Is Teflon Tape Useful In Lethbridge Plumbing Repairs?

One item that is found in every Lethbridge plumber‘s tool kit is Teflon tape. This tape can also be found in many homeowner repair kits. It is an inexpensive tape that is durable, long lasting, and looks like a ribbon. Also known as Plumber’s tape, Teflon tape is used to not only stop leaks in water pipe connections, but it can also be used to stop gas line leaks and leaks in the oil line.

Teflon tape consists of a stretchy material that allows a secure and tight fit when wrapped around a pipe thread connection. This durable and strong tape does not muck up when wrapped around the pipe threading so it is secure and will stop the water from penetrating through and start leaking again. The tape is not just used to wrap around threads of pipe fittings, but it can also be used to wrap around the oil pipe threads and gas line pipe threads.

Teflon tape itself is not wrapped around the pipe, but it is wrapped close to the threads to ensure a secure and tight fit. There are different types of Teflon tape that are used for different types of plumbing jobs. It is important to enlist the services of a plumber if you are not sure if the Teflon tape will adequately repair your particular pipe leak problem. Also, if you have a gas leak problem, it can be hazardous so it is wise to call in a plumber to avoid a potentially dangerous situation. A professional plumber has the knowledge and expertise to repair all type of leaks in a safe and efficient manner.

If you want to include Teflon tape in your home repair kit, you can find it at hardware stores, plumbing supply stores, and home building stores. It comes in the form of a roll that looks like ribbon. The tape is easy to pull off the roll, cut and wrap around the tread of the pipe connection. You normally wrap it around the pipe thread several times. It has to be wrapped carefully so that it does not contain any bubbles or crinkles. The idea is to wrap it so that is tight and secure to prevent leakage. Once wrapped, it should be pressed tightly to make sure it is a tight fit. Once tight, you will then fit the pipe connections back together and tighten the connections.

Teflon tape is just one important plumbing tool that plumbers keep in their tool kit. Plumbers have a wide variety of special tools and equipment to repair any plumbing problem professionally. When you have a serious problem with your plumbing system, it is important to have an expert make the repair as the plumbing system consists of a network of mechanisms and parts that are complex to those who do have the training and experience to deal with such a system. Plumbers are professionals that are trained to make the repair in a proper manner to ensure your plumbing system continues to operate properly and safely.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6267751

Lethbridge Air Conditioners

Air Conditioner Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What brand of air conditioner should I buy? Brand is a consideration when buying an air conditioner, but more important than brand is what stands behind the label. A good brand name won’t allow just anyone to install their air conditioners. It will provide long warranties, with little fine print. A standard warranty in the AC world is about 5 years. A good warranty is 10 years. The best warranty is 12 years, which Maytag carries on their air conditioners.

2. How do I know what efficiency I’m getting? Air Conditioners are measured in SEER ratings. This is much like measuring fuel mileage on a car. The higher your Miles/Gallon, the better fuel efficiency you’ll get. In 2011, Air Conditioners in Canada must be at least 13 SEER. Compare that to 10 or 15 years ago where air conditioners were 8 and 10 SEER. There are some units available on the market today that get SEER ratings as high as 20 and 24 SEER. Besides saving money on electricity, a unit with a higher SEER rating is typically backed by a better warranty, it’s usually quieter, and it will generally do a better job of keeping your house comfortable.

3. What size of air conditioner do I need? There are some sizing ‘rules of thumb’ that are commonly used by AC contractors. Air Conditioners are commonly sized by the ‘ton’. One ton of Air Conditioning capacity is 12,000 BTUs. Incidentally, 12,o00 BTUs is the amount of cooling you get by melting one ton of ice. Hence the verbiage. Back to sizing — most Air Conditioner systems in Lethbridge are sized to deliver one ton of cooling for every 400-600 square feet of main floor living space. But be careful, the amount of south or west exposure, the age and size of windows and roofing materials, the layout and type of your home (single level, bilevel, two storey, etc), all play a very significant role in sizing your Air Conditioner. Don’t be fooled by over-the-phone sizing and pricing. It’s very easy to guess that way, but hard to stand behind your work. What you want is to insist that your contractor come to your home and do a written quote, which should always be free. That’s the only way to really get clear on sizing your Air Conditioner.

4. What is the best kind of freon, or refrigerant? There are only two types commonly used in home systems in Lethbridge. R22, which is going the way of the dinosaur, is more environmentally hazardous and is being phased out of use. R410A, which is becoming the new standard, is much more environmentally friendly, and will be readily available for many years to come. Be careful if buying R22 units, they could be very expensive to service in a few short years!

5. Can I do the installation myself? Air Conditioners are not plug and play. They are full of complex components and the installation requirements are very stringent. Just a small amount of moisture in the system could destroy the compressor and void the warranty. There are many ways to save money with a little DIY (do it yourself) or by getting the help of a neighbourhood handyman. Your air conditioner is not one of those ways! Since an Air Conditioner is a significant investment, we advise that you always enlist the services of a professional installation company.

Crowsnest Pass Choosing the Best Gas Water Heater

Going with a gas water heater instead of an electric is a choice more and more Crowsnest homeowners are making now because of today’s rising fuel costs. It is estimated that using a gas unit costs the homeowner about half of what it would cost him to use an electric unit. But what is the best gas water heater for you? Here’s what you should look for before purchasing. Our trained expert Crowsnest plumbers can assist you with the installation of your new water heater so give them a call

1) Natural gas over liquid propane. There are debates about which fuel source is better but most believe that it is natural gas. It burns cleaner and is slightly less expensive. However, you must guard against carbon monoxide leaks with either version, as you should do with any gas burning appliances.

2) Tank capacity and flow rate. The best gas water heater for you is the one that has the lowest tank capacity to fit your needs and the best flow rate. A 40 gallon unit costs more than a thirty and a fifty gallon unit costs more than a forty. You shouldn’t buy a unit bigger than your needs. However, even more important than tank capacity is the amount of hot water the heater is able to put out in an hour. Look for the best value by finding the smallest possible tank capacity with the best flow rate.

3) Safety. The best water heaters on the market today will have built in safety precautions to prevent the pilot light from igniting any flammable vapors that might get into the room. Do not purchase one without them. The feature is not expensive and it can save lives.

Our Crowsnest plumbers can assist you with you hot water heater choices so give them a call today and see what they can do for you.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jennifer_Lynn_Hanson

If you’re looking for water heater installation in the Lethbridge area then please give us a call at 403.327.9349 or complete our request service form

Lethbridge Plumber advice on New Toilets

When the old toilet in your home starts to cause problems, it can be a very annoying thing! A toilet that’s constantly running, for instance, is using water constantly as well as draining water constantly. That’s not good for anyone. Other toilet failure symptoms include: fills very slowly; have to double flush all the time; have to hold the handle down; have to keep a plunger next to the toilet.

You always have options when your toilet isn’t working right.

1. You can fix it, which is to replace the part that is causing the grief. The trouble with fixing a troublesome toilet is that there is often another failure waiting to happen. And it usually happens a day or two after the plumber leaves!

2. You can rebuild it, which is to replace all of the seals, bolts, gaskets and moving parts in the toilet. This is certainly better than the ‘fix’ option, but it also has its drawbacks. A toilet that flushes poorly is not necessarily going to flush better after a rebuild. The mechanics of the flush won’t change. The cost of rebuilding a toilet is usually going to be 50% or more than the cost of just replacing it. Which brings us to option 3.

3. Replace it! This is almost always the best option. A new toilet with a warranty, better engineering and way less water consumption. With Dual Flush, and Low Flow design, its very hard to beat.

A good plumber can help with any of the above options. And a good plumber shouldn’t pressure you into choosing any particular option. At My Service Company, we provide options with information, never pressure. We’ll share our opinion with you, but the decision is always yours.

Lethbridge Plumbing Repairs

Fixing the broken plumbing in someone’s home can be dirty work. Most homeowners won’t touch their own plumbing for that reason alone! But there are some really great rewards for a plumber for a job well done. There are a lot of plumbing companies out there that will get the work done. They may be reasonably priced too. They have good quality parts and tools and they know what they’re doing. Ironically, although all of those are true and very important to us, we rarely get a comment from a customer about any of those things. You want to know what people comment about when it comes to great plumbing service?

• The person I talked to on the phone was fantastic! Very helpful, thorough and polite!
• That technician was so friendly and caring. I will ask for him by name every time I need a repair done.
• The plumber put a red carpet down by my sink and put all the tools and dirty parts on it. It had a rubber back too so when he was done he rolled it up and there was nothing to clean up. That’s good service!

We’ve learned that when people need service work done, they are more concerned with the service than the work. At My Service Company, service is what we do. Plumbing is dirty work. No doubt about that. But the reward of a delighted customer makes it worth it every time!

Importance of Lethbridge Indoor Air Quality

In today’s air tight Lethbridge homes, household dust typically includes dust mites, mold, smoke film, pollen and animal dander. These contaminants can accumulate inside your home’s duct work. These contaminants recirculate with the air potentially inflaming the symptoms of asthma and allergy sufferers as well as decreasing the efficiency of your heating and cooling system.

If you or your family suffer from allergies or asthma or are always sick, suffer from headaches, have indoor pets, stale odors, or excessive dust, you should look into your air duct system. All of our indoor air recirculates through our air duct system. The EPA ranks indoor air quality as one of the top five health risks.

Air ducts should be cleaned every three to five years, if you have recently built a new home or purchased an existing home consider the dust from construction or the contaminants from the previous owners. Most homeowners overlook this very important part of there home.

How do I know if my air ducts need to be cleaned? There are hvac companies that can do a video inspection of your air ducts. These small video cameras can be inserted into your air duct system by removing a register vent and inserting them into your duct system. These small cameras can be inserted as far as 35 feet into your system so you can see what is inside the duct system. There is a small monitor that you can view as the camera goes through your system.

The air duct cleaning process starts by removing all the register vents and cleaning and sanitizing them to remove any contaminants that may be on them. We start with the supply vents using the rotobrush system which is a small vacuum system with a brush that spins inside your air ducts loosening all of the contaminants inside your system. As the brush spins it vacuums at the same time creating a vortex at the vacuum hose so the dust is removed at the source. The vacuum system uses HEPA filters so the dust stays inside the machine. After all the supply vents are cleaned the return vents are cleaned in the same process that the supply vents were cleaned. After all the supply and return vents are cleaned the main trunk system is cleaned using the same process as the supply and return vents with the exception of a bigger hose is used and bigger brushes. The air handler and furnace are cleaned as well.

Once the system is cleaned it is fogged using an environmentally friendly EPA registered antimicrobial that that is commonly used in hospitals. the antimicrobial kills bacteria, viruses, odors leaving your home air system fresh clean and virtually contaminant free.

After your system has been cleaned you can expect less dust, better breathing conditions, improved air flow and overall better indoor air quality. You can also expect to see a decrease in your energy cost as your furnace system will run cleaner and last longer.

One very important part of having your duct system cleaned that should not be overlooked is your clothes dryer vent. plugged clothes dryer vents cause over 16000 house fires a year and are very dangerous. Your clothes dryer vent can be plugged with lint or have been known to have bird nests or other animals living in them. If you have noticed a increase in drying time then you should have your dryer vent cleaned or replaced. You will also notice a considerable savings in your energy bills with just having your dryer vent cleaned, Less run time and longer life for your clothes dryer.

Oldest Furnace Contest

Is your furnace a furnace-suarus? My Service Company is looking for the oldest prehistoric furnace from the stone age in the Lethbridge area. When we find it, we’ll replace it with an energy efficient Maytag furnace, FREE!

This contest ends February 2

8, so enter your old beast as soon as possible. Even if you don’t win the free furnace, it’s still worth your while to enter. We’re giving every entrant a $200 gift certificate, as well as entering you in a draw for other fantastic prizes. You really can’t lose!

More details and an entry form found here.

Changing your Furnace Mid Winter

We often hear that people are apprehensive to change their old furnace mid winter, especially when we’re in the middle of a really cold spell. That’s a fair concern. So we asked one of our recent customers if she could describe her experience of a January furnace change. Here’s what she wrote…

“I really didn’t want to wait any longer. That old furnace was just using too much gas. The guys at My Service Company told me they would have heat on the same day, and that’s exactly what they did. Even at -20, the house only cooled a little. I had to put a sweater on, but that’s about all. The heat was back on before I even had dinner ready and my new Maytag furnace is quiet, warm and I can’t wait to see my next gas bill!”

When you’re changing your furnace mid-winter, here are a couple of things to do to get ready for the big day:

1. Pre-warm the house a little. We’ll arrive at 8:30am sharp and start tearing out your old furnace right away. So crank it up a little before we arrive and that will overheat your home a bit. You’ll appreciate the extra heat.

2. Have the furnace room and surrounding area tidied up. We can work  more efficiently if the work space is free and clear of clutter. Furnace rooms are magnetic to storage items. If we have to spend a few hours clearing the workspace, that will cut into your heat-on time.

3. Don’t worry about it! The worst that ever happens is that your home will cool down a few degrees. You’re in absolutely no danger of the pipes freezing. The only thing you might notice is that, like our customer who wrote about her experience, you might need to put on a sweater or some wooly socks.

So, if your old furnace needs to be replaced, don’t worry about the season. We install new Maytag furnaces all year long, and there is no such thing as a day that is too cold to get rid of those high gas bills and expensive repairs.

Blocked Vent Piping

If you have a high efficiency furnace or tankless water heater, chances are you have a vent pipe protruding from the side of your home that looks something like this. If so, be careful of the snow accumulation around this pipe. Not only does it discharge exhaust gases out of the furnace, but it also draws in outside air for combustion. If it get blocked by snow, it’s going to starve the appliance. You’re not likely to get harmed if this happens because these furnaces and water heaters have built in safety protection. You will, however, have an appliance that is not working! So, before calling your favourite plumbing and heating company, check to see that this thing isn’t blocked! You’ll save yourself some money!

Carbon Monoxide a Real Threat

Every homeowner should take the time to educate themselves on the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. It’s often read about, used a fear tactic by contractors, and mostly misunderstood. This post from the Sun describes what happened to a work crew using machinery with inadequate ventilation. This can and does happen in finished homes as well, and the problem is that the gas is colourless and odourless.

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http://www.calgarysun.com/news/alberta/2011/01/07/16806916.html

Three patients were taken from a home under construction in the Hamptons after likely carbon monoxide poisoning.

Emergency crews found four individuals in the home suffering effects from the potentially deadly gas Friday afternoon.

Fire spokesman Brian McAsey said levels in the home on Hamptons View N.W. were as high as 250 parts per million (ppm.)

To put it in to perspective he said fire crews typically started evacuating — especially pregnant women and children who are more vulnerable to CO poisoning — when levels reach 12-1/2 ppm.

“At 25 parts per million we start evacuation of the general public and at 35 everyone is out,” he said.

Once levels reach beyond that people can start fainting, slipping in an out of consciousness and extend exposure to high levels can be deadly.

McAsey said the source is believed to be a machine running in the basement, which was being tiled and wasn’t properly ventilated.

Someone else in the home called emergency crews.

EMS spokesman Adam Loria said three patient were transported in stable but non life-threatning condition to hospital.

A fourth patient declined treatment.

Carbon monoxide a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas that can cause illness or even death.

Any fuel-burning appliance can produce carbon monoxide if it is not installed, used, vented and maintained properly.

Symptoms include headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion and loss of coordination or judgment.

Carbon monoxide detectors are advised in all homes and if poisoning is expected people and pets should leave the building and call 911.

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What you need to do:

1. Get a CO detector in your home. They range in price from $20 to $100+. Don’t buy the cheapest ones. They work, but they often end up causing false alarms and need to be replaced more frequently. If you have one, check it today and replace batteries every year!

2. Have your gas appliances checked annually. Have a qualified technician check your furnace and water heater. If you haven’t had your appliances checked, do it now!

3. Know what to do. Get clear on what to do when your detector goes off. More information found here.

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