Earl's Performance Plumbing: EarlsBlog

Fix It or Nix It? - Weighing Repairs vs Replacements

Emergency home repairs are hard enough to deal with, making last minute decisions more difficult and potentially costly in the long run. One of the most frequent questions we get asked is “Is my _______ worth repairing or do I need a new one?” To help answer this question, we’ve compiled a quick list of things you should look out for when weighing the pros and cons of replacing a system component, such as your water heater or sewer line. This advice isn’t only restricted to plumbing either – any home repairs should be thought out with the same careful judgment.

Cost of repairing compared to cost of replacement.

This is usually the first thing on your mind when handling a major home emergency. When all is said it done, repairing isn’t always the cheapest solution. If it’s going to be a temporary fix until the next failure, then maybe it’s time to look at replacing that item. As a general rule of thumb if the cost to repair is at least half the cost of replacing, then replacing is probably the best route. Your decision should also take into consideration the age of the item in question. Is this system component obsolete? If so, making any further investments into maintaining it might be a waste of money.

Relative age of appliance or system component.

There’s more to consider than simply “is this ______ old?” The age of your water heater might not seem like a crucial factor, but when you consider advances in technology related to efficiency and safety, comparing new to old becomes less cut and dry. Newer models take advantage of breakthroughs in machining, manufacturing, and nanotechnology to lower energy bills and increase longevity of appliances. A great example is heat pump technology that uses ambient heat in the air to preheat the water in your water heater for increased efficiency. Another example is tankless water heaters that are designed to be modular, meaning parts are easily replaced instead of replacing the entire unit.

Planned replacements.

According to the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI), “about 90% of water heater replacements are of an emergency nature.” Water heaters also have a large capacity to cause secondary damage to your home, so it’s important to be mindful of the age and condition of your water heater. The typical life expectancy of a water heater is 10-15 years, so once you’ve crossed that threshold you should begin serious planning for a replacement unit. This goes for any major component of your plumbing or other home system. When planning for replacements, it’s always good to research the latest technology trends and find a more efficient model with an increased lifetime. If you have questions about the age or condition of your plumbing system, don't hesitate to call or send us a message to schedule a free in-home evaluation and recommendations for upgrading your plumbing before it becomes a problem.

Seven Simple Tips for a Successful Excercise Routine

Maybe your New Year's resolution was to lose some extra weight. Maybe you just want to get back in shape and tone your body. Or maybe you feel the warmth coming back as spring approaches and you're just dying to get outside! Either way, you won't want to miss these simple tips to keep you on track to being healthy! We're seven weeks into the 2013, so we came up with seven simple tips to keeping a successful exercise routine throughout the entire year.

1. Be Consistent

If you take away only one piece of information from this article, let this be it. When it comes to losing weight, getting in shape, or staying healthy, the key is consistency. Come up with a routine and stick to it, even if it's just a weekly jog around the block. The only way to ensure success is to be dedicated to your workout schedule.

2. Exercise in Segments

Break up your workout throughout the day. Try exercising for 30 minutes of exercise in the morning, 10 minutes before lunch, and then 20 minutes in the evening. This will give you more flexibility in your schedule as well as making work out sessions more bearable.

3. Gradually Build Up Your Routine

It's always best to start a new exercise routine slowly and gradually add more into your routine over time. This will reduce soreness and risk of injury. Start with a 10 minute workout and add 5 minutes each week until you've reached your goal.

4. Workout with a Friend

This is a great way to help boost your confidence when starting a new exercise routine. Finding the right person will help you stay on track with your workouts and keep you motivated to follow through.

5. Do Something You Enjoy

Let's face it - starting a new workout routine isn't easy, so why not get active doing something you love? Dancing, swimming, bicycling, your favorite outdoor sport, you name it! All these things and more are excellent ways to move your body and get yourself feeling good AND have fun doing it.

6. Focus on Goals and Reward Yourself

Set aside realistic goals and reward yourself for reaching them! This can be as simple as doing your routine every day for a month or walking a certain amount of steps in a single day (a pedometer will help with that). Make sure you reward yourself with something healthful, like a nutritious treat or a new piece of workout equipment.

7. Drink Plenty of Water and Eat Right

All that exercise won't help if you don't have the right fuel - and in fact can have negative effects. Take some time to evaluate your diet. You may need to add more protein and non-wheat carbohydrates to help your body stay energized and repair itself from the workout. That's all for now. Stay motivated and don't give up. It gets much easier after a couple solid weeks of consistent, well planned exercise. If you have your own tips to share or a motivating story of success, please leave a comment - we love your feed back. Or just call us and tell us what's on your mind.

Five Tips for a Healthy New Year

As the feeling of newness to the year starts to fade, so too does our motivation to maintain those New Year's resolutions you made a month ago. Sometimes we need some ideas to keep us working towards those aspirations, so we've compiled a list of 5 quick tips to stay healthy this year.

1. Drink Plenty of Water

Water is essential to the body, but we often take it for granted. The American diet replaces water with sugary beverages and caffeinated drinks that actually remove water from your body rather than adding to it. Drinking water is the best way to restore lost hydration, and plays a crucial role in removing excess fat and toxins from your body. Experts recommend between 2-3 liters of water daily.

2. Try A Second Lunch

Some experts recommend eating an extra meal in the mid-afternoon to keep up energy levels and decrease appetite during the evening hours. This allows your body to fully digest your food before bed and will help reduce cravings during the day.

3. Get 8 Hours of Sleep

Many studies show that your body needs at least 8 hours of sleep each night. Getting a full night's will make you feel more energized and may decrease the risk of certain chronic diseases.

4. Avoid Vitamins & Enriched Foods

Vitamins and minerals are extremely important to the human diet, however many of us still believe that supplements will do the trick. Recent studies show proof of the contrary: vitamins and mineral supplements are only beneficial to a point, and the advantages aren't clear. Experts recommend eating a healthy, nutrient rich diet and supplementing nutrients contained in foods you can't eat. Dietitian Karen Ansel sums it up nicely: "Food contains thousands of phytochemicals, fiber, and more that work together to promote good health that cannot be duplicated with a pill or a cocktail of supplements."

5. If You Smoke Cigarettes, Quit

Smoking cigarettes has been proven in study after study to lead to a plethora of nasty diseases, cancers, and deficiencies that no one should have to live with. It also effects those around you - second hand smoke is not filtered and lingers in clothing and upholstery, causing a health hazard to everyone around you. If you have trouble quitting, seek guidance - you're worth it, and you're friends and family will appreciate it.

Welcome to the New Year (That's SO 2012)

Can you believe it!? We're already a week into 2013 and it hardly feels like winter. This is a great time of year to take stock of your home and make some home improvement goals for the new year. Here's a few things to look at when planning your aspirations for 2013:

1. Is my Water Heater Running Efficiently?

Your water heater consumes more energy than any other appliance in your home, and it's an important one too, so keeping it running at peak efficiency is vital to maintaining a working unit as well as managing your energy bills. Earl's Plumbing always recommends flushing your water heater every 6-12 months to reduce sediment build up and check for potential problems before they become headaches. Call or send us a message to schedule an appointment for regular maintenance on your water heater today. As an alternative to a typical tank water heater, tankless water heaters offer a higher level of efficiency and convenience that will pay for itself many times over in energy savings.

2. How Clean is my Water?

There are staggering amounts of contaminants in today's world that make their way into municipal and local water supplies. These various contaminates can have a negative effect on your plumbing, appliances, as well as your personal health. Now is as good of time as any to think about the safety of your home and family and research home water filtration systems. Earl's offers and recommends reverse osmosis systems for the most complete filtration of drinking water. To protect your plumbing and appliances, a water softener is a great investment that will add a barrier of safety to your plumbing system and keep appliances running at optimum efficiency.

3. What Does my Sewer Look Like?

This is a question you might never thought you'd ask yourself, but unfortunately not enough people ask this question soon enough. If you're experiencing regular sewer issues, especially in the spring and fall season, you might be experiencing a root intrusion. Trees are smarter that we think - they know how to find sources of water & food, and they have no problem tearing apart your sewer system to get to it. If you're concerned about the condition of your home's sewer, call Earl's today and we can perform a sewer camera inspection and take a look at it!

4. Is my Plumbing Insulated?

This is the coldest time of the year, which means midnight freezes that can turn into mid-morning disasters. Take the initiative this year and have your home plumbing properly insulated. Just a small amount of preventative care can save you time and money in costly repairs to your plumbing and any secondary damage. Is your water heater as old as your home? Not sure if you're pipes are wrapped? No problem! Just send us a message or give us a call to schedule a free home inspection to determine the status of all the above items and start the year off right. And don't forget to check out our coupons page for great discounts and offers on your service call. Happy New Year and welcome to 2013!!

Four Stress-Free Ways to Celebrate the Holidays

It's that magical time of year for giving and being with loved ones. But let's face it - its also one of the most stressful times of the year for many. Planning and hosting family gatherings, arranging decorations on your home, and the ominous holiday traffic can all add to the end-year anxiety. This year we decided to share the gift of relaxation with a few ideas to lighten the mood around your home.

1. Bake Cookies

Everyone loves cookies! This is a great way to take your mind off your holiday worries and enjoy the simple pleasures of baking. It's also a great way to involve the kids and get out all that wound up energy. And don't forget the chocolate chips - chocolate is a natural sedative, and we can all use a little extra serotonin this time of year.

2. Light Some Candles

Natural lighting is a quick and easy way to spruce up your home. Candles add a level of comfort that's easily missed during the holiday season without much investment on your part. For an added touch, look for candles scented like pine or cinnamon to add that extra special touch.

3. Play Music

Sometimes its nice to break the monotony of the daily routine with a little background music. It doesn't have to be your grandma's old Bing Crosby record, just something to brighten the mood in the home. Jazz music or classical compositions without words hold a somewhat neutral space for everyone to enjoy.

4. Call Distant Friends and Family

There's no better time to catch up on missed time than the holiday season. This is the one time of year that grudges can be forgotten and everyone gets a second chance. Take a chance this year and give someone a call, send an email, or tag them in a Facebook photo - just allow the opportunity for a connection and enjoy the real magic of the holidays. Have more ideas of how to get in the spirit without breaking the bank? Leave us a comment or visit our Facebook page and share your thoughts with us. Happy holidays to everyone from Earl's!

Tips to Protect Your Plumbing This Winter Season

Winter can be a be a difficult time for your home's plumbing. There are a number of common problems that come with cold weather, but with some simple preventative maintenance, you can avoid a major holiday headache and keep things flowing properly.

1. Avoid Frozen Pipes

Frozen pipes are very common during the winter, especially for outside or otherwise exposed plumbing. When water freezes, it expands, which can cause pipes to burst, resulting in a major leak. Watch for reduced flow in your plumbing - this may be an early warning sign of freezing pipes. To avoid a midnight water leak, we always recommend insulating exposed plumbing. You can call Earl's for a free inspection to determine the necessary steps to prep your pipes for the cold. In the mean time, another way to avoid freezing pipes is to let your faucets trickle at low pressure during the evenings when it's coldest. If you see a cracked pipe that is still frozen, try to turn off the water at either the closest shut off valve or the main water valve to your home. This will avoid water damage once the ice thaws and begins to leak. Call Earl's right away for same day emergency service before it turns into a major problem.

2. Disconnect Garden Hoses

Garden hoses can be a surprising source of trouble if left connected during a freeze. Ice will form pressure that can be delivered to the plumbing inside your home, increasing the likely hood of a break in the line. To avoid all this hassle, just disconnect your garden hoses during the winter when they're not in use and make sure to drain all the water out. You can also install an insulated faucet jacket for extra protection.

3. Keep Your Home Warm

When temperatures inside the home start to drop, the water in your walls and ceilings can become susceptible to freezing. Keep your house warm and make sure to circulate air to all the rooms in your house. If you have a water heater in the garage, try to keep any doors to the outside closed as much as possible. If you have a basement with plumbing, make sure there are no drafts or air leaks for cold air to get to your pipes.

4. Don't Pour Grease Down the Drain

We always recommend properly disposing of cooking oil in grease in your trash rather than putting it in your drains, but this is even more important during the winter months. Grease and oil can coagulate in your drain, causing stoppages far down the line. During the colder season, this is even more likely to happen. The best solution is to never put grease into your drains or garbage disposal. Hopefully these tips will keep your holiday season bright. If you do run into any major problems, Earl's Plumbing is a phone call away (or click) away. Stay warm out there!

The Care and Feeding of Your Garbage Disposal This Season

That's right, it's that time again for friends & family, giving & being thankful, and lots and lots of food. Turkeys, hams, pies, cookies, corn, potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy... and leftovers! So how do you keep your essential plumbing equipment working amid this constant onslaught of food waste? This week we're releasing a special article about your garbage disposal. With a few simple tips, you can avoid certain disaster in the kitchen and make sure your home stay flowing.

1. Don't Forget Your Trashcan!

Some think that a garbage disposal is an incinerator, or some kind of industrial food waste processing facility. It's actually just a set of rotating blades that helps break up chunks of smaller food waste. Always put uneaten food in the trash first, and then use your garbage disposal for smaller pieces.

2. Turn it On

Always turn your garbage disposal on before putting anything inside. Having a food inside the device when you turn it on can overwork and damage your garbage disposal. It also needs the blades to be lubricated, so be sure to turn the water on before, during, and after turning on the disposal.

3. That Does NOT Go In There!

There are certain things that will simply destroy your garbage disposal. Avoid putting bones, coffee grounds, fibrous vegetables, eggshells, rice, or potato skins through your disposal. Also avoid using chemical drain cleaners that could damage your disposal and drain piping.

4. No Grease!

Grease is a major no no - it might get through your disposal, but can clog the drain line system! Often times it doesn't solidify until after it travels far into your plumbing system, making it an even bigger problem. Put extra grease, gravey, or buttery sauces into a contain in your refrigerator where it can solidify, making it easier to throw away (or reuse!).

5. Cleaning and Freshening

Over time the inside of your garbage disposal will build residue on the inside of the housing and on the blades. Besides being unsanitary, it can release a constant odor noticeable when in the kitchen. Putting citrus peels (NOT whole fruit!) through the disposal will remove the odor. You can also use vinegar to disinfect the inside of your garbage disposal. Just run the unit and pour a little into the drain - the garbage disposal will do the rest of the work. You can also try putting some ice into your disposal to sharpen the blades. Try freezing vinegar to do 2 at once! Hopefully these simple tips will help your holidays go a little more smoothly. If there is something that comes up and you find yourself in a "jam", just give us a call or schedule online, and we'll come out right away to take care of your problem.

Five Plumbing Applications You Never Thought About

Not many people realize the importance of plumbing for health and sanitation in daily life. Even fewer realize that plumbing is used all around us in ways we don't even think about. From cars to modern medicine, pipes and valves keep our world flowing when and where it needs to.

1. At the Dentist

Plumbing might not seem like the most obvious item in your dentists tool kit, but without it, many common practices just wouldn't be possible. With flexible piping attached to various angled nozzles, washing hard to reach areas of your mouth, especially during surgical procedures, becomes extremely easy. And don't forget that annoying tube they always stick in your mouth that sucks you dry! This specially designed drain tube pulls moisture from your mouth and sends it on it's way.

2. At the Doctor

Plumbing is a crucial part of modern medicine. Large dialysis machines pump blood out of your body and into a specially plumbed filtration process to remove toxins when the kidneys fail, safely returning the blood into your body afterwards. IVs are another way plumbing helps doctors by delivering nutrients, hydration, or medicine directly into the blood stream.

3. In Your Car

Your car is a very powerful, intricately designed plumbing machine. Besides the motor and wheels, the internal plumbing of any vehicle is the most essential component of the system. By delivering fresh, clean fuel to the engine & circulating engine oil and coolant, your car can do more than just sit in the driveway. Plumbing also helps get fuel from the gas station to your car (and not by flushing your money down the drain...)

4. At the Pool

In the deadly summer scorchers of Northern California, submersing yourself in water is often the only way to avoid certain death by (sun)burning alive. There's always the streams, creeks, and rivers of our inland country, or you can head to the coast for a dip in the Pacific. However, some like to enjoy cooling off in the comfort of their own backyards. But how exactly does all that water get to your 20,000 gallon swimming pool? It's plumbed in of course! Water from the main water service to your home branches off towards a jungle of valves, pipes, filters, and pumps, where it is carefully purified and delivered to your pool.

5. In the Lab

You might be surprised to learn that particle physicists have been dabbling into the humble skill of plumbing. Although they still probably jiggle the handle when the toilet runs, scientists are revolutionizing plumbing in some very interesting ways. Large pipes surrounded by a layer of supercooled liquid hydrogen allow electric current to be passed through with 100% efficiency. These large tubes are charged on and off in sync to accelerate particles in circuit until their inevitable fate of smashing together in splendid display. These are just a few ways plumbing has revolutionized technology. Besides improving the basic quality of life for most people, and eliminating scourges such as the Bubonic plague through sanitation, plumbing has shared the limelight with some worthy industrial and scientific breakthroughs. No matter where you look, plumbing is everywhere.

How Low Can You Flow?

You may have heard that low flow fixtures, such as faucets, toilets, and shower heads, can reduce the amount of water used and save you money. But just how much of a difference can this simple plumbing adjustment make? You might be surprised to find that with a little initial investment, you'll quickly recover the cost of upgrading your plumbing fixtures to low flow equivalents. In a recent article by the San Francisco Examiner on low flow toilets, an average American family would save over 85 gallons of water a year. The estimated savings was $12 a month, or $144 yearly. That's just the tip of the iceberg. Low flow shower heads could save over a thousand gallons yearly according to the EPA's WaterSense website. In another case study, a low flow upgrade at the LaGuardia Airport in NY will "yield annual water savings of almost $160,000, after an initial capital cost of only $90,000." Savings can be found at your toilet, faucet, shower head, and sprinkler system. CalWater has recently teamed up with FreeSprinklerNozzles.com to provide a free way for residents to enjoy water saving benefits. Saving water reduces your utility bill, but why all the fuss about low flow? The reality is, even though 70% of the Earth is covered in water, less than 1% is safe and accessible for human use. With increased human population beyond anything in the planet's history, we're starting to see the effects of careless water use. There are over 2 billion people worldwide without access to clean water. By reducing our daily usage of water, we can assure that there will be a supply for generations to come.

A Day in the Life of a Plumbing Dispatcher

Sometimes I chuckle when I hear the way others perceive the daily office life here at Earl's. It's an interesting balance between the guys in the field doing the dirty work (and you know it's dirty!) and the pencil pushers making appointments and getting the guys out to the jobs. I thought maybe some of our customers would find it interesting and entertaining to have a little insight on the daily office operations that keep our business running so we can keep your home running. The day starts quick. I typically arrive at 7:30am with phones already ringing and messages to call back. After a quick hello to the techs I send them out the door towards their first job. A pot of coffee quickly ensues,followed by the morning follow ups - quotes, ordered parts, and anything else that didn't get finished during the previous evening or weekend. By 8:00 I've already spoken with over a dozen people - the day has officially begun! Things pick up throughout the morning. More appointments are being scheduled, technicians are calling in for their next job, and things continue along smoothly. With a service area from Yuba City to Redding and over 90% same day service rate, sometimes we have to come up with creative solutions so we can deliver the best possible service in a timely manner. All jobs are scheduled based on the severity of the issue and the proximity to the next available technician. Our service agreement customers get preferential scheduling, so if two times clash, they will get service sooner. By 11:00 things start to slow down a bit, allowing time to focus on data entry, billing, filing, and other mundane office tasks. Some days I have a helper in the office to help answer the phones and do office work, which is really nice because the rest of the time I'm pretty much by myself. By noon most of the busy work for the office is done, the schedule is pretty static, and I can head to lunch knowing everything is taken care of. If not much has changed by the time I return from lunch, I'll jump right into more creative tasks - touching up the website, posting blogs, doing market research, and trying to not get distracted on Facebook long enough to make a quick post. This is usually the most productive time for getting office work done, and usually things continue along smoothly. Sometimes I get a curve ball. As the head of the office, I'm the actual first impression anyone has of our company on a personal level. I'm also the first line of contact in the rare instance of a customer complaint. I actually enjoy dealing with upset customers because many times they think we're trying to work one over on them, and the joy and relief in their voice when we explain our 100% satisfaction guarantee (and actually deliver it) is absolutely wonderful. Many people feel like the world is less personal than in recent past, so building a real, trusting relationship is extremely important to all of us here at Earl's Plumbing, and I bring that intention into every conversation I have. By the end of the day things are pretty quiet now, most if not all of our appointments are taken care of, and I start preparing the office for the morning. The schedule is analyzed to make sure the morning jobs line up properly, all technicians are dispatched their first job for the morning, and any remaining appointments are sent to the on-call technician. If its unusually busy (like during a freeze that causes many homes to have pipes that freeze and burst), I might stay an extra half hour to make sure everything is taken care of. Usually though I'm home at the same time each night, which is more than I can say for our dedicated technicians, who might get stuck working until midnight (or later) if a job goes bad. As I lock up the office I reflect on the accomplishments of the day. I remember all the customers I've spoken with and how I may have changed their life, albeit in a small way. I think of tomorrow's goals and aspirations and how we've come further in providing the best customer service possible. I'm so thankful to be part of an awesome team of honest, devoted, and talented individuals who have come together to make this world a better place, one plumbing issue at a time. And our faithful leader, THE Earl (ok, his first name is Clinton), who has dedicated and invested so much time and energy over the last 14 years to provide excellent plumbing service, an unbeatable work environment, all with the strength and support of his family behind him - thanks Earl for making today an awesome day.