Blog, News & Resources

from Nichols & Phipps and the Heating, Air Conditioning, Plumbing & Electrical industry.

mom and son running through sprinkler

How to Get Your Plumbing Ready For Summer

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With the summer months finally starting to move in, the bitter chill of the winter is being left behind, and we’re getting enough sun at the weekends to roll out the BBQ! We’re all delighted to be out in the spring sun, but what does this mean for our pipes and outdoor plumbing after a…

plumbing tools to help fix or prevent common summer plumbing issues

10 Most Common Summer Plumbing Problems (and How to Fix Them)

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The summer is fast approaching, and we'll soon (hopefully!) be having barbecues with our loved ones and enjoying the fresh air. There's nothing better than relaxing in a lounge chair while the summer sun hangs in the sky.  Nothing could ruin a perfect summer's day, right? Well, a bad plumbing problem could, and during the…

Help my AC is frozen

How to Stop Your AC From Freezing

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It's a hot summer's day in Northern Virginia, and suddenly your AC stops working! You walk outside and take a look at your AC to find that it's covered in ice! You've got yourself a frozen AC system. Not to worry, all you have to do is turn it off and leave it to melt.…

pest proofing your hvac photo

7 Ways to Keep Pests Out of Your Home and Your HVAC System

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As soon as winter’s gone and spring starts to appear, the pests start crawling out from where they were sleeping. Next, we’ll be into summer, and those pesky intruders will be looking for food and shelter from the heat.  Your HVAC system keeps the temperature nice and comfortable, and there’s a lot of food in…

balance temp in 2-story house

How to Balance the Temperature in a Two-Story House

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Do you ever go upstairs in the summertime and feel like you've walked into the Mediterranean? Do you turn your thermostat down, but it just makes downstairs feel like the arctic? If you have family living on both stories of your home, then you're probably fighting over the thermostat. Only some of you will get…

replace evaporator coil hvac

How To Know When You Need To Replace Your HVAC Evaporator Coil

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Evaporator coils are a hot topic when it comes to HVAC repairs in Northern Virginia. They’re an essential part of your HVAC system, and if your system isn’t running how it should be, you could be in trouble. When left to its own devices, a bad HVAC evaporator coil could lead to you having to…

hire a pro to clean your air duct system

Everything You Need To Know About Duct Cleaning

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When you’re cleaning your home, you probably do the dusting every week or every couple of weeks (we don’t judge!). If you don’t dust regularly, the cobwebs and dirt soon build up. Now, imagine how much dust would build up over the course of a month in an area that you don’t see very often.…

clogged shower drain

How to Clean a Shower Drain & Remove Clogs

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There’s nothing worse than getting ready to take an invigorating shower, only to be greeted with a stinky odor wafting up from your drain. What’s even worse is standing in the shower, watching the dirty water rise up and panicking when it doesn't drain away quickly. A clogged shower drain is one of the worst…

plumbing checklist

The Ultimate Plumbing Checklist for the Holidays

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With the holidays only just around the corner, it’s about time we all started checking up on our plumbing works. It’s important to keep an eye on your plumbing all year, but when the holidays are approaching and the frosty weather is beginning to creep in, it’s more important than ever. You don’t want a…

family covering furniture home remodel

How to Protect Your HVAC System During a Home Renovation

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Home renovations can be incredibly exciting and fun – but they also create quite a lot of mess. Protecting your HVAC system during a home renovation is incredibly important. The last thing you need after surviving a home renovation is another thing on your to-do list. Renovations can be quite expensive, so damaging your HVAC…