Posts Tagged ‘Surrey’

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New Westminster Plumbing Guide: What to Do if a Pipe Bursts

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

If you live in a cold climate, you are more likely to have experienced the disaster of a frozen pipe bursting. There are other causes of burst pipes, so rest assured you are not alone; plenty of New Westminster homeowners have had to face a burst pipe as well.

When this happens, there are three fronts on which to attack the problem: stopping the flooding, repairing the pipes and preventing future bursts.

Before doing anything else, you need to stop the flooding in your house. Start by turning off the water supply, either to that pipe or to the whole house. It doesn’t matter which, as long as it’s shut off. Turn on cold water taps around the house to drain remaining water from the pipes. Turn off the water heater. This will at least prevent the flood damage from being too extensive.

Get a sump pump and or some absorbent material to start sopping up the water that leaked into your home, then call a plumber. The pipe and fitting will need to be replaced, and some adjacent ones may need to be as well, so the best solution here is just to call in a professional rather than try to do it yourself. The last thing you need is another burst pipe.

Finally, prevent future breaks in pipes by implementing some of these strategies:

  • Insulate your pipes
  • On cold days, keep your pipes warmer by opening up doors to the attic or basement
  • When going away in the winter, shut off the water supply and drain the plumbing system

By keeping your pipes as warm and insulated as possible, you decrease the likelihood that the water within will freeze, potentially causing a leak or break in the pipe. Burst pipes are not necessarily completely preventable, so it is important that you now know what to do if and when a pipe bursts in your New Westminster home.

Water damage, especially flooding, can cause serious trouble in your home, so everything you can do to prevent and mitigate the risk is a good step.

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Surrey Plumbing Repair Guide: How to Plunge a Clogged Drain

Monday, January 16th, 2012

It is almost inevitable that you will have to deal with a plugged drain somewhere in your Surrey home at some point. This drain may be in the bathtub, a sink or a toilet. But wherever it is, a plunger is usually your best bet for getting it out. If you are going to be successful, though, you need to know how to set yourself up and use the plunger properly.

To begin with, remove the strainer or pop-up plug from the opening of the drain. You want the material that is clogging the drain to be able to come back up through that hole when you apply the plunger suction. Next, make sure the sink or tub has enough water in it to cover the head of the plunger completely. A toilet generally has enough water in it already. This water helps to create a better seal for the plunger and allows you to generate better suction, both of which are essential if you are going to dislodge that plug.

You should also make sure you block off any other outlet connected to the drain you are going to plunge. To do this, stuff an old rag or sponge into the overflow opening or into the second drain of a two compartment sink. That will make it possible for the entire force of your suctioning to reach the clog because it will not be compromised by air escaping through an alternate opening.

Now you are ready to plunge. Place the plunger over the opening of the clogged drain. While keeping constant contact with the sink or tub floor, move the plunger rapidly up and down between 10 and 20 times. After the last plunge, pull the plunger off of the sink or tub floor quickly. This should break the seal you have established and help to pull the clog back up the drain towards you.

It can take a few cycles like this before you are able to dislodge the clog completely. But each time you plunge, you are doing more to break up the clog. The pressure from the plunger can eventually get rid of many difficult clogs, so do not be discouraged if it takes a few tries. If you are still having problems, call your local plumber.

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Surrey Drain & Sewer Guide: What You Can Do to Prevent Problems in Your Drains

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

When you look at a drain in your Surrey home, it seems fairly simple. You pour things down and they disappear into the ether, never to be seen again. Of course, that logic goes out the window the second the drain starts to backup or overflow. There are things you can do to avoid such problems though and most of the time, they cost nothing and take only a few minutes a week.

Simple Household Drain Maintenance

The first step to avoiding a problem is not putting anything down your drain that might cause said problem in the first place. Specifically, avoid grease, food, or other objects that might build up in your drains if not properly disposed.

Food can be broken down by a garbage disposal or, even better, placed in a compost pile. Grease, however, should never enter your sink at all. Pour all old kitchen grease into a coffee pot or bucket and dispose of it carefully. It can be thrown away in some places, or it can be recycled. Whatever you do, though, don’t pour it down the drain.

Another easy tip to keeping those drains clear is to pour a natural compound down every now and then like dishwashing liquid or baking soda and vinegar. Expensive drain cleaners are not only unnecessary – they are unsafe for the person using them and can cause damage to the pipes if you are not careful. To avoid such damage, stick with hot water based compounds and vinegar. The key is to do it preventatively.

If you wait until a full blown clog occurs, baking soda and vinegar may not get the job done and you’ll need to call a Surrey plumber who has a snake or other equipment to get the clog out.

Professional Maintenance

While regular flushing of your drain with hot water and vinegar allows you to clear out the vast majority of the stuff that builds up there every week, it’s also a good idea to call a Surrey professional for annual maintenance. Such annual maintenance involves visual inspection, professional grade clearing of food and waste products and a full flush. Done properly, this will minimize the cost of future repairs and replacements and keep your plumbing running smoothly for years to come.

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Burnaby Plumber Guide: How to Change a Drain Trap

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

Have you ever noticed that U-shaped length of pipe below your Burnaby home’s bathroom or kitchen sink? Does it ever seem to you like it doesn’t make sense to have that in there? It seems counterintuitive to have the water run any direction other than straight down.

Well, that little bend is the drain trap, and it keeps nasty odors and gases from wafting their way up through the plumbing and into your Burnaby home. The U shape of the trap precludes the normal upward drift of the gases, so they don’t make it up through your drain.

After a while, these traps can become corroded, choked with debris or entirely clogged to such a degree that it needs to be replaced. When this happens, it is important to take care of this right away.

As with any plumbing project, the first step is to turn off the main water supply. Don’t worry about the inconvenience; the whole process will take less than an hour.

Next, remove all the pieces of the existing drain trap. Use a pipe wrench and/or slip-joint pliers to remove the nuts and pull the trap free. Attach a tailpiece washer to your new tailpiece, and then attach the tailpiece to the sink strainer. You may need to cut the tailpiece to length with a hacksaw.

With a slip nut and washer, affix the trap arm to the drain stub. Again, you may need to cut the trap arm to length.

Finally, attach the trap bend to the trap arm, making sure the beveled face of the washer faces the trap bend. Tighten all the nuts and turn the water back on. Run a little water down the drain and check for leaks before using it. You may need to tighten some joints or apply Teflon tape in some places.

Once everything is all sealed up, you’re good to go! Your new drain trap is in place and ready to use.

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Why Does My New Westminster Furnace’s Pilot Light Keep Going Off?

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

We often forget how much we rely upon the mechanical infrastructure of our homes. It usually takes some unanticipated calamity to remind us of how fortunate we really are. There is nothing like a good blizzard or hurricane to remind us of how nice it is to have amenities such as electric lights and temperature controlled houses to live in.

At times, however, it does not take a natural disaster to deprive us of a warm house. Something as simple as a temperamental pilot light can turn the heat off when it is most needed. Here are a couple of ways in which pilot lights can fail:

  • Furnaces require a vent pipe that goes up through the roof. At times, a heavy or gusty wind can blast down this pipe and snuff out the pilot light somewhat like a child blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. If this happens a lot, fitting a small secondary wind shield on the vent pipe can sometimes make the problem disappear.
  • Like all other mechanical parts, pilot lights get old. The constant flame from the pilot light burns away the metallic core of the furnace’s thermocoupling a little at a time. Over decades, this can cause the thermocoupling to fail, which in turn automatically shuts off the gas supply to the furnace. Replacing the old thermocoupling with a new one should cure this.
  • Particularly with propane furnaces, faulty gas regulators can cause the gas supply to ebb and flow. Improperly functioning regulators can freeze or cause gas supply surges that cause the pilot light to extinguish itself.

As you can see, there are a number of ways in which a pilot light can fail. A good, licensed mechanical contractor can quickly assess the situation and perform the necessary repairs at a minimal cost while ensuring the safety of the family in the home. Yet the best solution for an aging furnace with a balky pilot light is to look into the convenience and cost savings of a brand new energy-efficient furnace.

Not only do new furnaces provide much more heat while using much less gas, they also eliminate the pilot light completely. The beauty of the new design is that you do not have to keep your pilot light burning expensive natural gas or propane all summer long just in case it gets cold at night. The new systems are always ready to go but never burn an ounce of gas until they switch on. They are much safer, are better for the environment, and pay for themselves with the savings in utility costs.

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Surrey Plumbing Tip: Bathtub Faucets and Fittings

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

Buying new bathtub faucets and fittings for your Surrey house can be a lot of fun. But it can also be a bit overwhelming simply because there are so many options out there. And the types of faucets and fittings you choose will have a big impact on the overall cost of the project. That is why it is a good idea to learn a little bit about your options ahead of time so that you know more or less what you are looking for when you actually get into the store.

To begin with, you will have to decide whether you want brass or plastic fittings. Plastic fittings are generally cheaper, but they also do not last as long and are more prone to chipping and cracking. Brass, on the other hand, might cost you a bit more up front, but it will last you longer and serve you better.

Brass faucets and fittings are available in a wide range of styles and finishes, so you can comb through the options to find the one that best fits with the theme you are going for in your bathroom. However, you should keep in mind that some of the available finishes for brass fixtures and faucets require specific care so that they do not tarnish. Make sure that whatever brass fittings and faucets you buy are a kind that you will be willing to care for properly.

You should also keep in mind that the majority of the functional part of your bathtub faucet will be located behind the wall of the tub. That can make repairs and replacement of faulty parts a bit more difficult than on a regular sink faucet, so you want to make sure you do not have to get in there to fix something very often.

And the best way to ensure that is to opt for a slightly higher quality fitting and faucet. It may cost you a bit more up front, but it will be well worth it to you in the long run. Even with these restrictions, there are still plenty of options out there so you should have no trouble finding one that suits your sense of style while still offering high quality performance for a reasonable price. And if you have any questions, talk to your local Surrey plumber.

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Furnace Safety in New Westminster

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

There are many advantages to a properly operating furnace, and the most important ones are the safety and comfort of your New Westminster home’s occupants. There are several things you can do to ensure the safe operation of your furnace.

Here is a checklist of ideas:

  • Clean or change furnace filters on a regular basis. Replace disposable filters and clean permanent filters using water or cleaning solutions. Your owner’s manual or a qualified heating contractor can suggest a regular maintenance schedule.
  • Check the exhaust vent from the furnace. Clear obstructions such as leaves, clothing, or animal nests from the vent pipe or chimney. Keep roof exhaust vents clear of snow. If there is a faulty exhaust system (like a blocked flue), of if there are cracks and leaks in the pipes or improper adjustment of the burner, or if there is lower air pressure indoors than outside, the furnace can create serious indoor air pollution.
  • A clear air intake is important too, since furnaces need fresh air to “breathe” and complete the fuel burning cycle. Again, check for debris, snow, or animal nests in intake pipes.
  • If you have an older gas furnace, you may want to install a supplementary induced-draft fan that reduces the possibility of backdrafting. Some furnaces have automatic shutoff devices that turn off the furnace if it begins to backdraft.
  • Check internal components such as the blower motor and vacuum any dirt. Check belts and pulleys for excessive wear. You should consult your owner’s manual for any suggested maintenance tips on internal working components.
  • You may also want to check the pilot light to see if it is working and if it producing an even, blue flame. If the flame is uneven, it may be a sign of incomplete gas combustion, which can result in the creation of dangerous carbon monoxide gas.
  • Ensure that your thermostat is operating correctly by raising or lowering the temperature settings to make sure the furnace cycles on and off.
  • Install and maintain battery or hard-wired smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.

Externally vented natural gas furnaces, when properly designed and installed, will operate safely for years. But if you detect a problem, use the most common solution – contact a qualified heating professional to check out your furnace.

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A Surrey Heating Contractor Tip: What Makes a Furnace High Efficiency?

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

You’ve probably heard about the new lines of high efficiency furnaces being released by popular home heating companies in Surrey, but what exactly is different about these high efficiency devices from your current furnace? Let’s take a closer look at what a high efficiency furnace offers and why it can save you money.

Added Features

A high efficiency furnace uses familiar technology in a new way to reduce the amount of energy lost when combustion takes place. This means:

  • Sealed Combustion – Instead of open combustion which allows heat to escape during and after the combustion process, a high efficiency furnace uses a sealed chamber with carefully measured and fed airflow to burn fuel and produce heat. Exhaust heat can then be recaptured and used to heat air transferred to your air vents.
  • Two Stage Gas Valves – With a two stage gas valve, your furnace can respond to the temperature outside. There isn’t just one “on” switch. The furnace will regulate gas flow based on how much energy is needed to produce heat for your home. So, if there is a sudden burst of cold outside, the furnace will respond accordingly, but for most days when heating needs are low, it will use only the minimum amount of needed gas.
  • Programmable – High efficiency furnaces are now programmable, meaning you can set specific time limits for operation, change thermostat settings digitally and inspect the device through an electronic read out. The level of control given to you by a programmable high efficiency furnace can greatly reduce gas or electricity consumption.

Cost Benefit

The real reason many people are interested in high efficiency furnaces is that they are so much less expensive to operate. Instead of costing hundreds of dollars to run through the winter, they operate the bare minimum needed to heat your home. Using up to 95% of the fuel they consume to produce heat and regulating gas to cut how much is consumed during milder days, these furnaces are built to save you money.

If you have an old furnace that chews through energy like nobody’s business, now might be the time to consider the benefits of a brand new, high efficiency model.

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The Do’s and Don’ts of Clogged Drains: A Guide from a Burnaby Plumber

Friday, December 2nd, 2011

Clogged and slow drains in your home can be a real bummer. Water standing in the kitchen sink is gross, and no one likes to shower with the tub gradually filling around their feet. Calling a Burnaby plumber when the clog gets out of hand is easy enough, but it’s  even easier to prevent them from forming in the first place.

With proper use, some brief regular maintenance and a few tricks, most clogs can be stopped dead in their tracks before becoming a problem. Follow these guidelines and you may never need to make that emergency plumber call again.

Don’ts

First of all, there are some things you just shouldn’t do to your drains and pipes. These things can quickly lead to clog buildup, so avoid them:

  • Don’t pour liquid grease, such as bacon grease, down drains. It can solidify in the pipes and cause a clog.
  • Don’t flush anything down the toilet that is not designed to be flushed.
  • Avoid using bleach or other chemicals to clean tubs, sinks and drains. Particles from these cleansers can build up to cause clogs, or even erode pipes.

Do’s

Even with best practices, no drain will remain completely clean. However, a little proactivity can stop everyday residue from accumulating and forming a nasty clog. Try some of these maintenance tips to keep things running smoothly:

  • Use a screen, guard or trap. These can catch food, hair and other debris which would otherwise wind up sitting in your pipes.
  • Clean sink and drain stoppers regularly. Debris can get trapped on and under the stoppers, just waiting to break loose and cruise into the drain to cause a clog.
  • A few times a year, stop up your sinks and tub, fill them up all the way, then let them drain. The pressure and volume of the water will help shake loose deposits in the pipes.
  • Once a month or so, carefully pour boiling water down the drain to dislodge stubborn deposits. You can also do this any time you notice a drain is starting to run slow. Vinegar is also effective.

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Why Do I Need a Maintenance Agreement? A Question from Richmond

Monday, November 28th, 2011

While every new furnace sold comes with a limited 10 year warranty for the unit and parts, it is a good idea to supplement your warranty with a more complete maintenance agreement with your Richmond HVAC provider. Why pay for a secondary maintenance plan when you already have a warranty?

For the most part, the limited warranty provided by the manufacturer is meant to cover things like faulty parts, abnormal breakdowns or recalls. If your system simply needs to get a checkup because you use it a lot or there is a clog that isn’t caused by the actual furnace or air conditioner, you will likely end up paying the maintenance cost. So, by paying for an upgraded service plan, you cover all potential breakdowns and you’ll never again need to worry about your system. It’s like getting the upgraded warranty for a new car that covers everything from a busted crankshaft to old windshield wipers.

Help Your System Last Longer

Another benefit of a maintenance agreement for your HVAC system is that the system lasts longer when it is regularly maintained. So, if you think your system is running poorly, call in your professional in to check it out. The ability to do this will ensure your HVAC system lasts significantly longer than if you were forced to wait until you could afford an extra visit from your repair man.

So, not only do you ensure your system keeps working, you add a lot of valuable years to its lifespan. Imagine how much money you’ll save if your furnace or air conditioner lasts for twice as long. Any breakdowns after the warranty has expired are going to require hefty repairs or replacement and be expensive. So, it’s in your best interest to keep your system running smoothly throughout its lifespan.

Ultimately, an HVAC system is only as good as what you put into it. If you’re careful about your investments and are willing to spend a little extra now, you’ll stand to benefit far more in the future from a smoothly operating, efficient heating system.

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