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Although we don’t highly recommend DIY plumbing work (not just because it affects our revenue!), we understand that summoning a professional every time a small plumbing issue crops up in your home can be a taxing affair, both on your pocket as well as your time.

Being a customer-centric company, we hereby present to you many useful DIY plumbing tips in two different parts. So, let’s throw light on some general ones among them:

General DIY Plumbing Tips

• Always make it a point that you turn off the water supply to the particular area that you’re carrying out the job on. To do so, turn left to loosen and right to tighten.
• Your bathroom plumbing tool kit must be equipped with the following: a bucket, a plunger, towels, rags, two adjustable wrenches, a small and a large multi-head screwdriver (or an Allen keys set instead of the small screwdriver) and a plumber’s wrench.
• In case you’re working on a sink or a tub, make sure that you shut the drain with a tape so that nothing falls into it accidentally.
• Whenever you take something apart, ensure that you lay the opened parts down in the same order that you take them out.
• Carry old parts with you whenever you go to any store to purchase replacements.

Let us now discuss some specific DIY plumbing tips with regard to top four plumbing issues that can crop up in your home. We’ll discuss the first issue in this part, followed by the next three issues covered in the part 2 of this article.

Toilet Leaks

So what do you think causes your toilet to leak? – Well, it could be a damaged or corroded flapper, a very short or very long chain or a broken fill valve.

How can you fix a leaking toilet? – It depends on the exact problem. Based on that you can fix it in the following ways:

• If the issue is with the toilet flush arm chain and it is only about an inch extra, unhook the chain and re-adjust it.
• Make sure that the rubber flapper (that is connected to the above mentioned chain) properly covers the hole from where the water comes in. In case it doesn’t, attach it properly. If the flapper is in place, unclip it check for damage or erosion. It will need replacement if it is damaged or eroded.
• In case the water level is lower or higher in comparison to the water level on the inside of toilet, you might need to adjust the float arm or the fill valve (in modern toilets). While making adjustments to a new-age ball-less fill valve, locate the vertical arm on the fill valve’s main body. Either make use of a screwdriver to adjust or loosen up the bar or squeeze the clip for easy up or down movement of the arm. If you’re working with a float arm with a ball instead, gently press and bend the arm to adjust it back into its place.

In the next part of this article, we’ll discuss the DIY Plumbing tips for leaking faucets, clogged drains and mold on the silicone.

In the meanwhile, please feel free to contact us at  (403) 216-8439 for any sort of help with plumbing in Calgary. We would be delighted to help you!

Designing one’s own custom home is a matter of joy and pride. The next step forward is conferring with a Heating Repair Contractor. This is the next mandatory step in realizing your exclusive home. Heating and air conditioning in a home are vital for comfortable living, especially in cold climate.  A Heating Repair Contractor can best advise you about the most appropriate heating and air conditioning system suitable for your house.

Having studied and understood the specifications and layout of your home, the heating repair contractor can guide you about the following aspects:

The ideal heating and cooling source for the new home.

The suitable heating unit for it.

The appropriate size of the heating unit you should have.

Reasonably priced and energy efficient models available.

Additional expenses for heating of the garage should you want that.

Duct work required to be done for the heating and air-conditioning.

Other supplies required.

The Heating Repair Contractor’s services also include the following:

Obtaining all permits required prior to initiating the work.

Check running and testing the heating and air-conditioning system on completion for leaks or other defects.

In fact the Heating Repair Contractor can provide you un-biased advice or recommendations for other services like, windows and doors, siding etc.

One must carefully choose a reputable, dedicated and professional Heating Repair Contractor. He will be required not only for the present work but also for future maintenance, repairs and additional works as well.

Having committed yourself so much to your customized home environment, it will be worth it to invest in a Heating Repair Contractor’s services so that you have the best heating and air-conditioning system of your choice. It is just as important as anything in your home.

We’re rated as an industry leader  in heating repair  in Calgary. You can reach us at 403 (216-8439)

The function of a heat exchanger in a heating unit is to transmit the heat generated by burning fuel to water or air. The water or air in turn distributes it into the entire house. The heat exchanger is the major component of any heating unit. Its’ premature failure requires major furnace repair work.

The common cause of premature failure of heat exchangers leading to expensive furnace repair jobs is the development of holes and cracks. These holes and cracks leak hot water or the hot air into the home environment thereby reducing effectiveness of the heat exchanger.

Premature heat exchange failure caused by the development of cracks and holes in the heat exchangers is attributed to several factors:

• Regular heating and cooling of the heat exchanger over the years results in development of cracks
• Damp environment results in growth of rust which soon leads to holes and cracks. This shortens the life of heat exchangers and is a frequent cause for furnace repair
• Reduced air flow due to dirty air filters, fan blades, ducts, obstructed air passages, cause additional wear to the motor. This reduces the efficiency of heat exchange

Forced-air heating unit tend to overheat if there is obstruction to free air flow.  Built in safety feature such as auto shutdowns exist for dangerously high over heating, but these may not work in case of moderate overheating. This leads to metal fatigue. This too shortens the life duration of heat exchangers and results in a furnace repair.

The actions which will enhance the life of heat exchangers and prevent their premature failures include the following:

• Scheduled cleaning and maintenance of the heat exchangers
• Keeping the environment dry and clean
• Prevent all obstruction to free air flow

Preventing premature failures of heat exchangers and the consequent furnace repair is quite achievable by simply following some preventive maintenance procedures.

Installing a carbon monoxide detector to detect leaks would go a long way to prevent premature failures of heat exchangers and furnace repair.

Call today to have ClearView Plumbing & Heating inspect your heat exchanger, (403) 216-8439.

There is great wisdom in the adage – a stitch in time saves nine. This applies to heating system repair including preventive maintenance —especially if you believe in the Murphy’s Law and desire to avoid rough and very cold conditions. You wouldn’t want to be searching for your last blanket to keep warm because your heating unit has broken down on the coldest winter night. Such timely preventive action will also save you a lot of money on costly heating system repair.

Some commonsense points related to heating system repair are listed below:

Remember to have the heating unit cleaned and maintained / repaired well in time before the cold climate sets in.

Before heating system repair becomes urgent and you are forced to seek their help, develop a working rapport with few heating repair technicians. There are two alternatives each with its pro and cons:

Be friendly with an independent heating system repair contractor. This has the advantage that he will be well aware of your heating unit’s present condition and would perhaps willingly work as per your schedule. His heating system repair job will be more intimate and quick provided there are no other simultaneous demands on him.

Be in touch with a heating system repair company or two; they have several heating system repair professionals and can provide help almost any time of the day; of course there will extra charges for after business hours repair jobs.

Lack of sufficient supply of water is rapidly becoming a global issue. It seems to be in the new more frequent, than one can remember.  People all over the world are inventing various types of water conservation procedures in order to tackle the worsening water supply woes. As a start, you can begin conserving water at your home itself and benefit the whole community too in the process. You can effectively reduce your water consumption by as much as 35% by adopting certain methods. Some of those are:

One way saving water at home is by making sure that all the pipes and faucets in the kitchen and bathrooms do not have any sort of leakage and are in perfect working condition. If you look closely, such leakages can cause hundreds of gallons of water wastage.

Every time you use the flush in your toilet, at least 5-7 gallons of water is wasted. All this wastage can be cut down by stopping the use of flush as an ashtray or a wastebasket.

Toilet leaks often go undetected and are one of the main culprits of water wastage. You can check the leakages in toilet by adding some color to the toilet’s tank and then observing the color in the toilet bowl, say after about half an hour.

The presence of color in the toilet bowl will indicate leakage and will require immediate repair work. Although you might have to replace some parts, since they are normally not very expensive, it will be money well spent and will pay off in the long run.

You can also monitor the water leakages by keeping a track of your home’s water meter. The reading in water meter should remain constant if no water is being used anywhere in the home. Any change in the water meter reading despite no water usage will indicate leakages.

You must install faucets and showerheads that have low water flow and the faucets must be fitted with aerators.

It is advisable to replace all the flushes with the models that have ultra low volume flush, in which only about 6 liters of water is used per flush.

Insulating the water pipes in your home with pre-silt foam can help in saving energy and water needed for heating purposes.

Other day-to-day common measures like turning the tap off while brushing your teeth, employing dishwasher and washing machines for full load washes, taking shorter showers, shaving with stored water rather than running water etc. can contribute significantly to your efforts to conserve water.

Coming to your lawns and gardens, you can plant drought resistant shrubs and plants to make sure that they do not require huge amounts of water supply for their maintenance.

We are a highly efficient plumbing company, contact us for any kind of your plumbing issues at your home or to seek any help in water conservation procedures.

What could be better than being able to do a Heating System repair yourself and being called ‘The Superstar of the House”? Your family would love you for it. It is a simple process of cleaning the filter at home and repairing Gas furnace equipment:

First of all, identify the type of filter installed in your Gas Furnace equipment: Permanent air screen requires you to follow the recommendations as mentioned on the manufacturer’s manual. Disposable filters need to be cleaned up on a monthly basis during cooler months; however, one must check them regularly round the year. Pleated fabric filters, which are comparatively inexpensive, require periodic cleaning too.

Here is a step-by-step process that you can follow to clean the filter for your heating system repair:

Switch off the unit.

Identify where the panel (filter) is and as the case may be, you will either need to unscrew it or lift it off the hooks or slide it out if it is placed beside the motor of the furnace equipment.

You will need to purchase the filter measuring the exact dimensions, if it is of a disposable kind, prior to removing the old filter. You will simply need to slide the new filter back into its original slot following the directions of the arrows, as shown on the frame’s sides.

For the non-disposable kinds, clean the interior of the furnace near the blower using a vacuum cleaner. Or you could clean every blade of the fan individually, should you require a more thorough cleaning.

If your gas furnace equipment has oil ports placed near the shaft, you will need to remove the cover plate of the blower motor and put some motor oil into the ports. However this step can be avoided if you are using a contemporary motor.

It is worthwhile that the above points are carefully considered to ensure the longevity of your heating equipment and save on huge furnace repair costs. The heating system repair and cleaning of the filter is critical since the equipment’s efficiency falls drastically and the parts deteriorate faster.

For specialized servicing including cleaning of filter and gas furnace repair in Calgary, you may contact ClearView Plumbing & Heating 403 216-8439.

There are many ways in which you can avoid carbon monoxide buildup at your home as that can prove to be extremely dangerous, and even fatal, if not contained on time:

Any chimneys and vents need to be kept clear of any blockage like snow or bird’s nest etc.

Equipments that are meant to be used outside the house should never be used inside, like BBQs, lawnmowers, lanterns, snowblowers etc, as that can lead to generation of excess carbon monoxide.

At the time of installation, you must ensure that your gas furnace is adequately vented and that heat exchangers do not appear cracked.

If you are making any changes to your house’s ventilation system or adding a new appliance which uses fuel, you must consult your plumbing and heating technician prior to the same.

Your venting systems, chimneys and all fuel-burning equipments must be inspected and maintained at regular intervals.

Before starting the engine of your vehicle, the garage door must be fully opened.

You must keep yourself and your family aware of Carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms in order to promptly diagnose the same and operate the detector correctly.

Who wouldn’t like to have a DIY solution for heating system repair at home? But would you like to risk a chance with your family’s safety? Certainly not. One must realize the importance of safety while dealing with the Gas Furnace repair.

The immediate step that you can follow, the moment you diagnose some issue and feel the need of heating equipment repair is to call in your local heating contractor, a reputable Plumbing & Heating company.  An important thing to keep in mind is that the heating contractor must be experienced in working with and repairing gas furnace equipment. As a preliminary diagnosis, he should be able to detect the exact problem that you are facing with the heating system and its underlying cause. He will even be able to provide an estimate of the cost involved in Gas furnace repair.

Once you have assigned him the task of heat system repair, you could also ask him if it makes more sense to replace the gas furnace altogether with a new one or will a simple repair be enough at this stage.

Since these professionals are experienced and deal with heating equipment repair on a regular basis, they have the best knowledge on when a replacement could be a better option and more energy efficient than a repair.

If the technician suggests that your heating system needs to be replaced, while you feel you are not ready for it, you may request options including available financing.

The new installation must be conducted safely by an authorized heating system repair or installation company that holds proper licenses and are insurance.  After all, you cannot risk yours and your family’s safety by compromising on the costs involved. After having  the new heating equipment installed, you can go back to enjoying the creature comforts of your home once again.

The costs associated with the remodeling of your bathroom will depend greatly on the quality of items you wish to install, the time it will take for the whole project and the amount of work you’ll handle yourself. Your bathroom’s size will also be a critical factor in the overall remodeling costs.

In some cases all that a bathroom needs to make it look like new is a fresh coat of paint. However, if a more extensive upgrade is required, there are many ways in which you can control the costs. In all likelihood, the costliest item on your expenses list will be the labor cost and you can minimize it by talking to your contractor who might permit you to undertake some of the tasks yourself, leaving the more detailed work to the professionals.

Another important method to control your bathroom remodeling costs could be to not replace the existing tiles and bath tub, but instead opt for a wall unit and tub that fit over the present one. This way, a job that would have otherwise required thousands of dollars, can now be completed in a matter of few hundred dollars only.

Although a marble or granite countertop would be the ideal choice to make your bathroom look fantastic, it can also cause havoc to your budget. In order to control your bathroom remodeling costs, you can opt for a faux granite countertop that would reduce the cost to almost half. The marketplace has several types of units available that are extremely difficult to differentiate from the real stuff. Trust us they are so fine that only you and your contractor will ever get to know that they are not actual granite.

Another method to keep your bathroom’s remodeling costs under check is to be your own contractor. Although many communities make it mandatory for plumbing and electrical works to be carried out by licensed professionals only and it is done so keeping the best interests of homeowners in mind. However, in case you are good with hammer and nails, you can carry out the basic tasks on your own and hire professionals as and when required during the progress of the remodeling work.

Further on, proper installation of wall and floor tiles can be a tricky process. Even though it may be necessary to involve a professional for this job, it is not impossible to handle it yourself with little knowledge and practice. Especially, if it may cut your remodeling costs significantly.

You must seek assistance of experienced professionals if you feel unsure at any point of time. In case you are based in Calgary, you can reach us any time at  216-8439. We at ClearView Plumbing & Heating have many seasoned experts in our team.

In Canada, we are not unaccustomed to below freezing point temperatures for some months in a year. We receive many calls in the  winter season that are primarily about no water in kitchen and/or bathroom sinks due to frozen pipes. Usually in such cases all faucets are working fine and the customers wonder if there is some easy way to unthaw the pipes without tearing up the wall.

Please note, there is no simple solution or easy fix for frozen pipes. What needs to be done in such cases is that pipe(s) need to be heated well from both sides of the wall. You may also have to tent the wall from outside if required. What is worrisome is that if the pipe is frozen, it may also be cracked in all likelihood. Hence, after defrosting, you might be left with a broken and heavily leaking pipe inside the wall.

This scenario demands that you call an experienced and professional plumber who will be able to carefully open the wall from either side, locate the frozen area of the pipe, defrost it, repair the crack and then test it well.

Once the pipe is repaired and tested, the plumber will have to insulate the pipe and wall cavity to prevent any future freezing, followed by patching up the wall. Please note, if not insulated properly, the problem will certainly relapse. This is all the more possible in case of all uninsulated exterior wall cavities through which pipes are running. Thus, plan ahead now and guard your home against any such frozen pipes this winter.

We at ClearView Plumbing & Heating have a team of expert plumbers who can shield your home from any such occurrences in future.

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