San-Ray Plumbing Co.

Now That Summer is Here……….

admin — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 14:18:25 +0000

Be sure to go around your house and if you have foundation vents check to make sure that they are all opened to allow your crawl space to breath and keep the underneath of your house cool. If your house is built on a concrete slab then you do not have any foundation vents.

This is also a good time to check around the eves of your house and knock down any hornets nests and cobwebs that you might find.

The Hose Faucets on the outside of YOUR HOME.

admin — Sat, 18 Jun 2011 15:15:34 +0000

The other day I received a call from my daughter that she had water in her closet and feared that she had a broken pipe in the wall. What she had was a hose faucet with the hose still attached and she had not removed the hose during the winter months. It had frozen and split.

The problem is that when the hose is left attached, the faucet will not drain down properly and will almost always during those cold spells freeze and split.

If you left a hose attached during the winter months, you can do the following. Attach a spray nozzle that can be turned off at the end of the valve or hose. Turn on the valve and listen carefully. If you hear water spraying or see water coming out from behind the valve, immediately turn of the valve and call a plumber or seek advice on how you may be able to take care of the problem yourself.

Another reason the hose valve may freeze during those cold spells is the improper installation when the home was originally built. Hose valves need to be sloped away from the house so that proper drainage of the valve can be accomplished.

Below are two pictures of a frozen and split hose valve.

Unnoticed, defective or leaking hose valves can lead to extensive and costly water damage over time.

By Ray Sr.

Water Heater Blankets

admin — Wed, 11 May 2011 13:35:59 +0000

Insulation Blankets, are they worth it?
During times of high energy costs and rising fuel costs, homeowners tend to be more energy conscious. After market water heater blankets are often considered for energy conservation, but many experts argue that heat loss in a gas water heater goes up the flue. Electric water heaters don’t have a flue so heat loss is very minimal.

All gas and electric water heaters are insulated with either 1” of foam (R-Value of approximately 8 ) or 2” of foam (R-Value of approximately 16) to meet ASHRAE standards for performance, efficiency and stand-by loss when tested to the Department of Energy procedures.

Some local codes and utility company regulations may prohibit insulation blankets. Too often, the Do-It-Yourselfer has good intentions but unknowingly creates some hazards by:

Covering safety warnings and operating instructions (these labels are not to be removed from the heater and placed on the blanket or elsewhere).
Covering controls, access areas, shut-off devices, temperature and pressure relief valves, etc.
Blocking air passages required for combustion or draft resulting in unsafe operation.

Consequently, Bradford White Corporation does disclaim any liability for problems associated with the use of after market insulation blankets.

admin — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:43:21 +0000