5 Signs You Need Emergency Furnace Repair

When it gets cold outside you want your home to be warm and cozy. If your furnace stops doing its job just as an arctic chill sets in, it’s time to consider emergency furnace repair.

At Q’s Plumbing and Heating, our HVAC experts want to make sure you’re warm during Connecticut’s long winter months. When you call, we will schedule an emergency visit and repair or replace your furnace as quickly as possible.

When should you call us for emergency furnace repair?

Give us a call if you notice one of these five problems.

1. Furnace won’t come on
2. Thermostat controls don’t respond
3. Furnace working too hard to heat your home
4. You smell a burning odor
5. Strange noises coming from your furnace

First, check for simple fixes

Before you commit to an emergency run, you should take a few minutes to make sure you need emergency furnace repair. Unless you’re experiencing a potentially life-threating event, take a few moments to rule out a few simple difficulties.

Check your batteries, your circuit breaker, and your air filters. If one of these simple fixes doesn’t eliminate your problem, call us to schedule emergency furnace repair.

What if it’s a life-threatening emergency?

It’s important to remember that some furnace emergencies also present extreme safety hazards.

• Carbon monoxide activates your CO alarm
• Out of control flames in or near your furnace
• You smell a strong natural gas or heating fuel odor

If one of these events occurs, leave your home immediately and contact your local fire department and/or utility company. Call Q’s Plumbing and Heating to schedule an emergency furnace repair service call and don’t re-enter your home until you receive the all-clear that it’s safe.

Contact Q’s Plumbing and Heating

Our skilled HVAC specialists are ready to handle your emergency furnace repair whenever you need us. Give us a call at 869.501.6006. Let us know if you have a heating or plumbing emergency and we’ll schedule an emergency furnace repair visit right away.

What is the average hot water heater replacement cost?

If you’re thinking about buying a hot water heater replacement, your task might be a bit more complicated than you think. Prices for new units range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. When you begin your search, you’ll find a variety of models, options, and prices.

Is it time for a hot water heater replacement?

If you’re like most homeowners, you’ll purchase a hot water heater replacement only when necessary. If your family is growing, you might require greater hot water capacity. If you’ve had your water heater for 10 to 12 years, it’s probably past time to consider a new unit.

If you don’t know your water heater’s age, it will tell you when it’s time for a replacement.

• Water not hot enough
• No hot water at all
• It makes odd noises
• It leaks
• Water isn’t clear

The average cost

Home Advisor estimates an $835 average cost for a 40 to 50-gallon hot water heater replacement in New London County. The cost increases to $1068 for a high-end unit. Both estimates include installation. Your cost will depend on which factors are important to your family.

• Tank capacity- How many people in your family?
• High efficiency- Is energy savings a critical goal?
• Size- How much room do you have for a hot water heater replacement?
• Fuel- Gas or electricity?
• Tank or tankless- Tankless units heat water on demand while tank heaters store hot water until you use it.

As you’re calculating your costs, be sure to review the average annual energy costs for the unit you prefer. Energy costs will be an expense factor throughout your heater’s functional life.

Energy rebates and savings

Energize Connecticut offers incentives up to $300 for homeowners who choose an energy-saving gas hot water heater replacement. The program serves CNG, SCG or Eversource customers in Connecticut. The unit you choose must be Energy Star certified.

• Tankless heaters must have a .94 or greater energy factor (EF).
• Storage water heaters must have a thermal efficiency of .95 or greater.

Contact Q’s Plumbing and Heating

Our skilled plumbers can tell you all you need to know about hot water heater replacement or repair. Give us a call at 869.501.6006 or complete our contact form. Let us know if you have a heating or plumbing emergency that requires our immediate attention.

Winter Sump Pump Care

Your sump pump removes water that causes basement flooding, water damage, mold, and mildew. As with all the plumbing in your home, water makes your sump pump vulnerable to plummeting winter temperatures. A sudden chill or a cold spell can freeze standing water in your sump pit, rupture your discharge line connection, or damage your pump.

Winter temperatures can be hard on your sump pump. With proper care, you can keep it operating efficiently.

Begin with proper placement

When you install your pump, angle the external discharge line and connecting hose down and away from your home. An angled placement naturally keeps water flowing instead of allowing it to stand in place. When you eliminate standing water problems, you reduce your freezing risk.

Regular inspections

As the temperature drops, regularly inspect your sump pump and discharge lines. If you notice a freezing problem, you can stop it during the early stages.

Insulate or remove the connecting hose

The hose that connects to your outside discharge line is your sump pump’s biggest wintertime problem. It’s often exposed to cold weather and can easily freeze when the temperature falls. The simple way to avoid this is to remove the hose before the temperature drops. If you’d prefer not to remove the hose, try covering it with pipe insulation tape or another insulating product.

Thaw the ice

Ice in your hose or sump pit can damage your pump when it begins operating. If any part of your sump pump system freezes, turn off the power and allow the ice to melt. Make sure there’s no ice in the hose or icy water in the pit before you attempt to reactivate your pump.

A sump pump alarm

Regular inspections help you detect sump pump freezing problems. If you prefer an easier solution, install a water alarm. Alarms detect rising water levels and can remind you to make sure your sump pump is ice-free and operating properly. Some units provide Wi-fi-enabled notifications.

Contact Q’s Plumbing and Heating

If you need to know more about sump pump maintenance, repair, or installation, call us at 869.501.6006 or complete our contact form. Let us know if you have a heating or plumbing emergency that requires our immediate attention.

7 Tips to Avoid Costly Winter Plumbing Problems

If you’ve ever experienced a Connecticut cold snap, you know how winter plumbing problems can take you by surprise. The water inside your pipes freezes and swells and your pipes often burst. It’s a common problem that causes missed morning showers, cooking inconveniences, and costly repairs.

You can’t avoid winter weather but these 7 winter plumbing tips can help you prevent costly repairs and keep your water flowing smoothly.

1. Locate vulnerable pipes

You must first locate the pipes most likely to freeze. You’ll find vulnerable water supply lines throughout your home. Look in the garage and under bathroom and kitchen cabinets. Check crawl spaces and water lines in uninsulated basements.

2. Insulate your pipes

Insulating pipe sleeves and protective insulation wraps prevent freezing, reduce energy and decrease heat loss. When you complete your winter plumbing insulation project, your time will be your biggest investment. You can view an easy DIY pipe insulation video on the Energy.gov website.

3. Drain your outdoor plumbing

The plumbing systems in your pool, spa, and sprinklers can cause freezing problems as well. You can’t heat the pipes, so you must drain all the water before the first freeze sets in.

4. Upgrade your home insulation

When you insulate your attic, basement, and crawl spaces you retain heat throughout your home. The added heat minimizes your winter plumbing freeze risk.

5. Keep your home warm

Keep your thermostat no lower than 55° even when you’re away. The extra money you spend on energy is a lot less than the cost to replace your pipes if they freeze and burst.

6. Open your cabinet doors

Kitchen and bathroom cabinets often run along cold outside walls. Closed cabinet doors keep cold air in and warm air out. When outside temperatures are excessively cold, keep your cabinet doors open so warm air can circulate.

7. Let your faucets drip

When the temperature hovers below freezing, keep a trickle of water running through your pipes 24/7. Standing water is more vulnerable to freezing temperatures than running water.

Contact Q’s Plumbing and Heating

If you’d like to know more about preventing winter plumbing problems, call us at 869.501.6006 or complete our contact form. Be sure to let us know if you have a heating or plumbing emergency. We’ll give your problem our immediate attention.