The DuPage County Forest Preserves had solar thermal water heating systems installed in their remote forest preserve bathroom facilities. Solar water heaters, which are also called solar domestic hot water systems are a cost-effective way to generate hot water.  They can be used in any climate and are an excellent way to conserve energy.

The pictures below illustrate how 4×8 solar panels are installed on the roof of the forest preserve buildings. The panels use solar energy to heat the potable water.

Spring Creek Reservoir in Bloomingdale, IL

Solar Thermal panels installed on the roof of DuPage County Forest Preserve bathroom facility.

Hidden Lake Forest Preserve in Downers Grove, IL

Piping to the potable hot water supply from the solar panels.

Solar panels on the roof of a DuPage County Forest Preserve building.

Storm Drain Cleaning

Robert Bair Services provides high powered jetting services to thoroughly clean your property’s drains and sewer lines.  Below are some pictures of a high-pressure water jetting of a storm drain. The storm drain was full of mud and debri, so Bair technicians were hired to flush out the storm water main.

This is the before picture of the storm drain full of mud and debris.

Bair technician is lowered into the storm drain.

"After" picture of the storm drain.

This is a large fish found wiggling around in the storm drain. Bair technicians caught the fish and released it in a nearby pond.

It’s a fact, your heating system will last longer and conserve precious energy with regular system maintenance.  Here’s how and why.

On average, American families spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars every year to heat and cool their homes. That’s the bad news. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to cut those energy costs.

For starters, check your window caulking for cracks. The better your windows and their insulation, the more you’ll save on your fuel bill. Here are other energy-saving steps you’ll want to take:

• Clean or change your heating system filter monthly.
• Seal and insulate your air ducts. Heat loss from leaky, un-insulated ducts reduces the efficiency of your heating system by as much as 30%.
• Vacuum the cobwebs from your registers.
• Vacuum the fins on your baseboard heaters.

What’s more, have your system cleaned and checked before the heating season gets underway. That way, we can spot small problems before they become large repair bills. We can ensure the safe operation of your system and keep it running at maximum efficiency.  Here are a few steps included in our Clean & Check service:

• Start up the system and check all working components.
• Check Filter.
• Check for flue pipe leaks.
• Check safety controls.
• Check for proper air flow.
• Run capacitors.
• Blower wheel inspection.
• Test amperages on motor.
• Test for gas leaks.
• Lubricate all necessary parts.
• And more!

Here are some additional ways to enhance your indoor comfort while reducing energy consumption:

• Whole house humidifier.
• Automatic set-back thermostat
• Whole house air filtration.

Contact Us Now to Get your Furnace Cleaned & Checked Before the Winter Season Sets In!

Are you prepared in case of a fire in your home? More than 4000 people die in house fires each year and approximately 25,000 are injured. October is fire prevention month, which serves as a reminder that taking a few safety precautions can be a matter of life and death.  Here are a few fire safety tips and precautions:

Check your smoke detectors – Every home should have at least one working smoke detector and preferably have one on each floor of your home and next to bedrooms. Check them monthly to ensure that the batteries are working properly.

Plan your escape route—Plan an escape route and do an occasional fire drill. Everyone in your household should know and understand what to do if there’s a fire in your house. Make sure you have more than one exit point should one exit be blocked. Create a safe meeting place outside side where you will all meet up.

Alternate heaters—If you must use portable heaters, ensure that you keep the area around them clear.  Keep combustible items at least three feet away, if not more. Have your chimney cleaned yearly and use fire screens to keep fire in the fireplace.

Have your furnace cleaned and checked every year.

Home fire safety sprinklers—When home fire sprinklers are used along with working smoke alarms, your chances of survival are greatly increased. Sprinklers can extinguish residential fires in less than one minute. In addition to being affordable, home sprinkler systems can increase property value and lower insurance rates.

Oven and stove safety—Never use the oven or stove to heat your home. This is a fire hazard and can also cause carbon monoxide poisoning with a gas stove or oven. Wear tight-fitted clothing while cooking to avoid catching on fire.

For more information on fire safety and prevention visit the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance.

While you should always hire a professional to do yearly inspection and preventative maintenance on your furnace, here are some additional tips to help your furnace run smoothly and efficiently.

Check to see that nothing flammable is stored near the furnace.

Run your furnace for a few minutes before you need it to check for yourself that it runs properly. This will prevent you from being stuck in the cold without heat.

Check to make sure the thermostat works properly and that the temperature doesn’t get too hot or too cold.

Change the filters on your furnace once a month during the heating season.

Inspect for gas leaks in gas furnaces.

If you find any problems or are unsure, it’s always best to call a professional to further inspect and repair the furnace.

Check out our furnace maintenance coupons and call us at (630) 964-1700 to schedule your furnace maintenance appointment.

Below are handful of testimonials from over 334 homeowner customer service reviews that were collected by EBSCO during their research for Best Pick Reports.

“I thought the work was as planned, and I’m very satisfied with Bair. And I’ve used them for years and will continue to do so. They do all the normal plumbing issues: the faucets, the drains, the sewer. This was a sewer line problem going to the street. Everything is holding up just fine that they fixed for me.”

 “I thought they were good. He worked in a very clean way. He explained himself very well and made sure I understood what he was doing. That was plumbing work.” 

“Excellent. My husband went in the basement and smelled gas around our hot water heater. They came down, and they told us they could replace the part that was leaking; my husband opted to replace the whole heater because it was twelve years old. We have never had anything but excellent, excellent service from Robert Bair. We also use them for our heating and air. Excellent work, excellent people, excellent.” 

“We had a leaky toilet. In that situation we used them for plumbing. We also use them for heating and cooling. They replaced our furnace, replaced our air conditioner, and installed an electrostatic filter. I’ve had them doing service work every year just about, seasonal service for the heating and air conditioning. I’ve always been very satisfied with them. Their workers are all extremely polite and seem to do the job very well.” 

“I use Robert Bair Plumbing. Robert Bair is great. I’ve been using them probably four years. They’re o nice. They come over, and they explain things. I just really like them all. They’re nice.”

 “I think they’re good. They responded quickly, and they’ve done what we wanted them to do. We use them for both plumbing and heating and cooling. The system we have was in the unit before we bought it, so we just use them for maintenance. I would recommend them to anyone.” 

“I’ve been very happy with them. They’re the only people that I will use. They hire really friendly, professional people, and they always come right out when I need them. They always go the extra mile, and they try to save me money when they can. I use them for heating, cooling, and plumbing work.”

 “They did some work for us just back in June. We had a new air conditioner and furnace. They did very good with the installation and everything. We already had a service contract with them. They come out and do our yearly maintenance. I would recommend them to someone else.”

 “I recently got a furnace. The reason I had chosen them was because of their excellent service.”

 “I’ve been very pleased with them. I’ve been happy with them. They just do a good job, and they’re timely and reasonable. The most recent time they had to come out, I think it was plumbing. Two of our bathrooms had a problem with the toilets, and they fixed what needed to be done. I have not used them for heating, but I have for all kinds of plumbing.”

 “I go to Bob Bair; he’s my go-to person. He does plumbing and septic for me. He installed my system, and I also use him for maintenance, too. I have a service contract with him. He always comes out on time when I need him to. I would recommend him to someone.”

This is just one example of how Bair Services helps customers solve problems, whether it’s a plumbing issue or a trapped pet that needs rescuing!