Month: April 2018

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Top Do’s and Don’ts for Garbage Disposal Maintenance

pexels-photo-545021.jpegGarbage disposals are one of the most appreciated appliances in any modern home. As long as they are used and maintained properly, they can give you years of service and convenience. Unfortunately maintenance is often overlooked and many people don’t understand what should, and should not, be put in a disposal.

Read on for some do’s and don’ts to keep your garbage disposal running problem free.

  • Avoid buildups by running cold water through your disposal on a regular basis.
  • Run your disposal on a regular basis to help keep it running at peak efficiency.
  • Keep your disposal blades nice and sharp by feeding it some frozen vinegar ice cubes from time to time. It’s a great way to give it a nice cleaning, sharpen the blades and take care of strange food smells.
  • Try putting food items down in small pieces, one at a time, instead of shoving them all down at once.
  • Let the water run for up to 15 seconds (or more) after it has finished grinding so that it flushes the food down the drain.
  • Add a quarter cup of baking soda to the disposal and let it sit overnight once a week. The next morning, pour vinegar into the disposal to create a chemical reaction that will effectively clean the insides of your unit.
  • Use three to four tablespoons of Borax for smelly garbage disposals. Dropping in lemon or orange slices as the water runs will also clean and deodorize the pipelines.
  • Check the disposal for fallen items like spoons, bottle caps, jewelry and other small things before running the disposal. For safety purposes, always use tongs rather than hands to retrieve items that may have fallen into the garbage disposal.

DON’T….

  • Overload your disposal as it may cause clogs.
  • Put in anything that in your disposal that isn’t food, like glass, plastic, metal, paper, cigarette butts, wood, sponges or anything that might be combustible.
  • Throw in large bones, coffee grounds or harsh chemicals. Many of these chemicals damage the blades and can even eat away at the pipes.
  • Pour any oil, fats, or grease in your disposal. It could accumulate around the blade system and clog your drains.
  • Throw in foods with fibrous materials, starchy consistencies, or expanding capabilities like celery, cornhusks, artichokes, onion skins, rice and pasta, or potato peels.
  • Use hot water to flush the disposal. It can cause the grease to liquefy and clog the drain.
  • Reach into the garbage disposal. Never, ever put your hands into the disposal unit. Instead, you can safely use needle-nose pliers, tongs or even a bent coat hanger to pry out whatever fell in.
  • Call a plumber without resetting first if the unit isn’t working. If that doesn’t work, check to make sure it’s still plugged in and receiving power. If the power is still flowing in, you can then try hand cranking it.
  • Put eggshells in the garbage disposal because the thin membrane on the inside of the shell can wrap itself around the blade of the disposal and begin clogging your drain.
  • Throw in fruit pits from avocados, peaches, mangoes, apricots, plums or other similar fruits.

Need some help diagnosing a problem garbage disposal? If your drain is smelly then check out this guide to help keep your drains smelling fresh!

Don’t get caught off guard if a malfunctioning garbage disposal causes bigger plumbing problems.

To find out how to help protect yourself in the event of a home repair emergency, visit www.slwofa.com.

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Tips to keep drain odors away

water-kitchen-black-design.jpgThere’s no question: household drains do a lot of dirty work in your home. They flush away cooking scraps you put in the garbage disposal, they move water away from your foundation, and handle everything your laundry room and bathroom can spout at them. Luckily, there are some easy steps you can take to keep odors at bay.

Check your pipes for obstructions – If your drain pipes are stopped up with food and other debris, they may smell bad. This is because the clogged matter begins to decay in the pipe while it stays lodged somewhere along the plumbing. A plunger or plumbing snake can help resolve the clog.

Kitchen drains are not the only ones prone to nasty odors—bathroom drains can smell, too. These odors are most often caused when hair gets washed down and trapped in your pipes, which slows draining and subsequently allows odors to take hold. You can get shower and bathtub strainers at any home improvement, hardware, or plumbing supply store—these work pretty well in keeping hair and other debris out of your bathroom plumbing.

Schedule routine maintenance – As mentioned above, it is natural for a drain pipe to smell bad. But merely resolving the issue once won’t keep the stench away forever. Once a week (make it a regular part of your weekly cleaning schedule), pour boiling hot water down your drains. For a long-term solution, make sure to have a professional check your pipes on a regular basis to ensure that they perform their duties at optimum effectiveness, and keep nasty debris from accumulating and stinking up your plumbing.

Pick your style of deodorizing – Every household seems to have its own remedy for stinky drains and many of them are quite effective. Some use the simple method of dousing drains with white vinegar, boiling water, or essential oils with boiling water, while others favor a mix of soap or baking soda with lime, or even ice and rock salt. You can truly take your pick.

One of the most effective solutions we’ve found makes use of vinegar and lime. Here are a couple tips on how to use this method to clean your drains:

  • Fill an ice tray halfway with vinegar, then drop a wedge of lime in the center of each cube. Once frozen, dump these vinegar-lime ice cubes into your garbage disposal system to clean your unit’s blades and the drain pipes while replacing foul odors with a citrus-fresh scent.
  • If your sink doesn’t have a disposal system, you can mix vinegar and lime juice together and pour down the drain to flush the bad smells out of your pipes. Be sure to rinse afterwards with hot water.

Use a drain screen – If you do not use an in-sink garbage disposal system, you should consider using a screen over the sink drain and other drain holes. This will prevent any solid matter from entering your drain pipes, keeping it free of gunk and grime.

Go easy on your drains – Be mindful of what you dispose of in your drains. Do not pour grease, chemicals, paints, or adhesives down the sink. Try not to dispose of food in the sink that could get clogged in the pipes. Remember, any decaying matter in your plumbing line may cause your drains to smell bad. Often times a dishwasher can be a culprit – if your dishwasher isn’t draining please read this!

To find out how to help protect yourself in the event of a home repair emergency, visit www.slwofa.com.

 

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Early Recognition: Helping to Avoid Big Home Repairs

Repairman Repairing OvenSometimes costly, large-scale home repairs can be avoided by recognizing early warning signs. Especially when it comes to HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems in our home. Here are five common signs of potential home repair problems and what they mean:

 

Sewer line and drainage problems

When more than one drain in your home has started to work improperly, this is likely a sign there is a problem with the external line that connects to the street. There are many possible causes for a backup or blockage. Tree roots may have found their way into the sewer line or a foreign object has blocked the flow or, worst-case scenario, your sewer line has broken completely. No matter which of these issues is occurring, you should contact a plumber immediately. If it is something as simple as a root intrusion or a foreign object, the plumber may be able to remove them or complete a small spot repair before the problem gets worse. This could potentially save you the thousands of dollars it will cost to have the line replaced completely.

Water line leaks

Most people use about the same amount of water every month. If you notice a sizable increase in your bill and you haven’t modified your usage – filling a pool or increasing your outdoor watering – this could signal you have a problem. One of the first things to do is examine all of your fixtures. Dripping faucets and leaking toilets can waste a lot of water over the period of a month. Though you can visibly see a faucet dripping, the leaking toilet may be a little harder to detect. Dye testing your toilet is an effective way of checking for leaks. Once you locate the source of your problem, you can address it directly and avoid any further increased water bills.

If all of your fixtures seem to be in good working order after the visual and dye testing, and there are no other visible signs of water leakage in your house, i.e., mold spots, water dripping down walls or between floors, or warped drywall/ceilings, then it is time to contact your water company. You may be experiencing a leak on your external water line. The water company will typically send someone out to test your line and verify if there is a water line leak.

Service line troubles

Do you have patches of lawn that have suddenly become greener than the fairways at the local golf course? This can often be a sign that you have a leak in one of your external lines. When either a water or sewer line leaks into the surrounding soil, the grass is provided extra water or nutrients, resulting in a more green and luxurious appearance. If you are experiencing this, it is a good idea to have your buried service lines checked. The water company will typically check for a leak on their line. If no leak is found on the water line, contact a local licensed plumber to inspect the sewer line.

Maintaining and monitoring your plumbing is a must. A majority of Americans cannot afford a major plumbing expense if the problems become too severe, and Millennials are even less prepared. By keeping tabs on your plumbing, and having a home repair or home warranty plan, you can possibly prevent the financial burden of catastrophic plumbing failures.  Fixing a service line is a costly home repair.

Heating and air conditioning trouble

Every HVAC system makes noise, but if you notice a change in these noises, including bangs, squeaks, and creaks, it may be time to have your unit looked at. These sounds could indicate that you have a bearing or belt going out, or worse.

If your home is heating or cooling unevenly, and you have checked to make sure the vents are open and there are no structural issues with the home, it may be a sign that there are heater or air conditioner problems. This could also be a sign that there is a problem or leak with your ductwork. Another common cause of this is the location of your thermostat. A thermostat may be located in a position that does not allow it to gauge the temperature of the entire space, such as near a vent or in a smaller space of the home, causing your HVAC unit to shut off before the entire space has been adequately heated or cooled.

Shockingly simple electrical repairs

Lights that flicker in the home may be a symptom of a bad or loose light bulb, but if replacing the bulb does not solve the problem it may be due to an issue within the light fixture itself, or the wiring to the fixture. If this problem is occurring across multiple fixtures in the home, it is time to contact an electrician as the likely cause is faulty wiring within the home and this is a home repair you probably don’t want to try to do yourself.

Circuit breakers may occasionally trip if you have overloaded a circuit, but in the event the breaker is constantly tripping, even with just single lamp or fixture plugged into it, the breakers may have worn out and are no longer usable. Use caution while doing anything with the breaker panel, as power still flows to the unit, even with the main break.

To find out how to help protect yourself in the event of a home repair emergency, visit www.slwofa.com.

5 Plumbing Tips You Should Know
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5 Plumbing Tips You Should Know

When faced with a plumbing issue, there are many DIY plumbing fixes a homeowner can try before calling in a professional. Check out these plumbing “myths” for the best ways to deal with a clogged sink, flushable wipes and more.

  1. “Use hot water to flush down grease.”

This is a common misconception. Grease sticks to pipes, drains and hot water. Even boiling water doesn’t remove grease or help it ‘flush’ down your drain. When hot water cools over the grease, the grease hardens and it actually creates a thick coating inside of your pipes. This can cause long-term issues, including backed-up or even burst pipes. Instead, wipe the grease out of pans or pour it into a disposable jar and place in the garbage.

  1. “Clogged sink? I’ll just use the plunger.”

Not so fast. DIY blockage-unclogging is not as straightforward as you may first think. It may also prove to be hazardous. After a few unsuccessful tries with the plunger, you may think that pouring a household chemical cleaner or drain cleaner into the sink is the logical next step. After waiting and seeing that nothing has happened, you may then reach for your plunger again. Here’s where you really need to be careful! Splash-back from plunging can cause irreversible skin damage, and if contact is made with the eyes, it can cause blindness. NEVER use a plunger after using a chemical to clear a blockage. Always use a plunger in a safe way — without any chemical agent.

Consider making your own natural drain cleaner using a half cup of baking soda and vinegar, which is much less harsh than chemical cleaners.

Something to be aware of: even if you are using a plunger safely, but you have a double sink, once the blockage is dislodged, the pressure from plunging can actually cause the blockage to come up the other drain. To prevent this, be certain you’ve covered the second drain opening completely with duct tape. Unblocking one drain to simply block another will give you more than you bargained for.

  1. “It’s okay to flush if it fits down the pipe.”

Wrong. Just because the object might seem to fit down the pipe, it does not mean it’s OK to flush. Take articles, such as scraps of food or female sanitary products, for example. These objects could fit down a sink or toilet from the entry point, but in reality, most pipes are no more than 4” wide. So, flushing even small bits of food down the sink can result in a buildup of debris and risks a clog in the piping.

In a similar way, female sanitary products may disappear down the pipe but then quickly absorb water and expand. This may cause blockages, which can lead to bigger drainage problems for the whole plumbing system. It’s always best to remember that unless it’s a liquid (not grease or oil), then it’s always best to use your trash can to dispose of such items.

  1. “Flushable wipes are flushable.”

Not as obvious as it sounds. Most wipes, including ones advertised as flushable, really cannot be eliminated by the sewer or septic system. The fact is, they just do not break down fast enough to truly be flushable. Consumer Reports’ own study agrees. Mixed with other debris, they can snag on pipes and block the system, causing serious damage. Toilets are designed to remove human waste. Use your trash can for everything else.

  1. “Pipes can handle all my weekend guests.”

Think again. You might be able to handle an overflow of house guests and in-laws, but your sewer or septic line might not be. This line conducts all waste water from your home, including the kitchen, showers, AND toilets.

So, if you have extra guests staying over for an extended period of time, ensure that everyone staggers shower and bathroom time to make certain that the lines have enough time to clear (this is especially important if you have slow drains.) By asking your guests to be mindful with their water usage during their stay, you can help you save yourself a stinky, soppy backyard, or a flooded basement.

Knowledge is power. Now that you are aware of these common plumbing myths, you have the knowledge to keep your plumbing, water line and sewer/septic lines flowing as they should, and hopefully protect your home against unpleasant and costly issues.

To find out how to help protect yourself in the event of an in-home plumbing emergency, visit www.slwofa.com.