With over two decades of dedicated service to the Tiffin Ohio community, we take pride in being more than just a plumbing and heating company. Our customers consider us friends because we prioritize individual care in every interaction. Our hardworking team is committed to delivering top-notch plumbing, heating, and electrical services, recognizing your home as a valuable investment. We aim to enhance your home's value through professional and exceptional service.
This blog offers essential guidelines for maintaining various equipment in your home, from furnaces to plumbing fixtures. Explore our links for specific service needs or learn about our Service Agreement program for HVAC equipment.
Feel free to contact us for any immediate questions, service requests, or quotes. We look forward to being a reliable resource for you, your friends, and your family.
As the winter chill sets in, homeowners must protect their homes from damage that can be caused by freezing temperatures. One of the most common issues during winter is frozen pipes, which can lead to costly repairs and water damage. In this blog post, we'll explore practical tips to help you prevent frozen pipes and ensure a cozy, stress-free winter in your residential setting.
1. Heat Tape and Insulation
Begin by identifying the pipes most susceptible to freezing, typically those in unheated or poorly insulated areas such as basements, attics, and crawl spaces. Use foam insulation sleeves or heat tape to wrap these pipes and provide an extra layer of protection against the cold.
Cold air can easily find its way into your home through tiny openings. Inspect your home for any gaps, cracks, or leaks in windows, doors, and walls. Seal these openings with weather stripping or caulk to prevent the intrusion of cold air and keep the temperature inside more stable.
3. Keep a Consistent Temperature
Maintain a consistent temperature in your home, especially during extremely cold nights. Set your thermostat to at least 55° Fahrenheit, even if you're away, to ensure that your pipes stay warm enough to resist freezing. Most households keep thermostats set somewhere between 68°F and 72°F.
4. Open Cabinet Doors
Allow warm air to access pipes located in cabinets by keeping the cabinet doors open. This is particularly important for pipes under sinks along exterior walls, as the increased airflow can help prevent them from freezing.
5. Drip Faucets
On extremely cold nights, allowing faucets to drip slightly can relieve pressure in the pipes and reduce the risk of freezing. Moving water is less likely to freeze than stagnant water, making this a simple yet effective preventative measure.
6. Disconnect and Drain Outdoor Hoses
Before winter arrives, disconnect and drain all outdoor hoses. If possible, shut off the water supply to outdoor faucets and leave them open to allow any remaining water to drain out, preventing freezing and potential damage.
7. Use Space Heaters
For areas of your home more prone to freezing, like a basement or crawl space, use space heaters to protect your pipes from freezing. We recommend leaving these on when the temperatures are expected to be extreme, like during winter storms or harsh nights. This will keep the space warm and prevent frozen pipes.
8. Be Prepared for Vacations
If you plan to be away during the winter, take extra precautions. Keep your thermostat set to a minimum temperature of 50°F, ask a neighbor to check on your home periodically, and consider shutting off the water supply to the house.
In Conclusion:
By taking these proactive steps, you can significantly reduce the risk of frozen pipes and the headaches that come with them. Winter-proofing your home is an investment in the longevity and functionality of your plumbing system, ensuring a warm and worry-free winter for you and your family. Stay cozy, stay prepared!
Have Frozen Pipes or Need Plumbing Repairs? Call Greene's!
The Greene's Team is here for you- Call our office at 419-443-8630. We take our emergency services seriously and understand no heat and no water during winter can be dangerous for you and your family. We'll do everything we can to get your plumbing back up and running the way it should, so you can get back to enjoying the holidays with your family.
HEALTH AND SAFETY - All information pertaining to HVAC is based on our professional experience. Any information concerning personal health can be found in the outside sources provided at the end of this post or as cited throughout the post. This issue is important, and our recommendation to anyone with gas appliances is to have a carbon monoxide alarm and prevention measures in place.
A Hole in the Heat Exchanger of Your Furnace Leaves You Vulnerable to CO Poisoning.
What Is Carbon Monoxide?
Carbon Monoxide (CO) is a deadly gas produced when carbon-based materials do not burn completely. It is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and undetectable without a tool to measure the air quality. We're going to focus on gas appliances in your home, like furnaces and water heaters, but CO is also in exhaust from other things like cars and generators.
What Makes It Dangerous?
Carbon Monoxide is most dangerous in closed off spaces. Without a way to spread out, the CO saturates the air and becomes more dangerous as the concentration increases. In the case of your home, it may leak into the air slowly at first, causing sickness. According to the American Lung Association (ALA):
"Breathing CO reduces the blood's ability to carry oxygen. It can reach dangerous levels indoors or outdoors... Once inhaled, CO attaches to the hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin normally carries oxygen throughout the body. When CO attaches to the hemoglobin, it blocks the oxygen the body must have, creating health problems. Many of these symptoms are similar to the flu, food poisoning or other illnesses. So you may not suspect CO poisoning. If symptoms persist, and especially if the symptoms get better after you leave the building, CO may be the cause."
Some of the symptoms they list include headaches, dizziness, nausea, confusion, vomiting, impaired vision, and disorientation. To see the full list, please follow the link to their page here: https://www.lung.org/clean-air/indoor-air/indoor-air-pollutants/carbon-monoxide.Unfortunately, CO has been named the silent killer. An average of 430 lives are taken each year in the United States because of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning. Emergency room visits are estimated to be around 50,000 each year (American Lung Association, 2023). Generally, when death occurs, the person passes away in their sleep, or passes out from a lack of oxygen and doesn't wake up.
How Do I Protect Myself?
Kidde Carbon Monoxide Alarm
Because CO cannot be detected by any of our senses, most homeowners do not know they have a CO problem until they get sick. Our technicians use manometers for accurate measurements, but we recommend carbon monoxide alarms for homeowners. These are less expensive and run on batteries. You can find a few options by following these links:
Resideo is a "Greene's Trusted Brand", but we have also had good experiences with Kidde. These alarms do not need to be fancy, but they do need to work. Be sure to do your research and find a reliable brand and model. Similar to the vehicle industry, Ford and Chevrolet both have excellent cars, but they also have the "lemons". It's no different in any other industry- Manufacturer's might have great models, but it doesn't mean everything they produce is a good option. Especially with carbon monoxide alarms, you want to make sure you're putting some thought behind which option you trust. It could be the thing that saves your life.
Concluding Statement
The best advice we have is to be proactive. Make sure you are wise about how you handle gas appliances. They're more reliable than electric ones, but they do need to be monitored a bit more closely. Carbon Monoxide alarms are a great start, but paying attention to headache patterns or nausea when these appliances are in use is good practice as well.
Annual clean and checks are a great way to keep track of the health of your equipment. CO alarms do not tell you about holes in your heat exchanger or corrosion on the combustion chamber, but a technician can point out these issues during regular maintenance visits. You can learn more about our Service Agreement plans here.
If you'd like to learn more about how Carbon Monoxide can affect you and your family, or how you can be better prepared, check out some of the links below.
What is a "Licensed Contractor"? If you're trying to figure it out, or why you should even care, you need to keep reading. Licensing is not for the contractor- it's for the customer. Understanding the licensing requirements and how to do an adequate background check on contractors is something we believe all consumers should understand before they hire any service company.
When a contractor has their license, it usually means they have served a full 5 year apprenticeship. Plumbing licenses can be obtained without a 5 year apprenticeship if the individual is a state recognized engineer and has several years of related business experience. The 5 year apprenticeships must be served under the same licensed contractor for 5 consecutive years. Apprentices should have inspected work documented for all 5 years, as well.
Once the apprenticeship is complete and the individual is considered a "journeyman", the individual may take the test for the license they served the apprenticeship for. To pass the test, one must prove knowledge of the codes and general trade practices, as well as any important safety information. The electrician and HVAC tests will also include information about the science of how equipment and systems work. The electrician test is considered to be the most grueling of the three because oversight in that trade could lead to house fires or electrocution. Electricians do not pass the test easily due to the dangerous nature of their trade.
After the tests have been passed and the license has been granted by the state board, classes are to be taken each year to keep the license active. Courses are offered throughout the year and usually discuss new technology entering the industry, updates to the codes, or refresher courses on general safety or trade information. The credits will only count if they are endorsed by a certified training agency and/or state recognized. Without these education credits, the license will be considered inactive. During this inactive period, the license may be renewed through an increased amount of continuing education the following year. If the license is inactive for too long, it will be lost.
Finally, the license must be associated with a business/employer. One of the requirements for holding a license is that the individual, or the company employing the individual, must have a certain amount of business and liability insurance. That number varies depending on the license being held, but without the minimum amount met, the license can be suspended or revoked.
Why Do Customers Hire Unlicensed Contractors?
More often than not, customers do not know they are hiring someone without a license. The contractor is not required to say anything, and probably never will. Customers assume people running a business have adequate certifications and training to do their job, so they do not ask. But what about customers that do know and hire them anyway?
There are many reasons people give for knowingly hiring an unlicensed contractor. The most common is the price difference. They do not charge as much primarily because they do not have to keep insurance or take continuing education courses. With the lack of overhead costs, they can afford to keep their prices low.
Another reason customers give to justify hiring an unlicensed individual is when permits are not required for the work. Licensed contractors must be doing the work if it is going to be inspected, thus, if a permit needs pulled, you should hire a licensed contractor. Without an inspection, however, unlicensed individuals can do the work without being penalized. Customers consider this an opportunity to save money, but without the inspection or license, there's no guarantee that the work has been done correctly.
Why Should People Hire Licensed Contractors?
When a contractor is licensed, it lets you know that they have adequate experience and knowledge in their trade. With a 5 year apprenticeship, continuing education classes, and being tested on codes and safety, licensed companies provide a professional and quality experience for their customers.
Licensed companies are also preferred when the customer is looking for someone who specializes in a certain area. Specialists will know the in's and out's of their trade, along with the codes and safety measures that need to be taken. Their experience could prove valuable if a more complex solution is needed, and they'll be more likely to work with you on your preferences (like hiding pipes, wires, and ducts).
If a contractor is licensed, you know they will be able to pull permits. While some areas are not as strict on who's pulling the permit, most counties are adamant on having someone with a state license. If the situation calls for an inspection, then a licensed professional must be completing the work for the inspection. Inspectors will not sign off on work done by anyone who is unlicensed.
Perhaps one of the most important reasons for hiring a licensed contractor is for the protection of insurance. The business and liability insurance that must be held by licensed companies protects customers from being at fault for any injuries that happen on the job site. In cases where liability insurance is either absent or fails to cover the incident, customers can be held liable for any damages or injuries. If you hire unlicensed, you are liable for anything that goes wrong.
Loans and appraisals for home projects will need reviewed by professionals. Based on our own experience, banks and appraisers are going to value a licensed professional's input much more. With the proper certifications to back them up, banks and other lending organizations are going to accept a diagnosis from someone who is licensed much easier than someone without state certifications.
Similarly, manufacturers will be more willing to honor a warranty if the equipment was installed by a qualified individual. Our suppliers ask for our licensing information and require a series of courses to make sure we know how to install and troubleshoot the equipment. This builds trust between manufacturers and contractors. If a warranty claim needs filed, the replacement parts or unit would be sent with minimal questions asked. On the other hand, someone who is unlicensed may have to jump through some hoops to get the replacement parts, if the warranty is honored at all. Manufacturers may specify in their warranties that a certified or licensed contractor needs to be the installer in order for the warranty to be active.
How Do I Know if a Contractor is Licensed?
Licensed contractors in the state of Ohio are required to list their license in all advertisements like websites, vans, and business cards. The format will look something like this: OH LIC. #24118. You can also call and ask the company for their license number. All you need are those five digits to look up the company's licenses. The Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (OCILB) has a look up tool, which you can find here: https://elicense4.com.ohio.gov/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx.
You should see a page that looks like this:
OCLIB License Look Up Center
In the "Credential Number" section, type in the license you are trying to find. We do not encourage looking for licenses via the company name using this tool. It usually returns a "Nothing Found" screen. If you cannot find the license number, then you can use the last name of the license holder.
Credential Number Box
Click "Submit". License numbers represent the person who holds them, not the individual trade licenses. By looking up the license, you should be able to find all the licenses held by that individual.
Results Page
You can then select "Detail" next to any of the licenses to see if they are active, inactive, or if they need renewed soon.
License Details Pop-Up
How Do I Find a Licensed Contractor Near Me?
Using the look up tool, select the service you need and specify the county you live in.
License Type Box
Location Specification Box
By clicking "Submit", you will have a list of all the contractors in your county that are licensed in the trade you need. Be sure to look them up ahead of time, since companies may specialize in industrial, commercial, or residential. You want to find a company that is best suited to meet your needs.
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