Month: April 2022

What Factors Affect the Cost of Air Duct Replacement?

Apr 18, 2022

What Factors Affect the Cost of Air Duct Replacement?

What Factors Affect the Cost of Air Duct Replacement?

Without air ducts, your HVAC system would never be able to make your Sacramento home comfortable. Although ducts are necessary, their use does come with some drawbacks. One of these drawbacks is that ducts eventually require replacing. The problem is that many Sacramento homeowners see their home’s ducts as a lifetime investment, ultimately resulting in wasted energy and uncomfortable rooms. If you want to improve your HVAC system’s efficiency and ensure your home is as comfortable as possible, it’s important to consider air duct replacement. Understanding the costs involved in this project is the focus of this article from Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air.

Why Ducts Deteriorate

Ducts don’t sit outside or in direct sunlight. That’s why many homeowners are surprised that ducts can deteriorate at all. Although air ducts have some protection because they’re inside your home, ducts continuously experience harsh conditions. One condition that’s hard on ducts is constant temperature changes. Since air ducts largely reside in spaces that lack insulation, they tend to get much warmer or colder than the rest of your home. Then, when conditioned air blows through the ducts, their temperatures change quickly, wearing down the metal over time. Ducts also have to face attics with high humidity, curious animals that make their nests in unseen spaces of your home, and other challenges. This is why it’s important to have Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air inspect your ducts every few years to make sure these factors aren’t negatively affecting your home’s ducts.

Expected Lifespan of Air Ducts

Despite the harsh conditions that air ducts face, you can still expect them to last between 20 and 25 years. Of course, if your ducts have proper insulation around them and were properly installed, this lifespan could be much longer. Another variable that determines the lifespan of your ducts is the material they’re made from. Flexible ducts tend to be less robust than rigid metal ducts, especially if there are curious critters in your attic or crawl space. Under certain circumstances, you might only get ten years from flexible ducts, meaning you need to try and avoid flexible ducts if you’re changing small sections of ductwork in your home.

Cost to Replace Air Ducts

A variety of factors influence the final cost of air duct replacement. Assuming there are no major roadblocks, you can expect to pay between $1,000 and $6,000. Again, these numbers are just rough estimates and can only be confirmed after evaluating your home’s particular needs. One factor that contributes to the cost of ductwork replacement is that there is a lot of custom work that goes into every duct system. Although the ducts themselves are often mass-produced, the joints between the ducts and the precise measurements to ensure everything fits correctly are different from home to home. At Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air, we are happy to provide free estimates for duct replacement to help you understand the feasibility of this project.

Other Factors

Beyond customization concerns, an important component affecting the cost of your project will be the size of your house. Larger homes naturally require more extensive ductwork systems, meaning that more materials and labor will go into a ductwork replacement project for a larger house. The complexity of the system is another important concern. If your home has separate HVAC systems for different levels of your home, the time required to properly replace the ductwork for these systems will increase. Additionally, if you have a zoned system that uses dampers to accurately control the flow of air to individual rooms, the cost of your project will likely go up. Fortunately, an experienced company like Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air can quickly complete even complex projects to minimize the time you can’t use your HVAC system.

Potential Air Duct Issues

Ignoring your air ducts will only lead to problems. At Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air, we always tell our customers to opt for air duct replacement before a major issue causes loss of comfort and efficiency. The most serious problem with damaged ducts is that air can leak out of the ducts before it reaches the vents. This means that your ducts will be heating and cooling gaps between walls, attics, and crawl spaces instead of the living areas throughout your home. Even if there are no holes in the ducts themselves, the joints between the ducts can separate, leading to large leaks and further complications down the road. Additionally, leaky ducts can allow excess moisture and dust to enter the ducts. If the dust becomes trapped in the ducts, moisture can get caught in the dust and lead to mold growth, causing unhealthy air conditions in your home.

Signs of Air Duct Problems

It’s always important to pay attention to your HVAC system so that you can catch potential problems early. Even though you can’t see your home’s air ducts, you can still notice signs that indicate it might be time to replace them. One sign of trouble is when different rooms in your home are frequently at vastly different temperatures. When air leaks out of the air ducts, the intended volume of air won’t reach rooms that are further away from the central components of your HVAC system, leading to uncomfortable temperatures in these rooms. In some situations, you may notice rattling noises coming from your ducts. If your ducts have a substantial leak, the different air pressure levels at different points in the ductwork can cause major vibrations. If you have rattling ducts, it’s a good idea to call Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air as soon as possible for a free evaluation to determine what’s going on.

Duct Sealing

If duct replacement sounds like too much of an involved project, there is another option if you have leaking ducts in your home. Duct sealing uses special sticky sealant that sticks to holes in your ductwork as the sealant is drawn through the ducts under negative pressure. The sealant builds on itself, creating large masses of sealant that prevent air from escaping just as if the duct was new. Overall, this process is faster, easier, and typically less expensive than complete duct replacement. Even new duct systems can benefit from duct sealing to help seal gaps between pieces of ductwork. A technician from Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air will be able to determine if your ducts are a good candidate for sealing.

Taking Pride in Air Ducts

At Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air, we take pride in taking care of your entire HVAC system. We provide a complete lineup of HVAC services, including air conditioner repair, furnace replacement, duct repair and replacement. We also offer other services including: water heater installation, sump pump repair, drain cleaning, thermostat upgrades, and much more. This all-in approach to home care is one reason why our customers frequently leave us five-star reviews. To learn more about taking care of your home’s ducts, contact us at Crystal Blue Plumbing Heating & Air today.

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Tips for Dealing With a Leaky Faucet

Apr 14, 2022

Tips for Dealing With a Leaky Faucet

Water Leak in Sacramento, CA

Dripping faucets can be a major headache for any homeowner, especially if the problem is allowed to persist for a long time. The leakage can cause permanent water damage near the faucet, and the dripping noise, along with being annoying, can indicate a larger problem with the plumbing system as a whole. Never ignore dripping faucets. Repair these problem fixtures as soon as possible to avoid causing permanent damage or increasing your water bill with leaking water that is not being used.

Read on to learn several things you can do to avoid a leaky faucet in the first place. Once you know why a faucet might start to leak, you can keep it from happening in the future. The experts at Crystal Blue Plumbing in the Sacramento, CA area can help you with all your plumbing needs.

What Causes Faucets to Leak?

Several factors can cause a faucet to drip and otherwise fail. Most are the result of structural failure. Some of these considerations are as follows:

  • Valve seats that have corroded
  • O-rings that have broken
  • Washers that aren’t tight
  • Fixtures that have been cracked or damaged
  • Deterioration within the pipes

When a faucet handle is dripping, the O-ring, a small disk that attaches to the screw that holds the handle in place, has likely broken down. This type of leak occurs near the spout or near the faucet because the valve seat serves as the connection between these parts. Another common cause of a leaking faucet is a washer that is too loose or improperly installed. With each use, the washer presses against the valve seat, causing it to wear down and eventually fail, resulting in a leak.

Once you have determined what is causing your faucet to leak, you can take the necessary steps to not only alleviate the problem but also prevent it from recurring. Keep in mind that faucets and plumbing fixtures will malfunction for a variety of reasons in different rooms, depending on the environment.
In the bathroom, there will be a lot of humidity. Faucets or showerheads may leak because an O-ring has failed or pipes are corroded. Worn-out washers and valve seats can also be sources of frustration. Hard water deposits can build up on showerheads, which can lead to dripping and leakage.

In the kitchen, there may be other reasons for a faucet to leak, like overuse or exposure to cooking substances. A worn-out O-ring or valve seat is the most common cause of a dripping faucet in the kitchen. Another cause of leakage could be the fastenings and screws on the faucet. They may have become loose and need to be tightened. The presence of grease and other cooking substances that may cause corrosion can also cause kitchen faucets to break down.

How to Prevent a Leaky Faucet

There is a lot that you can do to keep your plumbing fixtures in good condition for years to come and prevent breakdowns that can cause dripping. Cleaning the most noticeable problem areas on a regular basis can prevent things like corrosion of the valve seat. Replacing the O-rings every two years or so can prevent them from malfunctioning.

If you suspect that there is a problem with the water connections, you need to call a plumber to inspect the fixture and replace it if it is not working properly. Our licensed plumbers at Crystal Blue are experts in fixture repair and replacement, cleaning, pipe inspection, and water leak detection, all of which might manifest in leaky fixtures.

If you notice that the showerhead is leaking in the bathroom, you should try cleaning it to see if that solves the problem. Soaking the showerhead in white vinegar can aid in the removal of any deposits that have formed. Remove the showerhead from the hose and soak it overnight. The next day, scrub it with a toothbrush before reinstalling it. When all else fails, replace the showerhead with a brand new one from the manufacturer.

Consider installing water leakage sensor systems and water interrupters, which can help prevent water leakage if at all possible. Water damage is by far the most common type of property damage, surpassing even fire and electrical damage in terms of frequency. You can install a water leakage system for half the cost of a traditional system, ensuring the safety of your home and family.

What is the reasoning behind this recommendation? Fortunately, the majority of these sensors are Wi-Fi based and come with a smartphone app, allowing you to keep an eye on your home from wherever you are in the world. A water leak sensor and a set of water valves let you know when there is a water leak in your home. Crystal Blue Plumbing can install water leak detectors in your home if you feel they are needed.

On a regular basis, check the various water fixtures in your home to ensure they are in good working order. Inspect the sink for rust deposits or calcium deposits in other basins, which may indicate corrosion in the pipes. This will eventually lead to the breakdown and failure of the fixtures themselves. If a fixture looks worn out, even if it is not leaking, it might be worthwhile to replace it with a newer one.

Fixing Faucet Leaks Can Save You Money on Your Water Bill

The majority of homeowners ignore dripping faucets because they consider them to be only a minor inconvenience rather than an emergency. However, most people would likely be shocked if they knew how much water they were losing to a drippy faucet, even only on a single day. To determine how much water is being wasted, you could place an empty container under the dripping faucet for an entire day and then measure how much water has accumulated. You might be surprised at how much water is being wasted by a single faulty fixture.

When you multiply the amount of water lost over a period of several days or even a month, you can see how a leaking faucet can have a negative impact on your overall water consumption. Examine your leaky faucets, and have them repaired as soon as possible. This is the most effective way to avoid costly water bills each month, not to mention the impact that wasted water can have on the environment. It is always better to call a local plumbing professional to inspect a leaking faucet immediately rather than allowing the problem to get worse.

Crystal Blue Plumbing has been serving the Sacramento area for more than 40 years. As a family-owned and -operated business, we know that our skilled and knowledgeable professionals can work on your problem and ensure that it is fixed correctly the first time. Crystal Blue provides services for all residential plumbing, heating, and air conditioning issues. If you have plumbing problems, we can provide experts in fixture repair and installation, drain cleaning, repiping, water leak detection, and emergency plumbing services. Call us today to get your leaky faucets fixed as soon as possible.