Plumbing & Heating Blog - Always Plumbing & Heating

Air Conditioning Tune-Ups Reduce the Occurrence of Sudden Breakdowns

Once you have an air conditioner in your home, you will quickly attest to it becoming an essential part of your modern life. While you may not think of it most of the year, you certainly expect your air conditioner to be there for you when the warm summer days arrive, working efficiently to keep you cool and comfortable in your home. Neglecting this essential piece of home comfort equipment is a mistake made by many. Just as your vehicle requires routine maintenance and oil changes to keep it operational and efficient, so does your home’s air conditioner and furnace. When failing to have your cooling equipment professionally maintained each year, you are placing yourself at risk of a breakdown when the hot weather hits and your system cannot keep up. Once you are left with an air conditioner that isn’t doing its job when the heat waves hit, you will never make the mistake of skipping out on an annual Spring air conditioner tune-up again. But, don’t wait for this to happen to you!

Risks of Neglecting A/C Maintenance

At Always Plumbing & Heating (and cooling!), we strongly believe in the importance of annual air conditioner tune-ups as preventative maintenance, reducing the need for emergency repairs, breakdowns, or premature replacement of your entire system. Not to mention, an improperly maintained system is certain to be working overcapacity, resulting in hefty power bills that are avoidable with a routine annual air conditioning tune-up. It also should also be mentioned, as many homeowners fail to realize, that most air conditioner manufacturer warranties are null and void if you fail to provide them with records of annual air conditioner maintenance (by a certified professional) in the event that your equipment fails while still under the warranty period. It is very important to not only read the print on the manufacturer warranty of your equipment but also ensure that you are following their recommendations for this reason alone.

What Does a 26-Point A/C Tuneup Include?

Checking for system leaks
Measuring your refrigerant levels
Running numerous checks on the fan, motor, blower belt, and electrical connections
And much, much more!
Ask our technician to walk you through your system check at the time of your appointment, and you will see that this is a task that is best left to the pros.

What Sets Our Techs Apart?

At Always Plumbing & Heating, our expert HVAC technicians believe in going above and beyond in completing a thorough tune-up of your equipment and providing you with a record of every single step that was complete. Our technicians in Edmonton and the greater area will make sure that you are completely satisfied before they leave your home and you sign off on the job. Always Plumbing & Heating wants you to stay cool all summer and not worry about being stuck with a broken unit. Schedule your annual air conditioner tune-up with us today for peace-of-mind home comfort that you can count on! Call us 780-489-8118 or book online today.

Finance Options for Homeowners During COVID-19

Always Plumbing & Heating recognizes the fact that mandated closures of several businesses and services by the government are having a significant financial impact on many Canadians.

With our customers and potential customers in mind, Always Plumbing & Heating would like to remind you that we do offer financing options on many of our goods and services. We have worked diligently with finance companies to negotiate reduced financing costs that we can pass on to you, the customer.

As of March 18, 2020, Always Plumbing & Heating has been offering customers reduced financing including 9 months with no payments and no interest, with affordable payments starting next year on select equipment installs with approved credit. This is an option that most major credit card companies will not attempt to match. When you make a purchase on your personal credit card, generally speaking you have about 30 days to make the payment or you start paying interest from that date forward. By utilizing in-house financing for purchases such as your homes mechanical equipment (furnace, air conditioner, hot water tank), you can avoid having to pay anything upfront, and you won’t have to make any payments for up to 9 months, with no backdated interest.

While most customers report that our equipment is affordable and our estimates are comparable, we also understand that many, many people right now are undergoing unplanned financial strain because of COVID-19. We strongly encourage our customers to utilize finance options if they so choose, during these unprecedented times.

If a new air conditioner is something that you have been thinking about this year, we can certainly provide you with a free in-home estimate, with no obligation to purchase. Financing options are something that can be discussed with your technician at the time of your estimate, with a payment schedule that is best suited to your needs. We will ALWAYS do our best to ensure that you get the best financing offer available at the time of your purchase.

We want to say thank you to all of our customers and potential customers for shopping locally and supporting small businesses like Always Plumbing & Heating during this time. We are pleased to be here restoring home comfort to families like yours, at a time when your comfort is more important than ever.

Visit our Finance Options to find out more about current financing options and visit our COVID-19 Update to read about additional measures we have in place to continue to safely offer our services to homeowners during a pandemic.

Disclaimer: The above financing offers are available on approved credit, and subject to change at any time.

Getting Your Hose Bibs Ready for Spring

As Spring has begun, and warm weather is just around the corner, you may find yourself spending more time outdoors these days. If you’re doing some spring cleaning, you will likely need to turn on your garden hose at some point.

Harsh Alberta winters with extremely low temperatures can sometimes cause hairline fractures in your hose bibs. If you fail to notice the leak right away, when you turn on your tap you could end up with a flooded basement if you aren’t taking the right precautions before using it.

Steps For Testing If You Have A Fracture In Your Hose Bib

Before turning your water on, follow these steps:

1. Place your thumb over the spigot to cover the whole opening.

2. Turn on the water.

3. If you can hold the water in with your thumb, that means there is a fracture somewhere that the water is going. If this happens, turn the water off immediately.

4. Have a family member go into your basement near where the hose bib is located, and repeat step 3. If there are removable ceiling panels, move them from that area, so you can clearly see the extent of the leak without causing too much damage.

5. Repeat all of these steps to each of your hose bibs.

6. If a leak is located, call a plumber for a repair, including the installation of frost-free hose bibs to prevent this from happening in the future.

How to Prevent Hose Bib Leaks In The Future

Each fall ensure that you remove your garden hoses from each hose bib, and if possible, turn the water off to the hose bib and drain the line. Not all hose bibs are outfitted with shutoff valves.

If you suspect broken hose bibs or want to prevent them entirely, give us a call to diagnose the problem and provide you with the best solution to repair or prevent frozen hose bibs. Failing to repair this issue promptly can lead to disastrous flooding in your basement if someone inadvertently turns on your garden hose.

Giving your hose bib the attention it deserves is invaluable. Ensuring that your home’s plumbing is properly maintained and up to code with a professional inspection, including installation of frost-free taps, will provide you with total peace-of-mind when the job is handled by a professional.

Always Plumbing & Heating is here to help you along the way. Our licensed plumbers will take care of this job for you, from start to finish, and we fully guarantee our work and equipment. So give us a call, and go ahead and kick your feet up and relax, in no time you will be safely running your sprinklers and filling up the kiddie-pool for your little ones!

Introducing U by Moen-the Only Voice-Activated Faucet on the Market

The world just got more high-tech. In January 2020, Moen released the only voice-activated kitchen faucet on the market. U by Moen is your new kitchen assistant. Activated by voice commands, this faucet is compatible with both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The U by Moen faucet also has a wave sensor, a manual handle, and a smartphone app control. At a time when hand hygiene is at the forefront (due to the COVID-19 pandemic), the U by Moen couldn’t have come at a better time. Let us explain how this cutting-edge technology works.

Users can control their U by Moen in 4 ways:

Voice control-users can start and stop the water flow and perform specific tasks baby voice command.
Wave sensor-turn water off and on with a simple hand wave over the sensor.
Smartphone app-start or stop water or use personalized presets by pressing a button.
Handle-or revert to the old fashioned way, with manual operation.

The U by Moen will dispense the desired amounts and temperature of the water on your command.

Voice-activated capabilities include:

Dispense specific volumes-responds to both metric and non-metric measures, from 1 tablespoon (15mL) to 15 gallons (56 litres).
Temperature control-responds to basic commands, like “hot water”, or more precise, like “40 degrees”.
Combined volume and temperature requests-like “8 ounces of hot water”.
Customized presets created on the app-like “fill baby bottle”.

The preheat commands will warm or cool the water to the desired temperature and then pause water flow you reengage the faucet. The motion sensor will change color to indicate if the water is warming up or cooling down. The voice assistant will reply to let users know when the water is ready.

The U by Moen suits every taste, including Modern, Transitional, and Traditional. There are many different fixture lines available in each style-type as well as a variety of finishes. The U by Moen is certain to impress every homeowner. For more information on U by Moen visit moen.ca

Moen also released this video which does a great job of showcasing the features of this one-of-a-kind fixture:

If you are intrigued to learn more, the professionals at Always Plumbing & Heating can connect you with the supply and installation of U by Moen. From start to finish, our professionally-trained plumbers will ensure that you select a fixture that is suitable to your needs and taste, and that you are satisfied with the overall product. If you are interested in learning about other complimentary plumbing or HVAC home automation devices, we can certainly nudge you in the right direction. From smart showers to smart thermostats, to flood prevention devices, we got you covered. With Always Plumbing & Heating doing the job, we guarantee the latest options to fit your home automation needs.

Top 5 Things You Can Do to Avoid a Visit from the Plumber

This may be hard to absorb, but the biggest threat to your homes mechanical is…you! There are many bad habits that homeowners have, or things that homeowners neglect doing, which result in costly plumbing and HVAC repairs. Here are some simple steps that you can take to save you time and money in the future.

1. Be cautious of what you are flushing down your toilet. Treating your toilet like a garbage disposal if guaranteed to eventually cause a clog. The most important way to prevent toilet clogs is to avoid flushing anything other than human waste and toilet paper. Avoid disposing of feminine hygiene products, baby wipes, paper towels, and grease down your toilet.

2. Change your washing machine hoses. The standard hoses that are supplied with washing machines are made of rubber. The effects of high pressure and temperatures cause the rubber hoses to degrade until they unexpectedly burst. When you get a new washing machine, have it installed using stainless steel washing machine hoses. Replace your existing washing machine hoses with stainless steel ones. Visit our previous blog post for other tips on washing machine maintenance.

3. Protect your hose bibs. In the fall, ensure that you remove your garden hoses from the hose bibs on the outside of your house. If there is a shut-off valve, turn it to off. Ensure that any exposed pipes are properly insulated. Place an insulated hose bib cover over the exterior spigot. This should help prevent cracked hose bibs when the temperatures warm up in the spring. Cracked hose bibs can cause a plumbing disaster in your home’s basement. Get more information on protecting your hose bibs here.

4. Do not use commercial drain cleaning chemicals. These chemicals are so strong that they, in fact, can actually corrode and deteriorate your home’s plumbing from the inside out. This can eventually cause the pipes to burst. They can also partially dissolve a clog, forcing it further down the line, resulting in a more comprehensive plumbing repair. Instead, use a biodegradable and non-corrosive drain cleaner regularly, like Bio-Smart, for preventative maintenance, and be cautious of what you put down your drains.

5. Service your sump pump at least every spring. This is an easy job that you should do before the spring thaw starts, to ensure your sump pump is clean, free of clogs and debris, operating properly, and has some sort of backup in place. This is important to prevent flooding in your basement as the snow melts, and heavy rainfall begins. Click here for the full instructions on sump pump maintenance.

Just as your vehicle needs routine maintenance, so does your home’s mechanical. While some things are best left to the professionals, there are many things that you can do as a homeowner to reduce the chances that you will need to hire a professional plumbing & HVAC company for an emergency repair. Following the steps above are a simple way to get started on properly caring for and maintaining your home.

Is Your Home Making You Sick?

Clean Your Air 24/7 With a Whole Home Air Purifier

The Center For Disease Control (CDC) recommends the following everyday daily precautions for preventing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the novel coronavirus:*

Clean your hands often.
Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, or after touching surfaces in public places.
If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
Avoid touching your face, nose, eyes, etc.
Clean and disinfect your home to remove germs: practice routine cleaning of frequently touched surfaces (for example: tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks & cell phones).
To the extent possible, avoid touching high-touch surfaces in public places – elevator buttons, door handles, and handrails. Use a tissue or your sleeve to cover your hand or finger, if you must touch something.
Avoid crowds, especially in poorly ventilated spaces. Your risk of exposure to respiratory viruses like COVID-19 may increase in crowded settings with little air circulation if there are people in the crowd who are sick.*

In addition to standard daily hygiene practices, be proactive by adding a Clean Air Defense System high-output germicidal UVC lamp to your HVAC system to purify the air, which will help improve overall indoor air quality and will reduce the likelihood of contracting certain viruses.

Although we can’t guarantee that someone will not become infected by a virus, a properly designed and installed UVC lamp, with enough microwatt intensity, will destroy airborne viruses that pass through the HVAC system.

Standard Low-Output UVC lamps only kill germs on surfaces inside your HVAC system, while High-Output UVC lamps also sterilize airborne viruses, bacteria, and germs as they pass by lamps, rendering them harmless and incapable of reproducing.

Our High-Output UVC lamps are 3.3 times more powerful than standard lamps and will disinfect your air 24 hours a day naturally, without adding chemicals or sprays into your environment.

Dust and particles are not the only indoor culprits. There are other types of airborne contaminants such as germs, gases, and odors that can negatively impact health and HVAC equipment performance. Dual-wavelength, high-output UVC/UVV lights control these contaminants. Clean Air Defense System high-output germicidal UVC lamps kill or deactivate a multitude of airborne viruses, bacteria, germs and other bioaerosols that travel through your HVAC system and recirculate throughout your home. Similar germicidal UVC technology is used to prevent the spread of viruses and germs in hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

We provide a range of indoor air quality systems (IAQ) that protect the air you breathe and reduce the spread of flu viruses throughout your home. Our HVAC specialists are expertly trained to install and maintain whole-home IAQ technology, so you and your family can breathe healthier and enjoy lower utility bills.

Ready to try one of our indoor air cleaners? Be sure to schedule a service with us today. Read more about the benefits of whole-home air purification technology.

*References:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html

www.CleanAirDefenseSystem.com

2020 Home and Garden Show

We are disappointed to announce that this year’s event has been canceled as we had hoped to meet all of you.

As many of you will know, Alberta public health systems have been working to contain the spread of COVID-19. For more information on this closure, please visit CBC’s news post here. For updated information on what to do if you think you have COVID-19, visit Alberta Health Services.

At the home show, we run special promotions. We will still be running these specials. Please check back to our Current Specials as we will be updating and adding more coupons for you to save money!

How to Prevent Frozen Pipes

In chilly Alberta winters, water lines can freeze if frost is pushed below the waterline. The pipes in your home can also freeze due to extreme temperatures, wind chills, or furnace failures which result in no heat in your home. You should be familiar with how to prevent your pipes from freezing, and what to do in the unfortunate event that they do freeze.

5 Easy Steps To Prevent Your Pipes From Freezing

Never turn your furnace off! You should keep your home heated consistently throughout winter, even if you aren’t going to be home. You can get a smart thermostat that will notify you on your mobile device if the temperature in your home gets below a safe level, in the event that your furnace malfunctions while you are away. The majority of furnace failures happen during extreme cold snaps, which incidentally can result in frozen pipes if not dealt with right away.
Insulate your outdoor water lines. Wrap water lines near outdoor walls and hose bibs with insulation.
Turn off your outdoor hoses. In the fall you should ensure that your hoses are disconnected and the tap is turned completely off. Failure to do so can result in cracked hose bibs as the temperatures freeze and thaw, which can result in flooding in your basement.
Check your hot water tank. Ensure that it is in a room that is adequately heated. You should have your hot water tank inspected annually by a professional.
If you go away for vacation, turn your water off before you leave. Go into your utility room and find the main water line shut off and ensure it is off. Then open all the taps in your house to run the residual water out. This way, you will be better protected should the unfortunate event that your pipes freeze while you are away. But remember to leave your furnace on.

How to Check if Your Pipes are Frozen

If you have only a trickle of water, or no running water, coming from any of your faucets, you may have a frozen pipe.
If you see any frost on exposed pipes, it is quite possibly frozen.
If you see a bulge in any pipes, it may be frozen.
If your toilets don’t refill after flushing, you may have frozen pipes.

How to Fix Frozen Pipes

If you suspect your pipes are frozen, turn off the water line to that part of the house, or turn the main water line off.
Locate the frozen area. If you cannot locate it, call a plumber as soon as possible.
If you determine where the pipes are frozen, you can attempt to thaw it with a space heater or hairdryer, provided it is a narrow pipe. Once it is adequately thawed, you can turn your water back on and check for any leaks. If you notice any leaks or still have no water flow, turn your water line back off immediately, and call a professional plumbing company for assistance.

Most frozen pipes can be thawed, damage-free if caught in time. If you think a frozen pipe may have burst in your Edmonton home, call Always Plumbing and Heating. We provide emergency service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

How to Keep Your Drains Clear of Hair and other Buildup

Clogged drains are a common household problem. Knowing how to keep your drains clear will keep your pipes healthy and reduce your need to call a plumber for sluggish drains or water backup.

Follow these tips to limit what you put in your drains

Do not put food, coffee grounds, or grease down your kitchen drains.
Pour grease into a container and dispose of it in the trash.
Cover your tub and shower drains with a mesh screen or perforated hair catcher. This will collect hair and let the water run through.
Brush your hair before you shower, to remove loose hair and reduce the amount going down the drain.
Don’t flush anything down your toilet other than toilet paper and human waste. Paper towels, feminine products, dental floss, and disposable wipes should go in your trash bin.
Read our guide on 15 things you should never put in your garbage disposal.

Try these tips to remove clogs before you call a plumber

Remove the drain stopper, clean it, then reassemble it.
Use a plunger to form a seal, push in and pull out, forcing water to move in the pipes. If the clog is in a sink, run a couple of inches of water before using the plunger.
Clean your P-trap. This is the U-shaped pipe under your kitchen and bathroom sinks. Place a bucket under it to catch water and debris before opening your P-trap.
Do not use chemical drain cleaners! These will just loosen up the debris and push it further down in your home’s plumbing and may cause more problems including burst pipes and sewer backup. They are also highly corrosive and can seriously damage your pipes.

Maintain your homes plumbing by manually cleaning your drain stopper once per week to remove hair and debris. Use a biodegradable and non-corrosive drain cleaner once per month to keep your drains clean. We recommend using Bio-Smart, which you can purchase from Always Plumbing & Heating and use yourself for preventive maintenance. Preventing clogs before they occur is the best way to keep your drains clear year-round.

Controlling Household Condensation in Winter

If your windows inside collect moisture and ice during the cold snaps, you may have a humidity problem. Managing your home humidity levels can be a difficult task during the winter months. If your humidity is too high in relation to the temperature outside, you will end up with condensation on your windows, which can damage the windows, the casing, and the drywall. This can also lead to mold and mildew problems within your home, which are harmful to your health.

Simple Tips To Control Condensation

Run the furnace fan continuously.
When you are cooking, turn on the kitchen fan a few minutes before your start, and leave it on for a few minutes afterward.
When you are boiling or simmering water, cover pots to reduce the steam.
Turn your bathroom fan on before you shower, and leave it on for a while after you are done.
Check that your dryer vent is installed correctly and routed to outside, without any holes or leaks in the venting. Ensure that you’re dryer trap is emptied after each load of laundry.
Open curtains and shutters, open them so that they do not trap moisture between them and the window.
Cover and shrink wrap your windows with plastic.
Reduce the number of indoor house plants that you have, as plants increase humidity levels.
Set your furnace humidifier at the recommended level based on current outdoor temperatures. Check out our guide for managing home humidity during extreme cold weather.

Following these steps should reduce condensation on your windows. If you try these steps and continue to have humidity buildup on your windows, consider contacting Always Plumbing & Heating to help you determine what the problem is and how to address it.

Carbon Monoxide and Furnace Saftey: What To Do When Your Furnace is Leaking Carbon Monoxide

There are plenty of household appliances that can emit carbon monoxide, but one that most homeowners do not think about is their furnace. A furnace that has not been maintained or has an inadequate supply of oxygen may produce high levels of CO. Carbon monoxide is a silent and deadly gas.

When Your Furnace Is Leaking Carbon Monoxide, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Can Become an Issue!

If you do not maintain or repair your furnace as needed, then carbon monoxide could become an issue for your home and the safety of your family. There are things you can do at home to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning or death from a CO leak, including:

Change Filter – Your home’s furnace filter must be replaced and/or cleaned regularly. This happens at a minimum of three to four times per year. A new filter does not just make your furnace energy-efficient; it ensures the ventilation does not become clogged
Tune Up Your Furnace – Each year, your furnace needs a tune-up. Professionals that offer furnace repair in Edmonton, like Always Plumbing & Heating, also can tune-up your furnace for the season and make sure all components are functioning properly. Part of Our technicians can ensure there are no harmful carbon monoxide emissions coming from your unit and circulating inside your home. We will also use specialized camera equipment to inspect the heat exchanger on your furnace for microscopic cracks, which is one of the leading causes of carbon monoxide emissions coming from furnaces.
Combustibles – Combustible materials should never be stored near the furnace and the burner area of your furnace should be kept clear and clean.
Registers – Inside your home, never block or close off more than 20 percent of these registers. This may lead to high resistance and unnecessary heat buildup.

Even with proper maintenance, there are other appliances in your home that emit this deadly gas, also known as the silent killer. You should use carbon monoxide detectors in the home, especially outside of your utility closet or room.

Frequent maintenance checks from qualified service technicians are your home’s first defence against carbon monoxide poisoning. If you need furnace repairs in Edmonton or a tune-up, contact Always Plumbing & Heating. We offer 24/7 emergency services as well to local homeowners. We know furnaces and can keep yours operating at maximum efficiency while always maintaining optimum safety. If you sense that you have a problem such as a carbon monoxide leak or your alarm goes off, be sure to evacuate right away and call emergency services before an accident happens. Do not take chances with carbon monoxide!

How to Clean a Granite Composite Sink

Granite composite sinks are hard, durable and resistant. Looking after them is quite simple. This article will explain how to properly care for your granite composite sink, from day-to-day care to deep cleaning to remove stains, water spots and buildup.

Advantages of Granite Composite Sinks

A granite composite sink, such as Silgranit by BLANCO, is modern, stylish, and extremely resistant and almost entirely scratch-proof. The Silgranit line of sinks is made up of 80 percent of the hardest component of granite. The surface of these sinks has antibacterial properties. These sinks are available in a lot of different colours and finishes, and they have the material dyed all the way through, meaning that severe scuffs, scratches, or staining foods, will not cause any discolouration to your sink. Mineral deposits can lead to discolouration, which you can remove with proper care and attention.

It is important to note the following when cleaning your granite composite sink:

Do not use full strength bleach or cleaners with ammonia
Do not use chemical drain openers
Do not use harsh chemicals
Do not use steel wool and abrasive sponges

Daily Care Tips to Clean a Granite Sink

With proper care, granite sinks are simple to clean and can be keep looking new for years to come. Follow the daily cleaning steps below to keep your entire sink in tip-top condition:

Use a soft sponge or soft cloth, detergent and water
Moisten the sponge with warm water
Squeeze a small amount of detergent to the soft side of the sponge
Rub sponge in small, circular motions using only the soft side of the sponge
Rinse the sink thoroughly with clean water
Dry the kitchen sink with a microfibre cloth

How to Remove Metal Abrasion

Metal objects like pots can cause dark streaks that are noticeable in lighter coloured granite composite sinks. Follow these steps to remove metal abrasion:

Apply detergent to the rough side of a sponge
Clean your sink in the same manner as outlined in daily care tips, except using the rough side of the sponge
For stubborn stains that do not come off using these steps, spray them with a 50:50 solution of water and white vinegar, allow to soak, then gently scrub the solution, rinse and dry the sink.

Removing Mineral Deposits, Hard Water Stains and Other Discolouration

If you wait too long to clean your granite-composite sink, limescale deposits will accumulate and become unsightly. Build-up typically gathers around the drain and the tap. It is easy to spot on darker sinks, and takes a while longer to build-up on lighter coloured sinks. In lighter sinks, the stain eventually becomes discoloured (the colour of tea) and this is when it becomes noticeable. The following steps you can take to remove stains and mineral deposit buildup:

Spray limescale with a 50:50 solution of water and vinegar solution, allow to soak, then scrub with the rougher side of the sponge (non-abrasive). rinse all of the vinegar and dry.
Apply a paste made of baking soda and water to the stains. Allow to soak, then scrub, rinse and dry.
If neither of these steps work, you may consider trying BLANCO Activ powder which removes the layer of limescale and dirt and restores the sink to its original colour. This product is specifically made for BLANCO Silgranit sinks.

Even though granite-composite sinks are higher maintenance than stainless steel sinks, they are a great choice thanks to their long-life, high durability and huge choice of colours. Granite sinks can withstand a lot, but over time they will start looking dull and discoloured if not taken care of. Getting into the habit of treating your sink with care will ensure it lasts for a long time, requiring far less time and attention in the long run. If you are interested in having granite-composite sinks installed in your home, the pros at Always Plumbing & Heating will present you with a wide variety of attractive options and professionally install the sinks in your home.

Winter Vacation Checklist: How to Prepare and Protect Your Home

This checklist is to help you protect your home and your valuables so that you have peace of mind while you travel.

Winter Vacation Home Maintenance Checklist

1. Contact your insurance broker. Some insurance policies have clauses that will void your insurance if you are away for an extended period of time. It is important that you understand your coverage. Your insurance broker will also tell you how often you need to have someone check on your home while you are away.

2. Have someone check on your home. This links back to your insurance policy. Some require daily check-ins. Have the person that you trust to check on your home and document in a notepad including the dates and times that they visited your home. Ensure this person does a walk through the entire home, including the mechanical room and the basement, as this is where your home is more likely to experience plumbing and mechanical problems.

3. Make your home look lived in. Install motion lights. Leave a porch light on. If you have smart lighting in your home, set different lights in the home on rotation to indicate that someone is moving around the house. Ensure that you have someone take in your mail and shovel your driveway if it snows.

4. Set your thermostat. Set your temperature at no lower than 16 degrees celsius. This will prevent your home’s pipes from freezing while minimizing your energy use. Many brands of smart thermostats will alert you if the heat drops to a dangerous level in your home in the event that your furnace stops working.

5. Turn off your main water supply. Locate your main shut-off line and turn it off. Then open all the faucets in your home to drain the water out. Close all the faucets except one. This will protect your home from flooding due to frozen pipes, should you lose heat during your time away. Leaving one faucet open will prevent pressure from building up if there is any water remaining inside the pipes.

6. Turn down the temperature on your hot water tank. Turn the temperature dial to the “Vacation” mode. This will ensure the water stays heated enough so that it doesn’t freeze, but will also prevent wasted energy.

7. Call your alarm company. It is important to notify your alarm provider the dates that you will be away traveling so that they can dispatch security guards to your home without hesitation should your alarm be triggered. Test your cameras and motion sensors before you leave, and change the batteries.

No matter what your length of travel, it is very important to safeguard your home during your winter vacation. Water damage and other disasters can cost thousands of dollars to repair. By taking these quick and simple steps you will safeguard your home from damages and have peace of mind on your next vacation.

Protecting Your Indoor Air Quality this Flu Season

Invisible to the naked eye, microscopic particles are swirling everywhere in our homes, causing runny noses, coughing, headaches, nausea, and even respiratory infections. The wear and tear on HVAC equipment can also cause a host of maintenance problems, like poor airflow, clogged coils, and compressor failure.

Always Plumbing has a wide range of indoor air purifiers to remove the contaminants in your home, from HEPA Air Filters to hospital-grade UVC Light air purifiers. With flu season just around the corner, it is beneficial that you protect your home and your family with a Clean Air Defence System. This system is comprised of HEPA filters plus a UVC Light. Airborne flu viruses can be captured and sterilized, preventing them from recirculating throughout your home via your ductwork. A standard MERV10 furnace filter alone captures only 10% of flu viruses, whereas adding an ultraviolet lamp triples that total single pass capture/sterilize rate to 35%.

What is Ultraviolet Light and how does it work?

UVC lamps target the DNA of microorganisms, destroying their cells or making replication impossible. Mounted on your home’s HVAC equipment, UVC energy destroys surface biofilm, a gluey matrix of microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, debris, et al.) that grow in the presence of moisture. Biofilm leads to a host of indoor air quality (IAQ) and operational problems that are sometimes mistakenly attributed solely to mold. UVC also destroys airborne viruses and bacteria that circulate through an HVAC system. UVC light was artificially created in the 1880’s. By the 1930’s surgeons were using UVC light in operating rooms to reduce airborne bacterial and viral infections.

Ultraviolet (UV) lights have been used since the 1930s in commercial and industrial procedures. In the 1990’s, UVC lamps started to emerge as in-duct air purifiers for residential use. UV lights are a proven technology that kills biological growth and disable the DNA of airborne micro-organisms and germs.

Benefits of UVC Systems

UVC Lamps disinfect the air by neutralizing airborne pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and mold. By controlling surface and airborne microbes, UVC can be beneficial in many ways, including Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) control and energy savings:

IAQ Control. UVC improves air quality by preventing the spread of airborne viruses and reducing the allergy and asthma symptoms triggered by biofilm/mold. It creates safer and more comfortable indoor environments, resulting in a happier and healthier home for you and your family.
Energy Savings. Studies show that a small amount of biofilm buildup on a coil increases energy consumption by 21.5%. UVC provides continuous cleaning of coils to eliminate biofilm and protect your home’s HVAC equipment. Energy savings can range from 10% to 28%.

Always Plumbing & Heating are your local indoor air quality experts. We are a local supplier of Dynamic Series2 Germicidal UVC Lamps, which are whole home IAQ systems that are installed directly on your central heating ductwork. We provide a range of quality systems that protect the air you breathe and reduce the spread of flu viruses throughout your home.

Credits: Data extracted from https://www.dynamicaqs.com/

The Benefits Of Installing A Garage Heater

Technology has advanced in many ways to keep you comfortable in your garage space when it’s cold outside. From smart thermostats to remote car starters to garage heaters, there are many ways that you can make Edmonton winter months more bearable. If you’re sick of getting in and out of your car in the garage, and it’s as cool as a meat locker, consider installing a quality garage heater for your home. Here are 5 benefits of having a garage heater this winter:

Top 5 Reasons To Get A Garage Heater – Heat your Garage to Stay Warm!

Garage heaters keep you and your vehicle warm. A warm garage means a warmer vehicle. This will help preserve the battery life in your vehicle, increasing it’s lifespan. It also reduces fuel and electricity consumption as you will no longer need to warm your vehicle up or plug in the block heater like you do when you park outside. It will be easier to keep your car clean and as a bonus, there will be no more sweeping snow and scraping ice off just to drive!
They are safer for your household. If you park inside your garage, you should absolutely not use your remote starter even when it is cold, because of dangerous carbon monoxide emissions. Having a garage heater heat up your garage will keep your vehicle toasty and ready for the road while keeping your family safe.
It’s no secret that they are more affordable. The price range of a garage heater depends on how big the space is that you want to heat, and how quickly you want it to heat up. Garage heaters work with propane or natural gas and are vented with simplified side-wall or roof ventilation. Selecting an energy-efficient garage heater should not cause a notable increase on your utility bills, provided your garage is properly insulated.
They have a compact design and are quiet. As technology advances, the size of garage heaters has been getting smaller and more efficient. There are several types of garage heaters that do no use ductwork, allowing them to be much more discreet and space-saving. Unit heaters provide spot heat, which is typically installed suspended from the ceiling which blows hot air directly downward. Garage heaters are operating quieter than ever. Hot Dawg® brand garage heaters by Modine are known for being “hush-puppy” quiet.
They provide more year-round living areas in your home. If you ever wanted to use your garage as a shop, a man-cave, or even a place for the kids to rough-house around in, a garage heater may be for you! There are many creative ways that you can maximize space in your garage and create unique living areas. Another garage heater benefit: it will allow you the option of having an extra refrigerator in your home that you can use year-round.

Having a heated garage allows you to get more use out of your whole home year-round while protecting your vehicle and creating comfort and convenience on cold winter days. Always Plumbing & Heating will take care of all of your garage heater needs. Our certified HVAC technicians will conduct an assessment of your garage and provide you with suitable options. The installation will be done safely and professionally, ensuring you receive high quality, guaranteed workmanship with warrantied materials. If your garage is not attached to your home, don’t fret! We can install natural gas or propane gas lines to your garage so that you can get the heater that you desire this winter. Book a free consultation with the experts at Always Plumbing & Heating now so you can enjoy the comforts of a cozy garage all winter long!

Getting Your Home Ready for Winter

Ensuring that your home is protected against the frigid winter weather will help avoid structural damage and keep utilities in check. The professionals at Always Plumbing & Heating are experts in fall maintenance and have advised hundreds of Edmonton homeowners on simple, essential procedures they can perform on their own. Follow the checklist below and enjoy a safe and worry-free winter!

Interior Maintenance

1. Assess attic insulation. Keep your heating costs in check and make sure you have adequate insulation in your attic. You should have at least 12 inches of insulation to maximize heat retention.

2. Replace your furnace filter. To ensure your furnace runs smoothly and efficiently all winter long, you need to change your filter to ensure it is free of dust and debris. A dirty filter will make your furnace work harder and drive up your energy bills. You should change your filter at least every 3 months, but in the winter you should check it more frequently and change it if it is dirty.

3. Check your weather stripping. To reduce heat loss, replace torn or worn weather stripping around your doors and windows.

Exterior Maintenance

1. Winterize your hose bibs. Water left in your hose bibs can cause the pipes to freeze, crack, and lead to a subsequent flood in your basement. Read how to winterize your hose bibs.

2. Clean your gutters. Once the trees lose their leaves this fall, your gutters are likely to become clogged with debris. Prepare for fall rain and winter snow by removing the leaves from your gutters. This will ensure they are able to properly drain in the spring.

3. Winterize your air conditioner. Clean off your air conditioner of debris, turn the power off to the unit, and place a cover over your AC. Read more on winterizing your air conditioner.

Fall DIY maintenance is key in keeping your home safe from all the pitfalls of a traditional Edmonton winter. Take a weekend to go through this checklist and make the repairs and improvements necessary for maximum security and energy-efficiency. Remember that the experts at Always Plumbing & Heating can help if you need professional heating maintenance or any plumbing or HVAC related needs throughout the fall.

Shutting Down Your Air Conditioner for Winter

As the temperatures begin to drop and winter approaches, it’s time to start thinking about shutting down your air conditioning unit for the season. Turning off your AC correctly can help you save money on energy costs and make sure that your unit is ready to go when warmer weather returns. With a few simple steps, you can properly shut down your AC system for the winter months ahead.

6 Easy Steps To Shut Down Your AC For Winter

Follow these steps to turn off your air conditioner for the season and prepare for the winter months:

Turn off cooling mode on your thermostat. On your thermostat turn off cooling. If you have a smart thermostat such as ecoBee or Nest, you can turn off cooling mode or the cooling system directly from your smartphone.
Turn off the air conditioning power – Find the central air conditioning circuit near the AC and turn the switch off. You can also turn the breaker off to the AC in your breaker box.
Replace the air filter. Air conditioners have filters in them that can become clogged up with pollen, dust, dirt and grime. The filters are to prevent these airborne particles from entering your home and improve your air quality when your AC is running. You should change this filter at least every 3 months while you are using your AC. As a good rule of thumb, replacing it at the end of the cooling season will prevent you from needing to do so in the Spring when you turn the unit back on.
Wash the outdoor condenser. On a warm fall day, use a garden hose to completely wash away any debris, leaves, and grass from your air conditioner. It is important to remove this debris so it doesn’t work its way into the central AC for the winter days. Don’t do this when it is below freezing out. Allow it to completely dry before putting the cover on.
Inspect the condenser and pipes. Check for cracks, rust, leaks, and other signs of damage. If you see any corrosion, it is important to have it professionally repaired before winter. Harsh weather can worsen the damages and cause a more costly repair next Spring.
Place a waterproof cover on the outdoor unit. If we installed your central air conditioner, you would have been given an option to add a custom cover to your purchase. If you do not have a cover, you can still call Always Plumbing & Heating to order one that is custom to your air conditioner unit. If you wish to shop around, be sure to choose an insulated, waterproof piece that completely covers the whole unit. Ensure the cover is tightly secured with bungee cords to prevent it from blowing away in the harsh winter winds.

Many of these tasks are things homeowners can do themselves to prepare their AC for winter.

Contact Always Plumbing & Heating to Get your Air Conditioner Ready for Winter

If you notice any damage on your air conditioner or need to order an AC cover, you can rely on us here at Always Plumbing & Heating. Our team of skilled HVAC professionals is happy to answer any questions you may have about Air Conditioner maintenance and repairs.

Winterizing Your Cabin Or Camper Trailer

After Thanksgiving, it is usually time to close down your seasonal cabin, trailer or vacation house for the winter. One of the biggest issues is preventing your pipes from freezing during the off-season, which is a very common problem.

You should partially winterize any time the residence is not used full-time or when it will be left unoccupied for long stretches. You should completely winterize your seasonal cabin or trailer after Thanksgiving (or sooner if the weather is below freezing!) and continue until the middle of spring.

How to Winterize Your Cabin

You will need to go through a few steps to winterize your cabin or trailer. If you will not be parking a trailer in a covered, warm space, do follow these winterizing tips:

Water Heater – Drain the water from your hot water tank using the drain valve located at the bottom of the tank. Attach a garden hose to the valve and drain it into the nearest drain or outside. Turn the breaker off to the tank or turn off the gas valve, or both, depending on whether your tank is electric or gas.

Water Lines – Find the water supply lines for your cabin where they come into the foundation. These are typically copper or PVC lines coming from the ground. Locate the shutoff valve to these lines and turn off all water.

Faucets – Once the water is turned off, locate the lowest faucet on the property (preferably one on the exterior). Open that faucet and leave it open. If you do not have an exterior faucet, find a faucet at the lowest elevation point inside the cabin and turn it on.

Remove Water – Next, go through the cabin and turn every faucet to the on position and flush every toilet. This will eliminate as much water as possible from the system.

Antifreeze – Next, pour antifreeze into every drain of the cabin, including showers, sinks, and toilets. For RVs, you can use RV antifreeze, but for cabins, you must use regular antifreeze. RV antifreeze is diluted for water tanks.

Dishwasher – Close the dishwasher (if applicable) and let it run for a few seconds to pull any water from inside the supply lines. This will activate the solenoid for the dishwasher and prevent it from freezing or breaking during the winter.

Even when you follow all of these steps, you may not get all of the water drained from your cabin’s pipes. If you experience any breakage or pipe issues, Always Plumbing & Heating will be there to help.

Getting your hose bibs ready for unseasonal cold weather

In Alberta, we all know how bitter cold the winter weather can be. As fall and winter approach, we are reminded there are many more cold days (or nights) ahead. As the weather cools down, there is a risk of your hose bibs freezing. Your hose bibs are the pipes that come out of your house where you would attach your garden hoses.

If your home has hose bibs, it is critical you prepare them for cold temperatures. All it takes is a small amount of leftover water in the pipe to freeze. Frozen pipes may burst due to the immense pressure. If this happens, your home could experience indoor flooding and costly repairs when you turn on your faucets in the spring and summer.

It is never too late to start protecting your hose bibs. To make sure you properly prepare them for cold weather, here are a few tips:

Remove all hoses from the hose bib and drain any water inside those hoses. Put your hoses away for the season.
Inspect outdoor faucets for leaks. If your faucet is dripping, you need to fix this immediately. All it takes is a small amount of water to freeze inside the pipe. If you notice a leak, contact a plumbing professional right away to have it repaired.
If possible, turn off your supply line. Then, turn on all outdoor faucets to properly drain any remaining water. Draining it down can reduce the chances that any water will freeze inside the pipe.

For extra protection, you may want to install a hose bib cover or a frost-proof hose bib. Your hose bibs should be properly insulated to reduce the chances of them freezing. A trained and licensed plumber can help you install a frost-proof bib on all of your outdoor faucets.

The last thing you need to worry about is a flood or plumbing issue this spring. Whether you need help fixing a drip or you are interested in frost-proofing your hose bibs, Always Plumbing & Heating can help.

Is a Furnace Tune-up Necessary For Your Home?

Another winter is on the horizon, which means it’s time to think about scheduling maintenance on your furnace. Just as your vehicle requires regular tune-ups and oil changes, you furnace also requires professional care and attention to ensure it is performing optimally and safely.

A furnace that doesn’t receive regular maintenance will not perform as efficiently which drives up your utility bills and energy use. An older furnace or improperly sized furnace for your home will also affect your energy use, but the most common reason is poor maintenance. If you haven’t had a tuneup in over a year, you are most likely wasting both energy and money.

The small investment for a furnace tune-up will be worth it to keep your furnace clean and ensure it is performing optimally, preventing major repairs or replacements down the road. Here are some reasons why every homeowner needs to schedule an annual furnace tune-up.

Improved Energy Efficiency: Annual maintenance on your furnace will ensure it runs at maximum efficiency. When the system is dirty or has parts that need to be fixed or replaced, the furnace has to work harder to produce the same amount of heat. This means it is using more energy to do its job.
Prevent wasting energy: Some homeowners supplement their home’s heating with space heaters, which will further drive up their energy use. This is a vicious cycle which is wasteful and expensive. If your furnace is properly sized and maintained, then it should be performing efficiently and creating the home comfort that your family needs, without using space heaters or wasting energy.
Lower Utility Bills: When your furnace isn’t working as well as it can, it will drive up your energy use, and this is reflected on your utility bills.
Avoiding Repairs: A fall tune-up can help catch minor problems before they are worsened by continuous use in the winter. Nobody wants their furnace to break down in the middle of winter, but this is usually when it happens. Regular maintenance can help prevent breakdowns and more costly repairs.

During routine furnace service, our technicians will conduct an 18-point tune-up. Several steps are taken during a professional tune-up including checking the blower access door and fresh intake grills. The burners are checked for proper ignition, burner flame, and flame sense. The blower wheel will be checked for debris and cleaned if necessary. We check the wiring for corrosion and damage, the heat exchanger for rust, corrosion, and cracks which can lead to carbon monoxide seeping into your home. These are just a few of the things that our technicians will do during an 18-point furnace tuneup.

Routine tune-ups save you money in the long run and keep your furnace running efficiently. If you are are due for an annual furnace tuneup, you can contact the professionals at Always Plumbing & Heating to schedule an appointment. Always Plumbing & Heating provides outstanding service 24/7.