Blog | Boulden Brothers

Water Conservation Tips

Water conservation isn’t just good for the environment—it’s also a great way for homeowners to save money on utility bills. Here are some tips that will keep both you and mother nature happy.

Install efficient products.

New products that use tried and true technologies are a great way to save water. High efficiency shower heads are fairly common. In many cases, they can give the user a feeling of higher pressure. Dual flush toilets are also very water efficient. They have a light flush and heavy flush mode and are rated in gallons per flush. Pay attention to the rating on the label before buying a new appliance. That way, you’ll know exactly what to expect.

Use eco mode.

Many dishwashers, washing machines, and other appliances have a built-in eco mode. If you have the opportunity to take advantage of it, it will attempt to conserve water and electricity. You should give the setting a try to see how much it can save. You might find out that it works well in certain situations or use cases. Experiment to find out if it works well for you.

Fix household drips and leaks.

It’s amazing how quickly a small drip can add up to gallons of wasted water going down the drain. It should always be a priority to get drips fixed if you’re trying to conserve water. If you think you have an underground leak on your main water line (even if it’s the city line), get it checked out.

Shut off running water whenever possible.

Unfortunately, we tend to develop bad habits growing up that are hard to break. For example, lots of people leave the water running unnecessarily while brushing their teeth. If you have the water running the whole time, it’s going to add up to gallons and gallons wasted. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing dishes when possible.

Maximize your lawn’s efficiency.

If you’re planning to water the lawn, the best time is in the morning or evening. That’s because you’re not going to get the evaporative effect that occurs during the middle of the day (when it’s hottest). You can even install collection tanks that store the water that drips off the roof during rainy season. Even though you can’t use it as potable drinking water, it’s great for watering plants.

Bonus: Use containers creatively.

People tend to turn the tap water on and let it run for a while to get nice cool drinking water. You could save a lot of water by putting a pitcher of it in the fridge instead.

When cleaning, it’s better to use buckets instead of running the water hose. A continuous spray will end up using large amounts of water.

If you would like to install highly water efficient products in your home, give Boulden Brothers a call or contact us online.

Digital Programmable Thermostats

The primary benefit of using a digital programmable thermostat is energy savings. If you haven’t made the switch to a digital programmable thermostat yet, now’s a great time.

Customized Usage

Digital programmable thermostats are especially useful if you leave your home during the day. They save power by turning the air conditioner/heater off when you’re not using it. Let’s say that everyone is at school or work on weekdays. After being properly programmed, the thermostat will adjust itself automatically. Just before everyone comes back home, it will get your home to the desired temperature. As a result, you can potentially see significant savings on your electric bill.

On the other hand, that means that if you stay at home all day with your thermostat set to 70 degrees, you probably won’t see any savings. It becomes way more efficient if it’s programmed to run the air conditioner or heater less during the day. Ideally, 8 hours a day when most people are out is a great opportunity for increased efficiency. It wouldn’t make much of a difference if you just turned the system off for an hour.

Thermostats on the market today are even smarter than they used to be. The technology has improved so that the unit will actually anticipate the amount of time it will take to bring your home back to temperature. Older systems used to go by a predetermined time prior to everyone coming home. New systems actually learn how long it takes to get the home to the desired temperature.

Apps, Reminders, and Alerts

New digital programmable thermostats are also more accurate. There’s no mercury in them, so you don’t have to worry about toxicity from that perspective. In terms of convenience, some systems even have a smartphone app that allows you to adjust the desired temperature at all points in the house. It also allows you to see what the actual temperature is compared to what it’s set to. It’s much easier to make sure it’s set exactly how you want, even when you’re away from home.

Select models give alerts when it’s time to change the filter, based on a set timer. (The alert isn’t based on run time of the unit.) Some models even give you an alert if a component in the furnace or air conditioner has stopped operating. That way you can call a qualified service provider to check it out.

Compatibility with Existing HVAC Systems

There’s a digital programmable thermostat that’s designed to work with any type of HVAC system that’s on the market now. Before making a purchase, it’s important to make sure that the type of thermostat you’re buying is compatible with your home’s system.

Boulden Brothers can guide you through the process. We’ll install the thermostat for you and make sure it’s going to be a great value for your home. If you want to install it yourself as a project, make sure you know what you’re doing. A word of caution, though: it’s common for people trying to install a programmable thermostat to cross the wires. It risks frying the board on your furnace or air conditioner. An inexpensive home project could end up becoming an expensive HVAC system repair due to the sensitivity of the circuitry on newer equipment.

If you would like to get a digital programmable thermostat for your home, give Boulden Brothers a call or contact us online.

Duct Cleaning

The typical homeowner would be surprised to find out just how dirty their ductwork really is. All kinds of filth can accumulate over time, which may not be healthy for you or your family. That’s why it’s definitely a good idea to make sure that your home’s ducts are cleaned every two to three years, depending on the home environment. (Duct cleaning should be performed more frequently if you leave your windows open or if your home environment has smokers and pets.)

The duct cleaning process we use begins at the registers, which are furthest from the unit itself. We push the accumulated filth back to the unit. At the same time, we brush and vacuum as we go. When we’re almost done, we’ll spray an EPA approved sanitizer that leaves the duct system with a nice fresh smell. The end result is a very clean system.

The air filters in air conditioning systems do a great job of capturing lots of the particulate in the air. However, they don’t catch everything. Some of the finer particles can get through your filtration system. As a result, a certain amount of dust will eventually make its way into the ductwork and fall to the bottom.

Of course, you should have good filtration in place along with a regularly maintained filter. It’s also a good idea to leave the system’s fan set to ‘on’ instead of ‘auto’. That way, the air will continually circulate in your home. That means you’re constantly running air across the filter, giving it the opportunity to remove more of the particles. The best strategy is to combine these good habits with a clean duct system.

Benefits

If you haven’t ever had your ducts cleaned before, you don’t have a baseline of comparison. It’s not until you’ve had duct cleaning performed before you can see the difference. Airborne particles can contribute to respiratory issues like asthma or allergies. Dirt in the ductwork can also eventually accumulate on your heat pump or air conditioner coil. In turn, that will reduce the efficiency of those appliances.

Duct cleaning removes most of the dust and other particulates from circulation by the air in your home. While duct cleaning won’t completely eliminate the need for dusting, it will decrease its frequency. (Think about how much dust you’re introducing into your home on a regular basis.)

Of course, our system isn’t perfect—if it was, we’d be able to actually get into the ducts and see everything. However, the brushes we use are extremely flexible and do a good job of getting most of the particles. There are different areas of ductwork, like tight corners for example, that could be very difficult to reach with any duct cleaning system.

Remember, duct cleaning every two to three years is a great way to improve air quality and maximize your system’s efficiency. To learn more about Boulden Brothers’ duct cleaning services, give us a call or contact us online.

How Does a Sump Pump Work?

Heavy rainstorms, mild flooding, or heavy plumbing damage all run the risk of flooding out your home. However the water got into your home, it will try to collect at the lowest point first (usually your basement). With a working sump pump, the damage from water seepage will be minimal.

A sump pump collects water in a basin and pushes it outside of your home. The collected water can be returned to a dry well or the city’s storm drains. What matters is that the water is being direct away from your home and not right back into the flow that’s entering your home.

Older homes used to tie the sump pump directly into a city’s sewer system. If your sump pump is connected to your washing machine’s water return line, then this is the case for your home. This kind of system can overburden the sewer system so it is no longer compliant with city codes. If you see this in your home, we advise calling a licensed plumber to redirect the line.

How it Works

It’s all well and good to know what a sump pump does, but how does something that small keep such a large volume of water from flooding your basement? The answer, as usual, is science! Your sump pump consists of:

Gravel-Bottomed Basin or Pit
Pressure Sensor or Float Valve
Centrifugal Pump
Return Pipe
Check Valve

As water flows into the pit, it activates your sump pump by raising the pressure on the sensor, or simply raising the float valve (this is for automatic sump pumps, we’ll cover manual pumps in a moment). The pump is actually an electric motor which turns an impeller (a type of fan or screw) to move water within the basin. As the impeller pushes water away, more flows in to the fill the void near the impeller, which forces water to move out through the pipe in the basin. As it leaves via the pipe, a check valve blocks the water from returning, leaving it only one avenue of escape.

Sump Pump Types

While sump pumps are made up of many different components and come in multiple styles, the key measurements to consider when purchasing or replacing your sump pump are:

Pedestal or Submersible
Manual or Automatic
Pressure Switch or Float Valve
Head Pressure
Power Source

Visually, the biggest difference in sump pumps is whether the motor is suspended above the pit, or placed inside. Submerged sump pumps are nicer to look at because the pump isn’t hovering above the pit as a visible piece of machinery. The drawback comes with maintenance and repair. A submersible sump pump is harder to work on because it’s difficult to reach. Most repairs will require a complete removal which takes extra time.

For manual pumps, they simply wait for you to turn them on. Obvious drawbacks are that you can’t turn on the pump if you aren’t there. For an automatic pump, take notice of how the pump is triggered. Both float valves and pressure switches are triggered by water depth. As depth increases, the pressure on the switch increases until the switch is tripped (more water = heavier weight = higher pressure). Float valves simply float on the surface of the water, once the valve reaches a certain height, the pump activates. One important difference: Pressure switches are usually enclosed and can’t be adjust but also are not affected by junk or small trash, unlike float valves.

Head pressure is another factor to consider. This is simply a rating that tells you how high a pump is capable of pushing water. Measure the height of the pipe from the base of the sump basin. You want to make sure that height (which is exactly how high your pump is going to pushing water) isn’t more than 80% of your pump’s rated head pressure. This is to help your pump operate efficiently and prevent it from burning itself out with heavy loads.

One last thing to consider before buying a new pump: How is it powered? Battery backups and main line power are the options you have, but you might want to consider springing a little extra for having both.

Pump Testing

You should test your sump pump regularly. As emergency equipment, when it needs to operate you don’t have time to spend on fixing it. Once water moves into your basement it’s there to stay unless you act fast, and even an inch of water can cause a lot of damage.

The simplest way to test your pump is to pour a couple gallons of water into the basin itself. For automatic pumps, it should trigger immediately and begin pumping water out. Have someone watching the outflow pipe to make sure water is flowing away from your home as intended. Wait until the pump is finished to make sure that your sump pump actually disengages. This is especially true for submersible pumps. Submersible pumps are designed to be cooled by the water they’re moving, and have the potential to burn out when left to run in dry air.

If the pump engages, removes all the water from the basin, and disengages successfully then the test is complete and your pump is in good working order. It’s a simple test, so it’s best to check on your pump every month, or at least every three if you don’t have the time normally.

Protect your home from water damage by having Boulden Brothers install, maintain, or repair your sump pump!

Boulder Brothers is available to answer any electrical and home generator questions you may have. Your safety and comfort are out highest priorities. Feel free to give us a call at (302) 368-3848; we are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can also keep in touch with us through Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

How Your Electrical Panel Works

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Considering the fact that most breaker boxes are hidden in the backroom, storage closet, or outside of the house, it’s no wonder we don’t think of them all that often. But consider the fact that your circuit breaker is the first point of entry for power to your home. Without it, everything would be connected to the same firehose of electrical power. Your circuit breaker doesn’t just protect your devices; it regulates them.

Circuit Breaker Function

Most people recognize that your breaker box is a safety device to shut off your power in an emergency. But it also regulates power to multiple circuits throughout your home. The outlets you plug into are all set at 110-120 volts, but other outlets aren’t. Appliances, your HVAC system, and higher-voltage outlets in your garage are typically set on independent dedicated circuits to separate them from the rest of your home.

Large appliances, power tools, and your central heating and air conditioning unit all have heavy power requirements. The wiring in your home is not able to support these heavy demands (the wires are too thin), so to meet the demand (and save you money on expensive, thicker cables) a dedicated circuit is installed that powers these devices. The heaviest demands are given their own separate circuit entirely, which is why your HVAC unit is alone while your washer and dryer are listed on the same breaker.

Separating these circuits has the added benefit of making many of your devices cheaper. Without an electrical panel to separate, adjust voltage and current, and protect against high power loads, each individual device would require specialized and bulky equipment to handle those tasks.

How Breakers Work

Of course, the main function people recognize about their electrical panel is how a quick trip to replace a breaker or a fuse can turn the lights back on. Your breaker circuit is able to do this because of the effects of current and power in a circuit. As the power demands on a specific circuit increase, current increases as well. This increase in current and power increases the temperature of all parts of the circuit. In each circuit breaker, there’s a small strip made from two different metals. The metal expands as it heats, but it does so at different rates for each metal. As heat increases, the strip bends until it forcible pushes the breaker into an open position.

Each circuit breaker is set to trip when a certain amount of current is being pulled through it. For most homes, this value is 15 or 20 Amps. If your circuit continues to trip, it’s a good idea to switch a few devices out

Signs of Aging or Damage

Some breaker issues are obvious. If you cannot physically move the breaker arm to trip or turn on the breaker, then it needs to be replaced. Melted plastic, a burning smell, or broken casings are all clear signs that something is or has gone wrong and should be dealt with immediately.

But you should also keep an eye out for other problems. If the breaker is in the on position but you still are not receiving power, if the breaker continually trips as soon as it is reset, or if the breaker box feels extremely warm you should immediately consult an electrician to find the fault and repair it.

Reasons to Upgrade or Install New Circuits

Most problems with your electrical panel don’t warrant a complete replacement. But sometimes an upgrade to a new panel or a needed installation for a new circuit is necessary. If you plan to add new high load devices, are upgrading to a more powerful central heating unit, or are building an addition to your home you might need to install a brand new electrical circuit. Higher power demands sometimes require a new circuit to split the load, preventing an overload.

You may also need a brand new circuit breaker depending on the type you currently have installed. Federal Pacific circuit breakers were installed in many homes from the 50s through the 90s. These panels are, unfortunately, prone to failure and dangerous electrical fires. If your home is still using one of these outdated electrical panels, it’s time for a replacement.

Whether you need a new panel installed, want an upgrade to a more powerful circuit system, or simply need a repair on your existing panel, Boulden Brothers are your source for quality electrical work!

Give us a call at (302) 368-3848 for any of your Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania home service needs — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, propane, and more!

Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you might have.

For more expert tips on maintaining a safe and efficient home, visit us on our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

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How Home Water Filters Work

Water cleanliness and contamination levels have been in the news quite a bit recently. And, while the municipal water system is fairly clean across most of the US, it never hurts to make sure you’re getting the cleanest water available.

What Does a Filter Do?

Just like your home’s air filter, a water filter removes contaminants, particles, and other material from your water so you’re left with clean water that’s as pure as possible. Just like with air filters, not every filter works as well as another. They’re also affected by location within your home’s plumbing.

Water filtering system. Making clear potable water

Removing contaminants from water is achieved by passing water through a filter and allowing those particles to collect on the filter itself. This can be done by cation exchange (as is the case for water softeners), by increasing the surface area of the filter on a microscopic level (carbon filters), or through use a super-permeable membrane (reverse-osmosis).

All of these filters work, with varying degrees of success based on contaminant type, but if you put them in the wrong place you may find yourself not helping at all. If your home uses older plumbing, mineral buildup, pipe degradation, and other problems can leave contaminants in your water. Simply placing a whole-home filter at the point of entry won’t protect your water against the contaminants from your home’s pipes. You could replace all the plumbing in your home, or you could install filters at the tap. Faucet filters are effective for many, but not all, contaminants so they’re great for removing problems picked up in the “last mile” of water-flow. That is, they’re good for clearing out minerals and particles left from your own home’s plumbing system. For removing the smallest particles, or issues with your city’s water supply, a whole-home filter system is the way to go.

Types of Filters

Activated Carbon Filters – Positively charged, absorbent carbon. Carbon filters remove the majority of pollutants from home water and can even be installed directly into the faucet. Unfortunately, perchlorates are not removed by a standard carbon filter. The important thing is that carbon filters will remove pollutants and heavy metals from your water.

Distiller – Rather than passing water through a substance to trap contaminants, a distiller boils the water and condenses the steam to be used as water in the home. The heat from the boiler kills off most bacteria, and the steam itself leaves behind the majority of heavy metals and pollutants. Unfortunately, a distiller takes a great deal of energy to heat water, so it’s not as energy-efficient as other methods. The machinery used is also fairly large, so it requires a whole-home system or a countertop unit.

Ultraviolet Disinfection – A strong UV beam shines on the water as it passes through this contactless-filter. The UV light sterilizes the water, removing harmful bacteria and living organisms. It’s best to pair this filter with a carbon filter at the tap in order to filter out physical material as well, since the UV light will have no effect on heavy metals.

Reverse-Osmosis – Of course, RO filters are possibly the most commonly known type of filter. They work well in combination with carbon or UV filters and fit beneath the sink or can be attached to your home’s overall water system. A semipermeable membrane allows only water to pass through to the other side by taking advantage of the osmotic process of the membrane (where water will pass through to equal out dilution levels, leaving impurities behind). The one drawback to this system is that it generates a great deal of unused water which is sent back through the water system.

Any of these filters will help to improve the quality of water in your home, but picking the right filter for your needs is key. If you live an area with foul tasting water, a whole-home system will remove contaminants from all faucets in the home. If it’s just a problem with your home’s plumbing, have a filter installed at the faucet. The best results will come with a full system at all points for the clearest, cleanest water you’ve ever tasted.

If you need any assistance with installation or repair of your water filter (or any plumbing fixture or appliance), don’t hesitate to contact the experts at Boulden Brothers plumbing!

Give us a call at (302) 368-3848 for any of your Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania home service needs — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, propane, and more!

Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you might have.

For more expert tips on maintaining a safe and efficient home, visit us on our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

Why You Should Leave Vents and Registers Open

When it comes to saving money on heating every year, we hear the same things. But, while “put on a sweater and lower the thermostat” is good, “close vents in unused rooms” is more damaging than it’s worth. Sadly, it seems like common sense so we find people closing vents and registers in the hope of saving a few dollars every month. With heating and cooling making up roughly half of our energy bill every month, you’d think that every bit helps. But what if the dollars you save just get put towards future repairs caused by the attempted savings?

Basic Ventilation Principles

First, how does ventilation actually work in your home? Houses are mostly closed systems, with controlled filtration that keeps the air clean and clear. As a closed system, this means that nothing is moving the air internally. A blower fan works to circulate the air throughout your home. The moving air redistributes heat by either dumping it into condenser coils or picking it up from the furnace.

There are two basic types of motors used in these fans. One is a variable motor that can adjust itself based on the amount of pressure it’s seeing, while the other runs at the same rate regardless of external conditions. Because the second one is less complicated and slightly cheaper, it’s more common in homes. Unfortunately, this means that your home, more than likely, is going to be working harder to move air through a smaller space.

Air moves in a cycle, as it leaves a space, more air replaces it. This is why your home uses a system of vents and registers to move air through the building. When you close an air vent, you reduce the number of avenues available to moving air, restricting flow.

Pressure Problems

This moves us to the major problem with closing air vents: pressure. From the ducts to the climate control unit, whether it’s heating or air conditioning, your system has been sized to suit the needs of your home. The amount of air that your blower fan can move is suited to the flow rate of your ventilation system and the size of your home.

The reduction in airflow is a problem for effective heating. On the standard motor used in most household blower fans, that increased pressure means that air flows at a lower rate, leading to problems with heat transfer. Additionally, the increased pressure means a higher chance for hot air to escape through existing leaks or to cause new leaks in your ducting.

Of course, if you have a variable motor, the reduced airflow is not a problem. The fan motor will ramp up, increasing airflow against the additional pressure. But this comes at the cost of the energy you might have saved otherwise. Variable motors work themselves harder to make up for the decrease in airflow, decreasing lifespan, and costing you more in energy to operate the fan.

Heat Backup

We mentioned that one drawback to closing vents is a problem with heat exchange. When airflow is reduced, the air is not refreshed quickly enough for proper heat exchange to take place. Hot air moves into the room at a lower rate, leading to colder rooms or longer furnaces on-cycles. In a heating system, the reduced flow rate means that the temperature of the heat exchanger will increase as the air around it stays hotter for longer. That increase in heat can lead to a cracked heating coil or exchanger, as it isn’t able to give off the heat quickly enough to prevent damaging itself.

During the summer, you’ll find a similar issue with air conditioners. Less heat will be deposited into the condenser coil. It will cool down, leading to a formation of ice. Since ice is an insulator, it makes it more difficult for the condenser to release heat. It will freeze over, eventually leading to compressor damage and home with high heat and humidity.

Alternatives for Saving Money

While it’s not guaranteed that closing vents will lead to permanent damage, it will cause your system to work harder than it needs to. Often, the rooms you try to keep climate-controlled will stay at the temperature you want, but you won’t save more than one or two dollars, and that’s only if your climate control system is improperly sized, to begin with.

So what can you do to reduce costs during the winter (or any season really)?

Adjust the thermostat so your system operates less
Leave doors to extreme temperature rooms open to help distribute heat evenly
Use a ceiling fan to circulate existing air
Use a thermally reflective film on your windows to reduce heat transfer
Test your system to see if upgrading to a more energy-efficient unit will help

If you still have any questions or want to upgrade to a more efficient system, give us a call at (302) 368-3848 for any of your Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania home service needs — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, propane, and more!

Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you might have.

For more expert tips on maintaining a safe and efficient home, visit us on our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

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What is Trenchless Sewer Repair?

Sewer line repair is costly in more than just price. After hundreds of dollars spent on piping, digging, and labor replacement hours, you can be left with thousands more in landscaping to restore your yard to normal. Unfortunately, a broken sewer line can affect your entire house, leaving you with backed up sinks, and overflowing appliances. The traditional method of repair requires costly excavation and installation of new pipe. Removing the old pipe from the ground damages your yard and can take days to finish repairing. Fortunately, newer technologies and advancements in epoxy materials have given us not one, but two methods for replacing underground sewer and drain pipe without major excavations.

Pipe Pulling

The first technique is known as pipe-pulling or pipe-bursting. It gets this name because the new pipe is pulled through the old pipe’s location, while breaking up the old and damaged pipe. By digging a hole at the start and end points of the damage pipe, a new pipe can be lowered into place and pulled through the space occupied by the older pipe. As the new pipe is pulled forward, the installation head (a large, cone-shaped bit) breaks up and pushes aside the older pipe.

Once the installation head is pulled free through the end, the new pipe has completely replaced the damaged section and can be connected the main plumbing system. While some yard restoration work is required, it’s far less expensive to restore your yard to its original state. Trenchless pipe restorations are usually a 30-50% more expensive than a standard repiping of your sewer line, but the savings from landscaping fees more than make up for the difference.

Pipe Relining (Cured-in-Place Pipe)

The second method often only requires a single access point for entering the damaged or old pipe. Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) uses a strong epoxy to line the interior of the old pipe with a brand new one. The new lining is held in place by an air-filled bladder until the epoxy sets. The epoxy takes only a few minutes to line the walls of the pipe and will cure within 3-4 hours.

After the epoxy has cured, the bladder is removed and a robot is sent into the pipe to open branches and visually inspect the pipe to ensure quality. When all is said and done, a single piece of epoxy pipe has fully replaced your old sewer line. The new pipe can last for at least 50 years, and will last longer with proper maintenance. The lack of joints, seams, and connections in the pipe prevent roots and plants from intruding and damaging the pipe as well, preventing future problems.

Benefits to Pipe Relining:

Single Access Point Required
200ft of Pipe in Seconds
Prevents Future Root Intrusions
Stops Leaks
Strengthens Old Pipes

You always have a choice, no matter the repair. If you’re looking at major landscaping to fix a pipeline, give us a call at (302) 368-3848 for any of your Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania home service needs — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, propane, and more!

Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you might have.

For more expert tips on maintaining a safe and efficient home, visit us on our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

How to Find a Gas Leak

When using a gas fuel source, it’s important that you know how to check gas leaks. Every leak is dangerous, no matter how small. Every leak will also increase your fuel cost since you are steadily losing fuel over time. It’s a good idea to have your entire fuel system inspected regularly for leaks anyway, but if you’re noticing a consistent fuel loss then it’s best to perform a quick check for leaks.

Homemade Detector

Gas leaks and air leaks from a tire are similar in principle (air isn’t dangerous but leaks out just the same). You can check for leaks from your gas lines the same way you would from a tire. Fill a spray bottle with dish soap and spray it over the area you think has the leak. The most likely place will be where the gas line meets your appliance. If you see air bubbles begin to form, you’ve found the source of your leak. Once you know where the leak is, you can replace the faulty component and restore your appliance to service.

Carbon Monoxide

A major component of propane is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is hazardous to humans, but it is also odorless and colorless. The only way to detect it if an odorant is not present is with a carbon monoxide detector. CO detectors are inexpensive safety devices that should be placed near any gas-based appliances. Since CO is heavier than air, it sinks to the bottom of the room. CO detectors should be placed low, along the floor if possible for the earliest detection of CO leaks. If there is a CO leak, shut down your feed lines and open exterior windows to air out the room and the building.

Gas Detector

Then again, you can always use an electronic detection device to identify leaks in a system. These work similarly to CO detectors, but they search for abnormal pockets of gas in the air. They aren’t able to identify exactly where on the pipeline that a leak exists, but they will alert you to the presence of a leak so you can find it or call a repair technician.

Deduction & Repair

Of course, you can always identify a leak using your senses as well. Keep an eye out for these signs that you’re system is leaking gas:

Higher fuel costs each month
The steady loss of fuel even when not using your appliances
Hissing noise from pipes not in use
The smell of rotten eggs

The last point is especially important. The scent of rotten eggs is added to propane to give it an easily detectable smell. If you can smell gas, you should immediately clear the room and cut off your gas at the source to prevent more from filling in. Call a service technician to help find and repair the leak quickly.

Give us a call at (302) 368-3848 for any of your Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania home service needs — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, propane, and more!

Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you might have.

For more expert tips on maintaining a safe and efficient home, visit us on our website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

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How to Save Money on Heating

We cover so many of the standard ideas for improving energy efficiency and saving money on heating costs. From common ideas like lowering the thermostat and cleaning your air filter, to using a humidifier to raise the ambient temperature, there’s a wealth of methods for reducing heating costs. But what other methods are there? Today we want to show you a few other things you may not have considered when it comes to reducing energy costs.

Go Out and Visit People

The first suggestion? Leave the house. Spend a weekend taking the kids to visit their grandparents. Spend evenings after work with friends, go out to eat or for a movie as part of a group. Not only will you have fun, but every hour you aren’t at home running the heat is another hour you save on your electric or fuel bill this winter!

Hot-Water Bottles and Rice-Filled Socks

The hot-water bottle has been a trusted way of staying warm for generations. Rice-filled fabrics are a great way to stay warm. A few minutes in a microwave and you have a perfect jacket or blanket warmer.

Open Inside Doors

Of course, we aren’t talking about opening your home’s outer doors. Just as closing air vents affects how your home is heated, so do open or closed doors. By opening the doors to rooms that are warmer, you’ll allow for a greater exchange of heat between that room and the rest of the house. It isn’t a vast increase in relative warmth, but a few small changes here and there can lead to overall changes in your monthly bill.

Fix Drafts

This is an obvious problem. If any room or hallway is drafty, and you feel a chill blowing through, it’s not haunting. Drafts are a huge source of energy loss in homes. You can have stellar insulation and the best in energy-efficient heating systems and still be spending more on your utilities because of a drafty home. Locate cracks and crevices between doors and their frames. The same goes for windows and any other kind of exterior building openings. Once you’ve found the culprits, seal them up to keep warm air inside and cold air out.

Move Furniture

This tactic is one that only applies to certain kinds of homes. Specifically, homes using radiators or floor vents. If some of the rooms in your home seem to have trouble staying warm while the rest of the house is cozy, check for the location of your vents. If any vent (or pipe radiators) are being blocked by heavy furniture, it’s time to move it. Heat radiates out from these sources and will be stopped by the presence of large objects. Many pieces of furniture will act as insulators against the rest of the room, trapping heat internally. Even if the room isn’t quite so cold, it’s best to check and move furniture if it’s blocking a vent. Keeping flammable fabrics (or boxes) near a heat source is dangerous!

Shut Curtains

Unless the sun is currently shining through the window, your windows are a prime source for heat loss. Glass is an excellent insulator, but a single pane of glass is not a good method of insulating against heat exchange from outside. Drawing the curtains closed across your windows will prevent substantial heat loss when the sun isn’t on that side of the house.

Seal Chimneys

This one is easy to forget, especially since a fireplace is supposed to be a source of warmth. Your chimney is an open path to the outside. Closing the flue and any fireplace doors you may have can help to prevent heat loss, but they aren’t perfect. There’s been a recent uptick in the number of chimney balloons being sold. This is because they make up for issues not protected by a fireplace flue. Chimney balloons float up and out of sight to insulate and block warm air from rising out of the house. Just don’t forget to remove them before you use the fireplace.

Happy holidays! We hope you all stay warm this winter. If you happen to find yourself without heating, don’t hesitate to call Boulden Brothers.

Give us a call at (302) 368-3848 for any of your Delaware, Maryland, and Pennsylvania home service needs — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and more!

Call us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to answer any questions you might have.

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Go Out and Visit People

Hot-Water Bottles and Rice-Filled Socks

Open Inside Doors

Fix Drafts

Move Furniture

Shut Curtains

Seal Chimneys

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