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In a perfect world, the answer would be “never.” Never, because you would have an AC system that just ran and ran and ran, and took good care of itself along the way.

So much for that perfect world scenario.

Still, as imperfect as they might be, today’s better made and well maintained air conditioning systems have an estimated shelf life of 15-20 years. Can yours last even longer than that? Sure it can, but if you live in your house long enough, sooner or later you’re going to have to replace it.

Some people do that proactively by keeping a close watch on the age of the system and rising energy costs. Because even if you do have your system properly serviced every year, it’s not going to give you the same energy efficiencies in year 12, for example, as it did in the early goings.

But let’s say you want a better, more concrete reason to replace yours. Something that says “trouble is brewing, and I may not be much longer for this earth.” Or symptoms to that effect. Well, if you’re a sign watcher, then here’s what to watch out for besides age and rising energy costs:

• Frequent and increasingly more costly repairs. What you pay $200 to have your system repaired if you had reason to believe it would run “just fine” after that? Of course you would. But how about $500, $1,000, or even $1,500? In other words, what’s the point when you say “enough is enough,” and finally decide your money is better spent on a replacement AC system?

• Noisy operation. Remember the good ol’ days when your current system was first installed, and how quietly it operated (assuming it was properly installed)? Well, the older a system gets, the more prone it becomes make unpleasant and persistent noises, like popping, banging, whirring, and the like. Noisy operation doesn’t necessarily indicate the need for a new system, but it is something you want to get checked out.

• Hot and cold spots throughout your home. A well-designed AC system should provide equal amounts of cool air from one room to the next. If that how it used to be, but no longer is, then you have another reason to have the cause thoroughly investigated.

• You want to contribute to a cleaner environment. Older AC systems use Freon as a refrigerant, while newer systems are equipped with the more eco-friendly r-410A which is not ozone depleting. Plus, the longer you hang onto your older system, the more expensive Freon charges are going to become.

If you’re AC system is coughing and wheezing up a storm, and no longer at peak efficiency, then it’s time to call the home comfort specialists at Boden so we can thoroughly inspect it and then give you our best recommendation: repair or replace. Contact us today for prompt, friendly, and dependable service.

Folks in California no doubt have mixed feelings about the upcoming spring and summer seasons.

Yes, warmer and more pleasant weather is upon us, but will warmer also mean drier an further exasperate our extended draught?

As much as we’d all like to wave a magic wand and make it rain long and hard enough to bring about long-term relief, we can’t. So we have to go on living our lives, conserving water in every way possible, and preparing for the best of what summer has to offer.

One important way to prepare is with a pre-season AC system tune-up and inspection, professionally and reliably performed by Boden Plumbing Heating & Air. Our primary goal is preventative maintenance, meaning we tighten all the connections, check all the pressures, lube parts that need it, and more to ensure that when the hot weather finally arrives, your system is ready to give you a full season’s worth of indoor comfort and added peace of mind.

But that’s not all you can look forward to, as annual preventative maintenance also leads to:

• Fewer repairs throughout the life of your system
• Longer system lifespan
• Elimination of hot and cold spots
• Lower utility costs

There’s also a safety angle to our AC tune-up and inspection service. For one thing, we check all the electrical connections for any signs of loose or frayed wiring that could result in an electrical fire.

During our inspection, we also keep a watchful eye out for mold and mildew deposits that, unless cleaned up, could cause indoor air quality problems for you and other members of your family.

Bottom line, you have absolutely everything to gain by keeping your AC system in the best condition possible condition, and zero to lose. Has it been a year or more since the last time your system was professionally serviced? Then contact Boden today, and you’ll that much better prepared when it’s time to turn your AC system back on.

As we usher in a new season, it’s time to pull back the drapes, dust off the cobwebs, and get a jump on the annual chore of spring cleaning. But let’s face it, spending countless weekends dusting and scrubbing is no one’s idea of a good time. Luckily, with a little planning you’ll be able to eliminate all the hidden dirt and debris that’s accumulated all winter long in less time than usual.

In fact, here are some tips to help you stay on task and work more efficiently so that you can move on to enjoying the springtime weather with family and friends.

Come up with a plan. Is your priority to de-clutter, organize, or deep clean all the nooks and crannies of your home? Maybe it’s all of the above. Figure out what you want or need to accomplish, then prioritize what you’re going to tackle first. A spring cleaning checklist can help you stay focused and encourage you to keep going as you check items off the list.

Stock up on supplies. Whether you’re scrubbing the house from top to bottom, touching up paint, or reducing the clutter, you’ll work more efficiently if you have everything you need in advance to get the job done. Restock necessary cleaning products; gather storage bins or boxes for items you plan to store, donate, or toss; and, make room for items you plan to sell at an upcoming tag sale.

Set aside a block of time. With all the other activities and responsibilities you’re faced with, it’s easy to get distracted. So whether you only have an hour each day or plan to dedicate the next two weekends to deep cleaning and organizing, pencil that time in on your calendar to help keep yourself accountable.

Set the mood. Do you work better with music blaring or in complete silence? Prefer classical or pop? Will having your kids home be a help or a distraction? Getting in the right mood or frame of mind will help keep you motivated as you dive into your seasonal cleaning.

Tackle one room or project at a time. Trying to do everything at once can be exhausting, but working on one room or task at a time can help you work more efficiently and maximize your feeling of accomplishment.

And what happens when no amount of cleaning can make an old faucet or sink look any better than it already does, which isn’t very good? Then it might just be time to freshen up one or more of your home plumbing fixtures. Today, like always, you can count on Boden for expert installation and help in selecting the styles, colors, and finishes that best suit your home, taste, and budget.

You depend on it every day, from the minute you wake up to the moment you finally lay your head to rest at night. And yet, chances are you don’t even give it a second thought as you go about your day, until it isn’t working as it should.

We’re speaking, of course, of your home plumbing, one of the most vital amenities of them all.

But in other areas of the world, clean, safe drinking water and proper sanitation aren’t as easy to come by. In fact, 750 million people lack access to safe drinking water, and about 2.6 billion people – that’s about half the developing world – don’t even have a simple latrine.

So what can you do about it? Well, a lot actually. You can start by supporting World Plumbing Day, and celebrate the crucial role that the plumbing industry plays in our health, safety, and comfort. More importantly, we urge you to take steps in your own home and community to conserve water so that more of it is available for generations to come.

Here are 10 things you can do today:

1. Check your toilets, fixtures, and water-using appliances for leaks and repair them immediately. A simple faucet leak can waste gallons of clean water a day, and as much as 3,000 gallons a year.
2. Don’t use the toilet as a garbage pail. Never flush wipes, medications, cigarettes, or other debris down the toilet. Not only is it wasteful, those items can clog your pipes, and pollute our water supply.
3. Use your water meter to check for leaks you may not hear or see. Check the meter before and after a 2-3 hour period when no water is being used. If the readings don’t match, you probably have a hidden leak.
4. Invest in water-saving faucets, showerheads, and toilets. If upgrades are not financially possible at this time, install aerators on faucets and an adjustable toilet flapper so that you can adjust the flush rate.
5. Insulate your water pipes so water can heat up faster, meaning you waste less water and energy waiting for it to get hot.
6. Don’t let the faucet run while shaving, brushing teeth, or washing dishes.
7. Cut back on your shower time, even if only by a couple of minutes. Taking a 10- versus 15-minute shower can save as much as 40 gallons of water. Set a timer to help you stay on track.
8. Run the dishwasher or washing machine only when you have full loads.
9. Garbage disposals require a lot of water to work properly. Instead, start a compost pile of food scraps. Not only will you conserve water, but you’ll have a healthier start to your spring garden.
10. Find creative ways to use up water that you’d normally pour down the drain. For example, use pasta water to water your garden.

At Boden Plumbing, we have the experience, resources, and commitment to help you and your family live just as comfortably as you like, while still cutting back on water and energy consumption. To learn more, contact us by phone or email today.

If you listened to everyone who said “do this because it will increase your home’s resale value,” you’d never stop spending money on your home. And you wouldn’t even come close to recouping your total investment.

Which is to say, adding to your home’s resale value, while generally a good idea, should rarely if ever be your sole reason for making certain improvements.

Let’s say, for example, that you live in a neighborhood where no one’s even heard of tankless water heaters. If in fact that were the case, then by all means add the tankless water heater if you think it’s a the best way to provide for your family’s hot water needs now and going forward, assuming you’re not planning to move any time soon. Down the road, the value of that tankless water heater to potential buyers will determine itself.

Here’s another way to look at enhancing your home’s resale value. Our best advice? Here you go

• Prioritize your home improvement needs
• Establish a budget
• Set a timetable
• Get at least 3 estimates on each project on your list

Most importantly, don’t make resale value your primary reason for choosing one project over another. Your home is meant to be enjoyed, so make those improvements mostly likely to enhance your quality of life AND your family’s safety.

At the same time, we need to answer the question we posed at the top of this blog, i.e., “what contributes most to home resale value?”

While there are a lot of opinions out there, we like the list provided on the American Home Shield website:

• Install a steel door
• Update your kitchen
• Create a new bedroom
• Add a deck
• Redo a bath

Click here to read more on the subject.

At the same time, please keep in mind that Boden Plumbing offers several ways to help add value to your home along with greater indoor comfort and convenience for your entire family. Our many residential services include:

• Kitchen and bath upgrades
• Replacement water heaters
• High efficiency home heating and cooling systems
• Various solutions to help improve the quality of your indoor air

Contact us today for more information, or to schedule an in-home quote.

The way you’ve grown accustomed to buying water heaters is all about to change, and we’re doing our best to get the word out to all our customers and the many other homeowners throughout the area.

Bottom line, electric and gas storage tank water heaters – as you now know them – can no longer be manufactured as April 16, 2015. And that’s according to the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act, or NAECA. Trust us; if you haven’t already heard about this, it’s going to become common knowledge before too much time passes by.

Here are the gist of the changes, and how they might impact you:

• New style water heaters under 55 gallons in storage capacity will be about 2” taller and 2” wider to accommodate the added insulation required so they can meet the new energy efficiency standards. So if, for example, you wait until current supplies of conventional storage tank water heaters are all gone, you may be forced to buy a new style replacement system with less storage capacity than you have now.

• When it comes to water heaters greater than 55 gallons in storage capacity, the changes are going to be even more profound. Not only will newly manufactured systems be bigger, they’re going to be completely different types of water heaters. Gas storage tank water heaters are being replaced by gas condensing water heaters, and electric storage tank models are being replaced by electric hybrid water heaters.

While new style water heaters will be up to 30% more energy efficient than their predecessors, they’re also going to be about 35% more costly.

Our advice? If you’ve even been thinking about replacing your water heater, contact Boden Plumbing Heating & Air today while we still have plenty of conventional electric and gas storage tank water heaters on hand in all sizes. But remember: once they’re gone, they’re gone.

You’ve just settled in for a nice, relaxing evening at home. As the hours pass, you notice that your house starts to feel a little chilly. You grab a blanket and make your way over to the thermostat, which is still set to a very comfortable 70 degrees, but the temperature in your home is anything but comfortable. And then you think: “Uh-oh, now what?!”

Well, before you automatically assume that the problem can only be resolved by a home heating professional, here are a few self-help steps you can follow first:

Your home just doesn’t seem warm enough.

• First, check your air filter. If it’s clogged with dust, pet hair, and other debris, it’s time to clean or replace it. In fact, furnace filters should be cleaned or replaced monthly during the heating season to ensure proper airflow and help your system work more efficiently.

• Could you have leaky ducts? A crack or gap in the duct work is like leaving a window open. It’s definitely worth a look before you pick up the phone and ask for help.

• If the problem is isolated to one room or area of your home, you might need an airflow analysis and balancing to take care of those mysterious cold spots. If so, at least you’ll be better prepared when calling for help so you can explain exactly what you’ve discovered.

The furnace isn’t heating at all.

• Check the power source. Have you blown a fuse or tripped a circuit breaker? If so, that’s an easy fix that will get you back to a nice warm house in no time. If, on the other hand, this is a frequent occurrence, then professional assistance is probably required to help create a permanent solution.

• Check the thermostat to make sure it’s on. Sounds blindingly obvious, right? Well, we can’t tell you how many times we’ve gone out on service calls to fix a heating “problem,” only to discover that the thermostat had accidentally been turned off.

• Could it be a problem with the ignition or pilot light? A pilot light can go out for any number of reasons, including a draft. If the furnace is located near a window or drafty door, make sure that they remain closed during the heating season. If a draft is not the culprit, your best bet is to contact a professional who can identify and repair the problem.

So, are you plenty warm in your home right now or trying to figure out why you’re not? If your troubleshooting efforts bear no fruit and there’s still either no heat or not enough, simply pick up the phone and give us a call: Boden Plumbing Heating & Air. Keeping you and your family warm and comfortable, all winter long, is one of the things we do best.

Cleaning the bathroom is nobody’s idea of a good time. But between the teeth brushing, shaving, bathing, and everything else that goes on, it’s a chore that begs to be heeded, and in timely fashion at that.

So isn’t it nice to know that with a few easy shortcuts, you can get your bathroom sparkling clean and guest-ready in no time flat? Best of all, you can do it without the use of harsh chemicals.

Here are 5 simple tricks for removing (and preventing) soap scum, disinfecting the toilet, and making your fixtures shine without breaking a sweat.

1. Showerhead – Easily remove mineral deposits from your showerhead by soaking it in vinegar overnight. Simply fill a plastic zip lock bag with white vinegar, wrap it around the showerhead, and secure it with a rubber band. In the morning, wipe the showerhead down with a clean cloth.

2. Mirror – Fill a clean spray bottle with a 50/50 solution of water and white vinegar and keep the bottle in your bathroom cabinet. After you brush your teeth in the morning, spray the mirror down and wipe with paper towel.

3. Toilet bowl – Before jumping in the shower, flush the toilet and sprinkle the bowl with baking soda or Borax. Let it sit while you shower, then give it a scrub with a toilet brush.

4. Chrome fixtures – Remove cloudy stains from chrome fixtures with lemon. Use half a squeezed lemon to polish away mineral and hard water deposits, them wipe clean with a soft cloth.

5. Soap scum – Prevent soap scum build-up by wiping your shower walls down with a squeegee after each use. Use a terry cloth towel to wipe down the bathtub as well. If soap scum does build up, spray it with a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water, let sit for a few minutes, then rinse clean.

Of course, if all the cleaning in the world still doesn’t get your bathroom looking the way you’d like it to, maybe it’s time to spruce things up with a new sink, faucet, shower, tub, and so on.  For help with your bathroom make-over project, contact Boden plumbing.  We offer great advice, superior products, plenty of options, and skilled installation service.  In short, everything it takes to make your bathroom look and feel like new.

The logic of it is inescapable:  have your heating system professionally maintained once a year, and it’s bound to serve you better and cost less to run.

And yet, most people resist and put off getting the work done?  Frankly, they’re afraid they’re going to get bad news regarding a needed repair or, quite frankly, that repair problems will be invented in an effort to drive up the cost of the service call.

Last thing first.  If you’re really concerned about phony heating problems suddenly appearing out of nowhere, then you may just have the wrong heating company working for you.  Honest folks who depend on your satisfaction and favorable comments wouldn’t stoop to such tactics.  Enough said on that score.

And then there’s the other matter – you know, what if a legitimate problem is found, one that you’d rather not deal with at the moment as the cost to repair it simply isn’t in your budget?  Well, consider the following:  we have yet to meet the furnace that was able to repair itself.  And not only is the problem not going to get better by leaving it alone, it’s only going to get worse and, ultimately, more costly to repair.

And now back to the moral of our story:  as in, the whole point of annual heating system preventative maintenance is just that, i.e., to help prevent repair problems in the first place.  When we’re able to do that, we’re also able to prolong the life of your system, provide you with cleaner indoor air, and help lower your monthly heating costs.

Also, don’t forget the safety factor.  Your heart of your gas furnace, for example, is the heat exchanger.  Left unattended, heat exchangers can eventually crack, thus releasing harmful gas and carbon monoxide into your indoor air.  And there’s nothing good about that.

Truth be told, the home comfort professionals at Boden Plumbing Heating & Air derive  our greatest satisfaction out of helping you heat and cool your home at the lowest possible annual cost.  And one of the best tools we have to achieve that goal is annual heating system preventative maintenance.  So why not call today and schedule one of your own.  Oh, and as for reporting phony problems with your furnace.  Our A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau tells you it just ain’t so.

If you’ve decided not to wait for your furnace to completely fail on you and go ahead and replace it proactively, first of all, good move.

Why? Because that gives you more time to make an informed and more comfortable decision. Especially when you consider that, with proper maintenance, the next furnace you buy should last you for up to 20 years.

So, as you begin to weigh your options, here are a few very important factors to keep in mind:

The Contractor

Nothing’s more important than who you hire to size and install your new furnace. We’re not saying that all furnaces are created equal, but there are so many good brands on the market, it’s difficult to go wrong and even more difficult to find huge differences from one brand to another. That’s your professional heating contractor comes in. They start by properly sizing your system which is crucial to its ultimate longevity and your annual energy savings.

Variable Speed Model

If your current system is built during the Jurassic period, then no doubt it runs at a single fan speed. By contrast, today’s variable speed furnaces allow you to control exactly how much heat you receive at any point during the day. Equally important, a variable speed system will save you gobs of money on your home heating costs as they operate in a continuous fan mode, which means no sudden blasts to heat to get things warm again, just a nice steady flow, all day and night long.

Indoor Air Quality

If you or any member of your family struggles with allergies, asthma, or other respiratory ailments, you can do yourselves wonders by purchasing a new furnace with a built-in, whole-house air purifier. These are designed to trap more than 99% of airborne pollutants as they attempt to pass through the system’s filter. Plus, the filters themselves are low maintenance and require cleaning only about every 6 months.

Balanced Humidity

No need to tell you that indoor winter heat is a dry heat. So dry, at times, that it can cause bloody noses, dry, itchy skin, and other problems. But you can avoid all that with a built-in humidity control system where you can maintain balanced humidity levels all year long for greater indoor comfort and lower heating and cooling costs.

At Boden Plumbing Heating & Air, we understand that buying a new furnace can be a complicated and difficult process, but not when you choose us. We’ll explain all your options in easy-to-understand language and, more importantly, give you more than one option to choose from. That way, you’re more likely to get exactly the right new furnace for your family’s needs, home, and budget. Call us today to request a free in-home consultation.