With the melting snow turning lawns and gardens into mud pits, we thought a little reminder would be in order.
• Please check your areaway drains to make sure they are not clogged with leaves and debris; they are draining properly.
• Make sure your sump pump is plugged in and the breaker that controls it is operating.
• Check your sump pump to insure that it is operating properly by pouring a bucket of water through the pit.
More rain or snow is forecast for later this week. Plumbing companies know that these weather conditions will translate into more work than they can handle. Please don’t get left out. Check your system before the flooding starts.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Winter's Cold
My name is Susan Phillips and I write much of what goes into My Plumber Heating and Cooling’s blog. I have been with My Plumber for over 15 years in one capacity or another writing my way through much of my career with this company.
Recently My Plumber country (Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland) came in for a patch of bad weather. With three back-to-back winter storms, we broke the record for the snowiest winter on record (set in 1899) with more than 6 weeks of winter still to go. It was during the second storm that I lost my electricity and with it my household heat. We were in the house over-night with temperatures dropping into the single digits. We spent the next 36 hours in a neighbor’s home huddled close to a small wood stove with John, Jen, their 4 small children and Christina, the nanny.
Ultimately someone got the trees off the power-lines and heat was re-established in our home. But not before a couple of home truths were brought home to me. Hypothermia is really, really bad and all things being equal military families make the best neighbors on earth; good neighbors being worth their weight in gold.
There was nothing that My Plumber could have done to change the situation that I found myself in. Others suffered worse - in this ill weather. But the double whammy of no heat and a car encased in ice hammered home the point. Cold become desperate in a brief span of hours.
So I want to take a moment to encourage everyone who has not done so to please, get a home heating system check-up while it is still on sale. At $55 plus 5 cans of food to the Warm Hands and Full Hearts food drive it’s a steal.
What happened to me was not preventable but a glitch in your heating system at the worst time of year need never happen, with a little preventative maintenance.
Recently My Plumber country (Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland) came in for a patch of bad weather. With three back-to-back winter storms, we broke the record for the snowiest winter on record (set in 1899) with more than 6 weeks of winter still to go. It was during the second storm that I lost my electricity and with it my household heat. We were in the house over-night with temperatures dropping into the single digits. We spent the next 36 hours in a neighbor’s home huddled close to a small wood stove with John, Jen, their 4 small children and Christina, the nanny.
Ultimately someone got the trees off the power-lines and heat was re-established in our home. But not before a couple of home truths were brought home to me. Hypothermia is really, really bad and all things being equal military families make the best neighbors on earth; good neighbors being worth their weight in gold.
There was nothing that My Plumber could have done to change the situation that I found myself in. Others suffered worse - in this ill weather. But the double whammy of no heat and a car encased in ice hammered home the point. Cold become desperate in a brief span of hours.
So I want to take a moment to encourage everyone who has not done so to please, get a home heating system check-up while it is still on sale. At $55 plus 5 cans of food to the Warm Hands and Full Hearts food drive it’s a steal.
What happened to me was not preventable but a glitch in your heating system at the worst time of year need never happen, with a little preventative maintenance.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Furnace Giveaway!
Through the end of February, My Plumber Heating and Air is making it more affordable this winter season to heat your home. Now, with the purchase and installation of an American Standard Air Conditioning System (14 seer or higher) My Plumber is going to give each customer a Free American Standard Furnace. To find out more about this offer call 703-656-4456.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Dealing With Frozen Pipes
There have been several instances across the country of homeowners trying to thaw thier frozen water pipes with a propane torch, only to lose thier homes when the insulation caught fire. One of these instances resulted in the death of an elderly Texas woman. Ladies and gentlemen please don't try that trick.
If the pipe on an exterior wall freezes raise the household heat a few degrees and open a cabinet door to expose the pipe to the warmer inside air. That's the safest measure you can take.
If you must, use a hair dryer to gently warm the pipe or place a lighted lamp near the frozen pipe. Don't abandon electrical items under the sink. Frozen pipes are subject to burst. Electricity and water don't mix.
If the pipe on an exterior wall freezes raise the household heat a few degrees and open a cabinet door to expose the pipe to the warmer inside air. That's the safest measure you can take.
If you must, use a hair dryer to gently warm the pipe or place a lighted lamp near the frozen pipe. Don't abandon electrical items under the sink. Frozen pipes are subject to burst. Electricity and water don't mix.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Baby it's Cold Outside
And My Plumber Heating and Cooling would like to remind you that when temperatures drop into the low 20's or lower it is time to let a little water drip. Turn on a faucet as far away from the water main as possible. Open cabinet doors to expose pipes that run along an outside wall to as much warm (inside) air as possible. And stay warm; setting your thermostat below 60 degrees is asking for trouble of the frozen pipe variety.
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