HIDDEN PLUMBING ISSUES THAT COULD LEAD TO COSTLY REPAIRS FOR HOME BUYERS

Perfection Plumbing & Drain Cleaning Ltd. is a premier provider of quality drain cleaning and plumbing services in Saskatoon, SK. They are the company of choice to handle all of your plumbing concerns including drain cleaning service, water heater installation, plumbing repair, and more.  Perfection Plumbing is a Trusted Saskatoon Plumbers on the Saskatoon Directory. In their latest tip, they share helpful info on preventing blocked drains. 

Prevent Drain Blockages With Common Sense and Saskatoon Drain Cleaners

Saskatoon drain cleaners very often have a hard job; the majority of any drain cleaning job is reactive, in that it’s clearing away the result of months, even years of buildup in drain and guttering systems, when the problem could easily have been alleviated, or even prevented, in the first place. But it is still surprising how many people do not know how to proactively keep their drain systems clean, and there are many reasons why this should be a priority. But just how can someone be mindful during their day-to-day tasks?

Avoid Pouring Fat Away

An alarming amount of commercial premises that serve food, and just as many residential customers, require Saskatoon drain cleaning services as fat build-up has clogged their drains. It may seem like the easy option to pour away boiling hot liquid into a plug hole, but it won’t stay hot forever. When it cools down, it congeals and effectively creates a plugin the draining system. Before long, anything that goes down the drain in the same building, and very often with neighbouring buildings who share the same pipes, will come right back up, delivering old waste and a foul smell to boot. For commercial premises, this can mean closing down while the ‘health hazard’ has to be remedied. The easiest option is to avoid pouring away fat altogether.

Claw Back on Lumpy Food in The Sink!

It’s easy when the cooking is done to throw pots and pans into the sink and forget about the lumpy, off-cut pieces of food that lay in the bottom of the bowl. But again, over time, these will not go away. When they eventually get soft enough to go down the drain, they’ll rot and start to produce a rotting smell. A quick clear away before throwing the pots and pans in the sink will mitigate this problem.

Avoid Blocking the Gutter

Many gutter drain cleaning jobs can be avoided by simply not letting the gutter clog up. Over time, waste in the guttering needs to go somewhere, and when the rain and wind hammer down, it’ll push what waste is in the guttering down the downspout, causing a blockage. Regular cleaning of the gutter is a must.

For plumbing problems in your home, don’t hesitate to contact Perfection Plumbing for help.

Perfection Plumbing & Drain Cleaning Ltd. is a premier provider of quality drain cleaning and plumbing services in Saskatoon, SK. They are the company of choice to handle all of your plumbing concerns including drain cleaning service, water heater installation, plumbing repair, and more.  Perfection Plumbing are Trusted Saskatoon Plumbers on the Saskatoon Directory. In their latest article, they share the many benefits of energy-saving water heaters.

Benefits of Energy Saving Water Heaters

Are you beginning to dread the winter months? Energy bills for hot water, and heating and lighting the home seem to creep forever upward. In many Canadian provinces, the government and/or energy companies provide assistance in the form of grants and loans, to persuade both homeowners and businesses to switch to using to energy-savin appliances.

According to Natural Resources Canada, the average family uses around 75 litres of hot water every day, accounting for nearly 20% of a household’s energy bill. There’s no doubt that the older your water heater, no matter what the type and unless regularly serviced, will be costing you more in bills than it should.

Taking the Leap, Making the Switch

Before making a decision, contact a reliable, reputable Saskatoon plumbing company that specializes in hot water tanks in Saskatoon. For a start, natural gas is far cheaper than electricity. If you can change, it’s well worth the added expense.

As would be expected, Energy Star hot water tanks in Saskatoon are far more expensive than old style tanks. All that new technology has to be paid for. But does greater expense equate to greater savings on your bills? The short answer is yes, but it’s the time taken to recoup the extra outlay which could do with some discussion.

Determining Options

Talking to a reputable company that regularly fits and services water heaters in Saskatoon is the best way to ascertain the type, size, and energy rating you will need to begin reducing your energy consumption while recouping the additional outlay in a reasonable time frame.

A reputable plumbing company that puts their customer’s needs first, such as Perfection Plumbing & Drain Cleaning Ltd., will ask a lot of questions. How many in the family? How many bathrooms? Do you live in a sprawling single storey home, or is it more compact with upstairs and downstairs? All these things and more will have a relevance to which type of Energy Star rated water heater your plumber recommends.

While discussing the best Energy Star rated hot water tanks in Saskatoon for your needs, it is well worth considering a few smaller things which will help cut down running costs.

Hounjet Tastad Harpham has decades of accounting experience working with clients across Saskatchewan. Their expert accounting advice is valued by clients ranging from individuals to businesses small and large. Hounjet Tastad Harpham are Trusted Saskatoon Accountants and in their latest accounting tip, they answer a client question about how the new Climate Action Incentive ( CAI) (commonly referred to as the carbon tax rebate) program works. 

Climate Action Incentive (CAI) 

Recently a client emailed us to ask a few questions before they dropped off their 2019 personal tax information. This particular client has been in a common law relationship for 7 years and has 3 children from a previous relationship.  

The CAI Question: 

Greetings Roseline, I'm going to drop off my information tomorrow, but I just wanted to ask about the new Federal ECO/Carbon Tax rebate program/ incentive - how is it decided , how is it calculated and who receives it? 

The Answer 

What About Other Family Circumstances? 

The amount for a single parent's qualified dependant:

To claim the CAI payment for a single parent’s qualified dependant, on December 31, 2018, you must:

• not be married or in a common-law partnership, and
• have a child (or dependant) who meets all the conditions of a qualified dependant.

Shared custody

Only one claim for a CAI payment can be made per child. The payment cannot be split between parents.

Supplement for residents of small and rural communities

To claim the supplement for residents of small and rural communities, you must have resided outside of a census metropolitan area (CMA) on December 31, 2018.

Contact Hounjet Tastad Harpham today if you have any further questions related to CAI. 

Hounjet Tastad Harpham Services:

• Corporate Accounting 
• Farm Corporate Accounting
• Personal Accounting

If you are looking for a Saskatoon chartered professional accountant for your personal taxes or business accounting needs, contact the team at Hounjet Tastad Harpham today.

Hounjet Tastad Harpham are Trusted Saskatoon Accountants

 Is Your Roof Leaking or Is It Condensation?

There are basically 3 types of roof “leaks” which are detailed below. The solution to your roof moisture issues depends on what type of “leak” it is. If you notice excessive moisture during extreme temperature changes, and not when it rains, then the moisture probably isn’t a roof leak. The following information should help determine what issues you might be experiencing and what you can do to alleviate condensation.

• The first type is where water is leaking through the roof system while it is raining. This could include leaks due to damaged or deteriorated shingles, improper installation of the shingles or poor/failed flashing details at penetrations and walls. It may even be due to damaged window sills, improper siding installations or severe wind driven rain. These are external leaks which can usually be inspected and repaired by a roofer

• The second type of “leak” is caused by ice dams. This is not workmanship related. The best way to prevent or reduce ice dams is to eliminate or reduce the amount of warm air that is escaping into the attic and melting snow on the roof to the point where it creates glacier-like ice build up. Another temporary solution is to remove the snow from the roof before it can turn into ice and penetrate the roof system.

• The third type of “leak” is caused by condensation or frost buildup in the attic. This is not workmanship related or an actual roof leak. To prevent frost & condensation from developing in your attic you must eliminate or reduce the amount of air leakage into the attic as well as improve insulation & ventilation to allow moist air to escape the roof.

What is Condensation?

Condensation comes from the moisture in the air and is caused by too much moisture in the air for a certain temperature. Condensation forms when warm, moist air touches a surface that is colder than the dew point of the warm air. As that air becomes colder and its temperature drops below its dew point, it must release excess moisture to reach its new, lower dew point. It releases moisture in the form of water, which appears on the colder surface.

There are many things in our homes that put moisture into the air. Normal breathing and perspiration add 3 pints of water to the air every day for each person in your home. In fact, every activity that uses water adds more moisture to the air including cooking, taking showers, dishwashing, and doing laundry. Condensation is more apt to occur in climates where the average temperature is 35º F or colder. Condensation is a common sign of inadequate insulation and/or ventilation.

Condensation in the Home - A Warning Sign

Condensation is usually first noticed on your windows and skylights because they are the most visible areas of your house. While it’s natural to blame the windows, you shouldn’t always. Window and skylight condensation is the result of excess humidity in your home. And the glass only provides a visible cold surface on which humidity can condense. This could be a sign that your excessive indoor humidity is causing damage elsewhere in places you cannot see, such as: your walls, ceilings, floors, and your attic roof. Excessive indoor humidity can cause blistering and peeling paint, warping and rotting wood, as well as the formation of mildew & mold.

During extremely cold temperatures, frost can build up on the underside of the roof sheeting (attic roof). Once the outdoor temperature rises, that frost melts and can mimic a leak. This “leak” can be excessive when the temperatures dramatically change, as is common during our Alaskan winters. Frost build up is most common above heat sources such as light fixtures, kitchen stoves, fireplaces, bathrooms, fans, and improperly vented exhaust fans. When the frost melts, this “leak” is most commonly found dripping out of those heat sources.

High ceiling beams and cathedral ceilings with water spots can be confused with an active leak, when in fact it is a result of condensation.

If you have ever noticed a lot of icicles hanging from the edge of your roof, chances are your house is leaking significant (and expensive) amounts of air and heat into the attic.

Controlling Indoor Humidity

Most new homes are now made tighter than ever. They are well insulated and no longer "breath" on their own. Both insulation and ventilation should be addressed to control condensation. Steps must be taken to ventilate the house, allowing moisture and humidity to escape. 

STEPS YOU CAN TAKE TO CONTROL THE HUMIDITY IN YOUR HOME INCLUDE:

• Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans, as well as dryer vents, should never be discharged into the attic space, always discharge outside. You may have an
  adequately ventilated attic, but this won’t matter if the bathroom exhaust fan dumps warm moist air directly into the attic space. This will result in condensed water vapour freezing onto cold attic materials, which will eventually thaw creating wet attic materials resulting in damage in the attic and inside the home.

• Installing exhaust fans in the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry rooms.

• Controlling or covering other sources of humidity (radiator water pans, fish tanks, large numbers of plants, etc.)

• Installing a dehumidifier. Dehumidifiers are an inexpensive way to reduce the moisture in your home. Highly recommended in vaulted roofs with a loft.

• Opening fireplace damper.

• Ventilating the crawl space or basement: Install foundation vents or leave a basement window cracked in the fall or early winter to ventilate your basement or crawl space.

• Research shows keeping the attic air temperature below freezing when the outside air temperature is in the low 20s can reduce the occurrence of ice dams. Proper attic ventilation is key to keeping the attic cool, while adequate and properly installed insulation is key to keeping your house warm. It is critical to keep soffit vents free from obstructions to allow the natural flow of cool outside air into the attic space to replace the warmer attic air that rises and flows outside ridge and/or roof vents. This flow of air will keep the attic cool and free of moisture build-up.

• Adding additional roof vents, such as box vents, turbine vents and ridge vents will also allow the warm air to escape the attic space and reduce condensation issues.