Cold Weather Alert – Always Be Prepared
I know, right?!?! That was not the headline that you wanted to see. It’s not even officially Fall yet and here I am screaming about a cold weather alert!
But here’s the reality…
Cold weather is right around the corner. So what should you do to prepare for the cold? Simple….
Always Be Prepared
- Go visit your water heater…seriously. Go to where your water heater is located and get to know it. Write down the make, model and serial number and keep it in a place you will remember. Find the pilot light. Find the reset button if there is one. Better yet…find the manual for your water heater and, if you can’t find it, go to the manufacturer’s website and download the manual from there
- Check for leaks around the water heater. Call your water heater expert if you aren’t sure if water around the water heater qualifies as a leak…better safe than sorry
- If you can’t remember the last time you had preventative maintenance done on your water heater, it’s probably time. Call your water heater expert and schedule a preventative maintenance appointment.
- Make sure that the area around your water heater and furnace are free from clutter and chemicals. You want to maintain easy access to these machines at all times not only for convenience but for safety as well.
- Check out the cute video in the sidebar ….Baby It’s Cold Outside…
4 Ways to Better Handle Life’s Unexpected Emergencies
How would you describe your personality in emergencies? Are you calm and collected automatically going into triage mode? Or are you a panic who gets overwhelmed and disorganized in the face of unexpected emergencies? We at Hot Water 911 know what to tell our customers at the time that they are facing a water heater emergency so that we can successfully talk them off of the ledge. But, failed water heaters, flooded basements, power outages and wind damage are just a few of life’s unexpected emergencies that we can face more effectively if we have a plan in place…in other words, being pro-active is usually far more effective than being re-active. So what can you do to be prepared for life’s little emergencies?
4 Ways to Better Handle Life’s Unexpected Emergencies
1.) Create a list of important phone numbers that are easily accessible to you or to your family or house sitter, etc. Include in that list the numbers of a close and reliable contact, the police and fire department, the closest hospital, your family physicians, the electric company, the phone company and your water heater specialist, such as Hot Water 911 or plumber.
2.) Dedicate an easily accessible drawer for emergencies that contains batteries ( all types and a substantial supply of each), first aid kit, candles, lighters and flashlights.
3.) Dedicate a shelf in your kitchen pantry for foods that are non-perishable that can sustain your family for up to a week if the power is out and you cannot use your refrigerator or oven. Include non-dairy milk, cereals, canned beans, soups, crackers and freeze dried fruits.
4.) Create a plan for your family to follow if they are separated during an emergency that will allow you to reconnect. Review and run through the routes family members should take to return to the safety of their home or to the safety of a pre-arranged designated location.
Remember, we at Hot Water 911 are only a phone call away if you are experiencing a water heater emergency. Give us a call at 1-800-GO HOT WATER (1-800-464-6892) for water heater emergency questions or any questions related to handling life’s unexpected emergencies.
5 Reasons That We Are In The Business Of Making Friends
Being in the business of making friends has always been part of our mission statement at Hot Water 911 and here’s why.
I recently read a friends very heartfelt but very negative review of a restaurant that she had previously frequented. After being a fairly regular customer, she had a very negative experience at this restaurant this past weekend…negative enough to post a bad review on Yelp. As I read about the experience, I realized that, for the restaurant it did not have to end up this way. This restaurant could have had a glowing review if they had handled the situation with grace and kindness. But they made a decision. They decided that they were not in the business of making friends. And they couldn’t have been more wrong. And the end result for this restaurant might be devastating.
If you have a small business, it doesn’t matter what kind of business it is, you are in the business of making friends. Always. Period. And here’s why.
1.) As a small business, we rely on the kindness of others to utilize our services. That holds true for every small business… from customer service businesses to law offices to medical groups. Your business needs people. And if these people perceive you as a friend, it’s a win.
2.) Creating buzz for your business. If you have customers that are brand “friends”, they are going to create buzz for your brand. Why wouldn’t we want to provide the very best service possible for our great customers?
3.) Referrals are some of our favorite friends. When we create loyal and dedicated relationships with our customers AND our vendors, we are going to have meaningful relationships with the referrals that are sent our way. We LOVE our referred customers!
4.) Responding to those occasional negative outcomes almost always ends up being a positive. If we ignored those few less than optimal outcomes, we would not only be doing our valued customers a huge disservice but we would be doing our brand a disservice as well. If someone isn’t happy, it is our goal to make them happy AND …we don’t stop there… we strive to make them a friend of Hot Water 911. We want everyone to see that, if they aren’t happy, Hot Water 911 does everything in their power to correct that…and to make you want to do business with us again…and again…and again!
5.) We LOVE what we do! If you “feel” the love…if you “feel” our passion…you are going to want to be our friend. Because, you know, at the end of the day, Hot Water 911 is going to always have your back because, after all….water heaters are ALL we do!
Parts is Parts – 8 Things to Remember With Water Damaged Water Heaters
Do you remember that Wendy’s commercial back in the 80’s that made the expression “parts is parts” famous? You can refresh your memory by clicking on the video to the right or, if you can’t see it there, click here. The expression “parts is parts” popped into my head yesterday because we had another busy day at Hot Water 911 ‘s Parts Department as a result of the many flooded basements and damaged water heaters. We love being able to help you out if your water heater was affected by the rains that we had this past weekend. And, chances are, we have the parts for your particular water heater. But, that being said, just as in the Wendy’s commercial that differentiates between getting the real deal with chicken vs. settling for the parts of a chicken, we want to share with you a few things to keep in mind as you tackle your water heater.
8 Things to Remember When Dealing With Water Damaged Water Heaters
- We at Hot Water 911 do not advocate or recommend the permanent repair of water heaters that have been submerged in water for any length of time.
- The Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and the American Gas Association (AGA) both agree that if a water heater has been subjected to flooding, it needs to be replaced because of the potential for life safety issues, not the least of which is the propagation of mold
- If your intent is to make a temporary repair to your residential or commercial water heater, you must replace every part that got wet during the flooding.
- Any electrical parts that would have been subjected to a prolonged period of elevated humidity also must be replaced when you are doing your temporary repair.
- If you should be fortunate enough to have flood insurance, you must convince your insurance carrier that it is to nobody’s beneficial interest to assume that a repair to a flood damaged water heater is anything more than temporary
- When you are calling for parts to make that temporary repair to your water heater, be sure to have your full make, model and serial number of the unit in question available
- Always make sure that you use a fully trained manufacturer’s certified service agent to make the repairs…we do not recommend that the owner or anyone who is not factory trained attempt to make these repairs on their own
- Today’s water heaters are very complicated and require the exact part when repairing it…there is no longer a “one size fits all” water heater repair…it is no longer your father’s water heater