Our Blog
Have you heard stories about frozen pipes, but you have no idea what to do to avoid them? Frozen pipes can cause serious problems, and can be avoided by taking some precautions! This quick read will keep you sleeping easy, knowing that you’ve done your part on avoiding frozen pipes!
Preventive Measures – How to Avoid Frozen Pipes
As you are aware, we are entering an extended period of frigid weather. Predictions are that we may see record breaking low temperatures this week and that this below normal pattern may be with us into January of 2018.
During this period of time, it is important that you think about your normal habits for heating your house. Be certain that you are not putting your property at risk to have pipes freeze. Most do not think about the fact that most of their heating pipes, and very often their plumbing pipes, are on outside walls and thermostats are always on an inside wall. Being aware of this can result in a significant difference between the room temperature at the thermostat location and where pipes are on the cold exterior walls.
Here are some preventive measures to help avoid these events:
• Keep your thermostats set at the same temperature both day and night in all areas of the house. If you normally turn back the thermostats at night discontinue that practice until temperatures moderate. It is advisable to even keep the temperature of your home warmer during extreme cold periods.
• If you have a wood stove be careful not to fool the thermostat into thinking there is plenty of warmth in the house and then freeze pipes on the outside walls. It is best to shut off the stove and use your central heating system until temperatures moderate.
• Do not isolate rooms by closing doors. This can make those areas much more likely to freeze.
• If you have water pipes that you think might be prone to freezing, let the hot and cold water drip overnight.
• Open doors to kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities to allow better air circulation.
• Look for air leaks around electrical wiring, dryer vents, and piping and seal them up. Small openings, especially if windy conditions exist, can allow enough cold air in to freeze a pipe.
• Insulate pipes that are in crawl spaces or in areas that could be prone to freezing.
• If your house is going to be unoccupied or vacant for any period of time, it is your responsibility to make sure you have an adequate supply of fuel and arrange for temperature monitoring of your home.
• Either have a friend or neighbor check your house daily or set up electronic temperature monitoring while the house is empty. If you are going to be away from your home do not turn the thermostat down too low.
• Keep your garage doors closed in case there are pipes in that area or in the ceiling or walls that could freeze.
THANKS FOR BEING PROACTIVE, AND HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!
At the end of the day, even though we come out and fill your heating oil tank for you, as the owner of an oil tank, it is your responsibility to inspect and properly maintain your oil tank, lines, and associated piping. Now, we realize that many of you may have absolutely no idea what heating oil tank maintenance entails, so we wanted to give you a little guidance in maintaining your heating oil tank.
Seasonally Unoccupied Homes
Maintaining your heat to a safe level throughout the heating season is critical. Freeze-ups in an occupied/empty or unoccupied dwelling or home can cause expensive losses. Water from broken pipes can flood a house in a matter of hours causing structural damage to the house and loss of personal property. As it is your responsibility to protect against frozen pipes and water damage from a drop in or loss of heat, please arrange for supervision of your home if you plan to be away from the premises for any length of time.
Fuel Delivery Lines
Unprotected fuel delivery lines are made of copper and may deteriorate if in contact with concrete or below ground, resulting in a line leak. In the event of such a leak, oil could be released, causing environmental damage that would require a costly cleanup. To avoid this exposure, both financially and personally, we suggest that you have your fuel delivery lines inspected and replaced with a sleeved line if necessary. Contact us to assist you with this inexpensive upgrade.
Tips for Maintaining Your Home Heating System
Whether it is your car, home, or heating system, regular maintenance is the key to preventing problems. Cleaning up oil leaks from home heating systems can cost between $20,000 and $50,000, with some cleanups costing significantly more. See below for ways to save money, help prevent leaks and spills, and protect the environment.
For the homeowner:
• Visually inspect tank, piping, and fuel delivery line. If a leak is detected, please notify us.
For the homeowner to enlist help from a licensed technician:
• Clean the furnace and repair or replace damaged parts. A well maintained furnace means lower fuel bills and cleaner emissions.
• Each fall, inspect the vent pipe to ensure that it is free of obstructions and that an audible signal (whistle) is on the vent to help avoid overfills.
• Remove abandoned fill and vent pipes immediately (when appropriate).
• Clearly mark the location of the tank’s fill pipe (when appropriate).
• Install an oil safety valve or replace the fuel delivery line with one encased in a protective sleeve (when appropriate). The older your heating system is, the more susceptible it is to failure. Consider upgrading to a modern, fuel-efficient system.
Regarding Leaks:
Storage tanks containing home heating oil – whether they’re located underground, above ground or in the basement – can rust and leak over time, posing a number of environmental and health risks. In the event of a storage tank discharge – where heating oil comes into contact with soil or ground water – New Jersey requires homeowners to take prompt action to minimize those risks. Medford Heating encourages homeowners to secure tank warranties for tank replacement in the event of a leak.
The following could be signs of a leak in your home heating oil tank:
- Any unexpected/unexplained fuel oil consumption increase that doesn’t appear to be caused by additional use of your heating system (such as during prolonged periods of cold weather).
- Water in your underground storage tank.
- Consistent problems with your oil burner.
- Changes in or loss of vegetation in the area over and around the tank.
- Oil odors in areas other than around the oil burner (typically located in a basement or utility room).
- Tastes, odors or other problems with your drinking water (if obtained from a well).
- Staining on basement walls or floors adjacent to the tank.
- Presence of oil or a sheen in the basement sump or French drain.
- Oil or sheen in any nearby culverts, drainage ditches, storm drains, streams, or ponds.
We’ve tried to summarize this for you as much as possible, but for even more detailed information, please see this Robson Forensic’s article.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns about heating oil tank maintenance, or about ANYTHING, give us a call!
And have a Happy Thanksgiving!
– Your Friends at Medford Heating & Air Conditioning 🙂
Medford Heating & Air Conditioning Recognized as One of the Leading Companies in Risk Management
Medford Heating & Air Conditioning has received Energi’s 2015 Excellence in Risk Management Award for being a leader in the implementation of Energi safety and risk management programs. This is the third year that Medford Heating & Air Conditioning has received this award of excellence. Energi, a leading provider of Insurance and Risk Management Programs to the energy industry, recognized Medford Heating & Air Conditioning as being the “Best of the Best” within the Energy industry at the annual Energi Risk Management & Insurance Summit in Washington, D.C. on October 14, 2015.
Medford Heating & Air Conditioning’s focused commitment to safety, implementation of risk management best practices, and willingness to learn and apply new safety techniques have enabled them to set a future standard of excellence amongst industry peers.
