Solar Thermal Water heating and space heating

I went on a little trip last week to the east coast to get some more solar training. It was quite the time. I learned how to put together solar systems that can no only heat your potable water but we can team these systems up with your heating systems both in floor radiant systems and forced air systems. We can also set up systems that can heat your pool as well. I was pretty amazed to realize that you can heat your home and water with a solar thermal system that is set up right. Looking at cases where people have set up these systems people have lowered their heating costs as much as 50% by installing a solar system to supplement their current heating system.

We can install these systems in retrofit situations as well as new construction. Most of the installations are pretty smooth meaning that we do not have to tear your house down to get a system in. We have a variety of different panels and tanks to fit everyone’s application. Most of our solar storage tanks offer a lifetime warranty. Most solar systems have a life expectancy of 30+ years with very little maintenance.

There are a number of reasons why to think about solar. First and foremost here in Utah we should be concerned with air quality. I know in Logan where i live we held the record for a few weeks of having the worst air quality in the nation. One of the ways we can help with that is by installing green products that do not dump more carbon into the air. Water heating and space heating loads in the house account for a good chunk of our carbon foot print in our homes. So why not save some money over the span of the house life and install solar. Another good reason to install solar is that you are pretty much fixing your rate on whatever you install it on. Say you put in a solar thermal system to do your water heating and some space heating that is a portion of your gas or electric bill you can plan on not having to pay ever again. If you run a system that can handle close to 100% of your load then thats putting all of that money in your pocket day after day week after week. I can guarantee your water heater or furnace isn’t doing that for you right now! The next reason is that by installing solar to supplement your gas products the solar will help take the wear and tear off of the fixture it is supplementing . In most cases you will see double the life expectancy of your water heater because it does not have to work so hard to heat the water your using. This saves you money in the long run as well.

If your interested in seeing what you could be saving i have a program that can take each individuals information and their energy costs and tell us a rough pay off date and then what you will be saving over it’s life time. It’s pretty amazing to see how much money you save over time. Either way if you want to talk solar lets talk and get a system sized for your needs and take that step towards being a little more responsible for our carbon foot print as well as saving some money! DONT FORGET ALL OF THE REBATES!! Most states have rebates as well as local and federal rebates that can pay for your system as well! In Utah we have quite a few that can help cut the cost and put more money in your pocket. Call us at (435)750-0880 or check out our solar page on the website to learn a bit more about how solar works http://www.bridgeplumbing.net/solar_water_heaters

2010 Logan Lock Up. MDA donations

Hello again. I am having a hard time finding people who would like to donate to MDA. We would really appreciate it if anyone could donate. This helps tons of kids out click on the link to go over to the donation page and it’s totally tax deductible

2010 Logan Lock Up: Scott Johnson.

Solar Water Heating!!

Hey all of you GREEN people. Solar water heating has never been more afforadable for those living in utah then right now! We put together a few packages with numbers today and with the rebates you are paying less then 25% of the cost of the total system with all of the rebates we can get you. Some come from tax credits federal and state and there are also other rebates that are available right now that can help cut cost especially if you are on propane now that is has crested $3.00 per gallon (Bless their hearts!). We figure that at 1.75 a gallon you can pay off a solar system with propane in less than 4 years now that propane is almost double that you can almost cut that in half! If your interested in conserving energy and cutting some costs on your fuel bill then we have answers for you! We are finding retrofitting geothermal systems into propane homes are cutting costs and are fairly affordable to people who can run horizontal loops in their property. Give us a call (435)750-0880 or watch the website www.bridgeplumbing.net for more information on solar. We love to help explain our systems and how they can benefit you and your family!

Come donate to MDA!!!

We are getting locked up MDA style! ha ha
We are trying to raise $1200.00 to send some campers to their summer camp and hopefully have enough to do something more for them. Check out this link and you can donate on that site to help these kids out!
Even if it’s a few buck it helps someone somewhere. My sister has MS and she went to the camp when she was growing up and they have a blast there. She is a volunteer there now and the kids love it. They have it in utah down in salt lake city by the air port every year. My brother went down and volunteered last year and he loved it as well. So i know they camp is a great place and i totally support that. We are going to match dollar for dollar the amounts donated up to $800.00 bucks if i can do more i am going to! So be generous and get some good karma going!

https://www.joinmda.org/MyLockup/MyHomepage/tabid/151938/Participant/scott/Default.aspx

Pressure Reducing Valves

Have too much water pressure?
Does your shower seem more like a sandblast?
Is your pressure relief valve on your water heater leaking?

These are all symptoms of having too much water pressure. These problems
are just the tip of the iceberg. Along with not having a thermal expansion tank on your
system having high water pressure is the next leading cause of failure of
plumbing fixtures. Most plumbing fixtures are made to have a working
pressure from 30-60 psi of water pressure. In most cities you can expect
anywhere from 100- 200 psi of water pressure coming in from the street.
This causes extreme pressure on your water heater and plumbing fixtures.
Not to mention a quicker failure rate of any plumbing fixture. Most
manufacturers do not warranty products that are damaged by high water
pressure. If you think you might have too much water pressure call us to
come and check your water pressure. We added a few pictures of what common pressure reducing valves look like so you can determine if you have one or not. Just because you have one doesn’t mean that it is working!

Thermal expansion tanks

Ever wonder what a thermal expansion tank is?
Or why you would need one of these?

Thermal expansion tanks needs came about by the city adding what you call
a “check valve” on the city water meter installed at each house. This
makes each home what we call a “closed” system. Meaning that water can
flow in but once in the system past the check valve it cannot come back
into the city system. This type of system would be fine if it was just
cold water, But the heating of the water in the hot water heater causes
the water molecules to expand and cause extra pressure on your pluming
system. In some cases expanding and contracting your water heater and
pipes. This wears out water heaters, toilet fill valves and faucets faster
then normal. The state has made it mandatory for all new installations and
retrofits to have a thermal expansion tank installed on your water system
between the cold water supply and the water heater. If you do not have one
of these you will want to have one installed on your system to help
prevent any more undue stress on your plumbing system. Contact us to
schedule a time to have one installed on your home before you have problems that cost a lot more then one of these do!

Sewer inspection

We just bought a nifty new sewer camera. We can record and take pictures digitally in drains from 1 1/2 up to 6 inch pipe with this guy. This bad boy will inspect inside toilets and walls as well. We also have the ability to zoom! This inspection was done for a possible home buyer that was interested in seeing what the sewer looked like at a property they were looking at purchasing. A few things to look for as you watch are that there is a section of orange burg pipe at the start of this video before it drops into the PVC sewer if you look closely you can see a huge bump in the middle of the drain pipe that is orange burg failing. The roots have grown around it and are causing the pipe to settle and break. This line needs a section of pipe replaced and they will not have to call us every year to clean this guy out. If your interested to see what your sewer or drainage pipes look like give us a call (435) 750-0880 or contact us at www.bridgeplumbing.net

Here is the link to the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSCRoXw6hlM

A.O Smith Hybrid Tankless/ Tank type model

I do not have a lot of information on these units but they will do a lot of water the 1st hr of service and good water the next few hrs of use. The great thing about these is they do not use a lot of gas which is a real draw back about the tankless when your installing in conditions that aren’t favorable to running new gas lines. Here is a few PDF brochures you can take a look at.  We will have these in stock here in about a month to month and a half. If your interested we can get you a quote on them as soon as they come out. Give us a call (435) 750-0880 or contact us on our website www.bridgeplumbing.net

Next Brochure

A O Smith AOSYG45000 Hybrid Spec Sheet

Nortiz NR 71 (631) with AP430 scale guard

We got a call a week or so ago from this customer. After we chatted for a min we set up a time to swing by and take a look at his electric water heater and trouble shoot some reasons why he might be using so much electricity and why he was not getting very much water. The water heater was about 7 years old, Electric, dual element whirlpool. He was spending 350 a month in electricity. So we talked to him about setting up a tankless system for him since the average usage of gas in a year (225) would be less then one month (350) of what he was paying for electricity. So we sized out the NR 71 noritz model for him. I’ll see if i can get some bills to copy and show on here to show the savings in electricity and get some charts and prices on the gas consumption. It went super smooth and i am sure he is going to save a load of money switching over. We set up the Aqua Pure scale stopper cartridge system up to the hot water system to protect the tankless from hard water. Here are a few pictures of the system. These guys are excited to shower back to back to back with out running out of hot water! If your interested in a system come check out our website for more information. www.bridgeplumbing.net or give us a call at (435)750-0880

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NEWS ON THE STATE WATER HEATER REBATE!!!!

We finally got a date and some good prices on the water heater rebates!

check it out!

The Utah State Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate

Program (SEEARP) will launch on
Wednesday May 12, 2010. A summary of included products,

ENERGY STAR efficiency
levels and rebate amounts is as follows:

Product
ENERY STAR Efficiency Rating
UtahSEEARP Rebate Amount

Clothes Washers
MEF >= 2.0; WF <= 6.0
$75

Room Air Conditioners
EER ~10% greater than Federal Standard
$30

Gas Storage Water Heaters
EF >= 0.67
$50

Gas Tankless Water Heaters
EF >= 0.82
$300

Gas Furnaces
AFUE >= 90%
$300

Only purchases made after the start of the program

will be eligible for a rebate.
Consumers will be required to certify the rebated

appliance will replace an
appliance being taken out of service. Applications

forms will be available at the
point of sale and from a dedicated web site that is

under development. Consumers can
use the ENERGY STAR website to search for products by

efficiency rating at this
website:

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_find_es_products