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.

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.