Design Comfort Blog: Archive for August, 2014

The Very First Labor Day Celebration

Friday, August 29th, 2014

Labor Day as a federal holiday, held on the first Monday of September, has been with us now for 120 years. President Grover Cleveland signed the law that made Labor Day a national holiday in 1894. Ever since then, the three-day weekend has provided people in the U.S. with the opportunity for vacations, time with their families, shopping trips, and a general celebration of the conclusion of summer and the beginning of fall.

However, there were twelve years of Labor Day observations in the U.S. before it became an official holiday. The first Labor Day celebration took place in 1882 in New York City on September 5. According to the accounts from the time, it had a rough start and almost didn’t happen.

The main event planned for that first Labor Day was a parade along Broadway that was to start at City Hall. However, the parade ran into a bit of a snag early on. The marchers started to line up for the procession around 9 a.m., with a police escort to make sure the event went peacefully. However, the problem of the day wasn’t rowdy members of the parade—it was that nobody had remembered to bring a band!

With people ready to march, but no music to march to, it started to look like no parade would happen at all, and the first Labor Day would have ended up a failure. But just in time, Matthew Maguire of the Central Labor Union—one of the two men who first proposed the celebration—ran across the City Hall lawn to the Grand Marshal of the parade, William McCabe, to inform him that 200 men from the Jeweler’s Union of Newark were crossing the ferry to Manhattan… and they had a band!

At 10 a.m., only an hour late, the band from Newark walked down Broadway playing a number from a popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera. They passed McCabe and the other 700 marchers, who then fell in line behind them. Soon, the spectators joined in, and an estimated 10,000 to 20,000 people marched through Lower Manhattan.

According to the New York Times, “The windows and roofs and even the lamp posts and awning frames were occupied by persons anxious to get a good view of the first parade in New York of workingmen of all trades united in one organization.”

The parade concluded two hours later when the marchers reached Reservoir Park. But the party was only getting started. Until 9 p.m., some 25,000 people celebrated with picnics and speeches and beer kegs. It was an enormous success, and all thanks to the speedy arrival of jewelers carrying band instruments.

If those musicians from Newark hadn’t shown up, perhaps we wouldn’t have the holiday opportunity that we now have every year. However you celebrate your Labor Day, our family at Design Comfort wishes your family a happy end of summer.

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Signs You Need Water Heater Repair

Friday, August 22nd, 2014

When your water heater stops working, you’ll realize just how many tasks around the house rely on hot water. Whether you need to take a hot shower, throw some clothes in the washing machine, or wash stuck-on food from the dishes, a lack of hot water is a major inconvenience. While an absence of hot water will likely cause you to call for water heater repair, it’s important to catch warning signs right away to avoid failure in the future.

While water heaters are built to last a long time, no unit is perfect and yours will probably need repairs eventually.

Here Are Three Reasons You May Need To Call For Water Heater Repairs

  • Loud Noises: Often, a rumbling sound may indicate a broken dip tube or a problem with the mixing valve, or it may mean that the water is overheating. Another unusual noise is a banging noise that may indicate a mineral buildup. Even if these repairs needs do not seem to have affected the quality of your hot water, it’s important to have them checked right away to avoid leaks.
  • Leaks: Leaks from components of your water heater are usually reparable as long as they have not affected the tank. Otherwise, a leak may require you to replace the entire storage heater. If you notice water around your unit, call a plumber immediately for repairs.
  • Temperature Issues: Another common problem with water heaters has to do with the temperature of your water. As a homeowner, you know what temperatures your hot water is typically able to reach. Similarly, you can recognize whether the water becomes cold sooner than usual. When this begins to happen, it may indicate a repair need. For example, a broken dip tube may mean that water cannot heat up completely at the top of the tank.

Don’t wait for your water heater to break down before calling for help from an experienced plumber. Only a trained contractor can diagnose and repair problems such as these to get your heater back to normal. Call on the experts in water heater repair in Millcreek at Design Comfort.

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3 Reasons to Install a Humidifier

Friday, August 15th, 2014

Just as there can be too much humidity, there can also be too little, especially in climates that tend to be more arid. You can also have too little indoor humidity when your home is sealed for energy efficiency. In either case, too little humidity can cause damage to property and create health issues. A great way to combat the effects of low humidity is to have the experts at Design Comfort install a whole-home humidifier as part of your air conditioning installation.

Why Add a Humidifier?

Low humidity can have the following effect on you, your home and your property:

  • Health – low humidity can cause nose bleeds, excessively dry skin, aggravate allergy and asthma symptoms and dry out your mucous membranes, which may affect your immunity to germs.
  • Furniture – furnishings made of wood, including chairs, tables, bookcases, etc., can shrink and splinter without the proper amount of humidity in the air.
  • Walls, trim, moldings – trim and moldings can shrink and peel if painted, and wallpaper can peel without enough moisture.
  • Comfort – air that is too dry can feel uncomfortable; by adding some moisture to the air with a whole-home humidifier, you can achieve a better level of comfort.
  • Energy efficiency – adding moisture to the air may allow you to turn your thermostat up a couple of degrees, saving you both energy and money.

How Does a Humidifier Work?

Humidifiers add moisture to the air in the form of water vapor. There are two ways this can be achieved: through steam or through evaporation. A whole-home humidifier becomes a part of your overall air conditioning system; you can even adjust humidity levels at your thermostat. Maintenance of a whole-home humidifier can be scheduled bi-annually with the maintenance of your air conditioning system.

Is Your Home Too Dry?

A home that’s too dry can be as uncomfortable and inefficient as one that’s too moist; it can also affect the health of your family members. If you think your home could benefit from the addition of a whole-home humidifier to your air conditioning system in Sandy, call the professionals you can trust: Design Comfort.

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What Does That Noise Mean?

Friday, August 8th, 2014

In the summer, trouble with your air conditioning system can be alarming. A sudden breakdown can inconvenience you and cause your family a lot of discomfort. When your air conditioner makes strange noises, you may be unsure as to whether the problem is urgent. But if you’re worried about sudden breakdowns, you should treat any and all noises as troublesome. Call an air conditioning repair service at the first sign of a problem. While a noise may indicate a minor repair need, that same noise may also be a big deal.

Here are what some of the most common noises indicate.

  • Banging: A banging noise may mean that there is a loose component somewhere inside your air conditioner. If you hear banging inside of your home, it could mean that a blower fan blade is loose or damaged. This could interfere with the amount of airflow over the evaporator coil, which may cause it to freeze. If you hear this noise outdoors, it may mean there is damage at the condenser fan, or it could indicate loose screws or other hardware. However, this noise may also indicate a problem with the compressor. Compressor damage should be looked at as soon as possible, so it’s best to call a professional right away.
  • Hissing: A hissing noise often indicates low refrigerant. The refrigerant in your system must stay at a set level in order to properly remove heat from your home. If this level drops, heat exchange may not take place, and you may feel no cool air in your home. Besides limited cooling, the components of your air conditioner may be affected as well. The parts of your AC are meant to hold a specific level of refrigerant and any change could cause them to overwork, damaging your system.
  • Buzzing: A buzzing noise usually indicates an electrical problem. You should never attempt to repair an electrical problem without the help of a qualified technician.

When you need air conditioning repair service in Sandy, it’s easy to find an experienced technician who can diagnose and repair your system. Just call the experts at Design Comfort at the first sign of trouble.

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