Design Comfort Blog: Archive for February, 2015

How Hard Water Leads to Boiler Repair

Friday, February 27th, 2015

You may be familiar with the term “hard water.” Sometimes, beauty companies advertise their products as being effective at reversing the effects of hard water on the hair, skin, and nails. In some major cities, residents swear that the crust of their pizza tastes better due to the hardness or softness of the water. Hard water is actually a condition that affects the plumbing system of the majority of homes. But the degree to which hard water is present varies from place to place.

What is Hard Water?

Having hard water means that the water in your house contains minerals like calcium and magnesium. These rarely come along with any health effects, but it can do major damage to different parts of your plumbing. Scale is left behind, and ends up blocking the pipes, damaging dishwashers and washing machines, and costing hundreds or thousands in replacement costs in many cases.

One of the areas where hard water could do the most damage is in your boiler. It’s no secret that boilers are not really easy to replace nor are they cheap. Boiler repair is possible in some instances of scale buildup, but at a certain point, a boiler affected by mineral deposits is simply too far gone.

Early Signs of Hard Water

The first sign of hard water in your boiler is if you hear a clanking or rattling sound. The minerals knock around in the tank, but this noise isn’t the worst of your problems. Pressure in the tank becomes slowly increased as minerals continue to gather and take up volume. Long ago, this could create dangerous conditions. Thankfully, there are safety components in the tank that should shut down the boiler completely if the pressure becomes too high. However, this means you’ll be without any heat at all.

Water Treatment Installation

Most boilers are installed in such a way that hard water is prevented from entering the tank. Boiler feedwater may be treated and demineralized with chemicals, or there may be a purge valve in place to get rid of scale. Ask your technician if your boiler is at risk of scale buildup. You may choose to install a whole-home water softener as well so that hard water does not affect the other components of your plumbing system.

Call Design Comfort as soon as you notice noises in your boiler. We offer boiler repair in North Salt Lake as well as water treatment system installation if you’d like to take preventive action against scale.

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What are Pinhole Leaks?

Friday, February 20th, 2015

The average life expectancy of a copper plumbing system is up to a century. That’s long enough that you probably won’t ever have to worry about replacing your home’s plumbing.

However, the longevity of copper pipes does not mean that they are invincible. There are still a few unique and serious problems that can affect copper plumbing systems, and you should be aware of how they work. Let’s take a look at one of the most serious problems that can afflict copper pipes: pinhole leaks.

What Causes Pinhole Leaks?

Pinhole leaks are the result of a special kind of corrosion known as “pitted corrosion.” Pitted corrosion is odd in a few different ways. For one thing, it almost exclusively affects copper pipes in plumbing systems. For another, it is always focused on a very small area of the pipe, and progresses from the outside inward. This allows the corrosion to eat through the pipe faster. Finally, despite years of research studies, no one has yet been able to determine why pitted corrosion occurs so often in copper pipes. When the corrosion finally does open a hole in the pipe, it is often very small. This is why these leaks are called “pinhole” leaks.

The Dangers of Pinhole Leaks

So, why are pinhole leaks so dangerous? The main reason is because they are extremely difficult to detect. Pinhole leaks are so small that they don’t cause any of the usual symptoms that warns homeowners of a plumbing problem. There’s no loss in water pressure, or discoloration from rust in the water. Instead, the pinhole leak just releases one or two drops at a time, too little to be noticed.

The problem with being so difficult to notice is that pinhole leaks have time to deal a lot of water damage to the surrounding area. Most plumbing pipes are located in the walls, surrounded by studs and insulation. If the pinhole leak goes unnoticed for a long enough period of time, it can rot away the insulation and even weaken the studs. By the time you notice the damage to the wall, there’s not much to be done but replace the whole section.

The best way to stop pinhole leaks from causing so much damage is to have a professional plumber inspect your plumbing at least once a year. If you haven’t had your home’s plumbing examined in a while, call Design Comfort. We provide plumbing services throughout West Valley.

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Lupercalia: The Origin of St. Valentine’s Day

Saturday, February 14th, 2015

Many people may think of Valentine’s Day as a holiday essentially created by card and gift companies, but the truth is that the holiday has long-standing roots going back to the Roman Empire. The name “Lupercalia” has its origins in the word “lupus”, which means wolf, and the reason for this is that according to Roman pagan religion, the she-wolf Lupa nursed the two orphaned infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome.

The Festival

The Festival of Lupercalia spanned two days each February, from February 13th to 15th. The festival was about fertility and was led by Luperci priests, known as “brothers of the wolf”. The festival was serious with intention (fertility) but was executed as quite a romp for both the priests and citizens of Rome. The process was this: two male goats and a dog were sacrificed at the beginning of the festival by the priests; two young Luperci were then anointed with the blood from the animals, and the hides of the animals were cut into straps. As food and drink flowed, the male priests would run around the city wearing nothing but thongs made from the animal skins, and they also carried a strap from one of the sacrificed animals. The strap was used to strike the palms of Roman women waiting for the priests in the city, as it was believed that being hit with the strap could help with infertility issues and a safe, healthy labor for women who were pregnant.

The Transition to St. Valentine’s Day

The Christian influence of the holiday came around the 5th century. The Roman Empire was still strong, but Christianity was rapidly taking hold throughout the world. It is believed that to try and remove the paganism from the holiday, the deaths of two men, supposedly both named Valentine, were added into the mix. During the 3rd and 4th centuries, a law created by Claudius II forbade young men eligible for military service to marry, because Rome wanted a strong army. The two men named Valentine were priests, and married young couples in secret. Both were found out and executed on February 14th, although in separate years. The Church made Valentine a saint (they chose one), and Lupercalia became St. Valentine’s Day.

Here’s wishing you and your loved ones a Happy Valentine’s Day!

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What Does That Clicking Sound from My Furnace Mean?

Monday, February 9th, 2015

Furnaces are capable of a pretty astonishing variety of sounds during operation.

Most of these are harmless, like the sound of the air handler turning on or the burners igniting. However, there are a few sounds that indicate a problem that needs repair. Intermittent or constant clicking is one of those sounds. Let’s take a look at some of the different factors that can cause clicking with your furnace.

Inducer Blower

Oil furnaces produce a lot more combustion byproducts than more common gas furnaces, including large amounts of thick smoke. For that reason, these kinds of furnaces have inducer blowers that help blow the combustion byproducts into the exhaust flue and out of the house. The blower is similar to the air handler, which circulates air around the house.

It is composed of a motor and fan, both of which can make clicking noises if they get dirty or worn down. If the fan gets a bit loose, it can cause clicking by colliding with nearby parts during operation. Generally, this is one of the least harmful problems associated with furnace clicking. Even so, you should have it checked out by a professional to make sure that everything is ok.

Air Handler Motor

The air handler motor is very similar to the inducer blower, but is installed in all kinds of furnaces. The strain of circulating so much air throughout the house is considerable, and air handler motors are outfitted with lubricated bearings to help them compensate for this strain. As the bearings wear down, however, they can produce grinding and clicking sounds.

This is a more serious problem than the inducer motor, as an air handler motor whose bearings fails can overheat and burn out. If you hear a clicking or grinding coming from your furnace, no matter what kind it is, you should turn the furnace off immediately and call a professional HVAC technician to make sure that everything is alright.

If your furnace is making a clicking sound, call Design Comfort. We provide furnace heating repair services throughout the Sandy area.

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What Is a P-Trap?

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

When you open the cabinet underneath the bathroom sink to put away a cleaning product or fresh towels, you may have to reposition a few things in order to make it fit, as a curved piece of pipe underneath the sink is in the way. This same type of fitting sits underneath your kitchen sink; in fact, it’s underneath every drain in your home. If you were to examine the plumbing system of your home, a curved section of pipe is under every tub, sink, and outdoor drain, a part known as a trap. And the most common type of trap is the P-trap, named for its “P” shape.

For more information about your plumbing system and to receive comprehensive plumbing services in Sandy, call our skilled team of certified plumbers today.

The Purpose of the P-Trap

Plumbing traps have been around since 1775, but the first P-trap was used by Thomas Crapper in 1880. The sole purpose of a plumbing trap is to fill up with water and prevent sewer gases from entering the home. The noxious fumes from sewage are effectively blocked as long as there is a small amount of water in the bend. The original “S” shape would clog and back up frequently, so a U-bend was more appropriate in most cases. The addition of a straight pipe made for a sideways “P,” which is how the new pipe got its name.

Trouble with the P-Trap

The P-trap may eventually run into some trouble, including the occasional leak or clog. But the good news is that the P-trap under your sink is exposed, which makes repairing a leak a lot easier. Furthermore, any clogs are right near the surface, so your plumber won’t have to use any heavy equipment to remove the blockage. And if you lose a piece of jewelry at the P-trap, it’s not too hard for a plumber to fish it out.

Finally, if you do happen to smell something foul from the drains despite the presence of a P-trap, there may be a quick fix. If you’ve been on vacation and the drain has not been used, it might have dried out. Simply turn on the water and see if that helps. If not, try pouring vinegar and baking soda down the drain, and if all else fails, call an expert.

Call the friendly people at Design Comfort for information, advice, and exceptional plumbing services in Sandy.

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