Boulden Brothers

Plumbing, Heating, AC, Electrical

  • Services
    • Heating & AC

      AC Maintenance
      AC Repair
      AC Installation
      Heater Maintenance
      Heater Repair
      Heater Installation
      Oil Heater Services
      New Thermostat
      Furnace Maintenance
      Furnace Repair
      Furnace Installation
      Heat Pump Repair
      Boiler Services
      Ductless Mini-Splits
      Indoor Air Quality
      Duct Cleaning
    • Plumbing

      Plumbing Repairs
      Water Heaters
      Solar Water Heaters
      Tankless Water Heaters
      Hybrid Water Heaters
      Drain Clearing
      Drain Unclogging
      Drain Cleaning
      Hydro-jetting
      Garbage Disposals
      Well Pump Repair
      Sump Pump Repair
      Faucet Installation
      Sewer Line Repair
      Sewer Replacement
      Toilet Repair
      Toilet Installation
      House Repiping
      Water Line Repair
      Water Line Replacement
      Water Softeners
      Water Treatment
    • Electrical

      Electrical Repairs
      Panel Replacement
      Meter Can Replacement
      Electrical Troubleshooting
      Whole Home Surge Protection
      Circuit Repair
      Lightning Strikes
      Breakers & Fuses
      Outdoor Lighting
      Electrical Grounding
      Outlet Installation
      House Rewiring
      Safety Inspections
      EV Charging Stations
      Chandelier Installation
      Lighting Installation
      Ceiling Fan Installation
      Smoke Detector Installation
      Emergency Electrical
    • Boulden Brothers AC Technician and Customer
  • Club
  • About
    • Our Company
    • Special Offers
  • Careers
  • (302) 368-3848
  • Schedule Now

Christmas Home Safety Tips

Christmas is a great season for gathering with the family and friends, but it’s also a season when things can sometimes go awry. That’s because we don’t put safety first. And to get some ideas on how we can do that, where it matters most with your lights and everything, we go to Bolden Brothers, electrician, Dan. Dan, good morning.

Christmas Home Safety Tips:

So Dan, you’ve been with Bolden Brothers a while.

Yeah, a couple of years.

So you’ve seen some Christmases come and go in your day, I’m sure? And some ideas we have for keeping it safety, some suggestions, obviously, the first thing is the tree.

Right, if you’re going to buy a tree, if you’re going to get a fire-resistant artificial tree, that’s great. If not, get the freshest tree you can. One that has green needles, hard to pull off. They bend instead of break. And you want to get a good fresh tree, not something that’s dry and ready to catch fire.

And those will be harder to find as we get closer into Christmas, too. You may have to go from one lot to another. And of course, you want to keep that tree watered. One way you can keep your tree fresher, and less last longer is to spritz your tree. And that is to take a spray bottle with water and spritz the branches to keep the needles moist, just so you know. And when you do that, obviously you’re going to want to turn off the lights while you’re doing that.

Right.

So let’s go outside now. Let’s talk about the outside part of Christmas. I know that outdoor lights belong outdoors, and indoor lights belong indoors. Can you explain why that is?

Well, things are rated for different areas, and the things that are rated for outdoors can handle the humidity, the rain, the snow, all of that. If it’s rated for indoors, it’s not set up to handle any of that. The water will get in there and shut everything down, and there’s potential for electric shock there.

Technically we could use outdoor lights inside?

Yes.

Okay. So it just can’t go the other way. Now, a lot of times I see people using these hooks that they put up on their house. Is there any danger to that?

You know what, if you’re going to use the hooks, something that’s insulated, something that isn’t metal just to your wire because if there’s ever a nick in the wire, and then the metal touches it, there’s potential there for you to get hurt.

If you’re going to go totally Griswold here and try to literally light up the house, probably a good idea to check those lights before you put them up, too.

Yeah, check them all, make sure everything works, which takes time, and it’s a pain to do that, but it better to do it before you put it up and things don’t work.

Chances are, those lights aren’t going to go where there’s a plug waiting, so we’re going to wind up using some extension cords. I’m sure you have some thoughts on keeping an extension cord safe.

Yeah, there are a few different things you can do. Wherever the extension cord plugs into the lights, you want to keep that off the ground and protected from water. Use a brick or a rock. Don’t use Aunt Susie’s fruitcake.

It might be the best use of it, but okay.

Do you know what I mean? It’s tempting. It’s tempting to do that, but you use the fruitcake, and then the squirrels get it, and then you’ve got a different problem.

Chances are that fruit cake could be a conductor too, so you don’t want to use it for that reason.

Right, right. They do also have a protector for wherever you go from light to light, the plugin adapter, there’s something that protects that and seals it off. You can use one of those, those work really well to seal it off from water. Anything, where a connection is made, is the potential for water to get into.

And you want to keep that wrapped up, and dry, and off the ground.

Yeah, and then everything that you plug into should be GFI protected.

If I’m going to plug this in, how do I know that plug is a GFI-protected plug?

Typically, there’s a push-button on it, a trip and reset button. Some of them are on a GFI circuit, and they might not have the button on it, but they’re on a GFI circuit. Typically, it’ll say trip and reset, and there’s a button you can push.

Is it possible that I’ve got a GFI plug over at one end, and there were other plugs run off that same GFI on the outside?

Yes. Yes.

So if we’re going to make sure a plug is GFI safe, is there a way we can trip the GFI to see if those other plugs go out?

There is a type of plug tripper. That’s one way to go about it. Plugin the GFI tester, but if you don’t have a GFI tester, you could push the trip button on your GFIs, and turn off the plugs, and see if those are still on. If they’re still on, then they’re not GFI protected.

And you shouldn’t use them for your Christmas lights?

Right.

Now, what about how many lights we can put on a circuit?

A lot of the individual lights will tell you how much you can put on. With the addition of LED the past several years, there’s a lot more that you can put on. Each cord, or if it’s a newer cord, should tell you. If it’s not LED, a lot of times they say three strands will do, but it all depends on your house, and the wiring, and what size the circuit is that goes to it.

Let’s talk about that for a second. How do we know we have too many lights on a circuit?

Well, typically-

The breaker goes, but I mean-

The breaker…

But before that?

The extension cord could start getting warm. I would say after you’ve had the lights plugged in for a little while, check it. Just feel the extension cord. Is it getting hot? Is it just getting slightly warm? A little bit warm is okay, but if it starting to get hot, then you’re overloading it.

We don’t want that. Now, it makes sense to not have your lights on when you leave the house. But what about all night?

Well, it’s similar. It’s a similar situation. When you’re not home, you’re not able to monitor what’s going on with your lights. Make sure that everything is working properly and is safe. And it’s similar when you’re asleep, you’re not able to monitor as well. Not like you’re sitting there watching over it, but it’s something to wear, something could happen, and you’re not able to know what’s going on.

We have a neighbor that has these super bright LED lights on during the Christmas season, and we have to close all the drapes on that side of the house at night in order to get any sleep because they leave them on all night. So turn them off to be a good neighbor too. So anyway, let’s fast forward here a minute, Dan, and say the holiday season is over. How about when we take these lights down and put them away? Do you have any suggestions on how to handle them properly then?

Put them away neatly. It’ll save you trouble in the future, but also seal it off if there’s some type of sealable container, mice, rodents, different things like to get into things and chew on it. If that happens, then it’s something that you might not see until next year. And then you plug it in, and there’s a safety issue there. So you want to have it sealed off.

So to sum it up, Dan, you want us to buy an artificial tree. If we do that, make sure it’s fire-resistant, or if we buy a real one, make sure it’s fresh. Use indoor lights indoors, and outdoor lights outdoors. Don’t use metal hooks. Use insulated hooks. Check your lights before you put them up. Watch your extension cord. Warm’s okay, hot is bad, so don’t overload your circuits, and it’s best to use a GFI circuit for your lights, and turn them off when you’re not home or you’re going to bed. Does that sound about right?

That sounds about right.

Well, thanks a lot, Dan. I appreciate your help. Of course, you can find lots more useful help for all kinds of electrical applications here at boldenbrothers.com

Filed Under: Podcast

5 Ways to Avoid Garbage Disposal Disasters

The holiday season, it means family and friends coming to visit. What you may not think about though is how all that entertaining puts your kitchen to the test, specifically your garbage disposal. Thanksgiving, believe it or not, is the busiest day of the year for Boulden Brothers Plumbers because of, you guessed it, disposal problems. To help you avoid holiday heartache with your disposal, we’re joined by Tim Boulden.

How to take care of your garbage disposal:

I understand you have some disposal do’s and don’ts to share.

We do. There are certain things that can be done that can reduce the chance of having a disposal problem.

Well, before we get to those, let’s first talk about, to understand disposal problems, let’s start at the source and talk about how a disposal works.

A disposal is a pretty simple device. There is an electrical motor and then there are grinders in the disposal that grind up the food small enough so that it can be flushed out with running water.

It’s a pretty straightforward devices. There’s a can underneath the sink, and you put stuff in, it grinds up, and goes away.

That’s exactly right.

All right. So, where do things go amiss? Where do things go off the tracks when somebody is using one?

What shouldn’t go down a garbage disposal?

There’s quite a few do-not-do’s with garbage disposals. The main one is don’t put anything other than food down there.

Like what would you put down that’s not food?

Well, you want to make sure that your knives, and forks, and spoons don’t slip in there by mistake, of course, but glass, or plastic, or paper products are bad for your disposal.

So, don’t put wrappers or things like that down the disposal.

Nope. Just the food, and the food should be put down in smaller pieces and small amounts at a time.

So, don’t try to shove the whole turkey down the disposal.

No. That’s right.

Break it up. So, are there certain foods that maybe we want to avoid in the disposal?

What foods should not go down a garbage disposal?

Potatoes and potato skins are really bad. They can almost make like a cement in your garbage disposal, but corn husks, celery, onion skins, or even egg shells, you want to stay away from all of those.

I can imagine that the corn in particular would create kind of a stringy kind of thing. I had never thought about the potato skins could create that kind of cement just mix down there.

That’s right. Celery’s the same way.

And celery too. Okay.

And onions. Yup. Any fibrous foods.

Fibrous food, stay away from those. All right. And then what else?

Grease. So, a big no-no. Don’t make your bacon in the morning and pour it down the garbage disposal, for a couple of reasons. It can cause it to clog up, but also can cause odor problems in your disposal.

Okay. What other problems can happen to a disposal on Thanksgiving or pretty much any morning?

The main thing is you want to run water through it after it stops grinding the food, so it’s properly flushing the food out of the garbage disposal.

Okay. So, once we put something through, we want to go ahead and run water, let it clear out the disposal. So, run it until it … I guess it’ll make a sound that’s different. Mine speeds up a little when it’s empty.

That’s exactly right. Once it’s done the grinding portion of the job, keep the water running. I leave it on and make sure that it evacuates everything from the disposal.

The thing about disposals is sometimes even the best laid plans, it can get kind of stinky, it’ll have kind of an odor to it. Is there anything we can do to prevent that?

There are a couple of things. Putting slice of the lemons down there can help, but also if you make ice cubes with a mixture of half vinegar and half water, that’s really good to clean out your garbage disposal and keep the blade sharp.

Doing these things will enable you to have Thanksgiving without a visit from a Boulden Brothers plumber, though we’re happy to come out.

Always happy to be there.

Okay, and we’ll be available if you are. So, any other tips we can share, Tim, on the disposal?

The only last one is it’s good to run hot, soapy water through it regularly just to make sure you keep it clean.

It makes perfect sense. You want to keep something clean to keep it working well, right?

That’s exactly right.

Tim, thanks a lot for your help, and I hope this will help listeners avoid Thanksgiving and holiday weekend heartache through the season.

Great. Thanks, Charlie.

You can learn more about disposal care and plumbing in general. There are a lot of helpful videos for you waiting here on the Boulden Brothers website, bouldenbrothers.com.

Filed Under: Podcast

What is the Boulden Buddies Club?

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.2.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″]

Buddies make everything better. A good buddy keeps you safe and that’s exactly the idea behind Boulden Brothers Buddies Club, helping keep your home safe and comfy year-round. Tim Boulden is here. I guess he and Mike are the head buddies in The Buddies Club. Tim, why does The Buddies Club make sense? I mean, can’t we just call for service when we want it?


Transcript:

Certainly. The biggest advantage to the club membership is what we call our front-of-the-line priority. So if someone calls in that’s a club member, they are going to be put in front of the line of everybody that’s not a club member, and unfortunately, in the heating and air conditioning business, most people have a problem when it’s very hot or very cold and so when you’re calling for service, it’s likely that a lot of other people are as well.

And I guess you guys call those demand calls, right? Somebody calls then they need service right now and you should get it too. I mean, who wants to be hot, but I guess a Buddies Club Member, they’re pushed ahead of those people.

Right yeah, the Buddies Club Members have pushed ahead of all the people that are not Buddies Club Members. So the only person you would be behind would be maybe a Buddies Club Member that called in before you.

What does the Buddies Club cover?

Well, it’s designed for your convenience to save you money, but mostly it’s to extend the life of your equipment. So it has an annual and an air conditioning Bouldenzation that is our very thorough multi-point tuneup. We also do a water heater rejuvenation every other year. That’s where we’ll drain your water heater and give it a proper inspection and tuneup and then every third year, we will do an electrical panel rejuvenation. So we will go in and make sure that all the connections in the panel are tight and looking good. As well as when we’re out there, we’ll do a complete electrical safety inspection.

That sounds like it could save some money.

It certainly will. Over the life of your systems, it will save you a lot of money.

What benefits do club members get besides that? I mean, it’s great that you come out and do those tune-ups and the Bouldenzations. What else do they get?

Tim Boulden: They also get discounts of off repairs and when it’s time to replace your equipment whether it’s your heating and air conditioning system, your water heater or your electrical panel, there are discounts for new equipment as well.

So you take care of people even when their equipment is beyond taking care of?

That’s exactly right. We do believe that having the Boulden Buddies Club will extend the life of your equipment, but it can’t extend it forever.

So how long does a Boulden Buddies Club Membership last?

We have two ways for people to join. One is with an annual subscription or the other is monthly. We just ask that when you have joined monthly, you stay a member for one year. After that, you can cancel at any time.

So that’s fair enough. You get in, you get the priority service, Bouldenzations, discounts, it’s just what you’d expect from a buddy. I suspect Tim, that’s why you call it the Buddies Club.

That’s exactly right.

Tim, thanks for explaining all to us.

Thanks, Charlie.

Learn more about the Boulden Brothers Buddies Club. Visit bouldenbrothers.com/club.

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Filed Under: Podcast

Is your electrical panel ready for Summer?

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.2.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″]

Summertime and your AC is working, and so is the rest of your electrical system. That’s why summer is a common time for problems with aging electrical panels. So how can you be sure yours is ready for its summer workout? Tim Boulden is here to help explain why this is an important time of year for a panel inspection.


Transcript:

Tim, why do we even need to think about inspecting our panel?

Most people think that an electrical panel is a lifetime appliance. Unfortunately, that’s not the case because it is what distributes all the electricity throughout the home. So it’s a very important appliance obviously to take care of for many safety reasons that most people are aware of.

I know the EPA says that our electrical consumption doubles every 20 years so an aging panel, I guess, would definitely be something to worry about if you have an old one. What are some warning signs we should look at in our panel?

I think what people will notice first when a panel started to age is when they have circuit breakers that are regularly tripping. Now, this could be caused by a couple of things. It could be because there are too many circuits running into one breaker or it can be the fact that the breaker’s starting to age.

So a breaker actually wears over time?

It does. The breaker is designed to trip if there is a problem because the electricity’s surging through it. So over time, the breakers will fail. The difficulty is sometimes if they will fail and won’t come back on. The other problem is though sometimes they will fail and it won’t trip like it’s supposed to if there’s an electrical problem.

That’s a good reason to get an inspection right there.

It is. It’s also for safety. If people are working, doing minor electrical problems around their house, they should never turn off a breaker and assume power is off to that circuit because if the breaker has failed, power could still be going to that area. So they want to make sure that they also test the area to make sure the power’s been turned off.

Sure, like use a lamp or something you plug into an outlet I guess, be one way you can go to figure that out.

Little power tester.

Yeah, and then I guess that’s one reason you’d call for someone to come check your panels. What are some other service options we can look at for our electrical service, specifically with the panel?

One of the ways we think that you’re best at protecting your home and your family is to be a Boulden Brothers Club Member because we’re going to come out every third year and rejuvenate your panel. And what we mean by rejuvenating is we’re going to take out every breaker and make sure that all the connected wires or the wires that are connected to the breakers are tight. Because what happens over time is the wires expand and contract as the power’s going through them and not, they can cause the screws and the breaker to loosen. And any time you have a loose connection that’s when you have a chance for an arc or a problem in your system.

That would probably be the point when you’re looking at a possible replacement.

It could be. A panel, if properly maintained, should be a 15, 20 plus year appliance, but if it’s not properly maintained or if it’s been grossly undersized, it may not last that long.

That’s a great case for making sure that you service your panel regularly.

I think so, and it’s the one area of the home that most people that are comfortable with home improvement products should be very leery, and should be very careful because you need to know what you’re doing if you’re going to be actively working in the panel.

Yeah. I think electricity and gas are the two things you shouldn’t try to work on yourself.

I would agree.

Right. You can learn more about how Boulden Brothers qualified electricians can help you keep the power going in the summer and all year here at Bouldenbrothers.com

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Filed Under: Podcast

Signs that your AC system needs replacement

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” _builder_version=”3.22″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”3.25″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” _builder_version=”4.2.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” hover_enabled=”0″]

Just like a flat tire happens when you need it at least, AC systems tend to break down on the hottest day of the year. Could this be the year you beat it to the punch with a replacement AC system? Tim Bolden is here to talk about exactly that.


Transcript:

Hey Tim, what are some common warning signs a system needs replacement?

Well, it could be unusual noises. Sounds that you have not heard coming from your system. But more likely it’s your system will no longer keep up. It will no longer keep your house warm or cool, or you start to see an increase in your electrical bills when you know you’re using it in a way you have similar in the past.

That’s a lot you just talked about there. So when you’re talking about, let’s start first with those noises, when you’re saying it’s noisier, you’re talking about the condenser outside the house with the AC system, right?

It certainly could be. It could be your compressor, it could be your fan motor outdoors, or there could be a problem with a blower motor inside. Either way, inside or out, those components ultimately will fail.

Yeah. There was a time at my house, Tim, when my fan motor outside, the condenser outside of the house, was so loud a service guy working next door at my neighbor’s house came by and asked me, “Have you ever thought about replacing your system?”

It doesn’t surprise me. Unfortunately, I know you take good care of your system, but a lot of homeowners wait for a problem before they call a company like Bolden Brothers.

And so you also talked about the idea that it isn’t, your AC specifically, let’s talk about that first, isn’t cooling like it used to. So you’ll set the thermostat and you’re saying that an aging system won’t deliver the cold as well?

Yes. Say it’s an 85-degree day and your system in the past would be able to keep your house comfortable. It may not be able to keep it comfortable anymore or it may be able to cool it off, but it’s very humid inside.

Air-ConditioningSo if it’s not keeping up as cold as it used to, is it possible a Bolden-ization can bring that system back?

Possibly. It’s always good to have your system regularly maintained and it may be a minor issue. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to tell until you get out and diagnose the problem.

Yeah. I guess there comes a time when every system has served its last. And I hear a lot of people talk about that they have an old, R22 system and I guess those are really starting to age out for the newer R410A systems.

That’s exactly right. We see fewer and fewer R22 systems every year. Which a good thing because it’s becoming incredibly expensive to add refrigerant if the system needs it.

That was probably going to be the nail in the coffin for an old system. If your R22 system has a refrigerant leak, it’s definitely time to look at a replacement.

That’s for sure.

I guess the best advice, Tim, is to check it now and chuck it before your old AC leaves you hot and far from dry.

That’s exactly right because I don’t know if other people will have luck like me, but mine doesn’t fail when it’s 75 degrees. It fails when it’s 95 degrees.

Because it’s working super hard.

That’s exactly right.

Tim, thanks a lot.

Thanks, Charlie.

Find out more about system replacements in the AC section here at boldenbrothers.com

[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Filed Under: Podcast

How to Get a Job at Boulden Brothers

Episode Transcript:

  • Tim, who is a fit for Boulden Brothers?
  • Well, let me answer that a little bit differently. I think it’s very important for our clients to know that if we’re not going to send a technician to our house, we’re not going to send it in anybody’s house. The bar that we’ve set is to make sure that they are good enough to go to my mother’s or my grandmother’s house or my house, and if they’re not, we’re not going to send them anywhere. It takes a special person and obviously they have to have the same care commitment and concern for our clients that all of our techs have had, but they also need to be able to pass all the background tests that we think are important, namely, a criminal background check and a drug screen to make sure that they are the type of people that we’re comfortable sending into anyone’s home.
  • What kind of skills does somebody need to be on the Boulden Brothers team? I mean, and I’m not just talking about necessarily the technical skills, but I mean what kind of mindset do you need to be successful?
  • We think the most important thing to be successful at Boulden Brothers is your attitude. When you have the same caring heart and commitment to our clients that we have, you’re going to be successful. We have people that come in with lots of experience that have those traits and are very successful. We also have people that have that positive attitude that don’t yet have those skills. With our comprehensive training program, we will make sure that they are ready and prepared to take care of any problem that you’ll be having in your home.
  • Let’s say I decided that this sounds like a good opportunity for me. What can I expect when I come to apply?
  • First of all, you’ll usually talk to Carol, and she’s wonderful. She’s our team-builder and she explains the opportunities that are available at Boulden Brothers. Then, it’s a rigorous onboarding process if we think that you’ll be a good fit for our team as well as all the training that I spoke about earlier.
  • Rigorous, you’re not talking Navy Seal rigorous, right?
  • Nothing underwater.
  • Okay, fair enough. All right. Then you did mention that you’re going to have to pass a background check. I assume one of those things, you need a clean driving record.
  • We do need a clean driving record because a lot of their time is spent driving between calls, so we want to make sure that if you’re not our client, you’re still safe if there’s a Boulden Brothers tech around.
  • Once you pass the background check, once you seem to have the qualities of the kind of person that fits on the Boulden Brothers team and you’re hired, what is possible, Tim, for somebody joining the Boulden Brothers team? How far can they go?
  • We want that decision to be made by people that are coming onto the team. If it’s ultimately their goal to own their own HVAC plumbing or electric business, we would like to help them get their license. If it is to be able to spend more time with their family or to take a family vacation or buy a new car, all those are great goals that we’ve helped people achieve. We think that that’s important for the new people on our team to know that whatever your goals are, whatever’s ever important to you is going to be important to us as well.
  • You expect your team members to be focused on the customer. Meanwhile, you’re focused on the team members, helping them accomplish what’s important to them.
  • That’s exactly right. If the team is happy to be working with us, they’re going to be happy when they get into the home. If they’re not, if they’re miserable with the place that they’re having to go to work, it’s really hard to be cheerful and also sharing the care and commitment that we have while they’re in the home.
  • I imagine it makes itself pretty clear pretty quick when somebody comes along who’s not a fit.
  • It does, and it also is why our people stay with us for so long, because when they are a fit, they find a home.
  • Do I need a lot of experience, Tim? We touched on it briefly earlier, but if I’m somebody who’s relatively good with my hands and I’ve never once touched an electrical or plumbing or HVAC system, is it possible to start by coming to work at Boulden Brothers?
  • It sure is. We can get the people the technical experience, the customer service experience, help people purchase the tools that are necessary. If someone has desire to get into the trades, they should be giving us a call.
  • It can be a great job, a super career, possibly even a pathway to owning your own business. It’s up to you to decide what you want to accomplish. Fair enough, Tim? Does that sound about right?
  • That’s exactly right.
  • Sounds like a great opportunity. Tim, thanks for filling us in.
  • Thanks, Charlie.
  • Learn more about the career opportunities here at Boulden Brothers by visiting the careers section.

Filed Under: Podcast

Types of Water Heaters

A water heater is a water heater, is a water heater, or is it? Water heater technologies continue to evolve giving us more choices, so we’re visiting with Sam McMullan from Boulden Brothers to find out which kind of water heater is best for you.

Transcript:

Hey Charlie.

So we understand the typical water heater, that’s the big tank that heats water in our house.

Yep, that’s correct. That’s the most popular, that’s what most people are used to and the way that, that works is it’s a tank that holds a certain amount of water and then there is a temperature monitor there that maintains a certain temperature for the water, so that when you turn your facet on the hot side it’ll supply water for a determined amount of gallons and a determined amount of time.

So I’m going to get hot water as long as there’s hot water in that tank?

That is correct.

So is that why I’m running a shower for too long then the water gets cold it’s because the water heater can’t keep up with what I’m using?

That’s exactly right, Charlie. There’s only a certain amount that it can produce and it’s called recovery time, and the smaller the water heater, the quicker the recovery time, so for a larger family you’ll have a big water heater but it also won’t allow you to recover in time to take multiple showers in a row, sometimes you can’t even get through the first one.

Well, somebody has to move along faster I think.

That’s what it sounds like to me.

All right. From an energy efficiency point of view, this water is being held in stasis hot whether I’m using it or not.

Yep, that’s correct. That’s the big knock on a tanked water heater is you could not use a shower or hot water for maybe days if you were on vacation possibly, but that tank still continues to produce heat and maintain a temperature on that water.

It’s insulated and all, I mean it’s not like it’s just a can of water.

That’s true, but it still is using energy even when you’re not using that water.

So that brings us to tankless water heaters, I guess or they call them on demand water heaters.

Yeah, tankless water heaters are a great new option for home owners. It allows multiple installations, gas, electric, neither natural or propane on the gas side but the best thing about a tankless water heater is it gives you endless hot water for multiple showers, multiple loads of laundry, dishwasher, whatever you’re in need of hot water for that tankless will supply that.

So a tank water heater, I’m going back to the old technology, that heated up a big old bucket of water that we were drawing off of as we used it, right?

That’s correct.

So how on earth does something that doesn’t have that tank give me an endless supply of hot water?

The great thing about it is it uses a variable speed gas valve, so with that gas valve it determines the amount of BTU’s based on water flow you need to heat the water to a certain temperature. That’s how it gives you your endless hot water because as the water continues to flow it’ll continue to heat it up and continue to supply you with the hot water you want.

So it is literally heating the water as it goes through.

That’s correct.

That way when I’m on vacation, I’m not using it that thing is just sitting back taking a break.

That is true.

Now we also know there are solar water heaters.

The great thing about solar water heaters is it has a look of the old storage tank water heaters, but it uses solar panels on your roof to heat that water, so a small very low draw motor pushes water through those solar panels and as it goes through solar panels it collects the heat from the sun and puts them back in the storage tanks, so you’re using the energy from the sun to do your hot water.

How does that compare energy wise to that low draw motor to the gas water heater?

It’s not even close Charlie, it’s such a small electric amp draw it really keeps your power bill very low and it’s great for the environment.

The thing I’m skeptical about is what happens when you have a series of really cloudy days? How can that thing heat water?

There’s actually heating element there, so if there are too many days where you don’t get a good amount of sun to heat that water, there is a backup in reserve that would be used in the event that, that would happen.

And in the winter time when it’s cold outside is the sun still going to heat that water?

Yep, doesn’t make a difference. As long as the sun’s shining it’s heating the water, temperature has no effect on it.

So our choices are a tank water heater, the traditional kind of water heater, right? Which is a tank heating the water continually, whether you’re using it or not and will only supply hot water for as long as it has hot water in that tank. The second choice is a tankless one, which will heat the water on demand as you use it and based on your usage it should be able to keep up and give you an endless supply of hot water.

That’s true.

And then the solar water heater uses the sun and a small motor to pump water through an array on your roof that heats the water so you can get hot water without paying for the gas or electric it takes to run a traditional tank water heater, is that pretty much sum it up?

You sound like the expert Charlie.

I’ve been listening to you. So of those three choices Sam, which is the best?

Certainly if you have the exposure to do it, the solar water heater is the way to go. Second would absolutely would be tankless, I happen to have one in my house and I love it.

I wanted to say one thing about those tankless water heaters, when they say on demand it doesn’t mean that the hot water’s going to come out of the tap immediately hot though, right?

That’s interesting, that’s one of the comments we get most often is they expected it’s instant hot water but it’s endless hot water. Still has travel time.

Is there a way to circulate the water so that when I hit the tap I immediately get hot water?

That’s becoming more and more popular it’s called a recirculating loop and what it’ll do is at a particular point that you want, you can hook a loop to the tankless water heater so that you would have on demand hot water at that point also through your tankless.

So when you’re ready to get in shower, you hit the button, bam, you’ve got hot water right then and there.

Right there.

And it only works with the tankless or can I use that with tank or solar ones as well?

You can use it with any of three that we talked about.

All right, so there are your options. It sounds like the choice is up to you, whether it’s a tank, tankless, solar and if you want instant hot water, you want a recirculating pump and whichever one it is, you know they can take care of you with it at Boulden Brothers. Sam, thanks so much for helping us out today.

No problem Charlie, thank you.

You can learn all about water heaters right here at bouldenbrothers.com.

Filed Under: Blog, Podcast

Bouldenizations

You’re not ready for summer until your home is Bouldenized. You’ve seen that on our website. You’ve heard it on our radio ads, but what is it mean when Boulden Brothers says you should be Bouldenized? Sam McMullen from Boulden Brothers joins us to explain how a Bouldenization goes beyond a tuneup.

Transcript:

First of all, I have an air conditoner sitting next to my house. It’s been sitting dormant all winter. Nothing has been used. I’m just going to turn it on, start using it in the springtime. What’s wrong with that?

Well, there’s nothing wrong with that. You do want to make sure that the system’s going to start up for you. That’s a main concern that you want to avoid.

What would keep it from starting up?

There could be a number of reasons. There could be an issue with a power… there might be a power surge that might blow a fuse or pop your breaker that would keep the outdoor unit from coming on. Sometimes the refrigerant charge, if it’s incorrect, wouldn’t allow the starter to cool. But you just always want to make sure that the system’s going to at least run and come on.

So that’s why you say get a tuneup every springtime.

Absolutely.

Now, a typical tuneup consists of what?

Typical tuneup, somebody’s going to come out, and they’re going to look things over. They might clean a few things, or they’ll look at the condition of the fan motor outside. They might just do an overall visual of the system.

And call it good and charge you 49.99 and be down the road.

That’s very possible, yes.

All right, so, a Bouldenization, on the other hand, you’d say goes further. I say what does that mean?

Yeah, a Bouldenization takes a maintenance visit to the maximum level. We have a 48 point checklist, safety and diagnostic, where we’re going to check all kinds of parts in the system to make sure that they’re operating with a manufacturer’s specifications for peak efficiency, and make sure that that system is not going to break down on you during the heat of the summer.

So this is when you talk about bringing the system back to factory fresh specs at the end of a Bouldenization.

As best we can do. Absolutely.

All right. So, what does that entail? What kind of things are on this 48 point checklist of yours?

Well, first off, we check the condenser coil and fan capacitors. We make sure that the condenser coil’s clean. We’ll look at the capacitor, make sure it’s within specs. We even look at the compressor and the operation contactors to see if the points are pitted or not. Fan motor, make sure it’s not rusted through. Fan blades, make sure there’s no cracks.

We look at drain holes, and make sure nothing’s got in there and plugged any of the drain holes up. Electrical connections, we want them to be super tight. As electric passes through, it heats them up and sometimes it can loosen lugs. We want to make sure the disconnect’s secured to the house and operating properly.

Oh, keep going. You’re doing great.

We check the refrigerant. That’s how we provide cool air in your home is a transfer of heat through the refrigerant, so we’ll make sure it’s at peak levels and that the pressures and the temperatures superheat and subcooling are exactly where they need to be on the system.

Wow. And what about my thermostat? Are you going to check my thermostat?

Yeah, that list was just the outdoor unit, Charlie.

Oh, my. There’s more?

Yeah. Absolutely. We’re going to check the indoor unit to make sure the fan is aligned. We’re going to make sure that the control board is operating the way it’s supposed to. We’re going to look to make sure your air filter is nice and clean. We’re going to look at the indoor coil to make sure there’s no dirt accumulation on the indoor coil. We’re going to check your condensate. Over a period of time when water sits in the condensate, it tends to get a gelatinous texture to it and can clog the condensate pipes. So we’ll make sure that’s clear. We’ll make sure your condensate pump-

Whoa, whoa, whoa wait a minute. A condensate. Okay, I don’t know what that means.

When the refrigerant is running through your system, and the hot air passes across the indoor coil, condensation forms on those coils, and it runs down these little channels into a tray. And in the disposal point, it comes out of the coil, runs down a tube, and it either runs into your French drain or underneath the slab in your basement. Some of them run to a little… it’s called a condensate pump, and it’ll accumulate that water and then pump that water to a specified location to dispose of that water.

Okay, so this is not pure water. This is stuff that’s come off the coil.

That’s correct.

And you’re saying it can get gelatinous and clog.

Yep. When it sits for a period of time, it’ll build on the inside walls of the tubing and it needs to be cleaned out, flushed out, or sometimes that tubing needs to be replaced if it’s too far gone.

And this is something you’re going to spot on the Bouldenization.

Absolutely.

Okay, what else?

So, your thermostat. We want to make sure your thermostat’s operating correctly. If it has batteries, we’re going to check the batteries for you. But we’re going to start the system in cooling. We’ll make sure that the thermostat comes on to its desired temperature, make sure the fan comes on. And just do an overall check on appearance and make sure it’s tight to the wall, making sure that that thermostat operates correctly.

So, when you leave, I know I’m going to get, I think they call it the drop across the coil that I’m supposed to get. Is that what they call that?

It is. The more technical term is a Delta T. So the Delta T is a general way for a technician to know if the system is operating at least close to peak performance. A Delta T that is more than 20 degrees or less than 20 degrees tells us that there might be an issue with the system, and then that way we can get more involved in finding out what that might be. Could be low refrigerant, could be dirty coils. It could be a number of reasons, but that’ll start to give us an idea of where to look.

So, when you’re done doing this entire 48 points, my system is restored to factory fresh specs as close as they can be humanly delivered to that. And I can be confident I’ll be cool all summer long.

Yes, you will.

All right. So, you want to learn more about a Bouldenization? Everything you want to know about it is right here on our website. You can find it at bouldenbrothers.com/bouldenization if you don’t want to click around. Sam, thanks a lot for helping us out today.

No problem, Charlie. Thank you.

And there’s a lot more to learn about your air conditioning, heating, plumbing, and electrical systems, and you’ll find it all and the help to keep them running right at bouldenbrothers.com.

Filed Under: Blog, Podcast

Mini-Split Ductless AC Systems

When you think of AC, you think of an outside unit next to your house and ducts and another one inside distributing cool around your home. Now ductless technology gives you amazing flexibility and to learn more about it we’re visiting with Sam McMullan from Bolden Brothers.

Transcript:

Hey, Charlie.

So what’s the difference between the traditional AC system like I just described and these new ductless ones?

Yeah, the new ductless systems, it’s not a new technology. It’s been used in Europe and Asia for a very long period of time. The United States is catching up on it though with its use. It’s a very, very versatile system and very, very energy efficient.

How does it work?

Basically it’s a duct work system inside of a box on your wall. There’s an outdoor unit that comes on and passes the refrigerant through tubes to what we call a head unit inside the house. It can be mounted on the wall, can be mounted in the ceiling, can be mounted on the floor, and then there’s a fan in a coil within that small unit to push cool air into the home.

So the what the thing in the attic or basement, wherever it is in your home, the evaporator is actually sitting right there on the wall.

That’s correct.

And the condenser is in the box outside.

And it’s very small about the size of a large suitcase.

And there’s, my understanding is between them, there’s just a one simple umbilical that runs between them.

Yep. It runs, it carries the refrigerant and the electric all in one little small package.

So this means that, if I understand what you’re saying is we can take a ductless unit and deliver cooling very tactically, like to one room or one area of a house.

Yep, there’s a couple of benefits. You’ll have control of the temperature in a particular room. The efficiencies, some of the base efficiencies on ductless are some of the high end efficiencies on a conventional ducted system.

Is that because they’re not losing the efficiency through the duct system?

That’s correct, Charlie. There’s no duct work to have air losses and leakage and infiltrations so having just those two units makes it much more efficient.

ow, that’s great if I want a cool one room, but what if I want to cool three or four rooms.

That’s what’s great about the new ductless systems, Charlie, some of them have the ability to handle four and five heads now and more with branch boxes.

So we take one condenser unit outside and then you have these different basically evaporator heads and you put one in each room that you want to cool and they all tie to that same unit.

Yep. That’s great. So it does provide a whole house solution without, you having to run duct work. It’s great for older homes. Great for the add ons. Great for the room above the garage.

And I’m just struggling with how can this be more efficient to have all these heads as opposed to having one central unit.

SAM: Yeah. It goes back to the not having duct work where you have leakage and infiltrations of outside air or something not sized correctly. So the efficiencies all recognized because the refrigerant goes from point A to point B in one straight line.

Is it possible, are there systems that enable us to take these ductless systems and meld them with our existing central air units?

Yes. That’s a great new technology that’s coming out now that has the ability to take your conventional ducted system and pull a ductless head for that room above the garage we spoke about earlier or that sunroom that you’ve decided to close in and make a four season room.

You can have a head just in that room cooling just that room off your existing system.

That is correct.

Wow. The technology of ductless is really changing air conditioning and the people at the leading edge of that are right there at Bolden Brothers and Sam and his team can explain to you if a ductless solution is right for you. Sam, thanks a lot.

Thank you, Charlie.

Whether it’s air conditioning or plumbing, electrical or propane, you know, you can depend on Bolden Brothers.

Filed Under: Blog, Podcast

Contact Us

Your Name(Required)

Boulden Brothers in Newark DE

Contact Us

Address:
107 Sandy Drive, Bldg 700
Newark, DE 19713, US

Phone: (302) 368-3848

Heating and Air

AC Maintenance AC Repair AC Installation Heater Maintenance Heater Repair Heater Installation New Thermostat
Furnace Maintenance Furnace Repair Furnace Installation Heat Pump Repair Ductless Mini-Splits Indoor Air Quality

Plumbing

Plumbing Repairs Water Heaters Tankless Water Heaters Hybrid Water Heaters Drain Clearing Drain Unclogging Drain Cleaning Hydro-jetting Garbage Disposals Well Pump Repair
Sump Pump Repair Faucet Installation Sewer Line Repair Sewer Replacement Toilet Repair Toilet Installation House Repiping Water Line Repair Water Line Replacement Water Softeners

Electrical

Electrical Repairs Panel Replacement Meter Can Replacement Electrical Troubleshooting Whole Home Surge Protection Circuit Repair Lightning Strikes Breakers & Fuses Emergency Electrical
Electrical Grounding Outlet Installation House Rewiring Safety Inspections EV Charging Stations Chandelier Installation Lighting Installation Ceiling Fan Installation Smoke Detector Installation Outdoor Lighting

Copyright © 2023 Boulden Brothers • Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning, Electric