We have a technician meeting every Tuesday at our office. This meeting includes plumber, hvac technicians, and drain cleaners. Along with the training on new product and technicques is a section of the meeting where the technicians tell us what they are seeing in homes. This could be what home owners are requesting along with issues with products that they are replacing.
The meeting today brought up a problem that is costing home owners money when they try to keep their home from flooding with water due to a broken hose. It was an example of good intentions leading to unintended results.
According to our plumbers, there are toilet supply lines that are being promoted as keeping your home safe from flooding if they break. They are designed to close and not allow water to pass if they detect a flow rate that is higher than normal. This is a great idea and product when it works. However, it does cause a problem when you need to shut off the water to the toilet and then turn it back on quickly. The quick turning on of the water to the toilet results in the supply hose thinking that there is a burst and shutting off. The hose then needs to be reset before it will operate correctly or allow any water to flow.
Home owners are calling us to come investigate the lack of water in their toilet. This call results in a service fee that is uncessary if care is taken to follow the reset directions of the hose. It could also be that these hoses were put on by another plumbing company without the customer’s knowledge. Either way a service call is the result.
In order to prevent the supply hose from locking up you need to turn on the water slowly. This will simulate the normal flow that happens when you flush the toilet.
Call Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air if your toilet is not filling or is having any other problems.
The question that gets asked this time of year is “Do I need a furnace or boiler tune and check?” The answer always is “Yes, Yes you do.” If your next question is “Why?”, I will tell you because “It gets cold out there”.
I could bore you with efficiency claims and statistic about extending the life of your furnace or boiler for so many years. These are both great reasons to have your furnace or boiler checked every year and cleaned every couple of years. However, I don’t think they are most important reasons.
The most important reasons are Safety and Comfort. If you think about it, they will both ultimately mean comfort. Please let me explain.
A tune and check for your furnace or boiler will look at a number of things like:
- Carbon Monoxide Test
- Flame Sensor Cleaning
- Heat Exchanger Check
- Gas Pressure
- Temp Heat Rise
All these items are designed to make sure your furnace works safely and effectively for the winter. This means that you will not be without heat due to mechanical or safety issues. In turn you will stay comfortable and secure in the knowledge that you do not need to worry about those cold nights ahead in Minnesota.
Now is the time to find out if your furnace or boiler has issues that may prevent it from keeping you and your family warm this winter. Finding out later may result in delays in getting your furnace back up and running and could result in higher costs. You could also be without heat for a couple of days if your service company can not get to you due to the large volume of service calls. Not something you want to do when it is 20 degrees below zero in January.
Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air is now offering a Furnace Tune and Check for $89.00. This is a savings of $40 off the normal price. You can schedule by calling us or scheduling online by clicking Clean and Tune Appt.
Back to School is Great Time to Think Water Efficiency!
By · CommentsBack to school time is a busy and exciting time of the year. New clothes and school supplies for the kids, visits to the new classroom, mom or dad trying to get the schedule under control and cold water.
Back to school means that everybody is trying to get ready in the morning at the same time. Your water heater becomes the most needed fixture in your home. Water efficiency can play a huge part in how quickly and comfortably you get ready in the morning. It is amazing how getting a cold shower in the morning can slow you down for the entire day.
Making your water go further helps save money and can help with your comfort also. Using less water in the shower helps the hot water to go further and allows the water heater time to recover from the hot water use. More hot water to keep more people happy and ready to go.
Below are some great way to help with water efficiency.
- Low Flow Shower Head – The old style shower head uses 3 to 5 gallons per minute (GPM). These are not available anymore but are still in homes. New low flow shower heads are 1.5 and 2.0 GPM. In a typical 10 minute shower you would use 30 to 50 gallons of water with the higher use shower head. The new shower heads would be 10.5 gallons to 20 gallons. How much of this would be hot water depends on how hot you like your shower. This also does not include the 30 seconds most people let the shower run to warm up.
- New Water Heater – A water heater over time will develop scale on the bottom. This scale reduces the amount of water in the tank and increases the amount of time that it takes to heat the water since it is trying to heat through the scale at the bottom of the tank. New water heaters are more efficient and the same size water heater can provide you with more hot water through quicker recovery time.
- Tankless Water Heater – Tankless water heaters or On Demand water heaters provide you with hot water when you need it. Water is heated at the time of need and does not sit in a tank heating over and over again waiting to be needed. How water does not run out since there isn’t a set amount that is heated in a tank.
These are just a few of the many ideas on how to save water and money. These ideas will have the most impact when you are trying to get the kids off to school while you get off to work.
For more ideas you can go to http://eartheasy.com/live_water_saving.htm. You can also contact Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air with any questions or if you would like to learn more about what appliances or plumbing changes you can make in your home.
It can be very confusing when you are looking for a plumber online. Quite often you are in a hurry due to a plumbing leak or just need to get the plumbing service call scheduled and move on with your day. You are on Google search and putting in “Plumbers St Paul MN” to look for a contractor to help you out. You may even know the name of the company you are looking for but you don’t know the phone number or the website. This should be so easy. Wrong!!
The internet that was supposed to make life so much easier by putting information at your fingertips is also making it harder to know who you are contacting. It is easier to hide the true identity or name of a company on a website than it is in a phone book. You can make a website look like a competitors website and you as a consumer would not be able to know until a different truck showed up at your home. Some websites are actually companies trying to get interest in their services to provide a website for them.
Here are some tips on how to make sure you are contacting the plumbing company you think you are.
- Look for identifying clues to identity like a logo you recognize.
- Look for a company name like Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air along with the physical address of the company.
- Ask the person who answers the phone if they are the company that you are trying to reach.
- Do not leave a message if there isn’t a live person answering. Some of the website are just advertising for people to buy the site.
- Listen to the name of the company when the phone is answered. Is it the same? Do they say the name or just a generic greeting?
Legitimate companies like Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air do not need to fool the customer into calling. We rely on our reputation to distinguish us. Just like our up front pricing, we are up front with who we are and what you can expect from us.
You can reach us at 651-789-0628 for all your plumbing, heating, air conditioning, drain cleaning needs. You can also schedule an appointment online by clicking schedule service.
The Blue Oval and Ribbon Logo Is a Service Mark of Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air.
Do you find making much needed home repairs taxing or frustrating? In a large sea of “Best Value” and “Lowest Price” it may be confusing to pick a service company that is sincere and offers quality work. We are not going to talk about limited time offers and restrictions that may apply, we are just going to give you the facts, plain and simple, and let you decide if we are the company for you.
- Quality Service
Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air is owned and operated by a family, just like yours. We have been in the plumbing, heating and air conditioning business since 1918. With our combined experience , our company has over 100 years of knowledge. We are experts in residential installations and will thoroughly explain the diagnosis before we make any installations or repairs. We want you, as a homeowner, to be able to make an informed decision after we present your options to you.
Our plumbers and hvac technicians come from diverse backgrounds and each one has an impressive skill set. We are proud to say that we believe in lifelong learning and we require our technicians to attend training courses each week to learn new skills. We actually pay them to learn how to serve you better. Everybody wins.
Our plumbers and technicians wear a professional uniform and follow appearance standards so that you cannot mistake them for anyone else when they show up at your door. We do background checks on all of our technicians as a safety precaution. We understand as homeowners that it may be frightening to let someone you do not know into your home. At Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air we would not send anyone to your house that we would not be comfortable letting into our own homes.
2. Quality Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Products
At Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air we do not believe in installing poor quality equipment or practicing “planned obsolescence”. There are some companies out there who will complete the job with the absolute lowest material and labor costs so that they can enjoy the highest profit possible. We are not one of them. We will only sell you high quality, long lasting parts, and they will be installed in the most professional manner. We want your repeat business legitimately, not because a product we sold you had a short life. It is important to us that our customers give positive recommendations about our company to other potential customers. In order for that to happen, we take care to deliver to our customers the products and experience that they deserve.
3. No Hidden Fees
Another benefit of choosing Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air is that we do not charge extra for overtime. We have been known to work odd and late hours to ensure that our customers’ systems are repaired in a timely manner. We do not want you to sacrifice comfort for quality. We understand how upsetting it can be to go without modern conveniences like plumbing, heating, air conditioning, especially when looking out for the well being of your family. So, we will not expect you to pay a dime more than you would during conventional office hours. We will even work around your schedule.
4. Guaranteed Fixed Pricing
After diagnosing your system, we provide a fixed, guaranteed price for the repair or installation. No tricks. No gimmicks. There will be no surprises or hidden fees. Our prices take into account all the costs of operating a business, from servicing our trucks, to building operation fees, employee salaries, benefits, and more. Our prices are carefully calculated and never arbitrary. We believe in the right prices for the right quality.
5. Community
Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air is a proud member of the Nexstar Network, Service Roundtable, BBB, ACCA and actively participates in conferences, trade shows, and other educational events. The purpose of attending these events is to network with other service companies to determine best practices. We also attend to learn about cutting edge products that will benefit our customers. If there is a product out there that will improve your comfort, save you money, or make your life a little easier, we will be the first to tell you all about it.
We also firmly believe in giving back to our community. We support the Ronald McDonald Homes of the Upper Midwest and the Animal Humane Society. Through service and monetary giving, we help these great organizations that help people and animals in need. We believe the best measure of a company is not what they claim, but their actions towards their customers and their community.
Contact us if you have any questions or would like to know more about saving money with Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air.
I received a call yesterday from a homeowner who had a new air conditioner installed by another HVAC contractor in his Coon Rapids, MN home. He was concerned that it was not keeping his main level cool and his basement was freezing. I asked him if a heat calculation was done one his home to make sure the air conditioner was sized correctly. He said something that I hear far too often from homeowners who have other hvac contractors perform new installs. His response was “I don’t know.”
The homeowner had a rambler with older windows and a big patio door in a room that faced south. He said he was unable to get the temperature on the main level to a comfortable level. He had a 2000 sq ft home with a 2 ton a/c. While this may have been the right size for a a 2 story house with new windows it is not satisfying his application. That is why a heat calculation on all new installations is critical.
A heat calculation that is prepared by the person performing an estimate is a best practice procedure. Some cities including St. Paul and Minneapolis require it before approving a permit for install of furnaces and air conditioners. A heat calculation is used to see how much heating or cooling your house needs based on many calculations including, size of home, windows, levels, duct runs, insulation factor.
In this instance, the house had a long run of duct work due to being a rambler. The air is not reaching the ends of the house. Another example of this would be a 4 level split. The a/c may need to be larger due to the longer duct run and the need to increase the blower to push the air. The faster the air moves the less cooling is coming out of the vent. This results in the need of a larger a/c unit and coil to make sure the air gets to the cool level that is required.
Bottom line is that a heat calculation is needed to take into account exceptions to the perfect install. Ask the salesmen who are visiting your home if they are preparing a heat calculation. If they say no ask them how they will arrive at the right size equipment for your home.
Comfort consultants from Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air will always do a heat calculation on your home before they will decide what is best for your application.
Call or contact us online if you would like to have one of our consultants provide you with a free in home estimate.
A recurring question that I hear our customer service reps receive is, “Where is your office?”. I catch myself asking why does it matter? I then remember that for a number of plumbing, heating and air companies it does matter to the customer. That is because they have drive time to the customers location included in their time and material calculation. This means that when they quote the price for the first hour it means you may only get 15 minutes in house because it took him 45 minutes to get there.
At Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air, we don’t believe when you need a plumber or hvac technician for an emergency service call you should worry about where the plumber is coming from. You have enough concern and you don’t need to start thinking how much the cost will be just to have him drive to your house and how much time he will have to look at your issue.
There are a number of plumbing, heating and air companies like Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air that now have a flat fee for coming to your home and accessing your needs no matter where you live or where the techs last call was. This way you know what the cost will be to have your plumbing, heating or air conditioning service need addressed and options for the fix or need.
Give us a call when you have a service need for your home. We will come out for one low fee and give you options for the repair or remodeling need.
You just come home from work or you have been outside working away in the yard or playing at the park. You could have sworn that you had the air conditioner switched on, but it is hot, humid or both in your house. This is a very frustrating situation that can turn a good day into a not so good day.
The 3 big reasons for this situation are:
- Undersized Air Conditioner Condenser
- Over sized Air Conditioner Condenser
- Frozen Evaporator Coil or A Coil
If your air conditioner is running and you are getting warm air instead of cool air, you probably have a frozen evaporator coil. This coil sits in the duct work above your furnace. The coil becomes frozen when there isn’t enough freon or refrigerant in the system. A leak in the system is the most common cause of this problem. Having a licensed HVAC company check for a leak and fill your a/c system will solve this problem.
A bigger problem is when you are getting cool air and it is too hot or humid in the house. You then have two questions to answer.
- Does the air conditioner run all the time?
- Does the air conditioner run and then shut off after a short period of time?
If you answer yes to the first question, your a/c is probably undersized. This can result from remodeling and putting on additional square footage. Another reason is that too small of a central air unit was installed.
The problem you will have is that the only time it will stop running is when the outside cools down. This does not happen until much later in the day in the summer. Your utility bill will overheat just as much as you are.
If you answered yes to the second question, then your a/c is too big. You will usually feel this by the dampness that is in the air along with the cool in the air. The air conditioner is not running long enough for the humidity to be sucked out of the air. You will get cool, but it will not be a comfortable cool.
For a comfortable and cool summer, have your air conditioner checked by a licensed HVAC contractor like Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air. You will have the the comfort of mind that you are ready for a hot and humid summer in Minnesota.
What Does A Sump Pump Do In A MN Home?
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Sump Pump by Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air
Everybody knows that a sump pump in your basement is critical to keeping water at bay and outside of the basement of your home. This time of the year is when a sump pump becomes your best friend and something you miss when it does not work properly
Sump Pump Pit in Basement
What isn’t known or written about as much is how the sump pump works in your home. Knowing how it works can help you understand why it is so critical to have in your home.
Most homes have what they call “Tiling” around their home. This is tubing that allows water to seep into it instead of trying to leak into the basement of a home. It reduces the pressure put against the basement walls by removing the water from the ground. The water that goes in the the tiling or tubing runs into plumbing pipes that are hooked up to it. The plumbing pipe then enters your home and empties into a sump pump pit. This pit is usually in a corner of your basement. The pit will contain a basket which will hold the water that is drained into it by the pipe that runs to the tiling around your house.
The sump pump sits inside the sump pump basket in the water that is gathered. The sump pump will have a pvc pipe coming out of it going straight up. This pipe will then be plumbed out of your home away from your home. This piping if done correctly will lead the water away from your home so that it does not work its way back into the sump pump pit again.
The sump pump has a form of float in it that tells it when there is water in the pit to be pumped out. This prevents the overflow into the basement of water. Water will fill up the basket resulting in the float to raise. This will signal the pump to start pumping the water out of the pit into the plumbing pipes. The sump pump has a check valve which opens when water is going up into the pipe and closes when the pump shut off. This prevents water from the pipe flowing back into the pit.
For everything to work correctly, it is very important that you have the sump pump installed correctly. A licensed plumber will know the correct piping procedures to make sure the water goes up and out of your home and away from the foundation. Having a sump pump isn’t enough to protect your home. As with everything, the correct installation is just as important as having one.
Call Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air or contact us online if you have any questions or would like your sump pump install inspected.
How Do You Find Your Plumbing and Heating Company in MN?
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Scan to obtain phone app for plumbing service
In today’s busy world it is very important to get the information or services that you need as quickly and easy as possible. Many companies are vying for your loyalty by providing customers with methods of contacting them quickly and effortlessly.
Homeowners needing service on their plumbing, heating, air conditioning, and drain cleaning need to know that their contractor can be reached in many different ways. Some things in the home can wait, but many things like leaking pipes, water heaters not heating or toilets that are leaking or plugged need immediate attention.
At Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air, we have heard the requests from our customers and homeowners to make it easier to contact us at any time of the day or night. Below are all the ways that homeowners can now reach us.
- Phone via Dex yellow pages or online.
- Website online request found by all search engines.
- Phone app for your smart phone.
The latest and greatest in technology is smart phones. You can use them to view websites and interact with the website. The even more convenient tool is apps for the smart phone. The picture above is a bar code that you can scan with your smart phone that will direct you to download the Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air app.
Below are all the things you can do with the phone app on your smart phone:
- Emergency Plumbing and Heating Service Call – This will let you call the number without having to look up our number.
- Homeowner Plumbing and Heating Video of the Week – Provides homeowners with tips and information.
- Register To Win A Free Furnace
- Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Drain Cleaning Specials
- Online Service Scheduling
- Our Facebook Page
We will continue to come up with ways for homeowners to contact us to when you need us. This is another example of how we strive to be the premier residential contractor in the Twin Cities.