad-smelling sink is one that hasn’t been used in a while (for example, in an unused guest bedroom), this is probably the reason for the smell. The solution is to pour water down the sink to restore the plug against the sewer gas. Try to regularly run water down sinks that don’t see much use.
Sewer line issues: If the odors are coming up from sinks all around the house, the trouble might be a break or block in the sewer line that carries wastewater out to the municipal sewer system. The odors will probably be accompanied by clogs and gurgling sounds from the drains. This is a major repair issue that needs professionals to take care of right away, since it can lead to sewage flooding into your home’s basement or foundations.
Venting problems: Along with the p-trap, your plumbing probably has another method of preventing sewer gas from entering your house: venting pipes. These pipes remove back-flowing sewer gases and run them up to the roof of the house. They can become clogged from debris, animal nests, and snow, and this will force the sewer gases back down and up through your drains. Don’t try to clear the roof yourself; call for assistance.

A dry p-trap is an easy fix, but sewer line breaks and blocked vents are work for professionals. If you can’t stop the problems with your drains using simple methods, you will need to call for expert plumbing in Wayne, PA. Turn to Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling, “The Plumber that Other Plumbers Recommend.” We are fully licensed, bonded, and insured so you know you are getting quality service.

What Are My Options for a Water Treatment System?

January 13th, 2014

Whole-house water treatment systems are an excellent way to get fresh, clean water without the worries about the contaminants that can filter in from the municipal water supply. Instead of spending money on bottled water or ineffective local filters, you can treat all the water entering your home at one time. You will not just get water that’s healthier to drink, you’ll get water that’s better for your appliances and fixtures.

There are many different options available for your whole-home water treatment system. We’ll go over some that Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling offers. If you are thinking of installing a water treatment system in Doylestown, PA, contact us and we’ll help you find the right one.

Water treatment system options

Water softeners: If the problem that afflicts your water supply is hard water—water with high levels of minerals such as magnesium and calcium suspended in it—then you will want to have a water softener installed. Hard water isn’t usually harmful to drink, but it can create serious problems in plumbing because of mineral deposits, and it can damage appliances like dishwashers and laundry machines. A water softener balances the chemicals in your water to add salt to soften it and eliminate the trouble of hard water.
Reverse osmosis systems: These units remove many small particles out of water that standard filters won’t catch. They work by creating two separate sections of water with different pressure levels, which forces the water through a semi-permeable membrane that filters out small contaminants. Reverse osmosis is especially helpful for water with high salinization levels.
Acid neutralizers: Acidic water is bad news all around, but there are special acid neutralizers that can eliminate this threat to you and your pipes. They won’t add excess minerals to your water if they receive a proper professional installation.
UV water disinfecting systems: The use of ultraviolet radiation is a safe and powerful way to eliminate bacteria, viruses, mold, e. coli, and other biological contaminants that can enter into your water and have a negative effect on your health. These systems do not introduce other chemicals into your water such as chlorine.

Have water testing done today

The first step you should take when you are thinking about having a water treatment system installed is to schedule water testing. Contact Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling to perform this service, which will discover what issues in your water require treatment. Using this information, we can help you select the water treatment system that will provide you with the cleanest, safest water possible. Make us your first call for a water treatment system in Doylestown, PA.

Some Upgrades to Consider for Your Bathrooom Remodel

January 10th, 2014

If you’ve decided to remodel your bathroom, you have more options available to you than just the design choices. Your bathroom remodel can go beyond the surface looks and include upgrading your fixtures.

Here are some suggestions for ways to upgrade your bathroom during the remodel. At Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling, we are proud to offer bathroom remodeling that combines design with practical plumbing considerations. We can help you realize the ideal bathroom for you that is more than just an upgrade in appearance, but an upgrade in function, comfort, and even safety.

Upgrades for your bathroom remodel

Hand-held showerheads: If you’ve used a standard showerhead, fixed to the wall, for years, now is the time to switch over to the convenience and stronger cleaning power of a handheld unit.
Heated towel racks: These are very popular in Europe, and if you have one installed you’ll see why. They are useful for both humid and cold climates, providing warmth to dry your towels and warm you up as well. They also add a terrific visual finishing touch to any bathroom.
Exhaust fans: Older bathrooms were usually constructed without exhaust fans, so venting out the room required opening up windows. Installing an exhaust fan means you no longer have to open up to the cold outdoor air to properly ventilate the room.
Grab bars: If you have elderly people living in your home, or people with special needs, grab bars in the shower or around the toilet can be enormously helpful and provide an extra level of safety.
Low-flow faucets: One of the best ways to reduce your water usage is through new low-flow faucets and fixtures, which use 30% less water without any reduction in performance.

Schedule bathroom remodeling and plumbing from the same contractor

To get the most from your bathroom remodel in Wayne, PA, make sure you look for a remodeling company that also handles plumbing, instead of relying on two contractors who may not communicate well. Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling has both remodeling specialists and expert plumbers on staff, and we know how to coordinate our work to bring you the bathroom remodel you dreamed of.

All our work comes with a guaranteed parts and labor warranty for a full year. We use only the best products available—and we are committed to going “green” in all our plumbing services. Contact us today to begin your bathroom remodel and upgrade.

The Ball in Times Square

December 30th, 2013

New Year’s is a time for parties, fun and great traditions, some of which go back more than a century. Among them is the famous “dropping of the ball” in Times Square, an event which is broadcast to millions of people every New Year’s Eve. With 2014 nearly upon us, we thought we’d take the opportunity to look at the history of this popular New Year’s Eve festivity.

The idea began in 1907 at what was then the New York Times building at One Times Square. The newspaper’s owner, Adolph Ochs, had been celebrating the New Year with fireworks since 1903. He wanted make the event even more remarkable, and added the ball in December of 1907 to welcome in the New Year. The first ball was designed by Artkraft Strauss, who made it out of iron, wood, and light bulbs. It took six men to hoist the ball up the building’s flag pole; once midnight struck, the tremendous ball was carefully lowered, and all were allowed to marvel at it.

Since then, the ball has undergone many changes in materials and design, and even the New York Times has moved to another building. But the tradition remains and the ball has dropped over One Times Square ever since. Today, the ball is electronically controlled, and uses LED lamps for its construction: designed by Waterford Crystal and weighing in at over 1,200 pounds.

A number of television broadcasts have helped carry the event over the years, but by far the most famous is “New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” which first ran in 1972. The show was created and hosted by Dick Clark, who became a staple of the event as much as the ball itself. Clark hosted the show every New Year’s Eve from 1972 until his death in 2012. Since then, it has been hosted by Ryan Seacrest, who shared hosting duties with Clark starting in 2005.

Whether you’re watching the ball drop on TV or have some other New Year’s Eve plan in mind, we here at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling wish you nothing but the best for 2014. Have a safe and happy New Year!

Happy Holidays!

December 23rd, 2013

Holiday greetings from Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling! We hope you are having safe and pleasant season, enjoying your favorite traditions for this time of year. We wish you the very best, and we thank you for your business this year.

In honor of the season, here are some fun facts about one of everyone’s favorite holiday movies: It’s a Wonderful Life.

For years, one of the enduring December traditions in the United States was watching the movie It’s a Wonderful Life playing almost nonstop on numerous television stations. No matter the time of the day, you could turn on the TV set, flip through channels, and discover It’s a Wonderful Life playing. Whenever you needed him, you could find Jimmy Stewart shouting, “Hello, Bedford Falls!”

But now… It’s a Wonderful Life only appears on broadcast television a few times during December, and most families instead choose to watch the movie on video. What happened?

The reason goes back to the film’s initial wide release in January 1947. (That’s right, it opened after the holiday season. It was not even promoted as a holiday film.) It’s a Wonderful Life was a box-office disappointment at the time, and its studio, RKO Radio Pictures, lost more than half a million on it. The movie’s production company, Liberty Films, was sold to Paramount to avoid bank foreclosure. (A bit ironic, considering the movie’s plot.) In 1955, the National Telefilm Associates (NTA) took over the rights to It’s a Wonderful Life, which included the television syndication rights.

However, NTA failed to properly renew the copyright in 1974 because of a clerical error, which allowed the film’s images to enter into the public domain. Although the movie’s plot was still under copyright protection because it was adapted from a published story called “The Greatest Gift,” television stations across the world could now broadcast it with only minimal royalty payments.

In 1993, Republic Pictures, which now owned the NTA library, tried to enforce their claim to the copyright of the film, as they possessed the rights to “The Greatest Gift.” Republic Pictures succeeded, and licensed exclusive television rights to NBC. Suddenly, It’s a Wonderful Life vanished from local television stations, and NBC made the movie’s broadcasts—usually twice during December—into major events. As of 1998, Paramount again has the rights to It’s a Wonderful Life… 43 years after they lost them.

It’s still easy to make It’s a Wonderful Life a part of whatever traditions you observe during the holidays, whether through home video or television broadcasts. Despite its lackluster initial reception in 1947, Frank Capra’s film is now an inseparable part of December in the United States.

Have a great holiday week!

Why Schedule a Necessary Heating Repair as Soon as Possible?

December 16th, 2013

If your heating system—whether it’s a boiler, furnace, heat pump, or hybrid—starts to malfunction and show signs that it needs to have repairs done, you have to schedule those repairs ASAP. Delaying will only cause you more grief. In this post, we’ll explain why it’s so important that you get those repairs done the moment you can.

Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling has developed a large and loyal client base during our 30 years providing heating repair for Blue Bell, PA and throughout Bucks and Montgomery County. With our same-day service and satisfaction guarantee, we should be your first call when you need to schedule those necessary repairs.

Reasons to Schedule Heating Repair ASAP

Prevent energy inefficiency: Your heater may still continue providing you with heat when it needs repairs, but it will lose its energy efficiency because it will need to work harder to maintain its regular temperature. Whether it’s broken ducts, loose fan belts, or rust, that repair requirement will force your heater to drain more power—and you’ll end up paying for that on your heating bills.
Fend off larger repairs—or a full break down: Malfunctions in heating systems tend to spread to other components as they worsen. The longer you delay, the more likely you will need more repairs done. You also risk the worst case scenario: your heater shutting down entirely. Any flaw in the system could threaten to bring all the components to a halt, so get the work done before your heater gets pushed to the edge.
Avoid work crunches for technicians: The winter is a busy time for HVAC specialists. If you schedule your repairs early, you won’t have to worry about long delays waiting for service when the trouble has turned serious enough that you’ve lost your heating and are stuck in a chilly house.

Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling for Repairs

At Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, we guarantee satisfaction with our work. All our technicians are NATE- and EPA-certified, so you will know you’re getting quality service. We won’t leave you in the cold this winter: call us as soon as you need heating repair in Blue Bell, PA, and we’ll do our best to get right out to you and get your heater healthy once more.

A Brief Guide to Some Essential Plumbing Components

December 13th, 2013

The more water-using appliances we have in our houses, the more we need to rely on the experience of professional plumbers to handle maintenance and repairs. When you need assistance with your plumbing in Villanova, PA, don’t rely on amateurs or a few on-line “how-to-guides”: look to the expert plumbers at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

Here are some of the basic components of your plumbing, from the large (water main) to the small (p-trap). If you encounter trouble with any of these, such as leaks or clogging, you need to contact a plumber immediately.

Water Main

This is the line the runs from the municipal water supply into your home and delivers fresh water to you. It must be kept in good repair or you risk contamination of your water supply or the possible loss of all your running water.

Sewer Main

This is opposite component to the water main. The sewer line runs the waste water from your home out to the municipal sewer system. Damage to this line can result in sewage flooding into your home, as well as smaller but still troublesome issues such as sinks backing up and pest infestations.

Copper / PEX pipes

Pipes are, of course, essential for home plumbing. However, the material from which modern pipes are constructed is key to how well they perform their function. Pipes used to be constructed from galvanized steel, which is strong but inflexible and prone to corrosion with age. Today, PEX and copper are the most popular material for pipes. Copper is durable but less costly than steel, resists corrosion, and won’t crack and crumble from age. PEX (crosslinked polyethylene) is a synthetic material that is more flexible than rigid plastic or steel, won’t corrode, and is resistant to limescale and chlorine.

P-traps

You probably see the p-traps of your sinks more often than any other part of the piping of your home: they are the curved pipe right below the drains. P-traps are responsible for maintaining a barrier of water in the piping near the drains, and this water serves as a plug to prevent sewer odors from escaping through the septic system and into your home. P-traps can often become clogged with debris and food particles and require cleaning.

There are many more components that make up the plumbing in your home. It takes years of training to know and understand them all. This is why it’s important that when plumbing issues start in your home that you call up a trusted professional plumber for repairs. Make sure you contact knowledgeable plumbers when you need help. Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling offers same day service and a satisfaction guarantee: make us your first call for Villanova, PA plumbing service.

Why Is My Hot Water Discolored?

December 9th, 2013

Turning on a sink faucet and discovering the water is colored a rusty brown is something you might expect if you have returned from a long vacation and no one has turned on the water in a few weeks. In less than a minute, this discoloration will go away. But what if this happens to your hot water during a regular day? Does it mean that the hot water heater has developed a malfunction and needs repairs or replacement?

A malfunctioning water heater is one possibility. We’ll go over some other reasons, and whether they mean you’ll need repairs for your heater or plumbing. Whatever the cause for the trouble, you can call on Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling to fix it. When it comes to water heater repair in New Hope, PA, we are “the plumber that other plumbers recommend.”

Reasons for hot water discoloration

Corrosion in galvanized iron plumbing: The problem might indeed be rust, the same as when you turn on faucets after a long absence. If you have older plumbing, this is often the cause. (Plastic and copper tubing do not encounter this issue.) You may consider repiping.
Disturbances in the municipal water system: The trouble may come from the city’s water supply and have nothing to do with your home at all. Try running cold water from another tap in the house. If it comes out discolored as well, then it is likely a municipal issue—and you’ll know your water heater is not at fault.
Sediment in the water heater: Now we come to issues inside the water heater. Sediment can build up in the heater’s tank (usually because of breaks in the underground pipes) and enter the water, causing discoloration. You will need to have a professional flush the tank to remove the sediment, and you should enroll in regular maintenance to prevent it from re-occurring.
An aging water heater: If your heater is approaching the end of its manufacturer’s expected lifespan, discoloration is usually a final sign before it breaks down completely. Corrosion and dirt infiltration are starting to override the water heater. You should have it replaced as soon as possible.

Call in the experts

If you can’t solve the problem with discolored water on your own, look to Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling for quality hot water repair in New Hope, PA. We provide a 2-year labor warranty along with a 6-year tank and part warranty through the manufacturer. Schedule an appointment with us today for an honest assessment of your water heater’s situation and an expert opinion on what you can do. We offer free estimates.