News
January 2012
ARC Becomes Nest Certified Professional
ARC is proud to announce that we are a Nest Certified Professional. The designation means we are certified to install the Nest Learning Thermostat. Unlike programmable thermostats, the Nest thermostat learns about you and your schedule.
While learning starts the minute the Nest is installed, it will take time. Nest’s energy saving features like Auto-Away and Time to Temperature won’t be available right after installation. Nest will usually need a week or less to customize these features to your home. A notification will appear on the screen when each feature is ready.
The Nest Leaf will appear on the display the first day it’s installed. During the first few days, the Leaf is based on set temperatures. As Nest learns during the first week, the Leaf will be personalized to your home and schedule. The temperatures that merit the Leaf will change over time, as Nest learns and as you save energy.
Right after Nest is installed, it will default to a temperature of 68 degrees if heating and 76 degrees if cooling. Nest will hold these defaults until you change the temperature. The first day, Nest will hold any temperature you choose unless you change it, just like a regular manual thermostat.
At midnight, Nest will add the changes you made the first day to your schedule. So if you turned Nest to 70 after you installed it at 5pm and turned it down before you went to bed, Nest will turn to 70 at 5 and turn down before you go to bed the next day, too. All changes you make each day are learned as part of the next day’s schedule.
Regardless of the schedule, Nest will always listen to you first. No matter what, when you change the temperature by turning the ring, Nest will keep that temperature until the next scheduled temperature change - or until you change it again.
After a few days, Nest will have learned your basic personal schedule. You’ll have taught Nest what temperatures you like when you wake up, when you go to work, when you relax around the house. To see or change the schedule that Nest has learned from you, go to SCHEDULE in the Nest menu.
Once Nest has learned your personal schedule (after about a week), it will be less sensitive to each change that you make. Going forward, Nest will only learn from a pattern of at least two similar changes.
After the first week in your home, all of Nest's energy saving features are ready to go. Using Nest Sense™ (a combination of Nests' sensors and algorithms, including both near and far field activity sensors), Auto-Away will start automatically turning the thermostat down when no one is home, so you don’t heat or cool an empty home. When you return, a message on Nest’s display will tell you how long Auto-Away has been in effect and saving energy.
Time to Temperature is an estimate of how long it will take to heat or cool your home to the temperature you’ve chosen. Use Time to Temperature to help you save energy. Cranking the heat up to 90 won’t make your home heat up any faster, but could waste energy if you don’t remember to turn it down. Turn the temperature to what will make you comfortable and you’ll know how long it will take to get there.
To teach Nest to save energy, teach it good habits: turn it down before you go to bed, before you leave the house, or any time you would turn down a regular thermostat to save energy--the difference is, Nest will learn these changes. You can see the results of teaching Nest good habits in the energy history display.
ARC Service Technicians Achieve NORA Silver Certification
ARC is proud to announce the recent NORA (National Oilheat Research Alliance) certification of four service technicians. Adam Cate, a North Sutton, NH, resident; Shaylor Duranleau, a Claremont, NH, resident; Rob Ingalls, a Thetford, VT, resident, and Ray Welch, a Wentworth, NH, resident are now Silver Certified Technicians.
Silver certification, which is good for five years, requires three years of experience plus 100 hours of training. The exam has 100 multiple choice questions and 78 correct answers are required to pass. To renew Silver certification, technicians need 24 continuing education credits, or can retake the Silver test or test for Gold certification.
ARC is committed to the continuing education and training of our technicians, installers, estimators and project managers. In 2007, ARC decided to hire young, unskilled workers fresh out of school and train them in house. We select people with good attitudes, good learning skills and a desire to work, and then educate them and team them up with good mentors. ARC’s approach to training, licensing and certifying our own staff has proven successful. Some of these young inexperienced employees are now licensed team leaders, foremen, mentors and trainers for the next group of apprentices. ARC created our own HVAC apprenticeship program, and is also actively involved with HVAC apprenticeship programs in the states of Vermont and New Hampshire.
The NORA Oilheat Technician Certification Program provides a national standard for Technician Training. It gives credibility and recognition to Master Technicians. It encourages Technicians to become perpetual students by requiring Continuing Education. It builds upon and supplements existing education programs. It gives companies who invest in education for their Technicians a way to differentiate themselves from those companies that do not. Currently, there are over 10,000 NORA certified technicians.
The diagnostic tools technicians use have also improved dramatically. New digital test equipment gives technicians the information they need
to maximize a system's safety, efficiency, and reliability.
NORA is a collaborative program established by the oilheating industry to strengthen the industry by improving education and training for employees in the industry, providing customers more information, and developing new products for customers. The oilheating industry is a small fragmented industry, and NORA provided the opportunity and ability to work cooperatively for a better and stronger industry. NORA has developed world class education programs, new efficient appliances, and strong consumer education campaigns highlighting the benefits of oilheat and the need to improve efficiency. For more information about NORA, please visit their website.
October 2011
Freeaire Refrigeration Certifies ARC Mechanical to Help Spread "Polar Power"
WAITSFIELD, VT – Freeaire Refrigeration of Waitsfield, Vermont has recently partnered with ARC Mechanical Contractors, Inc. to help businesses minimize the money spent on costly refrigeration and lessen their environmental impact. Freeaire manufactures products that can cut refrigeration costs by as much as 60 percent using cold outside air and an electronic controller engineered for overall system efficiency. Several ARC employees recently received training at a Freeaire training session and are now certified to install, maintain and draw energy data from Freeaire systems.
“Equipping ARC with the tools and knowledge to install and maintain Freeaire® systems will provide greater access to the energy and money savings of these systems for area businesses,” said Freeaire’s president and founder, Richard Travers. “Businesses in cooler climates can significantly cut costs, as well as reduce carbon emissions, by harnessing a widely available, free resource – cold outside air. Our systems were designed here and thrive in this climate.”
To achieve maximum energy savings, each Freeaire system features a powerful computer called the Cooler Controller™. In any climate this computer ensures that each component of business’s conventional compressor-based refrigeration system operates only as much as necessary. In colder climates, the Polar Power Package™ serves to harness cold, super-filtered outside air to be used inside for cooling, using just a fraction of the energy. The rebates currently available from Efficiency Vermont and many of New England’s electric utilities provide additional incentives for companies to install Freeaire systems.
“The energy savings that can be realized by utilizing the Freeaire system are obvious,” said Kevin Morrison, sales associate at ARC. “We feel we owe it to our existing customer base to expose this opportunity to them.”
Founded in 1947, ARC has provided superior heating, cooling, ventilation, refrigeration and plumbing services throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, with locations in Bradford, VT and Lebanon and Littleton, NH. By being trained on how the Freeaire system works and certified in the installation process, ARC technicians are now able to install and maintain Freeaire systems.
“Freeaire is another way for us to promote sustainability in the energy industry as we seek to take advantage of every opportunity to ensure our future growth and profitability,” adds Morrison. “Freeaire gives us another important tool do so, and they are a Vermont company. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Freeaire holds training sessions in Waitsfield to certify HVACR contractors in installing and maintaining its systems. For more information about Freeaire Refrigeration please visit www.freeaire.com.
September 2011
ARC's Staff Achieve NATE Certification
ARC is proud to announce the recent first NATE certification of four staff members. In addition, five staff members added specialty certifications to their credentials. This recent round of NATE certifications means ARC has 12 NATE-certified staff members.
Achieved First NATE Certification
Achieved Additional NATE Certifications
August 2011
ARC Announces Organizational Changes
ARC Mechanical Contractor’s president and owner, Wil Buskey, announced significant changes to the company’s corporate structure. With retirement approaching, Wil has redefined the management team that will steer ARC to a future without him. For nearly 45 years, Wil has been involved in nearly every aspect in the heating, cooling, and refrigeration business; and for the last 12 years, has been the driving force behind ARC.
Wil’s new role as Chief Executive Officer allows him to continue to guide the company’s direction, but the day-to-day operations of ARC will now be handled by Jody Perkins, ARC’s current service manager and new president. Jody’s role as service manager will not change for the immediate future.
“I’m very happy with my new role and feel I am up to the challenge to continue ARC’s growth with a thoughtful, considered approach,” says Jody Perkins, ARC’s new president. Jody has been with ARC since 1992 where he started as a service technician. In 2005 he became the service department manager. Jody holds a number of licenses and certifications, including four NATE (North American Technician Excellence) certifications.
ARC’s redefined management team:
April 2011
ARC Plumber Achieves Journeyman Plumber License
Shaylor Duranleau, a Claremont, New Hampshire resident, has achieved his New Hampshire journeyman plumber’s license. Shaylor already has a Vermont journeyman plumber’s license. Becoming a journeyman plumber is a major undertaking that requires years of work, study and preparation. ARC currently employs 3 fourth-year plumber apprentices, 8 journeyman plumbers and 10 master plumbers.
To become a licensed plumber in Vermont or New Hampshire, an apprenticeship program must be completed. The program begins when a candidate is hired by an apprentice sponsor (employer). An apprentice employer must be a Master Plumber. The apprentice then begins a 4 year program which includes 2000 hours per year of on-the-job training and 144 hours of classroom-related instruction. The classroom instruction is run by state instructors. The related instruction includes safety, construction math, plans & spec reading, instruction in plumbing code, heating systems, and a variety of other related topics.
Upon completion of 4 years or 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and successful completion of related instruction, the candidate is eligible to take the Journeyman Written Exam. When the exam is successfully passed, the candidate can apply for a Journeyman License with either state.
So why should you hire a licensed plumber? Plumbing isn't difficult, but it requires a lot of knowledge. Plumbers need parts knowledge and experience with materials, in addition to code requirements. For example, knowing how hard you can crank on PVC before it cracks takes time to master. Not having a feel for this can turn a $10 repair into a minor disaster.
Perhaps the most important reason to hire a licensed plumber is related to your health and safety. Plumbers not only fix leaking pipes, but they help prevent the spread of diseases that could occur when there is a cross connection between sewer and water lines. Plumbers work on pressure vessels (water heaters) that could explode and destroy a home if not properly installed.
When you have a major remodeling project, you’ll want a plumber who works well with the other contractors. While many plumbers seem to know plumbing and can handle the repairs needed when working alone, they may have little experience with extensive home remodeling projects that require coordination with others on the job, such as electricians and carpenters.
When choosing a plumber, ask for proof of a license. In New Hampshire and Vermont, plumbers are required to be licensed. Any plumber you consider should also hold a current workers' compensation policy and a minimum of $500,000 liability insurance.
Establish a relationship with a plumber before you need one. Hire a plumber to do non-emergency repairs or fixture installations during normal hours. You’re more likely to get their attention if you're an established customer and not a panicked stranger calling at 10 p.m. on a Friday night with a gushing waste pipe in the cellar.
February 2011
Andrew Courchesne Joins ARC As Sales Manager
Andrew Courchesne, a resident of Springfield, Vermont, recently joined ARC as sales manager. Andrew brings many years of sales training and operations experience to ARC. For the past 11 years Andrew was a territory manager in the cutting tool industry. His position involved working with distributors on their sales and operation. He traveled throughout the USA working with sales reps helping them increase sales and building strong relationships between the manufacturer and distributor. He also worked on product development and created many new tools. He has also owned and operated his own construction company.
January 2011
ARC Announces Oldest Furnace or Boiler Contest Winner
Last fall, ARC held a contest to find the oldest operating furnace or boiler in Caledonia, Orange and Windsor counties in Vermont; and Grafton and Sullivan counties in New Hampshire. ARC was overwhelmed by the response to the contest, which brought in over 100 entries! We planned to end the contest and announce a winner before Christmas, but although we quit taking entries December 17, we wanted to give everyone who entered a chance to meet with us so we could verify their furnace or boilers age. All contestants received a $500 gift certificate valid through May this year to be used towards a heating system replacement or A/C system installation.
We’re happy to announce that the contest winner is a vintage United Radiator boiler in the West Lebanon home of Marjorie & Peter Decato. ARC will replace the old boiler, which is original to the 1900s house, with a new Peerless oil-fired steam boiler - an 85.1% AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency), which meets the ENERGY STAR® guidelines for energy efficiency. The new boiler is about half the size of the antique it replaced. With a new higher-efficiency boiler, not only will they notice a big difference in their heating oil bills, they’ll be safer and more comfortable.
Although Mr. & Mrs. Decato were delighted that their antique boiler was the contest winner, they weren’t quite sure if they were willing to accept the prize because they realized the replacement wasn’t going to be a simple matter. The existing boiler, although well maintained, is covered with asbestos, which needs to be removed by certified, specially-trained technicians. The underground oil tank also needs to be replaced, requiring the transfer of the oil to a new indoor storage tank. The existing tank will need to be capped and removed by an excavation company.
Although ARC doesn’t provide these services, we offered to assist the Decatos in coordinating the asbestos removal with Dectam Corporation, a Massachusetts-based company certified to handle asbestos. We will also help with requesting bids from several excavation companies.
"The contest was an eye opener,” says ARC Service Manager Jody Perkins. “It’s amazing how many homeowners still rely on old, inefficient and sometimes hazardous furnaces or boilers to heat their homes. Almost all the entries we examined had inefficient units using as much as 600% more energy to heat their homes than a new system would require. Many of the old furnaces and boilers even showed signs of rusted heat exchangers which could be very dangerous for their families.”
ARC found several old furnaces and boilers. Click here to see pictures.
January 2012
ARC Becomes Nest Certified Professional
ARC is proud to announce that we are a Nest Certified Professional. The designation means we are certified to install the Nest Learning Thermostat. Unlike programmable thermostats, the Nest thermostat learns about you and your schedule. While learning starts the minute the Nest is installed, it will take time. Nest’s energy saving features like Auto-Away and Time to Temperature won’t be available right after installation. Nest will usually need a week or less to customize these features to your home. A notification will appear on the screen when each feature is ready.
The Nest Leaf will appear on the display the first day it’s installed. During the first few days, the Leaf is based on set temperatures. As Nest learns during the first week, the Leaf will be personalized to your home and schedule. The temperatures that merit the Leaf will change over time, as Nest learns and as you save energy.
Right after Nest is installed, it will default to a temperature of 68 degrees if heating and 76 degrees if cooling. Nest will hold these defaults until you change the temperature. The first day, Nest will hold any temperature you choose unless you change it, just like a regular manual thermostat.
At midnight, Nest will add the changes you made the first day to your schedule. So if you turned Nest to 70 after you installed it at 5pm and turned it down before you went to bed, Nest will turn to 70 at 5 and turn down before you go to bed the next day, too. All changes you make each day are learned as part of the next day’s schedule.
Regardless of the schedule, Nest will always listen to you first. No matter what, when you change the temperature by turning the ring, Nest will keep that temperature until the next scheduled temperature change - or until you change it again.
After a few days, Nest will have learned your basic personal schedule. You’ll have taught Nest what temperatures you like when you wake up, when you go to work, when you relax around the house. To see or change the schedule that Nest has learned from you, go to SCHEDULE in the Nest menu.
Once Nest has learned your personal schedule (after about a week), it will be less sensitive to each change that you make. Going forward, Nest will only learn from a pattern of at least two similar changes.
After the first week in your home, all of Nest's energy saving features are ready to go. Using Nest Sense™ (a combination of Nests' sensors and algorithms, including both near and far field activity sensors), Auto-Away will start automatically turning the thermostat down when no one is home, so you don’t heat or cool an empty home. When you return, a message on Nest’s display will tell you how long Auto-Away has been in effect and saving energy.
Time to Temperature is an estimate of how long it will take to heat or cool your home to the temperature you’ve chosen. Use Time to Temperature to help you save energy. Cranking the heat up to 90 won’t make your home heat up any faster, but could waste energy if you don’t remember to turn it down. Turn the temperature to what will make you comfortable and you’ll know how long it will take to get there.
To teach Nest to save energy, teach it good habits: turn it down before you go to bed, before you leave the house, or any time you would turn down a regular thermostat to save energy--the difference is, Nest will learn these changes. You can see the results of teaching Nest good habits in the energy history display.
ARC Service Technicians Achieve NORA Silver Certification
ARC is proud to announce the recent NORA (National Oilheat Research Alliance) certification of four service technicians. Adam Cate, a North Sutton, NH, resident; Shaylor Duranleau, a Claremont, NH, resident; Rob Ingalls, a Thetford, VT, resident, and Ray Welch, a Wentworth, NH, resident are now Silver Certified Technicians. Silver certification, which is good for five years, requires three years of experience plus 100 hours of training. The exam has 100 multiple choice questions and 78 correct answers are required to pass. To renew Silver certification, technicians need 24 continuing education credits, or can retake the Silver test or test for Gold certification.
ARC is committed to the continuing education and training of our technicians, installers, estimators and project managers. In 2007, ARC decided to hire young, unskilled workers fresh out of school and train them in house. We select people with good attitudes, good learning skills and a desire to work, and then educate them and team them up with good mentors. ARC’s approach to training, licensing and certifying our own staff has proven successful. Some of these young inexperienced employees are now licensed team leaders, foremen, mentors and trainers for the next group of apprentices. ARC created our own HVAC apprenticeship program, and is also actively involved with HVAC apprenticeship programs in the states of Vermont and New Hampshire.The NORA Oilheat Technician Certification Program provides a national standard for Technician Training. It gives credibility and recognition to Master Technicians. It encourages Technicians to become perpetual students by requiring Continuing Education. It builds upon and supplements existing education programs. It gives companies who invest in education for their Technicians a way to differentiate themselves from those companies that do not. Currently, there are over 10,000 NORA certified technicians.The diagnostic tools technicians use have also improved dramatically. New digital test equipment gives technicians the information they need
to maximize a system's safety, efficiency, and reliability.NORA is a collaborative program established by the oilheating industry to strengthen the industry by improving education and training for employees in the industry, providing customers more information, and developing new products for customers. The oilheating industry is a small fragmented industry, and NORA provided the opportunity and ability to work cooperatively for a better and stronger industry. NORA has developed world class education programs, new efficient appliances, and strong consumer education campaigns highlighting the benefits of oilheat and the need to improve efficiency. For more information about NORA, please visit their website.
October 2011
Freeaire Refrigeration Certifies ARC Mechanical to Help Spread "Polar Power"WAITSFIELD, VT – Freeaire Refrigeration of Waitsfield, Vermont has recently partnered with ARC Mechanical Contractors, Inc. to help businesses minimize the money spent on costly refrigeration and lessen their environmental impact. Freeaire manufactures products that can cut refrigeration costs by as much as 60 percent using cold outside air and an electronic controller engineered for overall system efficiency. Several ARC employees recently received training at a Freeaire training session and are now certified to install, maintain and draw energy data from Freeaire systems.
“Equipping ARC with the tools and knowledge to install and maintain Freeaire® systems will provide greater access to the energy and money savings of these systems for area businesses,” said Freeaire’s president and founder, Richard Travers. “Businesses in cooler climates can significantly cut costs, as well as reduce carbon emissions, by harnessing a widely available, free resource – cold outside air. Our systems were designed here and thrive in this climate.”
To achieve maximum energy savings, each Freeaire system features a powerful computer called the Cooler Controller™. In any climate this computer ensures that each component of business’s conventional compressor-based refrigeration system operates only as much as necessary. In colder climates, the Polar Power Package™ serves to harness cold, super-filtered outside air to be used inside for cooling, using just a fraction of the energy. The rebates currently available from Efficiency Vermont and many of New England’s electric utilities provide additional incentives for companies to install Freeaire systems.
“The energy savings that can be realized by utilizing the Freeaire system are obvious,” said Kevin Morrison, sales associate at ARC. “We feel we owe it to our existing customer base to expose this opportunity to them.”
Founded in 1947, ARC has provided superior heating, cooling, ventilation, refrigeration and plumbing services throughout Vermont and New Hampshire, with locations in Bradford, VT and Lebanon and Littleton, NH. By being trained on how the Freeaire system works and certified in the installation process, ARC technicians are now able to install and maintain Freeaire systems.
“Freeaire is another way for us to promote sustainability in the energy industry as we seek to take advantage of every opportunity to ensure our future growth and profitability,” adds Morrison. “Freeaire gives us another important tool do so, and they are a Vermont company. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
Freeaire holds training sessions in Waitsfield to certify HVACR contractors in installing and maintaining its systems. For more information about Freeaire Refrigeration please visit www.freeaire.com.
September 2011
ARC's Staff Achieve NATE Certification
ARC is proud to announce the recent first NATE certification of four staff members. In addition, five staff members added specialty certifications to their credentials. This recent round of NATE certifications means ARC has 12 NATE-certified staff members.
Achieved First NATE Certification
- Adam Cate, a North Sutton, NH resident, achieved a Service and Installation certification in Air-to-Air Heat Pumps, and Air Conditioning.
- Kip Gendron, a Corinth, VT resident, achieved an Installation certification in Gas Hydronics.
- Rob Ingalls, a Thetford, VT resident, achieved a Service and Installation certification in Gas Hydronics.
- Andy Tomlinson, a Newbury, VT resident, achieved an Installation certification in Gas Furnaces. Andy is also a licensed gas fitter.
Achieved Additional NATE Certifications
- Rich Cutone, a Groton, VT resident, achieved a Service and Installation certification in Gas Hydronics. Rich already has a Service and Installation certification in Air-to-Air Heat Pumps, and Air Conditioning.
- Stephen Ingalls, a Thetford, VT resident, achieved a Service and Installation certification in Gas Hydronics. Stephen already has a Service and Installation certification in Air-to-Air Heat Pumps, and Air Conditioning.
- Jody Perkins, a Plainfield, NH resident, and ARC's service manager and president, achieved a Service and Installation certification in
Commercial Refrigeration. Jody already holds four Service and Installation NATE certifications: Gas Hydronics, Light Commercial Refrigeration, Air-to-Air Heat Pumps, and Air Conditioning. Jody also holds a gas fitters license. - Brad Roy, a Woodsville, NH resident, achieved a Service and Installation certification in Gas Hydronics and Commercial Refrigeration. Brad already has a Service and Installation certification in Air-to-Air Heat Pumps, and Air Conditioning. Brad also holds a gas license.
- Ray Welch, a Wentworth, NH resident, achieved a Service and Installation certification in Air-to-Air Heat Pumps, and Air Conditioning. Ray already has a Service and Installation certification in Gas Hydronics.
August 2011
ARC Announces Organizational ChangesARC Mechanical Contractor’s president and owner, Wil Buskey, announced significant changes to the company’s corporate structure. With retirement approaching, Wil has redefined the management team that will steer ARC to a future without him. For nearly 45 years, Wil has been involved in nearly every aspect in the heating, cooling, and refrigeration business; and for the last 12 years, has been the driving force behind ARC.
Wil’s new role as Chief Executive Officer allows him to continue to guide the company’s direction, but the day-to-day operations of ARC will now be handled by Jody Perkins, ARC’s current service manager and new president. Jody’s role as service manager will not change for the immediate future.
“I’m very happy with my new role and feel I am up to the challenge to continue ARC’s growth with a thoughtful, considered approach,” says Jody Perkins, ARC’s new president. Jody has been with ARC since 1992 where he started as a service technician. In 2005 he became the service department manager. Jody holds a number of licenses and certifications, including four NATE (North American Technician Excellence) certifications.
ARC’s redefined management team:
- Wilton L. Buskey, Chief Executive Officer
- Jody Perkins, President, Service Manager
- Brian Sager, Vice President, Chief of Engineering and Design
- Andy Courchesne, Vice President, Sales and Operations Manager
- Wayne Vanasse, General Manager, Chief Financial Officer
April 2011
ARC Plumber Achieves Journeyman Plumber LicenseShaylor Duranleau, a Claremont, New Hampshire resident, has achieved his New Hampshire journeyman plumber’s license. Shaylor already has a Vermont journeyman plumber’s license. Becoming a journeyman plumber is a major undertaking that requires years of work, study and preparation. ARC currently employs 3 fourth-year plumber apprentices, 8 journeyman plumbers and 10 master plumbers.
To become a licensed plumber in Vermont or New Hampshire, an apprenticeship program must be completed. The program begins when a candidate is hired by an apprentice sponsor (employer). An apprentice employer must be a Master Plumber. The apprentice then begins a 4 year program which includes 2000 hours per year of on-the-job training and 144 hours of classroom-related instruction. The classroom instruction is run by state instructors. The related instruction includes safety, construction math, plans & spec reading, instruction in plumbing code, heating systems, and a variety of other related topics.
Upon completion of 4 years or 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and successful completion of related instruction, the candidate is eligible to take the Journeyman Written Exam. When the exam is successfully passed, the candidate can apply for a Journeyman License with either state.
So why should you hire a licensed plumber? Plumbing isn't difficult, but it requires a lot of knowledge. Plumbers need parts knowledge and experience with materials, in addition to code requirements. For example, knowing how hard you can crank on PVC before it cracks takes time to master. Not having a feel for this can turn a $10 repair into a minor disaster.
Perhaps the most important reason to hire a licensed plumber is related to your health and safety. Plumbers not only fix leaking pipes, but they help prevent the spread of diseases that could occur when there is a cross connection between sewer and water lines. Plumbers work on pressure vessels (water heaters) that could explode and destroy a home if not properly installed.
When you have a major remodeling project, you’ll want a plumber who works well with the other contractors. While many plumbers seem to know plumbing and can handle the repairs needed when working alone, they may have little experience with extensive home remodeling projects that require coordination with others on the job, such as electricians and carpenters.
When choosing a plumber, ask for proof of a license. In New Hampshire and Vermont, plumbers are required to be licensed. Any plumber you consider should also hold a current workers' compensation policy and a minimum of $500,000 liability insurance.
Establish a relationship with a plumber before you need one. Hire a plumber to do non-emergency repairs or fixture installations during normal hours. You’re more likely to get their attention if you're an established customer and not a panicked stranger calling at 10 p.m. on a Friday night with a gushing waste pipe in the cellar.
February 2011
Andrew Courchesne Joins ARC As Sales Manager
Andrew Courchesne, a resident of Springfield, Vermont, recently joined ARC as sales manager. Andrew brings many years of sales training and operations experience to ARC. For the past 11 years Andrew was a territory manager in the cutting tool industry. His position involved working with distributors on their sales and operation. He traveled throughout the USA working with sales reps helping them increase sales and building strong relationships between the manufacturer and distributor. He also worked on product development and created many new tools. He has also owned and operated his own construction company.January 2011
ARC Announces Oldest Furnace or Boiler Contest Winner
Last fall, ARC held a contest to find the oldest operating furnace or boiler in Caledonia, Orange and Windsor counties in Vermont; and Grafton and Sullivan counties in New Hampshire. ARC was overwhelmed by the response to the contest, which brought in over 100 entries! We planned to end the contest and announce a winner before Christmas, but although we quit taking entries December 17, we wanted to give everyone who entered a chance to meet with us so we could verify their furnace or boilers age. All contestants received a $500 gift certificate valid through May this year to be used towards a heating system replacement or A/C system installation.
We’re happy to announce that the contest winner is a vintage United Radiator boiler in the West Lebanon home of Marjorie & Peter Decato. ARC will replace the old boiler, which is original to the 1900s house, with a new Peerless oil-fired steam boiler - an 85.1% AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency), which meets the ENERGY STAR® guidelines for energy efficiency. The new boiler is about half the size of the antique it replaced. With a new higher-efficiency boiler, not only will they notice a big difference in their heating oil bills, they’ll be safer and more comfortable.Although Mr. & Mrs. Decato were delighted that their antique boiler was the contest winner, they weren’t quite sure if they were willing to accept the prize because they realized the replacement wasn’t going to be a simple matter. The existing boiler, although well maintained, is covered with asbestos, which needs to be removed by certified, specially-trained technicians. The underground oil tank also needs to be replaced, requiring the transfer of the oil to a new indoor storage tank. The existing tank will need to be capped and removed by an excavation company.
Although ARC doesn’t provide these services, we offered to assist the Decatos in coordinating the asbestos removal with Dectam Corporation, a Massachusetts-based company certified to handle asbestos. We will also help with requesting bids from several excavation companies.
"The contest was an eye opener,” says ARC Service Manager Jody Perkins. “It’s amazing how many homeowners still rely on old, inefficient and sometimes hazardous furnaces or boilers to heat their homes. Almost all the entries we examined had inefficient units using as much as 600% more energy to heat their homes than a new system would require. Many of the old furnaces and boilers even showed signs of rusted heat exchangers which could be very dangerous for their families.”
ARC found several old furnaces and boilers. Click here to see pictures.