Dec
16
5 Tips to Keep Your Garbage Disposal in Top Shape This Holiday Season
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Tis the season for special times with family, friends, and food; but is your garbage disposal up to the challenge? Here are five quick tips to keep your garbage disposal in top shape and peak performance this holiday season.
1. Keep it small – Your garbage disposal does a lot to make work in your kitchen easier. Do it a favor in return and keep waste small. Break or cut up waste before it goes into the disposal. Small pieces make the disposal’s job easier.
2. Know the No-No’s - There are certain things your garbage disposal just does not like. Use common sense when putting things down the disposal. Don’t put anything hard down the disposal. Rather than using the disposal, throw away fibrous things such as coffee grinds, banana peels, onion skins. And of course, no hands. For the welfare of your disposal and your fingers keep the two apart.
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Dec
3
Whether it’s a drip in the bathroom sink, or a slow leak from the water heater, homeowners are infamous at putting things off until they become an emergency. It comes with territory – we’re busy seven days of the week, and rarely have time to spend on extra chores.
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.
Nov
26
The holidays often mean a house full of family and guests, festive decorations, and baking and cooking a little extra for those that drop by. It also means higher utility bills, wasted energy, and a higher carbon footprint. Here are some ideas on how you can have the whole family over and still conserve energy.
Upgrade to the new LED Christmas lights. LED Christmas lights consume 90 percent less electricity compared with previous light sets. And because of their popularity, their prices have come down dramatically this year, making them more affordable then ever.
Use a timer to control your Christmas lights. Have them on during peak hours – dusk through midnight – then turn them off automatically to conserve.
Oct
21
Tips To Save Energy This Winter
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As the winter season approaches, many people are finding ways to prepare for the cold weather. Rising energy costs have led to a cause for concern. With the struggling economy, being able to afford to stay warm is a real concern. There are several ways you can save energy this winter and still stay warm.
- Maintain upkeep on your central heating system. Having your system checked by a professional once a year will ensure that it runs properly and efficiently. Lack of maintenance will lead to high repair bills later, possibly during a winter storm when you need the heat the most.
Sep
17
Home Plumbing Myths
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There is nothing quite as annoying as having home plumbing problems. It does not matter if it is a sink that refuses to drain or a toilet that refuses to flush; plumbing problems are a huge headache. Many people have mistaken beliefs about the simplicity of plumbing. The truth is if you do not know what you are doing, you are better off hiring a professional to do the job right the first time.
Many of the things you probably do every day may not be the best for your home.
Running Water Makes Waste Head Down The Drain
If you’ve already filled up the drain with waste, water not be the answer to keeping a drain pipe from clogging. While water can easily carry small amounts of waste, the waste needs to be within the water, not in front of it. It the clog already is in place, a small flow of water will never be able to get through the blockage. Read more
Aug
26
It may be 100 degrees right now, but the snow will be flying soon enough here in Colorado.
The winter season is possibly the most stressful time of the year for a home’s plumbing. Between cold temperatures, snow, and ice, and an influx of family and friends during the holiday season, pipes and drains are put to the test for weeks on end. It is important to know a few tricks and tips before the beginning of the season, and to have a trusted plumber to work with.
To avoid clogs, most plumbers will give you easily usable advice for general use and for when company is in town. For one, a water heater should be turned up somewhat, and showers should be taken throughout the day instead of back-to-back to conserve hot water. Never put items down a drain that should not be there. It almost goes without saying, but items like cotton in toilets or skins, peels, or cooking oils in a kitchen disposer lead to clogs more often than not. These tips will save headaches and allow for a peaceful season.
The biggest threat to plumbing in the winter is pipes freezing. To lessen this threat, it is important to insulate water pipes as a cautionary measure. For pipes in areas where they will be at the hands of the weather this is crucial and necessary, and if there are pipes that will sit unused, all water should be drained from them to neutralize any threat. Keeping pipes somewhat exposed inside a house by opening doors or cabinets to allow heat to reach them is also a simple prevention tip.
Local, trustworthy plumbers are now easy to find with the help of the internet, and it is always a good idea to have one do a walk-through before the winter begins to go over precautionary measures and make sure that important steps have been taken to keep pipes flowing through the season.
May
28
You found a great deal on the clearance rack of the big box store – a new bathroom faucet for a very low price. Is it a good deal? Or is it just a problem waiting to happen?
For some products, it just doesn’t pay to skimp and look for big savings. With faucets, showerheads, and other fixtures you’ll be using every day, its important to go for quality. You may save money in the beginning, but when you have to repair and replace on a quicker timetable, your ultimate cost will be much higher over time.
Whether you’re building a new home, remodeling your old one, or simply making a few changes to a room, buy with quality and longevity in mind. The same applies to a good plumber as well. They should always be knowledgeable in products and services, and give you advice on how to get the best quality for your money today, and for the future.
Don’t stop with your faucets and showerheads. Use the same philosophy on all of your appliances and fixtures.
- Toilets
- Washer and dryer
- Dishwasher
- Refrigerator
- Furnace – air conditioner
- Water heater
Each of these items is put to use daily, and sometimes under the harshest conditions, including extreme cold and heat. Don’t rely on a good price in an ad at the big box store. Instead, check with your local plumber, and do a little research online. If you continue to see problem after problem with a brand or product, choose something else. It’ll save you time and headaches down the road.
Dec
17
Hot Water Boilers
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A hot water boiler is an appliance that heats and uses water to provide heat throughout the home. Once the water is hot, it distributes the water throughout the home via pipes, and radiates heat into the rooms with either a steel or cast iron radiator, or baseboard convectors. Hot water boilers can be fueled by natural gas, propane, or oil. Oil burners typically require more attention and maintenance than their gas burning counterparts.
While a hot water boiler system is more
complex than a standard forced air furnace, it typically is more reliable and has fewer problems overall. When problems do arise, they usually relate to the expansion tank or water circulator pump, all which can be easily fixed by your reputable plumber.
The expansion tank must be properly charged with air in order to run properly. If you touch the expansion tank, the bottom should feel hotter than the top. If not, the tank has too much water, and should be drained of excess water. The system will recharge in a few hours after it is refilled to the proper levels.
The water circulator pump will cause leaks around the boiler unit when the pump starts to fail, you have a faulty pressure relief valve, or you have a leaky water pipe connection. In most cases you will need to have your plumber fix the problem. It could be as simple as cleaning out sediment and replacing a valve, to repairing pipes and connectors.
Just like more traditional furnaces, hot water heaters, and other appliances in your home, having regular scheduled preventative maintenance every year can keep your boiler system in top shape, and keep you warm all winter long.
Nov
5
Once again the holidays are upon us. And with the holidays means more time at home, cooking for family and friends, dinner parties and potlucks.
With extra cooking and more time at home means more potential for problems you’re your plumbing.
Here are 7 Plumbing Tips to help you avoid problems this holiday season.
1. With more guests in your home brings more food being cooked and potentially being disposed of. With extra helping of food, throw it directly into the garbage instead of down the garbage disposal. Too much food at one time can clog the disposal and drain pipes, backing up your system at 
inconvenient times.
2. Use plenty of water when using the garbage disposal. Turn the water on a few seconds before using the disposal, and leave it run a few seconds after its clear to ensure food and waste is through the system.
3. Be especially careful about putting certain types of foods down the garbage disposal. Check out our 10 Worst Things To Put In Garbage Disposal for a great list on what to avoid any time of the year, and especially now with more traffic in your home.
4. With overnight guests in your home, and family members home more due to vacations, turn up your water heater slightly to have more hot water available. To have hot water available instantly any time you choose, you may want to invest in a hot water circulation system.
5. Keep a trashcan in plain site in both the bathrooms and kitchen to avoid flushing small items that can be hazardous for the pipes.
6. Use cold water for washing machines to conserve hot water for showers. Run washers, dishwashers and other appliances early morning or late in the evening to avoid competition for the hot water supply.
7. Keep a plunger ready for backups in the kitchen or bathroom. Don’t wait for complete backups – solve the problem quickly to avoid a bigger problem down the road. Even little clogs can become full blown problems quickly without immediate action. Call your plumber immediately if backups don’t seem to disappear, or if you have reoccurring problems within a short amount of time. It’s easier to fix small problems quickly than to deal with larger problems at inopportune times.
Sep
24
With cold mornings upon us and snow on the way, winter will soon be here. Here are 8 plumbing tips for winterizing your home.
1. Clear water from outside pipes. Now is the time to begin draining outside sprinkler systems. Blow out the pipes to your automatic system. Detach garden hoses and store
for the season. Fully insulate any exposed outdoor water fixtures. Fix tiny leaks in the system now so they don’t cause burst pipes and larger problems as the area starts freezing.
2.Check the outside foundation. Rake away leaves and pull up dead plants. Look for signs of accumulating water, which could be leaks in water or sewage piping.
3. Clean and inspect your water heater. Clear out any sediment built up over the summer months.
4. Prevent plumbing freezes before they happen. Insulate any exposed pipes along outside walls. If you leave your home on vacation, keep the heat to at least 55 degrees.
5. Install low flow showerheads. Long, warm showers are more common in the winter months. By replacing showerheads with water saving fixtures, you can enjoy longer showers while saving water too.
6. Install a hot water circulation system. Instead of sending gallons of wasted water down the drain every day, start out hand washings and showers with instant hot water.
7. It’s not too late to take advantage of area rebate programs. Denver, Castle Rock, Aurora and Colorado Springs are still running their rebate programs for installing low flow toilets.
Blogroll
- Quality 1st Plumbing website - Quality 1st Plumbing website
- Troubleshooter - Tom Martino – The Trouble Shooter
- WaterSense