Posts Tagged ‘Southern Vermont’

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The Common Tools Used in Professional Leak Detection

Monday, July 28th, 2014

Leaks are among the most common problems that can afflict a home’s plumbing. Despite their frequency, leaks are also notoriously difficult to locate, especially smaller ones hidden behind drywall and floorboards, or leaks that occur under concrete foundation slabs. Once you start to notice signs of leaks happening in your home—such as high water bills, mold and mildew growth, or water damage appearing on walls and floorboards—you must contact professional plumbers to perform leak detection in order to pinpoint the leaking and fix it with the least amount of disruption to your home.

Leak detection is a specialized skill that requires equipment available only to professional plumbers. Below are some of the devices that our plumbers at HB Energy Solutions use for leak detection in Southern Vermont homes. Call us any time of the day or night when you need work for household leaks.

The basic leak detection tools

  • Acoustic devices: Sound is one of the ways that plumbers locate leaks through building material. The escaping water makes a distinctive noise which plumbers can locate using listening discs or ground microphones. The discos work very similar to medical stethoscopes, and can locate leaking acoustically even through thick concrete slabs. The plumbers will first use visual clue to narrow down the search area, and the use the acoustic equipment to determine the more exact location of the problem.
  • Pressure and heat sensors: A more advanced set of tools are pressure- and heat-sensing devices. Water escaping from leaks causes increases in pressure around the pipe and also temperature changes. These electronic sensors can locate these areas.
  • Video inspection equipment: The most precise way to locate leaks—and also the best way to find out how to fix them—is with video inspection equipment. These devices consist of flexible fiber-optic cables with digital cameras and LED lights mounted at the ends. Plumbers send these cameras down through pipes and watch a video feed on monitors to spot where leaking is occurring. The plumbers will also know the size and nature of the leaks, which will help the repair work go faster.

Not only is leak detection equipment too expensive for consumer use, but it requires years of training to operate properly and interpret the results. Make sure that you put your trust in professional plumbers when you need leak detection in Southern Vermont for your home’s plumbing.

For professional leak detection services in Southern Vermont call on HB Energy Solutions, and we will put our more than 20 years of experience to work for you.

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Advantages and Drawbacks of Ductless Air Conditioning

Monday, July 14th, 2014

No ducts? No problem! Ductless air conditioning systems offer a great alternative to central air conditioning, which uses the ductwork of a home in order to distribute cool air. If you need an air conditioning system, but your home or room addition makes ductwork installation difficult, the advantages of ductless air conditioning installation may outweigh the drawbacks.

The main advantage of ductless air conditioning systems is that they do not require any ducts to cool your home. Sometimes your home or room addition does not have ductwork installed, and ductwork installation may be a hassle because of the layout of your home. Also, central air conditioning systems often use more energy than is necessary because cool air can easily escape through the ducts before it reaches the rooms that need cooling. Ductless air conditioners eliminate this potential energy loss.

Ductless air conditioning systems are made up of an outdoor unit and several indoor air handlers which provide both heating and cooling. These indoor air handlers are installed in different rooms in your home, and these individual zones can be controlled via separate thermostats or with a master thermostat that controls them all. This is a great advantage for family members who have different temperature specifications. Furthermore, central air conditioners often use energy to cool unoccupied rooms. With a ductless system, you can turn off the AC in a room if nobody is using it, ultimately reducing energy costs.

One drawback of ductless air conditioning, however, is that the system itself may be more costly upfront. However, the long-term energy savings that come with owning a ductless system may offset this cost. Another drawback may be the appearance of large indoor air handlers in your home. However, these can be mounted high on the wall or suspended from the ceiling, so they may not interfere with the décor of a room at all. They also generally have a more pleasant appearance than window air conditioners.

When ducted system installation is not practical for your home, call HB Energy Solutions for ductless air conditioning installation in Southern Vermont today!

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The Advantages of Whole-House Surge Protection

Friday, June 27th, 2014

Power surges are sometimes an everyday occurrence in homes, a fact that people can find hard to believe. Because the term “power surge” comes pre-packaged with images of downed power lines, lightning strikes, and massive storms, people usually make the connection between a power surge in a home with catastrophic events.

But a power surge is any increase in voltage in an electrical system above normal that lasts for more than 3 nanoseconds. (Less than 3 nanoseconds and it’s known as a power “spike.”) This jump in power can happen because a large appliance in a home makes a sudden larger demand on the power supply, causing an imbalance that raises voltage. This may not trip circuit breakers, but it can cause damage to a home and its appliances.

When it comes to guarding your house from surges both large and small, you should invest in a whole-house surge protector installed with the help of electrical professionals. Contact HB Energy Solutions to speak to one of our staff members regarding surge protection in Southern Vermont.

Why whole-house surge protection?

We recommend that homeowners use power strips (point-of-use surge protectors) for computers, entertainment systems and other precision equipment, but not to rely on them entirely. These strips provide a level of defense against surges that shuts off the power flow to the device when an increase in voltage occurs. However, they do not provide the protection from both extreme and small surges that you will receive from a whole-house protector.

A whole-house surge protector is hard-wired into your electrical panel, where it re-routes increases in power into a home’s grounding. This makes them more effective at protecting a home than power strips that simply cut off current when surges occur. The smaller surges will make it through power strips, causing damage to computers and other appliances in amounts that will cumulatively become ruinous. Larger surges, such as those from a lightning strike, will overcome these defense and cause serious damage. A whole-house surge protector can handle both: regulating small surges and capable of handling enormous ones (except perhaps a lightning bolt striking right next to your home) without permitting damage to your property or equipment.

When it comes to shielding your home from electrical damage and defended your high-precision equipment and computer hard drives and SSDs, you can never have too much surge protection. Along with your power strips (which are also a safe way of increasing the number of outlets in your home) call an electrical contractor to wire a whole-house surge protector.

We will keep your home safe all year long, and we’re always a call away any time of the day or night.

HB Energy Solutions has 33 years of experience providing Southern Vermont with surge protection and other electrical services. Call us today to find out what we can do for your home.

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What Does the Bend in the Pipe Below My Sink Do?

Friday, June 13th, 2014

Most of the plumbing in your home remains hidden from view. The pipes snake between the walls, under the floors, and through closed-off utility rooms. But there is one section of plumbing that you probably know well, and that’s the drainpipes located directly below your sinks. You see these any time you open up the cabinet doors to retrieve something. Every time you do this, you’ll see an oddity about this piece of piping: the odd U-shaped bend it makes before it enters the wall.

That bend in the pipe serves an important purpose, but it can also lead to plumbing troubles as well.

We have 33 years of experience serving Vermont and New Hampshire. Should you encounter trouble and need plumbing repair in Southern Vermont, call HB Energy Solutions.

The p-trap

The bend in the drainpipe that you see is called the “p-trap.” The reason for the name is that the bend makes the pipe resemble a “P” with an open back when looked at from the side. (And you thought it was going to be called a “u-pipe” or something like that.) What it traps is water: after water pours down the drain, gravity traps an amount down within the bend. As long as water runs down the drain regularly, the p-trap will remain filled.

This water plug does the important job of stopping sewer gases from decaying material further down the pipe from coming back up and escaping through the drain. Without the p-trap, sewer odors would invade your home constantly.

Should your p-trap dry up—something that happens in sinks that aren’t used for a long stretch, like one in a guest room—the empty trap will allow the sewer odors to come up. If you encounter foul smells in areas with an unused sink, run some water down the drain for a few minutes, and that should take care of the problem.

P-traps can become sources of clogs. When debris that shouldn’t go down a drain does, it will often catch in the p-trap. Over time, the p-trap will develop a congestion of soap scum, hair, and food (depending on where the sink is located) that will lead to a slow drain or clog. Too much contamination can also lead to corrosion and leaks.

For serious clogs (anything a plunger cannot handle) you must have the assistance of professional plumbers armed with motorized drain snakes and hydro-jetters. Do not attempt to take out a set of wrenches and unscrew the p-trap yourself: this risks disaster. Instead, reach for the phone and call for plumbing repair in Southern Vermont from HB Energy Solutions. We offer full plumbing services to take care of all your needs, from blocked pipes to water heater installation.

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What Is Involved with Photovoltaic Installation?

Friday, June 6th, 2014

People today, especially in Vermont, are looking for paths toward clean, renewable energy that will both reduce the negative impact on the environment and also offer large savings on utility bills. Although harnessing renewable energy from sources such as the Sun and geothermal heat can cost money upfront, the work will pay back its initial costs many times over.

Solar power is one of the best known of all renewable energy sources: since the dawn of history, humans have watched the Sun in the sky, felt its heat, and sought a way to use it. Thanks to efficient photovoltaic panels, the dream of having the Sun working to power your own home is now a reality.

HB Energy Solutions is proud of the services we provide for green technology to our customers. For photovoltaic installation in Southern Vermont, call up our solar team today.

The PV installation job

Installing photovoltaic panels isn’t as difficult as you might imagine, although you will still need professionals to handle the task so that it works ideally. (Also, you don’t want to spend too much time climbing around your roof if it’s not necessary.)

Photovoltaic (PV) panels are mounted on the roof, where they change radiant heat from the sun into electrical energy. The number of panels necessary depends on how much power you require and how many systems you intend to run.

The installers plan out a configuration based on your needs. A team then lays down a support framework on the roof of the house. One by one, the PV panels are securely attached to the frame. Once the entire panel set is completed, the installers must connect the panels to the power grid and test the system to verify that it is correctly hooked up. They will check polarity, grounding, and wiring: the job isn’t over until they are certain that the system works as efficiently as it can.

Remember: the energy of the Sun is free. You will have some power requirements to run the indoor parts of the solar power system, but otherwise the electricity you receive through the PV cells costs you nothing: it should only take a few years for the solar power cells on the roof of your house to pay back their installation costs.

Talk to solar experts today

When you consult with a specialist in photovoltaic installation in Southern Vermont, you’ll find out how your home can best be set up for harnessing the free power of the sun.

At HB Energy Solutions, we not only offer solar solutions for homes, but for businesses as well—and that includes repairs and maintenance. Call us today to go green with the power of the Sun.

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3 Factors to Consider with Air Conditioning Installation

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Most people think Vermont homes don’t need air conditioning, but the truth is we can get quite hot and humid during the summer months. For over 20 years, HB Energy Solutions has been providing customers in southern Vermont with air conditioning installation for their properties to help them get through those hot days. When looking at air conditioners, there are a few factors to consider before choosing one. To help you narrow down those factors, our HB Energy Solutions experts have put together a list of 3 factors to consider for your southern Vermont air conditioning installation.

Does your property have ductwork?

Not too long ago, properties that didn’t have ductwork had only 2 choices for air conditioning: purchase a window unit or put in ducts, which can be a costly endeavor. But with the advent of ductless air conditioning, also known as ductless mini-split air conditioners, homes without ducts and/or those that need a home addition cooled now have access to quality air conditioning without needing to put in expensive ductwork.

How much cooling do you really need?

Bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to air conditioning. In fact, purchasing an air conditioning system that is too large for your home can lead to discomfort and premature wear-and-tear. This is why it’s important to do a calculation that determines exactly how much cooling your home really needs. When doing a calculation like this, several factors are considered, such as your property’s orientation to the sun, daytime heat gain and square footage. Your AC technician can do this calculation to help ensure you purchase the right-sized air conditioner for your home.

Are you concerned about energy efficiency?

All newly-installed air conditioners need to have a SEER number (seasonal energy efficiency rating) of at least 13; the scale for SEER is 0 to over 20. The higher your SEER number, the more energy efficient your air conditioner. If energy efficiency is high on your list of priorities, speak with your specialist about finding an energy efficient air conditioner that also fits your other needs.

Installing an air conditioning system is a big job that starts with assessing the kind and size of air conditioner you need. Working with your HB Energy Solutions expert can you help you answer these questions and more when it comes to your southern Vermont air conditioning installation.

Summer is almost here, so if you’ve been thinking of installing or replacing your air conditioner or air conditioning system, call HB Energy Solutions today!

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3 Reasons to Upgrade Your Circuit Breaker

Friday, May 9th, 2014

The circuit breaker panel has replaced the fuse box as a way to protect homes from the dangers of electrical fires. Whenever a circuit breaker detects an increase in voltage from an overload, the breaker trips and cuts off the circuit’s electrical flow to prevent damage. The homeowner can then easily reset the breaker to re-connect the circuit.

Although circuit breakers improve over the performance of fuses, circuit breaker panels will become outdated and require upgrades. If you have encountered recent trouble from frequently tripped breakers, or if you have a panel that is more than a decade old, you should consider scheduling a professional to investigate it and suggest upgrade options.

For Southern Vermont electrical services to help you with your circuit breaker panel, contact a trusted name: HB Energy Solutions. We have served Vermont and Southern New Hampshire with superb electrical work for twenty-one years.

3 excellent reasons to upgrade your circuit breaker panel

  1. To better handle modern electrical needs: The amount of energy the appliances in modern homes need to operate is far greater than it was even ten years ago. A circuit breaker panel older than this will not have the appropriate capacity to handle the amount of amperage that advanced devices in your home require to run, and this will lead to frequently tripped breakers. Upgrades or even a full replacement of the panel will elevate its capacity to fit your home.
  2. Increase fire safety: The main reason for circuit breakers in the first place is to prevent electrical fires due to short circuits and sparking. An aging panel that no longer fits with the outlets and the energy demands of a home can begin to turn dangerous.
  3. Convenience: Do you want to get up every other day, fumble with the circuit breaker panel, find the tripped switch, and reset it just because you turned on the TV and opened the refrigerator at the same time? Or worse, do you want to stumble in the dark looking for the panel because tripped breakers have shut off the lights during the night? Of course you don’t, and if you start experiencing this you have no excuse to keep going through these motions: just call a skilled electrician to upgrade your circuit breaker.

And, if you still have a fuse box instead of a circuit breaker panel, you should have already replaced it. Fuse boxes are rarely up to the challenge of modern electrical systems, and enlarging the fuses to handle more power is a serious fire hazard.

HB Energy Solutions has the skill in Southern Vermont for electrical upgrades and repairs of all types. We will examine your circuit breaker panel and find the best way to improve it and improve your life.

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How Often Should I Schedule Air Conditioning Maintenance?

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

In the entry for maintenance found in the 2014 Random House Dictionary, this sentence appears as an example of correct usage: With proper maintenance the car will last for many years. That succinctly sums up why appliances require maintenance: longevity. It applies as much to an air conditioner as to a car. Regular maintenance catches troubles early, helps prevent repairs, and eases stress that can occur from poor operation. Although each of these is a good end in itself, they all contribute to the goal of increasing the service life of the system.

But how often should you schedule air conditioning maintenance in Southern Vermont? Twice a year? Every three years? We’ll take a closer look at scheduling AC maintenance to help you make certain the air conditioner in your home receives the best care.

For a maintenance plan that will ensure you receive maintenance at the right time, call HB Energy Solutions to create a plan that works for you today.

Maintenance frequency

Almost all experienced HVAC technician agree on this point: air conditioners need maintenance service annually, even if nothing seems wrong with them. A year is enough time for an AC to gather dust and dirt and show significant wear on its components. Studies have shown that an air conditioning system that goes for a year without maintenance will work 20% less efficiently, and lose an additional 5% each year thereafter. The system is also at greater risk of repair needs or even suffering a breakdown.

The best time to schedule maintenance service is during spring, a less busy time for HVAC contractors and also right in time for the summer weather. Most maintenance plans and programs arrange for the session in spring (with an additional session for the heating system in fall).

Maintenance is not an expensive task, and most services that offer programs will provide you with a discount for signing up for a yearly maintenance plan. At each maintenance visit, the technician will provide thorough inspections, adjustments, and cleaning to keep the system operating at high efficiency. This increase in efficiency will more than pay for the small cost of maintenance. The best way that maintenance pays back its cost: preventing you from needing an expensive new installation because your air conditioner broke down years before it should.

Sign up for maintenance today

You can contact HB Energy Solutions or download our maintenance plan to see how you can protect your Southern Vermont air conditioner with maintenance. Get started before spring ends and the summer heat arrives.

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Is a Standard Storage Tank Water Heater Sometimes a Better Choice?

Friday, April 18th, 2014

If you know about tankless water heaters, then you’ve probably learned about their numerous virtues and why many so many homeowners prefer them. Tankless water heaters never run out of hot water, take up less space in a home, and run much more energy-efficiently than standard storage water heaters because they lose less heat and do not require steady energy to keep water in a tank warm.

However, not everyone has called up their local plumbing company to install a tankless heater. Traditional storage tanks still sit in many homes, and new ones are installed every day. The reason for this is that some homes won’t receive the full benefits of a tankless water heater, and a storage water heater makes better economic sense for them.

Whether a traditional or tankless system will work for your house is something that requires a Southern Vermont plumbing professional to help answer. HB Energy Solutions has kept homeowners in Vermont warm and comfortable for more than 20 years; you can place your trust in us to guide you to your home’s best option for hot water.

Why a storage water heater is sometimes better

Tankless water heaters are more expensive systems to install: anyone considering one for a home needs to balance the upfront costs with the long-term savings. Sometimes, a storage water heater will save more money than a tankless one.

Here’s something to consider: tankless system do not tend to endure as long as storage systems. This means that the amount of money you’ll save from a tankless system depends more on how much hot water your household uses on average rather than how long the system stays around. If you do not use a large amount of hot water, you may not receive significant savings from a tankless system before it needs replacement. Consult with an installer, who can check on your household hot water use to see if a storage water heater may be a superior choice.

Another factor to consider: although tankless water heaters don’t “run out” of hot water, they have trouble keeping up with high volume hot water demands. Proper sizing can help minimize this problem, but larger households might be better served by a high capacity tank water heater.

Professional installation

When factoring the pros and cons of the two systems, they come up about equal: tankless water heaters have high efficiency and unlimited hot water; storage water heaters have convenience and lower installation costs. Your own water use and your budget plans will be the deciding factors, but professional installers will help you feel certain of your choice. And, of course, they’ll install it as well.

Call HB Energy Solutions, your Southern Vermont plumbing experts, to talk about water heater installation today.

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It’s Not Just Lightning! Causes of Power Surges

Wednesday, March 12th, 2014

Power surges are both inconvenient and potentially damaging to your house and possessions. They can cause a loss of power in your home, and will inflict injury on appliances—particularly complex devices like computers and home entertainment systems. You want to do as much as you can to protect your home and possession from surges along the power lines.

It’s a popular misconception that power surges are only catastrophic events that occur because of storms and downed power lines. These will indeed cause surges—but there are other, more common causes. And power surges don’t have to be major events; they can occur numerous times during a day without you noticing them. To help guard against these surges, contact our technicians in all things electrical in Southern Vermont at HB Energy Solutions.

What causes power surges?

  • Catastrophic events: We’ll start with the most obvious ones. Lightning storms can cause massive overloads when a bolt strikes near a power line. A lightning bolt can boost electrical pressure by millions of volts, and that’s enough to overpower almost any system—as well as local plug-in surge protectors.
  • Electrical demand from high-powered appliances: Lightning is one of the less common causes of power surges. The most common is from sudden demands on your power from a large system like an air conditioner or a refrigerator. When one of these appliances makes a large power demand, it upsets the steady voltage flow of the system. You may barely notice this (a slight dimming of lights), but it will cause cumulative damage to other appliances throughout your home.
  • Faulty wiring: When you experience a more severe power surge (one not due to a storm) leading to an outage, the cause could be trouble with the wiring somewhere in your home. This is a serious problem because of the potential for fire damage, so contact an electrician to see where the faults are and have the necessary re-wiring done.

Whole-house Surge Protection

You should definitely have power strips for your important devices, such as your computer. However, you need to have extra protection from surges, and only whole-house surge protectors in your breaker boxes and circuit panels can do the full job. You will need electricians to install this for you. For electrical services in Southern Vermont, trust to the over two decades of experience at HB Energy Solutions.

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