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Carbon Monoxide Safety & Prevention | TSSA

Thank you to TSSA for sending out information to homes and businesses last week.

This is what came out to the homeowners.

CO In the Mail

A great handy reminder the importance of having your furnace serviced.

This was sent out to businesses… so I had to ensure I shared with our customers!

Wondering where you should install CO Detectors and what gives off CO? Here is an excellent diagram to answer your questions to help you ensure your home and business are safe!

CO Pictures-2

CO Pictures-1

Common Sources of CO in your home…

1. Furnace
2. Gas* Water Heater
3. Gas* Dryer
4. Gas* Fireplace
5. Gas* Stove
6. Car
7. BBQ
8. Blocked Vents or Chimney

*Gas is Natural Gas and Propane

It is very important to have an annual inspection for all fuel-burning appliances in your home by a licensed and experienced gas technician.

Install Carbon Monoxide Alarms on your main living floor and by all bedrooms – if there are bedrooms in the basement ensure there is at least one detector in the hall by the bedrooms.

For more information see www.COSafety.ca

WIN A Regency Fireplace! | Enter by May 14!

That’s right… you can WIN a Regency Fireplace!!!

Click on the image below to be directed to the Regency Website to enter!!!

WIN A FREE FIREPLACE FFC-2012-13-Sign2

Contest only valid in the USA and Canada. One entry per customer, per draw. Duplicate entries will be discarded. Contest closes May 15, 2014. Click here for full Contest Rules.

Get your barbecue ready in 6 easy steps | The Test Kitchen Blog

Get your barbecue ready in 6 easy steps | The Test Kitchen Blog.

Its time to get your BBQ ready for SPRING!!!

Canadian Living has some great tips to ensure its ready when the good weather graces us 😉

1. Clean the burners

2. Clean sear plates and cooking grills

3 Clean the exterior

4. Scrape the inside walls of the grills

5. Check the ignition parts

Always be careful when it comes to BBQ fuel – Propane and Gas especially. Also remember to ensure you have a tight connection before turning your propane tanks on for the bbq supply. If you have any concerns with your gas line supply for the bbq be sure to contact a licensed gas technician.

2014 Winter Wise Booklet – TSSA Safety Info

Download the 2014 Winter Wise Booklet courtesy of TSSA and their Safety Info website.

Click here to be directed to their download page and save the PDF!

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Also be sure to check out their KID ZONE portion of the site!
So very important for young people to know there can be a lot of dangers when you are not safe.

Purchase VS Rental – The Facts – Rent To Own An Affordable Option! | Heating & Cooling

There once was a time when leasing a vehicle was the way to go, you had a lower monthly payment, could get a new vehicle every few years… however you never actually owned that vehicle. You were simply “renting” by paying monthly for use of the vehicle. Major repairs were covered as the vehicle would be under warranty, maintenance was your responsibility – if you chose to of course.

The HVAC industry has been in this trend for many years now with water heaters and more recently getting into furnace and air conditioner rentals.

We can offer you the convenience, security and freedom of rental monthly payments with the benefits of ownership of your equipment! An affordable option of “rent to own” – with an “end” in sight!

We believe in offering our customer the very best value for their money – including protection for your equipment.

SNAP Financing is available for any home comfort improvement, renovation or repair. The financing is based on a monthly payment, 120 month fixed interest rate and the loan is open, which means there is no penalties for making additional payments or paying off the balance of the loan at any time.

This results in a very affordable Rent-To-Own option for anyone wanting to replace or upgrade their existing HVAC Equipment such as your water heater, furnace, air conditioner, hrv or even your fireplace… switching from electric heat? No problem your duct work can be included in this as well!

We are able to offer our customers a 10 Year Parts and Labour Warranty Program  on home comfort appliances (including hot water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, fireplaces etc) and coverage can be customized for parts and labour coverage.

Check out the info below for SNAP vs RENTAL and give Mike a call for more info! If you would like to pre-qualify you can do so on our website at http://www.jjmclellan.ca/ and click on the button in the top right corner under the website header OR click below on the image. SNAP Pre-Approval-2By purchasing your Home Comfort System with our Rent-To-Own option, which includes the 10 year parts and labour warranty, you can rest and breathe easy knowing that you have low monthly payments and are covered should your equipment break down!

Even better is knowing that you will not be paying forever for the same old, outdated equipment. Once its paid for – its yours! There is no buy out, penalty or additional forms to sign. Our Rent-To-Own Option truly is cut and dry, black and white. It really cannot get much simpler!

Check out the details below comparing costs… it truly breaks my heart when we hear from customers who have a 15 or 20 year old water heater and have been paying the same monthly payment (or more as the rates do increase each year) when the water heater is no longer running efficiently and the capacity could be cut in half (depending on how hard the water is).

SFG SNAP vs Rental

Enjoy The Beauty Of Spring Inside

http://comfortmatters.lennox.com/index.php/getting-comfortable/enjoy-the-beauty-of-spring-inside/

The link above to the Lennox Comfort Matters website has some great tips!

Spring was certainly in the air today, it’s almost time to open windows and let the fresh air in.

We’ve begun to “enjoy the beauty of spring inside” by painting our many rooms in our home! An instant fresh way to update our living space and personalize to “us”!

While preparing to paint, we removed the heating and return air grilles. This is something I’ve gotten into the habit of cleaning at least once a year… Thank goodness I do it that often, the return air grilles are pretty gross with dirt, dust, hair, dander :S

Spring is another good time to change the filter in your furnace!

Another thing my husband did was clean out the dishwasher, by unscrewing the food trap at the back… blech it was disgusting! But the dishwasher is working much better, means the dishes are getting cleaned properly saving water by not having to rewash!

If you’re thinking of ways to update your space, one option to consider is possibly opening up a wall to provide more open concept. This is something we also did and provides heat from the sunlight coming in our front window, now flows throughout our front entrance and living room now!

One other tip I’m continuing to work at, it seems to be an ongoing battle, decluttering!

Let’s hope the Spring warm weather truly is on the way, if we get our Spring Cleaning done before all the snow melts, it’s more time to enjoy the outdoors!

Worried about your pipes freezing? |Winter Plumbing

Worried about your water pipes freezing?

Thankfully the sun has been shining today and it is nice and warm. However the frost is still causing issues with water lines freezing.

1. Let your cold water tap run a slow continuous stream. This will ensure the lines stay open with flowing water and if you have a water pump, this will force the pump to come on more preventing any freezing.

Our plumbers have been extremely busy the first month and a half of the new year with frozen water lines and even some sewage lines.

2. If you are living in a home which has an unfinished basement, ensuring you have some heat in your basement is necessary for winters like this.
These two tips are especially important if you are planning to be away at any time during the winter. Arrange to have someone check on your home once or twice a day (when its really cold), run water, flush toilets.

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Perfect Weather To Clear Snow | The Calm After The Storm

What a gorgeous winter morning to wake up to, at least in our part of Ontario! The temperature a cool yet refreshing -7 with light snow flakes falling.

Please take advantage of this “warmer” winter weather to get outside and ensure the snow is properly cleared around all your vents for your home. This includes dryer vents as well as your heating appliances (furnace, boiler, fireplace) and hot water heater.

The picture below is a photo of the intake and exhaust vents for a forced air furnace. The exhaust is straight out, intake points down. If your vents are blocked they can cause the equipment to not function properly or not work altogether.

Furnace Vents Cleared 20140107_124106_resized

Please also check your filters. A blocked filter will cause your furnace and HRV to work much harder than it is designed to do and possibly over heat. This can cause premature break down of the appliance and reduced life. It is recommended to have your system maintained and cleaned at least once every 2 years while changing your filters every 2-4 months, more often in the heating season.

Don’t forget your plumbing system! Is your basement currently heated? If you have forced air heating in your home having a duct run off the furnace and into your basement – even if its unfinished, will help your mechanical room stay warm and prevent pipes from freezing. Ensure all outside taps are shut off from the inside and the taps are open outside.

Remember to be safe while out driving on the roads! Ensure your windshield is cleared properly, you have a snow brush in your car, your gas tank is full or at least over half full and you are dressed for the weather! Also very helpful if you have a blanket – just in case and a cell phone (fully charged or with a charger in your vehicle).

Enjoy… a photo from yesterday morning!

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