Plumbing Tips to Keep Drains and Pipes Clog-Free

You probably take your home’s draining system for granted, without realising how essential drains are to modern living and how inconvenient life can get when a drain becomes blocked.  The drainage system in your home runs from the inside to the outside and all parts can become clogged or blocked if not properly maintained, leading to property damage and health hazards.

You can tell if your drains are starting to become clogged as the water will take longer to drain and may eventually stop draining all together. This happens when food waste from plates, particularly grease, is washed down the sink and starts to form a gunge inside the pipes.

Upgrade Your Home's Heating for Savings

Most people only think of calling a plumber or technician when something goes wrong. If it’s not broken, don’t fix it, right? Wrong. Almost everything in the world today is getting better, smarter and more cost-efficient. So it is with the majority of heating systems.

Take your water heater for example. Modern electric water heaters take less time to heat and keep your water hotter for longer. Replacing existing heaters is a relatively straightforward process and is usually carried out well within a day.

Protect Homes, Offices from Legionnaires’ Disease

Air conditioning is an essential feature of modern living, giving us comfort in our homes and workplaces. Not everyone knows, however, just how important it is to keep an air conditioning system regularly maintained by a competent contractor. This is to ensure that the system runs at maximum efficiency and also to guard against a harmful bacteria known as Legionella, which can breed in poorly maintained systems and cause a real health hazard in the form of Legionnaires' disease.

The symptoms of Legionnaires' disease are similar to those of flu, with a cough, high fever and pneumonia, and could prove fatal. The situation arises when Legionella bacteria are allowed to multiply in water cooling systems, in temperatures between 20-45 degrees Centigrade. The bacteria are then expelled in very fine water droplets when the system is switched on and they get into the air we breathe.

Standards in the Canadian Plumbing Industry

We've all seen the rogue trader programmes on television, where unqualified and unprofessional so-called plumbers or other type of tradesman, go into homes and businesses and do botched jobs. Unwitting home and business owners, who give these people the plumbing or heating jobs in the first place, take their word for their competence, without checking their credentials. However, by accepting qualifications that may or may not exist, home and business owners put their homes at risk.

What to Expect from a Good Plumbing Company

An excellent plumbing service will always be an asset to any homeowner. After all, plumbing problems can not only be extremely disruptive, but may also lead to health and safety issues in the home. For this reason, it is best to work with a plumbing company whom you can rely on for your needs, from installations to scheduled inspections to emergency repairs. Here are some of the things you can expect from a reliable plumbing service.

Licensed and Experienced Technicians

Nothing can give you peace of mind more than knowing your plumbing needs are in good, qualified hands. A company that boasts of continuous training for their team is an excellent bet to provide good service at all times. 

Should I Do It Myself or Hire a Plumber?

We are living in the so-called information age, where any information on just about anything can be obtained at the touch of a few keypads. This includes information on how to conduct your own plumbing repairs around the house. The prospect of saving money on minor repair jobs is indeed tantalising, but there are some factors you should consider before deciding on whether you can undertake the job on your own.

Time
We all have busy schedules, and doing anything for the first time will consume a lot of time and mental concentration. Therefore, you should make sure your schedule is not busy before attempting to fix anything yourself.

How to Determine Tankless Water Heater Size for Optimal Efficiency

If you’re thinking of installing a tankless water heater, you have to keep in mind that available units come in different sizes and features. Tankless heaters from noted plumbing companies like Capital Plumbing & Heating Ltd., which serves Edmonton and nearby areas, come in two major types: gas-fired and electric heaters, and each one has its pros and cons. Aside from the two major heater types, though, homeowners also need to take note of proper sizing. Electrical units come in smaller sizes and with less heating capacity. A general rule of thumb is that for one or two persons, an electric unit makes much more sense. If more than two persons would require hot water regularly, gas-powered tankless heaters are the better choice.
http://capitalplumbing.ca/how-to-determine-tankless-water-heater-size-for-optimal-efficiency/

All About Grease Traps: A Common Source of Drain Cleaning Concerns

Restaurants, gas stations with car washes, laundromats, and similar businesses cannot operate without installing a critical component in their plumbing system: a grease trap/solid waste interceptor. The installation of a grease trap is needed, since these businesses have to dispose of potentially harmful wastes down the sewers, which can cause threats to public health and safety. Grease traps are special devices which collect grease and prevent it from going down the drain. They can only be installed by licensed plumbers. The very nature of the grease trap’s job makes it a typical point of focus for local plumbing companies like Capital Plumbing and Heating, Ltd., which serves Edmonton and nearby areas. When grease traps get filled to capacity with grime, clearing them out is a very unpleasant job, but very necessary in commercial establishments, such as restaurants.
http://capitalplumbing.ca/all-about-grease-traps-a-common-source-of-drain-cleaning-concerns/

While the Cold Isn’t Here Yet: Perfect Time to Check Your Home Heating

How’s your home furnace? That may seem to be an odd question to ask as winter won’t be arriving in the Alberta area, like the town of Stony Plain or the city of Edmonton, until November. Upon closer look, though, now is actually a good time to see if the furnace will meet your heating needs come the cold season. After all, as Canada is far up north, its winters are relatively colder, thus requiring home heating systems to work harder. Giving your heating suite a good check-up while the cold days and nights aren’t here yet is a great idea. If your furnace is not up to snuff, your utility bills will rise. Worse, it may break down in the middle of winter.
http://capitalplumbing.ca/while-the-cold-isnt-here-yet-perfect-time-to-check-your-home-heating/

Ensuring Your Air Conditioner is Not Wasting Energy and Other Tips

To make sure that your electricity bills are really going to the comfort of your home, you must ensure that your air conditioning system is running at top efficiency. If you have an old unit, then it might be a good time to replace it. If it’s relatively new, all it needs is a good check-up and maintenance. Some things you can do by yourself, such as cleaning the area surrounding the unit’s components and cleaning or replacing the filter. On the other hand, most maintenance tasks should be left in the hands of qualified technicians from specialist companies like Capital Plumbing & Heating Ltd. of Edmonton. If your unit is running at optimum efficiency, you waste less energy and money.
http://capitalplumbing.ca/ensuring-your-air-conditioner-is-not-wasting-energy-and-other-tips/

Plumbing Tip: Go Green when Cleaning Drains to Enjoy Various Benefits

Drains can best illustrate the idea that whatever you do could come back to haunt you. If you misuse your drains by throwing oily liquids, meal leftovers, and other remnants of your food preparation down the sink, or by flushing tissues and other sanitary products down your toilets, you can bet that the residue and grime will build up and eventually become troublesome clogs. These destructive practices can come back to haunt you in the form of slow draining water, running toilets, and even sewage backups. Fortunately, there are products you can use to clear your drains, but often, the worst clogs will require strong chemicals or complicated unclogging techniques. The fumes from some of the more powerful cleaning solutions can be risky to your health if you handle them yourself. However, you can’t tolerate blockages, even if they seem minor, because those clogs can lead to costly damage to your plumbing system.
http://capitalplumbing.ca/plumbing-tip-go-green-when-cleaning-drains-to-enjoy-various-benefits/

Crisis Prevention: Plumbers Help Edmonton Residents Save More Water

There are several creative ways to follow the guidelines set by your municipalities. You can do the laundry or the dishes only when the washer is full. You can also avoid hosing down your car or your driveways in favour of wiping them with cloths and sweepers. If you really need to use a lot of water for cleaning, try reusing grey water for other purposes like watering your lawn or flushing toilets. Apart from these strategies, you should also mind your plumbing. Any inefficiency in your plumbing system like leaks notoriously waste countless litres of water every day, which can sneakily increase the consumption of your mains water supply and in turn, your utility bills. Get the assistance of a plumber to avoid those possibilities.
http://capitalplumbing.ca/crisis-prevention-plumbers-help-edmonton-residents-save-more-water/