Win $100,000 or other great prizes with Benjamin Franklin Plumbing

Your local Phoenix, Gilbert, Scottsdale and Glendale Plumber, will give away up to $100,000 in cash in Donald Trump’s  “Time Is Money Sweepstakes”.  As the plumber who cares about your time, Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber can’t wait to see who wins.   To enter the Sweepstakes visit www.BenFranklinPlumbingAZ.com.  Many more prizes, including Trump trips to New York, Las Vegas and Canouan Island Resort are also being given away weekly and monthly.  Be punctual so you don’t miss out on any of the prizes.

Thought maybe sweeptakes offers like this are fake?  Not this one, as I have paid into it, Me… Linda Stanfield, your local Chandler plumber, and even participated in putting this together.  This sweepstakes is BIG and pays out handsomely.  A sweepstakes with real life prizes that are guaranteed to make the winners happy… one of those winners could be you.  Enter Today and everyday for more chances to win!

Why Enter?

1. Chance to win 26 Weekly prizes

• $500 Visa Gift Card
• $500 Spa Package
•  Retail Store Cards and many many more prizes

    2.  Chance to win 6 Monthly prizes

• A Backyard Hot Tub Party
• $10,000 in Ivanka’s Jewelry
• Kitchen Makeover 
• Fly Free for 1 year and many more

      3. 1 Grand Prize -$100,000 Cash Prize

• Easy to enter
• Get a bonus entry for referring a friend

Rules, yes every sweepstakes must have rules so please review them here. 

You must Enter to Win… What are you waiting for?  And tell all your friends as they could win too!

Watch all The Celebrity Apprentice shows on NBC TV or on-line at www.NBC.com.

By now you have probably heard about Solar Rebates from utility companies drying up or rebate amounts being reduced in Arizona.  Unfortunately the reporting has caused confusion since “solar” in most news reports is about “electrical” solar panel systems.   The solar water heater and solar electric panel rebates are separate programs in the Phoenix area utility companies.  This is good news if you are considering a Solar Hot Water System. 

Electrical Solar System:

Some words used for electrical solar systems include Solar Panels, Photovoltaic or “PV” panels, this type of system is  used to run electrical energy in the home or business, etc. 

Hot Water Heater Solar Systems:

Solar Hot Water systems include words like active or passive solar hot water systems.  Each of these systems are better defined in my prior blog called Solar Hot Water Heater options.

Currently both Phoenix utility companies, SRP and APS are still offering great rebate dollar amounts for Solar Hot Water Systems.  SRP still supports both solar water heater rebates and solar electrical rebates.  The rebates have rules and dates in order to qualify.  The dollar amount of the rebate for solar hot water heater systems are calculated by the efficiency of the system being used.  Review the  links for the most up to date current rebate amounts.

APS Solar electrical and Solar Water Heater rebate information can be found by clicking here .  Like SRP, they use SRCC  ratings to calculate the solar hot water heater rebate amount.

SRCC Rating is the rating that solar hot water and swimming pool systems receive from The Solar Rating and Certification Corporation, an independent rating program that tests and certifies each solar hot water heater system to let us know how efficient one is over another.  Our utility companies use these ratings to calculate the rebates.

Please don’t believe the media stories heard around Phoenix, telling you that there is no more help for any solar here.   Phoenix still has monetary support so you can save on Solar Hot Water Heater Systems, but don’t procrastinate as they will eventually run dry too.  Please remember that most of the media alerts lately have been referring to Solar Electrical System Rebates dwindling quickly.

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Upcoming Articles:

How Can You Win 1 Year of Free Airfare or A Kitchen Makeover?

What Is Causing Your Drain To Run Slow?

Phoenix plumbers offer different types of solar hot water heater options.  If you ‘re looking for more information on Solar Hot Water Heater systems basics then review my past article Solar Hot Water Made Simple.   Today I  want to offer a simple way to understand the 2 common types of systems available.  It is important to know what systems are available, not just what a big box store or sales person offers.  It really is easy,  and I promise to keep the explanation simple.

Our  company has been a licensed plumbing contractor for over 25 years and we’ve worked on many systems and various manufacturers.  Some systems are higher quality than others.  Through our extensive experience, certifications and training classes we are able to provide better service to our customers and the community.   We believe that quality and reliability are #1 and have installed them where we can monitor the reliability daily – on our own plumbers’ homes and Mom’s house.  

Here are the pros and cons of a few different types of solar hot water systems to help you decide what makes sense for you home and your family.

The two most common types of systems being sold in the Phoenix area are Passive and Active systems.  Some popular model names include The Sungrabber, Radco, and CopperSun.

Active systems simply have circulating pumps and controls where  Passive systems do not. 

PASSIVE SOLAR HOT WATER HEATER SYSTEMS: (no pumps or controls)

-We highly recommend the Passive System- it truly is Solar Made Simple.

Pros: (Not in any order)

• Gives a larger amount of hot water heated by the sun, not just what  the tank gallons include
• No special hot water heater needed
• Can be installed with current water heater in home
• Can be installed with gas or electric water heater
• Can be installed on Tankless or tank style water heater
• Does not require extra water tanks,  just one
• Has back-up heater by utility, we have found even on a 60 degree day we get plenty of hot water heated by the sun for a small family
• Great for part time residents, no draining of system
• No Glycol use in system
• It can produce all your water heating needs for well over 300 days a year 
• Works on 90% of all homes in the Phoenix area
• It qualifies for city permits easily
• This type of system has been around for more then 100 years
• Units over 30 years are still working well in AZ
• No moving parts, motors or pumps to wear out or repair
• No electricity needed for pumps
• If the power goes out you still have hot water
• No exposed hardware or plumbing to mar your roof
• Homeowners findthis system easy to understand
• Little or no maintenance
• Some units have been tested to stand 20 degree tempature for 18 hours straight without freezing, (in case you live in Flagstaff or the White Mountains
• Pays for itself in 3-6 years depending on your hot water usage
• Qualifies for Utility Rebate from APS and SRP (subject to change with no notice)
• Qualifies for Federal Tax Credit
• Qualifies for State Tax Credit

The passive model we have chosen to install looks great on homes, it sets into the roof and looks like a sunlight.  Zero  maintenance investment needed as our system comes with a 10 year full warranty on labor,  the hot water solar system, water heater and water lines. That’s what I call hassle-free. 

Not all solar hot water sales people offer this unit as a choice

• Not all plumbers are trained on this unit

ACTIVE SOLAR WATER HEATER SYSTEMS: (with circulating pumps and controls)

Pros:

• It heats up hot water with sun
• Low cost up front
• Works with gas, if additional tank or electric water heater is added
• Freeze protection with a drainback tank
• Light Weight
• Qualifies for Utility Rebate – APS and SRP ( subject to change with no notice)
• Qualifies for Federal Tax Credit
• Qualifies for State Tax Credit

Cons:

• Many moving parts, possible repairs later
• Pumps needed possible repairs later
• Need two water heater tanks if on gas utility 
• Has a drain back tank to protect against freezing
• This unit will require more space than a standard water heater tank
• Some cities have more concerns – not offering permits on particular units
• Not all plumbers know how to repair or install these units
• The homeowner should budget for future repairs
• It may not increase the amount of hot water

A solar hot water heating system is a great way to heat hot water  in Phoenix.  With our utility rates continuing to increase, why not use the sun’s power and reduce your carbon footprint?  You need to know what you don’t know.  Know if the company you buy from uses subcontractors and if they do,  check who they are and what their experience is.  I actually know a solar company that has told me they pick up workers on the street when they have a solar install to complete as they don’t keep employees on their payroll.  Every owner runs their business differently.

Know who your dealing with, as the reported by The Phoenix Business Journal “Complaints Related to Solar Systems Installations” on April 19, 2010…  occurances of bad installations are increasing.

Feel free to contact us for a professional plumber to come out and review your options with a guaranteed price for your water heating needs.  Local valley wide service 877-236-1776.  Mention this blog and get a free service call for a quote.

Have  you read my past  or want to read a future article? 

Arizona cash for appliance-Tankless

Future  Blogs:

The Apprentice and Benjamin Franklin Plumbing?

Facts About AZ Utility Solar Rebates! 

How To Maintain Your Water Heater!

If you missed NBC’s hit show The Apprentice on May 2, 2010, you can view it on The Apprentice area of the  NBC website.  The ending was great and a surprise to many viewers.  Both teams worked very hard to be creative for all three companies, Mister Sparky- America’s On Time Electrician, One Hour Air Conditioning  & Heating -On Time or You Don’t Pay a Dime and Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber,- If There Is Any Delay It’s You We Pay!.  The celebrities came up with some great radio spots for all three companies to use right here in our local Phoenix market.

I hope by viewing the show you can see why Mr. Trump picked Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber to be on the Apprentice. 

• Our leaders are very serious about our service and our commitment to all our customers here locally and nationwide, just as Mr. Trump is with all he does. 
• As I a local owner, I know our both franchise leaders and my personal main goal is to make sure that all our customers get the best on time, reliable plumbing service nationwide. Just as Mr. Trump likes it. 

All Phoenix homeowners win with all three of our services here locally to service you. You can click here to find the other two Homeowner services shown on The Apprentice Mister Sparky or One Hour Air Conditioning and Heating.

Who would you have fired?  While viewing  the episode in Las Vegas at the Trump Tower I saw that many in the audience with me thought Curtis was going to be the one FIRED.  We all saw Summer work hard trying to win the challenge.  But I could see it was a tough decision for Mr. Trump, but in perfect Trump style he made it the decision to FIRE Summer and felt good that it was the right decision.

The new Judge: Mr. Trumps son Eric did a great job, as a new judge and had some great comments for many of the celebrities, I had to wonder how the stars felt about young Eric making suggestions to them of how he saw the task being worked.  Not sure I will ever know, but I’m sure they respected him greatly for the position he held on the show.

The Winning Charity- $40,00 goes to Bret Micheals Charity American Diabetes Association (Sponsor of Camps for Kids With Diabetes).  I’m glad to have had a part in making life better for kids fighting everyday with this disease. Did you see our Franchise CEO’s offering to match Mr. Trumps donation?  Well that is just the kind of company we are, and locally too, we have always supported our communities and the people that live in it with us.

We all wish Bret Michaels a great recovery, I have watched every Apprentice show and Bret has been one of the hardest working celebrities on the show. It has been very sad to hear about his daughter’s illness, and his own health concerns. We have him and his family in our prayers and can’t wait to hear that he is up and around again.

During The Apprentice show we also announced our new sweepstakes -WIN  UP TO $100 GRAND, no purchase necessary. You can enter at www.benfranklinplumbingaz.com  

Watch for my upcoming Blog:

What Else Can I Win? There Is Many More Prizes Then 100 Grand Cash!!

Solar Made Simple: Active or Passive?