Anthony Plumbing, Heating, and Cooling has now entered the world of social media! We will be offering amazing offers and coupons on our Facebook and Twitter. We also will be offering daily advice on everything from how to lower your monthly gas bill to how to prepare for the season change. You can find links to special stories and so much more on our page and feed. If you have not already, be sure to “like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
www.facebook.com/AnthonyPlumbingHeatingCooling
Follow us on Twitter: ANTHONYPHC
As a special reminder…we would not be the company we are today without our loyal customers. We need your help to increase our social media. When we have 500 people “like” us on Facebook we will give away a $50 Hereford House gift card. This also is the same for Twitter. We need 500 followers and we will give away a $50 gift card to Hereford House.
Have you hit “like” on our Facebook page yet?
January 4th, 2012Holiday Traditions: What is your favorite tradition?
December 30th, 2011The holidays are among us! Last week we had a contest on our Facebook page and one of our loyal customers posted a picture of herself in front of the tree with the AnthonyPHC Facebook profile picture. This contest had me thinking about traditions. I am very curious what the most popular tradition is during the holidays. I did some research and found that it would not be possible to have a most popular tradition. According to visitkc.com, the Plaza lights, holiday shopping, time at Crown Center and holiday performances are the most popular holiday traditions for Kansas City. I was in shock by this. I had always thought that decorating the trees, baking holiday treats, and spending time 
with family were the most popular. I do love the holiday charm that Kansas City has to offer though! AnthonyPHC is devoted to making you have the ability to celebrate the holidays with your family and enjoy the precious time you have. Email us your favorite holiday traditions at chall@anthonyphc.com . We would love to know your thoughts!
Happy Holidays from AnthonyPHC!
Dry Charge or Dry Shipped Air Conditioners
July 5th, 2011By Steve Burbridge, Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
If you have not heard this term, it reflects that some HVAC manufacturers have decided to produce air conditioners that operate on a refrigerant (R22) that is prevalent in old air conditioners, but is being phased out of production (by 2020) due to its damaging effect on the ozone layer.
Federal law stemming from the Montreal Protocol calls for all new air conditioners to have environmentally-friendly refrigerant. All new units have this refrigerant (R410A); however, the outdoor unit, the indoor cooling coil, and preferably the refrigerant piping, need to be replaced. The environmentally-friendly refrigerant oil is not compatible with ozone-depleting refrigerant oil. However, an apparent “loop hole” was discovered and a new air conditioner could be shipped with no refrigerant charge, or “dry” and therefore the owner would not incur the expense of replacing the indoor coil or the refrigerant piping. So their focus is strictly on the initial cost and not the other four costs of ownership. The other four costs are going to be higher – and probably much higher! Here they are:
1. Maintenance Cost. If refrigerant is needed, which is not uncommon over a 10-year span, it will become increasingly costly as each year goes by.
2. Operating Cost. Dry-shipped air conditioners are the minimum efficiency (13.0 S.E.E.R.) that the government allows to be manufactured. Electric rates continue to escalate and the homeowner is stuck with a low-efficiency system.
3. Repair Cost. If refrigerant is needed, then the repair cost will be a shocker. Ozone-depleting refrigerant is being phased out and will be harder to even find after 2020. Also, parts and compressor warranties on dry-shipped units are minimal and not near the warranty on high-efficiency air conditioners have.
4. Replacement Cost. When the compressor fails, or it is time to upgrade to a more efficient system (maybe when repair costs are astronomical), then all the components of the system will have to be replaced.
It is clearly not in the best interest of a homeowner to install a “dry-shipped” air conditioner. Therefore, at Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, we will not offer it as an option to our customers. If a homeowner has this offered to them by another company, a red flag should go up and they should not do business with them.
KCP&L Cool Homes Rebate Ending
June 29th, 2011By Steve Burbridge, Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
Kansas homeowners have a very limited time to tap into the KCP&L “Cool Homes” rebate program. The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) has approved KCP&L’s application to suspend the Cool Homes rebate program in Kansas. The rebate will not be available for any air conditioning system qualified after July 7, and installed after JULY 21, 2011.
A homeowner’s last chance to qualify for FREE money is July 7. If your air conditioner is over 12 years old, it is likely to qualify for the rebate when replaced with a high efficient system. To learn if your old AC qualifies for the rebate, you should call us for the test, which we offer for free.
We’ve served hundreds of customers who have taken advantage of this rebate already. They realize the value of upgrading their old air conditioners to a more efficient system. And the high efficient new systems will also result in extra dollars in their pocket with each energy bill.
You should be careful not to just buy ‘anything’ that’s new. To qualify, the equipment and installation must meet certain efficiency standards. We can make sure you install what qualifies for the rebate and we also take care of the paperwork to get you the rebate.
Don’y delay! Call us today for the free test to see if you qualify for the $650 or $850 rebate.
Sump Pumps – A Disaster Waiting to Happen!
June 24th, 2011By Steve Burbridge, Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
Every home that has a sump pump, must have a battery back-up sump pump. This is true even if the house is on top of a hill and the sump pump seldom activates or if the basement is not finished.
Here are the reasons:
1. Thunderstorms can knock out power to the home when the sump pump is needed the most – in a torrential downpour.
2. Sump pumps fail. The average life is about eight years, but there is no way of predicting when a pump will fail. You notice they have failed when they should be operating and the basement is flooding.
3. The ground fault interrupter (GFI) in the electrical circuit to the pump has tripped. The whole house may have power, but the circuit to the sump pump doesn’t.
4. The discharge pipe to the sump pump could become plugged. (Ideally, the battery back-up would have a separate discharge pipe.)
5. If we receive one of the 100-year rains or floods that comes every six years, the primary sump pump may not be able to pump out as much water as is coming in – it just can’t keep up.
We had a customer whose home was on top of a hill and their sump pump very seldom operated. If it rained for more than a week and the ground was totally saturated, they may hear the pump. They finished most of their basement and made the smart decision to install a battery back-up sump pump. Ironically, the battery back-up pump came to the rescue on a hot, dry August day. The homeowner heard the alarm on the battery back-up pump screaming and went to investigate. What she found was the lawn sprinkler water pipe had blown apart and a tremendous amount of water was running down the exterior foundation wall. The main sump pump could not keep up, so the battery back-up pump came to the rescue.
And, sadly, we know of a homeowner who did not have a finished basement, so he felt like he did not need a battery back-up sump pump. However, when he was away at work during the day, he caged his two dogs in the basement. He came home from work after a rainy day and found his pump had failed, his basement had two feet of water, and his dogs were dead.
Battery back-up sump pumps are cheap insurance to prevent heartache and headache. Consider them a necessary item and have peace of mind.
Hail Damaged Air Conditioners & Heat Pumps
June 7th, 2011By Steve Burbridge, Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
Hail can damage air conditioning units and heat pumps when it crashes into the exposed aluminum fins. If the fins are smashed in all the way to the coils, they can be very difficult to “comb out”. A better term to use is “knife out”, meaning each fin has to be attempted to be straightened with a knife, which is a very tedious and time-consuming undertaking. The older the unit, the more likely the fins will tear. If there are multiple smashed fins on a unit, often times the proper remedy is to replace the coil (if available) or the whole unit. An air conditioner may still operate after being damaged; however, its efficiency will be decreased and the likelihood of a refrigerant leak is much greater.
When the fins are dented but not smashed, our NATE-certified technicians carry “combs” which are specifically designed to straighten dented coils. After combing, the appearance of coils is never the same as brand new, even when the dents were slight.
Although more rare, hail can damage coils on the inside of the unit. This happens when the hail was small enough to go through the fan shroud and miss the fan blades. Many homeowners and insurance adjusters fail to notice the damage on the inside of the coil.
The best way to prevent hail damage is to purchase an air conditioning unit or heat pump that has a good coil guard on the unit. Typically, lower efficiency, standard, or builder’s model units do not have coil guards and, therefore, they are susceptible to damage from hail, lawn mowers, week whackers, and toys.
Summer Cooling Tips
May 11th, 2011By Steve Burbridge, Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
Many Kansas City area homeowners have switched their thermostats to cooling with the recent 90°+ temperatures. However, there are other seasonal switch-over tasks that will make homes more comfortable and reduce electric bills.
Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling offers the following tips:
1. Adjust dampers in the ductwork to force cool air in the house to rooms that are hard to cool.
2. If there are no dampers in the ductwork, or they are difficult to access, close the supply register in easy-to-cool rooms to force more air to hard-to-cool rooms.
3. If the system has a central bypass-type humidifier (very common), then turn the damper off in the bypass duct and turn off the humidistat.
4. Move furniture away from supply registers so airflow is not impeded. Floor supply registers are commonly blocked by furniture.
5. Turn the fan switch to “On” at the thermostat. By circulating air in the home, occupants will feel cooler so the temperature does not need to be set as low. Also, circulating air makes the temperature more even from room to room and floor to floor.
6. Avoid having a heat source like a lamp near a thermostat.
7. Install a clean air filter. Airflow is critical for cooling and a clean air filter has the least resistance.
Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling has performed hundreds of service calls since the heat hit Saturday. The two most common repairs have been low on refrigerant (Freon) and dirty air filters.
Keep hot spots cool with ZONING.
KCP&L Rebate Ending Soon
April 20th, 2011Kansas homeowners who invest in high efficient air conditioners and heat pumps tap into the KCP&L “Cool Homes” rebate program which is COMING TO AN END very soon. KCP&L just announced late Friday that they have filed with the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) to suspend Cool Homes in Kansas. They predict the wildly successful program will come to a sudden halt within 30-60 days.
We’ve served hundreds of customers who have taken advantage of this program already. They realize the value of upgrading their old air conditioners to a more efficient system. And the high efficient new system also means extra dollars in their pocket with each energy bill.
You should be careful not to just buy ‘anything’ that’s new. To qualify, the equipment and installation must meet certain efficiency standards. Call us right away to get qualified. It’s easy to get your rebate, we will do all the paperwork for you.
The KCP&L “Cool Homes” rebate program was put in place in 2007 to encourage Kansas homeowners to upgrade to more green, high efficient heating & cooling systems. According to KCP&L, over 34 million kilowatt hours have been saved as a result of “Cool Homes” and their other programs and services.
KCP&L Cool Homes Rebate
April 14th, 2011If you have an older, inefficient AC, you could be missing out on FREE money to help you replace it— up to $850.
KCP&L customers who invest in high efficient air conditioners and heat pumps tap into the KCP&L “Cool Homes” rebate program. This program is in place to encourage homeowners to upgrade to more green, high efficient heating & cooling systems.
At Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling, we’ve served hundreds of customers who have taken advantage of this program already. They realize the value of upgrading their old air conditioners to a more efficient system. And the high efficient new systems should also mean extra dollars in their pocket with each energy bill.
You should be careful not to just buy ‘anything’ that’s new. To qualify, the equipment and installation must meet certain efficiency standards. It’s easy to check. Just make sure you deal with a professional or someone you trust. LEARN MORE
Homeowners who have been thinking about replacing their old units shouldn’t wait. We make it easy, and the qualification test on your working AC is free. Click here to schedule the FREE CheckMe! test.
Weird Furnace Smell
October 27th, 2010It happens every fall in homes throughout the Midwest. It’s that “burning smell” when you turn on your furnace. “Homeowners can rest assured that smell does not signal impending doom for their furnace,” Steve Burbridge, owner of Anthony Plumbing, Heating and Cooling explains. “Throughout the spring and summer, dust particles and even dried skin cells collect on the heat exchanger inside the furnace. When the furnace is turned on, that collection of particles burns off and causes that rather unpleasant smell.”
There is no way to prevent the smell, but opening the windows or turning on the attic fan, if you have one, can help diminish its potency. The smell usually goes away after the first few times the furnace heats up.
Other seasonal tips to take the fright out of turning on the furnace include:
• Keep the area around your furnace clean and unobstructed.
• Don’t store combustible material such as paint thinners, gasoline, etc. near your furnace.
• Have your heating system tuned up annually by a professional company.
• Have a clean filter installed. We incurred a warmer than average summer, so your blower motor ran longer and filters are dirty.
Contact Anthony PHC, 913-384-4440 for further information on this and other related topics.