Some reasons to consider using propane

Using electronics and appliances are a standard part of our everyday lives these days. And because these electronics and appliances are so integrated into our lives, thinking about what you use to power them and how you can benefit from powering them a certain way is an important thing to think about.

Why Use Propane?

Lots of the appliances and electronics that we use on a regular basis can be powered either by electricity or propane, a “green” alternative fuel.

Many people make the switch from electric appliances to propane appliances thanks to all the advantages and benefits provide can provide. Curious to know what these advantages and benefits are? Here are a few:

• Propane benefits the environment: We already mentioned that propane is considered a “green” fuel, which means it is environmentally friendly. It is considered to be one of the cleanest burning fossil fuels and it produces close to no greenhouse gas. Homes that rely solely on propane will produce 30% fewer carbon emissions than all-electric homes and propane appliances have a smaller carbon footprint than electric appliances do. Additionally, propane is nontoxic and not harmful to air quality, plant life, water or soil.
• Propane appliances are efficient: If you compare certain propane appliances such as water heaters, space heaters and clothes dryers to their electric versions you will find that these appliances operate more efficiently when using propane. For example, a water heater that uses propane will produce twice as much hot water as an electric water heater. Clothes dryers dry clothes faster when they are powered by propane. This high level of efficiency helps propane appliances reduce their carbon footprint.
• Propane is cost effective: The fact that propane appliances are so efficient also helps save propane customers money. Propane prices are also typically pretty stable and consistent, which leaves less room for surprise when receiving your bills.
• Propane is convenient: Propane is incredibly versatile and can be used to power and fuel a long list of items both inside and outside of your home, which makes it extremely convenient.
• Propane works in a blackout: Obviously, if there is a power outage, anything that uses electricity won’t work. This is not the case for propane-powered appliances. They will still work and operate even during a blackout.

Turn to W.H. Riley & Son For Your Propane

If you are in southeastern Massachusetts and are looking to make the switch over to propane or are looking to use propane for more appliances throughout your home, W.H. Riley & Son can help. We can deliver propane, install propane appliances such as furnaces, water heaters, and boilers and provide the piping you need to run all your propane appliances. We are a full-service company that offers automatic propane deliveries, 24-hour emergency call coverage, various payment plans and plumbing services for propane powered pool heaters, grills and stoves.

Whether you are a homeowner or a local business owner, we are here to provide you with high quality propane fuel, dependable service and competitive propane prices.

Contact W.H. Riley & Son today to hear more about our propane services.

Stay warm all winter long with these home heating tips

Have you ever felt cold in your southeastern Massachusetts home even though you have your heat running? This could be a sign that you are not heating your home as efficiently as you could.

Since we are all familiar with just how cold a Massachusetts winter can be, you will probably be relieved to know that there are some things you can do to help heat your home more efficiently.

Conserving Energy When Heating Your Home

If you are feeling a draft in your house and don’t feel like your heat is actually heating your house, here are some tips and things you can try to heat your home more efficiently:

• Let the sun in: Think of the sun as a heating device that doesn’t cost you anything. Make sure to open your home’s curtains and blinds every morning. The sunlight that comes in through the windows will feel like additional heat. If you then close those same curtains and blinds at night, your home will hold onto the heat that came into your house throughout the day.
• Install a programmable thermostat: These devices allow you to easily control the temperature throughout your home and they can be pre-set so that your house is nice and warm when you arrive home after being gone all day.
• Add insulation: The addition of insulation to a home will make it more energy-efficient as well as warmer.
• Get rid of drafts: Heat can seep out of a home through small gaps around windows, doors, chimneys and ductwork. Caulking a home’s windows and adding door sweeps and weather stripping can all help keep heat inside a house.
• Schedule regular maintenance for your heating system: When you don’t professionally maintain a heating system, your heating system can lose up to 5% of its efficiency a year.

W.H. Riley’s Heating Services

Professional maintenance on a home heating system is where W.H. Riley comes in. Our certified technicians can repair and provide maintenance on furnaces and boiler heating systems that use propane, natural gas and heating oil. Our maintenance visits include:

• Filter replacements and the replacement of any damaged or overused parts
• An inspection of the heating system for damage or potential problems
• A top to bottom clean of your heating system
• A thorough check to make sure your heating system is working as efficiently as possible

On top of all that, you can also rely on us for heating installation. when it comes to both boilers and furnaces.

Don’t Wait To Schedule Heating System Maintenance

Don’t wait until the winter to schedule maintenance for your heating system. The last thing you probably want is to find yourself with a heater that doesn’t work on a cold, snowy winter day. Plus, more scheduling conflicts pop up in the winter and heating oil is more in demand and can therefore be harder to find. Believe it or not, spring is actually the best time to schedule heating system maintenance. This lets you avoid experiencing any potential problems in the dead of winter.

So don’t wait until it’s too late – contact W.H. Riley & Son for your heating system tune-up today!

The factors that determine diesel prices

As you are probably well aware, our economy fluctuates. Most items cost more than they did even just a few years ago. Some of the prices that you see in the grocery store may change from one week to the next. And the price of gas is constantly changing. This includes the price of diesel fuel.

What exactly accounts for the change in diesel prices? Let’s take a closer look to help better answer this question.

Changes In Diesel Costs Explained

There are a few different factors that affect the cost of diesel:

1. Taxes: Each state dictates how much they charge in taxes on on-road diesel fuel. Therefore, the price of diesel can vary and change from state to state.
2. Supply and demand: When something is in limited supply or is experiencing a decrease in supply, the price of this item usually increases. Diesel fuel is not made at the same high rate as gasoline. In fact, for every barrel of crude oil that’s refined, about half as much diesel is made as compared to gasoline. Therefore, the supply of diesel that’s available is not as large, which, ultimately, effects how much it costs.
3. EPA Rules: The cost of diesel increased when the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) started limiting the sulfur content of diesel fuel. The reason for doing this was to decrease toxic emissions, which can be harmful to humans and other living organisms. This rule pushed the U.S. to produce diesel fuel with a lower sulfur content in an effort to create less pollution. As a result, both the production and distribution costs of diesel fuel increased. Furthermore, diesel that contains a lower sulfur content doesn’t have as high of an energy density, which means that each gallon gives less fuel economy. This also contributed to an increase in prices.

Why Choose Diesel

Despite the fluctuation in its prices, using diesel to fuel commercial vehicles, generators or farm machinery still has its advantages. Here are a few reasons why commercial business owners choose diesel fuel:

• It’s becoming a clean burning fuel: Thanks to the EPA rules mentioned above, diesel is now cleaner and better for the environment than it has ever been.
• It is efficient: Diesel engines operate more efficiently than gasoline engines. With your typical diesel engine, about 40% of the fuel burned actually contributes to moving a vehicle while the remaining energy goes to engine and driveline inefficiencies or vehicle accessories. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, engines powered by gas only reach efficiencies between 12% and 30%.
• It reaches peak power at reasonable speeds: A diesel engine only needs to hit 65 miles an hour to reach peak power and they should usually run below 2,000 revolutions per minute (RPM) to maintain this peak power. Gasoline engines, on the other hand, need to hit a much higher RPM before reaching their peak.

Finding a Diesel Fuel Supplier

Finding a reliable and dependable diesel supplier is important, especially if your southeastern Massachusetts business depends on the fuel to operate effectively and efficiently.

That is where W.H. Riley & Son comes in. You can count on us for commercial diesel fuel, fair prices and exceptional service.

Contact us today to learn more about our diesel delivery services and to become a W.H. Riley & Son customer.

If you are a new homeowner or in the midst of a full-on kitchen remodel, you may be wondering if installing and using a propane stove is the right move for you and your home.

When it comes to stoves there are options. You can go with electric stoves, induction stoves or gas stoves, just to name a few. Stoves that are powered by propane fall into the gas stove category.

So how do you begin to answer the question “should I install a propane stove”? Let’s break down some of the types of stoves that are out there on the market to provide some insight and answers to that very question.

Natural Gas Stoves

While, as mentioned above, a stove that is powered by propane is considered a gas stove, there are differences between natural gas stoves, which can use a variety of gases for fuel and power, and propane stoves. One of the largest differences is found in the gas jet nozzles. The nozzles on a propane stove have considerably smaller holes due to the fact that propane is highly pressurized.

Electric Stoves

Perhaps evident by their name, electric stoves are powered by electricity. While they are helpful for things like keeping a kitchen cool even when on, they often cook food slowly and cost more than gas stoves. And, since they rely on power and electricity to run, you won’t find yourself cooking in the kitchen in the event of a blackout.

Propane Stoves

While propane is a gas, it does not contain any methane gas, which is not the case for natural gas and can be a concern when using a natural gas stove. Propane is not a greenhouse gas and in, fact, it is a green, clean-burning fuel.

Why Switch To Propane?

If you are contemplating installing and using a propane stove here are some advantages of using the fuel that may make your decision a little easier:

• Propane stoves offer precise temperature control, which helps you achieve that perfectly cooked meal. Cooking with propane is also faster.
• Since propane appliances, including stoves, don’t rely on electricity or gas lines, you’ll be able to cook through a power outage.
• Propane stoves and propane appliances operate more efficiently than electric appliances. This saves propane users both time and money.
• As mentioned, propane is clean-burning and, therefore, is environmentally friendly. The fact that the gas is clean-burning also helps the appliances it fuels last longer.

The Debate Over Gas Stoves

Over the last few years, the use of gas stoves, including stoves that run on propane, has been quite a hot topic in some states, including Massachusetts. The government has even been asked to look into health and safety concerns regarding the appliances. Some cities have even gone as far as banning gas connections in newly constructed buildings entirely.

The concern about using gas stoves is about both environmental issues (gas stoves emit greenhouse gases into the air) and health issues. Certain studies indicated that natural gas stoves could be associated with air pollution hazards. However, the fact is that cooking on any type of stove – gas, electric, wood – produces particulate matter. That’s why it’s always a good idea to use your kitchen range hood when cooking. This helps create some ventilation in your kitchen.

Researchers have discovered that natural gas stoves leak methane gas, which is a potent greenhouse gas, even when they’re off and they produce additional air pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, which can contribute to respiratory diseases.

Propane, on the other hand, is not considered a greenhouse gas, as mentioned above, and it actually doesn’t contain methane gas at all. Therefore, using a propane stove decreases the amount of methane gas that you are exposed to.

Making The Switch To Propane

W.H. Riley can provide reliable propane delivery in the southeastern Massachusetts area to fuel all of your propane appliances. Contact us today to learn more.

If you live in the southeastern Massachusetts area and use heating oil to heat your home, you are probably very familiar with using this heating oil all throughout the winter. And while your heating oil supply may be completely full, you may not know exactly how long this supply will last and how long you can plan on staying warm for throughout the cold months.

Heating Oil’s Longevity

On average, a house that is approximately 2,000 to 2,500 square feet uses anywhere from about five to eight gallons (and sometimes more) of heating oil a day during the winter if outside temperatures are at the freezing mark or just around the freezing mark. That comes out to about 700 to 900 gallons a season.

Typically, a home’s heating oil tank is 275 gallons. However, a 275-gallon tank does not hold 275 gallons of heating oil. There is actually only about 225 to 230 gallons of heating oil inside a tank of that size (some room has to be left for air and debris to collect within the tank). When that 275-gallon tank is full of about 230 gallons of heating oil, you can expect that tank to heat a 2,000 square foot house for about five weeks.

Of course, these are only estimates and averages. The constantly changing weather, your heating equipment’s age and how efficient your heating system is all impact the amount of heating oil that will actually be used.

Checking Your Heating Oil Supply

Having a general idea of how long your heating oil will last is helpful in terms of knowing when to place an order for a new supply. Here are some other things you can do to keep tabs on your heating oil supply:

• A heating oil tank should have a clear plastic cube on top and this cube should have numbers on it. There should also be a red marker or float, which indicates how much oil is left in the tank. Keep an eye on these markers and floats! If they are sitting at the bottom of the gauge or if you can’t see them at all, you are most likely out of heating oil or very close to being out.
• Contact your supplier for a heating oil delivery when your tank is about a quarter full. This will avoid you having to worry about running out of heating oil completely. A tank that is 25% full usually lasts most heating oil tank users about a week.
• If you are trying to track your heating oil supply, you will, of course, want to make sure the gauge on your tank is working correctly. To test the gauge, take off the outer cover and press the float down carefully. The float should bounce back up to its natural position. If it does, you know it’s working.

Let W.H. Riley Help Keep You Warm

With W.H. Riley as your heating oil supplier, you never have to worry about your home’s heating oil supply if you’re on our Automatic Delivery plan. We keep track of your fuel use, and when you need heating oil, we automatically come and fill your tank. And the best part is, we don’t charge you extra for this service. We deliver high quality, clean-burning heating oil at a fair price throughout southeastern Massachusetts. Because both of our locations in North Attleboro and Taunton house our own storage facilities, we can get you the heating oil you need when you need it.

To learn more about W.H. Riley’s heating oil deliveries as well as furnace and boiler heating system maintenance, contact us today!

Like any electrical appliance or piece of machinery, furnaces and boilers can malfunction and, in the worst-case scenarios, stop working completely.

So the bad news is that the furnace or boiler that is supposed to keep your New England home warm throughout the cold winter season can suddenly stop doing its job. The good news is that you don’t need to panic. Even if you are not an expert when it comes to heating systems, there are some things you can do to troubleshoot and potentially get your heat up and running again all on your own.

How To Troubleshoot Your Heating System

Before you pick up the phone and call for any sort of professional to come take a look at your heating system, follow the below tips to see if you can fix the issue yourself:

• Make sure your heating oil or propane supply isn’t too low. Your tank should be at least 1/8th full. If it’s not, contact W.H. Riley & Son for a heating oil delivery.
• Check to see that all power switches on your heating equipment are turned to “on” or “start”. Additionally, check to make sure that your system is in ‘heat’ mode.
• Set the temperature on your home’s thermostat to be at least five degrees above the current room temperature.
• See if the pilot light actually lights up when the heating system is on.
• Find your home’s circuit breaker box and make sure all circuit breakers are in the right position.
• If your home has vents, clear anything that may be blocking these vents such as dust, curtains or furniture. Make sure air is actually flowing out of the vents.
• If your heating system is fueled by oil, reset the red burner switch by pressing and holding it for three seconds. To avoid flooding your system with oil, do not reset this switch more than once. If your heat doesn’t start working after a little while, contact us.

The Importance Of Heating System Maintenance

No matter what kind of heating system your home has, it’s important to make sure that system is working and that it’s working efficiently. And you don’t want to wait until a cold winter day to do so. In fact, the best time to schedule a tune-up for your boiler or furnace is the fall. Here’s why:

• A fall tune-up gives you peace of mind – you will know that your system will be able to do its job come winter. The dead of winter is not a good time to realize your heat needs a major repair that is going to be very costly and take days to fix.
• Routine tune-ups actually help save you money. Without them, your heating system can lose up to 5% of its efficiency every year. If you go into winter with an efficient heating system, you will save on energy bills.
• As more and more people start using their heat, chances are that more heating system problems will arise. You can avoid any scheduling conflicts that may arise when trying to book a repair and delivery challenges by booking a maintenance appointment before the weather starts to cool down.

Let W.H. Riley & Son Keep Your Home Warm All Winter Long

The certified service technicians at W.H. Riley & Son are trained to help with boiler and furnace installation as well as boiler and furnace repairs. We can also upgrade your heating system if necessary.

Don’t wait until the winter to make sure your heat is good to go – contact us today to learn more about our southeastern Massachusetts heating system services.

Our homes and businesses are full of appliances that keep us up and running on a daily basis and that we rely on for everyday tasks. One of these is a water heater. We depend on water heaters for a long list of things such as showering, doing laundry, washing our hands and running the dishwasher.

Water Heater Leaks

Of course, problems with water heaters can arise at any point. That includes leaks. Water heater leaks can be caused by a variety of issues including:

• Damage to a pressure relief valve. With a damaged valve, you run the risk of pressure building up in the water tank, which could lead to a leak.
• Loose pipes
• Defective fittings
• Corrosion due to old anode rod that is no longer protecting the water tank. Water can leak out when the anode rod has weakened.
• Temperature and pressure relief valves that were not installed correctly. This causes pressure in the tank to rise, which puts you at risk for leaks.
• Hot and cold water connections that are not working properly

When To Replace A Water Heater

You don’t want to wait until you run into a problem such as a water leak to replace your water heater. If you do, you run the risk of spending more money on repairs or on a replacement since you’re in a bind. The best time to replace your water heater is when there isn’t pressure to do so as that helps you avoid having to rush into a decision.

Different Kinds of Water Heaters

There are options when it comes to the different kinds of water heaters that are available.

• Conventional storage tank water heaters: These are typically powered by electricity and natural gas. With conventional storage tank water heaters, water is heated up and then stored in a tank.
• Tankless water heaters: With tankless water heaters, you get hot water immediately and don’t need to wait for water to warm up. They also supply an endless amount of hot water on demand. Tankless water heaters don’t use any energy unless they are actually heating water, which makes them extremely cost effective. They are also typically compact and smaller than conventional heaters.
• Propane tankless water heaters: These work in a similar way to natural gas water heaters, but are typically less expensive, clean-burning and easier to repair.

W.H. Riley & Son Is Here For All Your Water Heater Needs

If you are in the southeastern Massachusetts area and are looking for plumbing services or water heater installation, servicing or repairs, W.H. Riley & Son can help. Our plumbing professionals work with water heaters that run on propane, natural gas and heating oil. Annual professional maintenance, which is recommended for all water heaters, will help your equipment run efficiently and as long as possible. W.H. Riley & Son will deliver high quality work that will keep your equipment working and your hot water flowing.

Don’t put yourself in a position to be without hot water or to have a water heater leak. Contact W.H. Riley & Son today for all your water heating related needs.

One thing is for sure – you do not want to be stuck with an air conditioning unit that isn’t working properly in the midst of a hot, humid southeastern Massachusetts summer. If you do find yourself in this situation, W.H. Riley & Son is ready and able to help. However, before you contact us for any sort of servicing and repairs there are some things you can do on your own to try to get your air conditioning up and running.

How To Troubleshoot Your Air Conditioning

If your air conditioning is on, but doesn’t seem to be doing its job and cooling your house down, here is what we recommend you try:

• Make sure your thermostat is set to “cool” or “air conditioning.”
• Walk around your home and look at all the vents to make sure anything like dust, curtains and furniture isn’t blocking the vent’s openings. It is also a good idea to clean around the AC’s outdoor unit and move any bushes, grass or leaves that could be preventing airflow.
• Inspect your condenser to double check that it’s running. If it’s not running, make sure the power switch is turned to “on.” Next step would be to check your circuit breakers before turning off the power and looking for debris inside the condenser.
• Look to see that all power switches for the air conditioner itself are on.
• Check for any possible refrigerant leaks and frozen coils.
• Clean the air filters and replace any that are dirty or clogged. Air filters should be changed on a regular basis and especially at the start of summer. Clean air filters allow your air conditioners to operate with a high level of efficiency.

Tune Up Your Air Conditioner with W.H. Riley & Son

If you’re finding that the above tips and tricks don’t work, it may be time to schedule a tune-up with W.H. Riley & Son. We recommend scheduling air conditioning maintenance for the end of summer or early fall so that by the time those hot spring and summer days roll around you know your air conditioner is good to go. This also leaves plenty of time for the W.H. Riley & Son professionals to repair any major damage, order any replacement parts or upgrade your system if necessary. Since we also offer boiler and furnace maintenance, we can conveniently service your heating system at the same time.

W.H. Riley & Son Is Here To Help

W.H. Riley & Son is one of the leading air conditioning providers in southeastern Massachusetts. Our experienced and knowledgeable technicians truly do it all, including AC maintenance, repairs and replacements. We also will check to see that all system parts are fully lubricated and that there is a proper supply of refrigerant.

Remember, routine professional maintenance helps keep your air conditioning operating effectively and decreases your chances of system breakdowns. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help with all your air conditioning needs.

When it comes to selecting a fuel to help heat and power your home or business, propane is a top contender. And it should be since it is one of the most versatile energy sources available. Propane is commonly used for outdoor grills thanks to its convenience and how easy it makes the grilling process. But it can also be used for so many additional home and commercial appliances

Ways To Use Propane

The list of ways that you can use propane in your home or business is extensive. You can use propane to:

• Heat homes and offices
• Heat water
• Cook on a stove-top
• Dry clothes in a dryer
• Heat pools and hot tubs
• Light fire pits
• Run fleets of vehicles such as delivery trucks and shuttle buses
• Power forklifts

How Many Propane Appliances Can You Have?

When it comes to the number of propane appliances you can in your home or office there really is no limit. In fact, the more appliances you have that are fueled by propane the better since propane is highly efficient, environmentally friendly and economical. By adding more propane appliances to your house or office you will actually increase the performance level of your appliances and save money on energy costs. All propane appliances can actually be linked to one single propane tank that the professionals at W.H. Riley can install and service.

Why Propane?

Propane’s versatility is not the only benefit the fuel has to offer. Propane also:

• Does not rely on gas lines or power grids, which means there’s no need to worry about being left without hot water or heat in the event of a power outage when your home or office is powered by propane.
• Helps appliances work faster than they otherwise would, which makes it extremely efficient.
• Saves its users both time and money thanks to its efficiency.
• Helps extend the lifespan of appliances since it is a clean-burning fuel.

Propane Safety

If you do use propane, it’s always advised to know what to do in the event you smell gas. Here are some important safety steps to follow if you do suspect a propane leak:

• Turn off the propane tank valve if it is accessible and safe to do so
• Vacate your home or office immediately and keep a safe distance
• Call both the fire department and your propane supplier
• Avoid lighting matches and using light switches at the source of the suspected leak
• Only return to your home or office once a professional has deemed it safe to do so

Where W.H. Riley comes in

If you are in the southeastern Massachusetts area and are looking to make the switch to propane or if you are thinking about adding additional propane appliances to your home or office let W.H. Riley help. We are ready and able to install a wide selection of propane furnaces and water heaters. We can also provide propane and piping to fuel all your propane appliances.

Contact us today to learn more about our propane services.

In this day and age, there are multiple choices when it comes to the type of air conditioning that you can use to keep you cool on a hot summer day in your home and/or business. Those options often include central air conditioning and window air conditioning units. Another option is ductless air conditioning (otherwise known as a mini-split system). Deciding between types of air conditioning systems is sometimes a choice that a home or business owner has to make. So how do you know if ductless AC is the right choice to you?

Air Conditioning Without Ductwork

If you own a home that does not have built-in ductwork, a ductless air conditioning system is a great alternative to window air conditioners. There are two parts of a ductless air conditioning system (the indoor air handler and the outdoor condenser or heat pump) that connect, via a small pipe, to a house’s outer wall. Each condenser has capacity for up to four air handlers, which creates multiple different cooling zones within a space.

This is different than central air conditioning, which works alongside an air handler fan or furnace. Central air conditioning actually removes heat from warm air that has already found its way inside through the duct work.

Why Choose Ductless Home Cooling?

W.H. Riley & Son recommends upgrading from window unit air conditioners to a mini-split system. This switch will keep you cool and comfortable and is the best bang for your buck. But the benefits don’t end there. Ductless air conditioners:

• Are easy to install: Typically, you only need about a day to get a mini-split system up and running. Plus, all you need is access to an external wall for installation.
• Are good for the environment: Since ductless air conditioners use less electricity than central air conditioning systems and window air conditioners they are considered an environmentally friendly choice.
• Decrease the chances of mold: There is a chance that mold and other various microorganisms will appear with air conditioners that use ductwork due to the combination of cold air and condensation. Ductless air conditioners decrease your chances of anything like this happening, which means the air that you breathe is cleaner and healthier.
• Are efficient: Air conditioners are required to have a SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) rating of 14, which is what a standard window AC unit is rated at. Most ductless air conditioners have a rating of at least 20, if not more, which makes them highly efficient.
• Make sense financially: As mentioned, a ductless air conditioning system is the best bang for your buck. Thanks to how efficiently they run, fewer resources are used as they cool down a home or office space. And when you use fewer resources, you end up spending less money.

If you’re considering a ductless air conditioning system and are located in the southeastern Massachusetts area, W.H. Riley & Son can help. Contact us today to learn more about our air conditioning installation and maintenance.