If you've looked at the ads or websites for folks in either the HVAC or plumbing trades, you may have noticed that a lot of professionals actually take on both kinds of projects. You're also likely wondering exactly what that's about. Let's take a look at the nature of the two trades to learn why finding a plumber who also provides HVAC maintenance help might be the right choice for you.

Hands-On Trades and Overlapping Spaces

Plumbers and HVAC maintenance technicians often tend to be bright folks who like to work with their hands. That's a lot of overlap, and you can add in that they both need to frequently access home's basements.

HVAC Systems Have Plumbing Needs

While we tend to obsess about the cooling and heating value of HVAC setups, a good deal of their effectiveness is actually about removing water from the air. The obvious aspect of the HVAC and plumbing combo of skills is that HVAC units remove water from the air, ultimately making rooms less humid and therefore more comfortable.

The less obvious fact is that removing water from the air is critical to heating and cooling services efficiency. Simply put, the water that's in the air adds significantly more mass to the space that then has to be heated and cooled. If you've ever sat around waiting for a pot to boil, you'll understand why you simply don't want your HVAC system expending precious energy and time trying to get water up or down in temperature. The simplest solution from a physics standpoint is to remove the water first and then only cool or heat the dry air. In the final analysis, this takes less time and means that your utility bills will be lower.

So, you've taken the water out of the air? Now, what do you do with it?

That's where having skills as a plumber becomes valuable in the HVAC trade. If you live in a very humid climate, such as the American Gulf Coast, your setup may remove up to 20 gallons of water a day from the air. Especially when dealing with large units and indoor models, that water has to go somewhere, otherwise it can become a source of health problems. Most structures already have existing plumbing systems, so the fastest and cheapest way to solve the issue is to tie the HVAC unit into the plumbing system.