Boston Plumbing and Heating Blog

Right now is the right time for preventative maintenance on your central air conditioning system.  Air conditioning condensing units that are on the ground or roof need to be cleaned.

The cost is minimal to have your AC unit inspected annually. The cost of not having it serviced or inspected could be too much. If you wait to have your AC serviced when it’s hot and you need it you may be in for a surprise and for some heat! Once the weather turns hot, too many people need service. If you have an issue with your air conditioning, you could end up spending a few days sweating and waiting for service.
 
To ensure that your AC is running efficiently and effectively, you should replace your air filter monthly as well. A dirty air filter will restrict the airflow, and the performance causing your electric bill to go up and your system to work too hard.  

To keep your home cooler and your energy costs down, you should also close the blinds or curtains to keep out the sun. Believe it or not, this will lower the temperature in your home by a few degrees. Additionally, installing a programmable thermostat, or keeping your thermostat above 78 will also keep your costs down. Every degree lower than 78 degrees adds 5% to your energy costs in summer.  

Long term investments, like replacing an old air conditioning unit, one that is older than 10 or even 20 years will save you money.

For more information on service and maintenance of your home air conditioning in Boston and Worcester, contact Greater Boston Plumbing.

As the economy improves in Boston and Worcester, many homeowners are choosing to begin home improvements.  But when it comes to choosing how to approach your home improvement projects, consider how to make green home improvements.
 
Sustainable home improvements help reduce utility costs, they also make a house more appealing to potential buyers.

Did you know that new home buyers will offer 10% more for homes that are certified green? Return on investment for certain types of green improvements tends to be high, meaning sellers will get back much of the cost of the home improvement project when they sell the home. ROI should be the biggest factor in deciding what home improvement project to address first.

If you’re looking for eco-friendly home improvements:

Switch to a solar water heater – Switching to solar power for heating water can be a huge energy and money-saver. Solar hot water systems rely on free energy from the sun to heat a home’s hot water. A typical system can use 50% to 80% less energy than traditional heating systems. That reduction can help a typical household trim its annual energy costs by 10% to 15%.

Replace an old HVAC system – In the typical home, up to half of total energy consumption goes to heat and cool the house. Replacing old, inefficient air conditioning, heating and ventilation systems with newer, more efficient models can dramatically reduce a home’s heating and cooling costs.

For more information, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Excerpts Clarksville Times

Water conservation has become essential as we see watering bans pop up each year. Even in areas where there seem to be no water issues, we see water bills rise higher and higher. But saving water not only saves money on your utility bill, it also helps prevent water pollution in area beaches, lakes and rivers.

Many homes in towns around Boston and Worcester have private septic. Conserving water can help your septic system last longer by reducing soil saturation. For homes on city sewer, overloading city sewer systems allows untreated sewage to flow into lakes and rivers. How many times around Boston have you looked for the blue or red beach flag in the summer? The less water flowing through these city systems, the lower the likelihood of water pollution.

Homeowners can conserve water and lower their water bills merely by calling the plumber.

Fixing a leaking faucet or drain can lower your water bill. A small drip from a leaking faucet can waste 20 gallons of water a day and larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons. Hiring a plumber for a typical repair can cost more than four times what it would cost to do it on your own. Even if you are handy around the house, consider hiring a professional plumber if you’re unsure because damaging your pipes can do even more damage to your finances than a leaking faucet. Homeowners should call a plumber if there are leaky faucets or drains in their home.

Leaking toilets can cost you even more money, in fact, a leaky toilet can waste up to 52,800 gallons a year. But, you can check your toilet for leaks too.  Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. If the color shows up in the bowl, without flushing, within 30 minutes, you have a leak that should be repaired immediately.

Another way to check for water leaks in your home is to read your water meter. Read the meter, wait a couple hours without using any water. If the meter isn’t exactly the same, there is a water leak, call the plumber.

If you want your leaking faucets and toilets fixed, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

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.

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