Check here to determine if your appliance is Energy Star qualified and the efficiency: Energy Star

Please follow this link for the Table which outlines the federal government grants: Grant Table

Here are some pictures of a recent install we did in Burnaby in a condo unit:

Notice the venting..High Efficiency Carrier Furnace in a Condo Unit

Sweet Boiler Install by Manj & Dale

Boiler Heating System

The rain is coming down hard.. and soon those freezing temperatures will come in and we will have a blanket of snow. Here is a clip from YouTube from a story that CBS news ran last year on Frozen Pipes:

http://bubble-cast.com

We had many many calls for  burst pipes last winter and are getting phone calls from customers on how to prevent this from happening. I was surfing the web and came across these tips from an insurance companies website:

Preventing Frozen Pipes

An average of a quarter-million families have their homes ruined and their lives disrupted each winter, all because of water pipes that freeze and burst.

And recovering from frozen pipes is not as simple as calling a plumber. An eighth-inch (three millimeter) crack in a pipe can spew up to 250 gallons (946 liters) of water a day. Both plastic (PVC) and copper pipes can burst.

By taking a few simple precautions, you can save yourself the mess, money and aggravation frozen pipes cause.

Before the cold hits

Insulate pipes in your home’s crawl spaces and attic. These 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. Use caulk or insulation to keep the cold out and the heat in. With severe cold, even a tiny opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.

Disconnect garden hoses and, if practical, 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

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.

Open cabinet doors to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks and appliances near exterior walls.

Before you go away

Set the thermostat in your house no lower than 55°F (12°C).

Ask a friend or neighbor to check your house daily to make sure it’s warm enough to prevent freezing or

Shut off and drain the water system. Be aware that if you have a fire protection sprinkler system in your house, it will be deactivated when you shut off the water.

If your pipes freeze

Don’t take chances. If you turn on your faucets and nothing comes out, leave the faucets turned on and call a plumber. If you detect that your water pipes have frozen and burst, turn off the water at the main shut-off valve in the house; leave the water faucets turned on. (Make sure everyone in your family knows where the water shut-off valve is and how to open and close it.)

Never try to thaw a pipe with a torch or other open flame. Water damage is preferable to burning down your house. You may be able to thaw a frozen pipe with the warm air from a hair dryer. Start by warming the pipe as close to the faucet as possible, working toward the coldest section of pipe. Do not use electrical appliances in areas of standing water because you could be electrocuted.

More Tips

1. Insulate all water pipes from cold moving air and keep them dry. Locate the main water shut off in case you need it. Leaks often happen if the pipe is thawed out.
2. Use either heater tapes wrapped around the pipes or a heated reflector lamp in a dry enclosed space. Check the light to see that it is working on cold nights. The heater tapes work by a built in thermostat. The tape must be wrapped between the pipe and the insulation to work.
3. Note that if electricity is unavailable or goes off let the water run only at a slow constant drip; this is cheaper than repairing it. First start a slow drip on the hot side faucet, then a faster drip on the cold side faucet. There is no need to run a lot of water. Bathrooms can be cold, as long as they aren’t freezing.
4. Remember to insulate and heat the drain lines in crawl spaces and cold basements. Again, a heat lamp focused on the drain p-trap will keep it from freezing if it is also protected from moving cold air by making a boxed enclosure.
5. Thaw out a frozen pipe, first check the pipe in the area of the freeze. Some plastic or copper pipes will split and will flood an area when thawed out. If the pipe looks busted or has a slit in it, call a plumber. If the pipe is all metal, it can be thawed out by connecting a rented welder onto the pipe on each side of the frozen part. After a while it will be running again. It is just like connecting starter cables to the car battery, but with much longer cables.
6. It is far better to heat the area around the frozen part with an electric space heater, a hand held hair dryer, or a heat lamp in a reflector to prevent a fire. If this is a problem, call the plumber. Some of them don’t mind you watching them as long as you are quiet and not in the way.
7. Always unhook your water hose from your outdoor spigot in the winter, or before the weather in your area starts to get below freezing. The water inside the hose can freeze, and the freezing continues back into the spigot until it reaches your piping. If you have PVC plastic piping leading to this spigot, it will burst.

Use the tips above to prevent this from happening to you !

So here we are.. Papa Plumbing on CTV News… it was so exciting when it actually aired !

Yesterday we were fortunate to have CTV’s Chris Olsen and his camera man Steve on job site during one of our high efficiency furnace installs. He will be airing this story sometime next week. The main topic was furnaces and the regulations being placed by the Government on Dec 31,2009. It was great meeting Chris and Steve and we are excited to see the final version next week.

Inside of a High Eff Furnace

Chris wiith Glen from Carrier Canada

Action Shot

Olsen on Papa's Side

Attractive Heat Pump

Group Shot

Our first article for the online BBB Newsletter, made Papa Proud.

Choosing the Right Furnace

As fall begins, many households are preparing for the cold blast of the winter season that lies ahead.  Typically around the fall season, households begin to get their furnaces serviced.  It is recommended that your furnace or heating system be fully inspected once a year by a certified technician.  The average lifespan of a furnace is between 18-22 years.

The majority of households have forced air heating systems. Forced air uses air to transfer heat through your house via ductwork, vents and plenums. The type of forced air system that we will review in this article is furnaces.

When choosing the right furnace, there are a number of factors involved.  It is important to choose the right type of heating system for your home to conserve energy and money.

To start, a certified technician will visit your home to do a Heat Loss Calculation.  This determines the size (BTU) and type of furnace needed for adequate distribution of heat throughout your home. The furnace motor must also be considered.   A standard motor, when used all year long, will use more electricity than an average refrigerator. Electricity can be reduced considerably by using a variable-speed fan which uses a DC current.  Use of this fan will also better distribute heat through your house.

Until Dec 31, 2009 the consumer has a choice between a mid efficiency or high efficiency furnace. A mid efficiency furnace has an AFUE rating of roughly 80%, whereas, a conventional gas furnace usually has a rating of  60%.  Mid efficiency furnaces use B vent (metal chimney) to vent flue gases. High efficiency furnaces usually range between 90-98% efficiency. They use 636 PVC piping (plastic piping) to vent the gases outside through the side of a wall.  The holes should not be drilled near any openings such as window, doors, etc..   The high efficiency furnaces are awarded with the Energy Star Symbol.  As an incentive to upgrade, the federal government is offering rebates for high efficiency furnace installations.  Effective January 1, 2010, only high efficiency furnace installations will be permitted.

When obtaining quotes for your furnace, one should verify that the contractor is registered with the Gas Safety Authority of BC and ensure that the senior technicians are certified gas fitters.  It is also advantageous to refer to the BBB website to source reputable companies with a proven track record.

For more information, please visit the following:

Federal Rebates: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/retrofit-qualify-grant.cfm

Information on Heating Systems: http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/heating.cfm?attr=4

Papa Plumbing, Heating & Drainage Ltd, www.www.papaplumbing.ca/blog, www.www.papaplumbing.ca

Papa Plumbing & Heating Ltd is proud to be supporting Canuck Place. Proceeds from each service call until Dec 31, 2009 will be contributed here.

Proud to be Supporting

Canuck Place provides specialized pediatric palliative care for children living with life-threatening illnesses and support for their families. We feel blessed that we are able to share our success with this charity during our busy season. If you wish to make a direct donation to Canuck Place, you may do so by clicking here .