Plumbing Tips For Your Home
Learn some easy procedures you can do to perform basic preventive
maintenance around the house.
Bathroom
These helpful hints should help keep the plumbing in your bathroom
working properly.
• Every two to three weeks run hot water down the drains to help
keep them flowing freely.
• Repair leaky faucets to avoid more damage to the fixtures and
faucets. Also lavatory faucets can let water drop into the cabinet
and damage the cabinet.
• Tubs and showers and in some cases lavatory drains should be
fitted with strainers that catch hair and other things that might
otherwise go down the drain.
• Do not flush facial tissue or sanitary products. They do not
dissolve and can clog the lines.
Showerhead Maintenance
Showerheads develop uneven spray when the holes become clogged with
mineral deposits from the water. To remove these deposits from the
showerhead, take a plastic bag and pour a cup of vinegar in it.
Place the bag over the showerhead and use a twist tie to hold it in
place overnight. In the morning, remove the bag and scrub the area
with a toothbrush. If this does not work the shower head will need
to be replaced.
Kitchen: Cleaning Your Garbage Disposal
Odors can occur from a buildup of food debris inside the disposal.
Try these steps to eliminate odors:
• Grind ice cubes with lemon peel in the disposal for about 30
seconds
• While the disposal is still running, pour a small amount of liquid
detergent into it. Rinse any remaining debris away by running cold
water for about 30 seconds. This is something that should be done
every month to help keep the odor away.
Garbage Disposal Stops Working
Your disposal has an overload protector that senses if the motor is
overheating and shuts it off. If your disposal stops running, it
could be the safety on the disposal has tripped.
If you have a new roof installed
If a new roof is installed on a dwelling the vents on water heaters
and furnaces should always be checked to make sure they are still
connected to the units correctly. Quite often vent pipe comes loose
from the units during the installation of a new roof. If vents are
off of a furnace or water heater a danger of Carbon Monoxide
Poisoning exists.
Water Heater Annual Maintenance
Test the pressure relief valve ( T & P valve ) by lifting up on
the lever and letting it snap back. The valve should allow a burst
of water into the drain pipe, if not, call a professional to have a
new valve installed. It is a good idea to have the T & P valve
changed out about every three to four years.
Check your temperature setting on the thermostat, it should be set
to 120°F. Lowering the temperature setting lowers your energy usage.
It cuts down on the chance of scalding. Also it can help extend the
life of a water heater by making the unit not work so hard.
We accept Master Card, Visa and Discover