DIY Furnace Repairs

A furnace that won’t heat up usually prompts a call to your friendly neighborhood home heating professional. But before you dial up the number, first do a little private investigating of your own.  You might just find the solution is readily at hand and save yourself some money in the process. Dirty filter – Remove… Read more »

How to Eliminate “Old House Smell”

You bought the perfect home in the perfect location. There’s just one problem – it suffers from “old house smell”. You know the one – that musty odor that creeps up on you the minute you set foot inside. And it seems no amount of air freshener or scented candles can mask it. To get… Read more »

How to Clean a Garbage Disposal

Maybe garbage disposals are way down the list of “most important plumbing fixtures,” but they still add convenience to your life. They also can stink to high heaven, back up and overflow.  Which means a little ongoing maintenance is in order. So, from our house to yours, here are some time-tested methods to keep your… Read more »

How to Add Moisture to Dry Air

Have you ever thought about spreading sand all over your living room?  Probably not. But that doesn’t mean your home doesn’t sometimes feel as dry as a desert during the winter. That’s what heat does when all the windows and doors are shut. It robs your home of the relative humidity to feel comfortable in… Read more »

The Advantages of a Combined Boiler and Tankless Water Heater

Raise your hand if you remember the vintage Certs TV commercials that endlessly drove home the following: “Certs is a candy mint. Certs is a breath mint.  Certs is two, two, two mints in one.” Here’s a vintage TV commercial that might help freshen up your memory. Corny or not, this classic ad campaign and… Read more »

The Health Benefits of Gardening

In recent years, gardens have been popping up in some unconventional places – from prison yards to retirement and veteran homes to programs for troubled youth. Most are handy sources of fresh and local food, but they’re also becoming a form of therapy for those with mental health issues, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, depression,… Read more »

How to Avoid Clogged Drains

Is there one plumbing problem that bugs you the most? We ask our customers that all the time. The runaway “favorite”? A clogged drain or toilet. There are several reasons for dreading it. One, a clogged drain or toilet temporarily puts that fixture out of commission, assuming your DIY efforts don’t bear fruit. Even if… Read more »

How to Improve AC System Efficiency

Here in Massachusetts, we hanker for warmer weather all winter long. When it finally arrives, we want it cool again, at least indoors. Which begs the question: can you count on your AC system to deliver all the comfort you want? Sure, provided you take good care of it and do your part to help… Read more »

When Should I Replace My AC System?

No every decision is as simple as you might like it to be. Vanilla or chocolate ice cream? Very simple, especially when you can have a little of each. Make meat loaf or pasta for dinner tonight? You might wrestle with this one a bit, but it won’t take long to decide. Besides, tomorrow’s another… Read more »

How to Prevent Wet Basements

Winter can be rough in the Boston area, just as it has been over the past several years. But that’s not the only precipitation we get. It’s abundant in spring, who knows about the summer, and on it goes. What’s the point? Well, if your house or neighborhood is prone to basement flooding and you’ve… Read more »