Another gas explosion in Ohio

Another gas explosion in a home. Kids were injured in this one. Gas just insn't something to mess with. Details are still sketchy as to the cause.

Winter plumbing freeze ups.

Its that time of year again, when things get down right chilly, and if your on vacation to Florida, or some other place thats more agreeable than the Cleveland area, you had best take some precautions with your home to prevent frozen and ruptured pipes due to a boiler problem when you are gone. The easiest thing to do is have a neighbor check on your house every day..but will they? Next best option is to install a freeze alert device, which is like an answer machine for your phone and it reads the temperature and if the temp drops below a set point, it actually starts to dial out phone numbers with a pre recorded message warning of the situation. Calls could be placed to your cell phone, and your heating contractor. Probably the best option is to have your alarm company install a sensor that calls their monitoring station should there be an issue and then they would have a list of people to call...but all that said, some people will still leave their home for days on end, and the boilers pilot will go out, and the people will come home to ruptured pipes and frozen water all over their house. Have a great winter!

Much thanks to the NorthEast Ohio PHCC

Thanks goes out to the NorthEast Ohio PHCC for inviting me to give a steam boiler piping presentation to the group tonight. I enjoyed myself and had a great time doing the class. If even just one person got just one thing out of it then it was time well spent. Thanks again!

Roots Love Sewers!

Oh My God--- It's SOYLANT GREEN !

I'd say by now any underground pipe 80 years old leaks.

Yup, she's a leaker. I guess if you can bury a steam pipe and have it last 80 years it wasn't really that bad was it?

Whats Up With This!

How long do you think it will be before the weight of that cast iron radiator breaks the brass stub of this valve..hope somebody will be home to shut the steam off..the things we see!

ouch!!

this didn't even fill the tank..the pump slowed to a crawl and just shut off at $100.00 ..and remember this is happening to everyone, (as you well know)..so what do you think that does to prices? Being that the consumer ultimately pays all costs..

Sewer From Hell..

Sometimes I run into a sewer and just can't for the life of me figure out how it is even still working! Today was just such a basket case. We cut open this clay sewer and I can't remember the last time I had seen so many roots! Yet the beast was still breathing..how can that be? Check out these pictures.

Manufacturing Locations

Isn't it interesting that many overseas firms find it more profitable to build their factories in the U.S. while our firms find it more profitable to build in China or South America and ship the stuff back here...why is that? is it that our corporations are taxed at the second highest level in the WORLD! hmmm, makes you think, doesn't it. Maybe the business's should be taxed less and employ more..Just my thoughts as I watch the dollar loss all its value and prices soar..

These people found their water leak! To funny to pass up.

A plumbing we will go, a plumbing we will go, (sing along everyone)

Man! the flood gates have opened..whats with all the plumbing work lately? where was this all winter..over the years i have come to realize that its almost easy to tell when people start to get their taxes out of the way, as suddenly the spring plumbing work arrives..yippy!

Clothes Hangars...Arrrr!

Got to love 'em..if you look close at the picture you will see the steam systems dry return pipe starting to sag and get a banana bend in it under the weight of all those clothes being hung off the pipe...some day that bend will be equal to the diameter of the pipe and I'll be getting a no heat call..gotta love 'em...could be worse..could be a gas pipe!

Congratulations to NorthEast Ohio PHCC

Congratulations go out to the NEOPHCC for gaining 12 members during the March membership drive..well done to all who participated.

Ladies, Ladies, Please!

Do you want to save money!
What do you think these are I'm pulling out of this sewer?

Yup, lots of TAMPONS!!!
so if you want to save money, quit flushing your stuff down the toilet.
Thats a 4'' diameter pipe to put things in perspective.

Sump Pumps

Here is something to consider after all the rains we just had, and the supply house ran out of sump pumps to sell. How many good pumps do you think were replaced? Before you call anyone to replace your sump pump, make sure its really dead. If the pump is running but the water isn't going out, the city sewer may be swamped, or your own storm drain may be swamped, and the pump just can't pump any more water into the pipe. The water will rise and mislead you into thinking your pump doesn't work. Hows it seem after the monsoon stops? If it suddenly seems better afterward the pump was fine. The sewer was not!

How much rust can you have in a boiler!

How much rust can someone have in a boiler and still have it operate? Apparently about this much!

I'm counting gas explosions this year

What is up with all the gas explosions? Has anyone else noticed the increase in gas explosions lately? The block in San Fran that blew up started my interest. The house in Cleveland on w.83rd st., and the Allentown PA explosion recently. Closer to home how about the entire town of Fairport Harbour being shut down after a bunch of explosions in peoples houses. Whats your thoughts? Aging systems, perhaps..poor maintenance, perhaps..deregulation, perhaps...i know when i go into peoples houses, the one piping system that looks the worst is the gas..its just ignored..now the ever popular corrugated stainless steel tubing CSST gas piping is having an issue..wasn't this touted as the replacement for black pipe? yeah right...read about the law suit on that stuff at my web site at http://www.gwgillplumbingandheating.com/

flooding basements and boiler fires

Wasn't the flooding in Cleveland Hts. just amazing the other night..I wonder what happened to that deep sewer project thing..Wasn't that supposed to take care of that problem.. We have two boilers we are going to be replacing due to flooded basements..Who would have thought that just flooding a basement with one foot of water would cause one water boiler to explode and another boiler (a steam boiler) to catch itself on fire..Who would have thought!

Is it time to talk about sewer check valves.