Tag: plumbing prevention

Don’t Invite Your Plumber Over for Thanksgiving

Posted on | by Drainiacs

The turkey is in the oven slowly roasting, your out-of-town guests are chatting in the living room and your family and friends are slowly trickling in with freshly baked goods when suddenly, the doorbell rings.  Who could it be? Your neighbor perhaps?  Nope! It’s your plumber! “Okay, who invited the plumber?” you ask.  Well, since your plumbing system is taking on an extra heavy load, he thought he would save you some time and trouble and simply be on standby at your home when the inevitable plumbing issue arises.

There is no use fighting it. It’s more likely than not you’ll experience some form of plumbing problem during this busy holiday season.  In fact, every year we see emergency plumbing issues spike during this busy Thanksgiving holiday.  The fact of the matter is that your drains can only take so much from your kitchen sink and let’s not forget your restrooms either!  Your plumbing system will be working overtime and if your pipes are old, have buildup and are not in tip-top shape, then you better make some room at the dinner table and keep your plumber handy!

Want to avoid a visit from one of your local plumber during your holiday feast?  Here are a few suggestions:

Avoid tossing scraps and food particles down your drain.

In the midst of all the pealing, chopping and straining over or next your kitchen sink there is bound to be some food scraps that will make there way down your drain. Try to keep this to a minimum or simply avoid it all together by doing all of your prep work away from the sink.  All those scraps can potentially to get stuck somewhere down the line and cause a back-up.

Make sure to continuously run cold water as the garbage disposal is running.

This will help the breakdown of food and make any fats and oils solidify which will help the blades cut grease into small pieces.

Give your shower a break.

Ask your guests to leave a 10 to 15 minute gap in between showers.  This will allow the flow of water to run smoothly without overwhelming your plumbing system.

Avoid using “disposable” wipes.

With additional guests staying in your home the risk of a clogged toilet increases dramatically and even more so when guests use “disposable” cleansing wipes.  No matter what the packaging says, those “disposable” cleansing wipes will not break down like regular toilet paper.  In fact, tests have proven that they do not dissolve at all which may lead to major sewer backup.

Overall, the best advice we can give to avoid a major plumbing disaster during your Thanksgiving holiday weekend is to prepare ahead of time.  If you know you’ve been experiencing some problems recently and have to not had these problems diagnosed or repaired, call your local plumber get your problems solved before your big feast!

10 Easy Things To Do (And Not To Do) To Avoid Calling A Plumber

Posted on | by Drainiacs

Plumbing problems can be a major pain, especially when they occur at the most unexpected, and sometimes most crucial moments.  For example, picture yourself having a nice holiday gathering at your home.  You’re right about serving a wonderful dinner that you have slaved to cook for hours over the stove for when all of a sudden your plumbing backs up!  What a mess!  Calling a plumber at a time like this might be your only option, but there are many ways to prevent this mess from ever occurring.  Below are 10 easy things to do (and not to do) to avoid calling a plumber.  Some of these may sound very trivial and some even completely obvious, but year after year, we find the same exact problems springing up in homes all around our general service area in Los Angeles County, with people disheartened by the damper it has put on their day.  So before that next big event at your home, or even just as a daily or monthly cleaning and prevention plan, remember these tips!

  • Don’t put grease down your drain!  Grease solidifies and clogs drains very easily.
  • Don’t use your garbage disposal as a trash can and dump large amounts of food & scraps down it, they build up and will either cause it to back up or break down.
  • Always turn on the water before turning on the garbage disposal, and keep it running for at least 30 seconds after turning it off to wash the waste down the drain.
  • Try to scrape off as much scrap food on plates and dishes into the trash, before rinsing in your sink, and especially before entering your dishwasher.
  • Try to keep the area around your sink clear of any small objects such as utensils and other kitchen gadgets that can easily slip down the drain into the garbage disposal and/or pipes.
  • Don’t dispose of any paper towels, cleaning wipes, sanitary wipes, or sanitary napkins down the toilet.  These almost always cause toilets to clog.  (Tip: Avoid making these items available in guest bathrooms altogether, as guest bathrooms are usually the ones that get backed up first.)
  • Once every two weeks pour about 2 tablespoons of regular liquid dish soap (preferably w/ a degreaser) down the drain, followed by about 1 quart of boiling water.  This will help cut down the grease and buildup in your pipes to help avoid future clogs.
  • If you begin to notice the water pressure on any of your faucets getting low, try this: Fill a small sandwich-sized baggie with vinegar.  Put the baggie over the faucet so the facet is completely submerged in the vinegar, and tie it down with a rubber band or two.  Leave it sitting overnight.  That should break down the mineral build-up and clear the holes that caused the pressure to backup.
  • Don’t use a liquid drain cleaner if there is already a clog!  Once the clog is past your drain, the harsh chemicals in liquid drain cleaner will sit in your pipes and eat away at them, which will eventually cause even bigger problems.
  • Instead, if you begin to notice a clog or water backing up, try this: Take out as much of the standing water as possible, then pour about 1 cup of baking soda down the drain followed by about 1 cup of vinegar.  The bubbling action should cut through most clogs.  Once the drain starts running, pour about 1 quart of boiling water down the drain to flush out the remaining material.

Just like your teeth, although prevention through brushing is always your best bet to avoid any problems, sometimes cavities still occur.  In this case, although you may follow each of these steps religiously (or at least just a few), problems sometimes still have their way of rising to the surface.  In this case, don’t hesitate or wait until the last minute, give us a call today to get your FREE ESTIMATE or click here to request service online today!  You don’t want to end up knee deep in brown water at your next big family gathering while the turkey is in the oven, so don’t forget these tips, or if you’re already there, give us a call as soon as possible!  We’re always on call to help serve all of your plumbing needs.  24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  We also do annual drain cleaning and inspections at a discounted rate.  Just give us a call and ask us how to get signed up!