Boston Plumbing and Heating Blog

During the winter in Boston and Worcester plumbing service companies get a high number of calls from people needing their water lines fixed.  As the cold weather settles in, many homeowners are worried about their heating costs rising and keeping their houses warm. Another cause for concern this time of year is frozen pipes.

Most of the plumbing problems this time of year are due to freezing pipes. Typically the frozen pipes are caused by open cracks in foundations, windows, and doors that leave pipes susceptible to the outside elements.

Make sure all windows are closed and that cracks are sealed. Any pipes that are within 10 to 12 inches to the outside walls should be insulated.

If you find yourself in the unfortunate situation where your water pipes burst there are steps you need to take immediately in order to prevent a lot of damage in your home. First find the water meter, typically there is a main shut off valve there. Immediately shut that valve and then call your local plumber. Even just a minute of water running from a burst pipe can do thousands of dollars’ worth of damage to your home.

Also, to prevent frozen pipes, undo and turn off the water to your outside hoses and spickets. If you have an older home with a history of frozen pipes and the temperature is very cold, let some water slowly drip from your faucet overnight or while away. You can also keep the cabinet doors open underneath your sinks to let in the heat.

If find yourself with frozen pipes, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

When you think of plumbers you think of faucets, toilets, clogged drains or other ‘water flow’ issues and problems. But, you also need a plumber if you are thinking of installing anything gas related in your home. This includes gas stoves, gas fireplaces and gas fireplace inserts.  This makes sense, because the water and gas systems in your home rely on pipes to supply the various appliances.

Many do-it-yourself homeowners will tackle a leaking faucet or a clogged drain on their own. They may even replace toilet innards as well. You may even do light electrical work. But, even if you or someone you know is handy, when it comes to gas you should leave it to a plumber.  Plumbers can guarantee that all the gas work at your home is done with the highest standards of quality as well and safety.

Gas is dangerous and toxic. Gas lines refer to both natural gas and propane. And both can be used in a home for cooking and heating. Plumbers are trained and licensed in the installation of gas lines. Therefore, in the event that something does go wrong, you have recourse. If you have a fire or sickness as a result of a faulty or poorly installed gas line, and that gas line was not installed by a licensed and insured plumber; besides the damage you have another problem, all of you insurance coverage will be null and void.

Gas pipes can leak and this will obviously impact the performance of the water heater, stove or fireplace, but gas leaks can also serious health and safety risks. Additionally, if you are installing a gas fireplace or insert in your home, a plumber is needed to pull the permit for the installation and can also let you know if your chimney requires a liner.

Anything propane or gas-related in your home involves a plumber. Plumbers may specialize in drains and anything related to water, but they are also qualified and experienced in professional natural gas line installation and repair. A plumber can help you detect issues with your gas supply, install new gas lines, move gas lines and provide you will all of the necessary installation and repair work you need to get your home safely outfitted with natural gas. Contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Thanksgiving is here. Happy Thanksgiving to all the customers and friends of Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating. We all should be focusing on blessings, family, and turkey!  We should be..but we know it isn't always possible all the time. The business of Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating is to help homes and business with all their plumbing problems, including clogged pipes, new home construction, gas fireplaces, heating systems and everything else to do with your pipes! During the holidays, plumbing problems don’t stop just because it is inconvenient for you. At Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating our work never stops, if you have plumbing issues, we are here to help.

It is our sincere wish that Thanksgiving finds you comfortable and surrounded by family.  To all of our loyal customers and the citizens of the Boston and Worcester areas, we would like to offer you our most sincere best wishes and thanks.  We work hard to earn your continued trust and we want you to know that we do not take your trust for granted.  Happy Thanksgiving to you, your family, and to all you hold dear.

It is getting cold. Now is the time to get your home prepped for the heating season if you have not done so already. The cooler temperatures are making your furnace work harder, but if you have not gotten your home, or your furnace, ready for winter, it is not too late.

Having your furnace professionally serviced will help it work more efficiently. Furnace maintenance means: clean the blower assembly, adjust the burners, clean the coils and heat exchanger, and perform other maintenance to help reduce your energy consumption. New high-efficiency natural gas furnaces and oil furnaces should be serviced annually.

Change the furnace filter: Be sure to change furnace filters monthly during the heating season. Filters play an important role by trapping dust particles that can affect the efficiency of your furnace and indoor air quality. Dirty filters make the furnace work harder to keep your house warm.

Upgrade your thermostat. If you have an older manually-operated thermostat, replace it with a programmable thermostat that automatically adjusts the settings so you won’t have to remember to do it yourself.

Prevent air leaks. Use caulk to seal the air leaks around windows and install weather stripping on doors to ensure the air you’re heating doesn’t escape. Inexpensive gaskets are also available that can be installed behind electrical outlets that are located on exterior walls. Warm air can leak from those as well.

Don’t use space heaters.  If possible, try not to use electric space heaters. It costs considerably more to heat your home with electricity. If you need a new steam heating system, hot water heating system or a new furnace, Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating can help you choose the most economical and efficient heating system for your home.

For more information on efficient home heating or heating system maintenance, contact us.

Excerpts – Tahoe Daily Tribune

A quarter-million families have their homes ruined and their lives disrupted every winter because of frozen water pipes. Cold nights can very quickly turn into ongoing, inconvenient, extremely expensive ordeals when your pipes freeze.

In cold climates pipes freeze for a combination of three reasons: quick drops in temperature, poor insulation, and thermostats set too low. Both plastic and copper pipes can burst when they freeze. A 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can spew up to 250 gallons of water a day, causing flooding, serious structural damage, and the immediate potential for mold.

However, this disaster is largely preventable. By taking a few simple precautions, you can help save yourself the mess, money, and aggravation frozen pipes cause.

There are a number of preventative steps you can take to keep your pipes from freezing. Here are a few simple tips:

Before The Cold

You can prepare by protecting your home during the warmer months. Here’s how:

• Insulate pipes in your home's crawl spaces and attic. Exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. Remember: The more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes will be.
• Heat tape or thermostatically controlled heat cables can be used to wrap pipes. Be sure to use products approved by an independent testing organization, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc., and only for the use intended (exterior or interior). Closely follow all manufacturers' installation and operation instructions.
• Seal leaks that allow cold air inside near where pipes are located. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents, and pipes, and use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out. With severe cold, even a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
• Before winter hits, disconnect garden hoses and, if possible, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance of freezing in the short span of pipe just inside the house.

Even if you’ve taken the right preventative steps, extreme weather conditions can still harm your pipes. Here are a few more steps you can take:

• A trickle of hot and cold water might be all it takes to keep your pipes from freezing. Let warm water drip overnight, preferably from a faucet on an outside wall.
• Keep your thermostat set at the same temperature during both day and night. You might be in the habit of turning down the heat when you’re asleep, but further drops in the temperature could catch you off guard and freeze your pipes.
• Open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to un-insulated pipes under sinks and appliances near exterior walls.

Before You Travel

• Traveling in the winter months might be good for the soul, but don’t forget to think about your pipes before you leave. What can you do?
• Set the thermostat in your house no lower than 55°F.
• Ask a friend or neighbor to check your house daily to make sure it's warm enough to prevent freezing.
• Shut off and drain the water system. Be aware that if you have a fire protection sprinkler system in your house, it may be deactivated when you shut off the water.

If Your Pipes Do Freeze

What do you do if your pipes still freeze, despite your best preventative measures? Don’t panic. Just because they’re frozen doesn’t mean that already you have burst pipes. Here’s what you can do:

• If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a plumber.
• Do not use electrical appliances in areas of standing water: You could be electrocuted.
• Never try to thaw a pipe with a torch or other open flame because it could cause a fire hazard. Water damage is preferable to burning down your house!
• You may be able to thaw a frozen pipe with the warm air from a hair dryer. Start by warming the pipe as close to the faucet as possible, working toward the coldest section of pipe.
• If your water pipes have burst, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve in the house; leave the water faucets turned on. Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shutoff valve is and how to open and close it.

For assistance if your pipes freeze or burst, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

learningcenter.statefarm.com

For a homeowners and businesses there are times when you need a professional plumber because the plumbing problem goes beyond replacing the inner workings of your toilet tanks.

Many household problems like a clogged toilet or a leaky faucet can easily be resolved by a plumber or homeowner with basic DIY skills, but some occasions require more specialized work. For example, there are plumbers who are specialized to work with natural gas lines, the installation of fire sprinkler systems, maintenance and repair of water pipes and on home remodeling projects.

A specialty plumber that installs fire sprinkler systems provides an important service in the plumbing profession. Almost all cities and towns have codes or ordinances that require commercial buildings to install and maintain fire sprinklers. They are also becoming more popular as an added safety feature in residential homes.

Make sure you hire a plumber with the proper training for any work that involves fire sprinkler systems. In most states, you can verify a plumbers’ credentials by checking with your state licensing board.

Besides making house calls and installing sprinkler systems, there are certain plumbers who actually specialize in the plumbing associated with home remodeling and new construction. When a new home is built, water pipes need to be run, and toilets, sinks and faucets need to be installed correctly and up to code. A more specialized plumber should be utilized for home remodeling work.

Plumbers for remodeling and home additions must be able to read, understand and communicate details laid out on blue prints. Also, plumbers should be able to understand the overall inner workings of the entire project and where the plumbing aspects of the project relate to the overall project as well as an in-depth understanding of city codes and ordinances regarding home construction, and the ability to work with and communicate with other contractors.

Before making a decision on which plumber to hire, check credentials and make sure your hire a plumber with the experience to complete the task at hand.

It is recommended that homeowners verify a plumber's license by checking with state licensing boards or through the secretary of state's office. For more information, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

AngiesList.com/articles

When most people think about plumbers, they usually think about water lines or stopped up drains. However, there is much more to plumbers and plumbing and many plumbers specialize in specific areas like home remodeling or installing sprinkler systems.

One task that plumbers perform which often gets overlooked is the natural gas line plumber. These plumbers work with the installation or repair of natural gas lines. A natural gas plumber is used for the installation or repair of water heaters, HVAC systems, stoves, outdoor grills or gas fireplaces and inserts.

A plumber needs to have a license in Massachusetts to perform work and install gas lines in the Boston and Worcester areas. When looking for a plumber to help with a natural gas issue, homeowners should consider whether the plumber has a master plumbing license. The master plumbing license signifies a high degree of experience, qualifications and knowledge regarding the plumbing profession.

Our professional plumbers are trained to perform work in your home or to perform commercial plumbing work. Greater Boston Plumbing & Heating can handle everything from garbage disposal clogs and replacement, leaking toilets, faucet replacement to water heater repairs and installations. Contact us.

Angie’s List Articles

Fall is here and the colder weather is on the way. If you want to cut down on your heating bills this winter, put heating system maintenance on your list of essential fall chores. Make your HVAC system work harder and smarter for you.

Annual heating system tune-ups are recommended to clear a year’s worth of dust and gunk from your furnace or boiler. During your heating system regular maintenance call, plumbers will check or replace air filters, oil filters, and nozzles; clean the heat exchanger; determine if the chimney needs to be professionally cleaned; adjust the burner; and test combustion safety. This maintenance is a good investment that can shave 3-8% off your heating bill and help you avoid costly crises in the dead of winter. Your furnace needs to keep you warm in the winter, Greater Boston Plumbing will keep your furnace running safely and efficiently. Our expert technicians repair, service and maintain gas furnaces of any make, model or brand.

It takes more than just a boiler or furnace to heat your home effectively, though.  The whole system includes pipes or ducts that distribute heat throughout your home; thermostats that control when the burner fires; and whole-house insulation that provides the context and keeps the heat where you want it. The fall is the perfect time to determine where your house is wasting energy. Plan improvements that help your whole house – not just your heating system – function at a higher level.

In fact, it’s not unusual for whole-house air sealing and insulation upgrades to cut heating and cooling costs by 25-50%. Even better, the improvements that dramatically reduce energy costs also make homes more comfortable year-round, treat basement moisture problems, and reduce the likelihood of ice dams.

Need a new, more efficient heating system, we can help with that too. Contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Original article - BDNMaine

Winter is fast approaching. It is best to have furnace maintenance done, or perhaps even have your  furnace replaced before the cold hits and you find you have a problem. Do you need a new furnace? If so, here are some furnace buying tips to consider:

1) Size matters: One of the most important factors when buying a furnace is to have a professional installer examine the size of the house and then determine the size of the furnace necessary for the space. A furnace that is too large leaves gaps in temperature as it turns on until it overwhelms the thermostat. The house ends up cooling down until the next cycle and creates an inconsistent temperature. A furnace that is the right size will be able to better regulate a constant temperature.

2) Fewer emissions: Being energy and environmentally conscious does not have to stop at the furnace. A hybrid furnace is one of the cleanest and most efficient combination solid fuel-burning furnaces on the market today. The furnace switches from wood to oil or electric automatically and if the furnace runs out of wood a second thermostat will keep the house nice and toasty.

3) Don’t buy on price alone: Always be sure to ask a professional installer, contractor or reputable salesperson about annual operating costs for whatever furnaces you may be looking at. While there are a variety of factors to consider, price should not necessarily be number one. Efficiencies, however, can vary drastically depending on price, which means that if you pay more up front now, you’ll still enjoy lower heating bills 10 or 15 years later.

4) Get the right documentation: Any reputable installer or manufacturer will be sure to not only include the purchase agreement and warranty information but also explain exactly what you are getting.

5) Correct installation and maintenance: Furnace installation should be done by a trained professional as not only can it be a safety hazard but if anything is off it can severely impact your efficiency. Regular maintenance, generally in the fall, will keep the furnace performing like it should.

Need help buying and installing a new furnace? Contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Excerpts – Calgary Sun

Are you interested in saving money on home heating this winter? Good, because home heating experts say that heating bills will be high this winter. Now is the time to replace your home heating system. And while you are at it, you can also take advantage of the tax credit for energy-efficient upgrades which expired at the end of the year.

Call a plumber if you want to more efficiently heat your home this winter and for many winters to come. Replacing and upgrading heating systems makes you eligible for up to a $500 tax credit.

Claims can only be made for your primary residence. Here are the details on what heating system upgrades or HVAC upgrades qualify:

Heating, cooling, and water heating –

• Homeowners who buy HVAC equipment that meets federal requirements can apply for tax credits equal to the full cost of the equipment up to the following caps:
• Advanced main air circulating fan: $50.
• Natural gas, propane, or oil furnace or new hot water boiler with an annual fuel utilization rate of 95 or greater: $150.
• Electric heat pump water heater with an energy factor of at least 2.0: $300.
• Electric heat pump that achieves the highest efficiency tier established by the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE): $300.
• Central air conditioner that achieves the highest efficiency tier established by the CEE: $300.
• Natural gas, propane, or oil water heater that has either an energy factor of at least 0.82 or a thermal efficiency of at least 90 percent: $300.
• Biomass stoves that use plant-derived fuel such as wood pellets: $300.

For more information and to take advantage of tax credits, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Qualifying information from Consumer Reports