Problem: Squeaky pipes.

Only your hot water pipes will squeak. The sound occurs when the pipe expands in its strap causing friction.

 Solution: a rubber cushion between the pipe and the strap.

Call PAPA for a free quote to fix the squeak: 604-437-7272 !

 

Took a last minute trip this weekend up to Whistler. Its different to see it with no snow on the mountain. There is snow though up on the Peak. The ski runs have transformed into biking and hiking trails. There is definitely a different vibe here too then in the Winter. Of course it’s bustling with tourists. The Kid Zone is a must for kids. It’s just great to feel that mountain air!
We had lunch at Merlin’s Grill at the foot of BlackComb Mountain. There was this band there, called Ruckus Deluxe – very talented ! I wanted to post their rendition of Billie Jean – I thought it was pretty cool and it seemed to attract quite the crowd ! Here is a video of Billie Jean and a few other tunes as well.. Also some pictures of Whistler. Enjoy !

Despite the negative reviews for the ‘The Smurf’s’ movie, I actually found it enjoyable. Perhaps it was because I was re-living my childhood. Fond memories of waking up early Saturday mornings to run to the TV for “Saturday Morning cartoons” come to mind. I haven’t heard that optimistic “la la la” song since those times. Yes the storyline could used some help, there was a few plots in the movie that could have been developed further.. but I wasn’t expecting it to be like Harry Potter ! It would probably would have been more engaging in 3D but overall it was entertaining ! If you are thinking to see it, would be a good thing to read the reviews online so you can decide whether you should wait for the DVD or not.

As I was watching the movie, I found that Papa Smurf and his Smurfs reminded me of Papa and the technicians.

Here are the similarities I found:

1. We are there for you when you need us at anytime – 24/7.

2. Ability to solve complex problems and complete tasks in a timely manner.

3. Great teamwork.

4. Work hard and with enthusiasm.

5. Go the extra mile to make you happy.

Perhaps Papa Smurf could have secretly been a plumber? That could be a tool bag you know !

We could all use that “la la la” song in our lives at times. The song is available upon request when Papa visits your home (uh oh the techs are going to kill me haha !)

So who’s your Papa Vancouver?

Who can you rely on when your plumbing/heating/drainage is at its worst ?

PAPA Plumbing of course !!

The question is who would be our Gargamel??

Perhaps we all have those “gargamel’s” we have to overcome in life.  But with positive thinking and an optimistic attitude we can conquer those “gargamel’s” ! Cue the Smurf song: la la la sing a happy song !

If you got a problem, if you’re feeling lonely
everything is leaking around
Try looking on the bright side, Papa Plumbing is on your side
troubles will all soon be gone

la la la la sing a happy song, la la la la plumb the whole day long !

Enjoy your beautiful long weekend Vancouver !

Wishing everyone a Happy long weekend !! Whether your going away for a few days or more, here are some great plumbing tips for you:1. Your water heater is hard at work keeping your water warm even when you’re not using any. Change the setting on the tank to the lowest temperature possible or to the “vacation” setting.
2. You should probably shut off your water before leaving your home. This can be done through the main shut off valve, no one wants to come home from vacation to a flooded house and lengthy insurance claim.
3. If you have turned off your plumbing main shut off valve, this is still a good time to look at all your shut off valves and supply lines under your sinks and toilets to be sure none are wet or leaking before leaving.
4. Go outside and take off any garden hoses that may be attached to your outdoor spigots. Turn on your sprinkler system (if you have one) and drain outdoor faucets.
5. Walk around the outside of the home, make sure nothing is leaking before you leave the house.
6. If you have a drinking water system, make sure your drinking water system is newer, as older lines on these units crack and break and are often the culprit causing water damage in many homes. Some of these systems can be turned off indivdually at the valve under the sink to lessen the possibility water damage.

Hope some of these tips help !! Happy long weekend everyone ! Stay safe !! Remember to call Papa 604-437-7272 in case of any emergencies. We are open 24/7 !

I really should be writing part 2 of my blog about hot water tanks, but instead I thought I would write a post about the events that happened this week in Vancouver.

It all started on Monday. Monday, I was doing paper work like usual in the evening.. and I read a tweet from our favorite CTV reporter Keri Adams on her twitter account

saying that Chef Dale MacKay WON Top Chef Canada ! She had the tweet right but Chef Dale’s twitter name is actually @ChefDaleMackay ! Thats okay Keri, one day you will follow Papa Plumbing but we understand.. we will await your follow !

Keri Adams (@Keri_Adams) 11-07-04 8:14 PM A #Vancouver Chef has won Top Chef Canada! His reaction when he won, and how his big night will help kids. @ctvbc at 11:30. @dalemackay

Well Papa loves Chef Dale (& his plumbing fixtures)

so I immediately messaged all the technicians and we were glued to the TV and google. Actually I was glued to Twitter. It was so cool watching Chef Dale’sTwitter followers sky rocket! Then the hash tag #topchefcanada started trending ! It was so amazing seeing Chef Dale go viral ! I love Social Media !

So a heartfelt CONGRATULATIONS TO CHEF DALE !

His winning dish:

Quebec Brie cheese as the amuse, salmon prepared two ways, a main dish of black cod with BBQ pork consomme accompanied by a plate of roast lamb, and a lemon custard topped with a strawberry sorbet for dessert.

Here is Chef Dale MacKay’s winning tweet:

The Papa crew will be visiting Ensemble on Wednesday for dinner.. looking forward to it,  as I am sure everyone in Canada is !

Looks like we are in for some real fine dining !

Papa Dale took this during his last visit to Ensemble:

In the next day or so I will cover the rest of the exciting PAPA week.

I was reading this article from the Calgary Sun today, here is an excerpt from it:

“After cheating death, a Toronto family on Friday met the Calgary man who helped them escape the silent killer. Peter and Voula Themos and their daughter Anna, 2, were asleep in their Toronto home when a faulty furnace led the level of carbon monoxide — a colorless odorless gas — to rise to 152 parts per million, well-above a lethal amount”

After reading this, I thought I would post something about carbon monoxide and how serious it can really be !

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

• Red coloration of skin due to lack of oxygen
• Shortness of breath
• Nausea and vomiting
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Light-headedness
• Weakness
• Muscle fatigue and general fatigue
• Chest pain
• Loss of consciousness

These can also be confused with the flu or even food poisoning, and because of the confusion some people continue to breath in carbon monoxide which can cause serious long term effects.

Well its highly unlikely your going to have the flu for many weeks, it does generally pass. CO poisoning would not cause you to have a fever – which a flu would. The symptoms of CO poisoning may come and go, or become worse at certain times of the day.

Carbon monoxide poisoning usually gets worse in the winter time, that’s when people burn various types of fuel in order to keep warm. Heating equipment of old age or faulty units combined with poor ventilation cause a great risk of CO poisoning. This makes the colder season a far greater risk period than other times of the year.

During your annual furnace service, your technician will also do a carbon monoxide test to ensure there are no leaks. You should also have a carbon monoxide detector installed in your home which will help prevent this “silent killer”. 

So lets all enjoy our Vancouver summer .. and prepare for winter by making sure our heating systems are all good to go ! Call your local Vancouver plumber today  (we also travel from Hope to Horseshoe Bay, and cover the entire Lower Mainland )for a check on your heating equipment !

 

Welcome SUMMER !!

 

 

Your trusted Vancouver plumber is kicking off summer with a summer sale !! 

From now until July 31st, have your perimeter drainage cleaned with high pressure for ONLY $195.00 plus HST. 

Having guests over for summer? Well we don’t want any slow drains in the house and we definitely don’t need house guests swimming around the house if the drainage has backed up. 

 

 

Okay so thats highly unlikely !!

However you don’t want this to be the state of your drains:

 

So take advantage of the drainage summer sale and Give Papa a call, we serve the entire Lower Mainland, from Hope to Horseshoe Bay !

 

Last week we performed a leak investigation for one of our customer’s in Surrey. The City of Surrey insisted there is a water leak as the water bill had increased, so in came a Papa plumbing technician to investigate. This is what we did:

• Located the water meter.

• Located the water supply shut-off valve for the house. It can be outdoors or indoors and is commonly located where the main water pipe enters the building foundation. In a home, this is often near an outside faucet. (Note: If you do not have a main shut-off valve, you should have one installed.)
• Turned off all faucets, outlets and water-using fixtures.
• He then noted the dial on the meter. He waited about 30 minutes, and came back to the meter. Now in this case, the meter had not moved at all. In fact, even after a few hours there was no movement. We concluded there was no leak in the house. Perhaps the home owner’s children were taking longer then expected showers !

Now say the dial on the water meter did move. If the dial has moved and you are certain all the appliances are off then there is definitely a leak, this could be above ground or underground.

The next step is to close the main shut-off valve.

If the dial stops after you have shut off your main valve, your leak is inside.

Perform a full plumbing inspection, check your toilets, sinks, faucets and any other appliances that use water. You can do this yourself or hire a certified plumbing technician to do the inspections.

If the dial continues to move when the shut-off valve is closed, you have an underground leak between the water meter and the shut-off valve.

This should be repaired by a certified plumbing technician. You can also visit our past blog post about hiring a plumber which would help make your decision. Here is a blog post about top review sites which will also help to make a decision.

Good Luck .. and Oh Happy PAPA’s Day to all the special Papa’s out there !!

Our friend Qurban is riding in the “Ride to Conquer Cancer” from Cloverdale to Seattle. We went this morning to cheer him and the other riders on. The team he rides with is “Ride for Ryder“. Qurban’s son passed away last year from undifferentiated sarcoma. He rides for him and in hopes researchers will find a cure. I also had the opportunity to meet Jimi who was featured on CTV News. In total all the riders raised 11.1 million for Cancer research. Amazing ! The yellow flags on the bikes were riders who have survived cancer. During the opening ceremonies I heard this from the announcer “our sweat is nothing compared to their tears… We Can and We will”. Wishing everyone a safe journey to Seattle and hope the sun comes out !