Helpful Information

 

- Toilets, Faucets & Water Heaters

- Kitchen Plumbing Tips

- Bathroom Plumbing Tips

- When To Do It Yourself -- And When Not To

- How do I shutoff important valves around my home

- Ask a Question or Suggest another Help Topic

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Toilets, Faucets & Water Heaters:

• Most people are astounded at the impact of even tiny leaks in faucets or toilets. Leaks that are barely perceptible to the naked eye can waste thousands of gallons of fresh water a year, costing you hundreds of dollars in excess water bills. If you have a leak that you know of, get it fixed before all that money goes, literally, down the drain. It's a good idea to have a professional plumber do a complete household check-up to find leaks that escape casual notice. Also, the damage from an ongoing leak is typically far more expensive to take care of than is the original problem if it is addressed in a timely and professional manner.
• When replacing plumbing fixtures, consider the long-term savings by purchasing a high efficiency water heater, or a low water consumption fixture. On-demand water heaters are now available and provide exceptional benefits in the right circumstances (but not in all cases).
• Repair leaky faucets quickly to avoid further damage to the fixtures and faucets. Don't put up with any slowly dripping faucets. A slow drip can waste as much as 150 gallons of water each day, or 4,500 gallons per month and will add to the water bill.
• Toilets consume more than 40% of your total water usage. Installation of a new toilet flapper and fill valve will keep your toilet running efficiently.
• Conserve energy and improve safety by checking the temperature setting on your water heater. It should not be above 120 degrees Fahrenheit or medium setting on older models. Also, the temperature on thermostats is not always accurate; test the hot water temperature at the tap (just after the unit has completed a heating cycle and enough water has been run to flush the water through the piping). Hot water is dangerous, especially to the elderly and youngsters and scalding time increases rapidly at temperatures over 120 degrees.
• Your water heater is one of the most important household appliances. If you do not have a quality water treatment system, sediment may build up over time at the bottom of the heater, which can hamper performance.
• Periodically, drain water from the bottom of your water heater to remove sediment, which extends the life of your water heater. Just realize that some non-contractor grade units have plastic valves that may fail - especially if the unit has not been regularly serviced.
• Also important is a water heater burner inspection. A good way of telling is to check the flame under the water heater. It should appear blue with yellow tips. If it's mostly yellow or if you see a layer of soot and carbon, the flue ways may be clogged. Don't try anything yourself at this point. Call a professional to investigate the situation.
• Once a water heater springs a leak in it's housing, it is beyond repair and must be replaced. Many units will last 15-20 years or even longer before this happens. (And it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times, like when the family is coming over for a holiday gathering!) If you have an ancient water heater, it may pay off for you to get it replaced even before it breaks down. Units made in the last 10 -15 years have much higher operating efficiencies than older models. Savings in fuel costs often will pay for the new installation in just a few years.
• No Hot Water from a gas water heater? First check to insure that the gas is turned on to the water heater (and if propane is your fuel source, check to be sure you have sufficient pressure from your propane tank). If the gas valve is on and the gas is on to the house, check to see if the pilot light is lit. If the pilot light is lit, refer to the operating manual for instructions on lighting the pilot light. If the pilot light is lit and the water heater is still not heating it is best to call your local, licensed, plumber or qualified gas contractor to check further.

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Kitchen Plumbing Tips:

• Here are some Do's & Don'ts for your garbage disposal:
  • Grind food waste with moderate flow of water.
  • Grind small amounts of peelings from citrus fruits (1/4 of an orange) to freshen up your drain.
  • Flush your disposal to allow for cleaning by allowing the disposal and water to run after grinding or dumping dishwater.
  • Use a disposal cleaner or degreaser or deodorizer as needed.
  • Do not use hot water when grinding food waste. It is ok to drain hot water between grinding periods
  • Do not turn off the disposal or the water until grinding is completed.
  • Do not grind fibrous materials like cornhusks, artichokes, onionskins, celery, etc. to avoid possible drain blockage.
  • Never overload the grinding chamber as this can overload the motor and cause it to stop.
  • Don't pour liquid grease down the drain. Before washing pots and pans, wipe out congealed grease with a paper towel.
• If you have odors from your sink, this is likely due to build up of food debris inside you garbage disposal. To eliminate these odors, place ice cubes and lemon peels in the disposal and let it run for about 30 seconds, then rinse it with cold water for about 20 seconds.
• Does the Air Gap on top of your sink "spit?" This is probably due to something restricting the drainage line. Make sure the line FROM the air gap is not kinked and that nothing is partially blocking it where it connects to the drain.

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Bathroom Plumbing Tips:

• Tubs and showers should be fitted with a strainer that catches hair and soap chips. Clean the strainer regularly.
• To remove unsightly mineral deposits on your showerhead, put one cup of vinegar in a plastic bag and place it over the showerhead. Hold it in place with a twist tie and let stand overnight. In the morning, remove the bag and the mineral deposits should come off by wiping with a damp cloth.
• Better yet, to eliminate mineral deposits altogether on your fixtures, shower doors and tile, consider a properly designed water treatment system to soften you water. Your plumbing professional will be happy to test your water and guide you to the ideal solution. (note: your skin, your hair, your clothes and your taste buds will love it too!)
• Do not use your toilet as a wastebasket. Do not flush items that can be placed in a trash container.

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When To Do It Yourself -- And When Not To:

Gigantic home improvement centers and hardware stores have sprung up to service virtually every community in the country with a vast array of tools and building supplies available to every home owner. You can find literally hundreds of books and magazines dedicated to the subject of home improvement, many in the form of do-it-yourself (DIY) manuals. The craze has also been popularized by TV shows such as the long running PBS "This Old House" series and various clones.

Saving money is perhaps the main motivation behind most DIY projects. Coupled with that is the fact that some people simply enjoy working with their hands. They derive a sense of satisfaction out of building things and doing their own repairs. As professional trades people, we fully understand this feeling of pride at seeing the fruit of one's own labor take shape. There is nothing more satisfying than completing a home improvement project successfully. We would be the last to discourage anyone from tackling a project.

However, as professional trades people, we also get to see the flip side of that coin on a regular basis. Hardly a week goes by when our company isn't called to finish or repair a botched job by someone whose expertise didn't quite match his or her ambition. Here is just a short list of the many unexpected things that tend to arise in home improvement jobs:

• Incomplete instructions. Mr. and Mrs. Home Owner buy one of those packaged products at the home center that comes with installation instructions. However, the instructions are not always written in clear language, or sometimes leave out critical steps. It's like a cooking recipe that uses terms such as "dicing...simmering...basting." People who know their way around a kitchen know what to do, but a beginning novice may not be familiar with common cooking terms. Same with do-it-yourself work.
• Coping with the unexpected. No matter how detailed the instructions, they cannot account for every possible situation that may arise with a home improvement project. The box containing the kitchen faucet you bought at the new home center may have instructions telling you how to remove the old one and put in the new, but what happens when you discover stripped threads and a rusted "frozen" nut that resists turning by even the strongest hands and pipe wrench?
• Harder and more time-consuming than expected. Most people tackle larger projects on weekends, and maybe for an hour or two at night after they arrive home from their regular jobs. The first few weeks of this is a labor of love. As time passes, though, the project takes up all of a person's free time and becomes drudgery.

According to the National Association of the Remodeling Industry (NARI), many professional remodelers won't even take on a DIY job gone bad. They find it too difficult to fix the problem and too many liabilities involved in taking on the work. Often the rescue job may end up costing more that a project started from scratch by a professional, because the professional may have to first "undo" much of the DIY work. Here are some guidelines for deciding which jobs to tackle on your own:

• Painting is usually a good DIY job -- in fact, it's the most popular DIY project among homeowners. The best part about paint is that it is just paint. If you mess up the job, you can always paint over your mistakes. Local paint companies can offer advice for the best finish. However, if you have high ceilings or tend to be clumsy, you may want to call in reinforcements and avoid climbing your ladder.
• Cleaning out gutters and checking the roof are other good spring-cleaning tasks; however, replacing a roof should be left to a professional. It is essential that your roof prevent moisture from entering the home. A poorly placed shingle or flashing could mean leaks and water damage.
• If you are patient and detail-orientated, you may be suited to some larger home improvement tasks, ranging from building a patio to replacing a faucet. However, larger projects can get unwieldy for a weekend DIY job. Be certain that you have the skills needed for the job. Moreover, many product installations require special tools that are not always found in the average household tool chest.
• If the job involves electricity or gas/oil connections, call a professional. One mistake here could be fatal. Many jurisdictions require that only a licensed professional perform certain types of work in order to meet building codes.

It's also best to leave structural work to a professional. Not only could a mistake be dangerous, your home may not meet the local building code. This could make it impossible to sell without corrective measures. In addition, EPA regulations forbid the venting of refrigerant gasses into the atmosphere. Keep this in mind when tinkering with an air conditioning unit or refrigeration project.

*How long can you afford to be without full use of your home? Remodeling is messy work that often renders one or more rooms off limits. Or, you will be without a key piece of equipment, such as a furnace or water heater or toilet. Professionals can do the job a lot faster and minimize the time your home will be disrupted. In the end, the decision boils down to common sense. If you enjoy DIY projects and are good at them, by all means save yourself some money. But don't lose sight of the fact that saving a few dollars now often increases the cost of a project in the long run.

Proprietary Information, Contractors 2000, Inc., Copyright 1997

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How do I shutoff important valves around my home?

Solving Plumbing Emergencies

All homeowners know that if anything in the home can go wrong, it will happen at a most inconvenient time. Plumbing is no exception. At your sleepiest, busiest, most tired moment, the toilet begins to overflow and no amount of jiggling of the control handle stops the water from edging toward wall-to-wall carpeting. Or it may be the sudden bursting of a pipe, or an out-of -control faucet. Such emergencies are inconvenient and can cause expensive damage if corrective action is not taken immediately. It is as simple as 1-2-3 to prepare for plumbing emergencies. A few minutes of your time now could be insurance for future security, and trouble free performance of your water system.

Locate & Test Every Valve

You are ready for any water emergency when you know where valves are located for all your faucets and appliances. Plan a family house tour with husband, wife and older children. All should know what to do if water emergencies arise when they are alone in the house. Start with the main water line valve, which totally controls the flow of water in your home. Usually, it is in the basement on the pipeline coming through the wall on the street side of your house. Find the valve, be sure it operates freely, and apply the tag to the main water line. If it is especially hard to find, place a second tag in a more visible spot. Continue the same procedure with the kitchen. Find the valves below the sink and test to see if they open and close easily. It is especially important to make this check because over a period of time a valve can become "frozen" if not used for years. Usually a wrench applied to the control wheel will free up the valve. Do this carefully to avoid breaking the control head. If the control wheel just can't be moved, it is usually best to have it serviced by your plumber. Until this is done, make a mental note to shut off the main water line valve if this section of your plumbing gives you trouble. Check for possible leaks around the stem after moving and freeing the valve. Applying a wrench to the cap or packing nut can stop minor leakage. Here is a plumbing tip: when you open any valve, open it all the way then turn it back the other direction slightly. This will help prevent it from sticking in the open position. Finally, apply a tag "Hot Water" and "Cold Water " to the control valves. Continue the water tour-- the bathroom or bathrooms, hot water heating system, water heater and water softener-- every place in the home where water is used. Label all valves with the proper identification tags. To repeat, locating the main shutoff valve is especially important because when closed, it stops all water throughout the house in seconds. Be sure that everyone, including the children, knows where this vital control is located.

Lavatory Sink Shutoff Valves (Click here for a diagram)

The lavatory valves usually are below the fixture for easy access. With a wrench, turn this valve clockwise until it stops for complete shutoff.

Kitchen Sink Shutoff Valves (Click here for a diagram)

Below your kitchen sink you will probably find shutoff valves for both the hot and cold water. In some cases, the valves will be below the kitchen in the basement. Sometimes valves are installed both below the sink and also in the basement.

Main Gas Shutoff Valves (Click here for a diagram)

Typically your main gas shutoff valve is in one of two places. It is going to be in an underground vault at the curb or somewhere on the side of you house. Turn off your gas meter ONLY if you smell gas or hear the hissing sound of gas escaping. As you face the meter, you will see a pipe running from the ground to the meter. There is a shut-off valve running parallel with the pipe usually located about 6 to 8 inches above the ground. Take a 10 "or 12" adjustable wrench and turn the valve 1/4 turn in either direction, until the valve is crosswise to the pipe.

Main Water Shutoff Valves (Click here for a diagram)

The water line coming in from the street is often connected to the water meter followed by a master shutoff valve for the entire home. Close this one valve and you have shut off water throughout the house-- it's instant action for serious emergencies. If you need to shut off the water at the main valve make sure the hot water tank is turned down to pilot. Electric hot water tanks require special attention, and it is best to enlist the aid of a plumbing and heating professional. However, if the emergency calls for the main water system to be shut off, the electric water system must also be shut off. The electric can be shut off at the main electrical fuse box by either removing the fuse from the box or switching the breaker to an "off "position. (Check and see if your breakers are labeled.) The electricity to the hot water tank should not be turned on until the water tank has been refilled with water--see the owner's manual that comes with the electric hot water heater. To turn off this valve, turn the handle clockwise until it stops.

Washing Machine Shutoff Valves (Click here for a diagram)

There should be individual shutoff valves for both the hot and the cold water lines. Typically the handles are round, although they can be a lever handle. These valves also turn off clockwise. They will often turn several revolutions before they reach the "off" position. If while turning these valves off, they are frozen, they won't shut off completely or water leaks out the handle, contact your plumber. TIP! A burst washing machine hose causes 72% of water damage. We recommend that you turn these valves off when not in use to prevent possible flooding.

Water Closet Shutoff Valves (Click here for a diagram)

Your water closet shutoff valve is commonly located on the back wall, approximately 6" above the ground, on the left side as you face the toilet. To turn off this valve in the event of a leak or repair, turn the valve clockwise until it stops.

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