Archive for Sump Pump
Looking For a Free Plumbing or Heating Service Estimate! What Is It Worth?
Posted by: | CommentsEverybody loves to get something for free. The internet constantly barrages you with offers of free IPads, TV’s and vacations. Most people will look at it and say to themselves, “Yeah right”.
More and more people are asking for free over the phone estimates for plumbing service or heating service work. Some examples of homeowner requests are.
- My furnace will not work. What will it cost to fix it?
- I have a plumbing leak somewhere and I don’t know where. How much to fix it?
- I need a new water heater, but I don’t know if I have code issues or size or if it is the right one. How much to replace it?
- I don’t know the type or size of my waste disposal, but I would like a quote over the phone.
There are some things that are obvious and are easier to diagnose and give pricing. However, there might be bigger issues causing the obvious issue. For that reason a home visit by a plumber or hvac service technician is needed. A price can then be given to correctly fix the problem and any other issues that may be occurring.
An over the phone free estimate can cost you more than paying for a licensed plumber or heating contractor to come to your home and assess and provide an up front price. The free phone estimate is not in writing and is not given with a commitment to honor the price. This is due to the contractor not knowing the situation and thus not being able to give an informed estimate. The number will usually go up once the contractor is on site or worse yet, started the job for you.
Providing an estimate at your home is an expense for a contractor. A better question than “Do you provide free estimates?” is “How can you afford to do free estimates?”. The cost has to paid somehow. Either by increasing the price when the contractor gets to your home or cutting corners to save money. Another option is even worse for the homeowner. Service will be provided and paid for, but the contractor is nowhere to be found for warranty issues since they have gone out of business.
You can count on Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air for superior service at a value locked in price. Give us a call or schedule online for your up front price for any plumbing, heating, drain cleaning, air conditioning service or replacement project you have.
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.
Sump Pumps Are A Critical Plumbing Fixture In MN Homes.
Posted by: | CommentsIt is hard to start thinking Sump Pumps when it is just finishing snowing another 12 inches in Minnesota. But it is also a great reminder that the snow will turn in to water and the water will need to flow somewhere. This is where now is the one of the best times to start thinking sump pumps.
Most homeowners have a sump pump somewhere in the basement of their home. It is a piece of equipment not unlike the furnace in that it gets forgotten as long as it works. However, there is a lot more damage potential if it does stop working. A broken furnace will probably not destroy a sump pump but, a broken sump pump can take out a furnace.
Having a working sump pump is critical to the protection of your home. A sump pump helps prevent water coming through your walls via a tiling system around your home. The water is directed into the sump pump pit via a pipe from the outside tiles around your house. The sump pump then sends the water back out via piping out of the pit outside your house and away from your home.
It is a great idea to check the operation of your sump pump before you need it. You can do a few things to help ensure the sump pump will operate when you need it to.
- Check Sump Pump Operation – You can do this by opening the cover of the pit. Pour water into the pit to see if the pump starts up. You may need about 5 gallons to get the pump to kick in.
- Check To See If Sump Pumps Shuts Off – Sometimes over the winter the end of the pipe outside your home can get plugged or frozen. You can tell if there is a problem by whether the water disappears out of the pit and the pump shuts off. If it run continuously there might be a plug.
- Install a Battery Back Up Sump Pump – This will help keep water out of your basement even if the power goes out due to a storm. This is often when you need the sump pump most.
A working sump pump is critical in your Minnesota home. A sump pump that has been installed correctly including the plumbing or piping will help you protect your furnace, water heater and anything else you have in your basement.
Call Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air or schedule online if you have any questions regarding your home.