Boston Water Heater Replacement Can Earn You A Tax Federal Credit
July 20th, 2010 · DIY Blog · DIY Plumbing · Water Heaters
Right now, the federal government is offering homeowners a federal tax credit on the installation of new, high-efficiency gas, oil, propane and electric heat pump water heaters. Not all water heaters qualify for the credit, but if you’re considering updating a home in Boston, water heater replacement can save you money both up-front and [...]
Removing and replacing the toilet sounds easy enough, but homeowners often have difficulty getting the wax ring properly seated. A bad seal is a disaster, so this part of the repair has to be right!
Toilets can be very heavy and difficult to maneuver. You won’t be able to see the soil [...]
Leaking Toilets 2 (or “Grouchy Homeowner, Hidden Water Damage”)
July 6th, 2010 · DIY Blog · DIY Plumbing · Toilets
In my last post, I tackled the subject of leaking toilets. No one, including plumbers, likes a leaking toilet. The “good” leaks are ones that involve the tank. Making adjustments or replacing simple hardware can often repair them. Best of all, you’re dealing with clean water.
Now for the messy leaks:
A leak [...]
Spotting Hidden Water Damage, Part 3: Leaking Toilets
June 29th, 2010 · DIY Blog · DIY Plumbing · Toilets
In the last couple of posts, I’ve written about hidden water damage from faucets and drains. There are other sources of water damage from leaks. Today’s post will look at leaking toilets
Spotting hidden water damage from a leaking toilet can be a bit more difficult, depending upon what’s leaking and where the water’s going. [...]
Faucets aren’t the only possible leak points. Drains leak, resulting in just as much damage. Drains also carry dirty, unsanitary water, so they’re generally messier and more unpleasant to repair than a leaking faucet. A leaking drain can produce a flood of dirty water and will start to smell bad in short order. [...]
Spotting Hidden Water Damage, Part 1
June 15th, 2010 · DIY Air Conditioning · DIY Blog · DIY Plumbing
Few home disasters are worse than water in areas of the home that are supposed to be dry. Leaking roofs, windows and doors, leaking pipes, faulty appliances and condensation are all sources of water in the home. There are some water problems plumbers can’t take care of, but this post will discuss hidden water damage [...]
Boston Standard Plumbing Techs Are NATE Certified!
June 8th, 2010 · DIY Air Conditioning · DIY Blog · DIY Heating · DIY Plumbing
Last month, two of our technicians received the core North American Technical Excellence (NATE) certification and we have plans to certify all of our technicians within the year. Joe Wood, owner of Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating and Peter Balestra, who were NATE certified in May, will now pursue NATE HVAC certification. We’re [...]
Copper Thefts Target Boston Plumbing and Air Conditioning
June 1st, 2010 · DIY Air Conditioning · DIY Blog · DIY Plumbing
In today’s post, I turn my attention to a growing problem in the Boston area: copper theft. Unfortunately, copper is in high demand right now, making plumbing and air conditioning installations prime targets for copper thieves. How can you protect your Boston plumbing and air conditioning from scrappers?
The price of scrap copper [...]
If you have indoor plumbing in your Boston home, chances are excellent that at some point, you’ll also have a clogged bathroom sink drain. Having cleared hundreds of them, I can say that there’s nothing particularly interesting about a clogged drain. Occasionally, an object makes its way down the drain and gets stuck, usually in [...]
If you’re considering installing a sprinkler system for your Boston home this spring, you should take into account the maintenance that will be required. Sprinkler maintenance isn’t hard, but if it’s not done correctly and consistently, you’ll be replacing major components of your sprinkler system each spring.
The main maintenance task associated with a sprinkler [...]