March Blogs:

Spring is here:
March 23rd 2012

Spring is one of the four temperate seasons, the transition period between winter and summer. Spring and "springtime" refer to the season, and broadly to ideas of rebirth, renewal and regrowth.

The specific definition of the exact timing of "spring" varies according to local climate, cultures and customs. At the spring equinox, days are close to 12 hours long with day length increasing as the season progresses.

In spring, the axis of the Earth is increasing its tilt toward the Sun and the length of daylight rapidly increases for the relevant hemisphere. The hemisphere begins to warm significantly causing new plant growth to "spring forth," giving the season its name.

Snow, if a normal part of winter, begins to melt, and streams swell with runoff. Frosts, if a normal part of winter, become less severe. In climates that have no snow and rare frosts, the air and ground temperature increases more rapidly. Many flowering plants bloom this time of year, in a long succession sometimes beginning even if snow is still on the ground, continuing into early summer.

In normally snowless areas "spring" may begin as early as February (Northern Hemisphere) heralded by the blooming of deciduous magnolias, cherries, and quince, or August (Southern Hemisphere) in the same way. Subtropical and tropical areas have climates better described in terms of other seasons, e.g. dry or wet, or monsoonal, or cyclonic.

It's the perfect time to book an appointment to have your plumbing and drainage systems inspected in you think you may have a problem, such as a water leak, wet, damp or flooded basement. Or even if you are just using more water than you feel you should be using.

Give us a call at 604-739-2000 and have a licensed plumber perform an inspection of your homes plumbing system.

Drain Maintenance:
March 19th 2012

Preventative maintenance is always less expensive than having to repair a major problem. This is true when it comes to maintaining your kitchen or bathroom drains.

Here are some easy to follow tips that will help keep your drains in your home flowing nicely.

1-You should never throw liquids down your drain that will solidify in a few hours. This will expend in your pipe when it mixes with water and can clog or even damage your drains.

2-Keep your sink free of food particles that can clog your drain. You can purchase a strainer from any store to keep food or larger items going down the drain.  Food build up can cause unpleasant odours, blockage.

3- Running hot water down the drain on a regular basis will keep the pipe flowing clean. Baking soda is an excellent alternative to harsh chemicals to disinfect the pipe, eliminate fatty substances and general grime.

4- COFFEE GRINDS  should never be flushed down the kitchen drain. It will build up at the bottom of the p-trap with already existing general grime and will cause a blockage that will require a plumber to snake out the drain. This can be expensive. Throwing down coffee grinds in the kitchen sink is the number one cause of service calls in the industry.

5-Clean your pop up stoppers on a regular basis.

Quick Tips:
If you run into a clog that causes serious concern or non of the trouble shooting tips listed above will solve, please contact us and we will be happy to help with all your plumbing tips.

It's Saint Patrick's Day:
March 14th 2012

Saint Patrick's Day (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig (The Festival of Patrick); Ulster-Scots: Saunt Petherick's Day) is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland), the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a celebration of Irish culture in general.

The day is generally characterised by the attendance of church services, wearing of green attireand the lifting of Lenten restrictions on eating, and drinking alcohol, which is often proscribed during the rest of the season.

Saint Patrick's Day is a public holiday in the Republic of Ireland,Northern Ireland, Newfoundland and Labrador and in Montserrat. It is also widely celebrated by the Irish diaspora, especially in places such as Great Britain, Canada, the United States, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand, among others. Today, St. Patrick's Day is probably the most widely celebrated saint's day in the world.

In Canada: One of the longest-running Saint Patrick's Day parades in North America occurs each year in Montreal, the flag of which has a shamrock in one of its corners. The parades have been held in continuity since 1824.

In Quebec City, there was a parade from 1837 to 1926. The Quebec St-Patrick Parade returned in 2010, after an absence of more than 84 years. For the occasion, a portion of the NYPD Pipes and Drums were present as special guests.

The Toronto Maple Leafs hockey team was known as the Toronto St. Patricks from 1919 to 1927, and wore green jerseys. In 1999, when the Maple Leafs played on Hockey Night in Canada (national broadcast of the NHL) on Saint Patrick's Day, they wore the green St. Patrick's day-themed retro uniforms. There is a large parade in the city's downtown core that attracts over 100,000 spectators. [citation needed]

Some groups, notably Guinness, have lobbied to make Saint Patrick's Day a national holiday in Canada. Currently, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador is the only jurisdiction in Canada where Saint Patrick's Day is a provincial holiday.

In March 2009, the Calgary Tower had changed its top exterior lights to new green-coloured CFL bulbs just in time for Saint Patrick's Day. The lights were in fact part of the environmental non-profit organisation, Project Porchlight, and were Green to represent environmental concerns. Approximately 210 lights were changed in time for Saint Patrick's Day and almost resemble a Leprechaun's hat during the evening light. After a week, regular white CFLs took their place, saving the Calgary Tower around $12,000 and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 104 metric tonnes in the process.

Now that the clocks have sprung a head 1 hour and spring is fast approaching, it's the perfect time to check on your plumbing systems. The Plumbers Site has a large listing of plumbers in your area who specialize in repairing broken or damaged sewer and water lines, drain tile problems that can cause major leaks into your home causing you to have a wet or even flooded basement.

Vancouvers Best Plumber invites you to shop around for the plumbing experts to help solve and repair your problems, but in the end we are sure you will choose our company which has over 25 years of experience and a fleet of trucks with licensed plumbers available 7 days a week, should a serious plumbing problem occur.

www.theplumberssite.com

Garbage Disposal Care:
March 10th 2012

A garbage disposal unit or waste disposal unit is a device, usually electrically powered, installed under a kitchen sink between the sink's drain and the trap which shreds food waste into pieces small enough—generally less than 2 mm (0.079 in)—to pass through plumbing.[1]

Garbage disposal units are widely used in North American households, but far less commonly used elsewhere. In Canada, they are commonly called garburators

Garburators are hardly ever thought about ..... until they stop working, start giving off strange smells or sound like a blender filled with foreign metal objects.

A garburator is basically a hefty motor attached to an impeller that pulverizes food until it is small enough to pass into the drain pipe as you run water into the unit. Garburators are usually very reliable but many older older ones tend to have problems, if they have not been used in a while.

The switch is the biggest problem that causes the unit to not operate any longer. You usually will find out you have a problem when scraps from your last meal, snack, etc are to big to go down the drain and cause that nasty smell.

Quick Tips:

If it is smelling sour, cut up a lemon and dump it into the unit to help clean off whatever it is that is causing the odour. In fact, once a month or so, it doesn’t hurt to cycle the unit, to be sure it doesn’t seize up again.

You should also avoid putting in onions, carrots, celery and banana peels which do not break up well in the disposal.  You should always keep a cover on the Garburator opening to avoid dropping unwanted items in the garbage disposal.

Vancouvers Best Plumber:
March 5th 2012

Vancouvers Best Plumber. We have offices in Vancouver Burnaby, Coquitlam, Delta, Langley, Maple Ridge, New Westminster, North Vancouver Richmond, Surrey and Vancouver, BC. Canada

We are plumbing specialists in no dig trenchless sewer and water line repairs and replacement. We can replace your sewer and water lines without digging a trench, therefore we do not damage your lawns, gardens or even you driveway.

We use our own patented trenchless "Pipe Genie" pipe bursting equipment to get the job done right on time and at the best possible price.

We guarantee all of our work and have licensed plumbers available 7 days a week should an emergency arise or if you just need to replace your sewer or water line before a major problem can occur.

Your sewer or water line can turn into a huge problem due to age, corrosion and tree roots evading your lines that may have been damaged. Our plumbing experts are here to help you. With over 25 years of experience you can be assured that we will do the job right the first time.

Call our central office at: 604-739-2000 for a free quote on repairing you sewer or water lines, drain tiles or any other plumbing problems you have.

March Events In Vancouver:
March 1st 2012

Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival - February 27 – March 4, 2012
The 2012 Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival will serve 1,600+ wines from over 183 wineries representing 15 countries at 61 events.

Vancouver International Dance Festival – March 2-11, 2012
A social-profit, artist run exhibit that takes to the stage during March 2011. We aim to share with you the most cutting-edge, thought provoking, visually stimulating, exciting new dance works available anywhere.

CelticFest – March 10, and 14-18, 2012
With 50+ live Celtic performances over 6 days, the CelticFest showcases the best of Celtic music, dance, spoken word as well as film, food and fare and the much-anticipated St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

Trade Shows In Vancouver:

GLOBE Expo
Date: 14-MAR-12 to 16-MAR-12
GLOBE 2012 Trade Fair will be the 12th event in the GLOBE series of biennial conferences and trade fairs on the business of the environment. This series of events is dedicated to bringing together professionals from the environment sector. Every two years, corporate executives, government representatives, environmental senior managers, urban planners and financial executives meet to discuss emerging priorities and opportunities in the business of the environment.

Venue: Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Business Career Expo
Date: 23-MAR-12 to 23-MAR-12
The 8th Annual Business Career Expo is exclusively open to students and alumni from SFU Business and the Sauder School of Business, UBC. This was attended by over 100 companies, more than 450 company representatives and 900 undergraduate & graduate students and alumni. Attending Business Career Expo is your opportunity to explore your career options, network with industry leaders in a professional atmosphere.

Venue: The Westin Bayshore Vancouver, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

The World MoneyShow Vancouver
Date: 27-MAR-12 to 29-MAR-12
The World MoneyShow Vancouver is one of the top most events which bring together all the individual investors, financial experts, and investors, traders, leading financial services firms and the top investment media partners together in a live forum from different corners of the world. As we know that the recent global market is facing recession which has prompted investors to take more personal control of their portfolios than ever before. Before this, a need to understand new economic forces was never arised. This year massive worldwide stimulus has impacted investment markets. Thus watching the need of having in-depth knowledge about the markets, the organizers have arranged the World MoneyShow Vancouver.

Venue: Vancouver Convention & Exhibition Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

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