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Frequently Asked Questions

HELP Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Drains is proud to provide homeowners with the answers they need to all their electrical service questions. Get the answers you need to the questions you have below.

HVAC Service FAQs

It’s recommended that you schedule heating maintenance at least once before each winter, preferably in the early fall. Doing this will keep your manufacturer warranty active and will also help:

  • Improve energy efficiency
  • Increase system performance
  • Decrease repair requests
  • Lower heating bills
  • Extend the system’s life span

The cost to install heating in your home largely depends on the type of heating system you choose, how powerful it is, and how large your home is.

Speak to a heating specialist to understand your options and make the most informed decision for your heating installation or replacement needs.

With annual maintenance, most heating equipment should last between 15 and 20 years. However, poorly maintained, improperly installed, or faulty equipment could prematurely break down and lead to quicker replacement requests.

Before turning on your heat for the first time ahead of the winter, it’s recommended that you take the following steps:

  • Power off, clean, and cover your outdoor air conditioner unit
  • Replace your furnace’s air filters
  • Schedule heating maintenance
  • Run your heating system at least three times during the early fall to test for malfunctions

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Air Conditioning

Air conditioners actually run longer and stronger when left on all day instead of being shut off completely. Some homeowners might think turning their AC off while they aren’t home will save them money, but they may be doing more harm than good. Instead of turning off your unit entirely, consider installing a programmable thermostat to increase the temperature in your home while you’re away, cooling it off when you return. This method will help you save money while protecting your AC from overworking.

If you notice that your air conditioner requires refrigerant recharging every year, you may have a refrigerant leak on your hands. Not only is this bad for your cooling capacity and energy efficiency, but it’s also bad for the environment. Contact your AC technician to alert them to the problem so you can get the air conditioning repair services you need.

A properly designed and installed AC system can absolutely help control the humidity level in your home. In fact, air conditioners can maintain humidity levels between 40% and 60% relative humidity.
 

Like your heating equipment, your AC unit should receive annual maintenance to ensure it can meet your comfort needs. This should be done in the early spring so you can identify any repair or replacement needs before the full heat of the summer settles in.

Heat Pumps

The greatest benefit of installing a heat pump in your home is the energy savings it provides. Heat pumps are exceptionally energy-efficient compared to central AC and furnace configurations. In fact, heat pumps are capable of providing efficiency rates of over 300%.
 
One drawback to heat pump installation is the fact that these systems can fail in extreme cold. The colder the weather, the less efficiency you will gain from your system. In sub-zero conditions, this could lead to your heat pump failing altogether. This is why many homeowners opt to supplement their heat pumps with an additional heat source, such as a furnace or boiler.
 
Because of the harsh winters seen in Cincinnati, it’s not recommended that homeowners rely on a heat pump as their main source of heat. If you want a heat pump, we suggest having either a primary or backup heat source for the coldest days of the season.
 
 
In most instances, heat pumps will either fail to operate or decrease efficiency when temperatures fall between 25 and 45 degrees Fahrenheit.Consider shutting off your system and switching to your primary heat source when temperatures fall below freezing.

Indoor Air Quality

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the air inside your home can be up to 5 times more polluted than the air outdoors. This is due to the fact that airborne pollutants become trapped inside your HVAC equipment, where they are circulated throughout your home to wreak havoc on your respiratory health, household cleanliness, and allergy symptoms.
 
The National Safety Council suggests a number of pollutants can be existing inside your home’s air supply, including chemicals, cleaning products, pesticides, pet dander, mold, influenza, fungi, viruses, bacteria, carbon monoxide, paint, smoke, and much more.
 
It can be difficult to determine whether or not the pollutants in your home are the root cause of your health problems. The symptoms associated with poor indoor air quality are often mild or vague, making it hard to attribute them to anything in particular. Common symptoms of poor indoor air quality include:

 

  • Frequent headaches
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Fatigue
  • Itchy nose
  • Scratchy throat
  • Burning eyes

 

In more serious cases, residents may develop asthma, breathing disorders, or even cancer.

 

There are many available indoor air quality solutions that may be suitable for your home environment, depending on the severity of your indoor pollution. At HELP Heating & Cooling, our team offers the following indoor air quality solutions throughout the Greater Cincinnati area:

Plumbing Service FAQs

Water Heaters

It’s recommended that your water heater receive professional maintenance at least once annually. However, your system may require more frequent maintenance depending on your manufacturer’s warranty specifications and whether or not your home has hard water.

With professional maintenance, your water heater should last between eight and 12 years.

Homeowners should consider water heater replacement if the following situations apply:

  • The system is older than 12 years old.
  • There have been increased water heater repair requests in recent months/years.
  • The cost to repair the water heater is at least 50% of the cost to replace it.

Sewer Services

Unfortunately, traditional excavation methods are usually the only solution because a bellied line can’t be accessed at the belly and fitted with a new pipe through trenchless sewer line replacement technology. Consult with your plumber to learn more about your sewer line replacement options.
 
 
It’s recommended that you have your septic system inspected once every three to five years.
Your main water line should last many decades before becoming completely corroded. In homes built 60 years ago or longer, you should have a professional inspect your pipes annually for signs of corrosion, as the pipe materials used in these homes are often more susceptible to corrosion.
 
 

Tankless Water Heaters

Because tankless water heaters do not rely on a storage tank for hot water, they don’t work off of a set capacity. Instead, they provide a never-ending supply of on-demand hot water when you need it most. A properly functioning tankless water heater unit that is appropriately sized for your home will never run out of hot water.
 
To select the best sized tankless water heater unit for your home, you need to consider the maximum hot water needs for your household, how many gallons per minute a certain water heater system can heat your water supply, and by how many degrees. Most households do just fine with a tankless water heater that can provide 5 to 10 GPM.
 
Absolutely — just like every other home appliance, your tankless water heater needs routine maintenance to remain in the best working condition. Our plumbers recommend scheduling tankless water heater maintenance at least once annually to keep your manufacturer warranty in effect.

Sump Pumps

Sump pumps are devices used to remove water from basements and other low areas of the home. The unit consists of a drainage tank where excess water is safely stored and a pump that removes the water from the container to direct it to another location.
 
 
 
Any homeowner with an underground living area should consider installing a sump pump. This includes basements, crawl spaces, and cellars.

Most sump pump drainage tanks can store between 15 and 25 gallons of water. Consult with your plumbing professional to decide which sump pump solution is best for your family’s needs

Electrical Service FAQs

Electrical Panels

The first thing to do when reading an electrical panel is to locate your breaker box. It’s a gray box mounted flush to a wall in your home, usually in the utility room, garage, laundry room, basement, or closet. Open the breaker box to reveal the two columns of switches. Each switch sends power to a specific circuit in your home; if you’re lucky, someone will have labeled each circuit either next to the switch or in a numbered list on the breaker panel door. If you don’t have your switches labeled, the easiest way to label them for future tripped circuit troubleshooting is by turning off all the circuits except for one. Then, check the lights and switches that still work in your home to determine to which circuit the switch belongs. Once you find the circuit, label the switch accordingly and repeat the step for every switch in the breaker box.
 
Older homes may rely on a fuse box rather than an electrical panel for their power supply. Fuse boxes are metal boxes used to store fuses, which power an electrical current through a metal strip. When the electrical current exceeds its limitations, the strip melts and ceases power to the circuit. This is what’s known as a “blown fuse,” and when this happens, homeowners must replace the melted fuse. By contrast, an electrical panel is a metal box with a panel cover that stores circuit breakers, which are mechanical switches that can automatically detect current overload. Unlike in the case of a fuse, when a circuit breaker is tripped, they do not require replacement to resume power to the circuit.
 
 
There are four different types of electrical panels:

 

  • The main breaker panel is responsible for regulating the circuit breakers and electricity consumption in the entire home.
  • A fuse box is comprised of small fuses designed to prevent circuits from overloading.
  • Main lug panels run line wires into lugs to eliminate the need for a main breaker altogether.
  • Subpanels get their energy from the main panel through a particular circuit, allowing homeowners to control the electrical consumption of specific members of their household.
You cannot change a 100-amp panel to a 200-amp panel without upgrading the power service connected to your home. This is due to the fact that 200-amp service requires a much larger wire size and price than 100-amp panels.

Ceiling Fans & Lighting

It depends on your specific needs: Four-blade ceiling fans offer much quieter operation and typically come in more stylish configurations. However, three-blade ceiling fans move air more powerfully than their four-blade counterparts and are less expensive to install. Speak with your trusted electrician to understand your options and make the most informed decision.
Ceiling fan installation requires a knowledgeable electrician to get the job done just right. Without the proper tools or training, you could place yourself at great risk for personal injury, including from electrical shock. We strongly recommend having a skilled electrician handle the job for you.
It’s recommended that ceiling fans are installed 8 to 10 inches from the ceiling to ensure efficient air circulation.
Ground wires are required in the U.S. in order to install a light fixture properly. The fixture must have a place to install a ground wire if there are any non-conductive metal parts present on it.

Outlets & Switches

Yes, you can. According to the National Electrical Code, there is no limit on the number of outlets that can be assigned to a single circuit. The NEC only states that the circuit may not exceed more than 80% of the circuit breaker’s limits to prevent frequent tripping.
Sometimes, homeowners may choose to split a receptacle so that their wall switch controls one of the outlets. This is typically done in bedrooms so that a lamp plugged into a switched outlet can be turned on as you enter the room.
 
 
According to the NEC, Section 210.52, there should be an electrical outlet located in each bedroom, living room, family room, kitchen, and any other room that is a dedicated living space. All outlets must be placed at least every 12 feet measured along the floor line.
Yes — there are weather-resistant electrical receptacles specifically designed to withstand the outdoor elements. These outlets are rigorously tested for their resistance to extreme weather conditions and UV light exposure to ensure the utmost safety while in use.

Wiring, Rewiring & Surge Protection

There are many ways that homeowners can test to ensure their home wiring was done correctly:

  • Document every time a circuit breaker trips in your home
  • Keep your eyes and ears open for flickering, buzzing, or dimming lights
  • Look out for frayed or chewed wiring
  • Identify any discolored, scorched, or smoking outlets or switches
  • Feel for warm or vibrating wall outlets
  • Smell for burning or smoky odors

 

If you notice any of the signs of faulty wiring impacting your home, get the HELP you need by scheduling rewiring services.

In most cases, you can continue living in your home while it is being rewired with minimal disruption to your daily life. However, if you’ve recently purchased your home and had the electrical survey note the need for rewiring, it’s recommended that you have this service completed prior to moving in.
Our skilled electricians have the necessary experience to rewire your home without the need for tearing down your walls. Instead, we rely on the crawl space access to the wiring systems behind your walls to deliver rewiring solutions that won’t make a mess in your home.
Surge protectors vary in their life span, and much of their longevity depends on the number of power surges they experience. In most cases, it’s recommended that you replace a surge protector at least once every two years.
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Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Notice

At HELP Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric & Drains, we are committed to ensuring that individuals with disabilities enjoy full access to our websites. In recognition of this commitment, we are in the process of making modifications to increase the accessibility and usability of this website, using the relevant portions of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0) as our standard. Please be aware that our efforts are ongoing. If at any time you have difficulty using this website or with a particular web page or function on this site, please contact us by phone at (513) 960-6755; or email us at ([email protected]) and place “Web Content Accessibility (ADA)” in the subject heading and we will make all reasonable efforts to assist you.

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