theplumbersbride

The first month of 2019 has come to an end.  Are you ready for the next 11 months?  Have you stuck to your resolutions or goals?  What needs to be addressed in your home?  Here are a few items to check on:

• Water heater – how old is your heater, when was the last time you checked it out, is there any rust?

• Toilets – are your toilets running? How are the supply lines?  Are you able to turn off the water at the shut off valve or is it stuck?  Do you see any rust?

• Sinks – Do you have any leaky faucets? Again, are you able to turn off the water at the shut off valve?  Do you see any rust at the supply line or shut off valve?

• What if you spring a leak and the local shut off valve does not work or worse breaks? Do you know how to shut off the water to your house?  Make sure you can use this valve as well.

If you have issues with any of these home items give Bear’s Plumbing a call 281-350-2327.  You will be glad you did.  Our technicians are licensed and insured for your protection and ours.  We provide an excellent service at an honest and fair price.  We are a service company not a sales company, there is a difference.  If you don’t know the difference you could be paying too much for a service.

We have great guys that not only work for us, but help make us who we are. Bear and I are so very proud of our team. I love seeing them proud of their work and sharing it. Here are some pics of their work.

If there is anything you are looking at doing in your home please give us an opportunity to help. 281-350-2327

To Jose, William, Stevie, Nick, Owen, Brice, & Jordan –

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Thank you guys for being such a joy to work with.

Jack Frost has arrived. Don’t forget to take care of your pets and your exterior pipes. That includes your sprinkler system shutoff and bell cap (not the proper name, but that’s what I call it ), not just the pipes. Check out my previous posts regarding winterizing.

Baby its cold outside……

Frozen Pipes and no water

Baby its cold outside…….again

I love the sound and smells of a burning fire in the fireplace. I remember growing up we had a wood burning fireplace that my dad had gas piped in but never connected. Years later with mom we would struggle to get the fire started using crumpled newspaper.

Today, I am married to the best plumber in the world and I have gas in my fireplace to start my fire off without a hitch. If you would like to have a wood burning fireplace and natural gas piped to it for instant warmth and cozy evenings give us a call at 281-350-BEAR(2327). We can help with gas logs too. If you want to get really crazy and have a remote control to turn on your gas log fireplace give our neighbor down the road, Cunningham Gas Products, a call at 281-376-5200.

When I receive this type of note it truly makes me proud of my husband and our team.  We take pride in the plumbing service we provide in the Spring, TX area.  We don’t want to sell you what you don’t need.  We are here to help families and businesses with all of their plumbing needs.  I hope you enjoy this note as much as I did.  I feel it represents us quite well.  We appreciate our customers and their support.

Hi there,

I just wanted to send a thank you shout out to Bears Plumbing!!!They knew right away what to do to remove the clog in my dad’s pipes.

My step-mother previously had a plumber come out while dad was out of town last week who wanted to charge them to drill into their brick and other stuff with a starting cost of $1,200.00 and up..

I called her and made her cancel the service request so I could call you guys.

Bears plumbing fixed it with a snake for less than $300.00.

Both of them just called me almost in tears to thank me, they are in their late 70’s, their income is very limited, and it meant a lot to them to have it fixed and not feel taken advantage of!

Thanks for your honest service, you are appreciated!!!

Have a great day

C.L.

In honor of Father’s Day 2018 I would like to thank my dad, Cliff Helmcamp.  Thank you dad for teaching me to be there to help my parents, husband and kids.  Thank you for teaching me the difference between a flat head and Philips screw driver.   Thank you for teaching me to mow the grass.  Thank you for teaching me to change the oil in my car.  I may not do these tasks today, BUT I know how because you took the time to teach me.  Looking at this photo from 1974 brings so many thoughts to my mind.  Who knew then that you would be preparing me to be the plumbers helper to my husband, who is in fact an amazing plumber, father, & friend.

I may not have had the reaction you wished for when you showed me the cover of this month’s New Yorker magazine honoring dads.  But it did remind me of this picture of you and me.   It is the perfect reminder of the dad I grew up with working around the house, fixing what you could, with me by your side.  Riding on your back, with my feet in your pockets while you mowed the grass.  Great memories dad.  Thank you for all you have taught me.  Happy Father’s Day

P.S. Dad – I have the pic from 1974 on my desk at work.

Calls started coming in early this season for clogged AC drain lines in May.  I thought with the cold sticking around longer than usual we would have a chain reaction on the AC drain lines clogging.  No such luck.  Texas heat has struck again and fast.  As soon as you start running your AC in Spring, Texas and the surrounding areas it is time to keep an eye on those AC drain lines.

You can drop Air Conditioner Pan Tablets into your AC drain pan every 6 weeks.

The simplest thing to do once a month is poor one cup of bleach down the AC drain line in the attic or the sink that it is tied into.

If you fail to do these maintenance steps you can be sure you will need to auger the line otherwise you could have a minor or major flood in your home.

Here is a not so funny joke.  How can you stop your AC drain line from clogging?  Turn off the AC.  Not the answer if you live in Texas folks.

A plumber is not limited to fixing the dripping faucet that your husband couldn’t fix and, in some cases, made worse.  No, his training, licensing and certification goes way beyond that.  Plumbers are by trade focused on the health and sanitation of the nation.  I am sure you have seen the classic logo for American Standard.  “The Plumber Protects the Health of the Nation”

In the state of Texas it is a law that a licensed plumber is required to repair and install all plumbing in commercial and residential buildings.

If you use a Handyman make sure it is someone that knows the limits of their trade versus the licensed trade.  Cross contamination and back-flow prevention are so very important and critical to the health and sanitation of America.  I highly recommend Tim Shiller 832-326-2006 if you need any handyman work performed.  My grandfathers were both very handy but they both knew when to call in the licensed trades when necessary.

The Spring and Houston area have been inundated with plumbing repairs and work due to the Hurricane and Freeze of 2017 and 2018.  Be a responsible home owner and citizen and call on the licensed and insured trades of Texas.  You can verify a plumbers license simply by going to the Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners Website and search by the first and last name.  Keep in mind that a journeyman plumber is required to work under a Responsible Master Plumber.

Today January 17, 2018 Spring and Houston area folks are dealing with something we haven’t dealt with in years.  Frozen pipes!!! Turning the kitchen faucet on and nothing happens.

Here is what Bear is recommending.  Stay home, turn on the faucet closest to the house shutoff valve.  As the temperature rises and the pipes begin to thaw.  The pressure needs to be released.  If everything is shut off the pressure causes the pipes to break.

If you are in the waiting period please be patient and keep an eye on the open faucets and check for breaks outside.

If you have a break or any questions don’t hesitate to call 281-350-2327