Design Comfort Blog

Here’s Why Your Tankless Water Heater Needs Maintenance

April 11th, 2022

tankless-water-heater-on-green-tile-wallIf you’ve seen a tank model water heater–which you probably have–then you know it is large, pretty noticeable, and can even be a little noisy too. In other words, it’s going to be difficult not to pay some attention to this system, if this is what’s in your home. You probably even know that it needs occasional professional maintenance from a qualified plumber!

Why? Because scaling… the buildup of minerals from hard water… can have a negative impact on it, causing issues such as water pressure problems, temperature fluctuations, and eventually even system corrosion. A tank water heater needs to be “flushed” out to get rid of sediment builup.

Of course, since it doesn’t have a tank, a tankless system doesn’t need the same level of care, right?

Meh, not so right. In fact, much of the maintenance we do for conventional tank water heaters is pretty similar to tankless water heater maintenance. Read on to learn more about why tankless water heaters need maintenance too.

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Potential End-of-Season Heating Repair Needs to Be Aware Of

March 28th, 2022

animated-gif-checklistTemperatures have certainly started to warm up recently, and with these warmer days, it’s almost time to turn our attention to our home cooling systems. Have you scheduled maintenance for yours, yet? Maintenance helps your HVAC systems work as efficiently and effectively as possible, for as long as possible, by allowing our professionals to thoroughly inspect, clean, and adjust the components that need it.

That said, while this service is important and you’ll see us discuss it more as we progress into spring and then summer, it’s not the time to start ignoring your heater. In fact, if you’ve noticed some troubling symptoms with your heating system, you should probably give us a call to see if you need repairs. Putting this off could leave you with a broken-down furnace when you need it the most, either when we go through another cold spell this spring, or when you need it in earnest next fall.

Read on to learn more about some of the common end-of-season heater repair needs you might come across.

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Signs Your Water Quality is Suffering

March 14th, 2022

hand-holding-glass-of-water-being-filled-at-sinkDid you know there could be a perfectly legitimate reason you don’t like the taste of your tap water? It might actually be contaminated with particles or minerals that while not always harmful, definitely impacts the water quality, quality of your plumbing, and therefore your quality of life!

Whether it’s bad taste or smells in the water, there is a solution, and that’s finding you the right water filtration system or a combination of filtration systems. How do you know, though, if that’s really what you need?

We’ll get into some of the signs of poor water quality below… first let’s dive into what type of water filtration systems are on the market that we install. Read on!

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Staying Warm While Awaiting Furnace Repairs

February 28th, 2022

technician-working-on-furnaceSo your heater is struggling, huh? If you have a technician on the way, then you’re in good shape! Unfortunately, though, we can’t always show up as quickly as you’d like–and on the chilliest of days, even 30 minutes can seem like a lifetime.

Fortunately, not all is lost! We have some tips for things you can do to keep warm while waiting for your furnace repairs–try these out and before you know it, we’ll be at your door ready to work on your furnace needs.

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Here’s How to Tell If You Need Heat Pump Repairs

February 14th, 2022

floor-ventA heat pump system is a fantastic way to keep your Salt Lake City home comfortable all year round. We’re at the peak of winter right now, so temperatures are still a bit chilly. And now is usually when people discover their comfort systems might need repairs–because of all the hard work they’ve been through over the last several weeks.

If you think it’s time for you to schedule heat pump repair services, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our team! But what if you don’t know the signs of a heat pump in disrepair?

Well, fortunately, you have our team for that! Read on to learn some of the signs of a heat pump that needs repair, and then give us a call if you notice any of them.

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Signs That Your Water Heater Is Struggling

January 17th, 2022

surprised-womanNo matter what season it is here in Salt Lake City, there is one home comfort system in particular that you will always need, and yet it probably doesn’t get the acknowledgment or appreciation it deserves–your water heater. This system is easy to take for granted–relying on the fact that you’ll have hot water from the taps whenever you need it.

When you take into account the amount of strain a water heater undergoes (it works every day of the year, after all), you can understand that you can’t expect your water heater system to operate 100% free of problems. At one point or another, you’ll probably need professional water heater repairs. But how do you know when this is the case?

Well, here are some signs you can watch out for. 

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The Benefits of a Duel Fuel System in Salt Lake City

January 3rd, 2022

floor-ventIf you’re asking what a dual fuel system is, don’t worry, you’re not alone! Before we jump into how one of these systems can benefit you and your home, we’ll go ahead and answer this question first.

The thing about a gas furnace for your heating needs is, it’s not perfect. It can be too powerful on milder winter nights, meaning that it’s drawing more energy than is really necessary to keep you warm. An electric heat pump isn’t perfect either–it actually struggles to work as a heating system if temperatures drop too terrible low during the winter, which can be a real pain in Salt Lake City!

It’s too bad that there isn’t something that combines the two, right?

Wait, that’s exactly what a dual fuel heating system is! Read on to learn more.

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It’s Not Too Late for This Vital Heating Service

December 20th, 2021

burners-inside-furnaceTemperatures haven’t reached their chilliest just yet here in the Salt Lake City area, but they sure are cold. We’re certain that you are using your heater on a regular basis, as you should be. But have you already scheduled heating maintenance? If not, it’s not too late! Maintenance is a service that requires highly trained and experience technicians–it’s really not a simple service that homeowners can just do by running through a checklist. That said, there is one small maintenance task you can and should do–change your air filter every 1-3 months so it doesn’t get too clogged up and restrict airflow.

The rest of your maintenance needs to be done by a professional! After all, you want your heating system to work as reliably as possible for the rest of fall and all throughout winter, right? And we can’t stress enough just how important it is to have this service done routinely–once a year for a traditional furnace or boiler and twice a year for heat pump and ductless systems. This is the only way that you’ll be able to operate your heater at its best. Read on to learn some of the benefits of this service.

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Tips for Staying Warm This Winter

December 6th, 2021

man-shivering-in-homeOur number one tip for Salt Lake City homeowners to stay warm this winter is to ensure that their heating system is in good shape. This means scheduling maintenance for it first. Maintenance tune-ups should be scheduled once a year (twice, if you have a heat pump system) to keep the system working as efficiently and effectively as possible, for as long as possible. Maintenance tune-ups even help fend off up to 85% of the repairs that a heater may ever need in its lifetime.

But what if you haven’t had maintenance in a while, and your heater broke down? This is of course an emergency and you’ll want to call us right away. However in the meantime, while you wait for repairs, you want to do whatever you can to stay comfortable. Read on for some tips on how to do so.

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Should You Choose a Tankless Water Heater for Your Home?

November 22nd, 2021

tankless-water-heater-on-green-tiled-wallIf there is any home comfort system in the modern home that people tend to take for granted–as unintentional as that is–it’s likely the water heater. Even though this is the most often used appliance in the average home, you likely don’t give yours a whole lot of thought, unless something goes wrong with it. Then, when something is amiss with the system, the next question is “do I repair it or replace it?”

The answer to that question is really in its age. If you have a newer water heater and this is the first time it’s needed a repair, then that’s likely the best course of action. If yours is edging on a couple of decades in age though, and it’s needed repairs more and more frequently, it’s time to replace.

Let’s say you’re in the latter camp, what next? You may have always had a traditional, storage tank water heater in your home, but this doesn’t mean it’s what you have to stick with. There are benefits to staying with a tank model, and we’ll talk about that below, but you might do well to consider a tankless water heater installation instead. Read on to learn more!

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