From thunderstorms, high winds, or earthquakes, your home can lose power for any number of reasons.

Power outages present a number of dangers related to extreme weather, food spoilage, and downed electrical lines.  That’s why it’s important to prepare for a power outage and to know what steps you should take to ensure that your home remains safe and secure.

Power Outage Precautions

Here are some of the most important things to remember during a power outage:

• Heat stroke, dehydration, and hypothermia are some of the most common medical emergencies resulting from power outages, so be sure to respond appropriately to the temperature.  If it is hot outside, wear loose, baggy clothing and drink lots of water to avoid dehydration.  If it is cold, dress in layers and go to the warmest part of your house.
• Open your refrigerator and freezer doors as little as possible, as opening them allows the remaining cool air inside to escape.
• If available, pour ice into a cooler and put any perishable food items from your refrigerator inside
• Do not go near any downed power lines.
• Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by running any generators, grills, or other gas powered electronics outside and away from your home.

Following these tips will help ensure that your home remains safe, secure, and comfortable if the power goes out.

Invest in a Generator

One of the best things you can do to prepare for a power outage is to invest in a home generator system.  If you have a generator, you will be able to power your most essential appliances and will thus be able to avoid the threat of food spoilage and heat exhaustion.  For more information about how a generator can help protect your home, contract Utah portable generator professionals.

We’re all starting to hear little bits and pieces of the green movement. With the prices of energy starting to go up dramatically, many people are starting to take heed of the suggestions to go green. With these new, up-and-coming products, and specifically with solar power, what are the benefits and the disadvantages of converting your home to a greener, more energy-efficient source of power?

Advantages

• Solar power is a renewable resource
• Installation is a one-time cost
• As opposed to most generators, solar panels make no noise
• The power, when harnessed and used, does not pollute the environment
• You only have to clean them about once a year
• They require very little maintenance
• In the long run, you can cut down on your power bills.
• Easy installation
• Tax credits from the government if you qualify (up to 30% of cost)

As you can see, there are lots of good things about switching over to solar power. However, like with everything else in life, there are some disadvantages and slight inconveniences as well.

The Cons

• The solar panels themselves can be very expensive when they are first purchased
• On cloudy or stormy days, you might have to limit the amount of electricity you use
• In order to be efficient, a large area needs to be dedicated to the solar panels
• The pollution in the air already can act like a cloud, decreasing the efficiency of the solar panels
• Buildings or other structures might shadow the solar panels, which decreases efficiency

Though there are still some disadvantages to solar power, the benefits surely outweigh them. And, with new developments in solar technology, it is likely that many of those disadvantages will drop off the list.
For any other of your water or air questions, talk to the experts!

-Kassandra Konecny

Every day, you experience the benefits of hot water: in the shower, doing the dishes, washing your hands, cooking your food. No matter where it is, hot water has something to do with it. But have you ever stopped to wonder where all of this hot water is coming from, and what it has to do with your electrical bill? Well, here’s a quick guide to the dirty details of water heating:

The process starts with the cold water shutoff valve. Water is pumped from the municipal system through copper piping into your home, where it arrives at the water shutoff valve. If you don’t want your water heated, simply turn the handle until it’s perpendicular to the pipe. If you do want your water heated, keep the handle parallel to the pipe.

The water then enters the tank and flows all the way to the bottom in a dip tube. At the bottom, the pilot light heats two elements, and from there the heat flows to the burner, which burns much like a stovetop does. The cold water then heats up and then floats to the top, making room for more cold water to be heated.

All this burning can produce a lot of gas. Where does it all go? That’s simple. There’s a vent at the top of the heater, and the gas flows through the vents and right out of your house.

Call a Utah water heater specialist to learn how you can improve your efficiency and save money on your water heating!

Having an up-to-date furnace that runs properly is paramount to the health and happiness of yourself and your family. If your furnace is on its last legs, it could have dangerous side-effects, including rising energy bills and carbon monoxide poisoning, not to mention the possibility of spending a very cold night waiting for the repairman to arrive when your furnace breaks down. If you see warning signs, take care of them before an emergency arises. Here are a few signs that it’s time to make a call to a Utah furnace specialist:

1. Is your burner flame yellow instead of blue? If your flame is yellow and/or flickering, it could be a sign of the presence of carbon monoxide. Other possible signs of carbon monoxide leaks are:
   • Rust on the outside of your vent pipe
   • Rusting on appliance jacks, flue pipes, or other pipe connections,
   • No upward draft in your chimney
   • Water leaking from the base of the flue pipe, chimney, or vent
   • Streaks of soot around furnace
   • Unusual amounts of moisture on walls, windows, or other cold surfaces
2. How old is your furnace? Furnace life expectancy is 16-20 years. Does your furnace have a pilot light? If so, it’s certain to be at least 25 years old!
3. Are your gas or electric bills rising? With age and without proper maintenance, your furnace will lose its efficiency, requiring it to run longer to produce the same amount of heat.
4. Any furnace repairs in the last two years? Furnaces incur the most breakdowns in their last two years of usable life. If the number of breakdowns has been rising, it’s time to start looking into a furnace replacement.
5. Does your thermostat keep you comfortable? Are some rooms consistently warmer or colder than the rest? Do you have to constantly adjust the thermostat to maintain a comfortable temperature? If so, your furnace has lost the ability to distribute heat properly throughout your house.
6. Have you been feeling ill? Burning in the nose or eyes, headache, nausea, disorientation, and flu-like symptoms are all signs of carbon monoxide, the most likely culprit for which is a cracked furnace heat exchanger.

Every home deserves to have its air ducts cleaned at some point. The benefits of duct-cleaning are manifold. The air in your home circulates constantly. In fact, once dirt, dust, pollen, and other allergens enter your home through your forced air system, they can circulate up to fifty times per day! No matter how careful you are in changing your furnace filter, a certain amount of dirt build-up is inescapable. That’s why it’s important to have your ducts cleaned regularly: to protect your family and the quality of your air.

Every duct system deserves a regular cleaning, but here are three red flags indicating that your ducts just can’t wait any longer for their cleaning:

1. You find mold in your air ducts. Mold, constantly circulated through your home, can be tremendously detrimental to your family’s health.
2. Vermin have set up camp in your air ducts. Whether they be bugs, rats, mice, or other pests, vermin can hide out in your ducts, exposing your family to disease.
3. Dust and dirt are visibly released through your ducts.

When it’s time for some Utah duct cleaning, turn to Superior. Not only will we provide a free estimate, we’ll give you a video tour of your ducts to show you exactly the extent of the dirt and damage inside – before we even get started! Our heavy-duty, trailer-mounted push/pull system gets the job done every time – an enormous difference from old-fashioned roto-brush systems.

None of us expects a disaster, but you never know when one might take place. If you lose heat to your home for any reason in the coming winter months, you’ll need an alternate heat source until the problem is fixed. Here are a few things to remember when creating your backup heating plan:

1. Have a backup generator on hand. If you lose power, a backup generator will maintain heat in your home, keep food in the fridge from spoiling, and keep you connected with the outside world. Don’t be caught without one.
2. Space heaters. These work well in a pinch but can be expensive to run for long periods of time. Make sure you give your space heater plenty of space – if it’s close to furniture or other flammable material, you might face a home fire, a much bigger problem than a broken furnace.
3. The fireplace or woodstove. Keep things toasty the good, old-fashioned way. To prevent a fire, always store your wood outside, a good distance away from your home. Make sure your home is properly ventilated and that the flue is open. Arrange to have your chimney properly cleaned at least annually.

To make sure your furnace keeps you warm all summer and for more heating tips, contact the Utah furnace experts.

Water softeners need maintenance like anything else. From time to time, you may find that you need to use more soap or your skin doesn’t feel as soft as you’re used to. This may be an indication that your water softener is in need of repair and your water has become hard. A professional technician will be able to do a thorough test of the hardness of your water. However, there is one simple, unscientific test you can perform yourself to determine whether your water softener stands in need of fixing.

1. Fill a clean, clear bottle with one half-cup of water.
2. Add ten drops of dishwashing fluid.
3. Shake the bottle thoroughly.
4. Look at the result: if the soap has foamed up well, your water is probably fairly soft. However, if the soap simply forms a film on the water’s surface, it looks like its time to pay attention to your water softener.

Of course, you can also tell if you have a hard water problem if you have a white, hard water build-up on your shower doors and sinks. This is because magnesium and chalky calcium are leaching into your water from pipes and coming into your home. With a little attention from a Utah water softener expert, your skin will soon be feeling cleaner and softer, your water will taste better, and your family will be happier!

Emergencies happen in Utah all the time: blizzards strike, trees fall on power lines, and boiling heat causes power grids to short. We even experience the occasional tornado! Power generators make sure that you’re taken care of in case of an emergency. Here are just a few reasons why you need a generator:

1. Don’t be left in the dark! A power outage doesn’t mean you have to go without the necessities of life. A generator will keep the lights on and keep the food in the fridge from spoiling. While your neighbors are bumping around in the dark, you’ll be sitting pretty.
2. Does one of your family members depend on an oxygen pump, wheelchair lift, CPAP or other piece of electrical medical equipment? If so, you can’t afford a lengthy electrical failure. An electrical generator will make sure their needs are met no matter what.
3. In case of a natural disaster, you’ll need immediate access to communication sources such as radio, telephone, and television. Without power to your home, you might be left in the dark both literally and figuratively. A generator helps you stay connected during the worst of times.

For more information or to have a free consultation and find out which type of generator is best for your home, contact your Utah air conditioner experts.

Unfortunately, plumbing emergencies happen in the lives of each of us. Everything from a small leak to a flooded basement can induce panic in a homeowner. Luckily, Superior Water and Air’s plumbing system will take care of all new equipment and replacements you may be in need of. But, in case of a plumbing emergency, you’ll need to know what to do before the professionals arrive. Here are two simple steps that will mitigate the disaster:

1. Turn your water off at the main shutoff valve. Usually, the valve will be located on the outside of your house by your water meters, which will are likely near the street. If you don’t find your shutoff valve there, look inside your home beneath a floor access panel, in the basement, or in the floors of your closets. A shutoff valve is a large valve in the middle of a pipe. Closing that valve will go a long way towards keeping your home from flooding.
2. Turn off your water heater. After you shut off the flow of water into your home, your water heater can overheat, leading to injury for anyone who unknowingly tries to use the hot water. Turn off the circuit breakers and the gas supply to your water heater.

Looks like you might need a replacement, so call your Utah water softener and plumbing experts!

Summer is here, and there’s nothing like coming home out of the sweltering desert heat and into the cool oasis of your central air. But when your AC breaks, that oasis can quickly turn into a fiery inferno. To make sure that you never have this experience, it’s important to properly maintain your AC unit. Many AC breakdowns could easily be prevented simply by periodically cleaning your outdoor compressor unit. Cleaning will depend on the brand and style of your air conditioner, but it’s generally pretty easy. Here are just a few guidelines:

1. Shut off the power to the unit. Your compressor will be connected with a cord to the wall of your home: there’s usually a switch there that you can simply toggle off.
2. Unscrew the top of the unit and lift out both the grill and the fan. Set it aside, being careful not to cramp any connecting wires.
3. Scoop out the leaves and debris from inside.
4. Clean the cooling fins. Using a sprayer attachment on your hose, spray the wall of the unit from the inside out. This will blast all of the dirt and debris from off the cooling fins, improving circulation.
5. Clear off the concrete pad where your compressor sits. Debris, leaves, and weeds on the pad are likely to be sucked into the unit.

If you experience any difficulty, or if your A/C breaks in spite of it all, just give a call to your Utah water softener and air conditioning experts!