Allergens consist of dust mites, mold, pollen and pet dander. When these particles become airborne, you breathe them in and may experience an allergic reaction. Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system may spread mold and other allergens if it is not regularly serviced. The following are ways to control indoor allergens: 

• Change your filters monthly. Filters minimize exposure to allergens but must be changed often. Electrostatic filters rely on static charges created when air passes through the filters to help capture the greatest number of certain allergens.
• Get your AC service done regularly and turn it on. Cockroaches, dust mites, and mold dislike air flow. It is important to follow maintenance instructions recommended by the air conditioner system’s manufacturer to keep it running efficiently which saves you money.
• Clean your air ducts annually. If you see mold particles growing or if you smell a musty odor coming from your vents call My Plumber today to clean your air ducts.
• Invest in a dehumidifier. Ridding the house of excess moisture helps prevent the spread of mold and decreases the survival rate of dust mites and cockroaches.
• Vacuum at least twice a week to remove dust, dirt, and dander.

Hopefully these steps will make your home as efficient and hypoallergenic as possible. If you need air conditioning repair service or duct cleaning in Prince William, Fairfax, Loudoun or surrounding counties in Virginia or in Bethesda, Silver Spring, Montgomery or surrounding areas in Maryland, give My Plumber Heating and Cooling a call. We have over 30 years of plumbing service and offer air conditioning repair service and duct cleaning. Backed with the best warranties in the industry, we give our customers friendly service and a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Beginning April 2 and lasting through June, local municipalities will flush their water main lines. As a result, homeowners throughout Northern Virginia and Maryland may notice a chlorine taste and smell in their tap water. This is in addition to temporary discoloration and the presence of sediment. Fairfax Water, which treats the majority of the drinking water in the Northern Virginia and Maryland areas, will use free chlorine as the primary disinfectant in its drinking water treatment process during this time. For most of the year, chloramines are used because they present a less prominent taste and smell than free chlorine.

Although chlorine is an efficient way to kill harmful bacteria, it does have its’ drawbacks. Not only does it taste and smell bad, but it can dry out your skin, fade your clothing, and dry out the rubber seals in your appliances. It may also be harmful to the health of your family over time.

According to Prince William County and Fairfax County websites, “Customers who are sensitive to the taste and odor of chlorine can place an open container of tap water in their refrigerators which enables the chlorine to dissipate. However, they should replace refrigerated drinking water every two or three days with a fresh supply.”

Instead of worrying about the effects of free chlorine on the health of your family or your pets, call My Plumber Heating and Air today to inquire about our water conditioning options.  My Plumber Heating and Air offers several water-conditioning treatments to remove impurities. Specifically, our carbon filtration or our City Softener unit will remove chlorine and mineral deposits and will provide you and your family with delicious, sparkling, high-quality water that is available continuously throughout the year.

• Remove the cover. Cut back any old bushes near the unit and clean off any accumulated leaves. 

• Replace your air filters. A dirty filter means that dirt is sifting through the system and into your home, causing your system to run inefficiently. 

• Check your thermostat before using the system. You can do this by setting the system to auto-cool and lowering the thermostat setting to one degree lower than the actual temperature in the room. If the system turns on, the thermostat is working properly. Let it run for a few hours to make sure it remains consistent. 

• Check for Water Leaks .Your condensate overflow drain should work properly. Be sure to check for any potential leaks during the first 48 hours of operation. Small leaks now mean expensive problems later. 

If you notice any problems, give My Plumber Heating & Air a call TODAY!  We can perform a Spring Tune-Up inspection to ensure that your air conditioner is ready for when you need it. 

Drip

Drip

The sound of a faucet leaking can wake you out of a sound sleep. But it’s the scratch of your pen as you write that water bill check that can really give you nightmares.

 With water rates set to rise 25% for some residents next month, My Plumber Heating & Air has seen an increase in requests for its “Every Drop Counts” Water Wise Audit.   The audit includes a 32-point inspection on leak detection and operation of all water systems on the premises. It also provides suggestions regarding low flow toilets, water saving shower heads, faucet aerators, and more.  

The Water Wise Audit is your best defense against a high water bill caused by hidden leaks and unnecessary water consumption. Don’t let your money go down the drain!  Call us to schedule your audit TODAY.  In the meantime, following are some tips that you can do at home: 

• Install low-flow showerheads that flow at 2 gallons per minute or less. A showerhead with a “soap-up” shut off valve will save even more.
• Turn off the faucet while shaving or brushing teeth.
• Get your toilets checked for leaks. A leaking toilet can waste over 200 gallons of water a day.
• Use the automatic dishwasher only for full loads.
• Install low-flow faucet aerators. They reduce flow volume by mixing air with water. 
• Use the washing machine only for full loads of laundry.
• Always check for leaks in pipes, hoses, faucets, and couplings. A small drip can waste 20 or more gallons per day.

• Removal of over 99% of the common flu, or influenza A virus, from the filtered air in your home.
• Removal of up to 99.98% of allergens from filtered air
• Catches particles even smaller than .1 micron in size
• Is 8 times more effective than the best HEPA room appliance
• Is 100 times more effective than a standard 1″ throwaway filter or ionic-type room appliance
• Delivers cleaner air, and more of it
• Easy to vacuum and wash the reusable filter

 Nobody wants to breathe dirty, contaminated air. By stopping airborne particles before they enter your home, you will keep your family healthy and also reduce the workload on your furnace filters and air conditioning coils. This will potentially save you money in the long run from having to replace your furnace and/or air conditioner. You can reap even more savings (and benefits) by adding an air filtration system to a new High Energy-Efficient system. Give us a call TODAY! Our comfort consultants are available to meet with you to discuss which product is best suited to keep your family healthy and comfortable.

Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning such as headaches, nausea, and fatigue, are often mistaken for something other than CO because the deadly gas goes undetected as it builds up. Just this week in Baltimore, a family of 5 narrowly escaped death due to carbon monoxide poisoning from a faulty heater. Don’t wait until it’s too late. You can prevent CO poisoning by doing the following:

• Have your heating system, water heater and any other gas, oil, or coal burning appliances serviced by a qualified technician every year.- My Plumber offers $59 Safety Inspections to make sure your family is safe and comfortable.
• Do not use portable flameless chemical heaters (catalytic) indoors. Although these heaters don’t have a flame, they burn gas and can cause CO to build up inside your home, cabin, or camper.
• If you smell an odor from your gas refrigerator’s cooling unit have an expert service it. An odor from the cooling unit of your gas refrigerator can mean you have a defect in the cooling unit.
• When purchasing gas equipment, buy only equipment carrying the seal of a national testing agency, such as the American Gas Association or Underwriters’ Laboratories.
• Install a battery-operated CO and Gas detector in your home and check or replace the battery when you change the time on your clocks each spring and fall.

That’s the bad news.  The good news is that we’ve had a very mild winter thus far.

It has been mild enough that My Plumber has an overstock of heating systems waiting to be installed.  Our parts manager has said that we can’t hold onto them for next year, we have to get them all out of the warehouse to make room for summertime necessities.

My grandmother would say you should never discard something that is still working.  But when it comes aging heating and cooling systems, keeping that old clunker is practicing false economy.  Older systems waste a lot of energy to keep a home comfortable.  You may want to take advantage of My Plumber Heating and Cooling ‘s Free February Furnace offer.   

If you buy a new air conditioning system (15 seer or higher) from My Plumber Heating and Cooling, we’ll replace your heating system, on-site, free of charge.  The new systems being sold these days were created using technology that was unavailable 15 years ago.  The new systems require far less energy to operate at optimum efficiency; less energy means a greener economy and it means less money out of your pocket. 

• You Win – with a totally new system and years of worry-free operation ahead .
• You Win – with amazing energy savings
• You Win – with a free heating system     

There is nothing we love better than a Win, Win, Win situation.  We are sure that you agree.  But don’t wait to make a decision on this.  We will keep this special running for as long as we have heating systems, available – but it won’t last forever. Remember, the early bird gets the worm.       

The Eternal Tankless WaterHeater is a new product that was engineered for the way Americans live.  Traditional tank water heaters run against the clock. Once the storage is emptied it takes time to recover.  However, with traditional tank water heaters, water pressure in the house is not impacted by the number of fixtures running at the same time. A tankless water heater runs against capacity. You can have endless hot water for a limited number of fixtures running at the same time.

With the NEW Eternal Hybrid Water Heater you can enjoy the benefits of a high-efficiency system without sacrificing your need for continuous hot water and adequate water pressure. The New Eternal Hybrid is 98% efficient and is the ONLY gas hybrid water heater listed with Energy Star! The Energy Star label means the Eternal meets and exceeds all green building requirements and qualifies for applicable federal and local tax credits.  Additionally, it has a 20 Year No Leaks Warranty and is virtually Maintenance Free!  My Plumber Heating and Cooling is proud to offer this advanced engineering to its customers.  Call us TODAY to take advantage of this awesome deal. 

A comprehensive furnace tune-up includes combustion efficiency cleaning &  testing, inspection for gas leaks, ignition system & safety controls, burner adjustment, lubricating motors and more.

Reasons our heating and air repair technicians recommend getting a furnace tune-up are:

• Longer-lasting equipment- means you won’t have to spend money on new equipment. 
• Lower utility bills- since your system’s efficiency is increased up to 20%.
• Increased comfortability- your home will get warmer quicker because of increased capacity- up to 25%.
• Safety for your family- Annual tune-ups will identify carbon monoxide leaks- which can be deadly.

The reasonable cost of regular furnace maintenance will save you time and potentially thousands of dollars in the long run. You will protect your investment in your heating system … and add more value to your home.  Maintenance for your gas furnace should be performed once a year. It’s best done prior to the busy season because you may not get the appointment you want if you are calling in the middle of a blizzard.

Your tune-up could be FREE!

If you are enrolled in the My Plumber Heating and Cooling Priority Club, your tune-up is included as part of the cost as well as: Two additional Preventative Maintenance Checks, Priority Service, Waived Dispatch Fees, and $2,200 in Priority Club coupons. Besides, winter is here and you don’t want to be stuck with a “no heat” emergency.

During October My Plumber Heating and Cooling employees turned their attention to Arlington Food Assistance Center’s Backpack Program for Children Living in Homeless Shelters.  This program provides preparation free (or microwavable) food for the weekends and holidays, to children who frequently don’t have easy access to a real kitchen.

The plumber service in Arlington and the heating and air repair technicians, as well as My Plumber Heating and Cooling’s office staff, worked together to raise money in support of this wonderful program. Office workers paid $5 for the privilege of wearing denim to work, Arlington plumbers and Arlington heating and air technicians collected food with dollars off coupons for 5 cans of food, and the management team paid $5 a head for each employee who dressed in costume for Halloween. In a move that has proved to be a real money generator for the Warm Hands and Full Hearts Food Drive program, My Plumber Heating and Cooling executives also assigned $1 to the food drive for each new “like “ the company received on Facebook. Between the three groups of people they raised 250 pounds of food and $230 that they used to buy easy open microwaveable meals, dried fruit, crackers and juice for the backpack program.  The drive was very successful.

For November and December, My Plumber Heating and Cooling, Stafford plumbers and Stafford heating and air technicians have decided to focus on raising food and support for the SERVE program.  On board for the program, My Plumber Office staff will have a favorite cold weather gear day.  Our technicians including Stafford plumbers and Stafford heating and air repair techs, will be collecting those five cans of food.   The executive management team have not told us what they have up their sleeves yet, but you can bet it will be something good.

If you would like to do something to help us raise food for Stafford SERVE then please take a moment to “like” My Plumber Heating and Cooling on Facebook.  Just Click Here to access the link.