common customer questions

Contrary to popular belief, water heaters require yearly maintenance. Water heaters should be drained down once per year, after you turn the power off to the water heater, to eliminate any sediment build-up. Sediment build-up can lead to the water smelling like rotten eggs, and can cause a rumbling sound when the elements turn on inside of the tank. 

It is also highly recommended that the anode rods  inside the water heater be replaced every 3-4 years to extend the life of your water heater. Water is naturally corrosive and the anode rods act as a "sacrificial" metal that the water will attack before it attacks the metal inside of the water heater tank. Anode rods are meant to be replaced. Call us today to set up an appointment to have your water heater serviced. 

While some basements can go decades, even lifetimes without water intrusion, it only takes is one small crack from the foundation settling to cause a flooding disaster. Sump pumps offer an extra layer of protection in the event of a flood. If your washing machine or water heater is located in your basement, installing a sump pump is a great idea.  In the event of an appliance failure, the sump pump will help prevent a flood. What about power outages? Great question! Battery back-up sump pumps offer even more protection in the event of a power outage from a severe storm. Ready for us to inspect your basement to see if you would benefit from a sump pump? Give us a call! 

Is your sewage pump giving you issues? Don't grinder pumps slice and dice everything that goes through them? Do you need a grinder pump? In some instances yes, a grinder pump for sewage is needed. However, unless you need to pump sewage really high (Greater than 50 feet), or you are on a pressurized sewer main (forced main), where other homes are also using pumps to pump into a common sewer main... you don't need a grinder pump. What is often not considered when selecting a grinder pump is that the blades will dull with usage. As a result grinder pumps can clog and fail. If a grinder pump gets clogged just once, the pump is probably ruined. Compared to standard sewage ejector pumps, grinder pumps are very costly. So in most instances a sewage ejector pump is all that is needed.  

Lets be honest... Some plumbers will try and sell their customers on "upgrading" to a tankless water heater. What's often not considered is that it takes a greater amount of electricity to run a tankless water heater than a regular gas water heater. 

Do you have power available at the location of your current gas water heater? Often times power has to be added near a tankless water heater, because the tankless has parts (like pumps and controllers) that require electricity. Tankless water heaters generally require a larger gas line, because they take more BTU's to heat the water than a regular gas water heater. Ready to dig up your yard to upsize your entire gas line from your street to your house? 

Also, contrary to popular belief, tankless water heaters do not provide "instant" hot water. Lets say your existing water heater is 85 feet away from your farthest fixture... Unless you have a recirculation loop, whenever you stop using water, and the water inside of your hot water piping cools off to room temperature, you'll have to purge all of that cool water out of the 85 foot run of hot water piping before it reaches the fixture the next time you turn on your faucet. Are tankless heaters "instant" water heaters.... no. A much better solution for "instant" hot water is a recirculation loop. 

The short answer is: no. The longer answer is that flushable wipes will generally make it through the toilet after being flushed. However, then the trouble begins. Flushable wipes do not break down easily and can quickly snag on pipes causing a complete pipe blockage. You can avoid that clog by putting used flushable wipes into the trash can.

Bleach will slowly eat away at all of the seals and gaskets on the inside of the tank. This usually leads to the parts inside of the toilet tank wearing out quicker. If you read the warranty that comes with your toilet, adding bleach tablets will, most often, void the warranty. The toilet manufacturers know what they are talking about! Bleach inside of the toilet tank is not recommended. 

Technically speaking: pouring very hot water down the drain will melt the grease. However, there are many issues that can happen downstream of the kitchen drain. First, the grease will slowly solidify again as it runs through the drainage system and begins to cool. So yes the grease will melt... at first... but then you've got the potential for grease clogs further down the piping. Secondly, if you have PVC drain piping, it is not recommended that very hot water be introduced into the drainage system. PVC drainage piping is only rated for 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Water hotter than 140 degrees could damage your piping, water cooler than 140 degrees is probably not hot enough to melt grease. Bottom line: pour any used cooking oil and grease into a spare container with a lid and dispose of it in the trash can.  

You should always run water when using your garbage disposal. If you immediately turn off the water after you are done putting food through the disposal, you could be setting yourself up for a clog. Food still has to make it through the p-trap under the kitchen sink and down the drainage piping into the wall. We recommend that you run the water from your kitchen faucet for at least one minute after you are done using your garbage disposal to help flush any remaining food down the drain and avoid clogs.