Author: witseo

What are the Top Energy-Saving Tips for Spring?

Posted on by witseo
HVAC technician providing HVAC maintenance in Hagerstown MD

Saving energy means saving money! After all, the less energy you use, the less energy you have to pay for each month! There are many ways to save energy at home. Here are our favorites that you can implement as soon as spring comes so you can take advantage of them all year long.

Use Your Fan Wisely

If you have a ceiling fan, make sure it is spinning counter-clockwise and then turn it on whenever you’re in the room. It will circulate cool air from the ceiling back down to where you are. Just turn it off when you’re done, since fans won’t actually make the room cooler.

Invest in HVAC Maintenance

HVAC maintenance can help your Hagerstown air conditioning run more efficiently this summer, which means it will use less energy and your bills will be lower. It also helps you find potentially costly problems before they become catastrophic and even more expensive to fix.

Add Insulation

Adding insulation isn’t just something you should do before winter comes. In fact, insulation provides an extra barrier that helps keep cool air inside your home during the summer, too. No matter what time of year it is, extra insulation means that your comfort systems don’t use as much energy to keep you warm or cold.

Ask The Experts

If you’d like help putting any of these solutions in place in your home or you’d like to hear more about how you can save energy this spring, call us at Larry & Sons!

Why There Are More Plumbing Problems Over The Holidays

Posted on by witseo
young family sitting by window during winter

Did you know that there are more plumbing problems during the holiday season than at any other time of the year? There are a number of reasons for this. Most of them have to do with either the colder weather that often comes over the holidays, or because there are more people in your house than there normally are. Here’s what you need to know to protect your plumbing this season:

Watch the Garbage Disposal

With so many cooks in the kitchen and so many dishes on the stove, it’s no wonder the garbage disposal sees more use during the holidays than at other times of year. Make sure that it keeps working by throwing away most food scraps, including coffee grounds, banana peels, egg shells, and oils. Contact us at Larry & Sons for garbage disposal repair or replacement.

Keep an Eye On Your Water Heater

Your water heater may have to work harder in the winter because it’s so cold outside. Monitor it to make sure it’s working the way it’s supposed to. You may also want to buy an insulating cover at your hardware store. This will help keep the water warm so it doesn’t have to work as hard.

Check the Toilets

Make sure guests are flushing the toilets consistently. If you have any that clog regularly, ask guests to limit the amount of toilet paper they use and to not flush feminine products Give us a call for drain cleaning or toilet repair in Hagerstown.

Call For Plumbing Help in Hagerstown

Contact us at Larry & Sons right away if you do have plumbing problems this holiday season. We’ll solve them fast so you can get back to your winter celebrations soon.  At Larry & Sons, we’ve seen all kinds of plumbing issues in our 60+ years of operation, we are Hagerstown’s trusted plumbing company. Give us a call for your winter plumbing woes in Hagerstown, MD, and the surrounding areas, for fast and reliable plumbing repair today.

Why is My Furnace Leaking Water?

Posted on by witseo

It can be worrisome to see puddles of water under your furnace. While we can diagnose the problem remotely, there are a few reasons why you might be seeing all that water. If this happens to you call us at Larry & Sons ASAP to prevent potential water damage to your home. Here are some reasons you may see water under your furnace:

Condensation

In high-efficiency furnaces, condensation usually leaks out of the furnace and into your floor drain. If the drain gets clogged or the condensation tube clogs or breaks, you will see puddles of water on the floor.

Internal Drain Clog

Is your air conditioning still working some days? If it shares an internal drain with the furnace and that drain clogs, it can send water to the furnace instead. The leaking water has to go somewhere so it usually ends up puddling on your floor.

Broken Heat Exchanger

When your secondary heat exchanger breaks, you’ll see puddles of water form around your furnace. This can be an expensive repair, so call someone right away to find out what is wrong.

Furnace Humidifier Problems

Do you have a humidifier for your Hagerstown home? If it’s not working well, it can leak water into your furnace, which then leaks out onto your floor. Regular system maintenance can usually find these problems before they get bad enough to cause leaks.

Call A Professional Plumber ASAP

No matter what the problem is, it will take the services of a professional HVAC technician to diagnose the problem and fix it correctly. At Larry & Sons, we’ve seen all kinds of issues like this in our 60+ years of operation, we are Hagerstown’s trusted plumbing and heating company. Call us today to stop that furnace leak fast! Make an appointment today to discover how easy it can be to get your furnace back to normal.

Should I Use an Energy-Efficient Space Heater or Turn On My Furnace?

Posted on by witseo
woman cold in home, waiting for Hagerstown furnace to turn on

As winter approaches, we get a lot of questions about the best and most efficient way to heat your home. While nearly all of us will eventually turn on our furnaces in Hagerstown soon, some people like to wait longer than others to do that. Here are some guidelines for when you might need and want to do that.

How Much Space are You Heating?

The answer to this question is key to determining whether you should use a space heater or your furnace. If you are just heating one or two small rooms, then a space heater will be your best option.

However, if your rooms have high or vaulted ceilings, if they cannot be closed off from other rooms, or if you’re going to have to run more than 2-3 space heaters to stay warm, then it’s time to turn on the furnace instead.

How Cold Is It In Your Home?

If you only need to raise the temperature by a few degrees, then a space heater might do the job for you just fine. However, if you need to warm your home up quite a bit, then the furnace might be the fastest and most efficient way to do that.

How Energy-Efficient are Your Space Heaters?

If your space heaters are super energy-efficient, you may use them when others would turn on their furnaces. If they are not that efficient, they will cost a lot more to run, per square foot, than a furnace.

Call About Furnace Services in Hagerstown

As always, call us at Larry & Sons with any questions specific to your Hagerstown furnace needs! If you are experiencing any difficulty with a different heating system, we also can service your heat pump or do boiler repairs in Hagerstown anytime! Give us a call today for furnace services in Hagerstown or Frederick, MD!