Category: Heating

Winterizing Your Home

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As the temperatures cool it’s important to take stock of your home and prepare it for winter weather. So, what is ‘winterizing’ and why should you winterize your home? Keep reading to find out!

What Is Winterizing?

Winterizing is the process of preparing your house for the winter. This can be done by insulating pipes, sealing windows and doors, and adding extra insulation to the rest of your house. While winterization is typically used to prepare homes for vacancy during winter months, homeowners at high elevations and in areas with bitterly cold temperatures should consider winterization to preserve their home for years to come.

Most Common Ways to Winterize

While some people leave their home for warmer vacation homes, most people weather the winter by staying put. If you are planning to stay home, there are some simple but effective ways to winterize.

Some of the most common methods include:

  • Weather Stripping: Installing storm doors and windows can help to insulate a home, but a more cost-effective method is weather stripping. Adding strips of rubber or plastic seals around doors and windows helps to keep out drafts and hold in heat. Door sweeps also work to keep the warm air in and the cold air out.
  • Pipe Insulation: In many regions, burst pipes are a risk in the colder months. As near freezing water enters the pipes at high pressure, can cause the metal to contract which further weakens already vulnerable parts of the plumbing system. As the cold water continues to rush through, it could cause these week parts to collapse and burst altogether. Using pipe wrap and insulation fittings helps to protect pipes from the cold and prevent bursting.
  • Clean and Protect Gutters: While gutters don’t contribute to drafts, failure to clean them properly could cause build up and prevent proper snow drainage. If snow collects on the roof, it could cause strain, leaking, or even collapse over time. When prepping a home for the winter, it is crucial that you clean the gutters to ensure proper drainage and install gutter guards to keep out leaves and other debris that could clog them.
  • Fireplace Cleaning: Fireplaces are essential during the colder months, but when there are animal nests or creosote buildup a simple fire could become a serious hazard. Not only does cleaning the fireplace prevent issues, but it can also reveal opportunities for sealing and insulation if the fireplace is older or prone to draftiness. In some cases, a fireplace may be too drafty, and you may want to seal it for the winter season.
  • Sealing: Gaps in windows, openings in the attic, and other areas could be responsible for drafts and loss of heat during the winter. Using caulk and insulation to reinforce and seal these areas can protect you from the cold and save money on heating costs.

Are You Ready for Winter?

If you are a homeowner, it may seem like there is an endless list of things you have to do to prepare for changes in the weather. Keeping up with winterization can be a hassle, and it’s easy to forget a task or two. With the help of qualified contractors, you can protect your home, preserve your plumbing, and maximize the effectiveness of your water heater just in time for winter.

Schedule an appointment with Mallick Plumbing & Heating, Inc. today!

How to Know When You Need a New Water Heater

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When it comes to plumbing and HVAC, the biggest factor is timing. You need to know when something has to go and do so proactively so that you don’t run into an entire system breakdown. Your water heater probably isn’t an appliance in your home that you think about daily, but we’re encouraging you to think about it today.

Your water heater is an incredibly important system in your home so when it’s time to replace it, it’s incredibly important to do so quickly. When you need a good plumber in Frederick, MD for these services then make sure that you contact our team.

Signs It’s Time for Your Current Water Heater to Go

Here are the signs that it’s probably time for your current water heater to get swapped out with a new one.

You Don’t Have Enough Water

You’re in the shower heating up on a chilly winter morning and suddenly the water runs ice cold—this is the last thing you could possibly want. If this happens to you often then you need a new water heater. So many people try to brush this off because they have a high-water demand due to their lifestyle or a large number of people living under one roof. This still shouldn’t be something that you should write off, you need a water heater that can handle the capacity of your home.

Cloudy Water

Is the water that you see in your home rusty or cloudy? This is a problem that there’s corrosion going on inside of your tank water heater. This means that even if your water heater works right now, you need to get on the market for a new one because the clock is ticking. Water heater corrosion breaks down a system quickly—call a plumber at your earliest convenience.

Popping and Rumbling

The most common problem sound you’ll hear from a water heater is popping or rumbling. If you hear either of these noises then it’s highly likely that there’s a problem with sediment build up in your system. The popping and rumbling sound is the sediment coming in contact with the heating element—it makes a lot of noise as it burns the sediment away. This is a problem that’s easily rectified but you will need a professional to flush your system.

It’s Older

How old is your water heater? If your water heater is between the ages of 10 and 15, and you have a substantial amount of problems running the water heater, then you should start thinking about replacing your water heater. Water heaters are only meant to last for so long. If you try to push this system past its limits you’ll only cause inefficiency and further problems.

We don’t expect you to know the age of your water heater off the top of your head. You can find out the age by looking at the serial number. You’ll see numbers like B101124741 or D071234790. The letters correspond to the months of the year B would be February and D would be April. The next two digits representing the year 10 would be 2010 and 07 would be 2007. Take a look at your water heater to determine the age.

If you’re ready to upgrade your water heater contact Mallick Plumbing & Heating today.

The Dos and Don’ts of an Emergency Plumbing Situation

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Having an emergency plumbing situation on your hands is more common than you’d think. When you need a reliable plumber, you should have our number handy and have the knowledge from this article in the back of your mind, so you can handle the problem in the best way possible. Handling this situation in a bad way leads to a loss of freshwater, backed up sewage, flooding, or a myriad of other problems.

If you have an emergency plumbing problem, it’s important to call a professional. We know that the urgency might want to make you try to rectify this problem on your own, but it’s never a good idea. We’ve handled many plumbing problems just like yours in the past so if you need emergency plumbing in Bethesda, MD contact our team.

What Not to Do

Use a Store-Bought Drain Cleaner: So, you’ve got a clog on your hands. This is an inconvenient and annoying plumbing problem that happens to homeowners far too often. If your solution is to run to the nearest store and head to the aisle stocked with cheap, liquid drain cleaners, you might think you’ve found a quick solution but you’re only doing yourself a disservice.

A store-bought drain cleaner might eat away at the clog in your drain, but the problem is that it won’t stop there: it’ll eat away at your pipe too! Drain cleaners like this are even worse if you have a particularly persistent pipe clog and the drain cleaner can’t work through it. This is common, and when this happens the drain cleaner sits on top of the clog eating away at your pipe in a concentrated area. Drain cleaner might seem like a cheap and effective solution but you shouldn’t take this route, it’s never worth it. Call a professional.

What You Should Do

Act Fast: No matter what’s going on (a frozen pipe, a burst pipe, a wedding ring down the drain, or a fixture leaking), make sure that you call a professional as soon as you can. The worst thing that you can do to your plumbing system during an emergency is to sit idly and wait because you think that the emergency isn’t urgent enough. Act quickly when you have a problem and make sure that you have a ream you can contact that’s reliable.

Call A Professional: When you act, make sure that you do so wisely. When you’re in the midst of a plumbing emergency it’s not the time to call that cut-rate “technician” that you’ve heard about or head to Google and try to accrue enough knowledge to fix a burst pipe in 20 minutes. Call a professional. You need an experienced, trained, and reliable technician that’s going to treat your intricate plumbing system with care.

Contact Our Team

If you need great plumbing work, our team is the right crew for the job. We pride ourselves on being a thorough heating and cooling company that goes the extra mile with our customers. We’ve served the Greater Washington Metro area for years and we always ensure that we provide the best installation, maintenance, repair, and replacement services the first time.

If you have a plumbing emergency, contact Mallick Plumbing & Heating today.

Off-Season Is a Good Time to Replace Your Gas Boiler

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When warm weather arrives, one of the last things you want to think about is providing warmth to your home. Most of the time, you’ll be focused on how to keep it cool. But the middle of the year is the right time to make any major upgrades to your home’s heating system. If you use an old, unreliable gas boiler in Chevy Chase, MD to handle your home heating requirements, we recommend using late spring and summer to schedule an upgrade to a new boiler system.

Why Replace a Boiler Now?

First, it’s simply more convenient. You won’t need the boiler in service until the fall, so there’s no period of downtime where you won’t have the heating you need. Scheduling a replacement isn’t difficult because the service technicians who can do the job (like the ones on our team) have more open schedules, especially if you arrange for the work in late spring/early summer before the hotter days arrive. The cool-to-warm days are a time when heating service technicians are the least busy—and ours are happy to help you with a new gas boiler installation.

Putting in a new gas boiler is a job that must never be rushed, so using the time available to you during warmer weather will help you make the right choices. Our installation experts will never rush a job, but with the extra time they can assist you with going through the options carefully, and this includes helping you to make the choice to replace the old gas boiler in the first place rather than to continue with repairs.

Please keep in mind that only licensed professionals can work on a gas boiler. Any appliance connected to a gas main is a potential safety hazard if an amateur tinkers with it. Leave the job to our licensed experts and you’ll have a safe boiler to handle your future heating need.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice!

Gas Boiler Prepared for Winter?

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Many homes in Silver Springs and the surrounding areas use a gas boiler to provide winter heat rather than a furnace. Boilers offer a more even distribution of heat in rooms, faster heat delivery, and energy-saving operation. Compared to a furnace, a boiler will need fewer repairs during its lifetime and should enjoy extra years of service.

You Can’t Avoid All Boiler Repairs, However

No boiler can ever be 100%-free from malfunctions, and before the hard cold of winter arrives, you want to make sure that your boiler is in good shape. The best way to do this is to call our technicians and schedule regular maintenance. This is an essential task for any heating system so it can be inspected and tuned-up. It has particular importance for a gas-powered system such as a boiler since the inspections help detect if there may be any safety concerns so repairs can be arranged in time if there are. Keeping up with annual fall maintenance for a gas boiler will help it enjoy the longest service life possible.

Catch Repair Signs Early

After maintenance, you should still give the boiler a test run in the last days before the long cold weather sets in. You can look for any odd behaviors warning of repair issues. These include:

  • Rumbling sounds from the boiler tank
  • Cool spots in some of the rooms because a radiator or baseboard heater is heating up
  • Indications of leaking

Never hesitate to contact professionals to check on your gas boiler if you believe something is amiss with it.

We offer service for gas boilers in Silver Spring, MD. Remember that only licensed professionals are legally permitted to work on any appliance connected to a gas main, and this includes a boiler system! You can rely on our team to repair any issue with your boiler or help you with a new installation if it’s time to replace your old boiler.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice.

Use Summer to Replace Your Boiler

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During the heat of summer here in Maryland, you probably don’t want to hear the word “boil” in any context. It just makes you feel that much hotter. But summer is often a good time to have work done on the heating system in your home, especially if it’s a big job like taking an old boiler out of the house and putting in a new one. You won’t need your boiler during the summer, so you can take your time to pick a new model and work with your local contractor for boiler services in Potomac, MD so you’ll be ready to go in fall when the cooler weather returns.

Is Your Boiler Too Old?

The first question you’ll probably have about a gas boiler replacement is if it’s necessary. To start answering that question, consider the age of your boiler. If the boiler was already in the house when you moved in, it might already be at an advanced age where it is in increasing danger of becoming a money waster, ineffective, and possibly even a safety hazard. (Boilers are designed with safety uppermost in mind, but aging gas systems are more likely to become unsafe.)

The average lifespan of a boiler system is 15 to 20 years. Some boilers can even last 30 years if they receive routine maintenance ever fall. But it’s a wise idea to plan to replace a boiler that’s more than 20 years old. This is the point where corrosion may start to take hold and the wear on the other parts lead to poor operation. We recommend contacting our team to look over your boiler and offer an opinion about a replacement if the boiler’s been in service for more than two decades.

Is Your Boiler Too Expensive?

One of the reasons many homeowners prefer using boilers rather than forced-air systems like furnaces is that boilers can help save money. Boilers heat rooms faster and more evenly, and water is a more effective heat transference medium than air. But when a boiler is getting up in years it will start draining extra power to operate. Check on your heating bills for the last few winters. Are they rising steadily, even though you aren’t using the boiler any more than usual? If they are, it’s wise to have us give your boiler a check-up.

Easy Summer-Time Scheduling

We’re happy to help put in a new boiler during the summer. Our plumbers are skilled with selecting the right new system to replace an old one, and they can handle any changes to the piping that may be necessary to adapt to the new boiler system. They’ll guide you toward a boiler that has higher energy efficiency than your current one did even when it was new.

This is a big job, and we hope you haven’t even considered trying to do it yourself. But don’t trust it to an amateur who makes big promises either. Working on any system connected to a gas line is illegal in most jurisdictions unless a licensed professional handles it. Have the job done right, and keep your family safe, by relying on our experienced team.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice in Silver Spring, MD & Montgomery County.

As Winter Ends, Watch Out for Gas Boiler Trouble

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The weather is starting to warm up a bit, although we’re still not necessarily going to escape cold snaps during March. It’s a smart idea to keep a close watch on the gas boiler that provides heat to your home during this period. You should never ignore signs of a boiler malfunction just because spring is around the corner. Letting a repair issue slide can lead to trouble, including a leaking boiler that creates water damage!

Here are a few indications of possible trouble with your boiler during the late winter. When you see any of these signs, reach out to our technicians. Along with extensive plumbing work, we also service gas boilers in Rockville, MD, and the surrounding areas.

  • Rumbling: A rumbling sound from a boiler is an alarming noise. However, there’s little chance that the boiler is about to burst. But the rumbling is still a warning of a major problem and you’ll need professionals to look into it right away. Shut the boiler and the gas off and call for assistance right away.
  • Water around the boiler: If you notice water pooling underneath your boiler, it’s probably because of leakage. This can occur because of loose connections to the pipes or even corrosion along the tank. (In cases of corrosion, you’ll usually need to have the entire boiler tank replaced.)
  • Uneven heating: When you notice some rooms are colder than others, the issue may be with the unit controls on the boiler or leaks along the pipes leading to the radiators or baseboard heaters. The burners may also be failing.
  • Burner flames change color: The gas burners on a boiler should be a steady blue color. If the flames turn yellow, red, or green, something is wrong with the burning of the natural gas—and this can mean the creation of dangerous carbon monoxide. Only trust professionals to investigate and find out what is wrong with the burners.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice in Silver Spring, MD and Montgomery County. Contact us today to request service.

Is It Time to Replace Your Gas Boiler?

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It’s already winter, and if you have a gas boiler to deliver comfort to your house, you’ve probably already had it running for a few days. But… will it be able to weather the weather this year? If the boiler is old enough, you may have some reservations about how much longer it’s going to last. Should you have it replaced before the winter gets colder?

Ways to Tell a Boiler Might Need Replacement

The best way to determine if a boiler has reached the end of its service is to call on a heating professional to size it up with an inspection. There are warning signs that will inform when to contact the pros:

  • Basic age: Boilers can last longer than other types of heating systems. But once a boiler gets past 20 years, it’s in a higher risk zone of developing crippling issues from leaks and corrosion. It’s a wise idea to start fresh at this point—and the new boiler will work at higher energy efficiency than the current one did when it was new.
  • Corrosion: Boilers are designed to resist the effects of corrosion for most of their service lives. When corrosion does appear, it’s often a sign that the system has worn down to the point where it ought to be retired.
  • Heating output decline: Are you starting to notice rooms are colder than they should be? Boilers aren’t supposed to leave cold spots because of the way they evenly radiate heat into rooms—so when cold spots appear, something serious might be wrong. It could be within the radiator or baseboard heater. But if the boiler is old enough, the likely cause is that it’s worn down to the point it can’t heat up the water enough for comfort.
  • Noisy operation: One of the advantages of a gas boiler for home heat is how quietly it runs. When the boiler starts to make too much noise, such as rumblings from the tank, then it may be past its prime.

Need assistance with boiler replacement in Bethesda, MD? Contact Mallick Plumbing & Heating, the Service Contractor of Choice!

Some of the Big Benefits of a Gas Boiler for Your Home

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There are many different ways that homes can enjoy warmth through the winters here in Montgomery County. The furnace is the most common, but that doesn’t mean that it will necessarily always be the right choice for a house. If you are looking to have a heating system installed, we recommend that you consider a gas-powered boiler. Boilers remain a popular alternative to forced-air heating systems like furnaces, and for some excellent reasons. We’ve listed a few below:

  • Inexpensive operation: Water is a much better heat transference medium than air, so a boiler is more efficient at heating up a home than a furnace. You can expect to use less energy over the winter thanks to using a gas boiler.
  • Even heating: When a furnace sends heat into a room, the heated air blows out into the space and gathers at the ceiling—and that means it can take a while before heating spreads throughout the room. But boilers send heat out in waves from radiators and baseboard heaters, resulting in a fast and even spread of heat.
  • Longevity: Boilers don’t have many mechanical moving parts, so they suffer less wear over time than other heating systems. Not only does this mean fewer repairs, but it also means a longer system lifespan. You’ll have more time to enjoy the energy efficiency of your gas boiler.
  • Improved indoor air quality: Furnaces often blow dust and debris out of their ductwork and into the air of a house. Since boilers have no ducts at all and radiate heat into a home, they can help to keep the air cleaner. This is a big benefit for households that have allergy and asthma sufferers.

If you want to find out more about the benefits of a gas boiler, as well as if a boiler is a good installation idea for your house, contact our professionals. We’ll be glad to help you find the right gas boiler to meet your needs.

Mallick Plumbing & Heating is the Service Contractor of Choice in Silver Spring, MD and throughout Montgomery County!

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