Posts Tagged ‘West Vancouver’

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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Richmond Heating Replacement Checklist: What You Should Consider Before Upgrading

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

How do you decide if it is time to replace your old furnace or upgrade your heating system? In our line of work, we’ve come across many homeowners faced with this dilemma. We recommend that homeowners use the following checklist to decide if the benefit of buying a new heater is worth the purchasing cost.

1. Are your heating bills high? We all know that the price of gas or electricity, depending on your system, is high. However, what many homeowners don’t know is that their furnace starts becoming less efficient after 15 to 20 years in operation. This means that the furnace requires more power to operate, thereby forcing you to pay more for your heating bills. If it’s possible, we recommend comparing your heating bills from the same month over a span of three to five years. If you see a steady increase, then it’s likely your furnace is affecting your heating bills. Consider upgrading to an energy efficient model.

2. Have you repaired the furnace recently? Every homeowner knows that repair costs are expensive. Ask yourself how many times the repairman has been out to check your furnace during the past two years. Excessive repairs are a sign that a furnace is reaching its end, leaving the household without heat. Not only is a complete break down uncomfortable, it’s also downright dangerous in the winter. It’s better to prepare a budget plan that allows for purchasing a new heater than face the high costs of emergency heating repair.

3. Is the heat level the same all over your house? One of the signs of a malfunctioning furnace is that it stops heating rooms as effectively as it once did. For example, if you notice that there is a severe temperature difference between two bedrooms, then this is likely due to your furnace not being able to heat them evenly. Upgrading your heating system can fix this problem.

4. Do you think your furnace is safe? There’s more to worry about with an old furnace than just excessive repair costs. A furnace’s age determines how likely it is to potentially start a fire or even begin to leak carbon monoxide. These are serious threats that can affect the safety of your entire family. Furnaces that are older than 20 years present the greatest safety hazards. They need to be replaced by safer, more energy efficient models.

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New Westminster Plumbing Tip: Value of a Maintenance Agreement

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Consider for a moment the cost of fixing a leaky pipe or a burst water main in your New Westminster home. Imagine how much money goes down the drain (so to speak) if you don’t have someone on call to come and fix the problem whenever you notice a drippy faucet or see a wet patch on your ceiling. This stuff will add up fast.

That’s why so many plumbers offer extended maintenance agreements to keep your fixtures and pipes on track. In most cases, these maintenance agreements are assigned to specific pieces of equipment such as your water heater, your toilet, your sinks and showers, or your pipes. However, there are many plumbers who offer full coverage of your home for a set annual fee. Let’s take a closer look at what that would do for you.

Full Annual Coverage

If you pay for a full annual maintenance plan for your New Westminster home, it would cover yearly checkups of the following:

  • Water heaters
  • Radiant heating system
  • Incoming water mains
  • Pipe conditions
  • Fixture and drain health
  • Sewer and drain lines

Now, imagine how many years go between checkups of these things normally. When was the last time you had someone visit your home and check your drains for clogs or inspect your water main for stress and wear? Have you ever had it inspected?

Most homeowners forget about their plumbing for years until it needs a repair or replacement. Replacing a toilet costs $400 or more. Replacing a water line in your house costs upwards of $3500. And if you need pipes replaced, it can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000 depending on the size of your home.

The Annual Savings

For a small investment, you prolong the life of your plumbing by years and the cost of replacement will be negated by having small repairs completed on an annual basis.

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How a Ceiling Fan Can Help Heat Your Richmond Home

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Most people in Richmond who have ceiling fans never turn them on in the winter. They assume that the fan is designed solely to cool the house – after all, blowing air feels pretty nice doesn’t it? But, a ceiling fan can actually help to move heat around your home and lower your heating bill if used properly. Here are some tips to do just that.

Rotating Warm Air

Warm air naturally rises. So, when you turn on your furnace and the blower fan pushes warm air through your ductwork into the various rooms of your home, the warm air immediately rises to the ceiling. So, for the room to feel as comfortable as you want it, you must wait for enough heat to circulate into the room to displace the cold air that was already there.

However, instead of waiting for warm air to fill the room, you can circulate the warm air as it arrives with a ceiling fan. By turning on your ceiling fan and changing the direction so it blows down (which most people already have it set to), the warm air will be pushed toward the floor, mixing it smoothly into the room and keeping you more comfortable without having the furnace on constantly.

This does two things. First, it keeps the room comfortable regardless of when the furnace cycles on or off. Second, it keeps the thermostat reading stable so the furnace doesn’t cycle on and off so quickly. If the warm air regularly rises up and the lower levels begin to cool, your furnace will frequently turn on and off as it tries to maintain the same temperature.

A Low Cost Addition to Your Home

Ceiling fans are inexpensive and aesthetically pleasing. They move air throughout the room, keep warmth low where you need it and can help reduce your energy bill in multiple ways. If you’re not sure whether a ceiling fan is right for you, talk to a Richmond technician about just how much money one of these simple devices can save you. I bet you’ll be convinced.

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A Question from Richmond: What Are High-Efficiency Toilets?

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Everyone has a toilet in their Richmond home. In fact, you probably have more than one. And you probably do not give much thought to the type of toilet you have. After all, a toilet is a toilet, right? Well, there are actually several different types of toilets, and while they all get the basic job done, there are reasons to favor one type over another.

One such distinction falls on what are known as high-efficiency toilets. These toilets use significantly less water than standard toilets on each flush, thereby saving you money on your water bill every time you use them. No toilet on the market today is permitted by law to use more than 3.5 gallons of water per flush. High-efficiency toilets, by contrast, generally use between 1.6 gallons and 1.1 gallons.

That might not seem like a huge difference, but just think about how many times in a day someone flushes the toilets in your home. That will add up fast. Installing a high-efficiency toilet can save you as much as 12,000 gallons of water a year. And depending on the size of your household and the number of toilets you have, that figure could be even higher.

Of course, a lot of people shy away from high-efficiency toilets because they are concerned about performance. It seems unlikely to them that a toilet that uses so much less water could work effectively all of the time. The truth is, though, that many high efficiency toilets work even better than conventional ones at clearing the bowl in one flush. And high efficiency toilets do not clog any more than regular toilets. In fact, they often do better in that area as well.

Another thing to bear in mind is that toilets last for a long time. This means that the toilet in your home could be quite old. Toilets made before 1980 use much more than modern toilets are allowed to use per flush. Some of them actually go through five gallons or more of water each time you use them. By replacing an older toilet with a new, high-efficiency model, you will be setting yourself up for some significant savings on your water bill each month.

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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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Troubleshooting Drain Problems: Some Pointers from Delta

Monday, November 21st, 2011

It’s Saturday afternoon in Delta and you are preparing dinner for a number of guests. The kitchen is packed with groceries and you start to clean a lot of veggies for dipping. But there is a problem. The drain in your kitchen sink is “acting funny.” It drains slowly and is making a gurgling sound. In fact, it’s beginning to smelly funny, too.

The timing couldn’t be worse. Before you hit the panic button, let’s take a moment to troubleshoot the problem. Maybe it isn’t much of a problem after all.

First of all, is the problem confined to just the kitchen sink? There may be similar problems in other sinks, which would indicate a larger problem with the plumbing in your home. Hopefully, the kitchen sink is the only area you need to be concerned with.

Next, if you have a two-basin sink who should check to see if both sides are clogged or just one. Remove all dishes and utensils and run water on both sides. If water drains from one and not the other, there is a clog somewhere in the pipe leading to the union of both pipes. You have now centralized the drain problem. If both sides back up, the clog is further down the pipe. But it is still not a big problem.

One way to troubleshoot for drain problems is to simply run very hot water down the drain. This tends to break up clogs of grease by melting it away. The fix can also be as simple as running the garbage disposal long enough to dislodge any debris. You may even want to grind up some food you were planning to dispose of or take some lettuce greens and use the disposal on them. If this food takes a long time to grind or doesn’t at all, the disposal may be the culprit, leading to blocked drains.

And if you are preparing for your party by taking a shower and the shower drain is acting funny, don’t hit the panic button just yet. You may just have a build-up of hair or skin on the drain cover or screen. Use you foot to swish around the water and if water drains more quickly when you do this, the fix can be as simple as reaching down and picking up the debris. Having a plunger nearby helps, too.

None of this is brain surgery and quick fixes are easy to do. But if the problem persists and you don’t have the time or patience to work on your drain problem, call a plumbing professional – and stick with your party plans.

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How to Get Your Furnace Ready for Winter: A Guide from Vancouver

Monday, November 14th, 2011

Being cold in the winter is normal – as long as you are outside. But you shouldn’t be cold inside your Vancouver home. If that happens, the first place to look to is your furnace, which may not be working correctly. Furnaces are like any other piece of mechanical equipment. They need to be maintained and serviced on a regular basis to ensure they are working at peak efficiency and warming your entire home at your desired comfort level.

First of all, check and see when you last had your furnace serviced. If it has been over one year ago, you should schedule and maintenance inspection from your local qualified heating and cooling professional. And when you make that appointment, ask about service agreements and getting on a regular maintenance schedule. Most heating and cooling contractors offer service agreement plans which include furnace and air conditioning check-ups on an annual basis.

Okay, so you know who to call for maintenance but what can you do yourself? First of all, give your furnace a little “help” by checking the vents and returns throughout the house. Ensure that there are no obstructions or blockages such as rugs, clothing, furniture, etc. You need to have unobstructed paths for your heated and return air to flow. The more congested the path, the harder your furnace will have to work. And while you’re at it, make sure your vents are open or closed, depending on how much you use your rooms. For example, if you have an extra bedroom that doesn’t need to be heated, closed off the vent or close the damper in the ductwork. The heated air will be diverted to other parts of your home where it is needed.

You can also help the airflow by vacuuming the vent cover or removing it and vacuuming any of the ductwork that you can easily get to. For a more thorough job consider calling a qualified and professional duct cleaning contractor. Many heating and cooling contractors also offer duct cleaning service, too.

Another maintenance function that you can perform is cleaning or replacing the furnace filter. Depending on the size of your home and its air quality (occupants, pets, etc.), you may want to clean or replace your air filter every one to three months. A dirty filter can restrict airflow and can put contaminants like dirt and dust right back into your air system. If you don’t know how to replace your air filter, consult the furnace owner’s manual or go online to learn more. If your furnace uses an electrostatic air filter, it will need to be removed and cleaned, either by using a hose or with soapy water and a hose. Make sure you let it dry before re-installing it.

You may also want to inspect any electrical wires around your furnace to ensure none are broken or frayed. A visual inspection should be good enough.

Once you have done what you can, let your heating and cooling professional take over from there. They are licensed and trained to inspect your furnace and ensure that it is in peak operating condition.

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What Size Furnace is Right for My Home? A Question from Coquitlam

Monday, November 7th, 2011

When deciding on the the size of the furnace, the size of your house is one factor to consider, but it is not the only factor. As a rule of thumb, 25 to 30 BTU’s per square foot should be sufficient in mild climate. If you live in a colder region, count on 40 BTU’s per square foot.

This said, take a look at what you have now, assuming your current home is already being lived in. If you are happy with the performance of your furnace, i.e. you are kept warm while not suffering from overly costly bills, and your only complaint is that the unit needs to be replaced, then get the same size again. There is no point in re-inventing the wheel.

What you are really interested in is the efficiency of the furnace, not the size. For instance, you invite problems with a unit that under-performs. Obviously, you will have trouble staying warm, but in addition, the unit will wear out more quickly because of the continuous struggle to reach the desired temperature. So, trying to save money with a modestly sized furnace is not a long-term solution. Eventually it will actually turn out to be more costly.

Some people have the misconception that an oversize furnace will save money because it is so powerful that it reaches and maintains a certain temperature more easily. It is true that a large furnace will get your house warm quicker, but it does so with an unnecessary output of energy that is really geared toward much larger rooms. In this way, energy is squandered and you end up paying more in your monthly bill.

If you don’t believe the furnace you currently have suits your needs, a professional heating expert will be able to tell you what exactly what is going on. You might, for instance, have an insulation problem you are not aware of. Caulking and weatherstripping might take care of those issues without your even needing a new furnace. Or your thermostat might need replacing. In some cases, an attic’s insulation might be failing, or perhaps was never even installed. Either way, before replacing a furnace the house needs to be inspected to ensure that the furnace is operating under conditions that allow for optimum functioning.

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