Top 5 Reasons For A Hot Home

Top 5 Reasons For A Hot Home

We’re about halfway through summer, and the temperatures here in Cherokee County have been sweltering. Combine the Georgia heat with the Georgia humidity, and summer can be downright miserable sometimes. Fortunately, you can beat the heat by finding things to do inside your home this summer. But wait- what if your home is hot, too? If you’ve noticed that your home is hotter than usual this year, you’re not alone. Many homeowners face having a home that is too hot for comfort. 

hot-homeHere are the top 5 reasons for a hot house and some solutions!

Problem: Losing cool air. Do you notice that as soon as your AC stops running, your home is immediately hot again? You may be dealing with a draft that could be causing you to lose up to 50% of your home’s cool air. You can lose cool air through gaps around your doors, windows, and wall vents.

Solution: Having the gaps around your doors, windows, and wall vents repaired can stop the loss of cold air. These may even be projects you can repair yourself with a quick trip to your local hardware store.

Problem: Windows. Windows can let a lot of heat into your home during the summer, even if you’ve got curtains and blinds. Because glass is a great heat conductor, your windows can be radiating heat into your home all summer long. This can be especially problematic if you have lots of windows that face East or West, causing you to catch rays from the rising and setting sun.
Solution: Having your windows reglazed can help reduce the amount of heat that comes through them. 
Problem: Your roof. The heat inside your home could also be a result of your hot roof. As your roof heats up from the sun during the day, the heat is pushed down through the ceiling and into your home. Unfortunately, your roof and ceiling store this heat, causing your home to remain hot even overnight.
Solution: Having extra ceiling insulation installed or installing attic fans if you’ve got an attic can help remedy this problem. 
Problem: Heat from below. If your home is built on stilts (this is common in some of the more mountainous areas in north Georgia and some of the coastal areas of south Georgia), you could be catching extra heat in your home that rises up from the ground during the day.
Solution: This is another problem that can be remedied by adding extra insulation to your home!
Problem: Your walls. One of the main culprits causing your home to be hot is your walls! This can be particularly problematic if your home catches full sunlight during the day. Unfortunately, your home’s outer walls store heat (just like the roof!), and this heat is continuously pushed into your home, even overnight.
Solution: Having extra insulation professionally added to your walls can help reduce the amount of heat conducted into your home from the walls.
Follow our easy solutions for keeping your home cool and comfortable this summer! Don’t sweat any plumbing maintenance issues you may face this summer- just call the professionals at Masterflo Plumbing at (678) 822-7095!

Save Money On Your Utility Bills

Save Money On Your Utility Bills 

Summer is in full swing, and here in north Georgia we’ve got the temperatures to prove it! Its likely that you’re air conditioner is running non stop every day, and if you haven’t gotten a ton of rain, you’re probably watering your lawn several times a week! Each summer, you probably groan when you receive your utility bills. Today we’re going to talk about some easy ways to save money on your utility bills this summer and all year long.
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1. Have a home energy audit done. You can either Google how to do this on your own or you can find a home energy audit professional to come do this for you. Its a good idea to know exactly which parts of your home are already energy efficient and which parts need some help. 
2. Close up any gaps around your doors and windows. When you look at your doors and windows, you may as well envision your hard earned money flying right out them. Doors and windows are the number one spot for energy leakage in your home. Often times, you can simply hold your hand near your doors and windows in the summer and feel the heat seeping in. Sealing up the gaps around these areas is a great way to cut utility bill costs.
3. Use a high efficiency furnace filter. The furnace filter you choose can make a huge difference in how efficiently your furnace runs. A high efficiency filter will better capture dust particles running through your HVAC system and will also help your unit run more efficiently. While high efficiency filters may cost slightly more, you’ll definitely see the savings in return on your utility bills. 
4. Use portable fans in the summer. Running your ceiling fans in the summer as well as portable electric fans can help greatly reduce your utility bills. It takes much more energy and money to run your air conditioning unit at a low temperature than it does to run a portable fan. 
5. Check out your attic’s insulation and install an attic fan. We all know that heat rises, and if you’ve got an attic it can become trapped in your attic, heating your home from above. In the winter, this may be a bonus, but in the summer its definitely a bad thing. It can make you hotter and more uncomfortable and can cause your ac unit to work harder. Check to make sure your attic is properly insulated and that its got an attic fan. If you need more insulation, don’t hesitate to call a professional to come out and add some additional insulation. If you’ve got an attic fan, don’t forget to run it so that it can push some hot air out of your attic. 
6. Have your sprinkler system checked out to make sure all your sprinkler heads are working properly. Any leaks or backups can cause your water bill to increase exponentially as you run your sprinkler system.
If you’ve noticed a drastic increase in your water bills, you may have a leak or other plumbing problem. For help with plumbing issues call Masterflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095.  

Choosing The Right Plumbing Company

Choosing The Right Plumbing Company

Choosing a plumbing company can be overwhelming! You may see advertisements on tv, hear advertisements on the radio, and see advertisements online. A Google search can yield page after page of results, and you may get different results whether you’re in Canton, Woodstock, or Marietta! Choosing the right plumbing company can be tricky, and its a really important decision. Your plumbing system is a key component to your security,  comfort, and health at home. Having plumbing work done incorrectly can be disastrous, and your plumbing needs should be met correctly the first time. 

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Here are some things you can do to make sure that you’re choosing the right plumbing company. 
1. Ask for referrals. Referrals from trusted family and friends are a great way to choose a plumber. Its likely that your family and friends already have experience with the company they are recommending, so you can get a good idea of what to expect.
2. Read reviews. The internet has made it easy for you to check out hundreds of reviews of plumbers local to you. Check out Yelp, Google, and Facebook!
3. Check out their website. A good website can give you an idea of the company’s history, their services, and what to expect from them. Check out how long they’ve been in business, and what kind of certifications they have. You can also find out whether its a small family owned business or a large chain business and choose what’s best for you.
4. Ask questions. Once you’ve narrowed it down to a few companies, call them up and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Find out the answers to things that are important to you to make sure they’re a good fit for you and your home’s plumbing needs.
5. Ask for referrals. Its also okay to ask them for referrals! Any good, reputable plumbing company should be comfortable giving you referrals to some of their satisfied customers.
6. Expect a home evaluation. Once you’ve called a plumbing company to come out to your home, expect them to spend a significant amount of time looking at your current plumbing system to evaluate your specific needs. No two plumbing systems are the same, and your needs won’t be exactly like anyone else’s. The company you choose should spend a significant amount of time personalizing a solution just for you.
7. Get itemized quotes. Its also okay to get several quotes for the work you need done. Make sure to have the quotes itemized and written out so you can easily compare them. The cheapest solution may not always be the best one. Look for price, efficiency, and any parts warranties included.
At Masterflo Plumbing, we look forward to customizing a plumbing solution just for you! You can call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (678) 822-7095!

Preventive Drain Care Maintenance

Drain Maintenance

Clogged drains are a nuisance every homeowner deals with at some point. Oftentimes, clogged drains are nothing more than a nuisance that can be cleared quickly. Sometimes, there can be more serious implications. There are lots of options for clearing minor clogs, and there is even drain maintenance you can perform to keep clogs at bay. Keeping minor, annoying clogs at bay can prevent more serious clogs and problems from occurring. Some clog clearing options include chemical cleaners, organic cleaners, plumbing snakes, and plungers. However, its cheaper (and easier!) to do some basic maintenance and keep the clogs away altogether.

If minor clogs continue to present themselves or are allowed to persist, you can be facing some nasty consequences. The first consequence you may notice from a poorly cared for drain is a bad smell. Foul odors are more common to kitchen drains, where food particles have been allowed to rot, but foul odors can occur in bathroom sink and floors drains as well. 
If you don’t care for your drains at the first sign of a foul odor, you will more than likely begin to develop minor clogs. Clog formation first causes your drains to work slowly, and eventually they will become so clogged that they won’t work at all. 
If you still don’t take care of your drains after minor clogs begin to present themselves, you could be facing permanent damage. Drains aren’t built to last forever, but some basic preventive drain care maintenance can greatly extend the life of your drains. 
The most basic step in drain maintenance is to be mindful of what is going down your drains. In bathrooms, the main culprit is hair. You can easily stop unwanted hair from going down your bathroom drains by placing a wire mesh filter over the drain and cleaning it out every few days. In the kitchen, its important to watch what food particles are going down your drain. Many food products can go into a garbage disposal. If you don’t have a garbage disposal, its important that only water goes into your sink drain. Floor drains, such as in the basement or laundry room, should always have drain covers on them as its hard to monitor debris falling into your floor drains. 
Drain maintenance also includes cleaning the inside of your drain twice a year. This prevents the accumulation of biofilm, hair, and other clog inducing things. Cleaning your drains is easy! Simply pour two cups of white vinegar down the drain, wait ten minutes, then flush out the drain with hot water. 
For more help with drain maintenance or if you’ve got a tough clog that won’t go away, call the professionals at Masterflo Plumbing at (678) 822-7095 today!