New Home Owner Suggestions

If you are in a new property and not familiar with the equipment in your home have us come out. We will check over the equipment, review it with you and explain a few things. Our people will be able to show you things you should be doing that you may not know about.

As a new home owner there is a list if the things you need to be familiar with and need to do to get the best performance from your home comfort equipment.

Replacing the filter in your furnace regularly is important. If the filters are dirty the furnace will not run efficiently and your air conditioner may not run at all. We can show you how to check and change your filters. This is an easy job that most home owners can do themselves.

Thermostats come in a wide range of vintages and styles. You need to know how your thermostat works, its features and limitations. In an older home it may even be beneficial to replace your thermostat. We find many people do not understand that with most thermostats, you need to switch between the heating program and the cooling program.

To maximize your comfort levels, you want to ensure that your humidifier is working properly and that you know how to use it. Optimal settings differ depending on the time of year. Your humidity levels within the home have a major impact on how you feel in the home.

You need to know how to shut down your air conditioner for the winter. While not difficult it is important to ensure this is done correctly to protect the unit and make sure it is functional in the spring.
Prior to temperatures getting cold you need to start up the furnace to ensure that it is running properly. The first chilly day is not a fun time to find out that your furnace needs service.

Optimal air conditioning and heating is dependent in part, on how your vents are set up. Most people do not understand the science behind airflow, and the experts at Salmons can review this with you.

Check the condition of your water heater. The age of the unit is one indicator of potential issues. The colour and temperature of the water that comes out of your tap can also indicate the status of your heater.

Make sure you know where the various shutoff valves are for the water lines inside and outside the house. If you should spring a leak every minute counts to minimize damage.

People sometimes will notice that something is a little different but, will ignore it, hoping it will correct itself. Quite often equipment will put off different warnings before it fails. Addressing warning signs early is the best practice. If you are not sure, give us a call.

Floor Drain Back-ups

There are signs that your sewer is beginning to block up. Here are things to watch for and actions to take to prevent a messy situation.

If you notice water backing up from your floor drain while doing laundry or after a heavy rain, you need to be concerned. The water will often drain away slowly and people will think the problem is solved. The reality is that the problem did not go away. It's an indication that the line is getting partially blocked and under a heavy load it cannot handle a large amount of water.

When the water has nowhere to go it will back up into your basement. When there is a heavy rain, newer homes in London, Ontario have sump pumps that the weeping tiles are connected to. If there is a backup in a newer home, it would probably show during laundry. 

In London, Ontario's older homes that do not have a sump pump, the weeping tile is more likely to be tied into the drain. In a heavy rain the water is trying to go down the sewer which is partially blocked, so then it backs up into the basement.

At Salmon Plumbing, we suggest if you notice issues, get us out to your home. We will get the sewer line cleaned out. With cameras we can tell what is going on and advise you if there is anything further that should be done. In most cases a sewer clean-out is all that is required. It is just a matter of getting it done. Some people need to get drains cleaned regularly if they live in an older part of London. 

Drain Camera

Ignoring the warning signs can lead to major problems. The damage that is caused by a backed up sewer can be very expensive, with flooring, drywall and family treasures being destroyed. Simple sewer maintenance is all it takes to prevent such an episode.

We have recorded answers to several common plumbing questions and put them on our website. To listen to plumbing questions and answers, click here. 

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Scheduling a Service Call

Salmon Plumbing & Heating has built its' reputation on providing timely and quality service to our customers. A large part of our business is repairs. We don't have this work at the start of the day. Customers call in and we try our best to get them serviced on the same day.

We all have an experience where we've sat at home for an entire day waiting for a serviceman to arrive. We don't run our business this way. Scheduling in our business can be a bit of a juggling act, because we don't know for certain how long our men will be at each call.

The only service appointment we can make with certainty is the first one in the morning. After that, we give people a time range to expect our arrival. We do the best we can to meet our schedule. If we are running late, we'll call you with a new E.T.A.

We understand that customers have to work during the day. If you plan on coming home to meet our serviceman, we'll call you at your work and let you know he's on his way.

Everyday Londoners have a choice who they will call for their plumbing and heating needs. We want to make sure we do quality work and meet time commitments so customers will choose us again the next time the need arises.

We offer 24-hour emergency service outside of our regular office hours. We have our own staff answering the phones after hours. Emergency service is more expensive, so if possible we'll try to give you a short term solution on the phone so we can come when we are charging our standard rates. If it's an emergency, we have licensed servicemen ready to go out at any time.

Listen to our answers to many common plumbing questions.