One of the most important things to know about your plumbing is where your main water line shut-off valve is located and how to operate it. This valve stops the flow of water coming into your residence. Being able to quickly locate it and shut if off could be the difference between a little water that is easy to clean up or a massive mess that can cause thousands of dollars in damage. That may seem like a scare tactic, but a ¾ inch water main can push about 25 gallons per minute based on average pressure. Fortunately, most leaks don’t result in quite that much water at once, but being able to quickly stop it will save you much time and trouble.

There are many things we take for granted which make our lives much easier until they are no longer functional.

We recently had the opportunity to install a new heating and cooling system for a customer in the Southwestern section of Columbia. It was a smaller home that had an existing gas furnace central heating system, but did not have a central air conditioner. The gas furnace was relatively new so the customer asked about adding a central air conditioner to their existing system. We gave them four different options to consider:

We’re honored to receive the 2018 Top Producer Award from Bryant Heating & Cooling Systems!

The most important thing you can do to is to have regular maintenance performed on your system by a professional.

With the bitter cold temperatures we have been experiencing this week, a lot of people are suffering with frozen pipes and burst pipes.

We have a few tips of things you can do to help prevent this from happening: 

If your home has a crawl-space:
-Consider putting heat tape and insulation on all water lines within the crawl space; at minimum you should cover all openings into the space, including any vent openings.
-If you can do so safely, you may also consider putting an electric heater in the crawl space.
-If you have access to the crawl space from within the home, you can leave the access door open to allow some heat to make its way into the space.

If your home has a basement:
-If your basement is normally closed off, open any heat vents that are in the basement and open any doors that lead to the main area of the home to allow heat to enter the basement.
-If you do not have heat vents in the basement, a good option is to run portable electric heaters there to help heat the area.

If you live in a slab home that has the main water line entering the home in a garage closet, you should consider placing portable electric heaters there to help heat the area.

MasterTech can help with all of your plumbing, heating and cooling needs in Columbia, and across Mid-Missouri. Already trusted in thousands of homes, you're sure to be delighted with our high standards of workmanship (with warranties of up to 2 years) and friendly master technicians. Our mobile warehouses even bring over 5000 parts and tools direct to your home, saving you time and money. You can read more about our customer service level guarantee here, and from our other delighted customers.