Tulsa Water Heater Repair & Replacement Services

TULSA WATER HEATER REPAIR SERVICES

If your water heater doesn’t seem to be delivering as much hot water in the winter, it may not have anything to do with cold temperatures. Fresh water does cool off in the winter, but if your water heating appliance is fully functional, the incoming temperature shouldn’t matter .Most problems with heating water occur when the heater:

Needs flushing.

The most common cause of high water heating bills and premature tank failure are the hard water deposits that collect at the bottom of the tank. A few won’t interfere with water heating, but if there are too many, the heating process will slow, especially in gas water heaters. A gas water heater heats from the bottom only, and when that surface is covered with hard water deposits, there won’t be as much hot water.Most electric units have two heating elements. One sits close to the bottom of the tank and the other near the top. If the bottom is covered with solids, the water won’t heat as well. One of the heating elements may also not be working and needs replacing.

Has a broken dip tube.

The dip tube is made from plastic that can become brittle and break over time. This tube connects to the cold water inlet and sends the water to the bottom of the tank where it heats up. If it’s broken, the cold water stays at the top of the tank and the water you get won’t feel as hot.

Needs insulation to combat cold temperatures.

If the tank feels hot to the touch, consider wrapping an insulation blanket around it to keep the heat inside longer.

Is too small.

If your family size has changed, someone’s taking longer showers, or you’re washing more clothes in hot water might force you to install a bigger water heater.Some of these water heater maintenance tasks might be better done by a pro. If you’d like assistance, contact Air Assurance, providing HVAC and plumbing services for Broken Arrow.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.

Summer Sump Pump Maintenance

When you have a sump pump installed in your home's basement or crawlspace, you might mistakenly think that you're automatically protected against water intrusions. In reality, periodic sump pump maintenance is crucial if you want to keep your home safe from:

• Costly water damage. Whether you experience minor groundwater seepage or significant flooding from a summer storm, your sump pump needs to be in good working order to handle it. If your home's basement is finished, this protects the drywall, flooring, the furnishings and stored items from damage.

• Mold-related problems. Having a well-functioning sump pump that keeps the crawlspace or basement dry can also minimize mold growth and musty odors and preserve your home's indoor air quality.

• Fire hazards. When your sump pump is well-maintained and on guard against water intrusions into your basement or crawlspace, you may not realize that it also reduces the danger of electrical fires. If a flood occurs and electrical wiring situated in the space gets saturated, there a risk that it can short circuit and cause a fire.

Essential Sump Pump Maintenance

It's vital to have a functional sump pump during a power outage, so invest in a battery backup if you don't already have one. To ensure that your pump is always in working condition, maintain it semi-annually by following these steps:

• Clear any debris from the sump pit so it can't clog the pump.

• Check the condition of the power cord and for safety, make sure it's plugged into a ground fault circuit interruptor (GFCI) receptacle.

• To test the pump's functionality, fill up the pit with water and check that it starts up and empties the pit efficiently.

• Unplug the power cord and repeat the above-mentioned test to check that the backup battery is working properly.

• When the pump is running, verify that it stays upright and level, and that the drain hose stays attached.

• If your pump is unresponsive or quits working, have it repaired or replace it immediately.

To learn more about sump pump maintenance and how it can help protect your Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about sump pumps and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Westfrisco/Pixabay”

Should Copper Pipes Sway Your Home Buying Decision?

When evaluating a home purchase, finding out whether the household plumbing incorporates copper pipes can be very relevant information. Many older houses still on the market today were built with galvanized steel plumbing. As decades passed, steel pipes proved to be vulnerable to internal corrosion and rusting. Steel has a high incidence of pipe ruptures that can cause very expensive water damage to the structure of the house and its contents.

As a result, real estate and home inspection experts typically advise prospective buyers to figure the cost of re-piping into the total price of any house that incorporates galvanized steel plumbing. Overwhelmingly, the recommended replacement is copper pipes.

The presence of copper piping in a house you’re considering means you’ll be spared the expense of having new pipes installed later, as well as the disruption to your normal household routine. Here are some of the other benefits of copper:

• Unlike galvanized steel, copper has a proven long-term track record of durability after many decades of installation in residences.It is the only pipe material with a 50-year guarantee. Newer synthetic pipe alternatives haven’t been in wide usage long enough to establish an estimated service life expectancy.

• Today, over 80 percent of new homes are constructed with copper piping, making it the industry standard for residential plumbing.

• Capable of withstanding 1,000 pounds of pressure per square inch, copper is resistant to internal deterioration including rusting and corrosion that trigger leaks and pipe ruptures.

• Installation of copper plumbing is expedited by the fact that the pipes are rigid yet also very light. Long spans of copper pipes require fewer support brackets and attachment points and are easily assembled with safe, lead-free solder. This lowers labor and installation costs.

• Copper doesn’t contain toxins that could slowly leach into drinking water and cause health concerns.

• Copper piping is a definite plus for your home’s market value if/when you decide to sell the house.

• Copper plumbing can be recycled when the house is torn down in the future.

For more information about the benefits of copper pipes, in Broken Arrow contact Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about copper pipes and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Jhonatan_Perez/Pixabay”

Garbage Disposal Do's and Don't's

Garbage disposals offer a convenient way to dispose of some kitchen waste. If you treat your disposal poorly, you could be in for some plumbing headaches, however. Follow these tips to keep your disposal running smoothly and your kitchen drains healthy:

Approved Items for a Garbage Disposal

• Ice cubes – When ground in the disposal, these scour away sticky substances from the disposal walls.

• Meat and vegetable scraps – Just keep in mind, you should allow only a little into the disposal at a time. Too much all at once can cause clogs

• Fruits – Small pieces of fruit and small pits or peels are usually fine. Exceptions include banana peels and large fruit pits which can jam the disposal or clog pipes. A little leftover lemon rind or orange peel, however, won’t hurt the disposal and can remove odors

Items to Keep Out of the Disposal

• Non-biodegradable products – This includes plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and similar items. These might be chopped up but they will never disintegrate and can cause pipe clogs later.

• Stringy, fibrous vegetable and fruit matter – These can wrap around moving mechanical parts and hurt the motor. In addition, these products don’t break down quickly and can contribute to drains clogging. This list includes celery stalks, vegetable husks and potato peels.

• Thick rinds – Watermelon and cantaloupe rinds, for example, have no place in your garbage disposal.

• Large bones, such as steak bones, pork chop bones and ham bones.

• Grease – Animal fats become liquid at high heat but quickly congeal when cooled. This spells bad news for your garbage disposal and your plumbing if you pour grease down the drain. It probably won’t cause a clog right away, but you can be assured it can lead to problems later.

• Caustic products – This includes chemical drain cleaners. These can harm the disposal and plumbing pipes.

• Uncooked rice, potato flakes or pasta – These expand on contact with water and clog drains.

For more tips about caring for your garbage disposal and your home’s plumbing, please contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about garbage disposals and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Name”

Benefits of Summer Drain Cleaning

Your home's plumbing system likely gets a lot more use in the summertime, so clean drains are crucial to ensure that everything stays working properly. Having the drains professionally cleaned can give you the assurance that there's no cause for concern about plumbing clogs, blockages and backups. Drain cleaning also offers these additional benefits:

Keeping Your Home Smelling Fresh

Built up grease, deteriorating food particles, hair and soap scum in the drains can send unpleasant odors throughout the house. In the heat of summer, you can expect everything trapped in the drains to smell even worse.

Preventing Costly Water Damage

If your drains get completely blocked, they can back up and overflow and cause considerable damage to your floors. If the backup occurs in a second-story bathroom, it can also saturate the ceilings and/or walls in the rooms down below. When the drains are cleaned out, you won't have a mess to clean up, or face the cost of repairing water damage.

Avoiding Potential Health Problems

Accumulated debris in the drain lines also creates an environment where bacteria can thrive. When you have the drains cleaned out, there's less risk of a blockage that results in a backup that can contaminate your living areas with germ-laden water and waste that poses a heath hazard.

Helping the Plumbing System Last Longer

When water gets trapped in a blocked drain, it puts pressure on the pipes, which can start to leak. Using chemical products to dissolve clogs can erode the drains lines and cause them to burst. You can avoid the stress and expense of these types of plumbing system problems hiring a professional who has the tools and skills to tackle drain cleaning without causing further harm.

Eliminating Unnecessary Headaches and Stress

Dealing with sluggish drains, overflowing toilets and kitchen sink clogs can make your summer more stressful and less enjoyable. Once the drains are cleaned professionally, you can relax and enjoy the nice weather without worrying when a plumbing disaster might occur.

To learn more benefits of summer drain cleaning for your Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about drain cleaning and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “PublicDomainPictures/Pixabay”

Drain Safety: Make Sure These Things Never Go Down a Drain

The drains in your home are an essential part of providing quality home comfort for you and your loved ones. If you want your plumbing problems to remain at a minimum, then drain safety is an absolute must. A big part of that is ensuring that none of these things ever go down one of them:

Paper Towels and Similar Products

Many people seem to think that paper towels are no different from tissue paper and other flushable products. This is absolutely not true. If you want to clog up your toilet, flushing paper towels, cotton balls, baby wipes, and similar items is definitely the way to do it.

Feminine Products

This is similar to the list above, but it is so common for these things to be flushed, it deserves its own point. Please do not flush feminine products down the toilet. These should be placed in the trash every single time.

Kitty Litter

Despite popular belief, kitty litter does not belong in the drain. What happens is that a bit of this sand-like product often stays behind and settles in the drain. It won't take long before it's fully clogged, which means you'll be making a call to your local plumber before you know it.

Drain Cleaners

It's almost second nature these days to reach for a drain cleaner at the store for a quick DIY job. The problem is that these cleaners are corrosive and cause damage to your pipes. A HVAC professional can clear your pipes without hurting them.

Grease and Oil

Sorry, bacon lovers! Pouring grease down the drain is a great way to plug it up. Instead, collect the grease in a container, and once it's full, throw it away in the garbage.

Pasta

You know how pasta expands in size when you cook it in water? The same thing happens when you shove it down your drain, which can cause a clog quite quickly.

For more expert advice on drain safety or other home comfort issues, please contact the experts at Air Assurance. We've been serving the needs of Broken Arrow since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about drain safety and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Brett_Hondow/Pixabay”

Shopping for a New Toilet? Use Our Tips

Head down to your local home improvement store and you'll find loads of different toilets to choose from. The question is: Which is best for you and your family? It can be a tough choice, so allow us to give you a few quick tips to help you decide:

Save Water with Dual-Flush

We all know that not every use of a toilet is the same. That's why dual-flush models are perfect for those who want to save water by providing separate handles — a full flush for solids and a half-flush for liquids.

Save Money with Low-Flow

Although some homeowners have avoided low-flow in the past because of the need for multiple flushes from time to time, newer models aren't plagued by this problem. Pick up a low-flow model and your water usage bills will drop.

Consider a Taller Model

Toilets may not be constructed to the most comfortable seats in the world, but taller models provide an extra amount of comfort to their users. This is especially true for tall men and women, in addition to the elderly, who may have trouble getting up and down from a traditional model.

Check the Reviews

Selecting the right toilet for your home shouldn't be taken lightly. To ensure that you make the best purchase possible, it's important to check out reviews. This isn't a choice you'll make through a site like Yelp. Instead, head over to Consumer Reports for the low-down on the low-flow (and others, of course).

Defy Gravity

Were you aware that certain toilets can be attached to your wall instead of sitting on the floor? These models are extremely sturdy and are amazingly simple to clean, because they lack all the nooks and crannies found in many traditional models. Just be aware that, as you might expect, a wall-hung toilet will be more expensive.

If you're looking for a new toilet, these tips will serve as a great starting point. For even more information, feel free to reach out to the professionals at Air Assurance. We currently service the HVAC needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding area.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about toilets and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Name/Shutterstock”

The Keys to Preventing Winter Pipe Bursts

As winter arrives, the temperatures are dropping more and more. Is your plumbing prepared? When the weather gets below freezing, the water flowing through your home turns to ice, expands, and ultimately a pipe bursts. How can you prevent this? There are a few steps you can take.

Insulate your pipes

You can buy long strips of foam pipe insulation at the hardware store. Cut them into lengths to fit each of your exposed indoor pipes and put them on. This won't prevent the water in them from freezing, but it will slow the flow of heat, keeping them warmer longer.

Heat your pipes

If your pipes are in a dry, enclosed space, then wrap them up in heater tape. You can plug it in, and it will generate enough heat to keep your pipes warm, so the water doesn't freeze. Failing that, you can also use a heat lamp to warm the pipes and keep them from icing over.

Open any cabinet doors

For pipes that are in a cabinet under the sink, open the doors up and let the heat in. You'll likely be running your furnace, so it will be warmer inside than outside.

Run the water

If your house has lost power, then plug-in heat tape and warming your pipes using the furnace will be ineffective. However, you can still keep your pipes from freezing. Turn on a slow drip of water from the hot side of each faucet, then a faster one from the cold side. By keeping the water flowing, it will prevent freezing. Even a very small drip should do the trick. It will drive your water bill up a bit, sure, but it's still cheaper than fixing the plumbing when a pipe bursts.

For outdoor pipes, drain the water

Shut off the valves to all your outdoor spigots to keep water from flowing through them. Then, drain all the water from the spigots.

To learn more about what to do when a pipe bursts, contact us at Air Assurance today. We've served Broken Arrow's plumbing and HVAC needs for over 30 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about preventing pipe bursts and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “MikeBird/Pixabay”

Learn How to Check for a P-Trap Clog

A clog in your drains can certainly ruin your day. The good news is, some clogs are more manageable by the homeowner than others, and depending on where they occur, you may be able to handle the unclogging yourself. For instance, when a clog occurs in that bent portion of pipe beneath your kitchen or bathroom sink — known as the p-trap — you may be able to unclog it yourself.

What P-Traps Do

P-traps aren't designed with a curve just to fit in your cabinet space. The curve actually has a purpose: it holds water continuously so that it blocks sewer gases emerging from nearby sewer lines from drifting into your drain and up through your sink.But the curved design also helps to trap substances in the drain other than water, such as hair, hairpins, and sludge from soap and other substances.

Clearing a Clog

As with any clog, you should start with the simplest solutions first. Try clearing the clog by pouring a half cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of vinegar. Leave it to bubble for five minutes, then turn on the hot water and let it run for a minute or so.If the clog persists, you can use a coat hanger or drain snake in the drain to see if it clears. A clog lodged in the p-trap may be hard to dislodge, so you may need to move to the next step.

Clearing the P-Trap

Assemble a few things to remove the trap, including adjustable pliers, latex gloves, an old towel and wash cloth and a bucket. Place the bucket under the trap to catch water and sludge when you remove the trap.Using the pliers, loosen the nuts that hold the trap in place. Remove the trap, emptying the water and cleaning out any clog material. Put a wet wash cloth in the open pipe coming out of the wall to prevent sewer gases from escaping. Reattach the pipe.For more on clearing a p-trap clog, contact Air Assurance of Broken Arrow. We've served our loyal customers since 1985.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about P-traps and other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273. Credit/Copyright Attribution: “d3images/Pixabay”