The Brethren Group

12/05/2020

Drano is a No No: Drano will make you clog turn into pudding or gel. As it sits in the blockage, it will slowly break down your clog along with your pipes.
The best means of unclogging a sink or bathtub:
-disconnect "p" or "s" trap and clean manually. (in a different sink, as you have just disconnected the sink your trying to fix).
-visually check from obstacles and remove
-run hot water down drain 5 minutes after getting clog out.
- use a wet vac and draw it back up the same way it went down.

12/05/2020

10/08/2020

"Water is the new fire" : Leak detection 101. Yes fire is visible and destructive. Water is too, when it is seen. But when it isn't seen, it's still destructive, just slower. Key tools you need : patience, tenacity, ability to know forms of water source, structural layout, envelope sciences (the way it's suppose to be done), thermal camera. When all else fails..... a knife.

Exploratory surgery is just that. You want it to stop? Open it up.

08/20/2020

In the last couple of months, I've had calls from people that their dishwashers "don't work". I guess now that people are home and making meals again, dishwashers are getting used more often. "Don't work" translates to not cleaning properly. Appliance repair people are hard to come by during these days and replacement parts are not being made due to COVID 19 and factory shut downs. So here's a tip:

Empty dishwasher
Run wash cycle until you hear swishing
Stop dishwasher and pour 1 full jug of cleaning vinegar to bottom of dishwasher.
Let the cycle finish completely

That's it. This should make the dishwasher "work" again.

08/19/2020

As things progress to the positive, the negative still resides. It is unfortunate, as we still continue to feel positive that the global pandemic will stop, that we value our customer safety and our family too. We have endeavored to implement PPE standards, but is apparently difficult without customer and trade interaction. Safety is is first. Once things get better and confidence restored, we will be back in full force.

Stay safe.

07/03/2020

Fruit fly season is upon us. I'm a firm believer in changing the gasket in your strainer basket in your sink . Trust me, pouring hot water or chemicals down your drain will not kill them.

05/14/2020

In the best interest of my clients and our company, we are positioning ourselves to only service emergency type situations. We understand the government is opening essential construction work, but to take the side of caution, we have to decline cosmetic, upgrade, or opportunity driven services. My clientele lives are more precious, in turn will provide a longer working relationship.
Thanks for your patience.

05/02/2020

The government of Ontario has relaxed some services. We have decided to continue to refrain from the norm. We believe the strongest survive and continue to reserve our services until this Pandemic is truly beaten. Thanks for your support and understanding. See you soon.

04/06/2020

Our services have been altered due to the current request of the Ontario government. We will continue to offer emergency only. We will endeavor to address any concerns once certain parameters are lifted. Stay safe and God bless.

11/02/2019

FLIR thermal imaging. Now finding leaks and their direction of source without destroying property. Best $1000.00 ever spent.

11/02/2019

My rant on Caulking: I'm really getting annoyed with finding leaks due to bad caulking work. If you hired someone to caulk your windows and doors, which by the way is your first line of defence, be sure they remove the old caulikng FIRST. I have found up to 4 different layers of caulking on a house that was built in 1979.Yep on top of each other. Silicone has a very low flex rate to temperatures. Be sure they use a thermoplastic type caulk for exterior applications. Yes, silicone is a bu**er to remove, but can be achieved. Manufacturers reccomend that 90 % of the existing sealant be removed in order to make good contact. Also, silicone does not "marry" with any other type of caulking. So, the money end, Yes it will cost to have it done right. There is more labour involved to remove the existing than to apply new sealant. Compare that to frame damage, window or door replacement, mold remediation, all because someone didn't do the prep right. (mic drop)

10/14/2019

12/23/2017

To all, it has been a very transitional year for us. We would like to thank everyone who welcomed us to Stratford and helping us make it our new home. Wishing all our customers and friends a Merry Christmas and looking forward to what 2018 will bring.

09/15/2017

And done. Shower surround too.

09/14/2017

Closing in cottage after extensive support work

09/07/2017

Refinishing some detailed hardwood.

08/19/2017

Thanks to Andre Gascon design and Stanco Signs. Attention to detail at it's finest.