Month: August 2019

7 Signs You Should Call for Toilet Repair in California

Aug 30, 2019

7 Signs You Should Call for Toilet Repair in California

Toilets are probably one of the most used bits of plumbing in your home. They’re very important to living a sanitary and comfortable modern life. However, since they’re used so often, they’re likely to break down from frequent use. Depending on your handyman skills, you might be able to fix minor problems. However, you’ll still want to know when it’s time to call a professional. Let Crystal Blue give you some advice on when you should call for toilet repair for your California home.

Here are seven signs you should call us to help you with toilet repair in you California home:

 

Frequent clogging

As long as you aren’t flushing anything you shouldn’t, your toilet shouldn’t clog very often. However, if your toilet is clogging up more than once per week, you might have a problem. One of the likely causes is that there’s a partial blockage somewhere in the pipes. Alternatively, the parts in your toilet used for flushing might be getting worn out. Either way, you should call one of our professionals to take a look and fix the problem.

 

Constant running

A toilet that’s constantly running often prompts people to try jiggling the handle. Doing this moves the flapper valve and sometimes gets it to close correctly. If this keeps happening, you may have to get a new flapper handle or even a new toilet altogether.

 

Weak or no flushing

When your toilet is having difficulty flushing or isn’t flushing at all, that means your toilet needs new parts. You’ll want to call an expert to help you determine what parts you need and to install them. At Crystal Blue, we come fully stocked and have the knowledge to install them.

 

Rust and corrosion

A rusty, corroded toilet is one that needs replacing. Sometimes, you can get away with swapping out a rust-covered part for a new one. Other times, you’ll have to replace the whole thing. Hard water is a common culprit when it comes to rust and corrosion, so getting a water softener can help you preserve your toilet and other plumbing.

 

Standing water around the base

Standing water in strange locations often signifies a leak. When you see standing water around the leak, it’s usually a problem with the seal. You’ll want to replace the seal quickly so you avoid water damage and increased water bills from the leaking water.

 

Cracked porcelain

When you’re cleaning your toilet, keep an eye out for cracks in the porcelain, especially in the tank or bowl. This can be another source of leaking water. Always check your toilet after it gets hit by anything or if anything heavy or solid lands on it.

 

No refills

If your toilet’s tank or bowl won’t refill, there’s one thing to blame: the fill valve. You’ll most likely have to locate it and replace it with a new one. However, if you don’t have the experience, this is a job best left to a professional plumber.

 

What makes Crystal Blue my best choice for plumbing repairs?

Crystal Blue Plumbing, Heating & Air is a licensed and insured plumbing contractor who has served Sacramento, CA and the surrounding areas since 1976. Our plumbers are reliable, friendly, and their #1 goal is to see you receive the best customer service, no matter the size or type of job. We stand behind our products and our work, and we want you to feel you can trust us with your bathroom plumbing. Whether it’s a toilet repair to stop it from running or a new faucet installation—or even extensive repiping—we’re the people who’ll get the work done and deliver you peace of mind. Call us today to learn more about how we can help you!

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AC Replacement in Auburn

Aug 26, 2019

AC Replacement in Auburn

Do you need an AC Replacement in Auburn, CA? Then you’ve found the right company! Crystal Blue Plumbing, Heating & Air has been serving Auburn and the surrounding communities for over 40 years. Once you join the Crystal Blue family, you’ll wonder why you ever trusted your home to another service company. We provide top quality service, customer care, and workmanship backed by Our Guarantee. Check out the post below to see how the AC replacement improved this family’s quality of life, saved them money, and made them members of our Crystal Blue family!

Before the AC Replacement in Auburn

Before the AC replacement in Auburn

One hot August morning, Mr. Turner and his family went to turn on their thermostat as they had for many years. Only this time, no cool refreshing air came out of the registers. This was a surprise, but not one the Turners didn’t see coming. The age of the unit was advanced, so the family expected an AC replacement in their near future. They began the process of calling companies for estimates and expected to have a few different options from which to choose.

 

What they did not expect was the prices being quoted to them by these other companies. One big-box seller quoted over $18,000 and the other just over $17,000 for a basic single-stage installation. The sellers justified these prices by touting the value of their warranties. Luckily, Mr. Turner ran into a Crystal Blue technician at the store and noticed he was in the heating and air business. They began to talk about his situation and he invited our team to his home to perform our own estimate. We came on site and performed a heat load calculation, which the other companies did not do in order to find the right options for Mr. Turner and his family.

 

After the AC Replacement in Auburn

Mr. Turner and his family chose to work with Crystal Blue Plumbing, Heating & Air. We installed an American Standard High Energy Efficiency 16 SEER True Variable Speed System with 2 stage cooling and heating. Our installation cost $4,000-$5,000 less than the competitors basic single stage systems. We even have the same warranties in writing that they offered without the mark-up in prices.

After the AC Replacement in Auburn

It took only 5 minutes to get them approved for financing, and needless to say the results speak for themselves. This new unit will reliably cool their home for many summers to come! Thank you to Mr. Turner and his family for trusting their home to Crystal Blue and joining our family!

 

If you need an AC Replacement in Auburn, Loomis, or the surrounding communities call Crystal Blue Plumbing, Heating & Air today!

5 Common Air Filters for Your California Home

Aug 16, 2019

5 Common Air Filters for Your California Home

Being a homeowner allows you to control all sorts of aspects of your home’s design. However, one aspect that can be harder to control is the quality of your home’s air. Unsavory contaminants like mold spores and dust can get into your air and make it uncomfortable to breathe. Fortunately, it’s common for many home service companies to offer air filters for your California home. However, there are many types of air filters for specific situations. It’s important to know the differences between the most common types so you can properly manage your home’s air quality.

Here are five of the more common air filters you can buy for your California home:

 

HEPA filters

First used in the 1850s, HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) filters are an old yet reliable way to stop dust and other debris-based contaminants. Unfortunately, they’re unable to clear out odors, radiation, gasses, or chemicals. “True” HEPA filters have to be able to capture 99.97% of particles larger or equal to 0.3 microns in a lab setting (in Europe, the requirement is only 85% of particles). However, “true HEPA” is also a marketing term that gets thrown around a lot. So do your research on HEPA filters to find ones that are actually effective.

 

UV lights

UV lights are great at destroying bacteria and germs, but can’t do anything against airborne particles. One of the more common types of UV light filters are lamps that zap germs as they pass through the lamp and the UV light. However, there are a couple of health-based caveats concerning these filters. First, UV light can be damaging to your skin and eyes, so they’re best placed somewhere where you can’t easily access it. In addition, they can convert oxygen and water to ozone (O3, as compared to the O2 we breathe,) which is dangerous at even low levels. When looking at UV filters, look for ones with minimal ozone production. This filter works best when paired with a HEPA filter and an activated carbon filter (see below,) as these two can destroy contaminants that could shield bacteria from the UV light.

 

Activated carbon

You might know how carbon can absorb contaminants like chemicals and gasses through chemical bonding. Activated carbon is a variant that’s designed to be more porous. By doing so, the carbon has more surface area and can absorb more contaminants. For maximum efficiency, activated carbon works best with HEPA filters to cover the widest range of cleared contaminants.

 

Central air filtration systems

Do you have central air in your home? There are air filters out there that can make use of that. Certain parts of the vents make great choke points for placing air filters as all of the house’s air will eventually flow through your duct system. These systems stay out of sight and can be very effective.

 

Negative ionizers

Negative ionizers clean your home’s air by adding extra electrons to air molecules that pass through it. From there, the air molecules attach themselves to positively-charged contaminants and become heavy enough that they fall to the floor or stick to a surface. They operate very quietly, but they only move the contaminant problem. This means you’ll have to do more cleaning on your walls and floors. In addition, movement can cause the stuck contaminants to break free and be released into the air. More importantly, negative ionizers can produce a worrying amount of ozone. There’s also some evidence that inhaled ionized particles can stick to your respiratory system and cause lung irritation and allergies.

 

Ozone filters

Ozone filters are somewhat rare compared to other air filters, but there’s a good reason for that. That’s because they’re dangerous to your health and highly inefficient. Various studies suggest that it would take months or even years to fully work and that it can’t clear biological pollutants without breaking public health standards. As for the ozone itself, it can create dangerous byproducts when reacting to certain chemicals, such as chemicals from a new carpet. In addition, the EPA says the ozone itself can:

  • Make it more difficult to breathe deeply and vigorously.
  • Cause shortness of breath, and pain when taking a deep breath.
  • Cause coughing and sore or scratchy throat.
  • Inflame and damage the airways.
  • Aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis.
  • Increase the frequency of asthma attacks.
  • Make the lungs more susceptible to infection.
  • Continue to damage the lungs even when the symptoms have disappeared.
  • Cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Why call on Crystal Blue to keep my home’s air healthy?

Our technicians at Crystal Blue Plumbing, Heating & Air work with a variety of air filters and air purifiers, as well as other IAQ solutions. They’re focused on your complete customer satisfaction and will work closely with you to meet your home’s specific requirements for better air quality. It’s our honor and privilege to serve the needs of customers in Sacramento, CA and the surrounding areas. Call us today to learn more about how we can keep your home’s air fresh!