2018 Best of HomeAdvisor

by Admin | Apr 22, 2019 | Plumbing Tips

E.W. TOMPKINS EARNS 2018 BEST OF HOMEADVISOR AWARD

(Albany, NY April 22, 2019 Press Release)

E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling headquartered at 126 Sheridan Avenue in Albany NY , in the Sheridan Hollow Neighborhood, has just earned the 2018 BEST OF HOMEADVISOR AWARD. In order to earn this coveted award, the selected Pro must have obtained the following:

Active member for a minimum of 6 months
Minimum of 3 homeowner reviews in the last 6 months
Maintained an average rating of 4.0 or better
No homeowner complaints in the last 6 months

E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling has been a member since 2017. The company is a high performer with 145+ reviews during this 2 year period. This is unmatched in the Albany – Schenectady – Troy – Saratoga Springs area. No homeowner complaints have been recorded and they have since their start earned a 4.7 rating which is very much above the minimum of 4.0 for this award.

Licenced and bonded and established in 1921, E.W. Tompkins services the entire Capital Region of New York.

E.W. Tompkins installs toilets, installs shower fixtures, installs hot water heaters and tankless hot water heaters. They also install Weil McLain boilers. Insinkerator garbage disposal installations and Zoeller sump pump installations. E.W. Tompkins can install gas piping to your outside grill. For quality customer service, excellent timely communications and excellent workmanship, please call E.W. Tompkins Plumbing in the Capital Region of New York.

Please call for your next plumbing service 518-462-6577

When Call A Plumber

by Admin | Feb 19, 2019 | Plumbing Tips

Handymen are not Plumbers

We recently had a customer who called us about a serious leak in her home. She had delaying fixing it and how a ceiling was being ruined. We went over and completed the job quickly.

A second leak developed in this rather old Capital Region 2 family home. She called me again on a Sunday night. She was describing the leak and it seemed to be a tad different from the one we had dealt with. I pressed for more information.

It seemed that she wanted to “save a buck” and contacted a handyman to do some plumbing work. But — he did it incorrectly and BOOM – a “sharkbite connector” broke off and she was back to square #1. Another serious leak that damaged the ceiling.

A Handyman is not a Plumber. Period. They are great guys! Handymen are generalists and do so much great work but they are not plumbers. They do not know codes, do not necessarily have top of the line plumbing equipment like expensive high resolution video cameras, expensive brand name propress equipment, large expensive drain rooters and more!

If you are looking for the best in plumbing service in the Capital Region, contact a plumber. Check Google reviews! Our technicians understand plumbing codes and can typically address serious issues the first time. Do we cost more — YES. And our equipment costs MORE. But in the long run, we can address your issues the FIRST time. You get what you pay for. And we stand behind our work.

Water is water, a small issue can become a large damaging issue in no time. Cabinets, sheetrock and flooring can ruin in no time!. Do not allow someone to use “Sharkbites” on fixtures. We have seen damaging blowouts!!!

Call E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling if you are in Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Ballston Lake, East Greenbush, Delmar, Glenmont, Voorheesville, Saratoga Spring and all the wonderful places in between. We can generally get out there in a day to help!!!

Award Winning Plumber

by Admin | Feb 11, 2019 | Plumbing Tips

The Times Union Newspaper in the Capital Region has once again recognized E.W. Tompkins Plumbing Heating Cooling as a Finalist in their “Best of the Capital Region 2019” Contest.

We thank all our loyal customers for making this happen and voting for us! We are proud to be #3 in the Capital Region of Upstate New York.

Whether you are looking for a tankless water heater installation or boiler installation or you need a new sink installed with a faucet installation, you can count on our prompt, professional plumbers to do the job right!

Call us at 518-462-6577 to schedule your service or BOOK ONLINE on our home page.

Valves Found in Homes

by Admin | Feb 5, 2019 | Plumbing Tips

There are many types of valves used in a home. Since they are used to control the flow, its a good thing to know what they look like, to label what work they perform in your home, and check them periodically. Each type of valve works differently and their are always pros and cons to each type. Most are used in the home to control the amount of pressurized water that is coming in from your city water or from your welll. Some valves constrict the flow or shut it off entirely.

Ball Valve

Ball valves are pretty popular and are used for the main water shutoffs in the home. They are also used in other supply lines. They are pretty darn reliable. They are called a ball valve becuase they have a ball with a hole in the middle. They have one lever and it is turned a certain way the valve is open. When the handle is parallel to the cope, it is open and when its perpendicular, the line is closed. So, it is easy to understand and they are either on or off.

Gate Valve

Gate valves are also to be used when the water needs to be “on” or “off”. They are the most popular in plumbing valaves. They control the flow of the water by raising or lowering and internal “gate” inside the product. There is a knob at the top of the valve. Since you could wera them out if you are using them “half way”. This is not suggested. They are common and reliable on the main supply and to the branch lines in a home.

Fixture Shutoff Valve

There are “football” shaped valves under your toilets and sinks called “supply” or “shutoff valves”. There are typically silver colored and they are small have have a turning handle or know and they can contol the amount of water going to a sink or toilet. Angle valves or angle stops have a 90 degree version. These valves are never used on main shut offs. They are used primarily on toilets and faucets allowing you to shut off those fixtures without having to shut off the water to the entire house.

Globe Valve

Globe valves are used to regulate flow in plumbing applications. Globe valves are usually installed when the flow of water needs to be regulated or when it needs to be adjusted regularly. This sort of valve is raised or lowered by the valve knowvb. Inside it seals into a baffle to stop the flow of water. Globe valves are called this because they look globe-like or ball-like. Because globe valves are good for regulating flow, they are often used for the valves at outside hoses.

Check Valve

Check valves typically are used in water tanks around the home. Sometimes with other water storage tanks. They have an inlet where the water comes in and then an outlet where the water goes out. Most of the time the water is traveling in one direction. On a water tank, a check valve allows pumped or pressurized water to come into the tank. This valve does not allow the water to go back in. This is similar to a backflow preventer.

Pressure-Reducing Valve

This type of valve is pretty important. Sometimes homes are tied into high pressure water lines from the City. If you have high water pressure, it can be hard on house hold plumbing and appliances. High water pressure can blow faucets off sinks! High pressure can hurt water heaters. Having a pressure reducing valve in your home reduces the dangerous pressure to an acceptable limit. They have a spring inside and a diaphragn that is adjusted to a certain limit. They regulate and do not turn water flow on or off. Water pressure-reducing valves are installed to reduce the water pressure to the desired or accepted limits.

Butterfly Valve

Butterfly valves are cool looking. They have an internal disc that rotates to regulate the flow of water. Thewater flows around the disc, which is at the center of the valve, the water flow is reduced somewhat, even when the valve is fully open. If you want to control the rate of water flow, this can be perfectly with a butterfly. This valve should be watched and may require maintenance after a couple of years. Butterfly valves are not that common in a home. They are mostly used in commercial applications.

Innovative Plumbing Company

by Admin | Feb 4, 2019 | Plumbing Tips

We are different from other plumbing companies! We are INNOVATORS!

We offer you options! You can call our office and speak to one of our seasoned Customer Care Represenatives. You will obtain quality customer service!

We also offer ONLINE BOOKING! If you are too busy to call us during the day, you can book a service at day or night in the comfort of your home or office. We will call to confirm your booking.

When you book giving us a cell phone number, you will get a text confirmation message of the day and time we will be arriving. No other company does this.

WE want you to feel safe with the technician coming to your door ! We send a photo of the technician arriving. No other company does this.

We know that your time is important! So we send a message by text about 20 minutes before we are going to arrive when possible. Our customers really like this.

We send our estimates to you by email. No one wants a lost estimate! When you receive it, you can accept or decline it. Our contact information is on the form and you can call us to ask questions.

We are constantly utilizing new plumbing technologies and new products!