PRK Services, Inc. Blog: Archive for November, 2013

The History of the Presidential Turkey Pardon

Thursday, November 28th, 2013

Thanksgiving began in 1621, but didn’t become a national tradition until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared it as such in hopes of bringing a divided nation together. We have many Thanksgiving traditions in this country, from turkey as the meal to the annual Cowboys and Lions games on television. But one of the most beloved is the annual Presidential turkey pardon, in which the U.S. President “pardons” a turkey, allowing them to live the remainder of their live freely roaming on farmland. As we celebrate this Thanksgiving, we thought you’d like to know a little more about the history of this fascinating tradition.

Farmers have sent turkeys to the White House as far back as the 1800s, hoping to have the honor of providing the President’s annual meal. There have been scattered stories of individual turkeys being “pardoned” throughout that time, including one in which President Lincoln’s son Tad successfully convinced the president to spare a bird intended for the family’s Christmas dinner.

Starting in 1947, the National Turkey Federation became the official supplier of the President’s Thanksgiving birds. The White House arranged for an annual photo op that year with the President receiving the turkey in the Rose Garden. Sadly, there was no pardon as yet; those birds all ended up on the Presidential table.

The push for an official pardon picked up steam in 1963, when President Kennedy asked that the bird be spared, just a few days before his assassination. President Nixon opted to send each of the birds he received to a nearby petting zoo after the photo op, though there was no formal pardon attached.

But it wasn’t until 1989 that the pardon became official. On November 14 of that year, President George H. W. Bush made the announcement, and sent the bird to a Virginia game preserve to live the rest of its life out in cranberry-and-stuffing-free bliss. Since then, every President has held an annual pardoning ceremony, with the lucky turkey spared the axe and sent off to live in peace. Since 2005, the pardoned birds have gone to Disneyland in Anaheim, California, where they have lived as part of a petting zoo exhibit in Frontierland.

No matter what traditions you enjoy this holiday, or who you enjoy them with, all of us here wish you a peaceful and happy Thanksgiving weekend.

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Uneven and Inadequate: How to Tell Your Furnace Needs Fixing

Sunday, November 24th, 2013

Here in Flower Mound TX, furnace repair issues can cause a great deal of trouble. Our winters can get pretty tough, and while we pride ourselves on self-sufficiency here in Texas, no one wants to deal with a broken furnace in the middle of a cold front. A good way to avoid that is to spot the signs of trouble before they result in a full-bore breakdown. “Uneven and inadequate” are two things to watch for when determining if you need to call in a repair service.

Here’s how to tell your furnace needs fixing before it stops dead in its tracks.

“Uneven” refers to issues such as air flow and the way in which the furnace warms your home. If the airflow is lower than you’re used to when you turn your heater on, or its heating some parts of your home more efficiently than others, you’re probably looking at an issue than needs addressing. It could lie in blocked ducts, an issue with the blower fan, or the like, but it won’t improve until a professional steps in and takes a look.

“Inadequate” is an even more straightforward term, though it can be subtler to spot sometimes. It means that your heater is failing to warm your home sufficiently, either because it’s not generating enough heat or it’s failing to move that heat through your home adequately. It can be caused by a faulty component, and electrical problem, a blockage, or any number of other problems. You may not always be able to spot it right away, but such problems tend to use up more energy than normal, meaning that your monthly energy bill will be higher than you’d expect.

Regardless of the cause, you need to address the problem sooner rather than later. Waiting only makes things worse, and could result in a serious breakdown just when you need the heater the most. In Flower Mound TX, furnace repair and other furnace services are handled by PRK Services Inc. We can spot uneven and inadequate performance issues, then enact repairs with professionalism and care. If you know how to tell your furnace needs fixing, the next step is to give us a call and set up an appointment.

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Why Won’t My Bedroom Get Warmer Even Thought the Heater is Running?

Sunday, November 17th, 2013

Why won’t my bedroom get warmer, even though the heater is running?”  It can be a disconcerting feeling, especially if the heat in the rest of your house is running just fine. In matters of heating repair in Aubrey, TX, residents need things to get better quickly, lest our winter days turn your bedroom into an icebox. The good news is that the localization of the problem suggests some clear causes which will help the repair person in finding a solution.

If the heat is coming in fine from every location except the bedroom, you likely have a block in the system. The ducts carry the heat through the house from a centralized heater. Sometimes, build-up in the ducts will get so bad that it cuts off the flow of air. You may also be looking at a fissure or a leak in the ducts, which is pulling the air out and cutting off the heat to your bedroom. Regardless of the issue, the service technician can check the length of duct heading to your bedroom, and make repairs accordingly.

If you have a ductless mini-split system, then the problem likely lies in the unit that heats your bedroom. Ductless mini-split systems divide your home into separate zones, which allow you to tailor the heat in each room. It’s a nice system – setting the temperature in one room with another temperature in a completely different room – and if you’re having trouble in one room, then it’s not hard to pinpoint the problem. The difficulty can come from a wide variety of sources: a faulty fan, a problem with the refrigerant, or even an issue with the compressor. But in these cases, the technician knows exactly where to look.

If you’re asking “Why won’t my bedroom get warmer, even though the heater is running?”  then it’s time to call in a professional. When it comes to heating repair, Aubrey TX has a reliable resource in PRK Services, Inc. We can hunt down the source of the problem and instigate repairs with your complete satisfaction in mind. Call us today to set up a consultation!

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How to Tell When Your Furnace Needs to Be Replaced

Friday, November 8th, 2013

With proper care, a modern furnace will last for many years providing you and your family with effective and efficient warmth. But what happens when that winter comes when your furnace simply can no longer do its job? You’ll need to have it replaced, and if you trust the work to professionals, the process will go fast and smooth, and before you know it, you’ll have your cozy home ready for many more years of pleasant winters. For over 40 years, PRK Services, Inc. has offered excellent furnace installation in Flower Mound, TX

In this post, we will list some of the warning signs to watch out for that may signal your furnace has reached the end of its service lifespan and needs replacement.

Uneven heating

If you notice that places in your home have started to feel colder than they once did, it might indicate that your furnace can no longer send out enough heat to reach all of your home. Make sure you first check for insulation leaks in the room (cracks around the windows) or accidentally blocked vents before investigating the possibility that the furnace is near to failing.

Sustained increase in power bills

You will have a good idea what to expect on your power bills when heating season begins. An abrupt spike may indicate a need for a repair. But if the increase in costs remains even with repairs, then your furnace has reached the point where wear and tear is forcing it to work too hard. Have a professional look over the furnace to see if it has gone beyond what repairs can do for it.

Continual repairs

No furnace will run flawlessly; you will have to schedule repairs at some point. But if you look over your repair bills for the last two years and see that they have started to become routine occurrences, then you should weigh these costs against the cost of replacement. Keep in mind that a replacement furnace will also save you money on your heating bills.

It’s a big step to decide on a replacement for a furnace. Make sure you have professional HVAC technicians helping you with the decision. If you contact a company like PRK Services, Inc. that has years of experience, you’ll receive quality advice concerning replacement installation, and the best possible work done when it’s time for your new furnace installation in Flower Mound, TX.

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Why Geothermal Installations Are So Complicated

Friday, November 1st, 2013

Geothermal systems offer many advantages to homeowners: they provide clean, safe, and dependable comfort through the natural heat of the earth, and they have extremely long lifespans. Although geothermal systems often cost more to install than other home comfort options, they can pay for themselves with their energy-efficient performance in as little as five years (according to the EPA).

Although geothermal heat pumps operate according to a simple principle—taking heat from the earth and bringing it into your home, or reversing the process to cool your home—they are anything but simple to install. If you think you can handle installation on your own, or have an amateur take on the job, then you’ll end up unhappy indeed, with time and effort wasted to get a substandard result. Geothermal installations require extensive planning and work—but if placed in the hands of professionals; they will get done quickly and with a minimum amount of headaches for you.

Contact PRK Services, Inc. for Highland Village, TX geothermal installation and other geothermal services; we can handle both open and closed loop systems, whichever one best fits your needs.

The main reason that geothermal installations are complicated is because of the depth at which the loops that carry the refrigerant must be buried in order to operate efficiently. You can’t dig a one-foot deep trench and expect it to work. Geothermal systems need to have their loops placed about 10 feet below the surface, because it’s at this point that the earth’s temperature becomes stable (around 55°F) with few fluctuations due to above-ground weather. Digging 10-foot deep trenches is a massive undertaking, something you can’t achieve with a few shovels.

Another difficulty with installing geothermal systems is that they are the most environmentally sensitive of all comfort systems. Where they are placed in the ground is crucial for their performance, and identifying the best spot to install them requires specialized training. If you just dig a trench at the first available spot on your property and place the refrigerant loops there, you can’t expect to get decent results.

And this brings us to another important point: geothermal systems don’t work for everyone. Despite the many advantages they offer, they don’t fit the needs of every home or every piece of property. Before you even start thinking about installing a geothermal system on your own, you should contact experts to see if geothermal will work for you.

PRK Services, Inc. has experience with all kinds of heating and air conditioning systems. We can steer you toward the right choice. If the right choice for your house in Highland Village, TX is geothermal, trust the work to us: it will save you time, and in the long run, save you money to have professional installation.

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