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How do you like itching your eyes and nose while suffering from a sore throat every time you enter the bathroom? Or, perhaps you’re a fan of smelling a bleach-like scent waft up from your kitchen sink while you try to cook a delicious dinner? We get it, all of those scenarios sound awful—so let’s work hard to avoid them.
Chemical drain cleaners are a terrible solution for a problem that we encounter regularly. As your neighborhood plumber in Lloydminster, the only thing on the forefront of our minds is the health and well being of your plumbing system. Chemical drain cleaners are a hazardous solution to a problem they don’t even fix half the time.
Keep reading as we go into serious detail about the ramifications of utilizing these chemicals and what you can do instead.
What is the one thing that can save you thousands on your heating and cooling system, that so many people don’t know. Pay attention! This one piece of advice can extend the life of your equipment for years.
Einstein said, when you stop learning you start dying, so I’m going to help you live a little more today!
Blaine here for Guardian Plumbing and Heating. Excited to bring you another Episode of the Guardian Angle. These videos are for you, our customers. They are not intended to be heavy, technical, install your own equipment tutorials, but alternatively, easy to understand, tips about things that most people can do to protect there homes and increase the life of all their mechanical equipment.
Let me tell you a quick story, when I was just a toddler, my dad was tasked with the job of putting some mosquito spray on me. Somehow in the process the spray got a little too close to my face and I started to have trouble breathing. Now this was back in the 80’s when we had real mosquito spray, you remember the stuff, it didn’t repel mosquitoes, if they got too close they just died. Well apparently they thought I might be having an asthma attack, (not sure how this conclusion came as I didn’t have asthma) but dad was getting ready to rush me to the hospital ran to the vehicle and on the way slammed my head into the side of the truck. Who knew the best ways to stop an asthma attack is a smack to the head. All kidding aside, I started to breath normal and everything was fine. Clean air matters!
Today’s tip revolves around your Furnace’s air. No matter what brand you have, the most important thing you can do to extend the life of your furnace is to change your filter. Now that might seem really basic and a no brainer, but even as a Professional in the industry this is something that I just can’t seem to make a routine. Ask my wife and she will say something about shoe makers and shoes. First of all the filters #1 job is not to clean the air in your home, we have different solutions for that, but that’s another video. Your filters #1 job it is to protect your furnace from dust, dirt and debris. The first thing that dirt is going to destroy is the expensive motor that turns the fan to move your heating and air conditioning around your home. If it makes it past your motor on its journey it will run into your secondary heat exchanger if you have a high efficiency furnace. This heat exchanger has small fins and is where the money is saved by getting the last few dollars out of the gas you just paid for. If the dirt makes it here, it will plug it up and begin to restrict the air from going through and can cause your furnace to get hotter than it was designed for, plus its not going to let the air get to your rooms. The next place for the dirt to plug is you’re Cooling Coil. This basically causes the same issues as plugging up the secondary heat exchanger, but it can also cause your air conditioner to turn into a massive block of ice, and basically leave you stuck in a sauna. Lastly it does stop some of the dirt from entering the air on your home and landing on all of your furniture, creating some chores for the kids to take care of.
Alright there are several different kinds of filters but, we’ll dive into that deeper in a future episode. What I want to touch on today is how to change a furnace filter you wouldn’t believe how many people make this one common mistake when changing their filters.
The first thing you need to do when you change your filter is turn off the power to your furnace. This may be done by turning your thermostat to the off position, flipping the furnace switch on the wall and in some applications you may have to turn it off at the breaker.
The reason why this is so important, is that if you try and remove a dirty furnace filter while the fan is moving air, you are certain to shake off all the dirt that the filter collected and have it get sucked into the furnace. Basically reversing everything the filter was installed to do. After the fan has completely stopped, slide your filter out slowly and carefully, place it into a grocery bag for easy disposal.
The next important item is to ensure that you reinstall the filter in the right direction. On your filter you will see an arrow. You want that arrow pointing towards the furnace. Your filter is always on the Air in side of your furnace and the filter is basically the border guard only letting the clean air enter the furnace.
After you are certain the filter is installed correctly, you can turn the switch back on or turn up the thermostat up or down, depending on the season and you are ready to go.
That clogged filter can cause your system to have to work harder, increasing your energy bills and putting increased burden on your furnace parts. The department of energy in the US says that you can save 5-15% on your utility bills if you consistently change your filter.
So just like mosquito spray in your lungs, dirt in your filter is not optimal.
If you have any questions on how to turn off your furnace or change your filter, don’t hesitate to call us, we can even FaceTime with you to help you locate the right switch.
Our top priority is building trust and integrity through lifetime partnerships that meet our customers needs. This is accomplished through a WOW experience for our customers consisting of honesty and fairness, exceptional technical knowledge, reliable, efficient products and a commitment to excellence. One of the key ways we fulfill this mission is though the Guardian Protection Plan, Annual Maintenance included, 20% Discount on repairs, 24 Hour Priority Service and and industry leading Lifetime Warranty on Recommended Repairs.
If you found this video valuable please subscribe to our YouTube account, signup for our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
And that’s how we saw things today from the Guardian Angle!
Video pipe inspection is a blessing of the 21st century. Back in the day, plumbers had to actually pull your pipes apart to inspect the interior of them. This took a lot of time, was fairly intensive, and could lead to a host of problems in old plumbing systems that weren’t so easily disassembled. Luckily, technology has made things a lot easier and faster!
Introducing a camera pipe inspection! This type of service is only available by the best plumbing teams around. It uses a tiny camera mounted on an auger that can be sent into your drains to survey the damage of a clog, invasive tree roots, leaks, or more! If you’ve ever thought that your plumbing could use some expert reconnaissance, this is the tool for you! Just remember to call your local plumbing in Lloydminster if you need help with your plumbing needs.
Air conditioners come in all shapes and sizes! Part of our job here at Guardian Plumbing & Heating is to provide you with adequate information to choose the right one for your home. This isn’t easy when we provide so many interesting and efficient systems!
Let’s break down each system and how they operate. We can then begin to approach the pros and cons of each system, giving you a more thorough idea of which type of air conditioner might be right for your home! Between central air conditioners, evaporative coolers, ductless systems, heat pumps, and more—there’s a lot to think about!
Luckily, we’re here to make AC services in Lloydminster a bit less complicated. Call us when you think you’ve got a good idea about the system that’s right for you. We’re always available to help keep your home comfortable and energy-efficient.
Water in your basement, but you just installed a new pump last year! How can you save yourself 10’s of thousands in Damages? Desiderius Erasmus said, Prevention is better than the cure!
Blaine here for Guardian Plumbing and Heating. Excited to bring you our first Episode of the Guardian Angle. These videos are for you, our customers. They are not intended to be heavy, technical, install your own equipment tutorials, but alternatively, easy to understand tips about things that most people can do to protect their homes and increase the life of all their Plumbing and heating equipment.
Information is so important, sometimes you don’t know what you don’t know. I’m fortunate to have a son that knows everything. For example, one day when we were stopped at Miette Hot Springs just outside of Jasper, my 9-year-old son informed us of this! https://youtu.be/ICAo7y6yGaM Upon Google investigation, I think he had it backwards
One of the problems that we often run into, is the call that I just put in a new sump pump last year and it failed, my basement is flooded. That is the last thing that we want to hear. We know the pain of dealing with cleaning up that mess and having to rebuild and being displaced, not to mention the costs. What we have found, after investigating these scenarios is that it often boils down to how the pump is being used. It gets worked hard all spring, sometimes in the summer and then a lot of our sump pumps don’t move an ounce of water all fall or winter. The water that is flowing into your sump pit often is full of silt, this silt can sit on parts necessary to move the water out of your basement and make them stick. This will prevent the water from leaving your basement. It could also cause the motor to overheat and stop working as well. This all happens, and you will never know until you see the water on the floor.
That’s why I wanted to write this article, there is a simple test that you can run as a homeowner to make sure that your sump pump is going to work in the spring when you need it. You will need a few items to help you perform this test. A 5-gallon pail for water and a flashlight. I like using a head lamp because it keeps my hands free.
Start by making sure that you have a sump pit. If not feel free to call us and we can evaluate for free the best way to protect your basement. Once you find the location, remove the lid, some just pop off like this one, others will have a few bolts for you to remove. Locate the pump and make sure that it is plugged in.
Then take the 5-gallon pail, fill it with a nearby tap, or you could use your bathtub if its easier. Then pour the pail of water into the pit. You need to fill it up enough that float turns on the pump. Usually if the water is higher than the pump, the pump should have kicked in. If it kicks in than it will start moving the water level lower, eventually stopping. Make sure that the pump stops pumping before it runs out of water. The float should take care of this, but you want to make sure it turns on and off.
If the pump does not turn on, you can check with another device to make sure there is power at the plug in, if there isn’t you can check your breaker box. If your pump overheated it could have also blown the breaker. If you have power, and no pump. I suggest that you would call a professional in to check over the system and probably replace the pump. If everything was working well, I would suggest one last check and that would be to make sure that the spot where the water is being pumped to is getting the water away from the house. My house is set up so that it drains into a special storm sewer pipe, but many other houses, require a patio block or hose to get the water away from the house. Replace the cover on your sump pit, so you don’t lose a kid in there and you are done your test.
That’s all it takes to make sure that your pump fires up in the spring. Now it is totally possible that your pump could fail mid season. It is a mechanical device and they only last so long. So, try to listen for it to kick in, especially when it starts to rain. We do also have battery back up sump pumps that connect inline with your existing pump, to give backup if you pump fails or if the power goes out. These systems also have the ability to send you an email or text message to let you know that it is working on the back up system. We will do a full episode on our battery back ups in the future as they can really give you some peace of mind!
Right now, at Guardian, we are offering a free Sump Pump inspection, where we will come and provide this service for you free of charge, just to make sure that everything is working correctly. Call us and book an appointment.
Here at Guardian, our top priority is building trust and integrity through lifetime partnerships that meet our customers needs. This is accomplished through a WOW experience for our customers consisting of honesty and fairness, exceptional technical knowledge, reliable, efficient products and a commitment to excellence. One of the key ways we fulfill this mission is though the Guardian Protection Plan our protection plan includes Annual Maintenance included, 20% Discount on repairs, 24 Hour Priority Service and and industry leading Lifetime Warranty on Recommended Repairs. Thank you for spending some of your valuable time with us today. We hope that this information serves you well!
If you found this video valuable please subscribe to our YouTube account, signup for our newsletter, and follow us on Facebook, instagram and twitter.
And that’s how we saw things today from the Guardian Angle!
We’re not talking about giving your water heater a pack on the back. And no, telling your water heater “come on buddy, you can do it,” is not going to help. When we talk about water heater help, we’re talking about either maintenance or targeted repairs that are meant to fix the system and address problems you’ve been experiencing.
Do you have a noticeable lack of hot water in your home? How about a lack of water pressure or a leak coming from your water heater? These are all problems that require the help of a professional. You’re never going to resolve them by hoping or wishing that your system performs better.
Luckily, when it comes to water heater repair in Lloydminster, we’re the experts. We can get to the bottom of your water heater issue and make sure you’re set up for success.
Let’s face it—drain clogs are the worst. They always happen at the most inopportune moments and we never have the right tools on hand to deal with them. From drain snakes to correctly sized plungers, it always necessitates a drive to the grocery store while you pour down an aisle you never usually go to.
While calling us for drain cleaning in Lloydminster is always a viable option which we recommend, sometimes it’s more important to homeowners that they stop clogs from happening in the first place. Drain clogs are natural to occur every now and then, but if you’re dealing with them on a constant basis that’s starting to borderline on obnoxious, perhaps you’re doing something wrong!
We’re going to talk a bit about our best practices for keeping a drain from clogging in the first place. If you follow this step by step guide, we promise you’ll see a demonstrable difference in the quality of your drains.
