New Employee

ABT Plumbing, Electric, Heating and Air Conditioning has just hired Gary Hughes to head up the Grass Valley company’s heating and air conditioning division.

Hughes has more than 34 years of experience in the HVAC trades. His father, Ira Hughes, started Hughes and Sons Heat and Air back in 1976. The younger Hughes took over ownership of his father’s company a few years back, but has moved on to join the ABT team.

He has extensive knowledge in both residential and light commercial heating, air conditioning and refrigeration.

Contact ABT Plumbing at (530) 478-0600.

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Water Hammering Pipes in Grass Valley, CA.

Dear Banging Pipes in Grass Valley, Ca
This can be tricky. There are a couple things that can cause the water pipes to hammer. First I would check to see if the house has a pressure reducing valve on the water main. It would be installed somewhere along the main line either outside or just inside where the pipe enters the house. A pressure reducing valve uses a rubber diaphragm to regulate the incoming water pressure. Sometimes this diaphragm can become loose or worn and when water runs along it, it will vibrate like a reed on a wind instrument. The easiest way to solve the problem is to replace the pressure regulator with a new one. If this doesn’t solve the problem or if you don’t have a regulator you’ll want to install what’s called a pneumatic hammer arrester into the plumbing system

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DIY Clearing a Drain In Nevada City, CA.

Keep a sharp eye out for signs of a sluggish drain. It’s easier to unclog a slow drain than it is to open a drain that has completely stopped. When the drain is slow, you can try a couple of easy things first. First try pouring scalding water down the drain to loosen any buildup of grease or soap scum. If that doesn’t help, you can clean the stopper, pop-up or drain screen. (This is not for the faint of heart. My wife makes a funny face whenever I clean the pop-up.) If this doesn’t solve the problem, the next thing you’ll want to do is grab a plunger. If you don’t have a plunger, or if you have one of those silly little guys from the grocery store, go out and buy a good one. Pick a plunger with a large enough suction cup to completely cover the drain and create an airtight seal against the surrounding sink. The one I use is black rubber with a yellow handle and has a cone on the bottom which can be folded up when I use it for clearing sinks or tubs. First cover the drain with the plunger and fill the sink with hot water and completely cover the suction cup. Seal off the overflow if you have one with a wet sponge or a rag. Push out any trapped air beneath the cup, and then give the plunger 5 to 10 vigorous up-and-down pumping strokes to jolt loose the clog. It may take 3 or 5 times to do the job. (One thing you should know is a plunger works with both the up and down stroke, so really tug up on it.)

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What is a Tankless Water Heater?

More info on tankless water heaters
What is a Tankless Water Heater?
Tankless Water Heaters, also called Instantaneous or Demand Water Heaters, provide hot water only as it is needed. Traditional storage water heaters produce standby energy losses that cost you money. We do not leave our homes heated while vacationing. We only heat our homes when there is a demand for heat. In the same way, a Tankless Water Heater is used only when there is a demand for hot water.
How do Tankless Water Heaters work?
Tankless Water Heaters heat water directly without the use of a storage tank. Therefore, they avoid the standby heat losses associated with storage water heaters. When a hot water tap is turned on, cold water travels through a pipe into the unit. In an electric Tankless Water Heater an electric element heats the water. In a gas-fired Tankless Water Heater a gas burner heats the water. As a result, Tankless Water Heaters deliver a constant supply of hot water. You don’t need to wait for a storage tank to fill up with enough hot water. Typically, Tankless Water Heaters provide hot water at a rate of 2 – 5 gallons (7.6 – 15.2 liters) per minute. Typically, gas-fired Tankless Water Heaters will produce higher flow rates than electric Tankless Water Heaters. Some smaller Tankless Water Heaters, however, cannot supply enough hot water for simultaneous, multiple uses in large households. For example, taking a shower and running the dishwasher at the same time can stretch a Tankless Water Heater to its limit. To overcome this problem, you can install a “whole house” type Tankless Water Heater or install two or more Tankless Water Heaters, connected in parallel for simultaneous demands of hot water. You can also install separate Tankless Water Heaters for appliances-such as a clothes washer or dishwater-that use a lot of hot water in your home.

Other applications for Tankless Water Heaters include the following:
Remote BBQ or outdoor sink
Poolhouse or pool shower
Remote bathrooms or hot tubs
To serve as a booster, eliminating long pipe runs, for solar water heating systems, dishwashers and sanitation.

For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, Tankless Water Heaters can be 24% – 34% more energy efficient than conventional storage tank water heaters. They can be 8% – 14% more energy efficient for homes that use a lot of hot water, around 86 gallons per day. You can achieve an even greater energy savings of 27% – 50% if you install a Tankless Water Heater at each hot water outlet.
Selecting a Tankless Water Heater
Before buying a Tankless Water Heater, consider the following:
Fuel Type
Location, Size and Demand
Application
1. Fuel Type

The first thing that you’ll need to decide when selecting a Tankless Water Heater is the fuel type. You will need to select between an Electric Tankless Water Heater (like Eemax Tankless Water Heaters or Stiebel Eltron Tankless Water Heaters) or a Gas-Fired Tankless Water Heater (like Rheem Tankless Water Heaters).

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New Years Resolution, Go Green

You may have a New Year’s resolution to get fit or stop smoking, but if your resolution is to go green this year, one Springfield couple makes a great example.
Many of us recycle, but Rick Scarlett and Gloria Johnson have done much more to reduce their energy use, shrink their carbon footprint, or simply go green in the past year. “I’m amazed at what we’ve done in a year,” says Gloria Johnson.

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