Preventing Frozen Pipes

What’s worse than a major home maintenance disaster? How about several major home maintenance disasters at once? For the quarter-million families who have their homes ruined and their lives disrupted each winter because of frozen water pipes, frigid nights can very quickly turn to ongoing, inconvenient, extremely expensive ordeals.

In cold and warmer climates alike, pipes freeze for a combination of three central reasons: quick drops in temperature, poor insulation, and thermostats set too low. Both plastic and copper pipes can burst when they freeze, and recovering from frozen pipes is not as simple as calling a plumber. A 1/8-inch crack in a pipe can spew up to 250 gallons of water a day, causing flooding, serious structural damage, and the immediate potential for mold.

 In the United States, frozen pipes cause a huge amount of damage each year; unlike natural disasters, this disaster is largely preventable. By taking a few simple precautions, you can help save yourself the mess, money, and aggravation frozen pipes cause.

Your Best Bet: Don’t Let It Happen
There are a number of preventative steps you can take to keep your pipes from freezing. Here are a few simple tips:

Before The Cold
Remember the three central causes of frozen pipes? Quick drops in temperature, poor insulation, and thermostats set too low. You can prepare by protecting your home during the warmer months. Here’s how:
-Insulate pipes in your home's crawl spaces and attic, even if you live in a climate where freezing is uncommon. Exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. Remember: The more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes will be.
-Heat tape or thermostatically controlled heat cables can be used to wrap pipes. Be sure to use products approved by an independent testing organization, such as Underwriters Laboratories Inc., and only for the use intended (exterior or interior). Closely follow all manufacturers' installation and operation instructions.
-Seal leaks that allow cold air inside near where pipes are located. Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents, and pipes, and use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out. With severe cold, even a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
-Before winter hits, disconnect garden hoses and, if possible, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets. This reduces the chance of freezing in the short span of pipe just inside the house.

When The Mercury Drops
Even if you’ve taken the right preventative steps, extreme weather conditions can still harm your pipes. Here are a few more steps you can take:

-A trickle of hot and cold water might be all it takes to keep your pipes from freezing. Let warm water drip overnight, preferably from a faucet on an outside wall.
-Keep your thermostat set at the same temperature during both day and night. You might be in the habit of turning down the heat when you’re asleep, but further drops in the temperature – more common overnight – could catch you off guard and freeze your pipes.
-Open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to un-insulated pipes under sinks and appliances near exterior walls.

If the temperature drop and you think your pipes are in danger, call Campbell Heating and Air www.campbellheatingandair.com at (978) 486-0904 for an inspection and service.

Time for an AC Tuneup!

It's that time of year when you should have your air conditioning system checked and tuned up for the upcoming season.

A tune-up, also called preventative maintenance, should be performed annually on your AC system, making it operate more efficiently. It's also a safety check which will detect any defective or damaged parts. An annual tune-up is recommended to keep your system running smoothly and efficiently. Call Campbell Heating & Air Conditioning today to schedule your checkup!

(978) 486-0904

We proudly service Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire including:

Littleton, Acton, Bolton, Concord, Westford, Chelmsford, Groton, Ayer, Harvard, Boxborough, Stow, Maynard, Carlisle, Sudbury, Hudson, Wayland, Lincoln, Newton, Brookline, Wellesley, Weston, Needham, Dover, Sherborn & surrounding areas.

Campbell Plumbing, Heating & Air | (978) 486-0904

Looking to make you home or business more energy efficient? Call Campbell Plumbing, Heating & Air for all of your plumbing and HVAC needs in MA & southern NH:

www.campbellheatingandair.com

www.campbellheatingandair.com/plumbing

Searching for Licensed, Background Checked Plumbing & HVAC Technicians?

At Campbell Heating & Air all of our Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning technicians are fully licensed and government & state background checked. When choosing Campbell Heating & Air you should feel extremely confident that you hired the most qualified plumbing, heating & air conditioning contractor in Massachusetts! 

Schedule your service call or free estimate by calling (978) 486-0904.

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How to Get Your Home Energy-Ready for Warmer Weather

Before it gets too warm, it's time to make sure you're ready for hot weather.

This doesn't mean running out and buying the latest swim wear. It means checking your home's heat and air-conditioning system.

First, change your filters in your heating/cooling system. Change them regularly - at least monthly.

Next change your thermostat over to "cool" and test the system by turning the temperature down. If the air conditioner does not turn on, first check to make sure no breakers are tripped. If you can't figure out the problem, call your heating and air conditioning repair person. Calling early may keep you from making an "emergency" call when the temperatures are soaring and the repair people are too busy.

If your cooling system turns on, make sure it is putting out adequate cooling. If it's not, and you can't figure out the problem, call your heating and air conditioning repair person. Make sure you set it at 78 degrees.

If your air conditioner needs replacement do it BEFORE the HOT WEATHER HITS because heating & air conditioning repair people will be very busy. And more than likely, some other things around your home need attention as well. Your air ducts may need testing for leaks and then sealed. Your attic insulation probably has compacted, so you need to add an additional 5 to 8 inches. Your windows and doors and other parts of the building envelope may need caulking and weather stripping. You need solar window film to keep out the heat.

Consider changing your old thermostat to a programmable one. You can save up to $100 a year by using a new set-back thermostat. If your thermostat is really old and uses a mercury switch (a glass tube filed with silvery substance) call your local public works department to find out how to dispose of this toxic material.

Consider installing a whole-house fan that uses cool air in the evening to cool the entire house and push hot air out of the attic area.

If you cover your air conditioner's condenser unit (the part that is outside the house) for the winter, take off the cover and hose down the coils. Clear areas around the condenser unit so that it has full air flow. Install ceiling fans or whole house fans to help reduce your need to use the air conditioner.

Take down the old storm windows, if you live in areas where you need them, and put up screens in their place.

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Lochinvar Water Heaters & Boilers

Campbell Heating & Air is now installing and servicing exclusively Lochinvar Knight series high efficiency boilers as well as Lochinvar Squire hot water storage tanks. Please call us at (978) 486-0904 for an estimate.

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Important Hot Water Heater Maintenance: Descaling

Special Offer:  Campbell Heating & Air is now offering descaling services of your instantaneous hot water heater for a low price of $235.

Maintain the manufacturers warranty on your water heater and extend its life by calling us at (978) 486-0904 today! We will remove the scale, lime, rust & more from your tank in order to make it run as efficiently as possible. One of the best investments you can make!

Scale in hot water heaters is a common problem for many people. When scale builds up inside a water heater, it can cause pressure problems in pipes and insulate the heat exchangers. This leads to higher energy use to heat water and shortens the life span of the heater.

Scale is caused by mineral deposits

Reasons to have Campbell Heating & Air Descale your Water Heater:

Noisy water heater operation: Water heater noises may be the first thing people notice when the water tank scale layer has become thick enough to interfere with good water heater operation.

Longer water heater "on" time & slower water heat-up rate: You can reduce the cost of making hot water with your oil, gas, or electric-fired water heater by removing scale from the tank bottom. The scale layer on the tank bottom (or on an electric water heater's electrodes) interferes with heat transfer into the hot water.

This means that the water heater will have to operate longer (and you will spend more on hot water costs) than necessary to re-heat incoming water. Clean your water heater tank to reduce your water heating cost by improving heat transfer into the water and correspondingly shortening the water heater "on" cycle time.

High water heater costs to operate, repair, replace: For the same reasons as above: running the water heater longer just to get the water hot enough means higher water heater operating expenses. In addition to higher energy costs to heat the water, unnecessary heater replacement, and in the case of electric water heaters, early failure of the heating elements are common results of heavy scale problems.

Hot water quantity has diminished - not enough hot water: By slowing heat transfer into the hot water in the water tank, the apparent hot water quantity will also be reduced, because incoming cold water is not heated as rapidly when occupants are drawing hot water out of the tank. Thus the incoming cold more quickly dilutes and cools the hot water that remains in the tank during use. Clean the water heater tank to increase hot water quantity.

User dissatisfaction - with the water heater because of less hot water, slower hot water recovery, and higher hot water costs lead to unhappy building occupants who may have no idea that a water heater scale problem is the cause. If dissatisfaction leads a consumer to replace a water heater that could have just been descaled, there may also be unnecessary heater replacement expense.

Extend the water heater life: Because scale on the water heater tank bottom insulates the tank bottom from the water inside the tank, the bottom of an oil or gas fired water heater will become hotter as the scale layer gets thicker. These increased temperatures weaken the water heater tank bottom and shorten the life of the water heater. Similarly, scale deposits on the electrodes in an electric hot water heater shorten the life of the electrodes. Clean the hot water tank regularly to extend its life.

Protect water heater warranty: If a water heater tank fails, the manufacturer may not honor the water heater's warranty if the failure is due to the accumulation of excessive scale inside of the water heater tank. Water heater warranties typically indicate that the tank is warranted against leaks due to rust, corrosion, or chemical action of the water but the warranty will exclude a tank failure due to scale.

www.campbellheatingandair.com