Plumbing Tips

Helpful Tips and How To’s from 1-800-Plumber

The Disposer
The garbage disposer is a handy device around the kitchen, but it was not designed for everything you need to throw away. The original intent was to clean off your plates prior to washing them, but the manufacturers promote them much differently. What most people fail to understand is, the disposer may be able to grind it up, but can the waste pipe attached to it handle all that debris. Here are some handy tips to keep your disposer running smoothly.
When chopping up vegetables, put the waste in the trash can. The kitchen drain normally will accumulate a coating of grease which when combined with fibrous vegetable matter will lead to clogged drain line. Before anything goes into the disposer, run the cold water first, turn on the disposer, and gradually add the leftovers a little at a time. When the job is complete, let the water run for at least 15 seconds to wash the debris down the drain line.
Avoid pouring grease down the kitchen sink. Washing the dishes, pots and pans, along with the detergent puts enough grease in the line. Grease is the most common problem when a drain line stops up.
Keep your disposer smelling good by monthly, turning on the hot water and the disposer. While the disposer is running, add a squirt of dishwashing detergent. The foaming action will help remove the buildup of grease and food debris in the disposer chamber. Turn off the hot water and turn on the cold water and add a few lemon, lime, or orange peels. After cutting off the disposer, continue to let the cold water run for 30 seconds. The citrus smell will make all the difference.
Generally, always use cold water when running the disposer. The cold water is what actually cools the electric motor in the disposer and keeps it from overheating!
Occasionally, if too much material is put into the disposer, it stops working. There will be a hum and then nothing at all. If the disposer is jammed, the motor overheats and the thermal overload protector disconnects the power to keep from burning up the motor. You can reset the thermal protector after the jam is removed by pushing in the red button on the bottom of the disposer.
When you purchased the disposer an off-set Allen wrench, or disposer key came with it. On the bottom of the disposer is a six sided socket located in the center. Make sure the power is off, then insert the wrench into the socket and attempt to give it a turn to free up the jam. Once you can turn the wrench freely, push in the red button that is hanging out on the bottom of the disposer and turn on the power. Turn on the switch to see if the disposer now works. If it works freely, good job! If not, repeat this procedure, or call a qualified plumber.
Just to clarify a disposer misnomer. The blades in the disposer are not sharp and never need sharpening. They are impellers, or lugs, mounted on a spinning plate that forces food waste against a stationary grind ring. This action breaks the food waste info fine particles that are flushed through the grind ring by the flowing water. So, if someone tells you to put ice cubes into your disposer to “sharpen” the blades, you can tell them the real facts!

Winter Planning
A little planning before the really cold weather hits can save many headaches with your plumbing. Turn off all outside hose faucets, and most of all, disconnect the garden hose. In northern parts of the country, frost free or freeze proof faucets are generally installed, but they will not work properly if the hose is still attached. If the hose freezes, so will the faucet it is attached to. Also, insulating the hose faucets with ready-made covers from the hardware store, or wrapping a old towel around them, will help keep you safe through the winter.
If your home is build on a crawl space, close all the foundation vents and the access door. The cold air coming in through those openings will freeze your pipes quickly on a cold, windy night. Also, insulating any piping that is prone to freezing or applying heat tape is worth the effort.
For homes with a basement, make sure to seal around any windows and doors to keep the heat in and the cold out. Inspect and clean your sump pump and pit to insure good operation through the winter. A frozen sump pump will not work.
On those extremely cold days, open the sink cabinet doors to allow the heat of the room to enter, especially if the sink is on an outside wall. You can also put a small electric heater in front of the cabinet opening to keep the warm air circulating around the piping. Let the faucets have a steady drip. You will waste a little water, but moving water does not freeze.
These tips are for occupied homes. If the house will be vacant for the winter, a complete winterization by a licensed plumber should be performed.

Washing Machine Connections
Do you cut off the water to your clothes washer after you use it? I am sure not – no one does! Also, did you know that the number one cause of water damage in the home is from the hoses connected to your washer? The rubber hoses that connect the washer to the valves were never meant to be under constant pressure. Over time the rubber becomes hard and brittle and eventually ruptures. The Insurance Institute claims these ruptured hoses are the major source of water damage. To protect your home, purchase and install a pair of stainless steel braided washing machine hoses. They can be purchased at any hardware or home store, and they will last for years.
While you are changing those hoses, you will need to turn off the water valves they are connected to. Inspect the valves for leaks and corrosion. If they do leak when you turn them back on, they may need new stem packing and washers, or replacement. Just call a qualified plumber to take care of installing new ones for you.

“Hard Water” Buildup
Many parts of the country have “hard water”, or water that contains excessive minerals which are mostly calcium and magnesium. These minerals clog up the aerators on the faucets and shower heads. They can even clog up the jets around the toilet bowl affecting how well it will flush. Screw off the aerators from the faucets and soak them overnight in white vinegar to help remove some of the buildup. For the shower heads, pour a cup of vinegar in a plastic bag, place the bag over the shower head and use a wire tie to hold it in place. In the morning, remove the bag and use an old tooth brush to help scrub off the deposits.
The ultimate solution is to install a water softener. The softener uses a medium to remove the minerals from the water as it passes through. Periodically, the medium is flushed with salt water. The sodium in the “salt” water attracts the calcium and magnesium and flushes it away and “recharges” the medium so it can work over and over again. The softener will pay for itself in many ways. Your fixtures will last much longer, and so will your water heater. You will also use less soap for bathing, laundry and dishes as softer water requires much less soap to do the same job.

Water Heaters
Hot water is one of the most taken for granted things in the home, until you don’t have any. To keep a steady supply, a little maintenance is needed. Your water heater should be flushed out annually and if you have extremely hard water, every 6 months. Mineral buildup in the heater can greatly affect the performance, increase your utility bills, and cause premature failure. The fall of the year is a great time to perform this maintenance, because the heater works harder in the winter. It is not that the incoming water is colder. People normally increase the temperature of their bath water in the winter.
This maintenance is fairly easy. Turn off the fuel supply and the water supply to the heater. Attach a garden hose to the hose bib at the bottom of the heater and let it drain. After draining the heater, turn on the water supply while the hose is still attached. This will flush out sediment that has collected in the bottom of the heater. When the water is running clear, turn off the hose bib and allow the heater to refill. Open a faucet at the highest point in your home. This will help remove air from the system and allow the heater to completely fill. Then turn the fuel supply back on.
During the flushing process, inspect the pipe work and valves on the heater. Look for corrosion and rust, as this is a sign that replacement may not be too far in the future. Also, the temperature should be set at 120 degrees to prevent scalding. If professional help is needed, contact a qualified plumber.

Toilet
Since the toilet is probably the most used plumbing fixture, it does require some maintenance from time to time. Many of the maintenance repairs are simple and you may be able to do them yourself.
If you hear water running or the fill valve turns on periodically, the flapper is probably leaking. An easy way to check this is put a few drops of food coloring into the tank. If the water in the bowl starts turning that color, the flapper is leaking. Check the chain that connects the flush handle to the flapper first. If the chain is not adjusted properly, it may not let the flapper complete seal. It may be too short or possibly too long and is getting caught underneath the flapper. There should be just a little slack in the chain if it is adjusted correctly. If you do not find a problem with the chain adjustment, the flapper may need to be replaced. The chlorine in the water breaks down the flapper material and it needs to be replaced periodically.
Replacing the flapper is a relatively simple procedure. Cut to water off to the toilet. There should be a valve on the left side of toilet coming out of the wall or floor. Turn the handle clock-wise to cut off the flow of water. Push the flush handle and hold it until all the water has left the tank. I highly recommend putting on latex gloves before removing the flapper. The old black flappers will stain your hands, and it is hard to remove. Put the flapper in a plastic bag and take it to the hardware or home center with you. Universal flappers will fit most toilets, however, there are almost 100 different types of flappers depending on the make and model of your toilet. With the newer low flush toilets, there are also different sizes. You want to purchase the correct one the first time. Follow the simple installation instructions and adjust the chain properly.