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Probably one of the most infuriating things being a professional contractor with 35 plus years experience is those phone calls stating “ I had a friend look at it, he tried removing and cleaning (insert a multitude of things here) but it’s still not working.

We all have them in our lives those so called “know it alls and Mr Fix it”.
There’s a saying that has been floating around for a number of years now it’s “Stay in your lane”.

As a professional we Stay in our lane, no we won’t change a switch or plug or do any other electrical work beyond the scope of our trade regardless of our personal abilities.
For good reasons too, work done by a non licensed contractor could void your home insurance, cause legal issue for both homeowners and the person doing the work especially if there is loss of life. Minor but often over looked you could also void warranties when unauthorized repairs or modifications have been made.

It’s not good enough even if the person holds a “personal licence” as an example a gas fitter G1, G2 etc, while permitted to work on gas appliance they can not work on an appliance without being register with Technical Safety and Standards Authority TSSA.
TSSA is the governing body for fuels amongst other things, much the same as the Electrical Safety Authority ESA governs electrical.

To be registered with TSSA you have to be a business of one form or another not a personal entity. You will need not only to prove competence (bar is to low my person opinion) but also that you carry the appropriate insurance to protect the consumer.

So the next time you’re thinking about calling on that friend or friend of the family give it some thought as you could be risking more than you were aware.

Stay safe!

What a wonderful day today, topping 19 degrees in Welland.
Not to early to BBQ, for this customer they are planning that this evening.
Nice jobs guys neat and tidy and at a budget leaving plenty of room to buy up those steaks.

Happy Grilling Gil.

With spring right around the corner we can expect the down pour of rain so here is a your check list:

• Ensure all gutter down spout terminations are extended 6ft (or further) away from your home as practical. Be neighbourly however and don’t terminate them on to your neighbours property.

• Ensure guttering is clear of debris, downspouts and gutter can only convey so much water a Dan when blocked water will spill over adjacent to the foundation.
• Check your sump pumps and any backup system to ensure operation.
• Check the sump pump discharge line on the exterior that it is clear and also 6ft away from the foundation.

We will keep this one a short flush today, its Friday and Sunny

A Chlorine puck(s) (Spa pucks) or bowl cleaners of any kind should not be put inside your toilet tank.

Why you ask?

A Chlorine puck(s) will, and some bowl cleaners cause premature seal failures. Rubber and plastic components do not do well when exposed to chlorine. Rubber will become swollen and plastics brittle. As we have seen in very recent service calls if you are lucky enough to be home it’s a minor disaster if not you are looking at thousands of dollars in repairs and probably an insurance claim.

Can you put them in the bowl, sure if you feel the need to splash the blue colour or put a cleaner dot on the porcelain then go for it.

Keep in mind we do not recommend any large use of chlorine cleaners with septic systems it can slow the rate your septic system decays waste.

Have a great weekend !

These are trying and uncertain times, as a community we need to come together. There will be many in our communities that will need help with day to day expenses, but also emergencies.

We have no doubt that the last thing anyone needs when budgets are tight and the future is uncertain is a surprise with their home heating, cooling or plumbing.

From March 23 rd until our governments announce we are clear we will not be profiting from any service call. What this means is we will do the work at the minimal cost just to cover our day to day expenses. Also should any repair be at a cost that someone can not afford we will divide and/or delay payment(s) to an agreeable time frame.

Chris Wood President.

“My second floor is so much warmer than my main floor, basement is so cold, air conditioner runs for long periods.

If you find yourself making these statements during the summer season your system is probably deficient in some way(s).

First let’s understand for many homes air conditioning is an add on installed sometime after to the existing HVAC system was initially designed.  The system most likely being designed for heating, even in many of today’s new homes little care is given to proper duct design, installation and change in season requirements.

Warm air rises (lighter) and cold air falls (heavier), understanding this simple effect you can move to the next step.

Your home upper ceilings will have the hottest air (upwards of 90+f in the summer) and your basement floor the coldest. For your cooling system to work effectively and efficiently you should be taking the warmest air and cooling that air through your air conditioning system not the coldest air and making is colder. This removes hot air allowing cool air to rise and will give you a more efficient system and comfortable home.

Return air opens (the one’s that suck in) are the key to solution for all the above statements. 

Let’s take an example:

Two-Story Home:

Second floor is 5-6 degrees warmer in the afternoon than the main floor and the basement is cold. The home was designed for heat with cold air returns located at the base of the walls on the main floor, one return air on the second floor also at the base of the wall and one located in the basement. The air conditioner is correctly sized for the home and fan speed is properly set.

Summer comes around and on goes the air conditioner, firstly air will take the path of least resistance on a poorly designed/installed system, the basement return air drawing more air in than the main floor and very little to non on the second floor.  The basement has much colder air than the main floor and the second floor. So the mixed air gets cooler running through the air conditioning system which is making it heavier and it will fall to the basement faster and get the basement much cooler and so on and so on.

The system will run until the main floor is satisfied as that is where the thermostat is located, the basement feels like the inside of a Coleman cooler and that sleeping area upstairs is sticky and hot.

The Fix is in!

So, what can be done, if you do have return air(s) on the second floor remove the grille and see if the stud cavity is open upwards to the ceiling (a cell phone camera is great for this). If the cavity is open, you can easily cut another return air opening about 6” from the ceiling and put a grille on it.

Now to ensure its working and/or get it working. Take a trip the closest bathroom and grab one square tissue of toilet paper. This high-tech tool is how you will test the return is working.

Place the tissue on the new return air grille opening and it should easily stick to it when you let go. If it doesn’t stick here’s what you should do.  Close any return airs in the basement 100%, on the main floor start to close off those return air(s) also; until the tissue firmly sticks to the grille on the second floor.  NOTE: You can purchase large fridge magnet sheets from Michael’s Craft stores that will attached to metal return grilles simply.

Important we do not want to shut all the lower returns off on the main floor if you only have one return on the second floor as the new return air will not be able to pull enough air through it to serve the air conditioner needs and the grille will also make a noise like a swarm of bees and you wont sleep.  

Last peace of house keeping, we recommend running a fan continuously during the summer on two story homes to provide balance. Air conditioners should not just run for five minutes a run time of 15-20 minutes is normal on a home that is already at the comfort settings. Short running air conditioning system will often give your a cool damp home and no one wants that. 

Now that you have a properly working return air(s) on the second floor sit back and finally enjoy the summer in your entire home. Just remember to reverse the system in the winter as we want to take cold air and make it warmer.

If all the above seems to be too much, call us we can take care of this for you.