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.

A few customers called Papa Plumbing today asking about water restrictions.

so of course this inspired me to compile as much information as I can and put it in a blog post. Did I ever mention how much I love my blog??

Anyway back to business, here are the lawn sprinkling restrictions from now until the end of September for Metro Vancouver, this includes North Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Delta, Port Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Langley, and New Westminster:

Residential addresses:

• Even-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 4-9 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
• Odd-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 4-9 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Non-residential addresses:

• Even-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 1-6 a.m. Monday and Wednesday
• Odd-numbered addresses may sprinkle lawns 1-6 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday
• All non-residential addresses can also sprinkle 4-9 a.m. Friday

These are the exemptions to the water restrictions:

• Watering newly-planted lawns outside of restricted times will require a special permit from your municipality.
• Watering of flower and vegetable gardens, decorative planters, shrubs and trees.
• Filling of pools, spas, water play parks and fountains.
• Washing of cars or boats using spring-loaded shutoff.
• Sports playing fields and school yards. Lawns at golf courses and turf farms.
• Artificial turf requiring wetting and outdoor tracks requiring hosing for dust control or safety.

West Vancouver Water Restrictions:

Restrictions are in place June 1st to September 30th: Even-numbered premises on Wednesdays and Saturdays; Odd-numbered on Thursdays and Sundays. may water their lawns and gardens.  Hours: 4am to 9am and 7pm to 10pm. Hand watering and sprinkling of vegetable gardens, shrubs and flowers are all unrestricted. Violations carry fines of up to $100.00.

Here are the City of Surrey Water Restrictions which also apply to Coquitlam:

EVEN numbered addresses may sprinkle on Wednesdays and Saturdays

ODD numbered addresses may sprinkle on Thursdays and Sundays

Between the hours of:

4:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.

Most lawns only need about 2.5 centimeters of water per week (depth of a tuna can). This amount can easily be applied by sprinkling once a week.

When hosing or pressure washing outdoor surfaces, or washing boats or motor vehicles, water hoses must be equipped with an automatic shut-off device.

1. Remember to adjust your automatic irrigation systems. To minimize peak period water demands, we recommend irrigation system operation, on one of your permitted days, between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.

2. Multi unit developments are permitted to sprinkle according to the development address, not the individual unit numbers.

3. New sod or seeded lawns (installed within the last three weeks with proof of installation date – invoice or delivery slip), may be watered more frequently provided that a permit is first obtained by applying in person with the Engineering Department, Main Floor, City Hall. Permits are valid for 21 days at a cost of $30.

4. Watering of flowers, shrubs, trees and vegetable gardens is not affected by the regulations during this stage of the restrictions. To conserve water, consider using a watering can or a hose with a spring loaded or other automatic shut-off nozzle, and water in the morning.

The City of White Rock:

LAWNS

Residential

• Even numbered premises may water on Wednesday and Saturday.*

• Odd numbered premises may water on Thursday and Sunday.*

• Water only between 4 a.m. and 9 a.m. on permitted days.

* Multi-family dwellings are considered even or odd depending on the overall building number and not the unit number.

Non-Residential

• Even numbered premises may water on Monday and Wednesday between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.

• Odd numbered premises may water on Tuesday and

Thursday between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m.

• All non-residential addresses can also water on Friday between

4 a.m. and 9 a.m.

FLOWERS, SHRUBS and VEGETABLE GARDENS

Hand watering of gardens is allowed.

CAR WASHING

Washing is only permitted if using a hose equipped with a spring loaded shut-off device

If you have any questions about the water restrictions, please visit your local municipality’s website or call them.

You can also visit Metro Vancouver’s Website which is an excellent source of information.

HAPPY WATERING EVERYONE !

AND TOMORROW JUNE 15TH IS GAME 7.. GO CANUCKS GO !! This is OUR CUP ! BELIEVE !!

Has your do-it-yourself plumbing repair taken a turn for the worse?

Perhaps its time to call a certified and experienced plumbing technician to help come and save the day.. and the key words I must stress in this sentence are “certified and “experienced” !!!

So you’ve made the call to a plumbing company. You have checked their ratings with the Better Business Bureau, done all your home work on the company. You intuitively feel that your comfortable with having the plumbing company over to do your repair.

Make sure before your certified plumber starts your job that you understand clearly what the scope of work entails.

YIKES…You don’t want a situation like that ! or like this:

Some other points you will need to know are:

1. How long will it take to do the work? As much as we love our plumbers, do we really need them to become temporary house guests?

2. The price of the work? What work does this price include and does not include?

3. You should also have a written quotation or invoice which details the scope of work that is going to be done.

DON’T be afraid to ask as many questions as you need too. You should also do a walk-through before and after with your Vancouver plumber . Make sure that you both are on the same page and there are no miscommunications.

Good Luck to everyone in any future plumbing repairs you may encounter !

Oh and Tomorrow June 13th is GAME 6 of the Stanley Cup finals.. LETS BRING HOME THE STANLEY CUP !! GO VANCOUVER CANUCKS GO !!

Imagine its December, and you are enjoying a lovely hot chocolate

on your sofa, when you realize that the house is getting colder and colder..

you walk downstairs only to see that your dinosaur of a furnace has called it quits !

Is your  Furnace roaring like a dinosaur? Want a comfortable winter? Is it more then 25 years old? Then its time to replace your furnace in the summer with Papa Plumbing’s SUMMER SALE ! Call your local Vancouver plumber for an estimate today 604-437-7272 !

Of course Papa Plumbing services the entire Lower Mainland, from Hope to Horseshoe Bay !

You maybe thinking, “Why replace my old furnace, its working just fine”.. well here are some good reasons:

1. Your furnace is probably running at 50-60% efficiency, new furnaces operate at 90-97% efficiency – so you will definitely see those savings add up on your gas bills !

2. Your old furnace maybe leaking Carbon monoxide, which is not healthy for you !

3. If your planning on selling your home, it will increase the re-sale value.

You can book your free quote with Papa, our certified technician will do the following:

1. Visit your home.

2. Inspect the furnace you currently have.

3. Explain to you what furnace he recommends to be installed for your house.

4. Clearly explain how he will install the furnace, including the venting and how that will be done.

5. Provide you with a quote for your new furnace.

If don’t need a furnace.. well you can always book our Furnace Service for $99.00 !

So if your furnace looks like this:

Then let Papa ease your worries with a new furnace before the winter starts with our SUMMER SALE !! Call us today !

How can I post a picture of Hot Chocolate and not put a recipe..I know its summer but this is always yummy to have:

Creamy Hot Chocolate:

• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/3 cup boiling water
• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup half-and-half cream
• Combine the cocoa, sugar and pinch of salt in a saucepan. Blend in the boiling water. Bring this mixture to an easy boil while you stir. Simmer and stir for about 2 minutes. Watch that it doesn’t scorch. Stir in 3 1/2 cups of milk and heat until very hot, but do not boil! Remove from heat and add vanilla. Divide between 4 mugs. Add the cream to the mugs of cocoa to cool it to drinking temperature.

Whether your hiring a plumber, roofer, carpenter or mover, its important to be a smart consumer and research the company you are going to hire.

Here are some reliable review website’s that ensure truthful reviews from real customers:

• The first and most important place to start is the Better Business Bureau. Here is the site for Vancouver and The Lower Mainland: http://mbc.bbb.org/find-business-reviews/ I always find if I google the keywords “BBB and the location”, that will bring up the BBB you are looking for. There are certain standards that the BBB holds in the marketplace and the businesses that belong to the BBB hold these high standards. The BBB maintains a level of trust and honesty in the marketplace, so be a smart shopper and start with the BBB first.

• Home Stars: http://homestars.com Here you can find customer reviews on home service trades. The founder actually made this website, because she herself found it challenging finding the right contractors. Home Stars is very secure, I once tried adding a review from one of our customers, and it actually tracks your IP address and my review was rejected as they had my IP address recorded under Papa Plumbing. So there is definitely no false reviews or contractors putting up their own reviews. This is what Home Stars says: “We’re rigorous about ensuring that reviews are real and provide substantive information about the job and the quality of the work such that others can learn from the information provided. We are constantly improving our review verification process to ensure we have only high quality reviews on the site. Business owners are also free to respond to both positive and negative reviews, demonstrating their openness to feedback and improving their service”.
  

• Yelp: www.yelp.ca Yelp has over 50 million users and over 18 million local reviews. They are also members themselves of the BBB and maintain an “A” rating. I often check out reviews on Yelp for local eating spots. They have a smart phone app, which makes it easy to look up reviews when your on the go.
  

• Gigpark: http://www.gigpark.com/. This review website is powered by Canpages. Its also very user-friendly to use and offers real reviews from real consumers.
  

I also found using the FourSquare app or site: https://foursquare.com/ also helps. If you are at a place, you can read tips that previous consumers have left.

When you google the company, there is also a place on Google Maps which allows you to see reviews for that particular company. This also can be useful when hiring a contractor.

Its also important to realize that contractors sometimes do get negative reviews from consumers. Not all businesses are perfect! But its how the company reacts to those negative reviews that counts. Has the company taken that extra care to respond to complaints on these review sites? Did the business make a honest effort to resolve the issues? How long has the company been in business? The BBB report does a great job of outlining the company profile and complaint history. I am attaching a copy of our BBB report so you can see what it looks like and how easy it is to understand.

I am sure there are many more websites that offer great reviews, please feel free to leave comments below on any websites I have missed.

Wishing everyone success in their quest to find a contractor that suits your needs and budget. It is advisable to get 3 quotes when hiring a contractor, and of course be a smart shopper and do your research …

oh I almost forgot: GO CANUCKS GO !!

Every few months or so our supplier of heating and cooling products, Carrier Canada offers rebates for products installed. Please visit the Carrier website to download the form. If you have any questions, please click here for the Carrier question and answer section.

This is the latest rebates Carrier is giving away:

Carrier Cool Cash Rebate – Up to $1,250 Rebate or 10 year full warranty This Spring Carrier is offering consumers an incentive to purchase and install a new heating and cooling system in their home – the better the system, the bigger the rebate*! On qualifying products, consumers can receive up to a $1,250 rebate on a Carrier system, up to $350 rebate on a Carrier furnace, or $400 on a Carrier air conditioner. Additional rebates are also be available on Carrier generators, Infinity Air Purifiers, and other heating and cooling accessories. See brochure below or contact Vancouver plumbing and heating company, Papa Plumbing for product specific details. Key promotion dates to keep in mind: Purchase between Feb 18 and June 30, 2011 Installations Deadline, Jul 15, 2011 Rebate claims Deadline, Jul 21, 2011 (6pm CST) Please download the rebate table for eligible rebates: 2011_Spring_CC_matrix_Feb_18_FINAL_-_dealer_contribution_amounts.pdf Download this file

A common problem when Vancouver plumbing experts attend homes with floods is that the home owners are unable to find the shut off valves. Finding these will prevent severe damages in case of a flood.

Whether you are moving into a new house or you have been living in your house for years, your priority should be locating the shut-off valve for the domestic water supply. Once you have located this, make sure you know how to use it to shut off the water.

With Vancouver winters being full of snow and freezing temperatures, it is easy for pipes to freeze and burst. Knowing how to turn off your water immediately will save you thousands of dollars in damages and a lengthy insurance claim !

Where could your shut off be? Inside the house at the point where the water comes in from the street, backtrack along the cold water supply line to find it.

The indoor shut-off is usually one of two types: a round gate valve like the ones on outdoor faucets or a ball valve that is operated with a lever.

A gate valve is closed by turning the handle clockwise.

A ball valve by moving the lever 90° to the right.

Once you locate the valve test it by turning on water in a nearby sink and then closing the valve. If the sink shuts off, you have found the correct valve. Make sure to label the valve or hang a tag on it so the rest of the family can find it.

If you can’t shut off the water – it might have been years since anyone tried to turn that handle – use a lubricant such as WD-40 and a wrench to loosen it up then remember to test it every year or so.

If the lubricant and wrench don’t work, be sure to call a Vancouver plumber – don’t force and break the connection.

Now for the outdoor shut-off, these valves can seize up after years in the ground. You may require a visit from your local city water department to get them going again. If this is the case, call them immediately, not when water is pouring out of the windows from an underground broken main !!

You might also ask your Vancouver plumber about putting a second shut-off valve inside the house where it belongs.

If there is ever an emergency Papa Plumbing is open 24/7, you can always call Papa. We would be able to guide you over the phone until a technician arrives on site.

Here is a list of City Water departments and their phone #’s in case of emergencies. If there is no answer or its after hours, you can contact your local fire department for guidance as well.

City of Vancouver: 604-873-7000

City of Surrey Engineering Department: 604-591-4340

City of Delta Engineering: 604-946-3260

City of Burnaby Engineering: 604-294-7944

City of Richmond: 604-276-4000

City of Coquitlam: 604-927-3500

City of Port Coquitlam: 604-927-5411

City of Langley: 604-534-3496

Township of Langley: 604-532-7300

City of White Rock: 604-541-2181

City of New Wesminster: 604-526-4691

City of North Vancouver: 604-988-2212

District of North Vancouver: 604-990-2450

City of West Vancouver: 604-925-7100

District of Maple Ridge: 604-463-5221

I hope I didnt leave any city out !!

In conclusion, all I can say is

GO CANUCKS GO !!!! BRING HOME THE STANLEY CUP !!!

When driving to the office this morning, I was listening to the Kid Carson show on the Beat 94.5 (my usual) and they were talking about Oprah’s final show and her last words. I found a video link online of Oprah’s final words. I wish I had a recording of the show this morning because Kid Carson, Jasmina and Mandy did a great job of describing Oprah’s show. It was so encouraging and touching to hear Kid Carson’s own experiences and how he used a vision board to achieve all these goals in his life.  Last year I had started a goal setting sheet with the technicians, which I didn’t have a chance to follow up on. This has really motivated me to get us back to setting goals, both individually and as a team. We get so busy with work/home/friends that we sometimes forget to give ourselves that self reflection time. I think the “Vision Board” that Kid Carson talked about this morning will be a great way to start off the summer with the technicians. We can take this time as a team and work on goal setting and “Vision Boards”. It will be so rewarding to see everyone’s goal’s being accomplished !

Though, right now all of us will just have the Vancouver Canucks winning the Stanley Cup on our boards !

Here are some of Oprah’s quotes during the show that really rang true to my heart:

“nobody but you is responsible for your life”

“live from the heart of yourself”

“Each one of you has their own platform. Mine is a stage in a studio. Yours is wherever you are. You can help somebody, you can forgive, you can listen, you can heal — you have the power to change someone’s life … I’ve spoken to nearly 30,000 people on this show and all 30,000 had one thing in common: A need for validation. Everybody wants to be heard.”

“We often block our own blessings because we don’t feel inherently good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, worthy enough. You’re worthy because you are born and because you are here… You alone are enough.”

“You have to know what sparks the light in you so you in your own way can illuminate the world.”

“Use your life to serve the world”

“We all here are aligned with the vision of service, to you, our viewers.”

.“Don’t wait for somebody else to fix you, save you, complete you. ‘Jerry Maguire’ was just a movie. No one completes you.”

“Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

“There is a difference between thinking you deserve to be happy and knowing that you are worthy of happiness.”

Oprah spoke of service that ended at Newton’s Third Law– for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction– an abiding law she stated to live by.

Such beautiful and encouraging words ! I am going to get them printed and hung up in the office !

We will truly miss you Oprah: “I won’t say goodbye. I’ll just say, Until we meet again. To God be the glory“

Great information from the Navien website for our customers: Call 604-437-7272 for your free quote from our Vancouver plumbers and heating technicians. Yes it is unlimited HOT water !!!

In order to properly quote a Tankless hot water heating system it is best that a technician visits your home as each house and each application is different.

Why choose a Navien Tankless Hot water heating system? We asked our customers who we have installed them for and here is some feed back:

1. Once it kicks in, you have unlimited hot water for filling up soaker and jacuzzi tubs.

2. Everyone in the family can take a shower and it will never be cold.

3. There is no water sitting in the tank. Water is always fresh.

4. There is a 30 year warranty on the heat exchanger, so the system will last 3 times longer then a hot water tank.