Edgar Monarrez has been working at John Baethke & Son Plumbing for five years and he is a very talented technician.  He moved to Chicago from Chihuahua, Mexico and enjoys the plumbing industry because he is always learning something new and puts forth a lot of time and energy to stay ahead of the game in plumbing techniques and development.  He first became interested in plumbing when he was working in warehousing and became exposed to the plumbing trade.

Edgar and his wife, Nayeli, have been married for 7 months and when Edgar isn’t on the job, he enjoys playing soccer and going to the gym.

Take a look at Edgar on a job:

A: At John Baethke & Son Plumbing, we are strong advocates for water and energy conservation.  Therefore, we highly recommend that if you are away for more than a few days, that you unplug your water heater from its energy source so as not to waste energy (whether it be electricity or gas depending on your water heater model).  Just remember it will take a little while for the water to heat up again when you return, so don’t be expecting a piping hot shower the moment you walk in the door.

Just the other week, I came upon an article about an incident where an individual died after contracting Legionnaire’s Disease from a visit to their dentist.  This was the first time I ever heard of Legionnaire’s Disease being contracted while at a dentist appointment, but what I can tell you is that I knew right away that it was due to a problem with the dentist’s backflow system.  In plumbing, it is a top priority for contractors, like us, to make sure our customers are receiving safe water to their homes and businesses.  That is why we offer backflow services.  Backflow is when a change in pressure causes outgoing, sewage water to reverse flow and mix with the clean treated water that should be coming from the faucets.  When bad water mixes with treated water, the treated water is no longer healthy for consumption and most likely contains bacteria and other harmful material for our bodies.  Due to this potential hazard, plumbing contractors like Baethke Plumbing offer backflow services where we install and maintain backflow devices that prevent sewage water from reversing flow and seeping into our potable water.  Backflow devices should be maintained on a very regular basis – at least once every year – to ensure it is working properly and preventing any chances of contamination.

If you’re interested in learning more about backflow, would like us to install a backflow device, or would like our technicians to maintain a device, please contact us at 773-276-5430.

This year, we are so excited to have Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade on the actual St. Patrick’s Day – March 17^th.  Did you know, that Chicagoland plumbers have been involved with Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day celebration for decades?  The Local 130 Union Plumbers along with The Plumbing Council of Chicagoland manage both the parade as well as the St. Patrick’s Day Queen Contest.  The plumbers are also the ones who have historically dyed the Chicago River green.

We highly recommend that you don’t miss the dyeing of the Chicago River.  Come down to the Chicago River where it intersects with Michigan Avenue (and a couple blocks east and west) to get the best views.  The dyeing begins at 10:45am.  But if you really want a great view, we highly recommend you get there at least a half hour before (space along the river fills up fast!).

After the dyeing of the River, head on over to Columbus Drive to watch Chicago’s nationally acclaimed St. Patrick’s Day Parade.  The parade starts at Columbus and Balbo, and continues north along Columbus.

This year, we are pleased to have Sara Marie Collins as our St. Patrick’s Day Queen!  Sara competed along with over 100 other young women for the royal seat.  Sara will be joined by four other young women who serve on her Court: Lauren Corry, Bridget McMahon Fitzgerald, Mary Catherine Casey and Lauren Elizabeth Catinella.

For more information about Chicago’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade, visit their website at www.chicagostpatsparade.com.  Hope to see you there!

As a business owner, I find it extremely important for our customers to know our technicians and be confident in their abilities as plumbers.  That is why our team decided to do something a little unique in the plumbing industry – we created video bios for each of our plumbing technicians so that you can meet them before they even step foot on your doorstep.  Click any of the links below to view the technician’s bio video on YouTube, or visit our website at www.baethkeplumbing.com/about/our-team/ to view them on our site.

• John Baethke
• Steven Halbert
• Patrick Fernandez
• Patrick Wirtanen
• Edgar Monarrez
• Bill Pope
• Alex Odisho
• Stephen Dalka

John is married to his lovely wife, Rebecca Mohuiddin, of 16 years and has three beautiful and adorable children – Simon (8), Lily (6) and Graham (3).

When you don’t see John on the job, most likely you’ll find him at home with his children or out running as he’s usually training for a race (even marathons!).

John has a wealth of knowledge regarding plumbing, but if there is one tip he could share, it would be this: “Be aware and pay attention to your plumbing in order to avoid troubles.”  By simply paying attention to your plumbing and realizing when small problems are occurring, you can easily avoid bigger problems in the future if you get the small problems fixed.

John is incredibly supportive of his staff.  ”John Baethke & Son employs people who are unmatched ANYWHERE.  They are simply the best!”  And with such a fantastic service team, John Baethke can boast of the numerous “Good Service” awards he has received due to the high quality of work the company performs.

John’s favorite quote: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky

John’s favorite movie: “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” (1968)

Each one of our technicians has gone through rigorous training with the Plumbers Local Union 130 and holds their plumbing license from the State of Illinois.  With 5 years of training as well as ongoing training at our company, every one of our servicemen is well qualified to do plumbing service work with a great focus on safety throughout the process.

In the process of hiring, each of our service technicians have gone through a background check to review any history that may be of concern.  A technician is then only hired if their background checks out appropriately.  Then, to guarantee our staff continues to live in a way we deem as respectful, we continue to train our staff as well as perform routine drug tests.  This is a process that is encouraged by the Plumbers Local Union 130 and The Plumbing Council of Chicagoland.  We have a zero tolerance policy should any of those tests come back positive.

We are confident that each of our service technicians have both the plumbing knowledge to complete the job to the highest quality as well as the character to be working in the homes of our clients.

Another fun activity that isn’t available year-round is ice skating!  There is the rink on Michigan Avenue in Millenium Park, but if that one is too crowded, walk a block or two east down Randolph and you’ll find another smaller rink (but usually much less crowded) to ice skate on.  If you don’t want to venture downtown, try out the ice rink at Wrigley Field!  It is open until February 26, 2012.

Have you ever had lunch in the Walnut Room at Macy’s on State Street?  Mosy on over to the Walnut Room for lunch or dinner through the end of the month and enjoy a view of the Great Tree that is decked out with 15,000 LED sparking lights and 1200 ornaments.  The Great Tree is 45 feet tall and has been a part of the Walnut Room’s holiday celebration for more than a century.

If you are interested in having your vulnerable pipes insulated, please contact our office at 773-276-5430.

Keep your water warm and flowing this winter!

November 2011 - PHC News recently released their Top 20 Under 20 list of the Top 20 plumbing and heating companies in the United States, based on business strength, with less than 20 employees.  John Baethke & Son Plumbing was listed as #13 out of the top 20 contracting companies, but looking specifically just at plumbing business strength, John Baethke & Son ranked #3 out of all the contractors polled across the United States.

“We are incredibly proud of our hard-working team who have made this recognition possible.  This award was only tangible due to the diligence of my technicians and office staff.  I am blessed to have such a skilled team who continue to work hard and provide the best plumbing service we can offer,” stated John Baethke.

To view the entire PHC News publication for November 2011, visit www.phcnews.com/pdf/phc11_2011.pdf .