Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Plumbing Tips for Spring
Guest contributor Patricia Bonacorda

As spring approaches, it is time to get ready for warmer weather. There are plenty of items to check both inside and outside of the home. Here are some fast and easy ways to prevent plumbing problems from occurring after the seasons have changed.

Exterior Home Prep

1.
Clean the gutters: It is important to head to the roof and clear out the gutters and downspouts. Throughout the winter, debris builds up which can lead to clogs. These blockages may cause water damage, mold growth or costly leaks. Cleaning out the area will prevent these problems.

2. Examine the sump pump: Spring can be a rainy time, so it is essential to make sure the sump pump is in working order. To test the pump, you’ll have to pour some water into the pit. The pump should start after a few seconds, eliminate the water and shut back off. If this does not occur, it is important to contact a plumber. This will prevent the pump from burning out.

3. Check the outside hose bibs and faucets: When the ground thaws, one should check outdoor faucets for drips and leaks. A pipe may have frozen over winter and will need to be repaired. Look here for guidance if you need to replace one.

Interior Home Prep

1. Examine toilets: It is vital to check a toilet for leaks. To do this, drop some food coloring into the tank and wait an hour to see if the bowl water changes color. If that happens, it means the toilet is leaking. This can waste a great deal of water and raise monthly water bills. A plumber can easily fix the problem. Also, it is important to make sure the toilet is properly flushing. If it is necessary to wiggle the handle, it’s time to replace one or more of the parts inside the tank — they’re usually inexpensive.

2.
Clean the showerhead: Many homes have water filled with minerals that deposit over time. Vinegar can be used to open the clogs in a showerhead and return it to like-new condition. Fill a plastic bag with vinegar and secure it around the showerhead. After soaking overnight, the mineral deposits should be gone.

3. Tend to drains: It is essential to make sure all drains have strainers that prevent clogs. Bathroom pipes can collect hair and soap, and kitchen pipes may collect pieces of food. These can lead to blockages that must be opened by a plumber. For the do-it-yourself person, try these methods on how to clean and unclog drains without the use of chemicals or fancy tools.


4. Inspect all pipes: Bathroom and kitchen sinks often have pipes you can easily see by opening the cabinets underneath. It is vital to inspect all pipes for leaks. Replacing damaged pipes will avoid expensive water damage.

5. Check the washing machine and dishwasher: The washing machine and dishwasher are two appliances that contain many hoses. Check for bulges or leaks in these hoses, and if there are any signs of weakness, or if the items are older than 10 years, it is wise to replace them. This will avoid messy leaks.

6. Inspect the water heater: It is essential to make sure the water heater's temperature setting is not above 120 degrees. This will prevent scalding and save energy. Also, when a home has a conventional tank-style appliance, it is important to drain a few gallons and flush away sediment that builds. This sediment causes corrosion and lowers efficiency. A tankless water heater should be flushed to remove deposits as well. Read and watch a video on the importance of water heater safety here.

The above tips are just a few easy ways to get your home ready for spring. Checking these things will help avoid costly water and repair bills, and certain items may be easily fixed without help. However, if the repairs seem too difficult, a qualified plumber will be able to solve the problem quickly and efficiently.

Author Bio:
Patricia Bonacorda is the President of Spartan Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning, a plumbing and HVAC company that has assisted commercial restaurants and residential homes since 1964. Spartan Plumbing is a licensed, bonded and insured business that has provided professional plumbing, heating and air conditioning services throughout the DC Region.



Wednesday, April 2, 2014

I'm alive!

Yes I am and so can you be too, I just realized that the 3 million views of my videos has un doubtedly saved tens of millions of dollars. If everyone saved leaking water, that too is millions of gallons of water. If you consider a customer might save a hundred dollars not calling a plumber the total savings is quite high. Now what kind of plumber am I doing this to my industry? My fellow Plumbers have been understanding so far. The people who use my videos have already decided to DIY and some of them have decided to not diy after seeing just how involved the tasks can be. Other tasks like auguring a toilet is a task many homeowners and even renters have done to "save their ass" from landlord or spouse or parent or just an expense during the "Holidays" If we all just learn to conserve and share resources as well as sharing skills the world will be a better place. I really get a great feeling when replies to videos say thanks, even better when they tip the tip jar on the diy plumbing advice site. I am not sure what is better when I look online and learn something my self and save money,or when I get thanked for a "tip"on how to do... The spam is a drag, the tech mumbo jumbo and crashes are a drag, but the opportunity exists to optimize life to the best in any arena. The ability to use the internet will be key in future to how well get along and enter act with the emerging world. My vision of virtual plumbing was in 1997 and now it is close to what I visioned. With out personal affections the web is just "DOS", Graphic User Interface,(GUI) is the pretty part of a computer screen, the symbiotic parts of the online world are smart phones and such. You can now video shoot a plumbing task and send it to me and I can reply with a video on the solution. I was never a geek, still not, my web partner Bill is the geek doing the magic here, I am just content, as you are just viewer. How easy it will be in the future is yet to be seen, but I bet holographs will come to the smart phone... "Help me Ob-wan, your our only hope" is my dream to be asked as a virtual plumber. I will need to get that name... "Who you gonna call" ("Ghostbusters")Kinda thing.. As for movies and TV I have not subscribed to much of that, but I did watch "Max Headroom" and that was way ahead of its time so it was dumped. A bit of track for plumbing? not really, that is my point, learning to be virtual is a virtue! pun intended. This is how ever far one wants to take it, the ability is limited only by the willingness to learn how to do. I do not waste much time with anything that is not learning emerging or re learning where I was wrong. Making the day as net worthy as possible, I mean in ways to either be better, smarter, richer, or wiser. Oh, I forgot healthier too. at my age that is a given. What if we all had experts on speed dial so to speak, online answers to anything, anytime, anywhere?.... well we do, just use your voice control on your smart phone and ask the internet as you sit in any place... When I was a teen it was "Hee Haw" on TV, now it is E How online, a bit better I would say, wouldn't you? Buckle up because the next decade will be a great one, and don't let the "News" in the media steal your attention away from the tools you are now able to use, the "them" would rather you be scared and distracted than to be active learning how to operate in the new frontier. Don't be a slave to TV, be a participant in the WWW. Be well, Namaste and latter dude. Greg

Rain Water, how hard could it be?

RainWater is naturally soft, plants can hydrate much easier with rainwater than hard well water or hard tap water. This is why plants bloom and look so much better after a rain. So, all we need do, is use the plants that are regionally native in the landscapes we put around buildings. Or with plants that will live on just the rain, adaptive plants. Oh, did I hear you think, "it does not rain enough to support the landscape" ? My reply is we make it hard on ourselves when we want a landscape that is not native, in that we must augment the rain using a piping system and "Tap" water when we go outside of our regions plant natives. We make it hard to maintain an imported plant that is out of it's native environment. We make it "hard" by using hard water, and that is difficult for the plant to consume due to the hardness of the minerals in the water. Ok, you want a lush landscape, that can be done using native and adaptive plants. Other requirements do exist, like mulch, good soil, shade, and correct hydro zoning. Hydro zoning is planting and clustering plants in like areas requiring simular water, sun, and other. If irrigation is used, this grouping is smart so the plants needing water are together and plants needing to dry out between are allowed to do so. Looks are one thing, correct is another, both can co-exist, but good planning is required. Capturing rainwater is one way of creating a greener or more lush landscape with out using the hard and expensive tap water. Simple to do? depends on your definition of simple. Yes hire a professional ARCSA (American RainWater Catchment System Association)contractor, simple enough? Yes, simple enough for the consumer, but far more goes into a well designed and installed system than I thought, till I did a few systems. The water may be soft, but the task is a hard one. Some rules of thumb do exist, but most people want "turn & squirt" that's a play on words like "plug n play". We have come to just think water comes out when we open a faucet! When we stop the faucet, the water just sits there and waits for us to demand it some more. I say "demand it" because if the water does not squirt out instantly, we call plumbers till one shows up and are quite Impatient till the instant hot or cold and clean water just squirts out at our will. Water issues are already in most every town and city in most every country. The reason is the population has expanded, and the water system and capacity have not. Everyday wells go dry from too many wells sucking up all the water. Some wells do not dry up, instead the water just comes out from different levels of rock and aquifers. Too often this new source is very hard or even contaminated from either man caused reasons, or simply natural occouring deposits of non potable substances. Iron may seem easy to filter out, but if it oxidizes it will turn muddy and can foul up your pipes or treatment system. I hear people say, "oh, I will just drill a well and get all the water I want", this is not a sustainable thought, either because the well could drug up, or because if too many people do this the local authorities having control over water issues will set limits on who and how much or when and at what cost… In the 80's I saw the electric company in Az. require electric meters be installed on well systems and put a limit on the power that would be allowed to be used to pump the well water. The ground water is becoming an issue in most areas, most certainly going to be a controlled and limited source.