Archive for comfort
Home Maintenance Tip: Check Air Filters While the Weather is Cool
Posted by: | CommentsThe weather in the past couple days and the forecasted temperature in the Washington/Baltimore region for the next week might hint that summer’s oppressive heat could be past us. Whether or not the heat is gone for good for the year, this cool temperature break is an excellent time to check your air filters.
Your air conditioning had been working overtime over the past month, and it finally has a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. This resting period for you’re A/C system is a great time to make sure your air filters are feeding clean air to and from the system. If or when the A/C system has to crank up again this year, it will appreciate the cleaner airflow created by replaced air filters. In return, you will be provided with increased comfort, increased air conditioning efficiency, and cleaner air to breathe.
If you have any questions or would like further information on air filters, feel free to give us a call at (301)-774-4800.
Do Not Let it Mellow
Posted by: | CommentsDuring my time here at Sanford Kramer Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning & Electric, I’ve picked up on some interesting tidbits about caring for the systems in your home. One interesting thing I recently learned is that you should not “let it mellow” as the saying goes.
Many people, including myself up until now, avoid flushing the toilet after going to the bathroom in the middle of the night, so as to not wake people who are sleeping in a nearby room. Unfortunately, letting it mellow is not good for your toilet because it causes calcium deposits to build up. Calcium will slowly eat away at and shorten the life of your toilet.
So, next time you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you’ll have a tough decision to make. What’s it going to be: the beauty sleep of a family member or the life span of your toilet?
Also, a reminder: vote on your favorite Sanford Kramer commercial. A winner will be selected from a hat containing names of people who vote. The prize is a $50 Visa card! Directions and videos can be found here.
Emergency Shut-Off Tips – Part Two: Power
Posted by: | CommentsLast week, we kicked off a two-part series on how to shut off the systems in your house in case of emergency. Part One of the series discussed tips on emergency shut-off of your water supply. Today’s post will explain how to shut off the power in your house after a natural disaster. Here’s how:
Power Shut-Off Procedures
In the immediate aftermath of a major disaster, do not turn lights on or off or use matches if you have gas heat! Instead, use flashlights to check for gas leaks to prevent an explosion or fire. If you do hear or smell a leak, shut off your gas valve and immediately open your doors and windows to vent the accumulated gas. And leave the house!
Also, if you hear sparking sounds or see or smell smoke, then you need to turn off your electrical power. If your house has fuses, you’ll find a knife switch or pull-out fuse that should be marked “Main.” If you have a circuit breaker, turn off the small breakers first, and then the “Main” breaker. But whatever you do, never remove the metal cover.
If you do not believe you have time to safely shut off the power, run out of the house and away from the house! Do not linger around your house if you hear sparking sounds or see or smell smoke. After you are a safe distance from your house, call the necessary emergency response folks.
Our electricians are always happy to help and answer any questions. Feel free to Ask-a-Tech if you would like further info.
Emergency Shut-Off Tips – Part One: Water
Posted by: | CommentsBefore returning home to Maryland and joining the Sanford Kramer team, I spent five years living and going to school in New Orleans, Louisiana. During my second year down there, Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and sent me back home for four months. Looking back on the situation, I realized that when I returned to my rented house in New Orleans, I did not conduct any checks of my house’s water and electrical systems for damages caused by the storm–because I did not know what I was looking for or how to deal with the damage.
So, this post and a follow-up post will discuss emergency shut-off procedures to protect you and your family after a natural disaster. Though hurricanes are not so common up here in Maryland, we are subject to tornadoes and severe thunderstorms from time-to-time (the tornado watch in Northern Virginia the other night gave me the idea for this post).
Water Shut Off Procedures
Following a natural disaster, conduct a visual inspection for leaks in your various plumbing systems. Also, check your water supply lines by turning water faucets on and off. If the cold water stops running, runs very slowly after a few seconds, or is dirty, you most likely have a leak.
In that event, you’ll want to shut off your main water supply. Two ways to do that:
1) Turn off the water where it enters the house. In many homes, there’s a valve just below your main outdoor faucet;
2) Or, you can shut down your water supply by turning the valve attached to your water meter.
Water valves have either round or lever-type handles. With a lever, you only have to make a one-quarter turn to shut off your water. Round handles are typically harder to turn, so you may have to give it a few tries. To turn off your water, turn the handle clockwise. If you don’t have a water shut off, you should have one installed.
Hopefully, the Washington/Baltimore region will stay safe from natural disasters. If something happens, though, you’ll know how to shut off your water to prevent danger and further damage. The next post in this series will discuss power shut-off.
As always, feel free to call us if you have any other questions. If you press the Google Voice button to the right and enter your phone number, Google will connect your phone to ours, and we can chat.
Scott
Happy Customer Letter #1
Posted by: | CommentsI thought it would be nice to share, in a series of blog posts, some of the comments we receive here at Sanford Kramer through the Email Us and Satisfaction Survey functions on our website. This one comes from Gary in Annapolis, Maryland:
I thought you would want to know, I had the truck with the duck out to my house a couple weeks ago. The air conditioner was spitting out water on the floor, and although I thought I knew why, wasn’t about to try to mess with it myself and blow up the house. Our baby is 11 months old and I didn’t want her to be without air conditioning, either.
I found you listed online through Google, I called at about 8am, and [the Sanford Kramer technician (name removed for privacy)] was out to the house within a couple of hours. He was polite and cheerful, explained what went wrong (I was right about it being a blocked condensation line, but I wouldn’t have been able to fix it anyway), and he answered all my questions. He installed an EZ trap that fixed the current problem and also will make it easier to prevent a recurrence.
I just wanted to give you feedback that the whole experience was very positive. The girl who answered the phone told me when to expect someone at the house, and [the technician] did a great job. I thought you should know that, and I appreciated the service. I don’t hope to have trucks out to the house often, but I know where to call next time I need something.
Hope all is well!
Gary L.
Annapolis, MD
Well, Gary, we’re always happy to help, and we were glad we could keep your baby daughter cool! Thanks for the feedback!
A/C Tips to Fight the Heat
Posted by: | CommentsThe weather has been very mild this summer, with temperatures well below the usual upper 90s of the Washington/Baltimore region in mid-July. But I would guess that the heat will be coming soon. So, here are some do-it-yourself tips to make your cooling system more efficient, in case that extreme summer heat returns to the area:
1) Check up on your outdoor AC unit to make sure that nothing is blocking its airflow. Sometimes overgrown plants and tree limbs can obstruct the systems ventilation. Trim the shrubbery so that the AC unit has a couple feet of breathing room. Clearing dirt from the vents and filters of the outdoor unit will help, too.
2) Make sure that the ducts inside your home are sealed and insulated to prevent leakage of the cool air. Energy and coolness are wasted when cool air escapes from the ducts in the wrong places.
Following these tips will help you save on energy costs while keeping your home comfortable. For more tips, check out this article by Consumer Reports.
