Any chef will tell you that the kitchen sink is an extremely important fixture. It?s essential for drinking water, washing, and disposing of certain liquids. When the kitchen sink starts draining slowly or stops draining completely, it can be a huge deal. The best thing to do in this situation is to call an experienced Elmhurst plumbing professional and avoid chemical drain cleaners. In an ideal world, of course, you would prevent the clog from happening in the first place. Here are a few of the most common causes of kitchen sink clogs.

Hardened Grease

Life would be so much easier if it were okay to flush cooking grease down the drain. Unfortunately, it simply isn?t. Though grease may be a liquid when it?s hot, it turns solid when it cools. If you send hot grease down the drain, it will be a matter of minutes before it cools and hardens, which could lead to a blockage. The best way to dispose of hot grease is to pour it into a can in your kitchen, then throw that can into the garbage once it?s full.

Coffee Grounds and Eggshells

If your kitchen sink has a garbage disposal, you might be more inclined to send more substantial items down it. However, even the most advanced garbage disposals aren?t equipped to handle things like coffee grounds and eggshells. These items can cause a clog in your kitchen drain, or at the very least damage your garbage disposal. To get rid of eggshells and coffee grains, either put them in the compost or throw them in the garbage.

Other Food Debris

Depending on the complexity of your meals, cooking can be a hectic endeavor. You may find yourself so busy with broiling and sautΘing that you don?t pay too much attention to what?s going down your drain. Small food particles are generally fine, but larger pieces of food can cause real problems. The best way to prevent this is to install a drain guard, which should catch larger food pieces.

It?s hard to believe that a tiny dripping faucet can have a big impact but when left unchecked, you can waste tons of money on plumbing leaks in your home. In fact, every year in the United States over 1 trillion gallons of water is wasted due to plumbing leaks! Save yourself money and lessen your impact on the environment by learning how to check for leaks throughout your home. In today?s blog, we offer some tips and tricks for finding plumbing leaks in your house.

Learn how to detect leaks from your Baltimore plumber.

Hot water tanks

Hot water tanks are prone to leaks but luckily it?s quite simple to find out whether you have a problem. Start by checking your pressure relief valve, located on your hot water tank. These valves may be placed directly into a drain and could potentially be leaking. If you have trouble removing your drain pipe to check on the leak, use your ears instead: you?ll likely hear a hissing sound if there?s a problem.

Water service

Leaks in your water service are often undetectable unless you are proactively looking out for them so make it a habit to check up periodically. To do this, turn off the shut-off valve to your water service which is generally located by your house. After it is fully off, take a look at your water meter. If the meter is still turning despite the valve being shut then this indicates that you have a leak somewhere between your house and your meter. Take a walk around the area between the shut-off valve and the meter and keep an eye out for warning signs such as muddy and soft areas and grass that is especially green or growing better in one area than the rest of the yard. If you notice these signs then it is important to call your Baltimore plumber immediately to have the problem fixed before you waste any more water.

Toilets

Begin checking your toilet for leaks by taking the top off of your tank and keeping an ear out for trouble. If you hear any sort of hissing sounds then that?s an indication you may have a leak. To find out for sure, add a few drops of food coloring to your tank. Wait a few minutes and then check your toilet bowl: if the water has changed color then you definitely have a leak and you should call in a plumber to fix it.

Abbott?s Plumbing, Your Baltimore Plumber

Give us a call at 410-536-5700. If you have any questions about our blog or need a Baltimore plumber, please contact Abbott?s Plumbing to request an estimate!

How to Save Money?by Flushing Your Tankless Water Heater!

There are a lot of reasons to recommend a tankless hot water heater, ease of maintenance being one of them. But there?s one threat that anyone who owns a tankless heater should be aware of and take the proper steps to avoid: hard water scale buildup, primarily on the heat exchangers. If hard water scale is allowed to build up, the result can be an overheated heat exchanger and the entire system locking up, leaving you and your family without hot water and facing expensive repair bills.

Here?s the lowdown on avoiding problems like this with your tankless hot water heater.

How to Avoid Hard Water Problems

When it comes to preventative maintenance, there are two easy steps you should take to ensure your tankless hot water heater is protected from hard water issues:

• Consider installing a ?whole-house? water softener in your home to filter all the water coming into your house at the point of entry. Not only will this decrease the incidence of hard water scale build up in your water heater, but your other appliances, showers, dishwashers, and sinks will also be protected. Plus, your water will taste better!
• Periodically flush your hot water heater (every six to twelve months is usually sufficient).

The second step, flushing your tankless water heater, is easier than you think ? you can do it yourself with a little preparation and by following the below instructions.

Flushing Your Tankless Water Heater

First, gather some supplies: you?ll need a small sump pump of about 1/6 HP (you can rent this from a hardware or home improvement store if necessary), two small lengths of hose, two to three gallons of white vinegar and one gallon of water.

When you?re ready to begin,

• Take off the water heater?s cover plate to expose the gas or electric ignition source, and shut off all valves and water connections. Your water heater?s owner?s manual should provide any information you need about performing these operations.
• Turn off all power sources to the water heater, and shut off all water lines and the water inlet and outlet sources.
• Find the overflow valve and open it, allowing the water pressure to be released.
• Take one of the hoses you?ve prepped and connect one end of it to the output connection on the water heater. Then, connect the other end of that same hose to the input connection on the water heater. Take the other hose and connect one end to the output connection, allowing the other end to sit in the bucket.
• Place the sump pump into the bucket and fill the bucket with the water and vinegar. Make sure that the sump pump is fully submerged in the vinegar/water mixture and that the hose coming from the ?output? connection is running into the bucket.
• Start the sump pump, and allow the vinegar and water to cycle through the water heater for about 45 minutes to an hour.

This process will remove the limescale and any calcium deposits that have built up inside the water heater. That?s it!

If you have any questions about your tankless hot water heater, or want more info on flushing your water heater yourself, give R.S. Andrews a call today ? we?re always ready to help Atlanta homeowners fix (and prevent) plumbing problems!

There?s nothing quite like Thanksgiving. It?s one of the few holidays that Hallmark and the toy store haven?t managed to turn into a commercialized nightmare. The family gathers together to eat a meal and appreciate the company of loved ones, but there isn?t any gift-giving or egg-hunts. Unfortunately, even a holiday as great as Thanksgiving has its downsides. The work! While half the family is kept busy in the kitchen making the perfect mashed potatoes, the other half is usually busy making guest beds and getting the house ready to be bursting at the seams with relatives.

The Kitchen Sink is about to take on a lot of pressure. There?s going to be piles of dishes to scrub, pots, and turkey basters, and mixing bowls. Try to take some of the load off your sink by scraping food waste into the garbage and collecting grease and oil to be thrown out rather than rinsed down the drain. If your drain is already running slow, you probably have a grease clog building up. Try pouring half a cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow immediately with a cup of vinegar and then slowly with a litre of very, very hot water. Repeat two or three times. This should help speed up the drain. But if you?re having problems already, you may want to have some professional help from a Calgary plumber before Grandma arrives.

Give the Washroom some TLC.

When you?re done inspecting the kitchen, give some thought to your washroom. If you?re like most Calgarians, the tub (or shower) probably hasn?t had the drain cleared in more than a year. You might even be used to taking your showers in ankle deep water. But that slow drain and increased water height makes it much more likely that grandpa or your five year old nephew will slip in the tub. And don?t forget the toilet! Common toilet problems include constantly running, leaking, and regularly clogging. Have your plumber address these issues before your father-in-law volunteers to ?fix? them for you.

Furnace Inspection.

Finally, if you haven?t had a furnace inspection yet this year, now is the time to schedule your appointment. We hate the be the bearers of bad news, but it?s only getting colder out. Last winter was exceptionally mild, but we?ll have no such luck this December. Make sure your furnace is in working order now rather than later when you really need it. When it comes to furnaces and the Canadian winter, prevention and being proactive really are necessary.

We love Thanksgiving, but there?s no denying that hosting a house full of guests can be stressful. Reduce the risk of a plumbing-nightmare by having your favourite, expert Calgary plumbers come out BEFORE your guests arrive! Call us today!

Water conservation ? a topic near and dear to our hearts as Orange County?s certified green plumbing company during a time of drought. And although it?s important to do what we can to save this resource regardless of circumstances such as those California is experiencing, now more than ever we feel it is our duty to reiterate just how critical this is. Below, learn what you can do this holiday season to improve your water conservation efforts.

Use the garbage:aYour garbage disposal can certainly come in handy when preparing all of your holiday meals, but since you need to turn on the water to use it correctly, it adds to the amount of H2O your home uses each and every day. Therefore, during holiday dinners or when baking your favorite holiday snacks, use your kitchen?s garbage can more than you do your disposal.

Fill the dishwasher:aThe holiday season may call for more plates and dishes to be used as a result of family get-togethers, but that doesn?t mean you need to wash them more often. Before turning on the dishwasher, make sure that it is filled to maximum capacity so that you get the most out of the water that you do use!

Time your showers: If you?re having guests stay with you for the holiday season, it?s only natural for your bathroom to experience a little more traffic than usual. However, more people means more showers and more water. To avoid usingatoo much more water than normal, time each of your showers and keep them short!

In addition to helping our state conserve water in a time of need, following the tips we listed above can also save you some money during one of the most expensive times of the year! After all, the less water you use, the lower your water bill may be ? now that?s a win-win!

Barker and Sons Plumbing & Rooterais a plumber in Anaheim that is fully family owned and operated. Services range from sump pumps to tubs and showers, leak repairs, and drain and sewer cleaning and repairs. For more information, please call 714.630.8766.