5 Food Items To Keep Out Of Your Disposal

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Garbage Disposals
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Your garbage disposal can reduce the strain on your plumbing by breaking down food and debris into smaller pieces, which can then pass safely through your pipes. However, there are certain foods that still shouldn’t go down your drain, even with a garbage disposal. While it may be convenient to scrape food off plates and rinse out coffee filters in your kitchen sink, your disposal can only do so much to prevent these items from eventually clogging your pipes. To avoid clogs and expensive plumbing repairs, try to keep these five food items out of your disposal and sink drains.

  1. Fats – Grease, oil and fat are some of the leading causes of clogged drains. Putting these items through your disposal can gum up your disposal. Plus, the disposal does not break them down any further, so they can still solidify in your pipes and cause clogs.
  2. Coffee grounds – Coffee grounds are too fine and dense to be broken down in your disposal. Avoid putting any excess coffee grounds down your drains, even when you use a garbage disposal.
  3. Vegetables – Some fibrous vegetables are difficult for your garbage disposal to break down. This can include potato peelings, celery and artichokes, all high in fiber. They can become lodged in the mechanism, causing it to jam and malfunction.
  4. Seeds – Fruit seeds and nuts can be too hard for a garbage disposal to grind. These items can get stuck in the blades and cause the motor to become damaged.
  5. Bones – Even small fish or chicken bones can be hard for your garbage disposal to handle. Keep these out of your disposal to avoid damaging the gears and motor.

By keeping these items out of your garbage disposal, you can help the unit last longer and avoid clogs in your pipes. If your disposal is not working properly, it could be due to build-up from previous foods that have done damage to your unit. Call your local plumber to have your disposal serviced or replaced.

Posted on behalf of Kiddco Plumbing, Inc.

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Three Good Reasons To Have Your Water Tested

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Water Line Repair
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It’s easy to take the water coming from your faucets for granted. We assume that it’s safe, especially those who use a water filtration device for their drinking water. However, there are good reasons to have your water periodically tested, even if you are using filtered or bottled water for drinking.

Contaminants can also effect the food you prepare, adding harmful bacteria and other substances to your body. In addition, your water may causing damage to your plumbing, which could cost you plenty down the road. Here are three good reasons to schedule a water testing with your local plumber.

  1. Toxins – There are toxins that can get into your water supply, even on city supplied water. Nitrates from fertilizers, lead from old pipes or even excess chemicals used at treatment plants can taint the water you drink. Having your water tested can ensure that it is safe for your family to drink and use for cooking your food.
  2. Bacteria – One of the main reasons to have your water tested is to identify any harmful bacteria that may be in your water supply. Testing for total coliform bacteria and E. coli bacteria should be performed regularly to ensure that your water is safe for consumption.
  3. Protecting your pipes – Many minerals and bacteria can cause harm to your pipes over time. Excess levels can corrode the interior of your pipes and lead to expensive broken water pipes as well as water damage in your home.

Water testing can be expensive if you don’t refine what you are testing for. Talk to your local plumber about what environmental elements are common problems in your region to narrow down what you should be testing for in your water.

Posted on behalf of Shawn Bynum, Bynum Plumbing

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Is Your Water Heater Working Too Hard?

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Water Heaters
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Minerals and other components in your water can lead to build-up in your water heater, wasting energy and causing stress on the unit. Especially in homes with well water, there may be a high level of mineral content, which can build mineral formations inside your water heater. This build-up may be making it harder for your water heater to do its job, and can eventually lead to its demise.

Problems With Mineral Build-Up

The minerals in your water can often settle at the bottom of your water tank, eventually creating mineral formations inside the tank itself. Along with these formations, a layer of build-up can create a type of insulation between the heating elements and the water. This can make it harder for your water heater to do its job, using more energy and costing you more money. In addition, this excess heat can transfer to the surrounding metal tank, causing it to be more susceptible to leaks.

These mineral build-ups happen all the time, especially in homes with hard water. However, there are ways to reduce the strain to make your water heater last longer. The best advice is to have routine maintenance performed on your water heater at least once a year, which includes draining the unit and removing this excess mineral build-up that can put such a strain on your water heater.

Your local plumbing professional can perform a full annual maintenance service on your water heater, usually increasing the life of your water heater. This can save you the expense of needing a water heater repair or replacement, as well as save you on your energy bill.

Posted on behalf of Seagraves Plumbing

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Is Your Bathroom Sink Draining Slowly?

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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Slow moving bathroom drains are a common plumbing complaint, and can usually be attributed to clogs or build-up. Usually the culprit is that funny-shaped pipe below your sink. Almost all sinks have a U-shaped pipe which, to a layman, may seem counter-productive to draining. In your bathroom sink, hair, toothpaste and other items can get trapped in this U bend, causing the slow draining of the sink. So if this is such a common problem, why is this U bend even put in pipes in the first place?

Why You Have A “U” In Your Pipes

There is a simple and solid reason that your bathroom sink has a U bend. The bend is designed to allow water from your sink to collect in the U shape, creating a seal between the drain opening and the below sewer pipes. Essentially what this does is keep the gases from the sewer lines below from rising up through your pipes and filling your bathroom. While it can contribute to clogged drains, it is the best way to keep the smell of the sewer water from entering your home.

The best solution is to be very careful about what is put down your bathroom sink. Wipe out hair, beard trimmings and excess hygiene products such as toothpaste and hair gel that land in your sink instead of just washing them down the drain. This will reduce the amount of debris that can get caught in that U bend and cam limit the number of clogs you will get in the future.

To get your bathroom drain flowing again, call your plumber to remove the clog and clean out the U bend in your bathroom plumbing. Once clear, regulate what is allowed to go down your bathroom drain to keep your U bend clean and functioning as it should.

Posted on behalf of Citywide Plumbing

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Diagnosing A Toilet Leak

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Toilets
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It can be disheartening to find a pool of water by your toilet. The first fear is that the entire unit will need to be replaced. The second is worrying about water damage if the leak is not stopped immediately. While some toilet leaks will result in the toilet needing to be replaced, some leaks may be smaller and easier problems to fix. Here are a couple of things to look for to find the leak before calling in a plumber.

  • Tank condensation – Water condensation on your tank can build up and cause water to drip. Often, this is not a major problem. Try wiping down the toilet tank, then check it in an hour or so. If there is no water on the floor, then it was just condensation, and there is probably no need to call a plumber.
  • Pipes – Check for drips or leaks in the pipes and fittings behind the toilet. Try wiping these down and watching for drips to form. If there is a drip, it may be something as simple as a worn out washer or fitting.
  • Toilet base – If there is water seeping from the toilet base, there are a couple of things that may be wrong. Your seal could have been broken between the toilet and the floor, requiring  the toilet to be replaced. The toilet also may have a crack, which would also mean you need to replace the toilet.

Although toilet repairs are generally a quick job, it is best to have a professional plumber complete the work. Especially when resealing or replacing the entire toilet, as it is important to have the expertise of a trained and licensed plumber to ensure the work is performed properly.

Posted on behalf of Kiddco Plumbing,Inc.

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What Is A Grease Trap?

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Grease Trap Cleaning
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Grease traps are required to be installed in every restaurant and eating establishment in the United States.  During the dishwashing process the hot water used, along with the dishwashing detergent, removes the grease, oil and fat from the plates, silverware and cooling utensils and is deposited into the buildings sewage system, which discharges into the public sewage system downstream.

Once the grease, oil or fat cools, it becomes hard and adheres to the pipes inside and outside of the building and can lead to sewer blockages and poor sewer system performance.  The purpose of the trap is to prevent grease, oil and fat, generated by the dishwashing process in the restaurant, from entering into the public sewer system serving the facility.  Grease traps are typically located on the exterior of the building, although smaller floor mounted grease traps can be found in some restaurants.

The grease trap works by separating the grease from the water, but to work properly they must be kept clean. The build up of sludge and hardened grease must be removed periodically for the trap to work properly.  The removal process is fairly straightforward with a pumping truck, operated by a trained technician, arriving on site and pumping out and cleaning out the trap.

Once the grease trap cleaning is complete, the waste is disposed of properly and all supporting documentation is provided to the owner of the restaurant.  It is important to note that a improperly functioning grease trap that allows grease, oil and fat to enter into the public system exposes the restaurant owner to heavy fines and other penalties.

Posted on behalf of Citywide Plumbing

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Traditional Water Heater vs. Tankless Water Heater

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Water Heaters
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Consumers today have a great deal of choices when it comes to replacing a worn out water heater.   Options include traditional water heaters, as well as tankless water heaters.  While both systems provide hot water, each of the systems does it in a different manner.  In addition, they both have features and benefits that will appeal to some, while not appealing to others.

Traditional water heaters heat water using electricity, natural gas and propane.  In general they are not as energy efficient as tankless water heaters, because the heating mechanism in a traditional water heater is constantly cycling on and off as it maintains the temperature of the water in the storage tank.  Traditional water heaters are available in a variety of sizes, depending upon the hot water needs of the homeowner.  One thing to keep in mind when selecting a traditional water heater is to look carefully at the recovery rate, which is the amount of time needed to heat up the cold water in the tank.  This in many ways is more important than the capacity of the tank.

Tankless hot water heaters, which are very popular in Europe and Asia, only heat water when it needed.  As a result they are generally up to 50% more efficient than traditional hot water heaters.  As with traditional water heaters, there are available in many sizes and if properly sized, it is virtually impossible to run out of hot water despite the fact that there is no storage tank!  Many consumers like tankless water heaters because of their ability to almost instantly deliver hot water to the faucet when it is turned on.  The reason for this is the speed that the water is heated, as well as the fact that the heater or heaters are often located near the faucet.

Posted on behalf of Seagraves Plumbing

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Natural Gas Leaks Inside Of The Home

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Gas Leak Detection
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Natural gas is a very efficient and economical energy source, but is dangerous when it leaks and the gas builds up inside a structure.  A random spark could cause an explosion, which could injure or kill people, as well as damage property.  Natural gas leaks can occur both outside of the structure and inside of the structure.  In most cases the gas company will fix the leak if it is on the street side of the gas meter, but the homeowner will be responsible for correcting the problem if it is on the house side of the meter.

In addition, due to the danger, if it is on the house side of the meter, the gas company will turn off the gas and lock the meter until an experienced plumbing contractor makes repairs.  In many jurisdictions the plumber is required to have specialized training in working with natural gas supply systems.

In most cases it is not difficult for the plumbing contractor’s technician to determine the location of the gas leak inside of the home due to available technology, which includes highly sensitive gas leak detection tools that allow the technician to pinpoint the exact location of the leak.  Once the leak is located, the necessary repairs will be made to the pipe, valve or coupling.

If it is necessary to open up areas in a wall or ceiling to gain access to the leak, every effort will be made to minimize the damage.   In many cases, the natural gas distribution system will be pressurized to verify that the repair is holding.  Once satisfied with the repair, the contractor will coordinate with the gas company to have the gas service restored and make sure that all gas appliances are operational.

Posted on behalf of Kiddco Plumbing

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Should I Consider A Tankless Water Heater?

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Tankless Water Heaters
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Tankless water heaters have always been very popular in Europe and Asia and are increasing in popularity in the United States in both residential and commercial properties for a wide variety of reasons.  The reasons include low cost, space saving characteristics, energy efficiency and ability to provide faucets hot water very quickly.  Like traditional hot water heaters, they are available in different sizes depending upon the needs of the property owner.

Tankless water heaters are typically inexpensive when compared to traditional hot water heaters.  The reasons for their lower cost include the relatively small sizes of even the largest tankless water heaters.   Smaller sizes mean less metal and other raw materials, which means reduced cost of ownership.

The space savings characteristics of these heaters are a result of not having a storage tank to store hot water until it is needed.  Often these heaters are placed under the sinks that they are supplying hot water to, while traditional water heaters are in the basement due to their size!

Traditional water heaters constantly cycle on and off as the heater maintains the temperature of the water being stored.  This is extremely inefficient and tankless water heaters only heat the water when it is needed, which results in a energy savings of approximately 50% when compared to traditional water heaters.

Many users of the tankless water heaters appreciate the near instantaneous delivery of hot water to the faucet.  This is possible due to the close proximity of the heater to the faucet.  Often faucets being supplied by a traditional water heater need to be run for a couple on minutes to allow the hot water to reach the faucet.

There are a number of different sizes of tankless water heaters available, which are capable of meeting the hot water demands of almost any residential or commercial structure!   Next time your traditional water heater goes bad, take a look at tankless water heaters!

Posted on behalf of Bynum & Sons Plumbing, Inc.

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Why Is My Water Bill So High?

March 26th, 2014 Posted in Water Line Repair
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In general, property owners of residential properties see their water bills stay relatively consistent for most of the year unless there is a rate hike of they are using more water than normal to irrigate their lawns  or keep their swimming pools full during dry spells in the summer.  In some cases property owners may notice either a gradual or dramatic increase in the their monthly water bill.

When experiencing increased water bills for no apparent reason, the first thing to suspect is a water leak between the water meter and the inside of the house.  The best way to check for this is to make sure that all of the faucets are off, the dishwasher and washing machine are off and there are no running toilets.  Next go to the water meter, which is usually just being the curb and open the lid.  If the meter is running, then you have a leak somewhere between the water meter and the house.  In a vast majority of cases, the homeowner will be responsible for making the necessary repairs on a leaking water supply line between the water meter and the house.

A qualified and experienced plumbing contractor will be able to make the necessary water line repairs quickly and economically saving the homeowner money in the long run by promptly making the necessary repairs and not incurring high monthly water bills.  In many cases, even a slight leak will get worse over time and can ultimately result in a total failure of the water line.  Depending upon their homeowner’s insurance policy, the homeowner may be able to recover the costs of the repair as well!

Posted on behalf of Kiddco Plumbing

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