Fish Tank Re-pipe By Vancouver’s Papa Plumbing

Dale had a project on his hands a few weeks ago.. here are the pictures of how he fixed up this fish tank.. a behind the scenes look !

A Behind the Scene's Look

Dale's project

Home Renovation Tax Credit

We are getting a lot of questions about what qualifies under the Home Renovation Tax Credit. Here is what I found out from the Government Website:

Examples of eligible expenses

• Renovating a kitchen, bathroom, or basement
• Windows and doors
• New flooring – carpet, linoleum, hardwood, floating laminate, etc.
• New furnace, woodstove, boiler, fireplace, water softener, water heater, or oil tank
• Permanent home ventilation systems
• Central air conditioner
• Permanent reverse osmosis systems
• Septic systems
• Wells
• Electrical wiring in the home (e.g., changing from 100 amp to 200 amp service)
• Home security system (monthly fees do not qualify)
• Solar panels and solar panel trackers
• Painting the interior or exterior of a house
• Building an addition, garage, deck, garden/storage shed, or fence
• Re-shingling a roof
• A new driveway or resurfacing a driveway
• Exterior shutters and awnings
• Permanent swimming pools (in ground and above ground)
• Permanent hot tub and installation costs
• Pool liners
• Solar heaters and heat pumps for pools (does not include solar blankets)
• Landscaping: new sod, perennial shrubs and flowers, trees, large rocks, permanent garden lighting, permanent water fountain, permanent ponds, large permanent garden ornaments
• Retaining wall
• Associated costs such as installation, building plans, permits, professional services, equipment rentals, and incidental expenses
• Fixtures – blinds, shades, shutters, lights, ceiling fans, etc.

Note
Window coverings, such as blinds, shutters and shades, that are directly attached to the window frame and whose removal would alter the nature of the dwelling are generally considered to be fixtures (i.e. have become part of the home) and therefore would qualify for the HRTC. In some circumstances, draperies and curtains may qualify for the HRTC, if they would not keep their value or usefulness if installed in another dwelling. If these qualifying criteria are not met, it is likely that draperies and curtains would not qualify for the HRTC.

Examples of ineligible expenses

• Furniture, household appliances, and electronic home-entertainment devices
• Purchasing of tools
• Carpet cleaning
• House cleaning
• Maintenance contracts (e.g., furnace cleaning, snow removal, lawn care, and pool cleaning)
• Financing costs
• Amount paid as part of the purchase of your new house, including “upgrades”
• Expenses to acquire goods that have been previously used or leased by you or an eligible family member (e.g., hot water tank)
• Expenses incurred to the rental and/or business part of an eligible dwelling

Do it yourself

If you do the work yourself, the eligible expenses include expenses for building materials, fixtures, equipment rentals, building plans and permits. However, eligible expenses would not include the value of your labour or tools.

Work performed by electricians, plumbers, carpenters, architects

Generally, work performed by electricians, plumbers, carpenters, architects, etc. in respect of an eligible expense qualifies for the HRTC.

Family member hired for renovations

Expenses are not eligible if the goods or services are provided by a person related to you, unless that person is registered for the Goods and Services Tax/Harmonized Sales Tax (GST/HST) under the Excise Tax Act. If your family member is registered for the GST/HST and if all other conditions are met, the expenses are eligible for the HRTC.

How to Detect a Gas Leak

Talking to a customer today and I thought this would be a great topic to blog about. Andrew did do a basic soap and water test and didn’t find any leaks. However, our customer still smells gas. We will send someone out again to his place to check everything. Here is a brief description of the Basic soap and water test through this excellent video.

http://bubble-cast.com

Attn Vancouver Home Buyer’s

Before Purchasing a Home be sure to follow the following Plumbing Checklist:

* Flush the toilets in all of the bathrooms. Make sure they empty and fill correctly. Examine the bowl and floor for water, which may mean a leak.
* Check all the faucets around the house and make sure they do not drip. A dripping faucet may seem like a minor thing, but it can end up costing you a lot of money in the long run.
* Locate the water meter and examine the shut off valve to make sure it is working. If the water comes from a well, the shut off valve should be inside the house.
* Inspect the hot water heater. You should check the water heater’s capacity, location, and how old it is. One important thing to check is the level of mineral deposits that settle at the bottom of the water heater. The more the mineral deposits build up in the water heater tank, the less room there will be for hot water.
* Find out what type of sewer system the house uses. If the house uses a septic tank find out where it is located, the capacity of the tank, and the location of the lateral lines.
* Make sure the plumbing has protection for freezing weather. The protection can be things such as wrapped pipes and vents, which will close off in the winter when the weather gets extremely cold. If the home uses well water the well should be protected from freezing weather as well.

Of course plumbing isn’t the only thing you need to inspect. Once you decide on a home you would like to buy, hire a general contractor or home inspector to inspect all major house systems, from top to bottom, including the roof, plumbing, electrical and heating systems, foundation, and drainage.

Energy Star Products

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

Federal Government Grant Table

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

Boiler Install by Vancouver Plumbing Technician Dale

Does this look like your boiler?

New High efficiency, Energy Star Boiler.. Can save you $$

How to Prevent Freezing Pipes by Vancouver’s Papa Plumbing

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 !

Underneath a Kitchen Sink by Vancouver’s Papa Plumbing

Was surfing the web and found this great diagram:

ohh now I know whats under there !!

Hot Water Tanks by Vancouver’s Papa Plumbing

A popular item that we are constantly changing for customers is hot water tanks. We have access to many different types of tanks but we generally install John Wood or Rheem. If your tank is leaking or is in need of replacement, its best to check the warranty of the tank. This can be done on the Rheem and John  Wood websites. Also if you call Papa, we can check the status of the warranty for you. The “On Demand” Tankless units are getting very popular as well. I will be doing a posting about these in the near future.

Here is a perfect picture of the inside of a hot water tank.

Inside of a Hot Water Tank

If your hot water tank is leaking, please call us. We can usually quote you over the phone for a standard installation.