Ever hear a “quick tip” that almost sounds unbelievable? From a helpful tip to an old wives’ tale, it can be difficult to decide which info is fact and which is fiction. More than a few of the best-known “tips” are myths – myths that can cost you money and time. Here are a few of the most common plumbing myths you should avoid:

Putting lemons down the garbage disposal is a good way to freshen it and clean it. Although putting lemons in the disposal might make it smell fresh at the time, the acids in lemon juice will corrode the metal inside the disposal and shorten its lifespan. If your disposal needs cleaned, use ice. The spinning ice will clean any debris from inside the disposal.

Using cleaning tablets or cleaning liquids in your toilet tank will eliminate the need to clean your toilet. The truth is that the use of these products can create build-up that will destroy the toilet. If you need to remove grime from your toilet, simply run white vinegar down the overflow tube. The vinegar will safely remove the grime in a natural, chemical-free manner.

Most plumbing fixtures are low-maintenance.  Neglect of plumbing fixtures can lead to serious issues. Lack of use allows drain traps to dry out and sewer gases to vent into the house – which can lead to deadly explosive gases. To eliminate this risk, make sure you use your various sinks and drains on a regular basis.

Instructions are for “dummies”. By carefully following installation and maintenance instructions, you can insure that your fixtures work correctly and that your warranties will not be voided.

He must know what he is doing – he is a plumber. Not all plumbers are created equal. When choosing a plumber, you should ensure that he is licensed. Do not be afraid to ask for references – a good plumber will gladly provide you with the names of satisfied customers.

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No one wants to face expensive but avoidable plumbing repairs.  For those of us who aren’t plumbers, here are a few things to watch out for.

Putting grease down the sink -Please don’t put grease down the drain.  Even with hot water and soap, grease can build up over time causing problems with your pipes.

Using your sink as a trash can – Even if you have a garbage disposal, that does not give you a free pass to dump everything and anything down the drain.  Food chunks in the kitchen or hair and fingernails in the bathroom serve as the start of a terrible clog.

Using the toilet as a trash can – The toilet has its given role, the trash can has another.  Do not confuse the two.

Using too much Drain-O – Using drain cleaner too often or on the wrong type of clog could lead to erosion of your pipes or just a really nasty clog for the plumber to clean out.

Mixing metals – If you decide to replace the pipes yourself for a portion of your home’s plumbing system, please do not mix piping metals.  This can lead to corrosion, leaks, and a number of other headaches.

Lack of insulation – If you live in a cold climate, your pipes can freeze in the winter unless they are properly insulated.

Leaving hoses attached – Leaving the hose attached to your outdoor faucet through the winter can lead to frozen pipes or a damaged faucet.

Pouring chemicals in a septic system – If you have a septic system, please research what is safe and what is not for septic systems.  Certain chemicals can kill the good bacteria there leading to a smelly, expensive mess.

Messing with plumbing vents – Your plumbing vents are there for the plumbing, not for a quick and easy way to rewire anything in your house.  Don’t mess with the vents.

Accidentally cutting hidden plumbing - Use caution as you remodel or cut into the walls in your home.  Cutting into a hidden pipe can cause extensive leaking and time consuming damage.

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Last minute gifts, baking and shopping all mean that the holidays are fast approaching.

And as you’re headed out the door with high hopes of vacations with family, friends, food, gifts, and fun this holiday season, there are some things you might not plan for: disaster.   One quick way to kill the holiday festivities is to come home to a watery (or worse, mold and mildew ridden) mess.

Before you head away for the holidays, be sure your home is ready for its time alone too

1.    Shut off the main water valve.  Imagine your dishwasher springing a leak an hour after you leave. How many hours of water would fill your home while you are away? Water itself is a huge problem when its someplace its not supposed to be. And when the water continues to flow, it becomes even more of a problem. If at all possible, turn off the main water valve to your home. You will limit the amount of water present in case of a problem.   

2.    Shut off valves at each location.  If shutting the main water valve isn’t an option, you still have other possibilities. Each fixture in your home has its own unique shut off valve. Sinks, toilets, and appliances all can be turned off at the source. Again, this minimizes the amount of water available in the event of a problem.

3.    Reduce the heat setting on your water heater.  There is no need to keep the water hot in your home if you won’t be there to use it.  Many gas water heaters have a setting for vacation situations, and electric heaters can simply be turned off.  This saves wear and tear on the system, and saves you some money at the same time.

4.    Check for wear.  While most of your water system is hidden in walls and underground, there are still areas you can check up on before you go.  Check all hoses, connections, faucets, etc. for leaks or signs of wear and corrosion.  A simple fix before you go may save you a great deal of time and trouble when you get back.

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Recycling has become a huge part of society. The world is always looking for a “greener” way to live. Finding other uses for common items is one way of accomplishing this task.

For example, using empty food containers, like butter bowls, for storage is an easy way to avoid throwing the empty container into a landfill. You can give it new life by using it for storing leftovers or other items.

One item you may not think twice about throwing away is a toilet paper roll. There are actually many uses for discarded toilet paper roll.

Use the roll to hold your pantyhose. The roll will protect your hose from runs and tears. They also make it easy for travel.

Make homemade bracelets. Just cut the roll down the side and then cut it into small sections. Cover each section with colorful paper (use glue to hold it in place). Your little ones will enjoy the brightly colored bracelets for playtime.

Make your little one a pair of binoculars. Staple two rolls together and punch a hole on both sides for a string or piece of yarn. Your little one now has binoculars for his imagination adventures.

Use an empty roll to hold party favors or stocking stuffers. Place the item in the roll and wrap it with festive paper. The rolls make great holders for small items that are hard to wrap, such as fishing lures.

If you have a fireplace, you can use the empty rolls as a way to start the fire. Fill the roll with dried leaves and wrap it in newspaper. Toss it into the fireplace and light it. The paper, roll and leaves will light quickly, making it easier for you to have a roaring fireplace for those cold, winter nights.

Let your little ones use the rolls for arts and crafts. They can build things with them or dip the ends in paint to create circles. Encourage your child to use his imagination to create fences, castles and more.

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One of the toughest stains and smells to fight comes from mildew. The dark, ugly spots and stains seem to find their way to every area that has even the tiniest bit of moisture. Bathrooms are a prime location for mildew to grow because of the moist and often warm environment. Clothes are another target – ever forget a load of laundry in the wash? It can take many washes just to remove the odor and chances are that you will still have to toss a few items.

Fortunately, there are ways to fight mildew and keep it from taking over your home.

Rub leather items that smell of mildew with an alcohol solution. Using a rag soaked in a two-parts water and one-part alcohol mixture might save your leather items. Just rub the items down with the rag and repeat until the odor is eliminated. Or seek help from a professional leather cleaner.

Ventilating your bathroom with an exhaust fan will remove the excess moisture created from steamy baths and showers. Mildew doesn’t thrive in dry areas, so the drier you can keep your bathroom, the better.

Don’t forget about the kitchen. You may not realize how much moisture cooking can create and that moisture will seep into any cracks and crevices.

Work to eliminate problem areas. Lets face it; every home has an area that is more prone to problems. A plumber can help you fix those problem areas with simple remodeling tips. A new faucet might reduce drips; or a new shower base might allow him to fix a leaky pipe that’s been hidden for years. Professionals can quickly see where the problems lie, and help you get it back under control.

Utilize a dehumidifier to eliminate any excess moisture in the air. Dehumidifiers will not only reduce mildew, they will help eliminate the “dank” feeling that comes with too much moisture in the air.

Ceiling fans are great tools for keeping things dry. When the air is constantly moving, it becomes more difficult for mildew to take its hold.

Make sure all of your clothes, blankets, and jackets are thoroughly dry before hanging them up. If they are the slightest bit wet, mildew will try to grow. Take those extra five or ten minutes to run the dryer. If you line dry, keep the air moving with a fan to speed up the drying process and keep mildew at bay.

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You are probably familiar with the term “hard water.”  You may even be familiar with the potential problems it can cause, or the signs you should watch for that indicate hard water.  But, at the end of the day, do you really know what hard water is?

Water’s hardness (or softness) is determined by the presence and concentration of two salts within a water supply.  Water is considered hard when there is an excessive concentration of calcium and magnesium salts.  The higher the calcium and magnesium levels, the harder the water.

To help turn this ambiguous definition into more concrete usable information, water analysts have developed a table for measuring and comparing water hardness.  For this table, amounts of calcium and magnesium are measured in “grains per gallon” (gpg).  Naturally, the higher the gpg the harder the water.

Soft water typically contains less than 1 grain per gallon of water analyzed.  Slightly hard water contains 1 – 3.5 grains per gallon.  Moderately hard water falls around the 3.5 -7 gpg range.  Hard water ranks in from 7 – 10.5 gpg, and very hard water measures from 10.5 and up.

If you think your home may have hard water, you should contact your local water department.  They will typically provide a water analysis upon request.  Unfortunately, the report they provide you may or may not reflect water hardness in the simple grains per gallon (gpg) scale discussed here.  Instead you may see numbers reflected as ppm (parts per million) or epm (equivalents per million).

While these forms of measurement make for a more convenient conversion between measuring systems (liters and gallons), it makes it much more difficult for the common consumer to comprehend.  If you do find your water department has provided ppm or epm numbers, simply divide the provided number by 17.1.  This will give you the gpg and allow you to determine the hardness of your water.

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Some areas have water with high levels of magnesium and/or chloride.  Elevated levels of these minerals lead to the label “hard” water.  Over time, these minerals can cause two types of problems:

1. You may notice that hard water leaves a residue or “scale” inside teakettles and coffee pots.  Magnesium and chloride tends to stick to containers long after the water is gone.  While this may mean a gross looking coffee pot, the threat on your pipes is a bit direr.  This scale can build up over time and impede water flow.

2. “Hard” water diminishes the lathering capability of soap and increases its tendency to scum.  End result: a less satisfying shower experience and soap scum rings on your tub.

A water softener works to counteract the negative results of magnesium and calcium rich water.  A properly functioning water softener removes magnesium and chloride from a water supply, replacing it instead with sodium.  Since sodium does not cause the same problems as magnesium or chloride, it provides a safe, convenient alternative.

This transfer occurs within the tiny beads or zeolite of a water softener.  The beads of a softener are covered with sodium, so as the water flows through the system it releases its magnesium and chloride ions in exchange for sodium.  The softener collects these discarded minerals on the same beads or zeolite that originally held the sodium.

Eventually, the softener levels will be saturated with magnesium and chloride.  At this point, the softener will need to be regenerated.  This regeneration process introduces a sodium brine to the softener, renewing the sodium ion levels and flushing out the magnesium and chloride ions.  These unwanted minerals as well as the rest of the brine are disposed of by means of a drain pipe.

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Even when Colorado has above average snowfall, and water restrictions are limited, it’s still important to focus in on how we can conserve water in our daily lives. In addition to saving money on your water bill each month, water conservation also helps keep lakes, reservoirs and water tables high, reducing overall pollution in our systems. Keep Reading>>

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Comparing Water Heaters – What’s The Most Efficient Way To Heat Your Water?

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4. Clean it up - Especially before you put it through the pressures of the holiday season, it would be wise to clean your disposal.  While running cold water, put a small handful of ice cubes down the disposal and turn it on.  This process helps clear unwanted buildup from the inner lining and helps sharpen the blades.  You might also want to use a paper towel to wipe of both sides of the rubber drain entrance when the disposal is off.

5. Freshen it up - Cut up a citrus peel and send it through the disposal.  The zest will give off a nice sent.

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Yet some things are ultimately more important than others. Here’s a list of 7 plumbing mistakes many homeowners make.

1. The “It Will” Do Approach
You start out on a project, whether it’s installing a new toilet, or fixing a dripping faucet. You don’t have the right tools or the right parts, so you use what you have. Who has time to run back up to the hardware store? Yet this can cause more leaking, and possible broken equipment quickly as things begin to deteriorate. Avoid the inclination and make sure you fix it correctly the first time.

2. Install Fixtures Without Using A Level
In order to get the job done quickly, you throw in the new toilet without thinking twice about how level it is. Yet by being slightly off balance, you are more apt to water problems down the road. Leveling is important before you finish the installation.

3. Use Mismatched Plumbing Materials
Can you attach galvanized piping to copper piping? What if you use plastic piping? Anything is possible, but it ultimately comes down to how fast corrosion sets in, and you have to bring your tools out for another repair job.

4. Shut Off The Water
What happens if you start disassembling the bathroom faucet without turning off the water? If you’ve ever tried it, you know what happens. Always remember to shut off the water before you tackle any job that requires working with water.

5. Allow Extra Time
Two hours before relatives come over for Thanksgiving dinner is probably not the most appropriate time to make a repair, no matter how minor it may seem. Murphy’s law will definitely kick in at a time like this, allowing you to spend time with the repair while everyone else feasts on turkey.

6. Forget The Caulk
Now that the sink or shower is in, who needs caulk? Unfortunately, if you forget to seal things in properly, you’ll find yourself with a whole lot of water damage down the road. Add in mold problems, and you’re looking at a very expensive home improvement project.

7. Taking Advice From The Wrong Person
Your brother may want to help you with a project, but is really the best person for the job? After all, he doesn’t live there, and won’t be up at 3 am when the pipes break and you have a real mess. If they don’t have plumbing experience, choose to get your advice from someone who does. Nothing beats the opinion of a professional plumber.

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