Boston Plumbing and Heating Blog

Do you have plumbing problems in your Worcester or Boston area home? If so, looking for a plumber can certainly cause anxiety. But, if you do your homework, you can find a reliable, reputable and dependable plumber that you can have confidence in.

If you live in a big city, chances are there are several plumbers to choose from.  When you contact a plumber, consider a job interview. Ask questions, ask for references, and ask around. Be sure the plumbers you are talking to provides emergency 24 hour service. Then you can check any references and see if they needed to use them in an emergency situation.

Checking out online reviews is a good way to qualify plumbers as well. If you have a central heating and air conditioning system, find a plumber that provides maintenance to your HVAC as well. Ask the plumbing company about maintenance plans as well.

Once you have chosen a plumber, explain the problem and be sure you know what they going to do for repairs. Be sure they provide to you a written estimate with itemized costs. For information on Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating, contact us.

Seeing as this month we celebrate Earth Day, we thought we could give you some ideas on how plumbers can help with water conservation in your home. You can actually make some small changes that can have large effects with water conservation.
 
For your home, there are plumbing fixtures that save water or use less water.  Low-flow plumbing fixtures are permanent, one-time solutions that provide water conservation automatically with little or no additional cost. And, in most cases they can save you money over the long term.

Low-Flush Toilets. Homes account for about three-quarters of urban water demand and indoor water use is about 60% of that. Toilets use about 3.5 gallons of water per flush, which turns out to be about 40% of all indoor water usage. Can you believe that more than 4.8 billion gallons of water is flushed down toilets each day in the United States!

In new construction and in remodeling you have the potential to reduce that water usage by installing low flush toilets. Low-flush toilets use 1.6 gallons of water or less.
 
Even in existing homes replacing standard toilets with low-flush toilets is a practical and economical alternative.

Toilet Water Displacement Devices. Plastic containers (such as plastic milk jugs) can be filled with water or pebbles and placed in a toilet tank to reduce the amount of water used per flush. By putting one of these containers in the tank more than l gallon of water can be saved each time you flush.

Low-Flow Showerheads. Showers use about 20% of indoor water. For $5 you can replace standard showerheads with low flow showerheads and a family of four can save about  20,000 gallons of water per year.

Faucet Aerators. Faucet aerators break the flowing water into more fine droplets. They have the same effect and are very inexpensive. They can be installed in any sink to reduce water use by as much as 60%.

Water Pressure Reduction.  Flow is related to pressure. You can reduce the amount of flow from a water fixture. This is done by installing pressure reducing valves. These valves alone can reduce the amount of water used in your home.  If your home uses a well, reducing the water pressure can save both water and energy. However, washing machines and toilets need a controlled amount of water so a  pressure reducing valve will have little effect on these appliances.

For more information on reducing water usage in your Boston or Worcester area home, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

As the summer season approaches, many homeowners in Boston and Worcester are starting to think about their air conditioners.  With warm weather on the way, the AC will soon be used quite a bit. This makes it important to ensure that your central AC is in top working condition. Increasing electricity bills, inconsistent temperatures, loud noises, and leaking are all signs that you need AC maintenance or repairs.

Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating offers full service maintenance and repairs to home air conditioning.  We can handle all of your service, maintenance and upgrade needs on your central air system or mini split unit. With the most qualified professional technicians you will have peace of mind when your AC is serviced by us.

It is always highly recommended that checkups for air conditioning units are scheduled before the summer heat starts. This ensures that your central AC system will be fully operational and that it iwill run efficiently before it is used daily. Proper air conditioning maintenance also helps you savings on electricity bills which can be the largest expense in your home.  

To schedule your AC service appointment or for more information, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

It may be April, and it may be cold, but this is the time in Boston and Worcester to make sure that your air conditioning system is ready for the warmer weather. You know how it works around here, we are cold and then we are hot. You don’t want to find out that your AC doesn’t work when you turn it on to use it for the first time.
 
When the weather gets warm your air conditioning is all of a sudden the most important possession in your home. But, more than 3 million AC systems fail every year. Now is the time to maintain, repair or replace the air conditioning system in your home.

The air conditioning is one of your largest expenses every year in your home. It is important to maintain such an expensive system to ensure that it runs properly and efficiently. Even if your system is running and cooling your home, if it has been serviced, it could be running poorly, in turn costing you more money than it should.
 
Air conditioning is a big investment in your home. Keeping it well maintained and keeping up on repairs keeps you comfortable all summer long. Whether you have a central air system or mini split unit Greater Boston Plumbing & Heating can handle all of your service, maintenance and upgrade needs on your cooling system. Contact us.

There are items that are made to go down the drain, flushed or otherwise travel into your septic system. Essentially, these things are human waste and toilet paper. Everything else is off limits. So what about the items that marketers deem “flushable?”

Take disposable wipes and disposable household cleaning wipes. These items have been identified as flushable by the marketing industry. But that does not mean they are good for your plumbing or good for your septic system if you have one.

Once these disposable/flushable wipes get through your drain, they can cause serious problems in the home main sewer line. These wipes are tough, they need to be for what they are designed for. They are also disposable, into your trash can. When a plumber is called into a home, and these wipes are the culprit, most often they have caused a softball sized toilet clog. The wipes don’t disintegrate, and they have a snow ball effect with the other paper, or other wipes in the drain causing a massive pile up, or clog.

Unfortunately these large clogs take some time to remove from your main septic drain. As you know, the longer the time spent, the more costly the job. So take the extra time and don’t flush the disposable/flushable wipes.
 
Flushable Fact: In 2009, Consumer Reports tested leading brands of toilet paper and flushable wipes. They found that all of the wipes completely failed the disintegration test and even the strongest, thickest toilet papers squeaked by with a low passing grade.*

If you suspect you have a wipe’s clog, or your toilet is having any type of clogging issues, please contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

*networx.com

Many homes in Boston and Worcester are heated and cooled with a heat pump. A heat pump looks a lot like an air conditioner. Actually, air conditioners are heat pumps, but they only cool air. An actual HNAC unit heat pump provides both heating and cooling.

Heat pumps of today do a much better job of heating and cooling a home because they are much more efficient than the ones from years past. Because they are so much more efficient, many home owners prefer them over oil and gas heat.

However, just like every major appliance, heat pumps have a life span. They will wear out, become less efficient, and eventually, they need to be replaced. It is important to know how much life you have left in your heat pump and what it will cost to replace.

Basically the average heat pump is going to last you between 10 to 15 years. Yours may be older than 15 years, but if so, its demise is imminent.

There is a silver lining to this. A new heat pump will definitely be more efficient than the one you are replacing. And, if you are replacing a 10 year old heat pump with one with an  ENERGY STAR certification, you will probably save up to 20% on heating and cooling bills.

Another way to tell if your heat pump need replacing is through its performance. If it requires frequent or regular repairs or if your heating and cooling bills are higher than normal, it may be time to consider a replacement. Consider heat pump replacement seriously if the unit is 10 years old or older.

It is possible that over time, some rooms in your home are less comfortable than others, this could mean that the heat pump is struggling to do its job. If your heat pump is noisier than it used to be, this may also mean that your need to replace it.

If your heat pump is due for replacement, start by having it serviced.  Ask the technician for an assessment of the remaining life in the unit. For more information on HVAC service or replacement, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

ConsumerAffairs.com

If you are a homeowner, your bathroom has surely had its fair share of plumbing problems.  Either the toilet keeps running, or it is stopped up, or it overflowed. Maybe your bathtub won’t drain, your sewer line backup up, or under the sink leaks. Any of these scenarios can result in a huge mess and a call to a plumber.
 
There are some things you can do yourself, but there are other for which you should call in a professional plumber. However, of all the plumbing woes nothing is worse than a clogged toilet. Here are some possible tips for fixing your own toilet.  These tips actually work in many cases.

1. Do nothing but wait, then flush.
Toilets, and all drains, work by gravity. A full bowl of water exerts its own pressure on the clog and, over time, often will clear the clog for you. If you have more than one bathroom just wait, then try to flush again. If the clog is just too much paper, this solution can work.
 
2. Pour in some hot water. Wait. Flush.
If you don’t have the time or you want to help gravity along, pour a few cups of hot water into the bowl. It is believed that the hot water helps to break down the waste, loosening the clog.

3. Add soap. Wait as long as possible. Flush.
This is the preferred method when you’re not at home and don’t want to tell the hosts that you have stopped up the toilet. The theory is that the soap breaks down the waste faster than water alone.

4. Plunge.
Standard cup-type plungers don’t work well on toilets because they can’t provide a good seal over the drain hole. Use a flange plunger, which has a rubber sleeve that extends down below the domed cup. Make sure the flange is extended then lower the plunger into the toilet at an angle so the boot fills with water and isn’t trapping air. Insert the flange into the drain hole and press down so the boot seals tightly around the hole.

Make the plunge action count on both the down stroke and upstroke, since both forces will help loosen the clog, and maintain a good seal at all times. If you have no success after several tries, let the clog sit and try again.

Important Toilet Tip:
If your clogged toilet is about to overflow, here is what you can do: Remove the tank lid and close the flapper, which is the round, rubber trap door that seals over the big hole in the tank. This will stop the flow of water into the bowl. Or, you turn off the valve in the water supply line. On the wall behind the toilet, several inches above the floor. It has a football-shaped handle, turn to the right. However, old valves can be stuck and corroded, they may leak after turning.

If none of the above tips work, you have a toilet that clogs regularly, or your water supply leaks after you have turned it off, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Networx

Reliability of your home’s furnace and air conditioning is directly related to how it's cared for.

In Boston, you need your home heating and air conditioning to keep you comfortable year round. Their reliability is directly related to proper maintenance.
 
A lot of newer homes have baseboard heating, which is an affordable, dry heat. With a central ventilation system, you can filter the air, heat, cool and humidify all in the same system.

There are several types of heating systems, including hot water systems with boilers and radiators, natural gas, electric, oil and forced hot air.  All use a furnace. It is important to make sure the filter in your heating and air condition system is clean. Filters should be checked on a monthly basis. People that live in the city, have pets, or who smoke inside should check them even more often.

Furnace maintenance means that the connections are tight and the drains are clean. Heating and cooling equipment preventative maintenance should be done twice a year to check for anything that could cause a problem.

If you live in the Boston area and you notice that your heating and cooling has stopped working as well, don't wait for your next scheduled inspection contact Greater Boston Plumbing.

While March is around the corner, we still have some cold weather in front of us. More snow is in the forecast and temperatures will be cold. You should get the most out of your heating system for the rest of the winter.

Here are some ways to keep your home nice and warm for the rest of the winter.

Remove clutter from near the furnace which can obstruct air flow, preventing your heating system from working as efficiently as possible. Not only is this more safe, but it also saves you money.

Heating and cooling system maintenance keeps your systems running smoother and more efficiently. An annual HVAC service inspection will ensure that equipment is in good condition and operating at peak performance.

Change your air filter monthly or as instructed by the manufacturer.

Add a humidifier to your heating system.  Moist air feels warmer than dry air and a humidifier lets you set your thermostat at a lower setting.

A programmable thermostat adjusts the temperature in your home to provide the most comfort when your home is occupied.

For information on running your heating system more efficiently, contact Greater Boston Heating and Plumbing.

Heating is one of the biggest expenses in your home. Too many homes have inefficient heating systems, making heating bills cost hundreds or thousands of dollars more expensive than they should be. Heating systems that are 20 or 30 years old just aren’t as efficient as they are today.

There are different heating systems for your home:

Heat Pumps - are becoming very popular.  A Heat Pump moves hot air.  But, one of the biggest advantages of heat pumps is that they can also cool your home too.  Heat pumps are a extremely efficient because cooling and heating runs off one system and because they transfer the heat, they don’t burn fuel to make heat.  This also makes them the more environmentally friendly choice.
 
Furnaces – Gas Furnaces are more efficient to run than electric furnaces.  Gas furnaces are the most common type of furnace being installed in newer homes and as replacements.

Boilers – are a often found in older homes and apartment buildings.  Boilers are actually a great way to heat your home because they usually have a very long service life.  If gas in in place, installing a new boiler upgrade is much simpler.

For more information on a more efficient heating system for your home, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.