The water heater of the future…and the future is now!

Home ownership today is all about sustainable maintence. Installing a product that will save you money and is envionrmnetally friendly is an obvious choice for most consumers. The Eternal hybrid tankless water heater offers you both of those advantages for your water heater needs. Combining higher efficiency with lower energy use makes the Eternal hybrid water heater a product that Baker Elman loves to see customers interested in. Using different technology than a traditional water heater allows the Eternal hybrid tankless water heater to function efficiently and avoid the “cold water sandwich” that other tankless water heaters can cause.

In Eternal’s Counter Flow design, cold water enters from the bottom up as a way of self cleaning the sedimentation, while heat is pushed through 44 radiating transfer pipes.

The Eternal Condensing Hybrid’s innovative 3 cycle process pushes heat in 3 directions through the water and maximizes energy transfer. In simplest terms, our patent slows the exhaust of heat by reusing the energy multiple times, rather than reducing water pressure.

The end result is a small heat exchanger that is capable of replacing multiple tanks, while supplying endless hot water with consistent water pressure and doing it efficiently time after time.

From October 1st 2012 until December 31st, 2012 Eternal is offering a $100.00 cash rebate on their GU100 model. 

With the Eternal water heater there is no more cold shower for the last one up in the morning. Call Baker Elman today to set up an appointment to evaluate your home for an Eternal water heater. We’d love to help you save money and energy in your home!

Winterize now and avoid hassle later

New England winters can roll in without notice, but don’t let your outdoor plumbing get                                            stuck out in the cold! This October, take a look in your backyard and consider what needs to be winterized. If you have a cabana out by the pool it needs to have the lines blown out and non-toxic anti-freeze added to the drain traps to prevent pipes from freezing. Nothing can be worse than coming to the pool cabana in the spring to find that a pipe had frozen and burst in the winter!

              Outside sillcocks (also known as spigots) need to be winterized as well.  It’s a good idea to take a walk around your yard and see how many sillcocks your home has, and prepare to have them shut down so they don’t crack as the weather gets cold.

              Winterizing is a proactive way to ensure the lifetime of your home equipment and avoid a potential homeowners catastrophe. Call Baker Elman today and make an appointment to prepare your home.

Plumbing nightmares avoided…

A floodmaster like this can prevent water damage in your home

Your worst plumbing nightmare: After finally succumbing to the alarm clock, you get up and go to take a shower. There is no hot water. As you walk down into the basement, your slippers start to get waterlogged– your basement is flooded! A small leak in your water heater has turned into a flood. After leaking all night while you slept, the basement is covered in water and everything stored down there is wet.

              Want to avoid this nightmare turning into a reality? Consider a Floodmaster for your water heater. These are units that will automatically stop the feed of water to your water heater if they detect a leak. This could mean the difference between a small puddle of water when a water heater leaks or a full on flood. This type of unit is also available for washing machines, and Baker Elman can help you with your decision to explore either one (or both!) of these products.

Fall is the time for…boiler servicing

         

 As fall rolls in it’s time for apple cider, sweaters, and kicking on the heat.

If you have a steam or hot water boiler heating your home now is the time to think about boiler service and cleaning. Baker Elman can help you service your boiler to keep your equipment running its best and your home warm and toasty in the upcoming winter.

Boiler servicing typically takes about an hour to an hour and a half and can be very helpful in finding any potential problems before they become emergencies. If you live within Baker Elman’s service area and want to see about servicing your boiler, call us today!

What’s a… WaterCop?

A WaterCop is an automatic water shut-off valve system will provide your home with round-the-clock indoor flood protection and works with wired and wireless flood sensors, wall switches, and most home security and home

A WaterCop could protect your home from horrific water damage like this

automation systems.
WaterCop offers homeowners many benefits:

* Added property protection
* Potential insurance savings (discounts or credits)
* Integration with home security & automation systems
* Protects 24 hours a day while you are home or away
* Conserves water
* Peace of mind

Now more than ever you need this home flood protection.

Maintain a smarter home…install a WaterCop today!

Water Loss Mitigation Devices

Water damage can occur almost anywhere in your home. Frozen water lines, as well as water-bearing appliances and fixtures such as refrigerators with icemakers, dishwashers, washing machines, toilets and water heaters, are common sources of leaks. The increasing number of these sources in today’s homes is causing an increasing trend in water damage.

Water damage like this can cost a homeowner much more than preventative measures

Unfortunately, slow leaks from these appliances and fixtures are often impossible to see until it is too late. If a leak goes undetected, it can lead to rotting in the house frame and subfloors, and can be a pre-cursor to a catastrophic leak that releases several hundred gallons of water. Water loss mitigation devices may help prevent these problems, while also saving you money on your homeowners insurance premium.

Boston Plumbing Company’s David Elman offers expert insights on frozen pipes: Interview with 7 News WHDH.com

NEWTON, Mass. — The cold temperatures on Monday could mean problems in your home, and one of the biggest – frozen pipes.

The subfreezing temperatures have put one bathroom out of commission in Newton.

“The pipe to the bathtub is frozen, and the drain, so it’s not working,” said the homeowner. “No bathtub. No shower.”

David Elman of Baker-Elman Plumbing says he’s been responding to multiple frozen pipe calls all day long.

“No heat. No water – just typical cold weather related issues,” said Elman. “All because of frozen pipes.”

Elman says this particular pipe froze because it was in an uninsulated part of the house over the garage. He says to help prevent frozen pipes, you can insulate the pipe or the area around it, run a faucet connected to the pipe, and for houses with hot water heat, don’t turn the thermostat down at night.

“Keep it at one temperature through the cold weather because the water will circulate more often and won’t freeze,” said Elman.

But Elman says frozen pipes can’t always be prevented.

“Pray for warm weather would be the only way. In some houses there’s no way to prevent it,” said Elman.

Elman says there is one other thing homeowners can do. If the frozen pipe is inside a cabinet, he suggests that you open the cabinet doors to expose that pipe to warmer air.

Click HERE for a complete footage of the video interview with David Elman.

The Advantages of Grab Bar Installation in Your Home

Grab bars are bars that you install in your shower or bathtub to help you move around. You can find them readily in

A grab bar like this one can improve the safety of your bathroom

handicapped bathroom stalls, bathtubs, clinics, and hospitals. There are several advantages of getting a few of these installed in your home. For one, it will help you safely move around your bathroom, as getting in and out of the shower can sometimes be a hassle. If you have weak knees, they will take some of the pressure off of rising from the commode. If you simply need something to lean on, these grab bars will provide just that, and best of all, they can go just about anywhere where there is a wall to hang them on.

As a body gets older, it starts to slow down and move a little differently. This can make it so difficult to get in and out of a shower. With a grab bar, this is made simple once again. Since you can put them anywhere in the shower, you can have something to hang on to at waist height, or at standing level–you have an aide to step out. If bathe in the bathtub versus standing for long periods in the shower, having one at the tub level to push or pull yourself up on is ideal and with the two hundred and fifty pound weight capacity you can pretty much ensure that you can lean as heavily as you like without compromising safety.

Elderly bathroom safety is no question with the addition of grab bars in your bathroom

Grab bars are especially vital if you have elderly parents or relative living with you.     They provide the extra support needed to lift themselves from the toilet which is much safer than placing their hands on the slippery tiles. It is also very useful for those who are handicapped as well.

If getting out of the shower isn’t a problem, perhaps your body has trouble rising from a sitting position on the toilet. If you install one or two bars on each side, the problem is eliminated. Don’t worry – grab bars come in a variety of shapes and sizes so that you can fit them in even the tightest spaces, or even in front your toilet so that you can grab onto it and pull yourself up. Grab bars are peened, which makes them a little rough so that there is less chance for your hands to slip.

Grab bars are an essential part to the safety of an elderly or disabled person who wants to stay at home. These items are made so that people can move around safely in an environment that can be quite dangerous for anyone. Children can also benefit for the bars when standing in a tub so that they don’t slip as well.

 

 

At Baker Elman Plumbing, we are conscious of the needs of the elderly and handicapped. We offer a wide range of grab bars and hand held shower systems that are easy to install and maintain. Work with us and achieve the goal of making your bathroom, and home, a safer place.

For more information about grab bars and handheld shower systems, call us at 617.244.6500 or visit us online.

Leland Clarke 2/16/2010

Thank you so very much for all of your help and support. We have been very pleased with your work in the past and that is why we used your services again. Thanks so much for your professionalism in helping to bring “heat” to our second floor at 9 Fawn Circle.

Peter 5/15/12

The plumber (David)  cleared a drain by opening a trap and snaking it clear.  Not as easy or routine as it sounds.  Over a period of a few years we have had at least 5 plumbers try to clear that same bathtub and sink trap in our upstairs bathroom.  They have all said they could not open the trap because it would break, was unopenable for some other reason (like it was made of lead), we would have to install new pipe around it.  So the plumber David from  Baker Elman is a hero to us.  We will call them again.