Helpful Plumbing Repair & Maintenance Tips

Many homeowner’s use their sink and garbage disposal to frequently dispose of food waste. Even when using a garbage disposal, disposing of food down the drain often leads to debris build-up over time that requires professional drain clearing. Keep your drains clear year round by limiting what you put down the drain and spending a few minutes performing preventive maintenance, such as:

• Before and after running your garbage disposal, run cold water down the drain to flush debris down the main line.

• On occasion, run hot water down the drain at full pressure for up to 2 minutes.

•  Keep your grinder sharp and eliminate odors by grinding ice and lemon peels through your garbage disposal weekly. It's always good to have a plumber cable your drain at least once a year & perform any plumbing repairs or maintenance needed at the time

Toilet tank leaks waste water and cause higher water bills. If you suspect your toilet tank is leaking, a simple do-it-yourself home toilet leak test can detect if your toilet tank is leaking water into your toilet bowl.

Following these steps to test if your toilet tank has a leak:

Step 1: Remove the toilet tank lid and add a small amount of red food coloring to the tank’s water.

Step 2: Replace toilet tank lid and do not use toilet for at least an hour.

Step 3: After an hour, check to see if the water in your toilet bowl has any signs of the red dye. If it does, then the water in the tank is continuously leaking into the toilet bowl. Be sure to flush and clean your toilet immediately following the test to prevent dye stains.

Not all low water pressure problems require a professional plumber. A washing machine experiencing low water pressure for example may simply be debris blocked in the sediment screen. A homeowner can clear the blockage and restore full water pressure by following these three easy steps.

Step 1.: Completely turn off water supply to the washing machine. This is done by turning off the hot and cold water supply located in the washer junction box. The junction box is commonly located in the wall directly behind the washing machine unit.

Step 2: Once the water supply is turned off, disconnect the hot and cold hoses from the junction box.

Step 3: Check the end of the hose for sediment or debris build-up blocking the screen. Remove any debris.