(FAQ) Frequently Asked Questions

In order for your HVAC equipment to run safely and efficiently, your furnace and air conditioner should be inspected once per year. The best scenario is to have the heating system checked in the fall and the air conditioning checked in the spring before the full heating or cooling unit begins.

Annual servicing includes cleaning the system, checking for any problems or potential problems, and adjusting for peak efficiency. The benefits include:

• Increased dependability
• Maximized efficiency, which lowers energy costs
• Increased life span of the equipment
• Maintaining a safe operation
• Reducing the chance of a breakdown

Is it starting to make noises? Is it cooling and/or heating all areas of the house sufficiently? Have your utility bills gone up for no apparent reason? Has it been taking longer to cool down or heat up the space? Any of these are signs that you may need service to avoid any further serious damage to your system as well as keep your home or business comfortable.

Maintenance agreements are an easy and inexpensive way to protect your home or business from sudden failure of your system. You always want to be sure that your system is up and running when you need it on that first hot or cold day of each season! Black Diamond’s maintenance agreements, you will receive two precision tune-ups each year. Also, as a maintenance agreement customer, you will earn discounts on parts as well.

Although you do not need a maintenance agreement in order to schedule service, we highly recommend you become a maintenance agreement member.

Puron is the earth-friendly “green” coolant that is replacing Freon. Beginning in 2010, federal law will require that Freon will no longer be produced.

Your filter or air cleaner should be inspected and cleaned on a monthly basis. For furnaces with washable filters, the filter should be cleaned the same as the disposable filters every month.

Yes, continuous fan operation costs a little more but will even out the temperature in your home, especially in multilevel or two-story homes. To keep your furnace on, set your thermostat to ON, rather than AUTO.

Turn your humidistat off for the summer, 35% for the winter, and adjust as needed. Lower the setting if moisture forms on the windows, and raise the setting for more humidity.

Depending on usage, maintenance, and the model, your furnace should last 12 to 15 years. Your air conditioner should last 10 to 12 years. Give Black Diamond a call if you are unsure if it’s time for a replacement.

This is a common issue that could be caused by a malfunction in the pump or with the float mechanism. Either way, unplug the pump immediately to avoid burning out the motor. Your next step is to call Black Diamond!

This is one of the most common calls we have. Unfortunately, there are many reasons this could happen. The age and “wear and tear” of the heater are the most common factors. Another reason is when the valve on the side of the heater dispenses water. This is a concern because it means that either the temperature or pressure has exceeded the safety parameters. Whatever the reason is, it is important that you act quickly. On most heaters, there are isolation valves for the cold water supply as well as the gas. These should be shut off. If your heater does not have any isolation valves, you will need to shut off the water to the entire house or building. Make sure to call Black Diamond for plumbing services, and we will make sure to get you hot water again!

It very well could be. Although there are many reasons that this could happen, faulty toilets are to blame most of the time. Your outside hose bibbs can also be the cause. Call Black Diamond, and we will help isolate the issue and get those bills down to normal.

A new water heater is certainly an option but may not be your only option. In a lot of cases, an adjustment or repair can be made. Black Diamond will provide you with all of your options and give our recommendation depending on the age and condition of the heater.

Pipes that rattle or make loud noises may not be properly secured. Loose pipes can rub against the wall or floor joints and make noises whenever water flows through them. To fix this, if it is bothering you, try to find the source of the problem and then put a piece of foam between the pipe and whatever it’s rubbing against. You can also give Black Diamond a call for professional help.

A plumbing leak is not a cause for panic, but you do need to act fast to avoid potential damage. First, turn off the main water shut-off valve to stop water from flowing through the pipe. Once the leak has stopped, call Black Diamond. We have emergency plumbing services available for situations just like hits.

My water smells bad. What causes this?

Water that smells like sulfur is not a cause for alarm. While it is disconcerting, it is typically caused by hydrogen sulfide in the water. All water has bacteria and sulfur naturally, and when those react with the magnesium anode rod in the water heater tank, it creates hydrogen sulfide, which is harmless but has a strong odor. Purifying the water coming out of your water heater or replacing the magnesium anode rod can help with this, but you can also leave it as it won’t hurt you. If you need help with this particular problem, let us know!

Water that doesn’t look clear can be a sign of a problem. If you’re noticing black chunks, then you may have minerals floating in your water. This can also be from algae, resin from the water softener, or degradation of your pipes. Typically, these are not harmful, but you can eliminate them by installing a water purification or filtration system. After all, no one wants to drink water that looks like it has stuff floating in it!

Frozen pipes need to be addressed quickly because if left alone, they can burst. If you have a frozen pipe, your goal is to thaw it quickly. If you can reach the pipe, warm it up with a hair dryer or space heater. Before you begin, though, turn off the main water shut-off valve, just in case the pipe is damaged. If you can’t reach the pipe or aren’t sure where it’s frozen, give Black Diamond a call right away. If the pipe bursts, turn off the shutoff and call for emergency plumbing repair.

A running toilet doesn’t put any system in your home at risk, but it does drive up your energy bills. In fact, you may be paying as much as $100 extra in water bills each year if you have a toilet that’s running. If you can’t figure out how to fix the toilet, give Black Diamond a call to stop this waste.

Most main lines going from your home or business to the city sewer or septic tank are 6 inches in diameter. Most cleanouts, or access points, within the home are 3 to 4 inches. In addition to being smaller, most cleanouts within the home possess many turns that limit the effectiveness of the rodding machine.

Installing an outside cleanout is the best option because it provides full-diameter access to the pipe. This way, the blades on the rodding machine have the ability to clean out the entire pipe of roots and other materials. In most cases, rodding from smaller access will open the line but will back up sooner than later due to the fact that only part of the pipe was cleaned. Black Diamond can not only rod out your sewer but also has the equipment to camera the line to see the condition of the pipe. If there is an issue, the device can also pinpoint its location.

As mentioned before in an earlier question, our state-of-the-art cameras have the ability to inspect and DVD record a sewer line. In cases in which there is a problem, the camera can also pinpoint the location. Every truck is equipped with the best rodding machines available on the market. Black Diamond also has hydro jetting machines that use very powerful streams of water to clean a line. Call Black Diamond today for more information!

Grease is typical of many of the restaurants that we service. Most of our customers are set up on a maintenance program so that backups never become an issue. Because of the nature of grease, the best form of removal is hydro jetting. Hydro jetting is a process that uses high speed and high-pressure water to clear blockages in pipe systems. If you have a restaurant where grease is a problem, you can’t afford to be on a maintenance program! Call Black Diamond today for more information!

Depending on what floor your washing machine is on, there is a good possibility that there is an obstruction in your main sewer line. If multiple fixtures are backing up, that is another good indication. Call Black Diamond day or night, and you will be washing clothes in no time!

Often, this could be an indication that there may be a break in your sewer line, allowing sewage to seep into your drain tile. Using our sophisticated camera equipment, Black Diamond can inspect your main sewer line to see if this is indeed the issue.

Whether or not you have a finished basement, most people keep many things of value down in their basement. Black Diamond has the options and solutions to make flooded basements a thing of the past with the latest technologies. Give Black Diamond a call for more information on our peak flow systems and generators.

As more and more businesses and residential areas are added to the electrical grid, the amount of power available is spread thinner and thinner. This creates more power outages or partial outages. A generator can protect your home and family in case this happens by supplying standby power to your crucial systems like security, furnaces, sump pumps, and refrigerators. With our intense storms in Illinois, you can’t afford to go without a generator.

If you still have fuses, then you are probably living in an older home. These older electrical systems were not designed for the amount of power that is required to run today’s high-tech world. The more equipment we plug in, the bigger the demand we put on an older, fragile electrical system, and eventually, the insulation breaks down and becomes brittle due to overheating. This creates a fire hazard and possibly puts your family and your home in jeopardy. Before this happens to you, call us for an inspection of your electrical system today.

This is usually caused by the air conditioner and a large amount of electricity that is needed to start such a large appliance. When the unit turns on, the current draw is so great in your panel that there is not enough for all of the other devices that are running at the same time. Most of the time, the dimming is so quick that it usually is not that noticeable. Other times, lights will dim slowly and not return to full power for a few seconds. When this happens, it is time to have the electrical system inspected as soon as possible by a qualified electrician. A hot summer day is not the time to find out that your electrical system cannot handle the load. That wouldn’t be cool.

In most cases, yes. It all depends on the number of circuit breakers the panel is designed to have. Most panels, depending on the size of the service, have anywhere from 24 to 40 circuits. Adding a circuit in a panel that is already maxed out sometimes involves adding a sub-panel or enlarging the entire service. Anytime you require electrical work to be done, give us a call day or night, otherwise, you could be shocked at the outcome.

When you purchase an expensive TV, the last thing you want is the power to fail and damage your new electronics.  Protect it and all of your other electronics. Don’t be fooled by those “power strips” that also say they are surge protectors. Transient voltage surge protection is the most efficient and is not as expensive as it once was. These devices are capable of taking multiple strikes and can last for years. Some even come with monetary equipment warranties. So before you buy a power strip, give us a call to install whole-house protection, it could very well be the best investment you make.