Design Comfort Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Salt Lake City’

Benefits and Drawbacks of Low Flow Toilet Installation

Wednesday, March 5th, 2014

If you look over your water bill each month and wonder how you can lower it without sacrificing your comfort (you still want to shower each day!), one of your best options is to have a plumber install special low-flow fixtures in your house. At Design Comfort, we often recommend that our customers consider installing a low-flow toilet for their bathroom plumbing. Low-flow toilets cut down on the amount of water used with each flush without significantly lowering performance.

It’s important that you have skilled plumbers perform this installation; otherwise you could end up with a defective, leaky toilet that wastes water instead of saving it. Contact Design Comfort today to talk to our reliable Salt Lake City, UT plumbers about doing an effective installation that will leave you satisfied.

The pros and cons of low flow toilets

Before you decide on installing a low flow-toilet in your home, you’ll need to consider the advantages and disadvantages and also talk to a professional plumber. Here are a few of the benefits and drawbacks of going low-flow in your bathroom:

  • Pros: Standard toilets us approximately 7 gallons per flush, while the regular low-flow toilet model uses 1.6 gallons per flush. (Some models are even more efficient.) This means an automatic reduction in you water bills each month, and over a full year the savings can add up to be tremendous. Conserving water will also benefit the environment.
  • Cons: Like most advanced technology and efficient home fixtures, low-flow toilets cost more to install than standard toilets. They have also been known to have more frequent problems with clogs because they are not as powerful as standard models. However, advances in hydronic power in low-flow toilets, such as pressure models, are starting to make up for this issue.

You will need to discuss with a plumber your choices for low-flow toilet models. In some cases, you can reduce the drawbacks: a more powerful model, and water use reduced to such a level that the installation quickly pays for itself.

Help reduce water use throughout your home

A low-flow toilet is only one of the options you have for water-saving fixtures in your home’s plumbing in Salt Lake City, UT. Call Design Comfort today for help conserving water and cutting down on your bills. We offer quality installation, repairs, and maintenance for the plumbing in every part of your home.

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Why Are the Pipes Under My Sink Curved That Way?

Thursday, February 27th, 2014

Have you ever had a child stump you with a question that seems simple on the surface, but is actually difficult to answer when you have to put it into words? Most of us have; children wonder about things adults often take for granted, such as the color of the sky… or the shape of home plumbing.

“Why does the pipe under the sink have that funny curve in it?” We don’t know if a child has ever asked you this question, but we’d wager that most adults don’t have a good answer. We’ll give you one, and help you better understand your home’s plumbing at the same time and why you need that curved pipe taking up valuable storage space in your cabinet. If you need more than answers—you need repairs—then look among the plumbing services in Salt Lake City, UT to find Design Comfort.

The p-trap

That curved J-shaped pipe is known as the p-trap, and it serves the function of preventing sewer gas backflow from your drains. When water runs down your drain, it flows through the p-trap without obstruction, but when you shut off the water, a small amount of liquid remains in the p-trap. This water forms an air-tight seal against air from further down the pipe from coming up through drain. Without this water plug, sewer gases from decomposed matter in the drain waste vent would come back up through your sink drain and create a noxious smell in your home. The sewer gases can even harm your health in large doses. That simple curve in your pipe makes home life much more pleasant.

You need to make sure that the p-trap has a water seal inside it. Usually this only requires running the water in your sink regularly, so it isn’t something you’ll need to think about often. However, if there is a sink in your home that rarely receives use, the p-trap can dry up because of water evaporation. If you notice sewage smells coming from a sink you don’t often use, run water through it to restore the plug—and try to run water through it at least once a week.

P-traps are where clogs usually develop in sinks: they catch hair, soap scum, and grease. Sometimes you’ll need a professional plumber to clean out your p-trap, wither with hydro-jetters or by removing the pipe. Make sure you let a professional handle this job: trying to work on a p-trap yourself can get messy.

We hope this has answered your question (or your child’s) about the curved pipe under the sink. It may take up space you could use for storage, but life without it would really, well, stink.

When you need any plumbing services in Salt Lake City, UT, call Design Comfort!

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Benefits of Zone Control Heating

Monday, February 17th, 2014

When you are installing one of the many different kinds of heating systems in your Salt Lake City, UT home, you’ll have the option to put in a zone control system as well. These systems use dampers inside ductwork and a series of connected thermostats to control where the heat from the HVAC system flows. Instead of heating your entire house at once, you can choose to heat only particular “zones.” However, you don’t need to have zone control put in during installation. Skilled technicians can retro-fit your ductwork for this technology; it’s available to anyone who wants to enjoy the advantages.

Here are some of the major benefits you’ll get from a zone control system. Call Design Comfort today to talk to one of our Salt Lake City Heating Systems specialists to learn more about zone control and how we can put it to work for you.

What’s great about zone control heating

  • Energy savings: The most noticeable benefit of installing a zone control system will appear on your monthly heating bill. Unlike standard centralized heating, where you must heat the whole house whenever you need any heat at all, zone control permits you to only heat the rooms that require it. Guest rooms or unused storage areas no longer need to be heated. This will result in major savings.
  • Adjust the heat for everyone in your home: How often have you heard someone complain, “This house is too hot,” or “This house is too cold”—sometimes different people at the same time? Everyone has individual temperature needs, and zone control allows you to tailor the house’s temperature to fit them. The local thermostats give them temperature control wherever they are, so they can have the comfort they need without interfering with the rest of the house.
  • More evenly spread warmth: In a standard whole-house heater, the heat spreads out to all the rooms upstairs and downstairs at once, and the rising heat often leaves areas cold. Zone heating lets you vary where heat is going so that it spreads throughout the home in a controlled way, so new heat fills in places that will lose it as it moves upstairs.

How you can start with zone control heating

Adding a zone control system to your existing heater takes a significant amount of work: not only do dampers need to be placed inside the ducts, but a new network of thermostats must be installed that will link together as one system. However, if you call heating experts, the installation should go smoothly, and soon you’ll enjoy all the above benefits and more.

Get in touch with Design Comfort and highly trained teamed today. We can install many types of heating systems in Salt Lake City, UT, and we make your satisfaction our #1 priority.

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What to Expect with Radiant Heating Installation

Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014

Imagine walking into your home in the early evening after work, on a cold day when the snow on the ground has started to crust over and the chill is seeking any path through the gaps of your parka or woolen mittens to gnaw at your skin. You get through your front door, shut it, and as you pull off the outer layers of clothing you feel a swell of warmth, like the summer sun off a lake, comes from beneath you, starting with tickling through the soles of your shoes and then rising up all around you, leaving no single spot of icy cold anywhere in the air.

This is radiant floor heating. And if you’ve never felt it, it is amazing.

If you want to have this experience in your home, call Design Comfort today. We provide heating system installation in Salt Lake City, UT that includes up-to-date radiant floor heating.

Here’s some of what you can expect from installation.

  • It is labor and time-intensive: If you are having radiant heating installed as part of new construction, you won’t need to think about it much. But if you are retro-fitting a home for this type of heating, it will involve extensive work removing flooring in order to install the heating pipes. Make sure you plan ahead with your installers about when installation will take place.
  • It requires trained technicians: Hand-in-hand with the intensive work involved in installing radiant heating is the skill necessary. Radiant heating installation goes beyond hooking up connections to a unit once it is in place. It involves construction work that must be done with skill and attention to avoid causing damage to your home. This is not “do-it-yourself” work—believe us, you really don’t want to try this on your own.
  • It’s actually not much different from boiler installation: …outside of installing the floor pipes, at least. Radiant floor heating is a hydronic system that uses a hot water tank and water circulation systems that are very close to what you find in a boiler. The installation process is much the same, with tank placement, attachment to the gas line, and linking the pipes. It still requires a trained technician, but it is a relatively simple part of the process.

Are you ready for radiant floor heating installation?

If you are planning a new house, we think you should move radiant floor heating to the top of your list for home comfort options. If you want to retro-fit your current house for radiant heating, consult with experts about how they can do it, and if it is a wise choice.

Contact the heating team at Design Comfort to have all your questions about heating system installation in Salt Lake City, UT answered.

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Benefits of a Humidifier to Your Home

Tuesday, January 14th, 2014

Living in Salt Lake City means dealing with very dry temperatures, especially during the summer. Although humid climates are often very uncomfortable, dry climates bring their own problems as well that range from health issues to furniture damage. Because of the city’s dry climate, we advise many people to install a humidifier in their home to alleviate some of the issues that low humidity can cause.

Design Comfort installs whole-house humidifiers that incorporate into current HVAC systems so that they work with a home’s cooling and heating throughout the year. Look to us whenever you need heating repair service in Salt Lake City, UT or other solutions to your comfort problems.

Reasons a humidifier will help you

  • Improved health: Dry air can create a number of health troubles, such as itchy eyes and frequent nose bleeds. It is especially damaging to skin. In addition to alleviating these problems, a humidifier is also beneficial to your lungs and nasal passages, which will help you heal from common illnesses. For people in your home with asthma and allergies, humidifiers will offer them immense relief. Humidifiers have also been shown to help stop snoring and allow people to sleep better.
  • Less damage to furnishings: At low humidity levels, wallpaper will begin to peel, wooden surfaces on furniture start to crack, and paint chip off all kinds of surfaces. Increasing the humidity is good for your home’s décor in general.
  • Save money with heating: Balanced humidity in your home will make it easier for you to get comfortable with your HVAC system during the winter. You know that you feel hotter with high humidity. It works the opposite way as well: you feel colder in low humidity. A dehumidifier will make your house feel warmer in cold weather, and that means you’ll spend less money running your heater.
  • Reduced static electricity: If static electricity is a constant problem for you—from shocks on doorknobs to rumbled clothes to frizzy hair—a humidifier will reduce the problem.

Schedule professional humidifier installation

Although you can buy small humidifiers for individuals rooms, to get the most balanced indoor humidity requires installing a whole-house unit. This job is technical and requires a professional. Contact Design Comfort for help with getting a whole-house humidifier today. We also repair and replace old, rundown humidifiers. Call us when you need heating repair in Salt Lake City, UT to make this winter more comfortable.

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How Do Zone Control Systems Work?

Friday, January 10th, 2014

If you’ve ever wished you could shut off the air from parts of your house that you don’t use, or if different members of your household are always at odds about how hot or cold the house is, then you should consider having a zone control system installed. “System zoning” offers you a more precise control over how heating and cooling gets sent around your house. It allows for more even temperature distribution and individual fine-tuning for the needs of different people. And it can save you money on your energy bills.

Design Comfort can install a zone control system in your home. If you’re interested in superior heating services in Salt Lake City, UT, contact us today to talk over your options.

How zone control systems work

Zone control systems divide a home into separate zones, which are usually individual rooms, although areas that receive less use might be lumped into a single zone. The installers place dampers in the ductwork that can cut off the flow of conditioned air to particular zones, acting much like valves. These dampers are controlled electronically, and they are hooked up to thermostats. Most systems will have separate thermostats for each zone, but every unit is wired into a central control panel that can operate all of them.

Whenever a zone’s thermostat senses that its region has reached its target temperature, it closes off the damper that accesses the zone. Individuals in separate zones can also manipulate their region’s temperature using the local thermostat.

A simpler use of zone control that people can have installed to help create more even heating in two-story houses is to install one zone downstairs and one upstairs. As one zone reaches the target temperature, the damper closes and sends more air to the other zone, which creates a balance that won’t produce cold or hot spots.

On top of the improved temperature control, zone systems can also save money. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, having zone control installed can save homeowners up to 30% on monthly bills, whether heating or cooling. You no longer have to send conditioned air to guest rooms when they aren’t in use, or heat up a large dining rooms on days when no one eats there.

Call for installation today

After reading this, you will probably know if you have the kind of household that will benefit from zone control or not. For more information, contact Design Comfort. We will look into your home’s requirements for heating and cooling in Salt Lake City, UT and determine how best to set up a zone control system that will keep you and each member of your household happy.

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Here’s Why Your Drains are Clogging

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

Clogged drains… they happen. They shouldn’t happen often, but it’s rare for a homeowner to go a full year without experiencing this hassle at least one time. Usually, a clogged drain presents little trouble for a professional plumber to clear, although occasionally a clog may indicate a larger problem within a home’s plumbing.

The Salt Lake City plumbing experts at Design Comfort have many years of experience cleaning out blocked drains. We’ve put together a list of the common reasons that clogs happen, some of which you can avoid in the future with a few precautions.

  • Oil, fat, and grease: One of the most common mistakes people make with their drains in the kitchen is to pour hot oil, fat, or grease down them (or the disposal). Although these liquids seem harmless, they solidify into a thick waxy substance after they dry. This will start to build up on the inside of the drainpipes and eventually lead to full clogs. Pour out these liquids into a separate container and relegate them to the trash, not the drains.
  • Too much food/garbage: Your drains are not garbage disposals. They are not designed to handle heavy waste such as food and paper, so if you toss things into them that should go into the trash, it can cause horrible clogging. (And while we’re on the subject, garbage doesn’t go in the “garbage” disposal either. As a rule, if you can’t chew it, neither can the disposal. Put chicken bones, un-popped popcorn kernels, and other hard substances in the actual garbage.)
  • Hair and soap scum: This is principally a problem for showers and bathroom sinks. Hair and soap naturally go down these drains, but they can build up in the p-trap (the curved pipe beneath the drain) and eventually create a clog. To help prevent this, have a cap over the drain.
  • Damage to the sewer line: This is a serious problem that will begin affecting drains around your home. If you notice the clogs are happening in different drains, and that there is a foul, septic odor emanating from them, call plumbers immediately: you probably have damage in the sewer line that runs out to the municipal sewer.

Some of these clogs you might manage to clear on your own with a plunger. If that doesn’t work, avoid the temptation to use caustic liquid chemicals and instead call for a professional plumber to handle the work. Plumbers will use powered drain snakes and hydro-jetters to clean out your drain thoroughly and also help prevent the trouble from re-occurring. A plumber can also take care of a larger job like fixing a damaged sewer line.

When you need expert plumbing services in Salt Lake City, UT, call Design Comfort any time of the day or night.

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3 Ways You Can Upgrade Your Heater Now

Tuesday, November 19th, 2013

The first cold days of winter are only a few weeks away… is your home heating system ready? Even if you think it’s prepared to handle the cold, there are ways you can get even more efficient and effective warmth with an upgrade to your home’s heating system.

Here are some options available that can give you better heating right now. Design Comfort provides all these services, and many more, for when you want improved heating in Salt Lake City, UT.

Install a programmable thermostat

If you still have an old digital thermostat, or even a manual model with sliders and dials, you are missing out on energy savings and comfort. A digital system gives you more accurate control over the temperature, with a reduced margin of error. A programmable system provides you even more control: you don’t have to be home to shut the system on and off. You can program your thermostat to turn your heater on half an hour before you get home, so you will always arrive to a warm house without having to keep the heat on all day. You can program the heater to shut off when you’re asleep and turn on before you wake up. You will notice significant savings on your energy bills with an upgraded thermostat.

Zone control systems

With zone control, you no longer have to heat up the whole house every time you turn on the heater: you only need to heat the rooms that you are using. You can also tailor the heat in the house to suit individuals, or change the temperature levels in different rooms to fit the activity there (for example, keeping the kitchen cool and the dining room warm). Hire professionals to see if they can integrate a zone control system with your current heater.

A tune-up for the winter

One of the best ways to upgrade your heater is to get it back to top-line condition with an inspection and tune-up visit from an HVAC technician. You should have maintenance done every year to keep your heater in prime working condition and to catch any possible troubles before they turn into serious repairs. However, it’s never too late to start if you’ve put it off—get started with annual maintenance now, before the serious cold arrives.

Design Comfort is available to answer all your questions about heating in Salt Lake City, UT this winter. We install thermostats, zone control systems, and many different types of heating systems. We’ve been in business since 1982 and have the experience to deliver you the home comfort satisfaction you need.

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Hot Air or Radiant Heat: How to Make the Right Decision for Your Home

Tuesday, November 12th, 2013

Heating options in Salt Lake City aren’t limited to the traditional gas furnaces or boilers than many people are used to. True, a lot of homes still use forced-air systems to stay warm in the winter, but you’re just as apt to see other homes using heat pumps, geothermal systems and radiant heating systems instead of those older systems. Radiant heating, in particular, makes an attractive choice for a number of reasons. But which one is right for you: hot air or radiant heat? Here’s how to make the right decision for your home.

Radiant heating means running tubes or coils underneath the floor of your home. The heat comes up through the floors, warming the furnishings and people in the room in question. Contrast this with hot air: generated in the furnace and blown through your home via a system of ducts. Strictly speaking, the radiant system is more effective. It generates no breeze, it doesn’t create drafts or warm spots, and because there are fewer moving parts, it runs less risk of breakdown that a forced-air system. It’s also much more efficient, which translates to significant savings on your monthly heating bill.

On the other hand, the start-up cost tends to be much higher than a traditional gas furnace. It also involves considerably more disruption, since your floors will need to be altered in order for the system to work. Some homes simply cannot support a radiant heating system, and homes which already have an existing duct system may not consider such a radical change worthwhile. Those less efficient, forced-air systems still do a good job of heating many homes, and the installation fees may not be worth the slow, gradual long-term savings.

Educating yourself about the specifics is a good way to make the right decision for your home, and the experts at Design Comfort can help. We’ll explain the details of each system, and stand ready for installation whether it be hot air or radiant heat. We understand all the heating options in Salt Lake City, so don’t hesitate to give us a call today!

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Signs That You Need Heating Replacement

Wednesday, October 30th, 2013

Utah attracts winter vacationers because of our picturesque snowfalls and superlative skiing conditions. Compared to other states farther north, we experience milder winters: cold enough for snow, but not so cold that we can’t have fun in the snow.

However, any state with winters that produce steady snowfalls is one that requires its residents to have effective and durable heaters. Salt Lake City averages lows in the 20s from December through February, and lows in the mid-30s during March and April, mostly during the night. That calls for efficient indoor heating—and if you aren’t currently getting it from whatever system you have installed in your home, it might be time for a replacement.

For top-quality installation and general heating services in Salt Lake City, hire Design Comfort. We’ve made this city more enjoyable for our clients to live in since 1982.

Here are warning signs that you may need heating replacement before the mercury plunges:

Heightened heating bills

If you keep track of your power bills, you will know what to expect each winter when you start heating your home. If your bills increase without explanation, it usually signals that your heating system needs repairs. But if the inflation remains even with maintenance and repairs, then your heater might be approaching the end of its lifespan.

Continuous noisy operation

As with your power bills, you know what noises to expect from your furnace, boiler, or radiant heater while it’s operating. If you start hearing strange noises that repairs do not remedy, it’s a sign of extreme aging inside the system that has put it beyond the help of regular maintenance.

Reduced heating power

If your home no longer seems to get as warm as it used to, there are a number of possibilities to investigate, such as decaying insulation or thermostat malfunctions. However, your heater might simply no longer be up to the task. If this heating loss occurs in connection with the increase in power bills or a frequent need for repairs, then you probably should have a new heater installed.

Deciding on a heating replacement is a big step, so don’t make it lightly—or without professional advice. If you suspect your heating system is in its last days, get an HVAC technician to come to your house and inspect it. An expert can offer advice on the best replacement unit to get if it turns out that you will need a new heater.

You can rely on Design Comfort and our years of experience to guide you toward the best heater to install in your home, and then perform the installation so your new system will work for you for many years. We are one of the best places to turn for Salt Lake City, UT heating services.

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