Pioneer Plumbing has built a reputation of honesty with our long time returning customers. We’ve found that “doing the right thing†in all aspects of our company has brought us to where we are today, and will continue to guide us into the future. Don’t hesitate to call and ask us any plumbing, heating, ventilation, or gas related questions. Chances are if you have a tricky issue, we can solve it.
We have a few goals for our clients. One is to be available for you. It is very uncommon that when you call us we are unable to make it within the same day. We give our repeat customers priority service so if you’ve used us before and you have an emergency, we are going to do what we need to, to get someone there.
Two is to be upfront and honest. From our quotes to our service techs on site, we don’t like to beat around the bush. We will let you know our concerns, our recommendations, and our opinions on how we would handle each situation as if it were our own residence where the problem occurred. We won’t tell you the job is only a 2 hour repair when we have had situations where it turned into an all day repair.
Three is to stand behind our installations and repairs. With mechanical work, it is very common for jobs to get larger or go sideways as you get into them. If we give you a quote we will stand true to the price, if we complete a job for you and you are unhappy with the finished product, we will come back and make it right. In return, all we ask is that you communicate with our office respectfully and honestly so that we can make sure at the end of the day you are happy with our services!
So next time you have a plumbing, heating, cooling, or gas question, repair, or installation you would like quoted, give us a call! Were here to help.
In this article further down you can find a bunch of dependable information relating to Furnace Service.
Heating Repair And Seasonal Maintenance Tips
You can maintain an furnace system numerous different ways. Odds are, during wintertime months your furnace is on all day attempting to keep the home warm. Actually, it is usually on more than it must be because it is unable to maintain an operable atmosphere. When trouble shooting and optimizing the heating portion of your furnace system, there are several areas to look at.
The Air Filter
This is the part you usually hear people speaking about most frequently, but so few people take the recommendation and check it. When there is a blockage, you either run the chance of not distributing heat adequately or possibly starting a fire.When the filter gets dirty air cannot flow through as well which suggests the unit must work overtime and could also mean a risk of fire. If the system is not distributing heat properly, it is working overtime. The fire issue is self-explanatory. In each case it is not good for reassurance or your funds.
Check The Blower
Check the blower blades and clean them. If there is any build-up of dirt and debris, your fan will work harder to blow the air out, and the furnace will be overexerting itself. This implies strain on your furnace system and your wallet since more energy is required to constantly run the blower.
Fire Damper Function
Next, look at the fire damper to ensure it is running properly. This will make sure that the fir risk is lowered and the system works more efficiently.
Look For Holes In The Flex Duct
It is possible that your ducts became impaired over the years for different reasons. If there are obstructions or the duct has flattened anywhere the furnace system will think the correct temp has been achieved, which will be wrong. When this happens the system works too much to do its job but will be unable to attain the right temperature range.
Band Insulation
Insulation is usually ignored but is among the most common reasons why an furnace system malfunctions. Take take time to focus on the insulation between the duct work and the exterior to make sure it has not worked itself loose. When this happens furnace will work more than wanted while attempting to reach optimal temperature.
Ductwork Needs To Be Connected
See that the ductwork does not become separated from the next section. These detachments may cause gaps in the airflow and cause a loss of heated air in your home, since it will be leaking out through the spaces.
Return Air Inlets And The Zone Dampers
Check to see that return air intakes are free of dust and debris so air can flow easliy. Look at the zone dampers to check if they are in the right spot. During the year we may change the positioning of the damper for many reasons (i.e. getting in a tight space or making room for storage). For a properly working system, check to see that your dampers are actually in the right position.
If that is a little too much to handle alone, we propose you hire an area plumbing company certified for furnace and heating repair. You will find a number of heating specialists around you who will care for this all quite capably. For the best results you can set up annual up-keep for furnace and your heating people will call every year to deal with it.
What’s the cheapest way to heat your home this winter?
We all want to keep our homes nice and warm in winter, without spending a fortune. To find out the best way to save on heating, we did some research into the pros, cons and costs of electricity, gas and wood.
Find out which is the most cost effective and efficient way to heat your home this winter.
Electricity
Startup costs
You can buy a cheap fan heater, which is very efficient for warming a room quickly, for under R200. A 9-fin oil heater costs around R800. The better quality the heater, the more you will pay.
Cost of electricity
The heat energy of a heating device is measured in kilowatts (kW). The current cost of electricity in Johannesburg is R1.24 per kW. A 9-fin oil heater or an elctric fan uses around 2kW in an hour, so at R1.24 per kW, it will cost you R2.48 per hour.
Remember, though, that during peak times (between 07:00 and 10:00 and 17:00 and 21:00 on weekdays) in certain municipalities in winter, electricity can be billed at 2.5 times the standard rate. This Time of Use Tariff means that you’ll be paying R6.20 to use a heater during these times.
Heat generated
In South Africa, our heaters are limited by the type of power they can draw from our plug points, so the maximum heat they can generate is 3kW. However, as most of our heaters are imported, the maximum they can generate is 2kW, in line with European limitations.
Pros
Electric heaters are available in a range of sizes, functionality, cost and heat efficiency. In addition, the costs of heating a room with electricity are not overly high. And it’s convenient - as long as the power’s on, it is always available at the flip of a switch.
Cons
Electric heaters are dependent on the Eskom power supply, which means that if there is no power, you will have no heat. Certain types of heater – oil heaters, for instance – take a long time to warm up. Other types – like bar heaters – give a more immediate radiant heat, but there is a risk of burning yourself or even starting a fire. Electric heaters do tend to dry out the air but a humidifier or bowl of water nearby will solve that.
Gas
Startup costs
A portable gas heater starts in the region of R800 to R1 000. A 9kg gas bottle requires a deposit of R300 and the gas itself costs R200 for each refill.
Cost of gas
It is calculated that a 9kg gas canister, which costs around R200, will be used up in around 30 hours – so that’s R6.67 an hour.
Heat generated
Mobile gas heaters can give out over 4kW of heat. You can manually adjust their temperature to give out less heat, and thus use less gas.
Pros
Gas heaters deliver instant heat and are therefore very efficient at warming a room – or your cold hands!
Cons
The costs of gas and gas heaters are comparatively quite high. Also, gas heaters consume oxygen and so the room must be well ventilated. And you will have to arrange for gas to be delivered to your home, or take your gas bottles to be refilled.
Wood-burning stove
Start-up cost
David Wantling, a heating expert and the managing member of J Macdonald and Sons (trading as macD Fire House), says that a wood-burning stove or a closed combustion fireplace costs between R10 000 and R25 000, with installation of around R5 000.
Note that the following calculations do not include open fireplaces, which are very inefficient; only around 15% to 20% of the heat radiates into the room while the rest goes up the chimney.
Cost of wood
The cost of fuel for a wood-burning stove is far less than the cost of using electricity or gas. A bag of hard, well-seasoned wood containing around 25 pieces costs around R45. David estimates that a fire loaded with six pieces will burn for more than six hours at a moderate level. This means that the stove will consume about one piece of wood per hour at a cost of R1.80 per hour for an output of 6 to 8kW of heat. The cost is therefore around 30c per kW.
Heat generated
Closed wood-burning stove have an efficiency of up to 80%. Wood stoves’ heat outputs are generally rated as: small – 3kW to 6kW, medium – 5kW to 9kW, and large – 8kW to 12kW, and very large - above 12kW. The size of the space would determine the size fireplace you need.
Pros
Wood-burning stoves give off a lot of warmth very efficiently, and wood is an inexpensive fuel to burn in this way.
Cons
The start-up costs of buying and installing a wood-burning stove are fairly steep. And you will have to make arrangements to purchase wood.
The conclusion
Wood-burning stoves, while the most expensive to purchase, burn wood at a slow rate while generating a lot of heat, and are the most-cost effective way to heat a room.
Electric heaters are the cheapest to purchase, and their running costs are the second cheapest after wood stoves.
Mobile gas heaters are generally more expensive than their electric counterparts and their fuel is more costly than electricity and wood.
Of course, most people make the decision to heat their homes based on the equipment that they already have available and the convenience of getting hold of the right type of fuel. However, with the rising costs of all types of fuel, it is worth considering the financial implications of any heating solution that you opt for, so be sure that you go into any purchase or installation with your eyes open – especially with the wide range of products and models on the market.
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