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.
The weather is absolutely beautiful today here in Maryland. It’s 70 degrees outside as I write this. It’s the perfect temperature to open up the windows and turn off the home’s heating and cooling system. Your HVAC system sure could use the rest after the record-setting winter we just experienced.
With the weather as it is, now is a great time to have your cooling system looked at by a professional. Summer will be coming soon, and—if this summer is anywhere near as hot as this past winter was cold—you’ll be thankful you had a professional make sure your cooling system is in good shape.
Many of our customers have been making that call to us in the last couple weeks. For many of those customers, the visit we make to their home and the checks we run on their cooling system is completely included in their service agreement, so they have no payment to make for the system check-up. In this post, I will describe Service Agreements, what they include, and why they’re valuable.
HVAC Service Agreements
For a small monthly or yearly fee (however you prefer to pay), you can activate a service agreement with our company. We offer a Service Agreement plan that cares for your home’s plumbing system, another for your HVAC system, and yet another that includes care for both systems.
Among other things, the HVAC-related Service Agreements include two annual 15-point preventive maintenances on your heating and cooling system. One of these preventive maintenances is often completed in spring, and it is those that I referred to earlier: the appointments that many of our customers are currently scheduling. The plans also include an automatic 10% discount on any service needed and priority attention for emergency service. Depending on the plan, it might also include a 5-year warranty on repairs done as well as an exemption from overtime rates and emergency service fees.
While those extra perks are nice, the preventive maintenances alone are reason enough to have a Service Plan. Here’s why…
The Importance of Service Agreements
It’s sad but true: over time, your heating and cooling system will lose efficiency and lose the ability to keep your home comfortable. However, a service agreement that includes preventive maintenance can help maintain a system’s efficiency and prolong the useful life of the system. Increased efficiency results in a more comfortable home and a less painful energy bill each month. We are also able to spot small problems with your HVAC system before they turn into big, expensive problems.
Click here for more information on Service Agreements.
It happens to me every spring: red, itchy eyes, and a runny nose. I’m allergic to pollen, and it seems to attack me the second that the weather turns nice.
For someone with spring allergies, it’s scary to see the hood of a car completely covered in pollen. It’s even scarier to picture that amount of pollen in the air inside your home. Luckily, there are several things you can do to clean the air inside your home, and I will describe them in this post.
1) Get a High Efficiency Air Cleaner Installed
These systems can be as much as 94% efficient or better in removing disease-causing bacteria as small as 0.35 microns. (Microns, also called micrometers, are one one-millionth of a meter in size). Since pollen particles are usually somewhere between 10 and 100 microns in size, they will be easily eliminated by the high efficiency air cleaner.
2) Get an Ultra Violet Light Installed in your HVAC system
Ultra Violet lights can be installed in your heating and cooling system and are another weapon against air contaminants. UV Lights are effective in killing bacteria, mold, and allergens.
3) Have Your Air Ducts Cleaned
The last option that will be discussed in this blog post is the old fashioned duct cleaning—although duct cleaning is not old fashioned anymore. As with most other technologies, duct cleaning has evolved to include some very advanced tools and cleaning agents. No matter what tools your professional duct cleaner uses, a good duct cleaning will definitely improve your indoor air quality, as air contaminants tend to build up in your ducts over time.
Please feel free to call us at (866) DUCK-TRUCK if you have any questions about indoor air quality or if you would like to schedule an appointment to pursue any of these options.
