Archive for Water Heater
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.
Back to School is Great Time to Think Water Efficiency!
Posted 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.
When Needing Plumbing Service In MN, Does Drive Time Matter?
Posted by: | CommentsA 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.
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.
Toilets and Showerheads Result in Big Savings in Your MN Home!
Posted by: | CommentsEverybody is looking to find ways to save money. Some ways of saving money can be painful and require sacrifice and big changes in lifestyle. I personally like the changes that require minimal effects in my life other than a bigger savings account.
Water is going to be a very valuable commodity in the future. Some people say it will be even more precious than oil or gold. If this happens, the price of water will go up significantly. Learning ways to conserve water will help the pocket book now and will increase in the future.
Below is a list of great ways to save water and thus save money. Feel good while thinking about the future.
- Low Flush Toilet – Conventional toilets use 3.5 to 5 gallons each flush. The new ultra low flow toilets only use 1.2 gallons per flush. The average person uses the toilet about 4 to 5 times per day. This means a low flow toilet has the potential to save a family of four more than 14 thousand gallons a of water per year.
- Low Flow Showerhead - A standard showerhead drops 4.5 gallons of water a minute. Low Flow or Energy Efficient Showerheads only release 2.5 gallons a minute. A quality low flow showerhead can save a family of four as much as 20 thousand gallons of water a year without a reduction of rinsing ability. This will also save hot water. Between 14% and 25% of your home energy use goes to heat water.
Below are 15 more ideas that combined will help you save a lot of water.
- When doing the dishes, fill one sink with soapy water and the other with rinsing water.
- Don’t plant grass in areas that are hard to water or do not retain water like a sloping area or along sidewalks and driveways.
- Keep drinking water in a jug in the fridge so that every drop of water goes down someone and not the sink.
- Check out your bill and water meter to gauge your water use.
- Collect your leftover water for watering plants.
- Shorten your watering time. Early morning is the best time to water grass.
- Adjust the lawn mower to a higher blade setting. This will help hold water. I believe it also makes the yard look better and hides any imperfections.
- Check outdoor faucets, pipes, and hoses for leaks. Call your plumber if leaks are found.
- Use the water from your fish tank to water your plants when you clean it out. The water is nutritious for the plants.
- In your toilet tank, put food coloring to see if it seeps in your toilet bowl. Replace inside parts if it is leaking.
- On driveways and other walking areas on your lawn, use porous materials. I keeps water in your yard and prevents runoff.
- Bathe you pets in a dry area in your yard.
- Install new water saving appliances, like washing machines that save up to 20 gallons per load.
- Aerate your lawn by punching holes in your lawn about six inches apart. Water will reach the roots rather than run off the surface.
- Know where your master shut off is and make sure it works. It will prevent a lot of damage and water loss if your pipes leak or break.
Contact Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air if you would like help with any of your plumbing problems or suggestions on water saving devices for your home. You can reach us either online or by phone.
Register to WIN a HIGH EFFICIENCY FURNACE SYSTEM & WATER HEATER
Posted by: | CommentsMinneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air is offering a Free Furnace Check and the chance to win a High Efficient Furnace System and Water Heater.
Most homeowners in the winter months want to keep warm and toasty with an average temperature of 68-72 degrees set on their thermostat. However in order to keep your furnace system running tip top, homeowners should real-ize that it is vitally important to have your furnace inspected and cleaned yearly by a professional. Did you know 1 in 6 furnaces and boilers that are 15 years old or older could have a crack in the heat exchanger? A crack in your systems Heat Exchanger could be leaking dangerous Carbon Monoxide gas. The reason this occurs is the combustion gasses that burn in a Furnace or Boiler to heat the air or water is a corrosive gas mixture that over time eats away at the metal heat exchanger. So please don’t run the risk of a crack in your system. Have it inspected and cleaned yearly.
Preventive Maintenance Is A Bargain.
There is angst aplenty on Wall Street these days. However, on your own street at least, one investment always pays off. A little money spent on preventive HVAC maintenance turns into a lot of money saved. An ounce of prevention pays hefty dividends.
That is due to preventive maintenance extends the life of your HVAC equipment and preempts potential break downs by detecting then fixing emerging issues before they become expensive repairs. Regular tune ups also ensure your system runs at peak efficiency.
For analogy, consider your car. Spending $30 to change the oil saves you from spending $3000 to replace a seized engine. Regular tune ups ensure optimal function. Neglected HVAC equipment eventually requires extensive repairs, and ultimately must be replaced prematurely.
Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air has been a family owned and operated company for almost 100 years. We are confident we can not only satisfy you home comfort needs, but even better give you the peace of mind knowing your heating system or plumbing needs were service by the best in the industry. For more information contact us at 612-228-9200 or online.
Have You Upgraded Your Furnace or Boiler to High Efficient In MN Yet?
Posted by: | CommentsBy now you have probably heard about the $1500 Federal Tax Credit for upgrading your home heating and cooling equipment to high efficient units. However, do you know that you are running out of time to take advantage of the opportunity?
December 31, 2010 is the last day that you can take advantage of the tax credit to upgrade your furnace, boiler, water heater or air conditioner from a less efficient system to a high efficient system. The combination of the tax credit and money you will save in energy costs allow the quickest payback on your investment ever.
Below is a list of equipment and minimum efficiency required to qualify for the Federal Tax Credit.
- Natural Gas Furnace - 95% AFUE
- Natural Gas Hot Water Boiler - 90% AFUE
- Gas Water Heaters - 90% Thermal Efficiency
- Central Air Conditioners - 16 SEER 13 EER
Do not wait until the last minute to contact a HVAC contractor to have an estimate done to replace your old equipment. Most licensed contractors are 2 weeks out on installs. Be concerned about anybody who is not booked out that far on installs.
Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air offers free in home estimates to help you sort through all the options and answer any questions regarding equipment or comfort needs. You can schedule online or by phone.
What Would a Flooded House Cost You? Too Much!!!
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Full House Water Shut Off And Alarm
Picture this. You come home from work or a weekend away and you are greeted at the door by water pouring out your door. This is not the way
anybody would like to be greeted. The potential damage is devastating and insurance companies are starting to exclude the coverage from your home owners insurance policies.
The average house has at least 15 places that could spring a leak. It is not a matter of if, but when a leak will occur. Water Heaters, Toilets, Faucets are just a few example that can cause a lot of damage if they start leaking or produce a large amount of water pouring out. Another cause is frozen pipes that occur when you are home and when you are not.
The good news is that a flooded house does not have to happen. There is a product that help prevent such a problem. It is called a FloodStop . The one pictured here is for a full house situation that would be hooked up to the water main. There are also FloodStops for water heaters, washing machines, ice makers and sinks.
The way they work is they sense water leaking and shut down the water flow. It can then call you via a phone dialer or sound an alarm. This is a great insurance policy that you only have to pay once for.
Contact Minneapolis Saint Paul Plumbing Heating Air to learn more about how you can have this great flood prevention installed in your home.