Here we are…summertime!! The summer solstice is just a memory, and (though we hate to think about it) the days have been getting shorter for a while now. There’s still plenty of time to enjoy our Great Northwest, and tackle one or two of those projects that are best done during the summer. And… at the best price possible because they’re planned and not due to an emergency caused by equipment failures and breakdowns. Here are a few items to consider getting done during these last weeks of summer…
Any Dirt-Work Project…
If there are any projects that require the ground to be opened up, summer is the best time to do them if possible. This includes things like…
- Inspections and locates on sewer lines.
- Installing clean-outs in main sewer lines, to make service and maintenance quicker and cheaper.
- Replacing older sewer lines, or sewer lines that have clogging issues due to roots etc., either with conventional trenching or horizontal drilling or pipe-bursting methods.
- Or, instead of replacing an old line, installing a new liner to bring it back to ‘like new’ condition.
- Replacing an older main water-service line; whether you use conventional trenching methods or the newer ‘horizontal drilling’ methods.
- Up-grading your lawn sprinkler system, with a new backflow device, a new sprinkler head somewhere, new drainage in a problem area that is pooling, or adding a new ‘deduct meter’, so you are not paying for city sewer on the water you sprinkle with.
HVAC Maintenance and/or Equipment Upgrades
It’s great to work on the HVAC system when it’s not trying to keep everyone warm. Items to consider include…
- Furnace, heat-pump, A/C or boiler check-ups and maintenance to help keep things working safely and economically.
- Upgrading your 20+ year old furnace with a new, energy savings unit to improve comfort and economy. Replacing old electric furnaces saves a lot of money annually, even if it’s just due to the energy saved on running the warm-air fan.
- Adding A/C to your home or business, either a central air system, or adding a ductless unit to enhance the heating-only system or to completely replace an ‘all electric’ heating system. Again, greatly improving both comfort and the economy of the system.
Any Plumbing, Heating or Cooling Major Work
Of course, generally, it’s just nicer to do big jobs when it’s not cold and rainy outside. Things like…
- Adding natural gas or propane to your home or business, and/or adding new equipment that you have wanted for a while like a gas fireplace, or a natural gas barbeque. Imagine never running out of gas while grilling…ever!
- Upgrading an old water heater to a new storage water heater of perhaps a new gas tankless heater to enable the proverbial ‘endless hot water’.
- Re-piping a whole home or business, replacing old galvanized piping with copper, or better yet, with PEX piping.
- Changing out all the original, cheap ‘builder grade’ washing machine shut-offs and/or the ‘one-piece’ shut-off and flex riser, that often springs a leak when barely touched after many years.
- New faucets, sinks, tub-shower valves; anything you have just ‘lived with’ for years and have been wanting to change, up-grade and improve.
With busyness being as it is, the sooner we get started on planning and getting pricing for one or two of these projects, the better, if we actually want to get it done before the rains start in October/November. August and September are two of our driest months; don’t let them slip by and miss the window!!
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Bruce Davis, Sr.
Licensed Journeyman Plumber Licensed Electrician, HVAC/R Electrical Administrator, HVAC/R
Certified WA State C.E.U. Instructor
Bruce Sr is President of Day and Nite Plumbing and Heating, a 70-year-old family owned and operated plumbing and heating business in Lynnwood, Washington. Bruce can be contacted at: Email: Bruce@dayandnite.net
Day and Nite Plumbing and Heating Inc. 16614 13th Ave. W. Lynnwood, WA 98037 800-972-7000
