Those who live in Arizona are well familiar with our hot summers. They know the effects the sweltering temperatures can have on their plumbing and air conditioner. But the colder winter weather—as mild as it might be here—can also take its toll. The chilly overnight desert temperatures can cause slab leaks.
A slab leak is a leak that has developed in a copper water line running below the concrete foundation of your home, or a leak in the concrete itself. They can go undetected for months because the leak lurks below the surface. This can lead to huge problems, including mold damage and termite infestation. Eventually, the slab leak can even cause the homes foundation to collapse. That’s why it’s so important to spot a slab leak before it causes any lasting damage. Watch out for these signs that the cold may have triggered a slab leak:
Damp flooring: Unexplained wet spots are never a good sign. Slab leaks will allow water to leak underneath, causing the concrete to become completely saturated with water. The water will eventually be absorbed by the flooring or carpets and may even warp wood floors. Call a plumbing company in Mesa, AZ as soon as you notice any wet spots.
Mold: Water that has seeped into the floor will eventually be absorbed by the drywall. This will create an environment prime for mold growth. The mold could cause lasting damage to the drywall, leaving you with no choice but to pay for both mold removal and wall replacement.
High water bills: A hidden slab leak could be causing huge spikes in your water bill. Call a plumbing company in Mesa, AZ to find the cause before it gets worse.
Musty smells: The damp environment and undetected mold growth can create an unpleasant musty odor. The smell will only get worse the longer the leak persists. A slab leak along the sewer line will smell even worse.
Cracks in the baseboard: Persistent dampness can compromise the integrity of the baseboard or walls and eventually cause them to crack.
Soaked landscape: Does the backyard lawn suddenly seem mushy with mud and water? A slab leak can flood the backyard with pools of water that never seem to dry. This can ruin the landscape by flooding the dirt and killing the grass.
Damaged foundation: A slab leak can cause the floor to rise. Over time, the foundation will start to shift and crack as a result. You’ll be left with no choice but to undergo major repairs to the entire foundation if the leak escalates to this point.
Call a professional for leak repair in Mesa, AZ
Reach out to the team at PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air if you suspect there’s a slab leak in your home. One of our expert technicians will fix the leak and then address any damage it may have caused. The extent of the repair may vary drastically based on the age of the plumbing, the location of the leak and the extent of the damage. Contact us today to schedule an inspection!
The dreadfully hot Arizona summer is quickly approaching. Soon the temperatures will be creeping past 100 degrees with no break for months. Your air conditioner is the only relief from May through September. In fact, the average Arizona home runs its air conditioner for a minimum of 2,000 hours each summer! This can lead to extremely high energy costs. An unexpected breakdown can leave you sweating for hours as you wait for the repair technician. Maintaining your HVAC unit before the heat sets in is one of the only ways to ensure you’ll be able to keep your cool this summer. That’s why PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air is offering $59 tune-ups for your HVAC in Mesa, AZ this summer.
What is an HVAC tune-up?
During an HVAC tune-up, the technician will inspect all aspects of the system to ensure they’re functioning properly. They’ll note any developing issues and take the necessary steps to address them before they turn into big problems. Then, they will perform routine maintenance to keep everything working great. This will include cleaning the coils, adding extra refrigerant and flushing the drain lines. Your HVAC will be ready to face another hot Arizona summer once they’re done.
Why is a tune-up so important?
Anyone who’s lived in or even visited Arizona during the summer knows the importance of having a working HVAC in Mesa, AZ. Regular tune-ups are the best way to ensure the unit is adequately prepared to work hard to keep the home cool during the summer. Plus, you’ll also experience a few other benefits:
Keep cooling costs low: Running the air conditioner practically around the clock in an average household can cost hundreds of dollars each month. Dirty coils and clogged filters can cause the unit to work even harder, leading to higher cooling costs. Regular tune-ups will help your HVAC system work at peak efficiency.
Avoid emergency repairs: Having the air conditioner go out during the middle of a hot summer day can literally be life-threatening in Arizona, and emergency repairs can be incredibly expensive. Getting a regular AC tune-up in Mesa, AZ now before the summer hits will reduce the chances of your unit going out suddenly. Plus, tune-ups are much less expensive than emergency repairs or purchasing a new unit.
Longer lifespan: Purchasing an HVAC system is a big investment. Regular tune-ups can help prolong the life of the system. The technician will be able to catch any issues before they effect the overall function. Keeping it at peak efficiency will also help extend the system’s lifespan.
Schedule your tune-up today!
The best time to schedule an AC tune-up in Mesa, AZ is during the spring season. This will give the technician enough time to address any issues before summer arrives. Plus, you’ll beat the summer rush by booking now. PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air is currently offering tune-ups for a special price of $59. Call us to schedule your HVAC tune-up today, and go into the summer with the peace of mind that comes with knowing your system is ready to help you beat the heat!
Most people call a plumber in Mesa, AZ when they’ve got a problem on their hands. A sink is clogged or the toilet is backing up and there’s no time to waste in finding a solution! This is where those big plumbing bills come from and why so many people try to avoid calling a professional at all costs.
The irony is, most people could avoid that big plumbing bill by settling for a much smaller one. Paying for routine leak detection in Mesa, AZ or having your sewer line scoped annually will cost you… but not nearly as much as an emergency. Moving up your call to a plumber means avoiding a future bill with extra decimal places.
Preventative maintenance
The first way you can save yourself money is through preventative plumbing maintenance. Giving a plumber a call to have your plumbing inspected and your amenities tested could result in untold savings:
A sewer line inspection may only run you a hundred dollars or so, but it can save you thousands if you find and resolve an issue in its early stages.
Fixing flow issues with a toilet can shave tens of dollars off your monthly water bill, resulting in hundreds saved annually.
Correcting leaks under sinks or in plumbing closets will save you threefold: on your utility bill, in prevented water damage and in preventing a future plumbing failure.
Unclogging and cleaning drains will prevent costly backups that may need augering or hydro-jetting in the future.
Each preventative maintenance item takes away from a future plumbing bill you’ll have to pay. Staying up on plumbing maintenance may even mean erasing an emergency plumbing bill later on!
Longer-lasting solutions
One of the under-appreciated benefits of proactive plumbing is the longevity it affords your pipes and fixtures. Nothing is costlier than having sections of plumbing replaced or having to pay a professional for completely new fixture installations. Proper maintenance keeps your hardware in good shape.
Plumbing that’s generally maintained isn’t as prone to failure, either. You’ll have peace of mind against the likes of leaks and corrosion, as well as simple things like flow and water pressure. Your plumbing will be able to handle your daily demands better, for longer.
It’s all about the money
It’s hard for a homeowner to hand over $200 to a plumber when there’s no immediate emergency. It’s even harder when your routine plumbing inspection turns up an all-clear report, with no issues.
Don’t look at inspections and proactive maintenance as a sunk cost—look at it as the cost of peace of mind. Without someone looking out for your plumbing’s integrity and functionality, who knows what types of costs are lurking in the future? Paying upfront for regular maintenance means staying ahead of any unknown costs.
Just like your HVAC system needs seasonal checkups and your car needs an oil change every 5,000 miles, your plumbing needs maintenance too. Taking it to heart and making the investment is something “future you” will pat your current self on the back for, instead of cursing them as they write a check to the emergency plumber in Mesa, AZ.
Homeownership is expensive, to say the least. In fact, one of the most expensive times for homeowners is right at the beginning, when they’re buying their home. More than the down payment, expenses like home inspections, title costs, closing costs, necessary repairs and more all come out of your bank account.
The last thing you need after signing on the dotted line of your mortgage is another expense. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what many homeowners are met with. Their whole-home evaporative cooling unit fails on a hot, sunny day. Or, they find evidence of water damage and a major leak in their plumbing in Mesa, AZ. It’s another fee and another headache to resolve these issues.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. If you take the time and pay the cost to have plumbing and HVAC inspections before buying the home, you can avoid paying out the nose after the fact.
Above and beyond home inspection
Most home inspections will cover plumbing and HVAC, but only in a general sense. The home inspector isn’t a master plumber or a seasoned HVAC tech by any means. They’ll simply make sure things work and move on to the next checklist item. The problem is, just because your plumbing and HVAC systems work doesn’t mean there’s not a problem.
To really get the lay of the land, hire an expert for a thorough inspection. No one is going to get more in-depth with your plumbing or HVAC in Mesa, AZ than someone who handles it for a living. They’re the person who’s going to catch the failing blower in your furnace or faulty backflow valve in your toilet’s plumbing.
You’re going to pay a fee and have to go through another inspection, but the cost is worth it. Consider $250 and an hour of your time for a plumbing inspection, versus thousands in costs when a pipe fails and floods your basement. That $250 is the cost of peace of mind.
End-to-end inspections
What you get from a professional plumbing or HVAC inspection is end-to-end thoroughness. A regular home inspector isn’t equipped with a drain cam to examine your sewer line or the electrical equipment to measure your AC unit’s capacitor function. As a result, they’ll give everything a quick check, but miss things at the beginning of the system. The problem is, these are the things that cost you the most!
A damaged sewer line can range anywhere from $2,500 to $15,000 to fix, depending on the extent of the damage and any excavation work.
New AC units and furnaces typically start at $5,000 and go up from there. Damaged ductwork will tack on costs.
Water line repairs can lead into the untold thousands of dollars and beyond, especially if there’s any water damage to remediate.
A regular inspector may be able to clue you in on a non-functional forced air register or a leak under the sink, but that’s the extent of their insight. To avoid big costs and all the frustration that comes along with them, make the decision to call a professional to inspect your HVAC and plumbing in Mesa, AZ.
Has your family been coughing, sneezing, wheezing or getting sick constantly this year? It may be more than a cold or the flu. It might be the air in your home causing your symptoms. Exposure to air pollutants can be up to 100 times higher indoors than outdoors. When considering how much time we spend indoors in the winter—about 90 percent of our day—you can see how important indoor air quality (IAQ) is to your health.
What are symptoms of poor IAQ?
There are several symptoms you and your family may experience due to poor IAQ, including:
Dryness and irritation of the eyes, nose, throat and skin
Headache
Fatigue
Shortness of breath
Hypersensitivity and allergies
Sinus congestion
Coughing and sneezing
Dizziness
Nausea
What causes poor IAQ
Poor IAQ can be caused by a variety of factors. Here are some of the most common:
Asbestos
Bacteria
Carbon dioxide
Cleansers
Dust
Fiberglass
Formaldehyde
Fungi
Glues
Mold
Paints
Pesticides
Solvents
Tobacco smoke
As you can see, there are a lot of potential environmental indoor contaminants, and most homes have at least a few of these.
What can you do to improve the IAQ in your home?
While poor IAQ can be a serious problem, there are usually simple solutions. By making a few changes to your home environment and routine, you can significantly improve the air quality in your space. Here are a few things you can try:
Let the outdoor air in: As mentioned earlier, outdoor air is often cleaner than indoor air. So whenever possible, open up your windows and let your home “air” out. The filtration of outdoor air can clear away many indoor air contaminants.
Keep it clean: Vacuuming once or twice a week can help reduce the dust in your home. If you have pets, you should be vacuuming more. It’s also worthwhile to invest in a vacuum that has a good air filtration system, so you are not just blowing the dust you vacuum up back into the air.
Take the plants outside: If you have indoor plants, you may want to move them outside. While plants can help purify the air, they can also become a source of mold and mildew. If you really want to keep plants to enjoy in your home, consider switching to air plants or other species that don’t require moist dirt to stay alive.
Change your filters: As your local source for professional heating repair in Mesa, AZ, we cannot stress the importance of changing your filters enough. Filters are an inexpensive way to not only keep the air in your home clean, but to extend the life of your HVAC system as well.
If you think the air in your home may be negatively impacting your health, a few simple changes can help reduce the risk if poor IAQ in your home. If you think your home may need some professional care, be sure to call PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air for air conditioning and heating repair in Mesa, AZ.
After spending big on the holidays, everyone is looking for ways to save a few dollars in January. How would you like to save some money on your energy bill next month? It can happen if you increase the efficiency of your HVAC system.
At PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air, your local HVAC contractors in Mesa, AZ, our customers often ask us what they can do to get the most out of their HVAC system. While some improvements cost money, there are a few simple, low-cost (or no-cost) steps you can take to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system.
Keep your vents clean
It sounds so simple, but you would be surprised at how many people forego this small task. If you vacuum dust and debris away from your indoor vents, you can ensure that there is a steady airflow going through your system, which means your unit doesn’t have to work as hard to pull the air through. You should also make sure that curtains, furniture and other household items aren’t blocking your vents.
Turn your thermostat down (or up)
It may be hard to give up that optimal 75-degree indoor temperature that keeps you so snug at night, but opting for an extra layer and turning your thermostat down just 5 to 8 degrees can significantly reduce your energy bill. The same applies for the summer months, but in this case you’d turn your thermostat up a few degrees.
Make the most of your oven and other appliances
You’ve probably already noticed that baking, hot showers and even running your clothes dryer can warm the house up a bit. Make the most of these times by turning your thermostat down a little. Taking this extra step during your normal daily routines can add up to big savings in the long run.
Insulate your ductwork
If you have any ductwork that runs through exposed areas of your home (like the attic and basement), you should consider insulating them. While this does have some cost involved, the cost is minimal compared to the long-term savings you’ll see on your energy bill.
Keep up with your maintenance
An HVAC system should receive regular maintenance at least twice a year for best performance. If you have pets or live in certain climates, you may need to have your system checked more often. Regular maintenance checks from professional HVAC contractors in Mesa, AZ can help ensure that your system is clean and operating properly, as well as help identify small problems before they become expensive repairs.
By following these few simple tips, you will not only ensure that you save money on your energy bill, but you will also increase the lifespan of your HVAC system. For more advice on your HVAC system or regular system maintenance, let the team at PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air help. Since we’re top rated by the BBB, Angie’s List and Home Advisor, you can be sure that you are getting the premier HVAC contractors in Mesa, AZ. Just call us today!
