Our sixth consecutive Super Service Award since 2008! Thank you to ALL our customers for making this high achievement rating possible!
Category: Helpful Tips
Why You Need To Be Sure You Hire a Licensed Plumber!
Jimmy highlights the mistakes of an unlicensed plumber.
The customer did not check the “licensed” plumber they hired, really was.
Prevent Frozen Pipes Before the Real Cold
Prevent Frozen Pipes Before the Real Cold
There are three major causes of frozen pipes: quick drops in temperature, poor insulation, and thermostats that are set too low. Here are some important steps you can take now (before the real cold weather hits us) to prevent frozen pipes:
Insulate pipes in your home’s crawl spaces and attic; exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. As a general rule, remember that the more insulation you use, the better protected your pipes will be.
Use heat tape on exposed water pipes to prevent your pipes from freezing. Heat tape requires electricity, but it can be used just on those days and nights when the temperature is below freezing and you’re concerned about preventing frozen pipes.
Seal leaks that may allow cold air inside near where pipes are located. You should be on the lookout for air leaks around electrical wiring, dry vents, and pipes. Use caulk or insulation to keep the cold air out. In freezing temperatures, even a small opening can let in enough cold air to cause a pipe to freeze.
Disconnect garden hoses and, if possible, use an indoor valve to shut off and drain water from pipes leading to outside faucets.
Freshen Up Your Garbage Disposal
Don’t let the smell of your Garbage Disposal ruin your holidays this year. By using common household items, you can freshen your garbage disposal without harmful chemicals, safe for the environment, safe for your family, and economical. With a few items you may already have in your home, you can naturally clean and deodorize your garbage disposal and freshen your whole kitchen.
INGREDIENTS:
Lemon, Lime, or Orange
Baking Soda
Distilled White Vinegar
RECIPE 1:
To freshen your garbage disposal, peel a lemon and put the peel down the drain. Run the disposal for several minutes. The peel will naturally dissolve built up food, kill odor causing bacteria, and leave the kitchen fresh. An orange can also be used, if you have one on hand.
RECIPE 2:
Pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white vinegar down garbage disposal. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal. This will clean and deodorize your disposal, as well as break up built up residue. For large amounts of built up residue, you may need to follow this process more than one time.
RECIPE 3:
Make white vinegar ice cubes by freezing full strength white vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water. It is handy to keep this on hand, for a quick freshener. While your disposer is breaking up the ice, you will be cleaning the blades while you deodorize.
Signs you need a water softening system
Do you ever wonder if you need a water softening system? Here are a few signs around your house that it maybe time to give Bee and Jay a call for a free water analysis.
- You begin to notice scales forming in your shower heads, boiler, and bottom of steam irons, dishwashing machines and pipes.
- You notice low flows through kitchen faucets and showerheads.
- You begin to see excessive buildup in your bath tubs.
- You use more shampoo or laundry soap than you think you should.
- Your dishes and glasses becoming spotted when dry.
- You may see staining on your sinks, tubs, showers, and clothing.
- Your hairs feel sticky when washed with hard water.
- Your Domestic water heater begins to plug, volume/pressure slows to a trickle.
Washing Machine Hoses
Do your Washing Machine Hoses need replacing?
One of the #1 reasons for floods is burst washing machine hoses. If your hoses look like this it is time to change them.
Bathroom Safety
Bathroom Safety doesn’t have to be ugly and cluttered!
With today’s multi-function and decorative grab bars you can add safety without sacrificing look.
Do you have a small child who has used the paper holder as a grab bar and the next thing you know the paper holder is in their hand and you have a hole in the wall where the paper holder used to be? Been there done that. With a grab bar and paper holder in one like this it will not longer be an issue.
Do you need a grab bar outside your bathtub or shower but room is an issue? Not anymore with a grab bar and towel bar all in one like this one.
There is even a grab bar with a basket for inside your tub or shower.
According to the IRS Publication 502 “you can include in medical expenses amount you pay for special equipment installed in a home, or for improvements, if their main purpose is medical care for you, your spouse or your dependent.” So put those Flexible-Spending dollars to use. Just don’t forget the doctor’s note.
Another Potential Disaster Averted!
In keeping along similar lines of our last blog, sometimes owners fear the worst when they have to call a plumber to address what could be a severe and expensive issue in their home. On Friday, we got a call from a long-term customer with inadequate hot water throughout thier home.
Jimmy and Ryan responded to the call and tested and inspected and found the problem was not their hot water heater. The problem was an outdoor bar sink faucet that had a broken stem causing a cross-connection making them lose hot water in the house. They warmed up the blow torch and installed isolation valves, fixing the problem and making hot showers for everyone possible again. This particular service call only took an hour and they were able to clear a clogged shower drain as well…
We can’t stress enough how important it is to call your plumber no matter how bad you think the situation could be- it doesn’t always mean it will be as bad as you fear.
Click here for pictures of Jimmy and Ryan on the job!
A No-Water Emergency Might Not Be Because of Your Well Pump
You’re on the other side of a lightning storm and all of a sudden you have no water. You panic at the thought of a costly well pump replacement and calling a plumber is the last thing you want to do….. Take a minute to read about our weekend.
Due to the severe lightning we had this weekend we had a record number of emergency no water calls- and amazingly enough- all of them had one common culprit…. the pressure switch….
The pressure switch is the primary sensing device on your water storage tank which operates your submersible well pump and controls the cycling of your water system.
The first pressure switch we replaced this weekend was defective internally. The bellows diaphragm rotted, causing internal leakage and burnt out the switch control.
Another pressure switch was internally burnt out due to the lightning storm the previous evening and caused a power surge to melt the internal electrical components.
After a solid 24 hour block of dealing with what could have been our customers worst fear of having to pull and replace their submersible pump and all related equipment from their well…. we were able to give them their water service back with an inexpensive part- a primary component to their water system.
DIY Tips For Preventing Drain Clogs
PREVENTING DRAIN CLOGS
No plumbing problem is more common or more frustrating than a clogged drain. Drains can usually be cleared easily and inexpensively, but taking some simple precautions will help you avoid stop-ups. Proper disposal of kitchen waste will keep sink drain clogs to a minimum.
Following these suggestions can help keep the cash in your pocket instead of down your pipes!
- Don’t pour grease down the kitchen sink. Ever.
- Don’t wash coffee grounds down the sink. Throw them out.
- Be sparing with chemical cleaners, particularly if you have brass, steel, or cast-iron traps and drainpipes; some caustic chemicals can corrode metal pipes and leave you with issues worse than clogs.
- If used no more than once every few months, cleaners containing sodium hydroxide or sodium nitrate can be safe and effective.
- Clean floor drain strainers. Some tubs, showers, and basement floor drains have strainers that are screwed into the drain opening. You can easily remove these strainers and reach down into the drain with a bent wire to clear out accumulated debris. And be sure to scrub the strainer.
- Clean pop-up stoppers in the bathroom sink and the tub regularly. Lift out sink pop-ups once a week and rinse them off.
- Every few months, remove the overflow plate on a tub and pull up the pop-up assembly to reach the spring or rocker arm. Remove accumulated hair and rinse thoroughly.
