The leading cause of home fire deaths is caused by heating equipment and half of the home heating equipment fires are reported during December, January, and February.  Keep your family and pets safe with these helpful tips:

• Anything that can burn should be at least three feet away from heating equipment (furnace, fireplace, wood stove, or portable space heater).
• Have a 3-ft “no-kid zone” around open fires and space heaters.
• Never use your oven to heat your home.
• Have a qualified professional install water heaters and central air and heating equipment to ensure they are done according to the local codes and manufacturer’s instructions.
• Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.
• Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.
• Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel burning space heaters.
• Be sure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to prevent sparks from flying into the room and make sure ashes are cool before putting them in a metal container. Store the container a safe distance away from your home.

There are a few signs that your system may exhibit prior to failing. If you are able to pick up on these signs and symptoms you can proactively prepare to replace your system before it goes completely. To schedule a consultation with one of our Heating Professionals please email us at: Info@RussoBrosPlumbing.com or call our office (973) 887-1334 and select Option 1.

1. Is your system getting old? Comparing the age of your furnace or boiler to the national average may help put into perspective how much longer your system will last. Typically a furnace will last between 16 – 20 years and a boiler will last between 10 – 15 years. If your system is close to this age, or beyond it may be time to consider replacing it.

2. Have you had repairs done recently? Have you had a system breakdown in the past few years? When a furnace is on the way out it’ll experiences more frequent breakdowns, which require replacing parts. The parts may also be more difficult  to locate due to the age of equipment.

3. Is your thermostat working properly? Is the heat in your home balanced? Are some rooms more cold and others are too warm? Usually this is a sign that your system cannot evenly distribute the heat in your home.

4. Does your unit make noises? Towards the end of their useful life a furnace or boiler will begin to make popping, banging, or rattling noises notifying you that it’s struggling to do its job properly.

5. Are your energy bills high? Overtime a system will lose its efficiency; this may cause a system to run longer than necessary to produce the same amount of heat, which causes your energy bills to increase.

Russo Bros. collected supplies for five care packages to be assembled and shipped to US Troops stationed overseas to help out Brighton Cromwell’s “Operation Appreciation”. This is Brighton Cromwell’s 7th year hosting the program, and each year over 500 care packages are sent. The company, based out of Randolph, asks other local businesses to help gather supplies and then the employees meet together at the beginning of December to assemble all the packages. The care packages include: playing cards, shampoo, socks, and candy. The goal of the program is to help spread holiday cheer to troops who cannot be with their families during the holidays.

The best way to get the most out of your boiler or furnace is to perform annual maintenance each year. Many people think it’s cost effective to skip a year of annual maintenance on their system, this isn’t true. In many cases skipping maintenance may make your system work harder to produce heat and therefore can cause a breakdown faster. Overtime keeping your system clean will help maximize the amount of useful life you will get from your equipment.

Some points of our basic tune up include:

– Check for adequate air circulation

– Check water levels

– Lubricate motors and circulators

– Inspect CO2 detector

– Test fill and relief valves

– Check condensate line and pump

– Change standard size filter (if applicable)

– Test safety controls

– Many more tasks..

Call (973) 887-1334 and select Option 1 to schedule your Heating Maintenance!

Thanksgiving is a time to gather with friends and family over food and football. Often times this can spell disaster for your home’s plumbing and pipes. It’s especially stressful on household drains. Between pouring grease down the sink clogging it, or filling the garbage disposal full of potato peelings it is not uncommon for plumbers to be very busy on the following Friday. So to prepare your home for Turkey Day by knowing what to avoid during your holiday festivities:

• Don’t pour leftover grease or oil down the drain. Instead pour it into a container and let it congeal before disposing of it properly in the trash.
• Garbage Disposals will fill up fast so don’t wait to turn it on until it’s full. Be sure to use plenty of water and let it run for 20-30 seconds until it is clear.
• If you have family, friends, or other guests staying over in your home be sure to advise them to  wait at least 10 minutes or so between showers especially for slower drains to allow it to drain properly.
• Beat the rush and make sure all your plumbing problems are fixed before the holidays to avoid the headache.

Best wishes for a trouble-free and Happy Thanksgiving!

In the spirit of giving thanks, this month our staff collected food to be donated to the Interfaith Food Pantry Thanksgiving Food Drive.
Interfaith is a community run organization that helps provide food and education to the residents of Morris County. They not only collect donations but they help citizens learn how to make healthy food choices. To learn more about Interfaith, or to make a donation please visit their page.

http://mcifp.org/programs/thanksgiving-2015/

Items collected:

-Instant Mashed Potatoes

-Brownie Mix/Cake Mix

-Canned Vegetables

-Cereal

-Pasta

-Salad Dressing

-Canned Pumpkin

-Hearty & Low Sodium Soup

-Yams-canned & fresh

-Stuffing

-Apple Juice