Posted on 9/2/2010 12:44 PM
September 2, 2010 - It looks as though Hurricane Earl will bypass Northern Virginia and Suburban Maryland with just a little rain on Friday. But when it comes to the weather you never can tell what will happen. For our customers who live in low-lying areas and rely on a sump pump to keep their basement dry, we would like to offer the following information...just in case.
Before we get the torrential rains that can accompany a hurricane please check your sump pump's functionality.
- Is your sump pump properly plugged in?
- Check your breaker box. Is the power supply functioning?
- Gently shake the discharge pipe; this will loosen the mercury float if it is stuck from the lack of use.
You can decrease the chances of a sump pump emergency if you run a frequent check of your sump pump system. This can be done by pouring a bucket of water through the system to make sure it is working. Sump pumps can prevent expensive flooding damage, but only if they are working with the rains come.
If, despite everything your sump pump should fail, please remember to stay out of the water. Water in a basement can be charged by an electrical outlet or wire and can present a danger of injury or death. If you do have standing water in your basement, please call a professional and stay dry until you receive an all clear.
Posted on 8/30/2010 3:23 PM
Don't suffer through another month of sky-high electricity charges. If an overworked or an under-maintained air conditioning unit is to blame, take these hints and get a grip on that utility bill.
- Make sure that your filter is clean. Many people think that changing the filter or cleaning it twice a year is plenty of protection, but the filter should be checked once a month. If dust is apparent on the filter, it is time to change it. A dirty filter means that dirt is sifting through into the system and a dirty system requires more energy to work.
- If your home is on two levels, make sure the upper level vents are wide open and the lower-level vents are slightly closed. Shutting them completely can stifle proper air-flow and harm the system. Heat rises, and limiting the intake on the lower floor will ensure that your home receives equal cooling distribution.
- Check that your air conditioners fan is in the "on" position instead of on "auto". This will improve air circulation and will allow you to be comfortable at a higher room temperature.
- Keep curtains drawn against the summer sunshine. The sun beating through the window may brighten the room, but it plays havoc with the utility bill and sends electricity charges through the roof.
- Get your A/C system cleaned and checked by a professional HVAC technician. This will improve your systems operations and the technician can spot potential problems before they cause a midsummer breakdown.
Summer is almost over but it is not too late to be a cool operator. Use these tips in the name of "going green" or because you want to maintain a level of comfort while you save. Either way, using these tips will help you maintain your cool and keep your electricity under budget.
Posted on 8/10/2010 11:08 AM
Important Maintenance Information for Tank-Style Water Heaters
The average water heater sits in the dark recesses of the basement year in and year out with little or no attention from its owner. Although most people enjoy the luxury of hot water when bathing, they don’t actually think about the water heater. People seem to expect a lifetime of safe operation out of their tank-style heaters and never anticipate that a problem could occur. Occasionally, My Plumber will hear from one of its technicians about someone who built a room around their water heater and made the entrance smaller than the circumference of the tank, or just dry-walled completely around their water heater.
Considering how much people depend on having an available supply of hot water, it should be a priority to make sure one’s water heater is operating properly. Whether powered by electricity or gas, if it stores hot water in a tank until needed, it needs to be inspected frequently.
Hot water heaters come with an owner’s manual, and the safety instructions and inspection procedures outlined there should be followed. If the owner’s manual cannot be located, contact the manufacturer and request a new copy. Most manufacturers will be happy to oblige.
Here are a few tips about water heater safety:
· Avoid leaving any flammable liquid, solvent or chemical stored in the same room with a tank-style water heater. Those items should be stored elsewhere, with lids firmly in place and away from children and pets.
· Keep the thermostat set below 125°F. At higher temperatures, the elderly, the disabled and small children can be easily burned or may be unable to react swiftly enough to avoid scalding water.
· Check around the base of the water heater for moisture. Moisture indicates serious problems in the making which should be addressed quickly.
And finally, check the function of the T&P (Temperature and Pressure) relief valve. Because most tank-style water heaters function day in and day out without problems, it is easy to forget about them. But a tank-style water heater with a malfunctioning T&P valve is a bomb waiting to explode, and if it goes off it may very well take out the side of a house, or take off and go right through the roof.
In fact, water heater explosions were a fairly frequent occurrence before plumbing code demanded the inclusion of a T&P relief valve as part of a water heater’s installation. Providing all water heaters with a T&P relief valve prevented the excess pressure build up inside the tank and prevented the explosions. But the T&P valve can fail, so it should be inspected frequently.
The T&P valve is found on the side or on the top of the tank. Water dripping from the pipe connected to the T&P valve is an indicator that the valve needs to be replaced or that the water is getting too hot due to a malfunctioning thermostat. If the T&P valve needs to be replaced, it needs to be replaced sooner rather than later.
The plumbing system has been estimated to make up one seventh of the cost of building a home. Plumbing disasters can cost homeowners thousands of dollars when they occur. A careful inspection of the plumbing system and judicious maintenance can prevent many problems. Because the failure of a water heater’s T&P valve can cost more than dollars can ever measure, the Master Plumbers and Journeyman technicians at My Plumber Heating and Cooling strongly recommend that readers take a moment to check their water heaters soon.
Posted on 7/13/2010 4:57 PM
This is the second entry in our Celebrate America series. We hope you enjoy this visit to the second of four pivotal points in American History
General Washington Crosses the Delaware
In the winter of 1776, morale was low for American soldiers. They consistently lost battles. They were cold, hungry and desperately short of supplies. Many enlistments were ending in January and the average fighting man was not expected to renew. General Washington recognized that his army was close to losing the fight for American independence.
On December 25, while the Hessians (German soldiers hired to fight by the British) celebrated Christmas with a feast and heavy drinking in their encampment at Trenton, George Washington put a desperate plan into action. With 2,000 soldiers, he crossed the bitterly cold, ice-encrusted Delaware River at night to reach that encampment.
The Germans were drunk, overfed and surprised by the attack. And in 45 minutes, the surprise attack was over. The American army gained 900 German prisoners, provisions and food, and a restored will to fight.
Posted on 7/1/2010 4:05 PM
At My Plumber Heating and Air we promised you that during the month of July we were going to visit some pivotal moments in American History. Our first moment is a point in time which many think of as the beginning of the nation. In reality there were people from all over Europe, living and working here before the Pilgrims made their ill fated voyage. But somehow their story invokes the spirit of the American heart and mind. What they suffered and their amazing endurance clarifies the essence of the American story.
Pilgrims Meet a New Friend
They left Plymouth in September more than 100 people bound for Virginia to create a life in a new land. Unfortunately, they were blown off course and it took them more than two months to reach American shores. Quarters were cramped and cold, the food was bad and people sickened from eating it. The voyage was miserable and two of the travelers died. It was good practice: a harbinger of the horror to come.
The next few months were a trial for their souls. They traveled the coast line searching for a place to settle, they knew they couldn’t make it to Virginia. They found some meat, fresh water and were able to steal some stored Indian grain and beans. But, they were constantly cold and the weather was bitter.
They encountered very few natives. The native peoples were not unfamiliar with the pale-skinned strangers, traveling their coast in ships and had learned the hard way to be wary of them. They practiced avoidance where they could, but once when the strangers robbed their food stores, they attacked.
Finally in December they found an abandoned Indian village. The original owners had been ravaged by an illness that killed most of them. They found some bodies of the people who were left where they died. The pilgrims own numbers were dwindling. People were falling victim to some form of congestive illness. They had to have warmth and shelter and they had to have it fast. No matter how gruesome the circumstances; the abandoned village with its promise of shelter against the winter snows was a godsend. They buried those that were long-dead and took residence.
The warmth and shelter of the village improved their circumstances but still people continued to die. Scurvy was rampant among them. They knew that citrus fruit or even sauerkraut could help them, but they had access to neither. Had they know it, the needles of the evergreen trees in the area, steeped into a tea was loaded with the vitamin c could have cured them, but they did not know that and more of their numbers died. By spring 47 percent of the original colonists were dead.
In the early spring help came. Not from England, but from a native. His name was Squanto and his life story was both amazing and tragic. He was better traveled than many European sailors of his day and had lived in England for a number of years. He had returned home to the very village that the settlers now occupied only to find his loved ones dead or gone. He befriended the pilgrims and taught them how to survive.
Squanto taught them how to raise local produce and what plants were poisonous and which ones had medicinal qualities. He helped them hunt and acted as a representative and sometimes intermediary between the pilgrims and the native people. He was only with them for a couple of years before death took him, but what he taught them helped them survive, even thrive in this new land.
Posted on 6/11/2010 10:46 AM
2010 Plumbing School Graduates
My Plumber Heating and Cooling would like to congratulate its 2010 graduates from the trades program of the Fairfax County Public Schools’ Department of Adult Education. Five employees from My Plumber completed the four-year training program, including Manassas resident Malcolm Fisher, who was named Apprentice of the Year. Pictured below from left to right are: James Wiggins, Ariel Andrade, Oscar Sosa-Morales, Craig Pumphrey and Malcolm Fisher.
Posted on 5/21/2010 8:54 AM
A Customer Has a Question for My Plumber
Recently we received an email from a customer of ours. He asked us to settle a difference of opinion he had with his wife and we were happy to oblige. The email question follows:
“My wife and I always use My Plumber for our plumbing needs and I was wondering if you could settle a little dispute we are having. I have started trying to help more around the house since she started her new job and part of my job is the laundry. After I dry clothes I like to hang them as quick as I can to keep the wrinkles out, then I hang the hanger on an exposed drain pipe in the basement ceiling. My wife says that this is a bad idea that it will hurt the plumbing and we will have to have you guys back out. Is she right about that? It doesn’t seem to me that a couple of shirts, a dress and two pairs of pants should cause a problem for the pipes.”
My Plumber's Reply:
First, we commend you for sharing the household duties. But we have to agree with your wife on this one. Plumbing pipes are not designed to carry additional weight. Over time, the added stress of a little laundry will weaken connections and loosen fasteners, causing the pipes to leak.
We recommend purchasing a rolling laundry cart that has a bar across the top. The bar is designed for hanging clothes and will keep items wrinkle-free until you can get them to the folding table. Laundry carts are affordable and widely available, and could save you from hearing “I told you so.”
*If you have a general plumbing, heating or air condidioning question, please write to us at
wecare@myplumber.com and request a blog reply. We will be happy to answer.
Posted on 5/11/2010 8:20 AM
Vice President of My Plumber Heating and Cooling recognized as one of Greater Washington’s most accomplished and unique business leaders
Manassas, Va. May10, 2010 – My Plumber Heating and Cooling announced today its Vice President, Mark Presgrave, has received a Washington SmartCEO 2010 Circle of Excellence Award, which recognizes 10 Greater Washington CEOs who have demonstrated specific leadership attributes that have made them uniquely successful in the business community.
The 10 winners of the Circle of Excellence Award will be celebrated at SmartCEO’s Business Awards event on May 27, 2010 at the National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20045 from 6:00-9:00p.m. Joining the Circle of Excellence recipients are all of SmartCEO’s past award recipients and our pick for CEO of the Year.
The Circle of Excellence categories for which CEOs were nominated and honored are:
- Growth Management
- Philanthropy
- Entrepreneurship
- Turnaround
- Product Innovation
- Client Relations
- A Classic
- Strategic Leadership
- Marketing
- Resilience
“Circle of Excellence winners are not only selected and honored for their accomplishments, but for demonstrating success in applying a unique leadership attribute that significantly benefits their business and the community,” said Jaime Park, Publisher of Washington SmartCEO magazine. “We are honored to recognize Mark Presgrave as one of Greater Washington’s standout leaders.”
Washington SmartCEO magazine is a regional “growing company” publication. SmartCEO believes that a “growing company” is really determined by the spirit, drive and dynamics of a company's owners and managers, rather than by the size of its building, the number of its employees, or its sales volume. Each month, a variety of businesses in the greater Washington and greater Baltimore areas turn to our pages for features, case-study advice and trend analysis, all with a uniquely local flavor. SmartCEO is read by more than 34,000 business owners in Baltimore and Washington.
For a complete list of winners or more information about the program and event, visit www.smartceo.com.
My Plumber Heating and Cooling has been honored by the communities in which it operates for providing excellent service, technological advances and for its commitment to meeting the needs of the people in the communities it serves. To learn more about My Plumber visit their web site at www.myplumber.com read their blog at www.media.myplumber.com/blog/.
XXX
Posted on 5/4/2010 9:56 AM
Congratulations Rafael Onato
A shout out to HVAC installer Rafael Onato. Congratulations are due Rafael; he came to My Plumber as a trainee and now he is being promoted to lead a brand new install team of his own. Good luck to you Rafael and good luck to Team 3.
Posted on 4/26/2010 11:20 AM
Knowledge is Power
Taking Control In A Plumbing Emergency Can Eliminate A Plumbing Disaster
March 26, 2010 - Many plumbing emergencies involve water running to some place that it should not be. Frequently those places are where it can do damage to drywall, carpeting or hardwood flooring. It is unlikely that you will be able to eliminate all possibility of a burst pipe or overflowing toilet, but there is a way to take control and limit the damage caused to your home.
Mark Presgrave, a Master Plumber and Vice President of My Plumber Heating and Cooling in the Metropolitan D.C. area, says that the first step to controlling many plumbing emergencies is to know where the main shut-off valve is for your home and how it works. Trace the water supply line back from the water heater to an outside wall and find your shut-off valve. Learn how to operate that valve. Be able to shut it off and turn it back on. With this knowledge, you can stop the flooding and gain control over the situation.
Step two is to find all the individual shut-off valves for each fixture in the home. (Please note that not every fixture has a shut-off valve.) When looking for the valves, keep in mind that shut-off valves are usually located under the fixture; as with a toilet, or behind an appliance where it connects to the water supply. Take the time to learn how they work and make sure that they operate properly and are not leaking.
Step three is to teach every member of the household who is old enough to respond appropriately where the shut-off valves are and how to work them. A ten-year old who knows how to work a shut-off valve can prevent thousands of dollars in damage to your home.
One note of caution: never walk through standing water if there are electrical wires nearby. Find another way to reach the shut-off valve, turn off the power supply, call the non-emergency number for your local fire department or just wait for the plumber. Water and electricity make a deadly combination.
By following the three simple steps explained above, you will be able to take control of a plumbing emergency, and will be much less likely to experience major water damage in your home.
Posted on 4/20/2010 12:05 PM
More from Wendell and Mark's Favorite Tips
Fruits and vegetables often come with a residual coating of dirt, wax and pesticides. Most people rinse the food under running water to wash away the coating. However, this practice eliminates only about 25% of the foreign matter and wastes a lot of water.
There are better ways to clean fruits and vegetables before eating. For soft-skinned fruits such as peaches and apricots, make a wash of three parts water to one part vinegar in a bowl and soak the fruits for 30 minutes. For hard-skinned fruit or vegetables, such as apples or carrots, soak with a spray mixture of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 2 cups of water. Scrub with a soft brush and then rinse again with the lemon juice solution.
For your sprayer, avoid contamination by using a new clean bottle and sprayer, purchased for this purpose; wash it well with soap and water prior to its first use. Don’t try to repurpose an old bottle that previously contained household cleaner or beauty products.
Posted on 4/12/2010 1:03 PM
Our Favorite Plumbing Tips
It is easy to check for toilet leaks that might waste water and raise your water bill. Teach your children about water conservation by letting them help you. Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. If colored water shows up in your toilet bowl before the next flush (at least 15 minutes) then you know that you have a leak that is wasting water and costing you money.
Posted on 4/2/2010 9:04 AM
Keeping It Clean
Nothing says clean like the smell of fresh lemon. Manufactures know this, it is why so many house-hold cleaning products smell like the yellow, tropical fruit. The thing is - that wonderful lemon smell is just the surface, lemon oil and those wonderful acids that the fruit has in abundance really are effective cleaners...cutting through grease and sterilizing.
That is why one of the best ways to clean the blades on your garbage disposal is to simply run a lemon through the hopper and process it, like you would any food waste. It will cut any greasy build-up and leave your blades sparkling clean.
The side benefit? It will also leave your kitchen smelling lemon-fresh.
Posted on 4/1/2010 3:37 PM
This is a test of the blog
