Electric or Gas Furnace? It’s a Hot Topic!
When it’s time to replace your furnace, you’ve got a big decision on your hands. Go with a low-impact, easy-to-install electric furnace? Or opt for a high-efficiency, higher cost gas furnace? Once you’ve narrowed down the type of furnace, who do you call to install it? Before you make up your mind (and make that service call), read this quick comparison. Furnace technology has improved significantly over the past decade. And the best choice for your family now may be different than you think! Here are four considerations to keep in mind when picking a new furnace: 1. Electric furnaces [...]
Home Furnace on the Fritz? Try these 3 Tips!
Feel that chill in the Omaha air? Around here, that means it’s time for two things— Husker football and furnace tuneups! And while the Huskers never disappoint, sometimes our home furnace can let us down when we need them most…. If your furnace just won’t fire up this fall, we’ve got three quick tips any home handyperson can try to get it back up and running. (Or you can save yourself the hassle and just call the furnace repair team at Burton!) If you try your hand at these tips, with a bit of luck and a little elbow grease, [...]
3 Savvy Homeowner Tips For Keeping a Clean Garbage Disposal
Ever notice a…. questionable… smell coming from your sink? You clean and clean, but you just can’t seem to shake the stink? Chances are, your garbage disposal more closely resembles garbage than a disposal! Prevent odors from taking over your kitchen by following these three quick disposal maintenance tips: 1. Run the disposal often, even if it’s empty Did you know the blades of your garbage disposal can rust and get stuck in place? But running your disposal for a few minutes a week with a strong flow of cold water can stop this corrosion before it starts. The cold [...]
The Best— and Worst!— Time to Flush Your Water Heater
Dear Burton, I heard that you should empty out your water heater every so often, so sediment doesn’t build up inside. Before I tackle this project myself, is there anything I need to know? New Home Newcomer Dear Newcomer, Great question. You’re right that flushing your water heater periodically reduces the gunk that collects in the bottom of your tank. Over time, sediment from your water lines can flow into the tank, settle at the bottom, and slowly block the heating elements from doing their best work. Not only does this shorten the life of your tank because it [...]
Homeowner Hacks: Top Tips for a Clean and Clear Garbage Disposal
In a perfect world, your garbage disposal is a mean, clean, grinding machine. But without proper maintenance, over time, it’s likely to become your kitchen’s #1 source of noxious odors. If a stenchy (or subpar!) garbage disposal is doing your kitchen dirty, today’s Homeowner Hack is for you! We’ll be covering: How to fight even the worst disposal stench How to prolong the life of your disposal Three things to try when it just won’t turn on https://youtu.be/R9wR4uCNKqE Ready to DIY your garbage disposal like a Homeowner Hero? Let’s get to the hacks! As you use your disposal, all [...]
3 Signs Your Thermostat and A/C are Out of Sync
It’s a hot, sunny, Omaha afternoon. Your A/C has been running all day, but your home is feeling more and more like your own personal dry sauna…. You know something isn’t working right. But before you go blaming your air conditioner, take a closer look at your thermostat. If your home can’t keep its cool, watch for these three signs that your thermostat and HVAC system aren’t talking: 1. Your thermostat won’t turn on If your thermostat’s display has gone dark, it’s not telling your HVAC system when to turn on and off. Typically, a fresh set of batteries will [...]
How To Instantly Improve Your Air Conditioner’s Performance
Air conditioners are the true MVPs of summer. To keep your A/C running like a star athlete (and to lower your summer energy bills!), follow this easy checklist to optimize your system’s performance: Get a full system inspection and tune-up. A system inspection will reveal any leaks, cracks, or inefficiencies that could be costing you a pretty penny this summer. And the quick tune-up will take care of any minor repairs or replacements needed to improve your unit’s performance— before you’ve got a major fix on your hands. Clean your condenser unit. If your branches, bushes, or landscaping are crowding [...]
A Professional Plumber’s Best Tips for Choosing a Kitchen Faucet
A pull-down, single handle? A dual-handle with a separate sprayer? Commercial, motion-detecting, or pot-filling? When it comes to kitchen faucets, it’s easy to get lost in the jargon-weeds. If the thought of replacing your kitchen’s ol’ faithful has you feeling overwhelmed, you’re in the right place (and you’re certainly not alone!). Read on to learn how to rank and rate today’s kitchen faucets— from fancy high-tech taps to tried-and-true spouts— like a professional home plumber. First, consider your sink’s location The location of your kitchen faucet is the biggest determiner of the form and style options you have. Most faucets [...]
How to Choose the Right Air Conditioning System
On a hot Omaha day, there’s nothing like the refreshingly cool, perfectly crisp breeze of an air conditioning system operating at peak performance. To keep your home comfortable all summer long, it’s important to choose the right size and type of A/C system. You know the phrase “one size fits all?” Well when it comes to your A/C, that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you’re building a new home or replacing your existing A/C system, here’s what you need to know about air conditioners: Permanent A/C systems come in three main types Central air conditioning: This system uses [...]
Why Hire a Professional to Install Your New Kitchen Appliances?
Dear Burton, We just bought a new dishwasher and I was planning on installing it myself. But I got to reading, and it says the warranty could be voided if I self-install instead of hiring a local plumber. Why can’t I just hook it up myself? - Handy at Home Dear Handy, You’re right about your warranty. If you install your own home appliances and anything goes wrong, you can bet that one of the first questions they’ll ask is who installed it. If installation wasn’t completed exactly by the book (and it’s a long book!), your [...]
Does the Federal Pacific Electric Panel Recall Impact Your Home?
From 1950 to 1990, builders installed millions of Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) circuit breaker panels in homes across the country. FPE panels were one of the most common circuit breaker panels on the market during that time. The company has been out of business for decades, but the old panels are still found in countless homes. And many of those breaker panels have Stab-Lok circuit breakers that are now known to be defective. If you have a Federal Pacific panel installed in your home, we recommend upgrading your system right away to protect against electrical fires. Up to one in [...]
Before You Book, Here’s How to Vet an HVAC Service
If you’re looking to hire an HVAC service in Omaha, how do you find the best one? Flip open the phonebook (if you’ve still got one of those), scroll through Yelp, or search “HVAC service near me” and you’ll find a hundred different HVAC companies in under five seconds! The options can be truly overwhelming. To help you pick the best local HVAC service that will get the job done right, for the right price, we’ve put together a handy guide to the main questions you should ask every potential service— and how they should answer them. So pick up [...]