We Can Spot Trouble a Mile Away…Well, Practically!
For better system performance and maximum energy efficiency, now’s the time to consider having us inspect and clean your central air conditioning system.
Central air conditioning systems…you plug ‘em in, turn ‘em on, sit back and enjoy the “cool.” No worries, right?
If only things were that simple. But that doesn’t mean you really have anything to worry about…not with (company name) on hand to help you maximize your investment in year-round indoor comfort.
First of all, let’s look at some cooling system realities:
· Most repairs occur with systems at or more than 5 years old;
· Complete system replacements are 35% more likely in the absence of ongoing maintenance;
· Major system repairs cost between $250 and $1,000;
· Most indoor health risks can be minimized or eliminated with proper system maintenance;
· By keeping your system in top working order, you can cut your monthly energy costs by about 25%.
So what exactly does an air conditioning system tune-up consist of? Well, at Aux Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electrical, we leave no cooling element unturned. For example, we:
· Clean your filters, and replace them if necessary;
· Inspect condenser & evaporator coils;
· Inspect blower motor & wheel;
· Inspect the safety controls;
· Lubricate and inspect all motors;
· Adjust belts if necessary;
· Examine and calibrate refrigerant controls;
· Verify and adjust operating pressures;
· Verify proper amperage and voltage for your compressor, evaporator and condenser motors.
Something that thorough must also be expensive, right? Not hardly. And now, we can make it even more affordable with the coupon below. That’s right, simply call Aux Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electrical today, and you’ll save $25 on a complete air conditioning system tune-up. Think of it as insurance for the long haul, and a good way to offset even the hottest and stickiest weather this summer has to offer.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Show me Proof!
Put Up, or…Don’t Bother Coming In!
In these crazy times, a little bit of caution can go a long, long way. That’s why we urge you to ask every single contractor – including us – for proper identification before allowing a company technician into your home.
Usually, we like to talk about accomplishments and capabilities, and how we can best put them to use on your behalf. After all, to earn your business, we have to give you all the right reasons.
Well, that includes our ability to demonstrate not just our workmanship and quality products, but our hiring and on-the-job practices. You have a right to know. More than that, its’ your right to demand from us the highest of professional standards.
So with nothing but your family’s wellbeing in mind, we encourage you to observe the following screening measures:
· When interviewing prospective contractors, pay attention to how they answer your questions. A good contractor will listen carefully and not rush you into decisions.
· Are they licensed and insured? Demand proof! And if you’re still in doubt, check with the Better Business Bureau.
· How well experienced are they, and what do they have for references? Don’t be afraid to ask…it will help to eliminate potential problems down the road.
· When a service technician shows up at your door, don’t allow anyone inside that you’re not expecting. And even if you are expecting someone, ask the contractor for the name of the technician first, and then ask for proper identification when he or she arrives.
· Before the credibility of a field technician even becomes an issue, ask your contractor to explain their hiring practices. At Aux Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electrical, for example, we run thorough background checks on every individual we consider for employment.
· Always get an up-front cost estimate. For us, that’s standard practice. Plus, we honor every approved estimate, even if the job is more involved or takes more time than we anticipated.
All pretty common sense ideas…but often times, many of us are too focused on the end result to pay proper attention to the process that will lead us there.
In these crazy times, a little bit of caution can go a long, long way. That’s why we urge you to ask every single contractor – including us – for proper identification before allowing a company technician into your home.
Usually, we like to talk about accomplishments and capabilities, and how we can best put them to use on your behalf. After all, to earn your business, we have to give you all the right reasons.
Well, that includes our ability to demonstrate not just our workmanship and quality products, but our hiring and on-the-job practices. You have a right to know. More than that, its’ your right to demand from us the highest of professional standards.
So with nothing but your family’s wellbeing in mind, we encourage you to observe the following screening measures:
· When interviewing prospective contractors, pay attention to how they answer your questions. A good contractor will listen carefully and not rush you into decisions.
· Are they licensed and insured? Demand proof! And if you’re still in doubt, check with the Better Business Bureau.
· How well experienced are they, and what do they have for references? Don’t be afraid to ask…it will help to eliminate potential problems down the road.
· When a service technician shows up at your door, don’t allow anyone inside that you’re not expecting. And even if you are expecting someone, ask the contractor for the name of the technician first, and then ask for proper identification when he or she arrives.
· Before the credibility of a field technician even becomes an issue, ask your contractor to explain their hiring practices. At Aux Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electrical, for example, we run thorough background checks on every individual we consider for employment.
· Always get an up-front cost estimate. For us, that’s standard practice. Plus, we honor every approved estimate, even if the job is more involved or takes more time than we anticipated.
All pretty common sense ideas…but often times, many of us are too focused on the end result to pay proper attention to the process that will lead us there.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
First Aid For Your Home
All of us in the home service business know that there's no such thing as a non-emergency call. To a home owner with no heat in winter, no air conditioning in summer, a stopped-up toilet, broken pipes, no hot water or an unwanted wading pool in the basement, it is always an EMERGENCY!!! Especially when the breakdown occurs at exactly the wrong time. As it always does.
That's why progressive service contractors emphasize speed of service. It's our goal to get to every customer within one hour of receiving their call. Unfortunately, that's not always possible, and not every service firm even tries very hard to get there fast. So like soldiers on a battlefield, all home owners need to know some elementary first aid to stop the bleeding and stabilize the wounded until more thorough help can arrive. Here are some of the things you can do in case of...
Furnace or boiler failure. Is there any experience more chilling than waking up in the middle of winter and seeing your breath? (Forgive the pun, please.) Besides being cold, it usually costs more to get a service technician out in the middle of the night. Also, repairs can often take a day or two, which puts your pipes in jeopardy of freezing.
There are a couple of things you can do that might forestall the need for a service call. First, check to see if the heating system's electrical switch is in the on position. This looks just like a light switch and can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of the boiler or furnace. Next check the fuse or circuit breaker to the heating system's electrical line. If the fuse is blown, replace it, or else flick the circuit breaker back to the on position.
Once you're assured that the power is on, check the thermostat to make sure nobody turned the dial way down. If it's a programmable unit, make sure the thermostat is programmed correctly. Finally, take a look outside to make sure there's not a general power outage in your neighborhood.
If none of these electrical flukes bear out, you have a more serious problem. Then call a professional. If you're lucky, a service technician will be out there before too many hours pass. Sometimes, though, it may take a day or two to fix your system. Depending on how severe the weather is, you need to decide whether to seek other shelter or tough it out with extra blankets and space heaters. Whatever you do, don't try to generate heat by turning on your cooking stove. Appliances are not intended for space heating and are dangerous when used for that purpose.
Frozen pipes. Water pipes can burst from a household accident, long-term corrosion or, most commonly, freezing. Most freezes occur in crawl spaces or areas such as exterior walls or basements, where cold air enters through cracks. Even though the room temperature might be well above freezing, a constant thin stream of cold air is all it takes to freeze a pipe.
The first damage control step you need to take is to turn off the water shutoff valve leading into the house. Usually this is located near a wall where the municipal water line enters your house.
Next time you use a plumber, ask him to hang tags on your household lines to identify water and gas shutoffs. Some progressive service firms do this without being asked, but most do not.
Gas leaks. Water leaks are a nuisance. Gas leaks can be deadly. Here is where marked shutoff valves can be of critical importance. A faint gas odor may indicate nothing more than a burned out pilot light to an appliance. Check the water heater or any other appliances in the vicinity to see if the pilot is out. (An absence of hot water is another big hint.)A more powerful odor spells big danger. Turn off the shutoff valve by the gas meter to your house. Turn off all appliances, open windows and vacate the house before you call for service.The most common cause of a major gas leak is knocking open a gas valve, or even damaging the pipe, while moving furniture. Be careful.
Overflowing toilet. Naturally, you want to have a plunger handy to remove any clogs caused by toilet paper or other lightweight debris. If you can't stop the water from flowing, it probably indicates a stuck outlet valve. Lift the lid off the toilet tank and check to see why the tank ball or plug is not covering the round opening at the bottom of the tank. Push the ball or plug into the opening.
If the plug won't move, don't force it. Lifting the float arm will shut off the flow. Stretch a ruler or other long object across the top of the tank and position the lfoat arm across it to keep it up in place. Then call the plumber.
If none of this works, turn off the shutoff valve to the toilet. Its handle usually is located either behind the tank or underneath it.
Proprietary Information, Nexstar®, Inc., Copyright 1996
All of us in the home service business know that there's no such thing as a non-emergency call. To a home owner with no heat in winter, no air conditioning in summer, a stopped-up toilet, broken pipes, no hot water or an unwanted wading pool in the basement, it is always an EMERGENCY!!! Especially when the breakdown occurs at exactly the wrong time. As it always does.
That's why progressive service contractors emphasize speed of service. It's our goal to get to every customer within one hour of receiving their call. Unfortunately, that's not always possible, and not every service firm even tries very hard to get there fast. So like soldiers on a battlefield, all home owners need to know some elementary first aid to stop the bleeding and stabilize the wounded until more thorough help can arrive. Here are some of the things you can do in case of...
Furnace or boiler failure. Is there any experience more chilling than waking up in the middle of winter and seeing your breath? (Forgive the pun, please.) Besides being cold, it usually costs more to get a service technician out in the middle of the night. Also, repairs can often take a day or two, which puts your pipes in jeopardy of freezing.
There are a couple of things you can do that might forestall the need for a service call. First, check to see if the heating system's electrical switch is in the on position. This looks just like a light switch and can usually be found somewhere in the vicinity of the boiler or furnace. Next check the fuse or circuit breaker to the heating system's electrical line. If the fuse is blown, replace it, or else flick the circuit breaker back to the on position.
Once you're assured that the power is on, check the thermostat to make sure nobody turned the dial way down. If it's a programmable unit, make sure the thermostat is programmed correctly. Finally, take a look outside to make sure there's not a general power outage in your neighborhood.
If none of these electrical flukes bear out, you have a more serious problem. Then call a professional. If you're lucky, a service technician will be out there before too many hours pass. Sometimes, though, it may take a day or two to fix your system. Depending on how severe the weather is, you need to decide whether to seek other shelter or tough it out with extra blankets and space heaters. Whatever you do, don't try to generate heat by turning on your cooking stove. Appliances are not intended for space heating and are dangerous when used for that purpose.
Frozen pipes. Water pipes can burst from a household accident, long-term corrosion or, most commonly, freezing. Most freezes occur in crawl spaces or areas such as exterior walls or basements, where cold air enters through cracks. Even though the room temperature might be well above freezing, a constant thin stream of cold air is all it takes to freeze a pipe.
The first damage control step you need to take is to turn off the water shutoff valve leading into the house. Usually this is located near a wall where the municipal water line enters your house.
Next time you use a plumber, ask him to hang tags on your household lines to identify water and gas shutoffs. Some progressive service firms do this without being asked, but most do not.
Gas leaks. Water leaks are a nuisance. Gas leaks can be deadly. Here is where marked shutoff valves can be of critical importance. A faint gas odor may indicate nothing more than a burned out pilot light to an appliance. Check the water heater or any other appliances in the vicinity to see if the pilot is out. (An absence of hot water is another big hint.)A more powerful odor spells big danger. Turn off the shutoff valve by the gas meter to your house. Turn off all appliances, open windows and vacate the house before you call for service.The most common cause of a major gas leak is knocking open a gas valve, or even damaging the pipe, while moving furniture. Be careful.
Overflowing toilet. Naturally, you want to have a plunger handy to remove any clogs caused by toilet paper or other lightweight debris. If you can't stop the water from flowing, it probably indicates a stuck outlet valve. Lift the lid off the toilet tank and check to see why the tank ball or plug is not covering the round opening at the bottom of the tank. Push the ball or plug into the opening.
If the plug won't move, don't force it. Lifting the float arm will shut off the flow. Stretch a ruler or other long object across the top of the tank and position the lfoat arm across it to keep it up in place. Then call the plumber.
If none of this works, turn off the shutoff valve to the toilet. Its handle usually is located either behind the tank or underneath it.
Proprietary Information, Nexstar®, Inc., Copyright 1996
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Light Bulb Comparisons
Quick, who invented the light bulb? Thomas Edison, you say? A very popular answer, to be sure. But not the right one!
So how’s your light bulb IQ? Specifically, can you name the most energy-efficient light bulb for your every day, “Around the House” usage? The answer might just surprise you, as will the amount of money you can save by saying “so long” to incandescent bulbs!
The amount of light given off by a light bulb is measured in lumens. One lumen is the equivalent of the light given off by one candle. A watt, on the other hand, is the amount of electricity a light bulb uses to produce light.
That’s an important distinction, because a new 13-watt compact fluorescent light bulb produces as much light (or, as many lumens) as a traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb. As much light, and yet it uses only one-quarter of the electrical energy!
And now that we have your attention…
Incandescent: The usual suspects.
Thomas Edison, while credited with the invention of the incandescent light bulb, was actually beaten to the punch by Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, an English physicist and electrician. Swan produced his first experimental light bulb in 1860 using carbonized paper as a filament. Unfortunately, he didn't achieve complete incandescence, so he turned his attentions to other pursuits. Which is why you’ve probably never heard of him.
More to the point, 90% percent of the energy produced by incandescent bulbs is heat, not light…and that makes them highly inefficient light sources.
While regular incandescent bulbs usually last between 750 to 1,000 hours before burning out, some long-life bulbs last up to 2,500 hours, but are even less energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Next Up: Compact Fluorescent Bulbs.
In the mid-1980’s, compact fluorescent light bulbs were introduced as an alternative to both traditional fluorescent and incandescent models.
Compact fluorescent run far more quietly than traditional fluorescent bulbs, and can be screwed into incandescent light sockets. Best of all, they run on a quarter of the energy used by incandescent bulbs, and last ten times longer. Some models even work with dimmer switches. Definitely worth a try, don’t you think?
Today, like always…
…we hope you’ll call on us, no matter what the electrical service need. Act now, and save $50 on the electrical service of your choice…courtesy of your friends at Aux Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electrical. “Around the House,” there’s nobody more reliable.
So how’s your light bulb IQ? Specifically, can you name the most energy-efficient light bulb for your every day, “Around the House” usage? The answer might just surprise you, as will the amount of money you can save by saying “so long” to incandescent bulbs!
The amount of light given off by a light bulb is measured in lumens. One lumen is the equivalent of the light given off by one candle. A watt, on the other hand, is the amount of electricity a light bulb uses to produce light.
That’s an important distinction, because a new 13-watt compact fluorescent light bulb produces as much light (or, as many lumens) as a traditional 60-watt incandescent bulb. As much light, and yet it uses only one-quarter of the electrical energy!
And now that we have your attention…
Incandescent: The usual suspects.
Thomas Edison, while credited with the invention of the incandescent light bulb, was actually beaten to the punch by Sir Joseph Wilson Swan, an English physicist and electrician. Swan produced his first experimental light bulb in 1860 using carbonized paper as a filament. Unfortunately, he didn't achieve complete incandescence, so he turned his attentions to other pursuits. Which is why you’ve probably never heard of him.
More to the point, 90% percent of the energy produced by incandescent bulbs is heat, not light…and that makes them highly inefficient light sources.
While regular incandescent bulbs usually last between 750 to 1,000 hours before burning out, some long-life bulbs last up to 2,500 hours, but are even less energy efficient than traditional incandescent bulbs.
Next Up: Compact Fluorescent Bulbs.
In the mid-1980’s, compact fluorescent light bulbs were introduced as an alternative to both traditional fluorescent and incandescent models.
Compact fluorescent run far more quietly than traditional fluorescent bulbs, and can be screwed into incandescent light sockets. Best of all, they run on a quarter of the energy used by incandescent bulbs, and last ten times longer. Some models even work with dimmer switches. Definitely worth a try, don’t you think?
Today, like always…
…we hope you’ll call on us, no matter what the electrical service need. Act now, and save $50 on the electrical service of your choice…courtesy of your friends at Aux Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electrical. “Around the House,” there’s nobody more reliable.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)