Antawn Jamison recommended replacing this thermostat with a programmable one
Before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Antawn Jamison (or I should say Bobblehead Antawn Jamison) recommended replacing this outdated thermostat with a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats allow you to schedule your home’s temperature, so that energy does not get wasted heating or cooling an empty home. Programmable thermostats are reasonably priced and can save you money each month on your energy bill.
It’s just a coincidence that this bobblehead was sponsored by Pepco, but it turns out that replacing your old thermostat with a programmable one can help you pay less each month to Pepco.
Frankly, I think that real-life Antawn is currently smiling like he is in this bobblehead now that Lebron is no longer on the Cavaliers. It seems like playing basketball becomes a lot easier without an ego like Lebron’s on your team.
Auto-Flushing Toilets, a Blessing and a Curse Part II
By · CommentsWith the previous post, I introduced a conversation about Auto-Flushing Toilets (AFTs). I described the clear benefits to having an auto-flushing toilets, like–for example–the much-better experience you have using the AFT following a Non-Flushing Individual (NFI) than you would using a Manual Flush Toilet (MFT).
However, I hinted that there were definite shortcomings to Auto Flush Toilets. Here they are:
Part II – The Shortcomings of Auto-Flushing Toilets:
- 1. “…But the auto-flusher doesn’t always work properly!” This is, unfortunately, very true. The arguments in the previous post relied entirely on the assumption that the auto-flush worked on the AFT in question. That was a very dangerous assumption because, fairly often, AFTs aren’t working properly when you need them. If an AFT malfunctions, several unwanted situations may occur:
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- An Otherwise-Diligent Flusher (ODF) temporarily becomes a NFI – ODFs who would normally flush a MFT but have become accustomed to a particular AFT, might assume that the AFT will work properly. They may walk away from the toilet without using the contingency flush button, unknowing that the toilet didn’t flush. That would be like following a NFI, and the same issues would appear.
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- The Contingency Button – The toilet doesn’t work, so you have to push the contingency button… with your finger! The button is so small that you can’t use your foot like you could with a lever.
2. Sometimes the auto-flusher is over-anxious. I’ve been in restrooms where an auto-flush toilet continues flushing even when nobody is using it. That’s just a waste of water and energy. So something that is supposed to save water and energy (the AFT), turns into something that is more wasteful than a manual flush toilet if it’s malfunctioning.
3. The Surprise Attack Flush. This unfortunate event occurs when you trigger the automatic flush before you’re ready for it. If this happens, let’s just hope the water is contained by the bowl when the toilet flushes.
Have I missed any shortcomings of the Auto-Flushing Toilet? After looking over the pros and cons of auto-flushing toilets, I think the benefits of AFTs outweigh the shortcomings. The shortcomings of AFTs pretty much only appear when the toilet is malfunctioning. In my experience, AFTs generally work pretty well. It can just be frustrating when you come to expect an AFT to work, then come across a malfunctioning one.
How do you feel about auto-flushing toilets? Please discuss in the comments.
Auto-Flushing Toilets, a Blessing and a Curse: Part I
By · CommentsI have mixed feelings about Auto-Flushing Toilets (AFTs), as there a definitely pros and cons to this innovation in toilets. This post, the first of a two-part series, will deal with the benefits of AFTs.
Part I – The Benefits of Auto-Flushing Toilets:
Note: This list assumes the auto-flushing toilet works properly (I know this is a big assumption, so stay tuned for Part II — The Cons to Auto-Flushing Toilets )
- 1. The toilet gets flushed after someone who is a habitual “non-flusher”, we’ll call them Non-Flushing Individuals, or NFIs for short. The secondary benefits that result from this situation are at least fourfold:
- a) Visual - You are not subjected to ghastly sights left by previous NFIs.
- b) Olfactory - You are subjected to slightly fewer disgusting smells left by previous NFIs.
- c) Sanitary – The messes left by NFIs no doubt make the restroom an even more germ-ridden place than it otherwise would be.
- d) Clean-up – Building custodians should not have to clean-up behind NFIs. That would make their job cruel and unusual punishment.
2. You don’t have to touch a lever to flush the toilet. The handles of Manual Flush Toilets (MFTs) are disgustingly unsanitary, so avoiding contact with these is a huge blessing. No further explanation necessary.
3. You have more time to create distance between yourself and the recently flushed toilet, since you don’t have to lean over it to push the lever down–like you would with a MFT. Toilets flush with a pretty powerful force; who knows how many germs fly out of the bowl when it flushes. The head-start you get by not having to lean over to flush a MFT can be priceless. However, its possible you get caught off guard by a Surprise Attack Flush (SAF), in which case you might be stuck even closer to a Just Flushed Toilet (JFT) than you would be flushing a MFT… but that’s a story for the next post, Part II.
Have I missed any benefits to the Auto-Flushing Toilet? If I have, please discuss in the comments. However, I ask that you save discussions of the shortcomings of AFTs for the comments of the next post.
Plumbing in Revolutionary America
By · CommentsOur last post discussed home comfort systems of the near future. While celebrating our nation’s Independence Day last week, I thought it would be interesting to follow up our future-focused previous post with a post focusing on home comfort systems of the past.
In the spirit of Independence Day, what better place to look for inspiration than Monticello, the estate of the author of the Declaration of Independence: Thomas Jefferson. It’s not exactly clear how intricate Monticello’s plumbing system was, because not much remained when the current organization took over running the estate.
There are a few documents that suggest that Monticello’s plumbing system included underground tunnels with running water that transported waste coming from the estate’s 5 privies — or what Jefferson called “air closets.” There may also have been a system of underground cars that carried waste away from the house. It turns out that there is not much physical evidence behind either of these guesses, except for mentions of them in letters written by Jefferson. But those could have been his intentions for the estate rather than what was actually in place.
Some historians believe that the privies were cleaned simply by removing a chamber pot from the cellar under the privies.
No matter which plumbing system was in place in the early 1800s, we know that most Americans probably had something closer to the chamber pot technique–not the cleanest method. Plumbing sure has come a long way since then.
The Near Future of Heating and Cooling
By · CommentsWith the rate that technology is advancing, it’s exciting to think about how everyday life will be different in the near future. One thing that comes to mind is the future of home comfort systems. The simultaneous advancements of information technology and green technology all but assure that change is on the way for heating and cooling.
Sometimes I’ll sit and think about how my future home will operate. Here’s what I see when I picture my future home:
1) Geothermal Heating and Cooling System: This is not a futuristic heating and cooling option. In fact, it’s been around for decades. As technology advances, installing these systems will become more and more affordable. (Check out this blog post to see how geothermal systems are actually already affordable). Anyway, my futuristic home will be kept at a comfortable temperature using the constant temperature below the earth’s surface thanks to my geothermal system.
2) Control of my home’s temperature from my mobile phone: I don’t have an iPhone, but I’m picturing an iPhone app that links to my thermostat. I’d pull up on my phone as I’m heading home from the office. It’s the summertime, and to save energy, my cooling system had been off all day while nobody was home. From my phone, I start cooling my house knowing that I’ll be home in a few minutes. In fact, this technology also exists already, but it will become much more widespread as the technology advances.
3) 3-D Visualizations of my home’s duct work and seals: I’d love to be able to pull up a reading on my computer that shows me the exact location of any air leaks in my duct work or in the sealing of my windows and doors. Leaks such as these are a big source of energy inefficiency, and it would be great to be able to pinpoint leaks with ease.
Widespread use of these technologies is not far away. If you’re interested in learning more about these technologies or would like to hear about other energy saving products available now, give us a call at (866) 382-5878.
What heating and cooling advances do you envision for the future? Please share in the comments.
Sanford Kramer Radio Commercial #4
By · CommentsIt’s been awhile since we’ve revisited the Sanford Kramer Radio Commercial Series of blog posts. It’s a good time to show you the fourth and final Sanford Kramer radio commercial featuring Jake and his mom. As a reminder, this radio commercial (along with the others in the series) actually aired on the radio in Maryland several years ago. The visuals in the video were added more recently for your viewing pleasure.
Without further ado (or is it adieu?)…
There are some interesting tools available on the internet that help website owners learn how visitors get to their website. It was interesting to see the different ways people conducted Google searches en route to our website.
Particularly interesting is the number of ways our company name has been spelled in those searches. Below is a list of many of those misspellings. The list is not meant to pass judgement on the spelling abilities of people Googling us. A misspelling of a company name like ours is completely understandable. (Perhaps you saw one of our Duck Trucks in passing while driving and didn’t catch the exact spelling of our name). Instead, it’s more of a testament to the power of Google — the power to know what you’re trying to find even if you haven’t spelled it correctly (nor anywhere close to correctly).
Anyway, here’s the list. Let us know which is your favorite attempt…
I suppose that an enterprising web-savvy individual could buy up all of the web domains containing these spellings then try to sell them back to us at extortionate prices.
I’m excited to share another customer letter that we received, which will be the 8th posted on this blog. If you’re wondering why you don’t recall seeing Customer Review #7, it’s because it was listed under a different name (but was a review nonetheless). You can read the post here, and you can find it in the “Collection of Sanford Kramer Inc. Customer Reviews.”
But back to #8, which will also be included in the Collection:
Dear Mr. Kramer:
I am writing you this letter of commendation to one of your employees, a certain service technician named Erik, who, on the windy night of February 25, 2010, came by my residence within two hours of my emergency call to your office, and set up the means to replace a discomboomerated water heater that was leaking and causing a minor flood to the family room.
He shut down the leak and left after cogently explaining the situation. The following morning, he came by the residence at about noon with a replacement and completed the work in a timely manner.
What really impressed me about Erik’s professionalism was:
1) A truly high sense of customer service coupled with professionalism (which, in this day and age, is about as rare as hen’s teeth),
2) A truly high level of technical expertise and lastly
3) A didactic ability to explain to the technical sources of the problem and a long term solution in simple lay English.
Erik is truly an asset to your company. I thought you should know of this.
Very truly yours,
Ted
Frederick County, MD
New Features of the Duck Truck Blog
By · CommentsYou may notice some small changes to the Duck Truck Blog, and here is an explanation of each…
1) The Orange Button on the Right
This is an RSS button. By clicking on it, you can subscribe to this blog in the news reader of your choice. Subscribing allows your news reader to automatically grab any new posts that appear on this blog. Please subscribe so you don’t miss any updates!
2) The Navigation Menu Bar under the banner up top
This new feature of our blog allows you to navigate to the collection of Sanford Kramer Inc. Customer Reviews, the Sanford Kramer Inc. Video Library, and the home page of the Duck Truck Blog. Feel free to look around.
3) The YouTube button on the right that takes you to our YouTube Channel
Located with our other social media buttons, this button will take you to our YouTube Channel. Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel to be alerted any time we post a new video to YouTube. Our videos, including this one, are very popular. While you’re over on the right side of the blog, make sure to find us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
4) A List of our Blog Post Categories
To find this list, scroll down and look below our recent Twitter updates. You’ll be able to browse our blog posts by category.
Please let us know if you have any recommendations for more features to add to the Duck Truck Blog that would make it more user friendly for you. Thanks!
13 Things Your Plumber Won’t Tell You… Unless…
By · CommentsI came across a magazine blurb called “Thirteen Things Your Plumber Won’t Tell You.” I could only chuckle as I read the items because—not only do we tell our customers each of these things—but we’ve even broadcasted many of these specific items on our blog and elsewhere on the internet for all the world to see. The blurb would be more appropriately titled “Thirteen Things Most Plumbers Won’t Tell You.”
We’re not most plumbers. We don’t hide things from you.
Here are some of the items that the article lists as things your plumber won’t tell you, and each is followed by an example of where we’ve shared the very same item:
What They Said Your Plumber Wouldn’t Say: “A bursting washing machine hose is a top homeowner-insurance claim. I’d replace those flimsy rubber hoses with stainless steel ones.”
What We Say: We say the same thing and much more in this video.
What They Said Your Plumber Wouldn’t Say: “Make sure the outside faucets are turned off in the winter and make sure you disconnect the outside hoses. You need to shut the water off from the inside.”
What We Say: Hopefully you watched this video that we created, and hopefully you avoided any plumbing issues this past winter.
What They Said Your Plumber Wouldn’t Say: “Pay me by the job, not by the hour.”
What We Say: We always provide our customers an upfront price in writing before beginning our work. There are never any extra or hidden costs tacked on at the end of a job. We don’t charge by the hour, so you can rest assured that we don’t waste time just to run up the bill. Click here to see evidence that we don’t hide our pricing policy from you.
The article is flattering for a company like ours because it implies that high-quality plumbing companies, among other things, tell you the items mentioned in the article rather than hide them. We just wish the article was more clear of what it was implying instead of grouping all plumbers together.
Note: The article was in the 4/10 issue of Reader’s Digest.
