Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Rancho Santa Margarita’

Furnace Short-Cycling: Why It Happens, What to Do About It

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

If your furnace is turning on and off rapidly, more often than it should, it is short-cycling. This is a problem since it will put extra strain on the furnace, raise heating bills, and create repair issues. If you need help with a short-cycling furnace, call on Saddleback Plumbing. We have many years of experience in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA with furnace repair, installation, and other services. With more than three decades of helping Orange County stay warm, we are the contractor you should trust for furnace repairs.

Reasons that short-cycling may occur

The bad news first: if you have a new furnace that is short cycling, the problem may be that the furnace is the wrong size for your home. Putting in a furnace that is too large for the area it is supposed to heat is a common error that amateurs make, and one of the reasons you should only entrust furnace installation to experience professionals. If this is the case with your furnace, you usually must start over and have experienced technicians put in a new furnace.

Now for reasons a furnace might short-cycle that require less drastic repairs:

  • The air filter is clogged: This is a common problem, but thankfully it’s easy to fix. Check on the furnace’s filter; if it is congested with debris, change it (and keep doing it every month when the furnace runs on a regular basis) so the furnace receives proper airflow once more. If the furnace continues to short-cycle, call for professional repairs.
  • Thermostat trouble: A malfunctioning thermostat that reads the incorrect temperatures will cause a furnace to shut off before it should. Check to see that the thermostat isn’t exposed to drafts or extra heat. In some cases, the thermostat may need to be moved to a new location.
  • The furnace is overheating: Contemporary furnaces have safety devices to prevent them from overheating. These precautions will shut off the furnace if one of the heat exchangers grows too hot. This will cause short-cycling, and is a repair you need have taken care of immediately.

Please, do not attempt to investigate any furnace short-cycling on your own. Furnaces are complex appliances, and only trained professionals should repair them. This is especially true for a natural gas furnace, the most common type found in homes today. Let Saddleback Plumbing handle the job of finding out what problems are causing your furnace to short-cycle and fix them. We are the Rancho Santa Margarita, CA furnace service professionals who will see that the job gets done right.

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How Does a Sump Pump Work?

Thursday, March 6th, 2014

Sump pumps tend to be more of a staple on the East Coast, where heavy rains and flooding are more of a problem here in Southern California. Nevertheless, our recent rainstorm has demonstrated that we’re not immune to such concerns and here in Rancho Santa Margarita, sump pump technology can be a lifesaver. So how does a sump pump work? And more importantly, why should you consider one for my home?

The sump pump is typically placed at the lowest point in the home: a basement or similar location. A hole is dug and the sump pump is placed inside of it. When the rains arrive and flooding begins, the water naturally moves into the sump pit first. A float activator or a pressure sensor in the pump detects the presence of the water and activates the pump. The motor turns on and activates the impeller, which is like a fan. The impeller pushes the water to the sides of the pipe, which creates a vacuum at the center of the pipe. The vacuum pulls he water up and out of the house through a venting pipe.

You can choose between several different types of pumps, most of which run on electricity. (They usually run on a standard plug, so you don’t need any additional equipment to power them.) The cheapest models are pedestal sump pumps, which sit on a pole above the pit and use a pipe to pull the water in. They’re less expensive than other sorts of pumps, but they’re noisier and more obtrusive. Submersible pumps sit inside the water, which serves as a natural muffler. They use waterproof casing to keep their components dry and tend to operate more efficiently.

If you know how a sump pump works, then the next step is to contact an expert to discuss which model might be best for you. At Saddleback Plumbing, sump pump technology and other plumbing services in Rancho Santa Margarita are just some of our many specialties. We can discuss the specifics with you before installing the right model for your home. Give us a call to set up an appointment today. You’ll be glad you did!

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This is Why Water Treatment Systems Should Be in Every Home

Monday, December 23rd, 2013

Water treatment systems are essentially filters for your entire home: screening out minerals, chlorine and other impurities from the water in your plumbing system. Here in Rancho Santa Margarita, water treatment systems used by the city are fairly effective, but they’re not perfect. The sea air and water from the Pacific can leave trace amounts of salt in our drinking water, leading to a brackish taste. Furthermore, while small amounts of chemicals won’t usually affect your health, they can still impact the quality of your life in subtle yet definable ways. A good water treatment system can prevent all of that.

Here’s a short list of reasons why water treatment systems should be in every home.

  • Cleaner drinking water. If you need a good direct example of the benefits of water filtrated, fill an ice cube tray with tap water, then fill a second one with filtered water. After they freeze, fill a pair of glasses with them. You can see how cloudy and gray the tap water cubes are, compared to the clean transparency of the filtered cubes.  That translates to improved taste not only for your drinking water, but for any cooking you do that involves water as well.
  • Cleaner bathing water. You might notice a hard, crusty deposit on your bathroom faucet or shower head. Now imagine yourself bathing or showering with the same water that created that build up. Those are hard water deposits, and they can leave your skin feeling rough and irritated over time.  Filtered water leaves you feeling cleaner, and your skin feeling softer after you’ve bathe.
  • Cleaner laundry. Similarly, clothes washed in filtered water tend to feel softer, last longer and retain their bright colors better than clothes washed with unfiltered water.

Those are serious considerations, especially in coastal areas like ours. No matter how good the civic system, the ocean still brings impurities to our drinking water that are impossible to escape (the ocean isn’t going anywhere, after all). This is why water treatment systems should be in every home. Here in Rancho Santa Margarita, water treatment systems can be installed by the experts at Saddleback Plumbing. Call us today to set up an appointment for water treatment or any other plumbing service in Rancho Santa Margarita!

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Common Reasons to Schedule a Drain Cleaning Service

Tuesday, September 10th, 2013

Without good drains in your home, you probably wouldn’t be able to carry out a number of daily tasks including showering, cleaning, dishes and many other common chores. Because of how important your drains are, there are many good reasons to schedule regular Rancho Santa Margarita drain cleaning services. Read on below to see some of them and then give us a call here at Saddleback Plumbing.

Whey Get Rancho Santa Margarita Drain Cleaning

Here are a few of the reasons to getting your drains cleaned.

  • Fewer clogs – Usually, clogs in your plumbing system don’t happen overnight. Instead, they happen slowly over time. One of the best ways to make sure that those slowly-developing blockages don’t turn into actual clogs is to schedule regular Rancho Santa Margarita drain cleaning services. This will allow your plumber to visit your home, clean out your drains and remove any problems before they actually form.
  • Better performance – Even if your drains aren’t completely clogged, they could be starting to slow down. If you notice that your shower starts to fill up a little when you’re in it or if your drains aren’t quite as snappy as they used to be, you may have some clogs developing. By getting your drains cleaned you could be able to keep your drains working fast.
  • Healthier pipes – Your plumbing system is more than just a random system of pipes and drains. It is actually a very precise system that has a delicate balance of pressure. As water flows through the pipes it will push air ahead of it and create a vacuum of pressure behind it. There needs to be vent pipes to allow for this air movement. Clogs can cause this system to get out of balance which will reduce the effectiveness of your drains. Cleaning your drains regularly will ensure that this pressure balance stays intact.

For all your Rancho Santa Margarita drain cleaning services, make sure that you call the experts at Saddleback Plumbing.

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Ways of Improving Your Rancho Santa Margarita Kitchen Plumbing

Monday, August 12th, 2013

Your kitchen is one of the most used and important rooms in your home. Whether you’re cooking or cleaning your kitchen’s plumbing system gets a ton of use as well. Homeowners are always looking for ways to improve their comfort and we often get asked about what ways people can improve the functioning of their kitchen’s plumbing. We thought it would be good to put together a few things that you can do to improve the operation of your kitchen plumbing.

Give us a call here at Saddleback Plumbing, Inc. if you need Rancho Santa Margarita kitchen plumbing or if you have any questions for our expert plumbers.

Rancho Santa Margarita Kitchen Plumbing Upgrades

Here are some of the things that homeowners can do to keep their kitchen plumbing system working well.

  • Get regular cleaning – Probably one of the best ways that you can keep your plumbing system working well is to get it regularly inspected and maintained. Usually, kitchen plumbing issues like clogs and leaks develop slowly over time. Getting regular maintenance visits will allow your plumber to find those problems and fix them before they actually turn into full-blown repairs.
  • Get professional installation – Another important thing for homeowners to do is to make sure that their plumbing system gets installed by a professional plumber. Poor installation is one of the most common causes of plumbing issues that we see. If you’re remodeling your kitchen or building a new kitchen make sure that you get the plumbing system installed by a trained plumber.
  • Protect your plumbing – Many people assume that because their kitchen’s drain has a garbage disposal that they can put whatever they want down it. However, this is usually not the case. Things like melted fat, fruit pits, animals bones, starchy foods and stringy foods (celery) shouldn’t be put down your garbage disposal as they can cause issues in your drain.

Whenever you need any kind of Rancho Santa Margarita kitchen plumbing installation, repair or maintenance the experts at Saddleback Plumbing, Inc. are here to help.

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Pollen’s Effects on Indoor Air Quality

Friday, August 26th, 2011

Unsure what’s got you feeling down? It might be indoor air that’s been compromised by high pollen levels in your Villa Park home. But, how do you know when pollen is the culprit as opposed to something like pet dander or simple dust? Luckily, there is a clear difference in the symptoms you might suffer from as a result of being exposed to pollen as opposed to another allergen.

Symptoms of Pollen in Your Home

Pollen is most often associated with seasonal allergies, though even perfectly healthy people without allergies are susceptible to pollen reactions if there is enough of it in the air. The most common symptoms of a pollen allergy include:

  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Eye and Nose Irritation
  • Cough
  • Asthma (made worse)
  • Allergic Reactions

Other symptoms, like throat irritation or skin rash tend to be caused by other pollutants like tobacco smoke or bacteria build up. So, if this sounds like what you’re facing, what is the next step? There are a few things you can do to tackle pollen in your indoor air.

Getting Rid of High Pollen Levels

Step one when the pollen levels in your home are too high is to find the source of the pollen. If it’s an indoor plant, air cleaning upgrades may not get the job done. But, if it’s an outdoor source or a single room in your house, solutions abound.

The first step is to install filtration in your house. Pollen is relatively big so a simple MERV 10+ filter will usually remove it from the air. However, if you have other pollutants that need to be removed, consider getting a HEPA filter. Designed to capture particles as small as 0.3 microns, HEPA filters are a fantastic solution to the pollen problem.

Once you have a good air filter in place, supplement with proper ventilation to remove pollen filled air from your house. Ventilation with energy saving technology allows you to retain any heat or cooled air in your home. A contractor can help you select the best system to tackle your pollen problem.

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How to Choose the Water Softener That Is Right for You

Monday, July 18th, 2011

If hard water is a problem in your home, the solution may be simpler than you think. There are many water softeners out there, and some of them can be quite effective at treating the water coming into your home in order to remove the minerals that make the water hard. However, there are plenty of distinct differences between the various products on the market as well, so you should take a closer look at your options before you commit to one system over another.

The first thing you need to know when you start looking at water softeners is how hard your water actually is. If your water is very hard, you will need a heavy duty water softener. But if there are only moderate amounts of calcium and magnesium in your water, you may be able to opt for a less powerful model.

You should also be aware of how much water you go through on a daily basis. You want to get a water softener big enough to handle the demands of your household, and you will not be able to do that if you do not know how much water you typically use.

Another difference between the various water softener models on the market today is the type of regeneration cycle they employ. You can opt for a timer regenerated water softener that will complete the regeneration cycle as often as you set it to. These models tend to be cheaper initially, but they can also cost more to operate and maintain in the long run because they will regenerate when the time comes whether it is actually necessary or not.

There are also meter regenerated water softeners that only go through a regeneration cycle once a certain volume of water has passed through them. These water softeners are specifically calibrated to the amount of calcium and magnesium you have in your water so they only go through a regeneration cycle when it is absolutely necessary.

One concern that many people have about using water softeners is that the most common types use sodium as a regeneration agent. That means that they exchange sodium for the calcium and magnesium in the water. If you need to limit your sodium intake, you may not want to be adding even this small amount to your water. In that case, you can purchase a water softener that uses potassium rather than sodium which can be just as effective at removing other minerals.

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Allergies – Different Products that Can Help with Different Problems

Friday, April 8th, 2011

One of the biggest problems related to indoor air quality is allergies. When not treated properly, excess dust, humidity, bacteria, mold, and other contaminants can cause a number of allergy problems, especially if anyone in your home has asthma and is particular sensitive to a contaminant.

Luckily, there are quite a few products on the market designed to reduce the effect of indoor allergens and help you feel comfortable all year long.

Filters

HEPA air filters are designed to capture incredibly small bits of debris in your home. They remove things like dust, mold, debris, pollen, and pet dander before they can trigger an allergic reaction. The best filters are all HEPA certified and are available either for a single room or for your entire home. The size of your home and the amount of contaminants you have will ultimately determine which filter is best for you.

Purifiers

For those with allergens beyond dust and pollen, purifiers are a good next step. Air purification is done electronically, utilizing ionization technology to remove things like gas and smoke as well as bacteria and viruses that get into your indoor air. Anyone suffering from even a mild bout of seasonal allergies can be made very uncomfortable by these types of contaminants. Advanced purification systems also come with UV germicidal lights to kill bacteria and viruses.

Ventilation

While capturing the bad stuff in your air is important, so too is getting new air into your home. Allergies are triggered as much by stale air as by the allergens in it. So, a good ventilation system is important. Simple fan units work very well for many families, but if you want to avoid the loss of heated and cooled air during the most extreme weather in your area, an energy recovery ventilator is a good alternative to straight fan ventilation.

Humidity

Finally, humidity is a big issue for many families. Dryness in the winter can make colds and flus worse and excessive humidity in the summer is a haven for things like mold. A good humidifier removes humidity when it gets too high and adds moisture to the air during the winter when it gets too dry.

Always do your research before choosing an air quality system for your home. It’s important to choose components that will help you overcome whatever allergies you face, throughout the year.

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Indoor Air Quality Options

Monday, April 4th, 2011

Maintaining high indoor air quality is always worth investing time and money in. After all, if the air inside your home isn’t healthy, it can cause all kinds of health problems for you and your family. The state of the art home heating and cooling systems we have today make it possible to enjoy a perfectly temperature controlled indoor environment all year long, but they also trap indoor air pollutants and contaminants inside without proper ventilation.

Choosing a System that Works

Luckily there are a number of great products out there designed to remove these pollutants before they cause you and your family discomfort or illness. Before you run out to buy a new system, however, you should first consider what each has to offer and what pollutants you need to remove. You might have some idea about this already, but the best thing to do is talk to a professional who can help assess your indoor air and determine which types of contaminants are most prevalent in your home.

Different types of indoor air cleaners are better at targeting different types of contaminants. For instance, HEPA filters can remove up to 99.97% of particulate contaminants that measure 0.3 microns or larger. This includes things like pollen, pet dander, dust mites and mold spores, so if these are the things you want to target, an indoor air system that uses HEPA filters is probably right for you.

However, if you’re more concerned with getting rid of smoke odors and cooking fumes, you probably want a system that targets even smaller particles. Air ionizers are more appropriate for these types of indoor air quality issues, as they can effectively remove much smaller particles than most HEPA filters. On the flip side, ionizers aren’t as efficient at removing the larger contaminant particles, so if you want to target both small and large contaminants, you need a system that combines both of these technologies.

Bacteria and viruses are also a problem when they find their way into your indoor air and they can be particularly tricky to get rid of. HEPA filters and air ionizers both have trouble completely eradicating these pathogens, but UV germicidal lights can be incorporated into your indoor air cleaning system to tackle biological contaminants effectively.

No matter what type of home air quality problem you have, there is a system on the market that will target and remove the pollutant. The key is to know which pollutants effect you the most and which products will do the best job of removing them from your home.

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Plumbing Noises: Different Kinds, Where They Come From and Why They Occur

Monday, March 28th, 2011

Under ideal conditions, you would hear nothing from your plumbing system except the sound of running water when you turn on the tap. Unfortunately, that is not always what actually happens. In fact, your plumbing can make all types of funny and sometimes alarming noises for no reason that you can easily discern.

For instance, one common plumbing noise sounds like a hard knock or hammer blow. This usually occurs when you turn off a tap and can be rather alarming. Sometimes you can even feel the reverberation of the impact that caused the sound. But why is this happening? Usually, this “water hammer” noise is the result of the dramatic shift in pressure in the system when you suddenly stop the flow of water from a faucet.

This sudden stop creates a kind of shock wave, which then travels back through the pipes and causes the loud knocking sound that you hear. This is easily fixed with a device that is known as a water hammer arrester. These devices help to dissipate the force of the pressure shift and can keep the noise from occurring at all.

There are also all kinds of whistling, squealing and squeaking noises that your plumbing can make under certain circumstances. These types of sounds are often caused by a worn out washer somewhere along the line that is having trouble regulating the flow of water. It can be a little difficult to pin down the source of these noises sometimes, especially if they occur no matter which faucet is turned on. But with a little hunting and trial and error you can usually track down the source.

Rattling sounds are also common and generally occur when your water pipes are not well secured to a rigid surface. If this is the case, the force of the water running through the pipes can cause the pipe to vibrate, creating the sound you hear as it bangs against whatever solid surface is nearby. For problems like this, simply securing the pipes in place better can put an end to all of your rattling issues.

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