High Delta T, LLC

06/20/2021

Check out this video! I just captured it with my Ring Camera!

01/05/2019

12/13/2018

LP water heater Installations

During the last three weeks, we received 3 calls for service on new LP water heater installations.

One had been installed by another licensed plumbing contractor.

One was installed in a rental property by the property owner. (Property owners cannot apply for a building permit to install a water heater themselves for a residence that they do not live in.)

One was installed by "a guy who was recommended by a friend". At least this guy was somewhat honest. When he was done, he told the owner "I'm not sure I did that right".

All three water heaters had two things in common. They were not properly converted from natural gas to LP, and there was a baggie of parts left next to the unit. This is a major problem.

If your LP appliance isn't running properly, then turn off the gas valve, and call your gas supplier or a contractor that is licensed and insured to work on LP equipment.

LP is clean burning and safe when used in appliances that have been installed properly and are inspected and tested regularly.

Have you had your LP furnace and water heater checked this season?

11/10/2018

Now that it is getting cooler in Pahrump Valley, it is time to start thinking about freeze/frost protection for your outdoor plumbing.

What parts of your plumbing system are at risk?

Basically, anything that isn't in a conditioned space. This includes:

-Above ground pipes and valves at a well pump or entrance to a manufactured home
-Yard bibbs
-Hose bibbs on outside walls
-Backflow preventers

Consider insulating these now before colder weather comes.

09/23/2018

We state on our website, "We are committed to improving the image of plumbing, heating and HVAC contractors."

One way we try to do this is by passing on information that might not otherwise be getting to consumers.

If you have a backflow device installed between your water heater and the meter for your water supply, then you should have an expansion tank for the water heater. All or part of your water supply becomes a closed system in this case.

When the water heater is on, and no hot water is being used, pressure in the tank increases as the water expands.

Without a backflow device, this expanding water can push back through the water meter into the water main without causing an unreasonable increase in water pressure.

It would be nice if the water going backwards through the meter actually ran the meter backwards, but it doesn't. So, to an extent, you are paying for water twice when this happens.

A backflow device stops the water in the water heater from pushing back through the water meter. A backflow device at the inlet to the water heater also saves energy by preventing heated water from being pushed back into the cold water lines.

Once the water supply becomes a "closed" system with a backflow device, an expansion tank is needed to safely receive the expanding water. Without an expansion tank the water pressure can get high enough to cause the water heater's pressure relief to vent, or it can cause leaks in pipes, fittings, valves or fixtures.

Please call us to discuss if you need either a backflow device or an expansion tank.

09/23/2018

Protecting the water supply.

Water purveyors in Pahrump are getting serious about protecting the quality of water in their supply from contamination.

Commerical properties are being required to install tested backflow devices.

These devices need to be downstream of the meter, and upstream of any takeoffs.

When reduced pressure principle (RP) devices are required, the water pressure regulator should be installed downstream of the RP. The RP reduces water pressure by 10 to 15 psi. So, if a pressure regulator set at 50 psi is left ahead of the RP, then the supply pressure to the building could be only 35 psi. This might not be enough pressure to supply the needs of the building.

We are certified by ASSE in backflow test certification, and we have solutions for your backflow and cross-contamination prevention needs.

Give us a call. Doing it right is more affordable then doing it wrong.

09/02/2018

Oversized equipment and undersized ducts.

The combination of oversized equipment with undersized ducts is a very inefficient and costly situation for homeowners

As we test more and more air conditioning and heat pump systems in Pahrump, we are finding just how prevelent this problem is.

If you are in need of replacing your heating and cooling system, then you should have a load calculation performed.

Replacing oversized equipment with properly sized equipment will give you greater comfort and cost you less to operate and maintain over the life of the system.

Fall is a good time for getting a new heating and cooling system.

Call us to help determine what size you need and to provide a high quality installation.

07/02/2018

This is what an un-trapped condensate line sounds like.

The air handler in this case was holding back half an inch of water in the ev***rator drain pan, and the secondary pan had signs of past overflows.

An un-trapped air conditioning condensate drain line is causes consensate to hold back in the air handler potentially causing an over-flow.

06/24/2018

Change your air filters often!

Here are some pictures of customer's filters we checked recently.

We typically start a service call by checking the filter. If the air flow is poor, then the AC, forced air furnace or heat pump simply can't work properly.

In cooling mode, low air flow might cause the ev***rator to freeze over. Typically, this doesn't cause any damage to the system. However, when the ice melts from the v***r line or the ev***rator, it can cause water damage to insulation and drywall. That can be a costly repair.

For a heat pump in heating mode, damage to the compressor can occur. Low air flow increases the system pressure. The higher pressure makes the compressor work harder and draw higher current.

Virtually all hermetic compressors have overloads to protect the compressor when this happens. Overload switches have a limited number of cycles that they were designed to handle. Once the limit has been exceeded they will begin to fail, and the compressor can be damaged.

Another problem occurs as the filter becomes dirty. More dirty air bypasses the filter. An extreme example is shown in the first two pictures. The filter was so restricted that it collapsed. I don't know how the home inspector who reported that the AC wasn't running well failed to notice the damaged and dirty filter. It was painfully obvious just by looking up at the return air grill.

The dirt that bypasses the filter will begin the clog the ev***rator. That reduces air flow and heat transfer. The dirt stays on the coil until the coil is properly cleaned.

The pleated style filters shown here do a great job of filtering smaller particles from the air. Unfortunately, not all systems can handle the higher restriction of airflow they cause. If you use these filters, then you should have air pressure measurements taken to determine if your system can work properly with these filters.

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06/20/2018

We doubled the output of a 4 ton Ruud AC yesterday.

A couple of years ago another company had replaced a condenser unit and ev***rator coil in a manufactured home. They didn't, however, use matched equipment.

The indoor coil was undersized for the outdoor unit. So, we replaced the ev***rator coil with one that was properly sized.

When we tested the original system the first time on an 80 degree day, it was only producing 24,120 Btu per hour.

After our work, it was producing 41,764 Btu per hour on a 105 degree day!

That is the kind of improvement that we like to see.

Someone had also put a wood frame under the ev***rator coil. Wood simply doesn't belong between the coil and the blower. The pictures show before and after veiws of that area. The black insulation is to prevent condensation from forming on the metal under the condensate tray. The brackets along the side keep the ev***rator coil properly positioned over the opening to the blower compartment.

05/31/2018

Dirty ev***rator coils and low air flow are definitely the themes of the week for air conditioners not running!

05/19/2018

Here is a story about a truly incredible increase in air flow.

A local restaurant that we had done some refrigeration work for, finally asked us to look at their comfort heating and cooling systems.

They have 3 rooftop package heat pumps that are over 20 years old, and they just weren't keeping up.

The job started with reattaching flex ducts that had come apart in the drop ceiling.

The next step was to clean the blower wheels and blower assemblies. You just can't move much air with a dirty fan blade or blower wheel.

I was expecting a 50% improvement.

The starting airflow was 830 cubic feet per minute (cfm). After the cleaning, there was 2,145 cfm.

That is more than two and a half times as much air!

Two more units to clean.

I am confident they will be pleased with the improvements.

Please call us to see if we can do something similar for you.

High Delta T, LLC
775-253-1616

PS- Here is a picture of the dirt we removed from the blower wheel blades. There was enough to fill a one gallon ice cream bucket.