Garbage Disposal Plymouth Plumbers
17 March

Do’s And Dont’s Of Garbage Disposals

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Garbage disposals are a welcome addition to any kitchen, they do however have their limits. Below, we’ll explain how to take care of your garbage disposal and how to avoid causing damage to it while in normal operation.

Do run water down the drain while you run your garbage disposal.

Your garbage disposal works in conjunction with your plumbing system to get rid of food. If you don’t run water down the drain while you run your garbage disposal, there’s nothing to help move ground-up food along through the pipes. Instead, the food will accumulate and potentially form a clog. This simply adds additional repair time and costly repairs to boot.

DO clean your garbage disposal with ice cubes.

It’s dangerous to stick your hand down next to those blades to clean them. Fortunately, there’s a much easier way. Simply run a few ice cubes through the garbage disposal.

The action of grinding up the ice cleans the blades and helps to dislodge any bits of food that have gotten stuck in the components. Additionally, cleaning with ice (water) means that there’s no product or residue left to scrub away.

DO keep a drain guard over your garbage disposal.

While doing dishes, sometimes something might fall into your garbage disposal unnoticed. That “something” might be hard, like a bone, fruit pit, or even a stray piece of silverware, all of which can severely damage your kitchen appliance. Keeping a drain guard over your garbage disposal until you’re ready to run it simply provides that little extra measure against needing an avoidable repair or replacement.

DON’T feed your garbage disposal anything hard.

Some garbage disposal manufacturers claim that their appliances can handle materials like fruit pits, corn cobs, and bones. In reality, those claims don’t hold up for very long when actually put to the test in a busy household kitchen. To keep your garbage disposal in tip-top shape, we highly recommend that you discard any hard objects in an actual garbage can.

DON’T feed your garbage disposal anything ultra-starchy.

Foods like potatoes may seem harmless enough, but when put through a garbage disposal, they form a paste. This paste can make the appliance’s components jam or cause a clog in the drain line.

If you need help with your garbage disposal, give us a call for same day appointments! 

Water Heater Leaking
3 March

Why Is My Water Heater Leaking?

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There unfortunately isn’t a catch all answer we can use to determine why your water heater is leaking. However; we can point you in the right direction. 

No one wants to come home to a leaking water heater! Dripping water isn’t just annoying, it can cause massive damage to your property, and the property around the water heater if not properly corrected. When you talk about leaks from a machine that’s run by electricity, you start to see what a problem this could be. So, what does it mean if your hot water heater is leaking. More importantly, what can you do about it?

Here is a breif list of the most common reasons your water heater is leaking : 

  • There is a much larger problem that may require you to replace the water heater. Usually caused by being unable to idenfity the culprit of the leak. 
  • Built-up sediment that’s caused the tank to crack and start to leak. 
  • Condensation is forming, which may indicate there is no leak. 
  • An expansion tank is needed
  • your fitting or supply piping needs to be replaced
  • your valves need to be replaced, or possibly just tightened. 

Obviously, some of the above-listed problems are much more serious, and cost-prohibitive than others. Unfortunately, negligence plays a big role in the need for repairs. Failing to remedy even the most simple solution may turn into a potential thousand-dollar job. It’s important to always inspect, and hire licensed plumbers to work on your hot water heater. 

Troubleshooting A Hot Water Heater Leak

If you want to try a little at home investigation you’ll need to first try to find the source of your leak. Keep in mind that you should never start messing with a water heater that has power, remember, water and power don’t bode well for you! Before starting, you’ll want to make sure that you cut off the power and gas to the unit. Shutting off power and / or gas is usually pretty simple to do. you can either switch off the valvle on the outside of the water heater, or unplug the water heater. If you can’t access the water heater, there is usually a on/off switch you can press. 

If it’s a relatively small water leak you should be able to just shut off the cold water shut-off valve. Otherwise, for larger leaks you need to really just shut it down completely and call a licensed professional, like https://plumbinghouston.com. 

Once the power has been shut off to the unit, clean up the water heater so no additional water is left on the unit. wait a few minutes, grab a drink, have a sandwhich, then come back. See if there is any water where you cleaned up the leaking water before. If so, you have a good indication of where to start your search! you’ll want to set some paper towels down and let it sit overnight if you don’t notice any leaking! 

When your leak may not be a leak at all

In some cases, homeowners discover that condensation may be the cause of the “leak.” If you set down paper towels and they are still dry after a few hours, the moisture you discovered may be due to condensation. When the water heater is brand new or is just starting to adjust to colder seasons, condensation can be more common.

Homeowners wanting to avoid the potential for water damage due to condensation can keep the air around the water heater warmer. Usually, this means improving ventilation so that the condensed water can dry more quickly. Adjusting the temperature settings of your water heater may also help to reduce condensation. If the problem persists, you may find that you have a bigger problem and need to enlist a professional to resolve the issue.

If you’re determined to move forward on your own and identified the location of your leak, you’re probably now wondering what to do next and what might be wrong with your system. We’ll review the most common leaking parts on a water heater as well as what you can do to address each issue, as well as when a professional’s help is necessary.

insulate water pipes
16 February

Should You Insulate Your Water Pipes?

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Insulating your water pipes can bring many benefits, including expanding the lifespan of your pipes and joints, reducing noise, and so much more! Let’s go through the top 5 reasons you should insulate your pipes.

  1. Prevent heat loss from pipes between water heater and faucets. As water travels down your pipes, it loses temperature. Insulating your pipes will slow this process down so you have water coming at the right temperature always!
  2. Keep pipes from freezing in winter. Freezing temperatures can case pipes to freeze and burst. Insulate your pipes and protect them!
  3. Prevents burns when hot water pipes are exposed. In many homes, there are places where the pipes are exposed. You can’t tell hot from cold just by looking at them, so insulating your hot water pipes can prevent unexpected burns and injuries.
  4. Save and decrease your energy bill. As water has to be heated and reheated, this cost more energy. Insulate your pipes to keep your water to temperature and use less energy!
  5. Reduce condensation and expansion/contraction of pipes. Condensation can cause damage to other parts of your home, and when your pipes expand and contract according to the temperature, this will do the same to the joints, and weaken them over time. Insulating your pipes will prevent this from happening.

Insulating pipes does more for your home than you think, and it’s a great way for some preventative maintenance to take place. While we don’t have extremely cold climates here In Texas like some other places, you can always remove insulation, but you can’t add more after a hard freeze and the pipes already burst. 

Give us a call today for a free same-day estimate in the Houston, Austin, or Dallas area. 

16 February

4 Things You Didn’t Know About Plumbers

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There’s a lot of misconceptions about plumbers, and a lot of interesting facts about them. Today, we’ll go over some really interesting facts about the plumbers who service your home.

  1. Every Day is a new challenge. When a plumber wakes up, they have no idea what to expect from the day’s work. They could be replacing a sink in the morning, and installing pipes behind walls in the afternoon. Our plumbers are experienced and knowledgeable, so the work will always be done right!
  2. Plumbers risk their lives and safety doing their jobs. It might not sound like a hazardous job, but when you consider water in pipes can be at many, sometimes high pressures, and the temperature of the water can be ice cold or scalding hot. At PlumbingHouston, we always take the proper precautions at any job so our plumbers and customers are safe.
  3. Plumbers can save you money now, by not waiting until later. Many problems can evolve to worse conditions than originally. That leak you’ve been ignoring, has now destroyed your wall. When you have a problem, it’s always best to call sooner, rather than later, so the worst problems can be avoided.
  4. Garbage disposals should be called by another name. Many plumbers cringe at the thought of having to work on a garbage disposal. This is because what many people put down their garbage disposals, shouldn’t be going down in the first place. Household garbage and food items should always go out in trash bags, not down your sink!
26 January

Keeping Your Drain Clean

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Keeping your drain clean is as easy as making sure spare bits of food, bone, or other materials do not get into the sink! You should always throw away food or use an outdoors food sump if needed. Bio-degradable food is the only type that should be allowed down the drain if it comes to it.

Drain Cleaning
Repair the broken pipe with replace new for domestic water supply

Keeping your drain clean is as easy as making sure spare bits of food, bone, or other materials do not get into the sink! You should always throw away food or use an outdoor food sump if needed. Bio-degradable food is the only type that should be allowed down the drain if it comes to it. It’s important that your guests know the rules for your sink because their households may be different. Children may need to be reminded more often so that they can avoid clogging their sink drains. You may even want to put a sign up above each sink that says what can or can’t go down the drain. Of course, small pieces of food will occasionally make it down into the sink’s drain and plumbing below. If this happens you should pour soap and warm or hot water down. Drain cleaning in Houston is one of our specialties, so give us a call if you need any extra help. We can remove blockages or other unwanted debris in your sink drain, shower drain, toilet drain, or any other plumbing. At Plumbing Houston we always strive for the best.

Drain clog removals can be tricky if the food, bones, or other objects are further into the plumbing. Special tools must be used to remove clogs and debris. There are several different ways to fully clean the drain including removing the pipes temporarily to clean, extension tools to go down the drain, and chemical solutions. We can make sure your drain cleaning goes well and is affordable. You do not want to just stick a long rod or other tool down the drain if you are not sure what you are doing. Drain cleaning is best left to a professional plumber in Houston, Texas. 

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