Plumbing Tips, Tricks, and Blogs

Here's To Your Healthy Sink Drain

Tue, 05 Jul 2022 13:16:32 GMT

The Unglamorous Life Of Your Sink Drain

The most essential part of a sink is it's drain. This is how used water escapes to your sewer line. I'm sure there has come a time when it was draining slowly or not at all. This is the result of a clogged drain and it always happens at the most inopportune times. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you keep your drains as clean and flowing as possible.

Dispose of garbage in the trash can where it belongs. Any kind of debris that one may usually think is ok to put down the drain such as produce stickers, food peels, etc. is never ok to go down the drain. This could cause blockage to the drain pipes therefore, causing a clog. If you have a garbage disposal, avoid putting fibrous foods, bones or coffee grounds down it because this too can cause a clog.
Never pour cooking grease down the drain. It may be a liquid when it goes in but as soon as it hits the cold drain pipe, it solidifies and can narrow the drain where the water escapes to the sewer causing a clog. The best place for cooking grease would be in a container that you can easily dispose of after it has cooled.
If you find your drain is clogged, give us a call here at Budget Plumbing Pro (707)218-3044 to give you a free estimate.

Summer Water Saving Tips

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 12:28:16 GMT

Here Is What You Can Do To

Save Money, Water and Time

As we all know, we are currently in a drought, so I will spare you a lecture on that because I am sure you've got plenty of those from someone/somewhere. What I did want to do is give you a few tips to conserve water around your home which will in turn save you money while also helping with our drought. We all love to save money don't we? Let's dive in.......

When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.

- Benjamin Franklin

It's very easy to lose track of the amount of water we are using in the summer because the hot weather can often force us to use more than we should. You may be watering your lawn more than usual because its getting very dry with the heat. You may own a pool which takes gallons of water to properly maintain. Our children are out of school which causes our water usage to spike with extra laundry, dishes, and showers. Regardless of whatever the reason for your homes water usage spike is, the bottom line is that summer is the most difficult season to conserve water and its the season where we need to conserve the most. Here are some useful water saving tips that you can use around your house to help conserve water this summer:

Use a professional car wash instead of DIY at home. People don't realize how much water is wasted doing your own car wash at home but it is far more than what a professional car wash uses. Car washes have a water recycling system so they are much more efficient at conserving water than we are. Plus, you get to kick up your feet and relax while they do all the work. That's what I call a win-win.
Use your dishwasher. Many people think this uses more water than DIY but, this is not the case. This is because dishwashers are designed to conserve water as they clean the dishes. This allows them to wash the dishes using less water than we would doing them by hand.
Target your sprinklers. Make sure they are pointed to the right areas of your lawn and not on your house or driveway. This will help cut down on water waste. Also, if you have to water your lawn, do it early in the morning or late at night. Watering the yard when the sun is out is only wasting water because it will evaporate before the lawn can effectively use it.
Keep your pool covered when not in use. The sun's rays can cause water evaporation leading you to have to use more water to fill it up.
Take short showers. Shortening your showers by a couple minutes can save gallons of water.
Only do full loads of laundry. Using a washing machine can use quite a bit of water so consolidating your loads can save you money and help conserve water.
Use Water Sense labeled products which are approved by the US EPA to conserve water which will protect the future of the US water supply.
Check for leaks in your plumbing. The smallest leak can cause gallons and gallons of water to go to waste over time. The main places you should check are toilets, tubs/showers, washing machines, indoor/outdoor faucets, dishwasher. and even your AC units outdoor condenser. Sadly many leaks are difficult to find so if you are overwhelmed and need help checking for leaks or fixing them, call us at Budget Plumbing Pro (707)218-3044 to set up a free estimate today.

7 Useful Tips For New Homeowners

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 13:14:59 GMT

If you are a first time homeowner, you may want to read this. I am going to tell you about 7 tips that a journeyman plumber told me about after purchasing my first house. I promise it'll save you money/time.

*Know What is Flushable and What is Not...

Although you have probably seen many things flushed down the toilet or dumped in the sink, or maybe you have done it yourself, this

is a big plumbing no-no! Things such as grease, Q-tips, wipes, sanitary napkins, cotton balls and etc. will wreak havoc on your sewer/septic tank and will eventually cause thousands of dollars worth of damage.

*Know Where Your Shut-Off Valve is Locate d...

While you are moving all of your beautiful furniture and such into your new home, you should acquaint yourself with the location of the water shut-off valve. It is important to know its location because in case of a water leak or emergency, you can quickly shut it off. Another thing you want to acquaint yourself with is the location of your clean out. This is usually located somewhere in the yards perimeter and always outside. Some houses may not have one which makes it more difficult and more expensive to clear a clog.

*It's Easy to DIY Replacement Parts Inside Your Toilet...

There are a few plumbing fixtures you should avoid doing yourself if you are new to plumbing. This includes the main pipeline leading to the shower, sink, or toilet. Other than that, there are some simple parts in your toilet and faucets that you can replace yourself. One of these include changing your faucet's cartridge or your toilet flapper. A worn down flapper is easily spotted by a leaking toilet bowl.

They're super cheap and easy to replace. A leaking faucet can also be fixed by you and that consists of r eplacing the inner cartridge.

* Use a Vacuum and/or Chemicals (ie. Drano) to Unclog a Drain.. .

A clogged drain may seem like a catastrophic plumbing issue, but usually they are easy to unclog with either liquid chemicals (Drano) or a wet-dry vac. If you are like me, then you didn't know a wet-dry vac could be used for such an issue.

If there is an item stuck in your pipe, like a toy or brush, use a wet-dry vacuum to suction it out. If you have a backed up or clogged drain, there are chemicals that can be used to dissolve the gunk that's clogging your drain. But, if you are like me, I was always told not to use those chemicals because they cause more damage and therefore, money, down the line. If for whatever reason you have to use the chemicals, it should be used super sparingly sparingly because they can damage the inside of plumbing pipes as well as animals in the environment. Lastly, a drain snake is also highly effective at clearing your drains after only a few tries.

*Don't Over-Tighten Your Pipe Fittings...

One of the most common DIY plumbing fails is, to over-tighten fittings and connections between pipes and drains.

This will eventually lead to stripped/broken screws and/or, bolts which will lead to costly leaks. Keep this in your mind: ''hand tight is just right," as it can be useful. In conclusion, fittings should be tight enough so that they can be loosened by wrench in hand and nothing more.

*Thread Tape is Far Handier Than You Think...

Instead of resorting to a thread sealent compound, or pipe dope for short, I use "plumbers tape"/ thread tape instead. It's known that the sealent compound can drip and smear, which causes a nasty mess. Thread tape is easy to use, available at any local hardware and performs the same job. When choosing a thread tape, go for one that's white in color, and thicker because they are easier to handle. To ensure effective threading, roll the tape counterclockwise at least three times.

*Identify When Your Septic Tank is Acting Up

If your plumbing relies on a septic tank system, scheduled maintenance is critical to the upkeep of it . There are a few signs to be on the lookout for, as a septic tank backup can wreak disaster on your home and plumbing. There's a chance that unwanted toilet backup can overflow into your house if the tank sediment builds up and goes untreated. This is exactly why you have to make it a priority to check on your septic tank system regularly. Here a few warning signs to keep in mind: Your lawn has changed color -- it may look greener than usual (extra "water" fertilizer). There are wet patches in your yard, especially around the septic tank .
There is a strong odor coming from the septic tank. If you notice any of these signs, don't wait to call in the services of a plumber ASAP. Septic tank maintenance should never be neglected as it can cost you both money and the health of your family in the long term.

I hope these plumbing tips have inspired something inside of you to do a good inspection of your home plumbing system. Plumbing maintenance may not by a top priority to many people , but im here to tell you that it really should be. If you have any plumbing issues that require a plumber, we are your go-to for affordable, warrantied, and hassle free service, licensed plumbers, long term partnerships, and unrivaled experience/prices/warranties.

Water treatment

info@engageyourbiz.com (Engage Team) — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:14:59 GMT

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