Should I Leave the Fan Running On My Furnace or Air Conditioner All the Time?

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, Furnace and Heat Systems /

Well, that depends on what special factors you may have in your home.duct- fan

PROS – Leaving Furnace/Central Air Fan Run 24/7

  • Leaving that fan on 24/7 is great for cleansing allergens from the air and can help people with allergies
  • Keeping the fan running can circulate the air if you have cold or hot spots, like a bedroom above a garage that may be colder in the winter.
  • A constantly running fan will help equalize the temperature and air quality in the home

CONS??- Leaving Furnace/Central Air Fan Run 24/7

  • Leaving the fan on constantly uses extra energy, which isn’t as good for the environment OR your utility bill
  • A constantly running fan will can burn out the motor in a central air unit or furnace must faster than if the fan is left on auto

What we’re finding in the last couple of years are that newer furnaces are smaller but they move more CFMs (cubic feet per minute of forced air) than older furnaces. That means the motor in these furnaces works harder to move the higher volume of air through them. This is especially true if you are using an allergen filter, which is thicker and heavier and works the motor twice as hard to move air through it. This can lead to the motor burning out quicker if the fan is running constantly.

Another issue to watch for, if your filter is too tight, that also increases the amount of heat over the heat exchanger which brings it to its “high limit” because not enough cool air is able to move over the heat exchanger to cool it down. If your fan is running constantly, the heat exchanger never gets a chance to cool down either which can cause serious issues.

To be safe – unless you have a specific reason to keep the fan running constantly, just place your central air or furnace fan setting on auto. That will more than do the job, plus you’ll save on energy, utility bills and hopefully furnace/central air repair or replacement, and who doesn’t want that? Still not sure which is the best choice for you? Contact us at Wilbur Henry personally. We’re always happy to answer any questions.

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Why Does My Shower Head Keep Dripping?

Blog Posts, Plumbing, Question and Answer /

The big question to ask here is HOW LONG is your faucet dripping? A leaking shower head may not actually be a problem with your plumbing.leaking shower head

The head of a shower is lower than the arm which extends from the shower wall. It’s the same as with a faucet, where the head of the faucet hangs below the handles. The water that has been coming out of the faucet or the shower head has a source above it. When you turn off the water, there is still some in the pipes that is going to want to come down. A ‘normal’ amount of time for a faucet or shower head to drip after it has been turned off is 3-5 minutes. If the water stops dripping within that time, don’t worry about it.

Now if your shower head is still dripping after 5 minutes, your shower head may need new washers. Additionally, if the water pressure is causing leaking through at the handles BEFORE the water comes up the shower and out at the shower head, then there may be a more serious plumbing issue. In that case, your expert resource for plumbing, heating, and air conditioning in York, Pennsylvania, Wilbur Henry, will be happy to help!

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Save A Service Call? How to Avoid Grease & Build-Up Clogging Your Drain

Blog Posts, Plumbing, Question and Answer /
  • Clean/scrape your plates properly before washing them or putting them in the dishwasher. Get all the grease and by-products off your plate so it doesn’t go down the drain.
  • Flush your drain regularly by letting your hot water run for several minutes and pour some vinegar down the drain or pour a pot of boiled water with vinegar in it down the sink once a month.
  • When using a garbage disposal, make sure you let it run long enough to get the grease and chopped-up food pushed through the sink line.Running- Water- in- Kitchen- Sink

How grease creates clogs in the first place; as the grease heats up, either from cooking or from the hot water of washing dishes, it goes down your drain in liquid form. It’s a long way along that drain pipe though, and as the grease travels it starts to cool and solidifies. As it solidifies, it turns into the gooey mess that sticks to pipe walls and clogs your drain.

The Secret Is To Run A Lot Of Hot Water

The secret is to run a lot of hot water when doing dishes and periodically take some white vinegar and pour it down the sink with the water. The vinegar helps cut through the grease and flush it through and makes your sink smell better. Do this about once a month.

Thoroughly Run Your Garbage Disposal

Also, if you use a garbage disposal, most people don’t flush it long enough afterwards to get the grease and chopped up food pushed through the sink line. Let your disposal run for a moment as hot water runs through it after you are done using it. Flush with hot water, I just can?t say this enough. Proper maintenance of your drain and you won’t have to use harsh chemicals like Drain-o or have to call a plumber over a clogged sink. For other questions and tips, check out or contact Wilbur Henry, your one-stop shop for plumbing help!

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My Sink Is Clogged and Draino Didn’t Work! Now What?

Blog Posts, Plumbing, Question and Answer /

The first and most important thing to remember – if you use Draino and it doesn’t work DO NOT use any other do-clogging agents until you contact a plumber. Draino is made with Hydrcholoric Acid. Most other professional pipe clogged-sink-york-pacleaning agents use Sulphuric Acid. Combining Hydrochloric and Sulphuric Acid is a great way to cause a pretty dramatic explosion. If you use Draino and it doesn’t work, call a plumber. We have seen dozens of customers have bad, even dangerous, results from layering chemicals.

A plumbing note for the future

Draino can be used in slow-running or sluggish drains but if you get to the point where you have standing water in a fully clogged sink, the odds of Draino working go way down. Not to mention that if Draino doesn’t work at this point, now you or your plumber will have to wade through a sink or tub full of harsh and potentially dangerous chemicals to get to that drain. I have had to stop working and take my boots off because the tub water was eating right through them. (On that note, please TELL your plumber is you have already put chemicals in the water!)

Bottom Line

If the sink is still clogged and you have used Draino, or another de-clogging agent, according to directions and recommended usage, it’s time to get a plumber in there with an auger and find out what is inside that drain. They can usually have your water running freely in no time. Contact Wilbur Henry plumbing experts for plumbing help when you need it, where you need it, and we’ll be there.

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My Pipes Rattle When I Run the Water. How Do I Make It Stop?

Blog Posts, Plumbing, Question and Answer, Uncategorized /

Rattling pipes are generally an uh-oh waiting to happen, but exactly what type of plumbing repair you might need depends on decoding the sounds coming from the pipes. The problem could be as simple as your pipes not being properly secured or fastened in the cellar. The pipes should be secured at every other floor joist. Okay, so we checked the pipes and they are secure. What else could the problem be It depends on what you hear.

Break Down the Sound:

A hammering rattle That probably means a washer is loose in a shut-off valve or a faucet. The washer will vibrate when water is going through it. More of a humming noise The loose washer could be in an older ballcock. Loose washers are probably the most common cause of rattling pipes. They can be frustrating and hard to track down but with patience, that irritating rattling can be quickly repaired.

Banging pipes when you turn the water off It’s time to check your water pressure. For a residence, 45-50 lbs of water pressure is good. A higher number than that is going to be hard on faucets. Most people nowadays have thermal expansion tanks (ST-5s or ST-12s) above their water heaters. They help with hammering caused by the electronic water valves found in ice makers, washing machines, and dishwashers. Because of the backflows that water companies have put on at the meter, it’s critical that the excess pressure caused by these devices is relieved and going into your expansion tank.

Another possible plumbing repair that can cause the water pressure to be too high is if there is a malfunction in the pressure-reducing valve. The pressure-reducing valve is at the water meter. In newer houses, it’s in front of the water meter on the street side. In older homes, it may still be after the water meter. The pressure-reducing valve takes high water pressure, anywhere from 75-150 lbs, and reduces it back to 45 lbs. Installing one of these is standard protocol in home construction/renovation so every home should have one of these. The homeowner is responsible from everything from the curb box to the house besides the water meter so this is up to you and your trusty plumber to maintain.

So how do I keep an eye on my thermal expansion tank since it’s so important Good question! Periodically take the cap off the side of it. Inside the blue or red cap is a Schrader Valve. When you press the valve a tiny burst of air should come out. If you press that valve and water comes out that means your tank’s bladder has burst and the expansion tank is no longer working. This can squash the flue on your water heater. If you press the valve and nothing comes out this means the bladder has wrapped around in there and has probably also burst. When that happens, you will eventually spring a leak and have rusty water on the hot side. Then it’s time for another plumbing repair.

Bottom line – don’t ignore the noise, let your plumber help you solve the mystery lurking in your pipes. Contact Wilbur Henry, the plumbing experts who can help restore peace and quiet to your home.

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How Often You Should Flush Your Hot Water Heater

Blog Posts, Hot Water Heater, How To Repair, Question and Answer /

Hot water heater maintenance is often overlooked, but very important. Maintenance on your hot water heater should take place at least once a year.

To Get Started – It Is Pretty Easy…

What you can do is use a five-gallon bucket to allow the water from the hot water heater to drain into. Draining all of the water isn’t usually necessary and you can just flush the bottom to remove the calcium and dirt. Otherwise, it acts as an insulator because the burner is on the bottom and if you have an inch of sediment, your burner needs to run much longer to maintain the desired temperature.

Newer hot water heaters run the cold tube through the bottom which helps to keep the calcium and dirt flushed out. If the burner comes on and you hear crackling, it’s because of the sediment on the bottom of the water heater. If you hear that, try flushing a gallon or two of water out to loosen the debris and remove it.

Locate The Relief Valve

If you’re going to flush the water or drain it completely, attach a hose to the bottom. The drain is located at the bottom of the tank within the hot water heater unit. When you drain a water heater, open the relief valve (which is at the top and noted on the right) to allow air to come into the tank, otherwise, there will be a vacuum and it won’t allow the water to flow out.

Just A Few Gallons Not Completely

Avoid draining it completely unless necessary! This should only be done in extreme circumstances. Typically, if you need to drain the entire tank it’s probably time to replace the hot water heater.

Let It Cool Before Adding Back The Cold Water

The worst thing you can do is drain a hot water heater to put cold water back in it. They? re glass-lined and can be cracked due to the difference in temperatures. Allow the heater to cool to about room temperature before refilling.

If you don’t feel comfortable handling hot water heater maintenance yourself, seek the assistance of a professional service technician like Wilbur Henry. Contact us today at 717-755-5461 or use our contact form, and let us do the hot water heater maintenance for you!

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How Often Should You Have Your Central Air Unit Serviced?

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, Question and Answer, York PA /

Dave Henry answers your questions.

How often should you service your air conditioning system?

The industry suggests about once a year.

We feel you can get by with every year or two as we discuss in the above video.

You do want to make sure the A/C is always running at top performance. Otherwise, it will affect your electricity bill. ?And your unit will have to work harder to cool your house down.

We check your freon levels to ensure maximum efficiency.

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How Do You Know If Your Central Air Unit Needs Serviced?

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, Question and Answer, York PA /

Dave Henry answers that question in this video:

Staying cool in the summer is nice.

You want to keep your air conditioner running at top performance levels to not only improve your comfort levels but save on electricity costs and to stretch the lifetime use of your A/C unit.

Some of the signs you might need your A/C serviced would be if your air conditioner is running longer than it normally does.

Or you look at your thermostat and it’s set 72 degrees in the house but its 74 degrees in the house.

Signs like that are issues that you may need air conditioning may need a little maintenance or a dirty filter.

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How Long Should It Take To Cool Down My House With Central Air?

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, York PA /

Dave Henry answers that question in this video:

Staying cool in the summer is nice.

You want to keep your air conditioner running at top performance levels to not only improve your comfort levels but also save on electricity costs and to stretch the lifetime use of your A/C unit.

Some of the signs you might need your A/C serviced would be if your air conditioner is running longer than it normally does.

Or you look at your thermostat and it’s set 72 degrees in the house but its 74 degrees in the house.

Signs like that are issues that you may need air conditioning, a little maintenance or have a dirty filter.

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AC Repair – Don’t Wait Until the Hottest Day of the Year

Air Conditioning Unit, Blog Posts, York PA /

Air conditioning systems are a lot like good health. Most people don’t pay any attention to it until something goes wrong.

Homeowners who wait until the hottest day of the year to check whether or not their air conditioning system is working properly not only face having to wind up at the end of a very long line of customers making the same request for service.
They also subject themselves to experiencing hot, humid and sweltering living conditions for what feels as too long to get an experienced Central AC Repair technician to visit their property to assess the situation and make the proper adjustments or needed repairs.

Scheduling routine air conditioning maintenance is a smart investment for homeowners and landlords who want to get the most out of their air conditioning systems. Customers who procrastinate when it comes to getting their central air conditioner serviced are a lot like the fable of the grasshopper and the ant. Those who act like the grasshoppers fiddle around and don’t pay much attention until the hottest day of the year arrives and then they are desperate for emergency service when they discover that their air conditioning unit either doesn’t work at all or isn’t operating properly.

Why not be more like the industrious ant who does some planning ahead and schedules routine AC maintenance calls from Wilbur Henry so that at the first increase in heat or humidity levels, they can confidently turn their air conditioning unit to the on position and then sit back and relax in cool comfort.

There are numerous advantages to calling for air conditioning maintenance on a regular basis from the reliable professionals at Wilbur Henry Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, long before the hottest and most humid day of the summer season arrives. Regular air conditioning maintenance ensures that your cooling coils are in clean condition so that your system is operating at maximum efficiency. This means lower energy bills for you so you can save money to spend on other summer comforts.

Another advantage to not waiting until your air conditioning system is experiencing an emergency during the season’s first heat wave is that regular air conditioning maintenance can help troubleshoot small problems before they become big and expensive repair bills. Being proactive and scheduling a service check before you need one is a lot like getting a tune-up on your car. Sure, you could wait until something major goes wrong to visit your service station, or you could bring in your vehicle on a regular basis in order to catch the little things first. It’s the same way with an air conditioning system. Keeping it tuned up and in good working order pays big dividends with fewer repair bills and much fewer breakdowns.

Another great advantage to scheduling a routine AC service call from the friendly professionals at Wilbur Henry is that your air conditioning unit will last longer and experience fewer major problems. Most homeowners invest a sizeable amount of money in a quality air conditioning system in order to enjoy cool and comfortable living conditions whenever the heat and humidity get above a certain level. It makes good sense to protect that investment with a regular AC service call from Wilbur Henry, the AC Repair York PA residents trust the most for fast, reliable and through air service on all makes and models of air conditioning systems.

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We want your experience with Wilbur Henry Plumbing, Heating, & A/C to be outstanding. From the time you call us until our technician leaves your house, we want your experience with our company to leave you with a smile on your face.