Money Saving Tips
Cut Your A/C Bill | Cut Your Electric Bill | Unclog Back-ups | Cut Your Heating Bill

Six Summer Savings Tips

1. Set your thermostat at 78°F or higher. Each degree setting below 78°F will increase your energy consumption by approximately 8%. That adds up. At minimum, turn your thermostat up higher when you’re gone. If you have multiple zones, and don’t spend time in a one particular zone – adjust that zone accordingly.

2. When the air conditioner is on, use bath and kitchen fans sparingly. They suck out the cool air rapidly.

3. Inspect and clean both the indoor and outdoor coils. As it’s constantly wetted during the cooling season, the indoor coil in your air conditioner acts as a magnet for dust. A dirty indoor coil is the single most common cause of poor efficiency. The outdoor coil should be checked, and cleaned periodically as well. We do this thoroughly on every service and maintenance visit.

4. Check the refrigerant charge. The circulating fluid in your air conditioner is a special refrigerant gas that’s put in your AC when the system’s installed. If the system’s overcharged or undercharged with refrigerant, it will not work as efficiently. We check the fluid and adjust it appropriately on each visit.

5. Use cost-effective conservation measures to reduce your AC use. It’s a good idea to shade east and west windows. When possible, delay until the evening on hot days things like excessive cooking, using the dishwasher, etc. Also, keep the house closed tight during the day. Leaving a door or window open unnecessarily can trigger your thermostat to kick the AC on. Consider fans in the evening – especially when you’re confined to just your bedroom. It’s an easy, cost effective way to stay cool during sleeping hours.

6. If possible, don’t use your dehumidifier at the same time your AC is on. The dehumidifier will increase the cooling load, and make the AC unit work harder.

IMPORTANT: You might be overpaying the electric company…

Did I get your attention with that statement? It’s not only an attention grabber. It’s true.
Many homes have the wrong size air conditioning and heating units. A system that’s too large will end up cycling on and off. Your electric bill will end up higher. How do you know if you’re getting the right size system for your home? First, always use a top level company. Make sure they know what they’re talking about.

When it comes to air conditioning and heating, what is saving $50 on the installation when the installation ends up costing you thousands of dollars in the future in inflated electric bills? Think about that a moment. My great grandfather was right in many ways when he said to us, “Cheap costs too much.” Another way to put this is lowest bid usually equals highest lifetime cost.

Cheap service costs too much in the long term. Cheap materials cost too much in the long term. And yes, cheap expertise costs too much in the long term. That expertise can be in one of two forms in this industry: (1) The company just doesn’t know any better or (2) The company chooses to take the cheap way out. Both scenarios cost you money. I’m sorry, but you simply should not have to pay for a company’s ignorance, or their lack of integrity. Whether you call us now, or someone else, please remember…

Six things that must be checked when sizing a new AC or Heating system…If you enjoy paying higher electric bills, skip this.

(We’re keeping things very simple here, but knowing these basics will help tremendously)

1. The contractor must measure the height of the ceilings and the size of each room.

Simply sizing a system based on square footage equals paying higher electric bills than necessary almost every time. Read that again. This is number one on the list for a reason. Unfortunately, far too many companies size systems this way. It’s the cookie cutter mentality, the easy way out (meaning less time spent at your home for them). Don’t accept this.

2. The contractor must check the insulation in your house.

Very simple, but very important. Also, how was the home constructed? Little things do mean a lot, because they all add up.

3. The contractor must check the insulation of your windows and doors.

We put this separate from the insulation of the house, because it can often be overlooked. It’s worth checking the seals on your windows and doors. Poorly insulated windows and doors are one thing. Maybe you don’t want to change them. Yet, poorly caulked and sealed windows and doors are another thing. You should shore these areas up immediately.

4. The contractor must check the impact of the sun on your home.

Have you ever felt how warm the sun can make a room? This will affect your heating and cooling significantly. If you have bushes or trees that shade, or buffer the wind from your home – this can have an impact too.

5. The contractor must consider how you use your home.

Meaning, you could have an area of the house that you only use for storage. So why would an HVAC company put the same vents in that area as your master bedroom. Your kitchen area will also need different ventilation, but maybe you don’t cook that much. Do you see why it’s important to understand how you use your home?

6. The contractor must consider how many people live in your home.

Bodies give off heat. Just sit in a crowded room on a hot summer day to remind yourself. Maybe you had five people in your home, but now three kids are grown up, and out of the house. You are now putting in a new cooling system. This change should be considered for your new system.

Now, what we do is – after a detailed analysis of your home – take the information and plug it into a proprietary computer program. Based on the clarity of information we plug in, we are able to size the system properly for your home, and your needs.

We had a situation just recently where the homeowner needed a new heating system. After doing a thorough analysis, one of our technicians (By the way, our technicians average over 20-years in the trade) recommended a system that was nearly 40% smaller than her current. The homeowner really had a difficult time believing the system would work properly. She, like many of you, had been brainwashed from past experiences. Months later, she saw the light – and had more money in her pocket from a less expensive system, and lower electric bills.

The Five Most Common Backups and Clogs
(And how you can solve them without calling us)

First, if you don’t feel comfortable with messing with your pipes, don’t. Messing around too much can cause even more damage. For example, exerting too much pressure on your pipes can cause damage. Yet, for the simple clogs, we hope these tips can save you some money.

Now, some people think we’re crazy for telling the public how to keep from calling us, but we don’t believe that. Our great grandfather believed in helping people. “If we help people, we’ll grow a great business,” he used to say. Well, 114-years later, I’d have to say he was right. Besides, if we can help you save some money by not having to call us, when you really need true professional help – we believe you will call us…Your friends at Thomas E. Clark.

1. Sinks

Most sink clogs can be cleared with a plunger. Fill the sink with some water and go to work. If you have a double sink you need to keep the stopper in the opposite side sink to keep the pressure directed to the clog. If it's a bath sink, stuff a wet rag into the overflow hole for the same reason.

If a plunger doesn't work, try a plumber’s snake. Go under the sink and take the trap off with a pipe wrench. You’ll want to have a pail or bucket under the trap when you do this to catch the water. Keep some old rags handy too. Two large nuts should be holding a "U" shaped pipe at the bottom. Check the "U" shaped trap first. The clog may be right there. If not, take the horizontal arm coming from the wall and remove it. You may have to loose another nut to do this. Now take your drain snake and push it into the opening until you feel resistance. Pull out another foot and a half of cable. Tighten the locking screw down and start to push it into the opening while tuning the crank handle to the right (clockwise). You may have to repeat this a foot and a half at a time until you feel your snake break through.

Once your snake breaks through, put the trap back together and run hot water down the drain. If it flows fine, you’re back in business. If it backs up again, part of the original clog is likely lodged further down the drain. Don’t panic. Grab the plunger, and plunge away. This should do it. Run some hot water again. If you’re not clear by now, and you’re frustrated – feel free to give us a call. In most cases, hopefully you don’t need us.

2. Bathtub Backups
(When a shower becomes a bath)

Bathtubs rarely back up all of a sudden. It’s usually a gradual process. You’ll see the water taking longer and longer to drain with each use. But, if you have a backup, here’s what to do. If you have screen over the drain, remove the screw holding it on, and take it off. Use a wire or a bent coat hanger to fish out any hair and debris.

If you have a pop up drain, move the lever to raise it and try pulling it right out. If that doesn't work, run some water in the tub and use a plunger. Stuff a wet cloth into the opening of the overflow plate. This will keep the plunger pressure directed to the drain area. If the plunger doesn’t work, try the snake. What you want to do is feed it in through the overflow plate.

Usually two screws hold the plate. Unscrew them. Pull the plate out, and the device that opens and closes the drain will come out with it. Feed about 30-36 inches of cable down through the opening. Remember to turn the crank to the right as you go. This will feel pretty tight. Reason being is you’re cranking the cable through the “S” shaped trap under the floor.

Once you’ve work through the “S” shaped trap, pull the cable out. Turn the crank to the left (if needed). Run some water down the drain. The same deal applies here as with the sink. Some of the clog could have gotten pushed further down the drain. If there’s still a little back up, use the plunger again. This should blast the remains down. Obviously all that’s left is to put the drain and overflow plate pieces back in place.

3. The Nasty Clogged Toilet

Not much compares to the sinking feeling (no pun intended) of flushing the toilet, only to have it refuse your refuse. Actually, this is the one time you want to have the clog in your house. It’s pretty embarrassing to have a clogged toilet at someone else’s house. Even though it may not be your fault, the blame and the laughs get directed at you.

First, you’ll probably want to try the plunger. Sometimes a plunger will work, if not, you’ll need a closet auger. Place the auger in the toilet with the upturned tip going into the drain, and push down as you crank to the right. After you feel the cable snake through the trap and you’ve pushed all the cable through, crank to the left and pull it back out. Flush the toilet. If you don’t get a flush, but it’s a bit slower than normal, you can flush it again. Sometime this will clear everything. If not you can use the auger again. You can turn the tool to work the cable more to the right or more to the left to hopefully work out a big clog.

5. Oh no, not the whole house
(Get out the nose plugs)

If everything in your house backs up, one of three things is clogged: your main drain going out of the house, the drain between the house and the sewer, or if you have one, the septic tank is clogged.If you have a septic tank, it could need cleaned.

If it’s the main drain in the house, you probably have a cleanout at the far end of the drain. This area lets you feed an auger in without going through any traps. Look in the basement or crawlspace. You’ll need a power auger for this. You can probably rent one.

If after you auger the main drain, it’s still backed up, move to the drain from the house to the outside. Look for a cleanout area just below the point where the main drain leaves the house. Remove the cap and auger again. You should know that a power auger works with a motor. You don’t crank. So you won’t feel the clog. You’ll have to listen for the motor to slow. That will indicate you’ve hit the clog. Then it’s a matter of powering the auger back and forth to clear things.

The bottom line here: Cleaning a main clog is a smelly, nasty job. That’s what we’re here for. We hope the tips here help you, and yet we hope you know when to call in a professional. That can be at different times for different people. We’re always just a phone call away.

Eight Fast & Easy Ways To Cut Your Winter Heating Bills

1. Set your thermostat a few degrees lower. Sometimes we think we need to set the thermostat higher than we really do to be comfortable. Now, if you want to walk around in your underwear, you might need to set the temperature higher. If not, you might find around 68 degrees to be just fine.

2. Keep the temperature constant. Frequent changes cause your heating system to cycle on and off more, and this wastes your money. Do set back the temperature at night though. A nice comfortable will keep you more than warm.

3. Keep shades and draperies on South facing windows open during the Winter. The sunshine will help warm your house. If you have blinds, make sure the blinds are angle down (do the opposite during the warm months).

4. Make sure your vents and registers have clearance. Check for furniture, drapes, or just “stuff” that might be blocking your vents. It’s also a good idea to clean the vents and registers off at least once a year.

5. Clean or replace your furnace filters timely. Some need replacing once a month, while others only every three months. There are also brands you can simply wash off. Either way, mark your calendar now for specific days to check them. Otherwise, you get to hear us say, “When’s the last time you replaced your filter?” And we get to hear you say, “Wow, it’s been a while. I’m not sure.”

6. Close all doors to rooms not being used, and close their vents. Doing this will force more warm air to the areas you use. The whole point is you want to be comfortable. Don’t waste money heating rooms you don’t use.

7. Turn bathroom and kitchen ventilating fans off right after using them. These fans suck the warm air out of your house. If you don’t need to use them, don’t. Usually the house is much drier in the cold season. So a little more humidity from the shower or kitchen will actually help.

8. Check your air ducts for leaks. Okay, so maybe this one isn’t so easy for you. At the very least, look for sections that are loose, but should be connected. Look for visibly obvious holes. If you spot a leak, you might want to have a professional come take a look.