Keeping Your Cool This Summer In Boston

As far as operation goes, one of the best, easiest and nicest things you can do for your air conditioner is change the filter regularly. Use pleated filters and change them no less often than 90 days. If you have pets in your home, change the filter more frequently. This will help protect the unit’s secondary heat exchanger and the evaporator coil, and it will keep dirt and other debris out of the blower wheel, which can cause your unit to malfunction.

Can’t find your AC filter? Check your furnace! (It’s usually the same filter you change during the heating season.) Some units have a filter located in a ceiling return air grille, but if you have central air conditioning that uses your furnace ductwork, your filter’s most likely in your furnace.

Changing the filter regularly has some other benefits, as well. Pushing air through a dirty, or clogged filter can decrease the efficiency of your air conditioner. It can also introduce dirt into other moving parts of the air conditioner, reducing their effectiveness and increasing the amount of electricity your air conditioner consumes.

Dirty air filters can also be a source of odor and airborne allergens in your home. Filters will collect contaminants like mold, mold spores, pollen and other irritants. If you inspect your air conditioner filter and notice that it has mold growth or has a funny smell, change it immediately.

Keep some clean filters on hand so you can perform a quick change whenever you need to. If you’re not certain how often to change the filter, inspect the filter periodically to note its condition. When you see a lot of dirt or debris collecting on the filter, change it.
If you’re thinking about skipping the filter altogether, don’t. Running your system without a filter will cause the evaporator coil the air handler to clog. This will lead to icing on the air conditioner – something you definitely don’t want.

If you have questions about your air conditioner, or would like to schedule pre-season maintenance, give us a call at Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating at (617) 288-2911 anytime. We’ll be happy to schedule a seasonal maintenance check and show you how to maintain your system during the summer.

Don’t forget to like Boston Standard Plumbing on Facebook, and if you make a platelet donation to the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center during the month of April, we’ll take $50 off of any Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating purchase or service call worth $100 or more!
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How You Can Help Your Neighbors And Save Money At The Same Time!

Platelets are found in blood, and they help the body form blood clots for healing. Platelets also play a role in healthy growth and tissue regeneration. Unfortunately for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, their platelet counts can drop. This leads to slower healing and a host of other problems.

To counteract the effects of chemotherapy, patients often need platelet transfusions. Using a special collection process that somewhat resembles blood donation, platelets are separated from the donor’s blood and the rest of the donor’s blood is returned to the donor. The process of collecting the platelets is simple, but it takes a little time.

This method of platelet donation is preferred over separating platelets from whole blood units because the donor center can collect an entire “therapeutic dose” of platelets at one time from one person, rather than having to make a therapeutic dose from multiple units of whole blood. Also, it is not critical to match the blood type of platelet donors to that of platelet recipients. In the case of platelets, just about anyone can donate to just about anyone, regardless of blood type, provided that the donor is otherwise healthy.

Unlike whole blood, which can be preserved for later use, platelets don’t store very well, so they are needed frequently and used quickly. With a “shelf-life” of just about 5 days, and the need to test platelets for transmissible diseases, time is of the essence! A platelet donation is used just about as quickly as it is made available, and it makes a big difference in the life of the recipient, especially when that recipient is a child.

The staff at Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating regularly volunteers to make platelet donations, and these donations are used virtually immediately in the Boston area for friends and neighbors in need. We’re proud to support the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and we’d like to challenge our customers and friends to step up to the plate.

To make this easier, we’re willing to give you $50 off any service from Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating for the month of April on a purchase of $100 or more, if you provide proof of a platelet donation to the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center during the month of April. Our next staff donation is scheduled over three days – April 16, April 17 and April 18. The Kraft Family Blood Donor Center offers free, validated parking for donors, and the Center often hosts a raffle exclusively for donors.

To make an appointment to donate platelets, please contact the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at 888-533-7448. To collect your coupon, contact us at Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating at (617) 288-2911 to schedule a visit, and we’ll knock $50 off your bottom line if you schedule a visit or make a purchase of $100 or more in April!

Photo Credit: Scragz, via Flickr

Missed Fix-A-Leak Week? You Can Still Save On Your Own

Even if you missed this particular opportunity, you can still put water-saving fixtures to work in your home. Low-flow toilets can use less than a gallon of water to provide an impressive, bowl-clearing flush. If you don’t want a low-flow toilet, you can also install a special dual-flush valve that reduces your water consumption. The dual flush valve allows you to flush and clear the bowl with running water, rather than using the 2 or 2.5 gallons that are stored in the toilet tank. This low-consumption flush is good for clearing liquid waste. When the flush is complete, the bowl refills with running water.

Water stored in the tank is used only when you need to “power-flush.” These dual-flush valves can reduce your toilet’s water consumption by one-third to one-half. They’re also easy to install, adjustable and are available at most home improvement stores.

Water-saving showerheads can limit flow to no more than two gallons of water per minute while still providing an excellent rinse. These fixtures are also available at your local home-improvement store are easy to install. In most cases, the shower fixture has a threaded connector. Simply disconnect the old one and connect the new one. You can also install an inline temperature control for your shower that can help prevent scalding injuries. Just like the showerhead, the inline temperature regulator is threaded and simply screws into place.

A leaking faucet that drips at a rate of once every 6 seconds can waste about 700 gallons of water per year! That’s significant when you look at your overall water consumption. Put another way, that’s the same amount of water you’d use showering daily for a month, or doing about 25 loads of laundry using a large-capacity washing machine.

Sometimes a leaking faucet requires a simple adjustment to stop leaks, but depending upon the faucet’s design, you may need to replace the entire fixture to stop a drip. Replacing a faucet isn’t hard and requires only a few basic hand tools, like a screwdriver and an adjustable wrench. The effort is definitely worth it when you consider how much water you can save on an annual basis.

If you have leaking sink, tub or toilet fixtures and you can’t address them yourself, please contact us at Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating at (617) 288-2911. We can recommend low-consumption fixtures that will address your leak problem and save water in the process!

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Can A Mechanical Valve Replace A P-Trap?

A P-trap is a small piece of drain plumbing that fits under your sink. It has a unique curved shape to it, and it is designed to prevent sewer gases from escaping into your living space. (That’s good because aside from the obvious “fresh-air” benefit, sewer gases can build up and explode.) Traps also prevent harmful bacteria from being introduced into the living space and serve to catch little items (like rings, earrings, Lego blocks) that accidentally make their way down the drain.

Over time, nasty debris – like biofilms, decayed material, hair, and soap films – also build up in the trap. Generally, traps are easy to remove and can be cleaned out mechanically without too much effort and without the need for special tools.

Traps work because after each use, the trap fills with water. The water in the trap acts like a plug and prevents the gases from escaping out of a drain hole. All plumbing fixtures – toilets, basins, tubs, etc., – must have a trap of some sort that prevents sewer gases from getting back up the drainpipe.

Traps have been in use almost since plumbing moved indoors. Newer plumbing codes restrict or prohibit the use of certain types of traps (S-traps, specifically) but P-traps are the gold standard of traps. They’re simple and they work better than anything else on the market.

Enter the mechanical P-trap. The mechanical P-trap is a straight piece of pipe that includes a membrane that is supposed to perform the same function as the “water plug” I discussed earlier. The biggest potential problem I see with a mechanical P-trap is malfunction.

When a traditional P-trap gets clogged with debris, biological buildup or a mechanical object, it still performs its basic function – blocking the movement of sewer gases back up the drainpipe. It can’t’ fail at this job because as long as there’s water (or sludge, debris, biofilm, etc) occluding the trap, the sewer gas isn’t going anywhere.

When you interfere with the open-and-close mechanics of a mechanical valve, the valve can potentially be held open. The design of a straight pipe – by its nature- will allow the offending gas to escape the pipe. In other words, when the valve fails, you can’t be sure that you’re protected from the dangers that unchecked sewer gases and bacteria present.

The traditional P-trap works even when it clogs because the design of the pipe itself provides the protection you really need. There are no moving parts to worry about so mechanical failure is impossible. P-traps can dry out – the water that forms the seal can evaporate over time if the fixture isn’t used, and deterioration of the pipe or the joints can force replacement of the trap. But under most circumstances, it’s hard to conceive of an improvement to the P-trap that’s worth taking a chance on.

If you have questions about your plumbing, or smell sewer gases when you use your plumbing fixtures, contact Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating at (617) 288-2911 for an inspection. We’ll find the source of the odor and recommend a solution!

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Photo Credit: mkooiman, via Flickr

New Thermostat Learns Your Heating and Cooling Preferences

This “learning” thermostat can program itself based on your habits and boasts a design that will do Apple proud. Technically, the new Nest could be considered a distant cousin of the Cupertino clan, since it was designed by Apple’s former Chief Architect Tony Fadell. As such, you can be sure that it will work with your iPhone to help keep the temperature in your nest just the way you like it, even if that means moving the temperature several times each day to suit your preferences.

The new Nest claims to be able to save you something on the order of $175 per year, but you won’t see any savings until you get past the cool $249 price tag. And just like the iPhone, you’ll need to wait a bit to get your hands on a Nest – the company is sold out until at least February 2012 and perhaps longer. Nonetheless, the Nest video is worth a look because it gives you an idea of where energy-saving technologies are headed.

The maker, Nest Labs, promises that installing the thermostat is no more complicated than the installing a light fixture, so on the surface, it seems like a reasonable DIY project. Once installed, the thermostat programs itself over the course of a week by taking note of when you increase and decrease the temperature in your home. Once the thermostat is programmed, you can make spot changes that won’t affect the device’s understanding of your general climate control preferences, but it can also spot patterns. For example, if you’re always home on Sundays and Wednesdays, the Nest will turn your thermostat up on the days you’re home and down on the days you’re not without you having to program the thermostat.

You can also make spot adjustments to the temperature using a smart phone from just about anywhere. This is great if you’re coming home early or late and want to manage the temperature of your house accordingly. The Nest also tracks when your seasonal switchover from heating to cooling occurs and keeps the temperature in the house comfy year-round.

Better yet, the Nest will tell you when your thermostat settings are energy-saving or energy-hogging, so you can learn how best to maximize the comfort of your home and save money at the same time. The Nest can also help you determine when the temperature in your home is set too low to keep your plumbing protected.

I encourage you to watch the video that’s available on the Nest website, and if you’re interested in purchasing the Nest, visit the online store and leave your contact information. The company is not currently taking orders for additional products, but will notify you when they’re ready to take more orders.

If you purchase a Nest or would like selection and installation assistance with other energy-saving thermostats, contact us at Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating at (617) 288-2911. We’ll be happy to make recommendations regarding programmable thermostats and show you how they can save you money on energy bills year-round.

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Photo Credit: Nest Labs

Get Ready For Holiday Plumbing Emergencies

Drains: If you plan to have a large holiday gathering at your home, make sure your drains are running clearly before your guests arrive. Clogged drains can lead to sink overflows and unpleasant odors at a time when you need your plumbing to be in tip-top shape. Most drain clogs are made from organic matter – either food particles in kitchen drains or hair and soap buildup in the bathroom drains. Drain cleaners you buy in the stores contain lye and other harsh chemicals that can burn skin on contact. We recommend using a drain cleaning product called Bio-Clean. Bio-Clean is an enzymatic drain cleaner that doesn’t contain harsh chemicals, but can clear organic matter in your drains. Add Bio-Clean to your drains the night before your guests arrive and your drains will run clear during your big event. We carry Bio-Clean. Please contact us for more information on this product.

Toilets: Toilet clogs usually don’t happen for the same reason that drain clogs do. Toilet clogs are usually the result of too much paper and material in the bowl. Inefficient siphoning can also result in clogs. You can’t really control what your guest do, but you can make sure that your toilet is in good working order before your company arrives. Check the operation of the flapper valve in your toilet and make sure your tank fills completely when you flush it. If you’re concerned about the volume of toilet paper in your bowl, or if your toilet typically doesn’t manage a lot of toilet paper well, consider replacing your premium toilet paper with paper that isn’t as thick to help ensure a proper flush.

Faucets: Faucets can start leaking, and leaks can get worse with increased use. If you have a leaking faucet, address it before your guests arrive. Some leaks can be fixed simply by tightening the connections or sealing joints with Teflon tape, but overtightening connections can actually break the fixture. If your fixture is leaking because it’s broken or cracked, replace it.

In the interest of prevention, check the local shut-off valves for each fixture. If the shutoff doesn’t work, or can’t be turned easily, replace it. Also check your dishwasher connections, including the drain hose to be sure water can enter and exit the appliance freely. As a final precaution, you should know how to shut off the main water valve in your home, and keep the number of your local plumber handy, just in case! In Boston, Boston Standard Plumbing offers 24-hour emergency service, including holiday service. Contact us at (617) 288-2911 anytime, and have a happy holiday season. Friend us on Facebook!
Photo Credit: Genista