Mike Muccia’s first 4 tips to get ready for winter

Mike’s Tip #1

In a recent edition of Mike’s Kwik-Tip on Facebook, we recommended that you remove the timers off any hose bibs since a quick unexpected freeze will destroy the internal plastic parts. (In English please!) There is a fitting where a hose can be attached to a home water supply (usually more than one) so watering the lawn and garden is simplified. The part that the hose screws onto is called a hose bib. We received many “thank you”s for that tip, but now that we are in October, it’s time to go one better and it’s a 2 step process.
First, stretch out the hose(s) and remove any water just by rolling them up. This is extra easy if you have a hose reel.
Next, it’s not enough to simply shut the valve off where it’s sticking out of the basement and through the wall outside. You’ll need to go into your basement or crawl space and shut the pipe off at the valve inside the house. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a pipe which is split in the middle. (see an example on left)

Mike’s Winter Tip#2

Draining the hot water heater. Yes, we realize this is a terrible waste of both energy and water, BUT draining and rinsing the sediment that ends up on the bottom of the tank will extend the tank’s life and now’s the time to do it. NOTE: This may not be for every do-it-yourself homeowner since it requires turning off the natural gas and the water supply, then running a hose from the bottom of the tank until it’s empty, refill it again, draining it one more time, and one final refill. Then turn on the gas line and lighting the pilot light. If you have any misgivings about doing this, either skip this step or call Muccia Plumbing. While this will improve the tank’s operation and lifespan, we don’t want you to accidentally shorten your own. If your tank was installed in the last 2-3 years, you’ll be fine. If you’re not sure, look for the town inspection sticker. Their dates are usually easier to read than the manufacturers. If your tank is near end of life, be aware that Muccia only sells and installs Bradford White Made in the USA hot water heater tanks. For example, Bradford White fittings are all brass, not plastic and are guaranteed to provide you with years of excellent service.

Mike’s Winter Tip#3

Replace your rubber washing machine hoses. If your washer was installed by the company that sold it to you, they most likely used the rubber hoses that came with the machine. These hoses are holding back the full pressure of both hot and cold water until the washer timer calls for them to release their water supplies. They are OK for a year or two but living in NJ, we are subject to brutal hot days and frigid cold days, and those fluctuations in ambient temperature cause the hoses to fail. The standard for several years was braided stainless steel. Those held up better, but over time the stainless steel wrapping would also fail. We recommend the Danco Flood Anchor washing machine hoses. What’s great about these hoses is they have a ball bearing built into the connector at the water supply. No matter what happens to the hose, the ball bearing will prevent a flood by stopping the water from escaping the fitting. These are not cheap, and if you’re handy and can remove and replace the hoses, they are worth the price. You can sometimes find them at Sears or True Value. They come in a 6-foot length, so before you start taking things apart, make sure 6 feet will work for you or look for another brand. You can purchase them anywhere you wish. The Amazon ad example is simply that – an example.

Mike’s Winter Tip #4

Now it’s time for you to do a simple inspection. In one of our first blogs, we discussed what leaks or just water on the floor around your furnace or boiler may mean. There are three parts that can fail about 6-10 years into the life of a new boiler.

The first part is the boiler pressure relief valve. Here’s the exact explanation from the NJ Master Plumbing manual: A safety valve is a valve that acts as a fail-safe. An example of the safety valve is a pressure relief valve (PRV), which automatically releases a substance from a boiler, pressure vessel, or another system when the pressure or temperature exceeds preset limits.

This is what it looks like:

The second part is the water pressure relief valve: Again, from the Master Plumber manual: Back Pressure Valves. Back pressure valves are pressure relief valves used in pipes and pumps. They are essential in the plumbing industry. Their function is to maintain a set pressure, particularly at the pump’s outlet port or discharge, and doing so ensures correct metering. This is what it looks like:

The third and final part is an air expansion tank. Once again, directly from the plumbers manual: An expansion tank is a metal tank connected to a building’s water heating appliance designed to accommodate fluctuations in the volume of a building’s hot water supply system. These fluctuations occur because water expands in volume as it gets hot and loses volume as it cools.

NOTE: This should not be confused with the hot water tank. This is meant as a fit for a home that is running on a hot water system. The boiler heats the water, it is then pumped throughout the home raising the temperatures of the radiators. It is one of the more efficient means to heat a home since, after the hot water returns, the pipes retain their heat

The simplest way to test for a water leak is to put some paper towel on the floor and let it sit undisturbed overnight. If in the moning the paper is wet or simply feels of an unusual texture, please Muccia Plumbing at 201-778-7085

Muccia Plumbing, Heating and AC has already begun to get calls to schedule a heating system startup. It makes sense and it’s worth spending a few moments understanding what we do and why you should care.

Understanding the complex heating system and why it needs an annual startup

Your heating system is a complex machine. It includes a variety of devices that check for fuel pressure, water level, water pressure, valves, zones, pumps and more. These devices and indicators are specific to your system, and are meant to take care of each part of your home or business with a unique “zone”. Simply put, a zone is an area of your home or business that is getting heat (or not) based on the thermostat that is relaying information back to the main system. Whether time-based (start the heat at 6 AM) and/or temperature based (Don’t let it drop below 65 degrees), each zone is an independent place and based on use, will require more or less heat than another room.

Heating system startups save money

For example, let’s say you have a large family room say 30 x 30 feet square. This may be the place where on a holiday morning kids, adults and family gather to open gifts. Once that fun is over, everyone goes back to another room – kids go out or to their bedrooms, parents set about doing laundry, cooking, or any other planned activity. To maintain that 30 X 30 heat at a comfortable 72 with no occupants is simply a waste of money. Today’s efficient boilers and hot water systems produce heat rapidly so that if it’s needed, it takes a very short time to regain that heat level from the earlier time of day.

Likewise, there are two other times where lowering the heat can save money. One, of course, is when everyone is sleeping. While we don’t want to freeze everyone under the covers of their bed, it is much more comfortable to sleep in the 60s than in the high 70s or low 80s. The bedcovers are designed to hold in body heat and what feels comfortable above the covers, is likely unbearable when you have 2 inches of down covers on top of you.

The second should be equally obvious. If everyone in the family is off to school or work, there is no good reason to pump high 70s low 80s into an entire house. Remember the heating system’s primary job is to keep people warm. And if you have pets, worry not. Unless the temps drop way down into the 40s or 50s, the natural fur on cats and dogs insulates them from that small differential in room temperature.

How a heating system startup is done

Now that we’ve explained why the basics of a heating system, let’s talk about what’s involved in having Muccia Plumbing do a startup inspection. As mentioned earlier, the heating system is a complex system with multiple indicators built into the system to permit a trained plumber to determine efficiency and manufacturers recommended positions. Let’s begin with water pressure. There is a delicate balance between too much and too little water entering and exiting the system on demand. An early indicator of a failure is a water drip behind the system. Along with all the technology, there are built-in relief valves to avoid excess water from being distributed on your floor or too little which can cause a complete failure.

In point of fact, the first part of the startup inspection is a detailed visual look around for anything out of the ordinary. Since this is likely the first time since May that the system has been turned on, the plumbing/heating tech will look for drips around the system to find any parts which may have exceeded their usefulness. Often these include the water pressure gauge, the water inlet pump, and the thermal expansion tank. These three parts are interrelated, and it’s often best to replace all three rather than guess which one is prepared to fail.

Startup testing

The tech will next begin a series of tests between zones and their equivalent thermostat. This is to ensure that the heat which is called for is acting on a request from the correct thermostat. Since each hot water pump is controlled electronically by the appropriate thermostat, it is imperative that the two are working in tandem.

Finally, if so appropriate, the tech will replace all filters (typically on hot air systems) that were replaced last year. Clogged filters, whether for Air Conditioning or Heater systems are the #1 loss of energy and comfort. After replacing the filters, the last step is ensuring that the performance of the system is at its peak. Techs are uniquely trained to listen for water flows, responses to thermostats and a host of other sounds to instill confidence that the startup has put the system in readiness for winter. And in case you were wondering, it is not necessary to request and schedule a startup inspection in the winter. Anytime between the end of September and the end of October is usually perfect, though if you want to get your system scheduled when you want, the earlier the better.

Heating system startups make us both happy

Thank you for taking the time to read this latest in Mike’s Tips. Our goals at Muccia Plumbing, Heating and AC have not changed in our 40 years of doing business in Bergen County. We will never sell you parts you don’t need, and you’ll know exactly what fees will be involved. No surprises. Just delighted customers. You can reach Muccia Plumbing at 201-343-1414 or visit our website at www.mucciaplumbing.com

It’s human nature to procrastinate – to put off things that are messy, interrupt your day, cost some money, but mostly it’s finding the time to get it scheduled.

The Time Is Now! Please make the call to Muccia Plumbing and Heating at 201-343-1414

I’m not talking about planning your Thanksgiving menu, getting the car inspected, or even picking out a sweater for your brother’s birthday which was last week.

It’s time to contact Muccia Plumbing and get your winter heating system tuned, cleaned and ready to run. It’s probably been run a couple of times already – most likely with dirty filters, pushing filthy air into your home making you and your family more susceptible to flu and other seasonal illnesses.

You may have recently received a flyer which opens with we care about your heat, health, and happiness.

This is a fact we’ve heard from clients like Mrs. Jenny R. who chose Muccia Plumbing back in 2002, and then moved in 2012 to Englewood Cliffs. Mrs. R has, for more than the last 17 years, relied exclusively on Muccia Plumbing to maintain their large home, with multiple gas fired fireplaces, several zones for heating and cooling, and resolving problems BEFORE they occur. It is quality service, that keeps our customers coming back – year after year.

If you did not get a Muccia flyer in the mail recently, which outlines the NEW services Muccia performs under the new PRIME Inspection Program – send a note mail@mucciaplumbing.com and one will be returned to you by email. Please include your preferred email so you can acquire the $25 Discount offer.

Enjoy the Fall weather.

image of a frozen thermometer

Whether you heat your home with propane, fuel oil or natural gas, there is a direct connection between the higher cost of oil and the overall cost to warm your residence or business regardless of fuel type. It doesn’t matter if your system is hot air, hot water or radiant heat. As heating fuel prices rise, homeowners and business owners begin looking at energy efficiencies. These include replacing old windows, putting more insulation in attics, even putting foam inserts behind light switch plates. With the return of NJ subsidies for solar energy, high heating costs drive some to consider rooftop solar power as an alternative fuel source. The most popular is a thermal blanket around the hot water tank.

Manual Thermostat

Thermostat – Sometimes we miss the easy ones.

Ironically, the least expensive and often most efficient is the most obvious – replacing old manual thermostats with modern versions. These clever devices can be set to raise and lower temps when no one is home, and during sleeping hours.
Think about it – let’s say you keep your home at a comfortable 72 degrees. While you, or members of your family are home, that’s a reasonable temperature to ensure comfort without having to put on two or three sweaters.
But if you and your spouse both leave for work, and children head to school before 8 AM, you could lower the temperature to 62 (or less). At 4 PM, before everyone gets homes, it begins restoring it back to a comfortable 72 degrees. Once everyone has retired to bed for the evening at 10 PM, the thermostat reduces the heat to 62. Remember that even on the coldest nights, if you have hot water heat, the heated pipes will take time to lose their heat, so you are essentially enjoying the warmer temperature for free.

NEST Thermostat

Hi Tech meets Home Comfort

In recent years, several hi-tech, WiFi connected thermostats like Nest, offer the ability to adjust the temperature from anywhere. If conditions change, i.e., school closes early, a meeting ends ahead of schedule, or any number of good reasons to turn up the heat before the family returns home. Using nothing more than a smartphone, a user can make a change to raise temps on-demand from anywhere they can connect to the internet.

Smartphone Next Control

A trip to visit relatives for Christmas doesn’t mean that the house has to run as if there were people home to keep warm. Instead, simply connect to the WiFi connected thermostat and keep the home at a lower temperature that won’t risk a frozen pipe. In essence, it gives you, whether homeowner or business owner, complete control over when warmer temps are called for, and when not, to enjoy the savings of a lower fuel cost.

Muccia Plumbing – Your Trusted Advisor

Muccia Plumbing has been installing a variety of smartphone accessible thermostats for years, and they truly pay for themselves especially if you have multi-zone heating i.e., basement and bedrooms separate from other living or working space. If Wi-Fi connected thermostats seem too sci-fi for you – worry not. A professional quality programmable thermostat can do almost the same function when set up correctly, and tuned to your unique at home or at business hours. Therefore before you start buying all the other means to lower costs, consider the thermostat. It, among all the other expensive choices, can reduce your heating costs this season.

NJ Energy Audits

NJ Clean Energy

Most NJ Public Service Utilities offer Energy Audits. These are usually provided by the utility companies for no or low cost and can find areas of poor insulation or downright holes where heat is escaping. They may be overly aggressive in their suggestions – change windows, wrap pipes with insulation, add door sweeps to minimize drafts – all good ideas, but not all necessary immediately.

Next Steps

Even before replacing your thermostat, contact Muccia Plumbing and Heating to learn about our latest announcement. The new Muccia PRIME heating system inspection, designed to do more than you’ll get with a $79 service call. Our combined new technologies and equipment go further than ever before to prevent problems before they begin. Our latest slogan says it all “We Care About Your Heat, Your Health and Your Happiness” And for 40 years that’s exactly what Muccia Plumbing and Heating has done for thousands of customers throughout Bergen County. While your Muccia Plumbing tech is there, ask him about your current thermostat and which would be the best choice for your home and life.

Call Muccia Plumbing and Heating today. We promise. You’ll enjoy a toasty winter!

As winter approaches New Jersey, it is time to ensure you will have an efficient, working heating system. Extremely low temperatures in homes are not only uncomfortable, but also dangerous to your health. It’s imperative for your heating system to be up and running during the cold season. Heater problems should be addressed promptly by calling in experts to diagnose and repair them. Never gamble with these systems by trying to go Do-It-Yourself. Done incorrectly, you may be forced to replace more components by a heater repair contractor in New Jersey. When looking for a contractor, ensure that you land the best one as not all of them are capable of fixing your heater. Here are the tips:

Do Some Homework.

Before committing to a heater repair contractor, do some homework and find out some things that will help you determine the best contractor. Learn about the license and insurance requirements for contractors operating in New Jersey. You should also find the specific model of your system and the documents installers leave behind. Find out about the price ranges charged for the repairs to avoid being overcharged.

Seek Referrals.

Referrals are a great way to get good heater repair contractors in New Jersey. Ask your friends and family members about their heater repairs and the contractor(s) that they contacted. First-hand referrals are a great source of credible information. Speak with people who have dealt with the contractors in question and get their feedback. Try to find a contact whose heater experienced the same problem you have. Ask which New Jersey plumbers repaired their heater effectively.

Check The Legalities.

Only choose New Jersey plumbers licensed and insured to operate in the state. Never hire a contractor who is not licensed and insured as the consequences can be very grave in case of an accident or incompetence. A New Jersey plumbing license, shows that the contractor is qualified and has met the set educational and practical thresholds to be able to practice in New Jersey.

Price Estimates.

Ask your potential contractors to give you an estimate of the cost of the entire job before agreeing to anything. Most homeowners live on a budget. Even business owners set aside operating funds for HVAC services. Neither would want to spend more than they had set aside. From the estimates, you will be able to see the price charged and the services offered before making a final decision on the best contractor for you.

Experience.

It is important to seek clarification on the systems the contractor is experienced in. The heating systems are evolving, and the newer models are more green, smart and energy efficient. People who are experienced in the old systems might not be able to repair the new systems and vice versa effectively.

Hiring a suitable heating repair contractor in New Jersey is all about looking into the right things. Steer of the cold and get a contractor to fix your heater today.

Still need help? No sweat. Call Muccia Plumbing (201) 343-1414 or just click the following link mailto:mail@mucciaplumbing.com

Your home and/or business heating are obviously important when the weather starts changing. A heating system that has stopped working brings a lot of inconvenience to the people living in that house. These systems are very complicated, and it is better to call a Bergen County heating repair company to fix the problems. With the companies available in Bergen County, you should take extra care to ensure you land the best one and avoid the bogus ones that will add more problems to your system. Here are the tips;

Operation Period.

Always prefer the heating repair companies that have been in operation for a long period as opposed to the newly set up ones. This is owed to the fact that the technicians in such companies are obviously experienced and are better poised to fix your heating system. The best heating service companies have ongoing training programs for their technicians.

Reputation.

Before you decide to hire a particular company, check into their reputation and try to find out what other people say about them and their services. Reputation cannot be built overnight, and a firm with a strong one must have been offering excellent services to customers for some time. Choose the reputable companies since you are assured of getting quality services. Client reviews are a great way of finding out what people say about a heating repair company in question. In the simplest terms, a reputable heater repair company in New Jersey has been in business for decades, and the proof is in their longevity to compete, survive and thrive.

Price.

Different heating repair companies in Bergen County charge differently for their services. That’s logical as different plumbers will address issues differently. To reduce risk, check the manufacturer’s name and model number of your heating system. Contact your short list of candidates and ask if they are certified to service that make and model. Price is often determined by the quality of the products the contractor uses. Plumbing supply companies offer a higher quality product than those found at local home improvement stores. Combining trained technicians with higher quality materials will give you a better result than a potential side-job, fly-by-night person looking for quick cash.

Services Offered.

Like most states in the Northeast US, there are typically a menu of services offered by a qualified heating, ventilation and air conditioning service company. These include:
1) Hot Water Heater (tank or tankless) repair and replace
2) Hot Water, Hot Air or Radiant heat based heating systems
3) Drain cleaning, replacement and repair
4) Bathroom / Powder room component services (toilet, bath, shower, basin)
5) Upgrade management for multi-family homes or businesses

Finding qualified plumbers in Bergen County is a matter of looking into the right things. Get your preferred repairs company and say goodbye to the cold nights.

Try Muccia Plumbing.

We’ll give you the best we’ve got in people, parts, and service. Visit our website at www.mucciaplumbing.com or call Muccia Plumbing at 201-343-1414. We give you our best.