Memorial Day Weekend was the unofficial start of summer, which means more barbeques and vacations to come. Before you leave for your next trip or prepare for your next cookout, keep these tips in mind to protect your home and save money this season.

1. Turn Down Your Water Heater: Many homeowners don’t realize that they can turn down the temperature of their water heater. This is a good idea during the summer, especially when you leave for vacation. Turning down the water heater will save money on utility bills and keep your home safer as well.
2. Check the Washing Machine: The washing machine is often used more during the summertime. Because of this, it’s important to inspect it and all of its connections sooner rather than later to make sure it’s prepared for the extra work.
3. Check the Sewer Line: Backed up drains and water backing up into the home can quickly turn into a major problem. Many homeowners wait until they see the water coming into their home before they call a plumber. Instead, you should have the sewer lines checked for any potential problems before the summer gets into full swing since problems with sewer lines are often created by excess rain, debris and thunderstorms during the springtime.
4. Protect Your Garbage Disposal: It’s always important when having guests over during any time of year to watch what goes down your garbage disposal. Things to avoid are bones; grease; large amounts of food at once; fibrous foods like celery, lettuce and onion peels and grains like pasta, rice, potatoes and coffee.

If you need help preparing your home for summer, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299. We’re here for you 24/7, 365 days a year for all of your plumbing, heating and cooling needs!

Plumbing is the last thing you think about when preparing for vacation, but it needs to be kept in mind to keep your home safe. If you’re getting ready to leave your home for a couple weeks (or even months) at a time, these plumbing tips should be part of your travel planning.

1. Have Someone Check In: Make sure you have a friend or neighbor routinely stop by your house while you’re away to avoid the nightmare of coming home to water damage due to an undetected leak.
2. Check for Leaks: That being said, check your water-using appliances for loose or cracked hoses, leaks or other malfunctions to avoid water damage altogether.
3. Turn Down Your Water Heater: Turn your water heater down to its low, pilot or vacation setting so you’re not wasting energy heating water that won’t be used.
4. Turn Off Your Water: If you’ll be away for an extended amount of time, consider turning off your water main and hot water heater and draining your pipes and tank.
5. Maintain Your Sump Pump: To avoid basement flooding from any heavy rainfall while you’re away, make sure your sump pump is clean and in good condition so it can work to its best ability.

If you need help with any maintenance or have any other questions, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299. We’re here for you 24/7, 365 days a year for all of your plumbing, heating and cooling needs!

Everyone knows how important a good night’s sleep is and how frustrating it can be when you can’t seem to get one. Before you try everything else, consider how adjusting your HVAC could keep you from tossing and turning.

1. Keep it Cool: Did you know the ideal temperature for optimal sleep is between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit? Maintaining that temperature may be easy in the winter, but it’s a lot harder and more expensive to do in the summer. During the summer, you’ll have to rely more on fans or look into zone-control air conditioning systems, which let you set difference temperatures for individual rooms.
2. Measure the Humidity: If the humidity in your room is too high, it will cause the room to be muggy, making it harder to breathe and fall asleep. If it’s too low, the room will be dry and cause scratchy sinuses that make it hard to sleep as well. A digital hygrometer is inexpensive and allows you to measure the humidity in your room, which should be around 40 to 50 percent.
3. Turn on the Fan: Sleeping with a fan on is beneficial for multiple reasons. Fans can help make the room cooler without lowering the AC too much, circulate the air to make it easier to breathe and create white noise that helps you go to sleep and stay asleep by drowning out random noises throughout the night that may wake you up.

If you any other questions or would like to schedule an appointment, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299. We’re here for you 24/7, 365 days a year for all of your plumbing, heating and cooling needs!

Tomorrow, June 22^nd, is National HVAC Technician Day! Here at Nebrasky, we are grateful every day for the incredible and hardworking technicians on our staff. Maintaining a comfortable temperature in our homes is a luxury we don’t often think about until we have to. HVAC technicians work to keep us comfortable and safe on a daily basis, so show your technicians a little extra love tomorrow! Here are some fun facts about National HVAC Technician Day (our favorite day) and HVAC technicians:

• This day of recognition was created in 2016 by ARS/Rescue Rooter, a Memphis, Tenn.-based national provider of air conditioning, heating and plumbing services.
• A 14% industry growth in employment rates of HVAC techs is expected by 2024.
• According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, HVAC pros have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations.
• HVAC techs must also possess a variety of non-technical skills such as computer savvy, detail orientation, time management, and troubleshooting.
• While some HVAC technicians may specialize in a specific industry (cold storage, for one), most master every area in heating, air conditioning, ventilation and refrigeration.
• HVAC technicians are on the forefront of going green, being the ones who install new, energy efficient smart technology.

Our HVAC technicians are always here to help. Give us a call at 1-800-989-029924/7, 365 days a year for all of your plumbing, heating and cooling needs!

The school year is over, which means it is officially graduation party and barbeque season. Before you begin your party planning, it’s important to check the status of your plumbing and cooling. To avoid any last-minute emergencies and enjoy your party, keep these maintenance tips in mind:

1. Have Your A/C Serviced: If you haven’t already had your A/C serviced, make sure you schedule an appointment to do so before you have company over. The last thing you want on a hot summer day is a house full of people and no air conditioning.
2. Have Your Septic Tank Pumped: The average septic tank needs to be pumped every 3 to 5 years, 3 years being preferred. If it’s been a few years since your septic tank has been pumped, schedule an appointment before your event to ensure there won’t be any emergencies with a houseful of guests.
3. Check Your Main Water Shut-Off Valve: In case you experience a plumbing emergency while you have guests over, make sure you’re aware of where your main water shut-off valve is. You can also test it to be sure it’s working.
4. Check Your Hose: Always check your hose at the beginning of the season to make sure it was not accidentally left on, which could result in breaks in the pipes from freezing.

If you need to make a service appointment or have any other questions, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299. We’re here for you 24/7, 365 days a year for all of your plumbing, heating and cooling needs!

Efficient air conditioning is a key ingredient to an enjoyable and comfortable summer. As the temperatures continue to rise, your A/C system will continue to be put to work. Here are the most common A/C issues to anticipate this summer, so you won’t have to sweat them later:

1. Capacitors: One of the most common problems current air conditioning systems encounter is failure of the run capacitor. A run capacitor is a device that helps the motors during startup and throughout their run cycle. Unfortunately, it’s when temperatures are at their highest that your capacitor is most likely to fail, and it often happens unexpectedly. However, it’s still possible to spot a weak run capacitor by noticing if the fan motor is struggling to start.
2. Refrigerant: Early in the cooling season, it’s common to find your A/C low on refrigerant. Small leaks require a recharge of your A/C, but if your leak is big enough, it can require multiple recharges throughout the year. This could get expensive, so it’s important to remember that a small leak left unrepaired will only get larger over time.
3. Dirty Filters: A dirty air filter is one of the biggest enemies of an efficient HVAC system, but it’s also one of the easiest aspects to maintain. It’s recommended to replace your filters every three months, but a family with allergies and/or pets may want to replace them slightly more often.
4. Dirty A/C Coils: Just as your air filter gets dirty when your system runs frequently, so does the A/C unit itself. Lawn clippings, pollen and dust will accumulate on the A/C and progressively reduce the efficiency of your system, so it’s important to have the unit cleaned during routine maintenance at the beginning of the season and throughout the summer, depending how often your A/C is running.

It’s never too late to have your A/C system serviced! To make an appointment, or for any other questions you may have, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299. We’re here for you 24/7, 365 days a year for all of your plumbing, heating and cooling needs!

You probably already know how to protect your drains from factors within your home, but there are certain damages that can occur outside of your control. Tree roots are a common cause of drainage and plumbing problems, but luckily there are specific signs to look out for:

1. Your landscape is growing faster than usual: It’s not unusual for your lawn to grow faster during the summer, but if you’ve noticed that certain spots are thriving way more than normal, it could be because tree roots are interfering with the plumbing and all of that water has nowhere else to go.
2. Random sinkholes: When roots start to grow into pipes, the water starts to leak out into the yard, creating soft spots. If certain areas of the yard are sinking in, there could be tree roots in the pipes.
3. Drain clogs: If your drains are clogging frequently, it may be a sign of a bigger problem. Root damage to sewer lines leads to clogged, overflowing and slow-flowing drains, sometimes accompanied by a gurgling noise from the toilet.
4. Strange smells: A foul smell all around your home could be a warning that your sewers have been invaded. Since exposed sewage is a danger to the health of everyone in your home, make sure you call a professional to handle it.

If you notice any of the typical signs of pipe damage or blockage, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299. We’re here for you 24/7, 365 days a year for all of your plumbing, heating and cooling needs!

Whether you have a well or receive water from a utility company, homeowners can be burdened by water problems. Here are some common problems and tips to resolve common water challenges you may face.

Tips for homeowners with wells:

• Hydrofracking: If your well water won’t run, the most efficient solution is to pull the pump out of the well, cap the well and then pressurize it with water, which expands the veins in the well and makes the water start running again.
• Test for bacteria: Brand new wells have to be tested for bacteria such as coliform and E. coli to meet NY standards. If you’re worried a well you already own contains bacteria, you can go to Orange County Laboratory in Bloomingburg to have your water tested.
• Getting rid of bacteria: One way to get rid of bacteria is to put chlorine or bleach down your well, let it run through your system until there’s none left in the pipes and then use a pool test kit to test if your well water still contains bacteria. If that doesn’t work, an ultraviolet light may need to be installed. Use a regular filter to make the water clear first, and then allow the UV light to kill the bacteria.

Have a high water bill but don’t see the leakage?

• Check the toilet first. Most leaks are caused by toilets. Even if you can’t see the leak, you can test it by adding food coloring dye into your tank. Add the dye, don’t flush the toilet and then come back in an hour. If the toilet bowl is now the color of the dye, you’ve found your leak.
• Check your hose: Out of sight, out of mind. Sometimes the hose is forgotten about/left dripping and can be causing those pesky high water bills.
• Copper pipes: If you live in a home where your copper piping is located underground in the concrete, the concrete may have eaten away at the copper pipes over the years, which is an issue you will need a professional to diagnose and fix.

For more helpful tips like these as well as some plumbing fun facts, listen to Paul’s July appearance on WTBQ Radio!

Click here to read our feature, “Pivoting Plumber”, in Plumber Magazine! (starting on pg. 12)