Here’s Why Your Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping!

September 16th, 2019

Have you ever been in the middle of blowing drying your air when all of a sudden, the power goes out? Now, not only do you have a wet head, but you also have to march yourself down into the basement, reset the circuit breaker, and climb all the way back up the stairs! Pretty annoying, huh?

It’s quite normal for this to happen every once in a while, however, if the circuit breaker in your home is constantly tripping, it could be a sign of a more serious problem. In fact, there are a number of reasons why your circuit breaker might be constantly tripping, and below, we’ve listed a number of them for you. All you’ve got to do is keep reading to find out more! (And, of course, remember to contact our team for all your electrical repairs in Birmingham!)

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What Is Hydro Jetting? (How Do I Know If I Need It?)

September 4th, 2019

What is hydro jetting? What does it do for Birmingham homes and why do homeowners need to schedule this specialized plumbing service? 

Our licensed plumbers hear these common questions from our Birmingham, AL area customers all the time. In this blog, we provide a detailed look into what is hydro jetting, how it’s different from other plumbing services and what it does for the home’s plumbing system. Could your home plumbing system benefit from this service? Let’s learn more.

What Is Hydro Jetting?

Hydro jetting is a process used to clean the interiors of plumbing pipes throughout a home plumbing system. High-pressure water flows through the plumbing system and removes build-up inside pipes. This provides a thorough clean and prevents backups by flushing plumbing piping of clogs and potentially damaging materials, including:

  • Grease
  • Mineral scale
  • Debris
  • Tree roots

What’s the Difference Between Hydro Jetting and Snaking a Drain?

Unlike snaking a drain, hydro jetting has the power to break up tough clogs AND remove materials from interior pipe walls. Plumbing snakes just puncture the clog and help break it apart. Hydro jetting offers a thorough maintenance cleaning of the plumbing pipes to prevent future clogs and more expensive sewer repairs.

Steps in the Hydro Jetting Process

Here’s what occurs when you schedule this service:

1. Your licensed plumber locates the plumbing system cleanout, which gives an easy access point to the piping throughout your home.

2. He or she uses a  camera to inspect your plumbing pipes and drain prior to jetting. This step searches for damage within the system, such as cracked or crumbling pipes, which could be worsened by the process. 

3. Your plumber inserts the jetting hose downstream into the plumbing lines. This durable hose attaches to a water tank that pressurizes water.

4. Your plumber adjusts the water pressure to appropriate levels for pipe conditions. Hydro jetting typically involves water pressure up to 35,000 psi.

5. Once the high-pressured water begins, the tool moves upstream through the plumbing lines as it scours the interior pipe walls. 

6. The tool removes built-up debris from the inside of the pipe walls. Gravity pulls the debris down through the home plumbing system and safely flushes it out of the home.

Demonstration of Hydro Jetting Power

Here is a video showing the power of a hydro jet flow: 

Does Hydro Jetting Work on Tree Roots?

The hydro jetting process is commonly used to clear tree root penetrations in underground plumbing pipes. Some extra precautions are required to ensure problem resolution and to protect the integrity of the piping. Always work with a licensed Alabama plumber to protect your home’s plumbing system.

It’s critical to use a sewer line camera to visualize the tree root issue prior to drain cleaning. This video inspection allows your plumber to inspect for damage to the piping. Just like a surgeon preps for surgery, the plumber wants to avoid any surprises. As long as the pipe is not significantly damaged or its waterproof coating compromised, hydro jetting is often a safe and efficient method to break up and remove root penetrations.

In Conclusion: Schedule Plumbing Services and Enjoy Better Water Flow

Clear your pipe system of clog-causing debris with plumbing and sewer services from Douglas Plumbing. Our plumbers take great care to protect the integrity of your plumbing system as they eliminate buildup and clear clogs. 

Don’t risk damage to your plumbing system with improper cleaning! Trust our licensed plumbers to thoroughly inspect and safely hydro jet your plumbing pipes. Our plumbers in your area are also available for plumbing repairs like running toilets, leaky pipes and to install fixtures or garbage disposals. 

Schedule a licensed plumber for your Birmingham area home today.

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Be Prepared for Hurricane Dorian!

September 3rd, 2019

When severe weather strikes Florida, there is always the chance that Alabama will be affected too, and with Hurricane Dorian making national headlines, you want to be prepared! Fortunately, there are a number of things you can do to get ready:

  • Shut off power to the major appliances in your home: You want to turn off the power to appliances like your air conditioner in order to protect them against power surges.
  • Gather the essentials: Make sure you’ve got a fresh supply of water, some canned food, a can opener, a flashlight, extra batteries, a first aid kit, garbage bags, some basic tools, and a whistle.
  • Make sure your whole-house generator is up and running: You want to be absolutely certain that your whole-house generator is fully equipped to keep you and your family safe during the storm. To do that, schedule your generator services with our team now!

The team here at Douglas Cooling & Heating wishes you the best of luck over the next few days. Stay safe, everyone!

To schedule your generator services, contact the team at Douglas Cooling, Heating, and Electrical. 

 

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Ductless is the Way to Go!

September 2nd, 2019

Okay, we know we’ve talked about ductless systems before, but really, there are just so many reasons to consider making the switch! These little systems are efficient, effective, take up very little space, and are well-known for their ability to provide year-round comfort with just the flip of a switch (but more on that later!)

Of course, we understand that choosing the right HVAC system for your home isn’t as simple as reading a blog, but at least we can give you a bit of a head start in your research. Below, we’ve explained exactly what a ductless system is and the benefits of installing one in your home. Keep reading to find out more!

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Is It Time to Replace Your Heat Pump?

August 19th, 2019

If you own a heat pump, you know just how great they are — these nifty little HVAC systems are efficient, effective, and can provide year-round comfort with just the flip of a switch! But, no matter how great your heat pump is, eventually, it is going to need to be replaced.

Like all HVAC systems, heat pumps have an average life expectancy. Surely, not all cases are the same, but there are quite a few signs that suggest the time for replacement has come. So below, we have listed some of these signs for you. All you have to do is keep reading to find out more.

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How a Birmingham Home Plumbing System Works

August 7th, 2019

Your home plumbing system uses many components to carry water into your home and waste out. If you’re unfamiliar with how a home plumbing system works, repairs and plumbing problems may feel intimidating. Through this introduction to your home plumbing system, familiarize yourself with the different system components and know exactly how plumbing works in and out of your Birmingham home.

How Your Home Plumbing System Works

Your home plumbing system has two main components: 

  1. the water supply system, which brings fresh water into the home and out through your fixtures
  2. the drain waste system, which moves wastewater out of your home

Main Component of Home Plumbing: Water Supply System (What Goes In)

If you have municipal water at your Birmingham area home, water comes through city lines buried in the ground. A water main line extends from these shared lines up to your street, and a line extends up to your home. A water meter measures the water used on this incoming line and a shutoff valve turns off the water supply.

City water is under pressure to move the water to all supplied homes. If your home has a well, the well pump moves water from the ground source into the home, which is pressurized by the pressure tank.

From your water main lines, smaller plumbing lines run throughout your home, supplying different areas where water is used, such as:

  • Bathrooms
  • Kitchens
  • Laundry rooms
  • Water heaters
  • Outdoor spigots

Water runs to faucets, toilets, and other fixtures throughout your home for use. Many of these fixtures have individual shutoff valves, which allows the homeowner to turn off the water supply to the specific fixture, rather than to the entire home at the main shutoff valve. This is handy when a fixture springs a leak or you have another isolated plumbing problem, like a running toilet.

how a plumbing system works | Douglas Plumbing | Birmingham AL

Illustration credit: DS Plumbing, Ontario, Canada

This diagram illustrates how home plumbing systems generally work. In this example, 

  1. Yellow lines: venting pipes – these exhaust air and gasses from the system
  2. Red lines: hot water supply – these move hot water from the water heater to fixtures
  3. Blue lines: fresh water supply – these bring new water into the house
  4. Black lines: waste pipes – these move “grey” water and sewage from the house to the sewer line

Main Component of Home Plumbing: Drain Waste System (What Goes Out)

A Birmingham household creates wastewater in many ways, such as:

  • Showering and bathing
  • Flushing toilets
  • Washing machine cycles
  • Dishwasher cycles
  • Sinks and drains

The drain waste system helps all this wastewater flow out of your home to a municipal sewer system or septic tank. This home plumbing system uses gravity to move this depressurized water.

Drain waste systems are more complex than the water supply system because they involve a number of vents, traps, and cleanout equipment. Again, gravity helps move this wastewater out of your home. Vent pipes poking out of your roof, as well as P traps under each sink are part of this home plumbing system.

Drainpipes are typically much larger than supply pipes. Drainage is more efficient when the lines are larger. In most homes, the drain waste system includes a component called the cleanout plug. This component allows plumbers to remove clogs that form from waste.

The drain waste system carries wastewater and human waste to a shared sewer line for municipal sewers, or flow out to your septic system, which is waste management for your individual home. Sometimes these drains become slow, emit bad odors, clog or overflow. Plumbers perform snaking, drain clearing or drain cleaning to puncture or flush the clog. 

For Plumbing and Sewer Help Call Douglas Cooling & Heating Douglas Cooling & Heating

If you have trouble with any of the home plumbing system elements mentioned above, contact Douglas Cooling & Heating for expert plumbing repair. Our licensed plumbers find the source of your problem and provide reliable fixes to help your home plumbing system perform at its best. 

We handle minor issues like leaky faucets and clogged toilets to major projects like new plumbing installations and hydro jetting sewer repairs. 

We also perform emergency plumbing repairs if you have situations like a water leak from pipes or a water heater, broken sump pump or a toilet overflows. Need a new water heater? We have finance options for major plumbing equipment purchases. Our licensed plumbers travel throughout the Birmingham, Alabama area. How may we serve you?

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Here Are Some Ways to Keep Your Bills Low When Temperatures Are Sky-High

August 5th, 2019

So, you’ve found yourself stuck between a rock and a hard place… temperatures are soaring and the last thing you want to do is stand in a puddle of your own sweat. So, what do you do? Do you drag a kiddie pool into your living room in the hopes that it keeps you cool or do you put your AC on at full blast? Our guess is the latter.

But you see, the problem with blasting your air conditioner is that it can drastically reduce efficiency, leading to those pesky, expensive energy bills! Plus, you’ll likely find yourself calling your local HVAC techs for repairs more than you’d like to. Of course, we understand that this is not how you want to spend your summer, so below, we have listed some of our favorite ways to keep your home cool and comfortable without dragging down efficiency.

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Will a Dehumidifier Help My Air Conditioner?

July 25th, 2019

Birmingham, Alabama is known for southern hospitality and extreme humidity so you may wonder, will a dehumidifier help my air conditioner? If you’ve lived in Alabama for any length of time, you know humidity doesn’t just affect you outside. It seeps into your home through your cooling system, leaks in your ductwork, and gaps throughout the structure.

The discomfort is only one side effect of extreme moisture levels in your home. High humidity levels create complications for those with respiratory illnesses, allergies and certain heart conditions. It also reduces the overall indoor air quality in your household.

If you are tired of battling the swamp-like humidity, consider a whole-home dehumidifier installation. Install a dehumidifier within your air conditioner and gain many benefits besides humidity management. 

In this blog we’ll cover why too much humidity is a problem, how a dehumidifier helps air conditioners keep you more comfortable and the difference between their functions. 

The Effects of High Humidity

What’s the big deal? Plenty. Let’s review some of what excessive humidity brings. 

Mold, Mildew

A moist environment is a prime breeding ground for microscopic organisms, like mold, to grow and thrive. In turn, the risk of mold spores and dust mites throughout your home increases. 

The spores travel through the air vents in your ductwork and infest your HVAC system. Excessive humidity compromises your indoor air quality and increases the chance of illness in your home.

A whole-home dehumidifier controls the moisture indoors and helps air conditioners create the ideal humidity level to stop mold in its tracks!

Healthy humidity levels in a home are between 30 and 50 percent for most of the U.S. In Birmingham, a realistic level with air conditioners is closer to 50 or 60 percent. When the levels go well above, your home becomes a breeding ground for all sorts of allergens.

Although air conditioners are designed to remove moisture from the air, they can’t remove all of it. They struggle when the humidity levels are high. 

Allergy Symptoms Occur When Humidity is High

Humidity allows several different allergens to grow and thrive inside your home. Small and poorly ventilated areas, such as bathrooms, laundry rooms or small kitchens, are prime spots for moisture to accumulate. If you experience any of these symptoms, high humidity might be part of the problem:

  • Sneezing
  • Difficulty breathing or constant wheezing
  • Itchy, watery eyes
  • Stuffy nose
  • Skin irritations and rashes

How Does a Dehumidifier Help an Air Conditioner?

A dehumidifier helps your current air conditioner maintain ideal humidity levels in your home twenty-four hours a day. A dehumidifier offers many benefits to you and your home, such as:

Fewer Allergens

There are a variety of allergens waiting to trigger an individual’s allergies or their symptoms. Dust mites, mold, and mildew are the most common allergens in a humid home. They thrive in moist environments, which means rooms with poor ventilation will yield higher allergens. Bathrooms, laundry rooms and basements are the most common areas.

Prevents Dust Mites from Spreading

Dust mites are nasty microscopic organisms that feed off dead skin cells. They live and grow in bedding, upholstery and mattresses. When homes are too moist and hot, dust mites reproduce rapidly.

Pest Control

Moist environments also draw in nasty pests, such as roaches and spiders. A dehumidifier will help your air conditioner control moisture and reduce the number of creepy-crawly things invading your home.

Increased Comfort

Ideal humidity levels keep you, your family and guests comfortable regardless of the weather outside. You will enjoy lounging in your home while sipping a sweet tea as the humidity levels continue to rise outside with the temperature. A dehumidifier helps the air in your home feel cooler, so you can sit back and enjoy yourself and your company.

Reduced Energy Costs

Surprised? It’s true! A dehumidifier helps your cooling system work more efficiently day-after-day. By removing excess moisture from the air, your air conditioner isn’t required to work harder to maintain ideal temperatures in your home. 

You save energy when your air conditioner works a reasonable amount, and your cooling system experiences less wear and tear.

Increases Air Conditioners Efficiency

Air conditioners can remove some moisture when the humidity is low outside. However, installing a whole-home dehumidifier with your air conditioner increases its performance and efficiency throughout the summer.

Moisture can accumulate inside air conditioners when the humidity is high, which can interfere with the inner components and force units to work harder to deliver controlled temperatures throughout homes.

By reducing moisture inside your air conditioner, your unit will operate smoothly and experience less wear and tear when the heat is high outside.

Reduce moisture by pairing dehumidifiers with air conditioners, which will increase the performance and efficiency of cooling systems. You will feel healthier and experience less allergy and asthma symptoms when your home is dry.

Controls Moisture in Every Corner

Portable dehumidifiers only alleviate the moisture in a set space, while whole-home dehumidifiers work with air conditioners to control humidity throughout entire homes.

As your air conditioner operates, the dehumidifier removes the excess moisture in the air before circulating it through the air ducts. By removing moisture from the air-conditioned air, you experience less damp spots throughout your home.

Extreme humidity even damages your home. You may notice paint peeling from the walls, wet spots forming on the walls and ceiling, and the foundation growing weaker because of too much humidity. Furnishings and doors bend and swell when moisture is too high in a home, including wood floors and wooden furniture. Instruments like pianos and guitars are frequently out of tune.

Benefits of a Whole-Home Dehumidifier

A whole-home dehumidifier offers many benefits besides controlling and maintaining your moisture levels in your home. Portable dehumidifiers require you to move them from room to room. Or they require you to buy multiple units to cover several spaces.

Whole-home dehumidifiers remove moisture from every room in your home by working with your current heating and cooling system’s ductwork.

This allows your air conditioning system to work less often because the lower humidity levels make the air feel cooler. A whole-home dehumidifier helps your air conditioner run more efficiently because it only has to work to cool the air and not dehumidify it.

To further fight allergens, many people use air purifiers, ultraviolet light, and high-efficiency filters with their air conditioners.

Air Conditioner Versus Dehumidifier

Simply maintaining an ideal temperature in your home during the summer months isn’t enough to keep you comfortable. However, creating a healthy environment is possible when you know the difference between your air conditioner and dehumidifier.

Each one helps by controlling humidity, and they work together to maintain optimum temperatures in your house when humidity levels are high.

What’s the Difference Between the Two?

Both an air conditioner and a dehumidifier circulate refrigerant through a continuous loop, switching between liquid to gas repeatedly. However, regardless of their similarities, both have subtle differences. The first difference is air conditioners move warm and cool air and dehumidifiers don’t.

An air conditioner has a fan system design to move air in a room over the evaporator coils, which cools the warm air. The leftover warm air is exhausted outside, so your home remains cool.

A dehumidifier uses a fan to pull in the moist air and deliver dry air back out. The warm air isn’t disposed of so it comes back inside, which plays an adverse effect on the cooling process in your home.

The next difference is moisture control. Both deal with moisture by condensing it on the cooling coils. However, the air handler pools the condensate in a pan, which drains. There might be a drip edge or drainage tubes, either avenue gets the moisture out of the house.

A dehumidifier pulls the water from the air, allowing it to accumulate in a water reservoir. A hose is attached to the reservoir for a dedicated drainage area. An automatic shutoff prevents spills.

Controlling Humidity with an Air Conditioner

Because your air conditioning system can remove some of the moisture from your home, it’s a great option for moderate humidity areas. However, if your current air conditioning system isn’t correctly sized for your house, it won’t effectively eliminate excess moisture.

If you live in Alabama, where the humidity is unbearable during the summer months, combining a whole-home dehumidifier to help your air conditioner is the best option.

Will a Dehumidifier Help Your Air Conditioner? Call Douglas for a Free Estimate!

A dehumidifier with your current HVAC system is more efficient compared to portable units and come in a variety of sizes. Douglas Cooling & Heating carries several dehumidifiers to choose, and our NATE-certified technicians will suggest the best option for your home. Concerned about expenses? We offer HVAC financing!

Using a whole-home dehumidifier with your air conditioner improves energy-efficiency in your home and keeps you feeling comfortable all summer long. So yes, a dehumidifier does help your air conditioner. 

Contact Douglas Cooling & Heating if you are ready to take control of the Alabama humidity issues in your home. Our NATE-certified technicians are experienced and skilled to install a quality dehumidifier with your air conditioning unit.

Make it even easier with membership in one of our service plans. We offer plans at three different levels to fit any budget. So call Douglas Cooling & Heating today and schedule an HVAC maintenance call for your heating and cooling system. 

Our team serves homeowners throughout the Birmingham, Alabama area, including Mountain Brook, Pelham, Bessemer, and Calera. You’ll also find our team in Vestavia Hills, Chelsea, Helena, Homewood and Hoover. 

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I Need Help with Leaky Faucets!

July 24th, 2019

Leaky faucets are one common reason Birmingham area homeowners Call Douglas’ Douglas Cooling & Heating for help. This simple plumbing issue leads to serious water waste and creates a potential for water damage in your home. Learn common causes as well as why you never want to ignore this issue. Get help with leaky faucets today!

Common Causes of Leaky Faucets

  • Worn-out O-ring
  • Valve seat corrosion
  • Bad washer
  • Bad seals
  • Loose components
  • Broken pipes

Leaky faucets are caused by many different issues, within the fixture or your plumbing system. We share insight into a few common causes to help with leaky faucets around your home:

Worn-out O-ring

The faucet O-ring is a small disc attached to the stem screw which holds the faucet in place. If the O-ring is worn out or otherwise damaged, leaks occur at the faucet’s handle. It’s common for O-rings to wear out from normal fixture use and eventually need replacement.

Valve seat corrosion

The valve seat sits between the faucet and spout. Sediment from water often accumulates here and causes corrosion in the component. This results in leaks around the faucet’s spout. The valve seat should be cleaned regularly to prevent corrosion. 

If you’re not sure how to do this, schedule a plumbing inspection and service visit with a licensed plumber. He or she can handle it and or show you how to do it. 

These service visits are a great time to ask questions and learn more about how to maintain your plumbing fixtures. Regular plumbing maintenance goes a long way to prevent major plumbing repairs or replacements. 

Toilet running? Toilet gurgles? Funny smell from a drain? They may seem like no big deal, but it’s best to get in front of small problems before they become big ones. 

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Bad washer

Each time you use a faucet, the washer pushes against the valve seat. This results in friction and over time wears out the washer. This causes leaks around the faucet spout in a compression-style faucet, which requires replacement. Washer replacement is a common DIY project. Just be sure the washer is correctly installed and the right size, otherwise the leak continues.

Bad seals

Water inlet and outlet seals are also subject to corrosion from sediment buildup, which results in leaks.

Loose components

The packing nuts in the stem screw have a tendency to loosen over time. This results in leaks at the faucet handle. To stop the leak, it helps to tighten or replace this component.

Broken pipes

Leaks underneath your sink are commonly caused by loose fittings or broken pipes. This often happens when items stored below the sink strike against the plumbing components. Pipes also break during periods of overnight temperature drops, even in Alabama. 

Help with Leaky Faucets – DIY or Call a Pro?

Many Birmingham area homeowners are comfortable performing plumbing repairs on their own, but others are not, and that’s okay! Just remember, when you replace a faucet component, the new component must be properly placed and the fixture correctly reassembled. If not, water leaks persist.

While some Birmingham homeowners love to tackle the challenge of a DIY plumbing project, don’t feel you have to. For many of us, if a task requires special knowledge, certain tools and will take twice the time it takes a professional, it’s worth calling for plumbing repairs. After all, a leaky faucet is a repair plumbers do all the time!

Why You Need Help with Leaky Faucets

Most Birmingham homeowners are unaware of the waste and impact of leaky faucets. Sure, a small, slow drip doesn’t seem like a big issue. When ignored, however, it has the potential to waste thousands of gallons of water over time. One drip per second leads to over 3,000 gallons of water wasted from a faucet over a year. That’s the equivalent of more than 180 showers!

Need Help with Leaky Faucets? Call Douglas Today!

Douglas Cooling & Heating is here to help with leaky faucets and any other plumbing issues around your Birmingham area home. We get to work to solve your leaky faucet problems, which restores plumbing fixture performance and limits water waste in your home. 

Our team of licensed plumbers assists with water heater installation, water heater repairs, water filtration systems, slow or clogged drains, sewer line clogs, hydro-jetting, as well as toilet and garbage disposal issues. We also offer emergency services, so if a water leak is causing damage or you have an overflow, call us right away. We’re here for you!

Our team travels throughout the Birmingham area, including Bessemer, Hoover, Homewood, Calera, Mountain Brook, Pelham, Helena, Vestavia Hills, and Chelsea. So don’t let that drip or plumbing problem continue – call Douglas Cooling & Heating today to schedule plumbing repair!

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Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Hold Off On AC Repairs

July 22nd, 2019

Now that summer is here, the last thing you need is a broken down air conditioner, right? Well, we hate to be the bearer of bad news, but sometimes things happen, and before you know it, you could be stuck dealing with a faulty AC! And sure, while you might be tempted to wait until the end of summer to schedule your repairs, we can assure you that is not the best idea.

You see, when you’ve got AC troubles on your hands, the last thing you should do is wait to schedule your repairs. Why? Because holding off on repairs can spell all sorts of trouble for your comfort and your wallet. In fact, there are plenty of reasons why you should call for repairs ASAP, and below, we’ve listed a few of them for you. Keep reading to find out more.

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