PLUMBING TIPS & ADVICE
We enjoy working with our customers, but we also want you to live as stress-free a life as possible. At Village Plumbing and Heating we want our customers to understand how to properly maintain their plumbing and heating systems. Here are some tips and advice to help you prevent unnecessary service calls.
Drains & Hoses
Whenever possible, drains should be unclogged mechanically rather than chemically. Use chemical drain cleaners sparingly, especially if your pipes or traps are made of brass, steel, or cast-iron. Some chemicals may corrode metal pipes.
Monthly Maintenance
To prevent clogs, try this instead of chemicals: pour a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of white vinegar down the drains once a month.
Washing Machines
Prevent drain clogs by putting a lint trap on your washing machine discharge hose.
Bathrooms
The drains in bathroom showers and sinks need a little extra care to stay free of hair and greasy particles. Place a strainer over the bathroom drain. This will prevent hair, pieces of soap, and other debris from clogging the drain. Clean the strainer as needed.
To prevent clogging, follow the simple maintenance schedule listed below. However, if even with your best efforts a drain does become clogged, try a plunger before calling us. If the plunger doesn’t unplug the drain, insert a plumber’s helper (”snake”).
Weekly
Remove the sink and tub pop-up stoppers and rinse them off.
Monthly
Once a month, pour 2 to 3 gallons of boiling water down each bathroom drain.
Quarterly
Remove the overflow plate on the tub. Pull up the pop-up assembly to reach the spring or rocker arm. Remove the accumulated hair and rinse thoroughly.
Kitchens
Place a strainer over kitchen drains if they do not already have one. This will prevent pieces of food from clogging the drains. Clean the strainer as needed.
Disposals – Clog Prevention
- Always use cold, not hot water, when you run the disposal
- Let the cold water run as long as the motor is running
- Dispose of small quantities at a time; it is best to not overload the disposal
- Items that should never go down the disposal:
- Bones
- Corn husks
- Coffee grounds
- Artichokes
- Onion skins
- Celery
- Other high-fiber material and foods
- Melted fats or cooking oils. Liquid fats will solidify once the pipes cool and clog the drain.
Trouble Shooting
If your disposal gets clogged, turn off the motor and the water. Then follow these steps:
1. Reach under the sink and insert the service wrench the came with the disposal (or a ¼ inch Allen wrench) into the hole on the bottom of the disposal. Turn it back and forth until it can turn freely in complete circles.
2. Then use tongs to remove whatever caused the disposal to jam.
3. Finally, press the red “reset” button on the bottom of your disposal in case the disposal needs to be reset.
Faucets
Be sure to check under sinks for moisture or leaks. Water causes more major damage to buildings than many owners are aware. If you find a leaky faucet, replace it promptly. Even a slow leak can waste as much as 15 or 20 gallons of water a day. But a leak not only wastes water; it can eventually ruin your faucet or even your cabinets and floors.
Leaky faucets are ordinarily caused by seals which are dirty or worn. You may either clean or replace the worn parts, or you may want to install a new faucet.
Water Heaters
Your water heater consumes energy even when you are not running hot water! And if you have a larger water heater than you need, you are spending money unnecessarily heating water you don’t use. Of course, if your water heater is too small you may find yourself running out of hot water during peak use periods.
Estimating Peak Usage
The following chart will help you to determine the size of the water heater that fits your needs. Determine the hour of peak hot water usage in your home. Perhaps it’s in the morning when everyone is getting ready for school or work, or maybe it’s at night when laundry, dishes and showers are being done. For example, if 2 loads of laundry, 3 showers and one load of dishes were the peak demand tasks, you would be using between 62and 84 gallons of water.
Shower 10-15 Gallons Bath 15-25 Gallons Shaving 2 Gallons Washing Hair 4 Gallons Washing Hands & Face 2 Gallons Preparing a Meal 5 Gallons Washing Dishes 12-15 Gallons Washing Clothes 10-12 Gallons
Insulation
If your water heater displays an ASHRAE/EIS rating of 90, it is energy efficient and you do not need additional insulation.
Maintenance
Twice a year drain the sediment that accumulates in the bottom of the water heater. This keeps the water running efficiently. To do this, open the drain valve at the bottom of the water heater and drain it into a bucket until the water runs clear (maybe four or five gallons).
High Water Bills
High water bills are often caused by undiscovered leaks. There are several ways to find out if your water bills are higher than they should be.
Faucets
Be sure to check under sinks for moisture or leaks. Check faucets for dripping water. Fix a leaky faucet promptly.
Toilets
If your toilet is stopped up or if the water level is low, there is an alternative if a plunger doesn’t work:
- Fill a bucket or plastic wastebasket with warm water in pour it into the bowl from waist level or higher
- Repeat if necessary after the water level is once again low.
Periodically check your toilets for leaks by following these steps:
1. Place a few drops of food coloring in the tank- not the bowl. A couple of tablespoons of instant coffee or Kool-Aid will work as well.
2. Wait 30 minutes. Check the toilet. If the water in the bowl has some of the color in it, the tank is leaking and the stopper and valve seat may need to be replaced.
Leaks
There are two methods for checking for underground leaks or undetected leaks in the home:
1. Turn off the main water valve inside your home and then go outside and check your water meter. If it is still turning you may have an underground leak.
2. Alternatively, write down the numbers on your water meter at the beginning of a period when your home is going to be unoccupied for a few hours. Check the meter when you return; if the numbers have changed, they may be a leak somewhere inside the home.