Seasonal Tips for Summer

Plumbing
Do you find yourself running out of hot water? Check the date of manufacture on your water heater. This can be found on a label on the unit. Typically the first four numbers of the serial number are the month and year of manufacture. If the water heater is 15 yeaers old or older, it may be time to consider replacing it. Call Brubaker's Service Department at (717) 299-5641 or click here to schedule a visit.

Heating and Cooling
Set your air conditioning thermostat as high as is comfortably possible in the summer. Consider using a celing fan alone or in conjunction with your air conditioning system to help spread the cool air more effectively without increasing your energy use.

While trees and shrubs properly located can aid in keeping a house cooler in the summer, be sure to check any around your outdoor condensing unit. If you have shrubs around it, keep them trimmed so that there is proper air flow around the unit.

Electrical
If you have any electric eyes or timeclocks for your outdoor lighting, check them to be sure that they are working properly and that the time is set correctly.

Do you have a ceiling fan? If so, switch the direction it turns to maximize cooling efficiency. In a room of typical height (8'to 10' high) it should turn counter- clockwise as you look at it from underneath. This causes a downdraft and will give a sort of wind-chilling effect (especially if the fan is running at medium to high speed) because your skin evaporates moisture, thereby giving a cooling effect to you. The air blowing down will make you feel a little cooler, but it won't cool the room, so turn the fan off when nobody is in the room.

If you would like to consider adding a ceiling fan to a room, call Brubaker's Service Department at (717) 299-5641 or click here to schedule a service call. We can prepare an estimate for you to add one.

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Plumbing
Be sure to disconnect all hoses from outside faucets. A connected hose can prevent proper drainage from the faucet and may freeze and damage the faucet.

If you have an outside faucet that is not a frost-proof faucet, be sure to know where the nearest valve is that can be shut off to isolate water from the faucet. If one is nearby that can be used to turn off the water supply to the faucet, turn it off and open the faucet to drain the remaining water away for the winter.

Heating and Cooling
Turn on your heating system now, before it gets cold. Is it working properly? Do you need to have any filters changed? Now is the time to see if it is working satisfactorily. If it isn't, call Brubaker's Service Department at (717) 299-5641 or click here to schedule a service call. We will do a cleaning and service check for you.

Electrical
Thinking about the holidays? Halloween? Christmas is getting here sooner than you realize and it will be time to put up the holiday lights. Do you have enough receptacles, both inside and outside? Are they working properly? Be sure to call Brubaker's Service Department at (717) 299-5641 or click here to schedule a service call.

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Seasonal Tips for Winter

Plumbing
Do you have trouble with pipes freezing? Turn a faucet on to a slow trickle for an especially cold night to aid in keeping it from freezing solid. If you anticipate freezing problems or you have time in advance, try to get insulation between the pipe and the outside to help keep the pipe in the “heat envelope” of your home. If the pipe is already frozen, call Brubaker's Service Department at (717)299-5641 or click here to schedule a service call.

Heating and Cooling
If you have an oil fill and vent pipe to a heating fuel tank, or exhaust vents and condensate pipes for a gas furnace, be sure that they are clear of leaves, snow, and ice. This way they will perform properly or they can be accessed when needed.

If you have high/low return grilles on your heating or air conditioning system (ie, wall vents located one straight above the other, one near the ceiling and one near the floor), be sure to open the bottom one and close the top one for the heating season.

Electrical
If you have outside items such as bird bath heaters, Christmas lights, etc., and they are not working, check the reset button if you have a GFCI or “ground fault” receptacle that you are plugging into. It may be tripped and needs to be reset. If you suspect that you still have problems with the electric circuit or any other electrical concerns, call Brubaker's Service Department at (717) 299-5641 or click here to schedule a service call.

Do you have a ceiling fan? If so, switch the direction it turns to maximize heating efficiency. In a room of typical height (8'to 10' high) it should turn clockwise as you look at it from underneath. This will redirect the warmer air near the ceiling down the walls and into the living space where the people are. Run the fan at a low speed so that the air doesn't have a chilling effect on your skin. If you have a higher ceiling, you may wish to increase the fan speed so long as it does not create an undesirable downdraft on people.

If you would like to consider adding a ceiling fan to a room, call Brubaker's Service Department at (717) 299-5641 or click here to schedule a service call. We can prepare an estimate for you to add one.

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Seasonal Tips for Spring

Plumbing
When turning on water valves for the first time after the cold season is over, check for any leaks that may result from a pipe that may have had some leftover water in it that froze. Also check for leaks under the valve handle. If there is a leak, it may be nothing more than a packing nut needing to be tightened with a small adjustable wrench. Should you find that you have a leaking pipe from winter freeze or a valve that leaks, call Brubaker's Service Department at (717) 299-5641 or click here to schedule a service call.

Heating and Cooling
If you heat with oil or gas, check fill pipes and vents near the ground to be sure that they are not covered over with leaves. The same holds true if you have a condensate pipe from a high-efficiency furnace or water heater.

Be sure to have your central air conditioning checked before the first heat wave! Call Brubaker's Service Department at (717) 299-5641 or click here to schedule a service call.

If you have high/low return grilles on your heating or air conditioning system (ie, wall vents located one straight above the other, one near the ceiling and one near the floor), be sure to close the bottom one and open the top one for the cooling season.

Electrical
Be sure when time changes (which recently has technically happened during the last days of winter, in early March) to check your smoke detectors. Change the batteries in them. Even if you have hard-wired units, check for a battery as it is common for them to have a back-up battery in them in the event of a power failure.

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