Archive for the ‘Ashton Service Group’ Category

Vancouver drain cleaning experts at Ashton Service Group use hydro-jetting to clear tough clogs. Water jet drain cleaners are powerful plumbing tools that are specifically designed to unclog the toughest drain clogs. They feature relatively modern drain cleaning technology involving strong water pressure applied in pulses, which differs from traditional drain cleaners. A standard drain cleaning device uses a cable or pipe that simply bores holes through blockages. Cable drain cleaners have a few disadvantages:

1) Debris is simply broken apart and can re-clog the pipe further down the line.

2) Self-healing clogs such as grease re-form after being perforated if some material remains.

Water jet cleaners have the following advantages:

1) Completely flush out all material, preventing further clogs or self-healing.

2) Use pulse flow, which allows the hose to better maneuver inside pipes.

3) Clear sand, soap, grease, ice and mud from clogged pipes with ease.

If you have a tough, hard-packed drain clog, or a tenacious self-healing grease clog, the Ashton
Service Group water jetter will take care of it promptly. Best of all, the high pressure water jet
will ensure that you won’t have to worry about leftover material re-clogging your drain.

To see any of our other services, you can go to http://www.ashtonservicegroup.com/

Click here for a list of our different Plumbing and Heating specials – Please note that these
specials are subject to change at any time.

Question: Are there any plumbing items I should do to prepare for the spring?

Yes, there are several things you can do to make sure everything is operating efficiently.

First, you may want to check all your exposed pipes under your sinks and in the basement for leaks. Second, you can pour 4L (milk jug’s worth) of water into drains that you don’t frequently use to fill the trap and prevent odours from entering the house. Slow floor drains should be snaked to ensure they will carry water away in the event of a flood. If your home has a sump pump, make sure it is working properly by pouring a couple of buckets of water into the sump pit. The pump should quickly turn on, discharge the water and then shut off without any problems.

Lastly, you may want to install a backwater valve in the floor drain if you live in an area where sewers sometimes back up into the home. The backwater valve will prevent future backups and spare you the odour and clean up headaches.

Now if you do find any leaks in your pipes, the sump pump is not draining quickly or you would like to install a backwater valve, give your preferred plumber a call and they can help solve any or all those issues easily.

Question: I’m afraid my old furnace will quit in the middle of winter, is it worth replacing before it breaks down?

Being without heat in the middle of winter when your old furnace quits is something you want to avoid especially with the cold snap we are having now. If your contractor is suggesting that your furnace needs replacing it is wise not to put it off. If the cost of replacing your old furnace is the reason making you hold off, consider that some older models of furnaces deliver only 55% of the heat to your home while a new high-efficiency natural gas furnace may deliver up to 97% of the heat it creates to your home. Your old furnace is probably costing you money. A new natural gas furnace will likely save you money on your heating bills.

Financing options are available from financial institutions for home improvement projects and at Ashton Service Group we offer financing to our residential customers with Snap Financial. Check with your preferred plumbing and heating contractor and find out what financing options are available.

Ashton Service Group has been a plumbing contractor in Vancouver for over 25 years. In addition to providing plumbing service and repair in Vancouver, Ashton Service Group also serves the entire lower mainland region including Surrey and Richmond, B.C. If you need plumbing repair in Vancouver or the surrounding area they can help. They strive for 100% complete customer satisfaction by combining quality parts and excellent service and backing their work with a service guarantee. Whether it’s a backed up drain or more serious plumbing, heating or air conditioning problem they can handle it. Ashton Service Group is capable of the most minor repair or the complete construction of the building.

• Vancouver Plumbing – Ashton Service Group has over 25 fully inventoried Vancouver plumbing trucks on the road. They can get to you fast and provide upfront pricing before beginning any work. If you need to hire an experienced Vancouver plumber give them a call today.
• Surrey Plumbers – They are an experienced Surrey plumbing company who can solve any plumbing problem. From time to time they are offering Surrey plumbing specials or discounts. Ashton Service Group can accommodate your schedule because they have a large fleet of service vehicles.
• Richmond BC Plumbers – Ashton Service Group is the only full service plumbing company in Richmond B.C. They can handle all types of residential and commercial plumbing projects and they specifically educate their Richmond plumbers to answer all of your questions so can make an educated decision about your plumbing repair.

With the recent hot snap people realize the importance of AC units, but it can also be a big waste and expense when used inefficiently. There are plenty of ways to waste cooled air from your Surrey air conditioner, but fortunately there are also several ways to increase efficiency.

Try these, for starters:

1. Keep filters and coils clean

Filters and coils need to be kept clean in order for an air conditioner to run optimally. Clean or change your filter once a month, in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. A tech can should inspect the evaporator and condenser coils every summer, and clean them as necessary.

2. Look at efficiency ratings

All air conditioners bear a rating that reflects their efficiency, called the seasonal energy efficiency ratio, or SEER. The SEER rating is a measure of how much cooling capacity a unit has in relation to how much power it draws. For more energy efficiency, opt for a model with a higher SEER rating.

3. Use the “auto” fan setting

Most thermostats have an “auto” setting that will take control of your AC for you by turning it one when the temperature is high and off again when it is sufficiently low. Make use of this setting for better cooling and energy efficiency.

4. Program your thermostat

A programmable thermostat saves a lot of wasted cooling by keeping the house a few degrees warmer during times when no one is home.

5. Zone your home

To get really serious about cooling efficiency, consider zoning your home. This allows for independent cooling of different parts of the house, so that no extraneous rooms are cooled unnecessarily. For example, if your family likes the bedrooms cooler at night, you can defines them as one zone so that they can be cooled more, but without wasting energy cooling the rest of the house.

6. Get an annual inspection

A machine that is in good working order is a machine that will run efficiently. Air conditioners are no exception. Have a licensed  Surrey air conditioning professional look over your whole system every year to ensure peak operation and maximum efficiency.

Any of these tips on its own will help your air conditioners efficiency, but for best results you should combine them. In particular, the maintenance steps go a long way toward not only improving efficiency, but also maximizing the life of your AC system. Call Ashton Service Group today at 604-283-2383 to schedule an appointment!

Do tub faucet leaks sound like a familiar issue in your Vancouver home? You turn on your shower, flip the switch to go from tub faucet to shower head and the tub faucet continues to leak. Not only is it rather irritating, but it draws from the water pressure in the shower head. Let’s take a look at why this happens and how to quickly fix it.

Why the Leak?

There is a valve in your tub’s faucet that diverts water from the tub to the shower head when the switch or lever is pulled to turn on your shower. Because the valve is not a perfect seal, the tub faucet will drip a small amount during a shower. However, if a large amount of water is coming out of the tub faucet and very little is coming from your shower head, it is likely a problem with that valve.

In some cases, the only way to know the root of this bathroom plumbing repair is to take apart the assembly and check all of the valve parts individually for damage. The specifics of the repair process will depend largely on the type of shower and diverter valve you have.

Fixing the Problem

To fix this problem, you can either replace part of or the entire shower diverter valve. Start by removing the faucet and pulling the screw that holds the shower diverter valve in place. Once the screw is removed, take out the rubber washer and replace it. Many times, this is enough to fix the problem.

If it is not, however, you may need to replace the entire shower diverter valve. There are some situations that make it hard to reach the shower diverter valve, such as when you have a shower handle instead of a faucet knob. If this is the case, you may need special tools or professional assistance in removing the knob to access the valve.

If you find that this does not fix the problem or that you are uncomfortable attempting this repair, contact Ashton Service Group who is experienced in removing and replacing shower diverter valves.

And sure enough, if your AC is going to give up the ghost you can bet it’ll be when the thermometer hits 80 – 90 degrees. To make sure that doesn’t happen, it’s highly recommended that you schedule an annual AC tune-up to ensure that your cooling system is in tip-top shape.

If that’s not motivation to schedule an AC tune-up, here are a few more reasons:

• Money – A poorly functioning AC unit is an inefficient AC unit, and we all know that inefficiency is just another word for expensive. Eliminate costly utility bills by keeping your AC in working order.
• Money – Shocker: Your home’s cooling system is kind of complex. So much so that all those little problems can quickly turn into really expensive ones. By tuning up your system, you’ll ensure those problems get taken care of before they get out of hand.
• Timing – You know when most folks schedule maintenance and repairs? That’s right: the middle of summer. Scheduling your maintenance now will save you the wait and expense of having your system serviced during peak season.

Call Ashton Service Group at 604-283-2383 to arrange for one of our experienced service technicians for preventative maintenance or new AC installation.

Today’s well informed home owners decide on a tankless water heater for 3 good reasons. First, they know that tankless water heaters are used throughout the World where energy costs are high. Canada’s energy costs are rising. Secondly, they recognize that a 92-97% thermal efficient gas tankless water heater compared to a 50 – 60% standard gas tank type water heater will save money and help reduce their carbon footprint. Thirdly, the tankless water heater doesn’t store hot water but produces it on demand.

Tankless water heaters are capable of providing an instant, endless supply of hot water. Because these systems function on an on-demand basis, they do not require a holding tank to store pre-warmed water. No storage or holding reserve means that tankless water heaters have a life span that is twice as long as traditional systems because of the risk of rust and corrosion is significantly lowered.

They are hung from the wall saving floor space. They can be installed almost anywhere. Most have warranties up to 15 years with all parts being replaceable and 100% recyclable. They do cost more initially but looking at all the benefits including the re-sale value of your home, they are well worth the expense.

Tankless heaters are not new to the market. They have a proven record dating back to 1950 in Canada. They come in many sizes to suit your needs. Experienced contractors can help you select the right unit.

A tankless hot water heater will save you money, save space and you will never run out of hot water again. Best of all your home and family will be environmentally friendly.

Electric tankless hot water heaters
Electric units heat the water as it passes over an electrical element. To run an electric tankless water heater, you will need to have it hardwired to your circuit breaker/electrical panel. Although, electric tankless water heaters are less expensive to purchase and operate, they typically have less capacity, which makes them less practical for large families or households that consume large amounts of hot water at one time.

Gas tankless hot water heaters
In a gas unit, a gas burner is utilized to heat the water. Gas-powered systems are fuelled by propane or natural gas. To operate one of these units, you will need a gas line running through your home to where the water heater will be installed. It can easily provide endless hot water for one major application at a time. This unit is a great replacement for the traditional 40-gallon storage tank water heater.

There are also provincial grants available under the LiveSmart BC Efficiency Incentive program for replacing your domestic hot water heater with a qualified instantaneous gas water heater which you may want check into as well. For an estimate and potential savings, please call Ashton Service Group at 604-283-2383 and ask for Bob, our residential heating manager.

I am sure many of you have heard of a heat pump, some of you may even have one, but has anyone ever taken the time to explain what they are and how they work?

Heat pumps are often misunderstood or not understood at all. Because of this, you may not realize that there may be a better heating and cooling option than a furnace or air conditioner. A heat pump is an efficient method of cooling your home in the summer and warming it in the winter.

Although heat pumps are new to many people, they have been around for over three decades. Its name is a little misleading, a heat pump is an efficient method of heating a home during the cold winter months and also cooling it during the blistering summer months. A heat pump looks like an air conditioner, but that’s only the outside appearance. It actually has two functions based on the same principles for both. In warm weather situations, the heat pump works as a normal air conditioner. It extracts heat from inside the home and transfers it to the outdoor air through a condensing process.

In colder weather, however, the process reverses, collecting heat from the outdoor air and transferring it inside your home. Even when the air outside feels extremely cold, the air still contains some heat. The heat pump pulls the heat from this cold outdoor air and sends it inside to warm your home, using a similar process that a refrigerator would. When there is not enough heat in the outside air to meet the demand of the thermostat setting, an electric heater supplements the outdoor air to warm the home. While many people find the winter operation of a heat pump the most difficult to understand, it is during the heating cycle that the heat pump produces the most savings. Unlike a furnace that turns fossil fuel or electricity into heat, the heat pump collects heat that already exists in the outdoor air by means of its refrigeration cycle.

Consequently, a heat pump will produce two to three times more heat than the energy it uses.

In addition, a heat pump can be an effective add-on option to use in conjunction with an existing gas furnace. With a dual-fuel system, the two systems share the heating load but never function at the same time. Each system operates when it is most cost effective. The heat pump will be the primary heating and cooling system. However, when the temperature drops below the heat pump’s ability to operate as efficiently as the gas furnace, the gas furnace will take over until the temperature rises enough for the heat pump to operate more efficiently.

Remember to take into consideration the noise that may be generated by your heat pump related to where the equipment is installed, and how this may affect your neighbour – be a good neighbour!

 If you have any doubts or require an expert analysis, please contact Ashton Service Group at 604-283-2383.

2012-04-30 15:10:13

The two service personnel from Ashton came to install our new hot water heater and despite less than ideal location did so very expertly and efficiently. They were extremely friendly & professional even going so far as to “MacGyver” a special tool to shut the water off outside & then replacing that plug with a more user friendly one. Also when my husband was having a very bad asthma attack they stopped what they were doing to make sure he was okay. I would not hesitate to recommend Ashton Service Group to anyone who is looking for a good, professional and efficient plumbing company.

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http://www.n49.ca/biz/ashton-service-group/bc/richmond/140-4631-shell-road/reviews/id/43300/