Posts Tagged ‘Woodbury’

Woodbury Plumber’s Guide: Common Kitchen Plumbing Problems

Friday, February 17th, 2012

Considering how often your use your Woodbury home’s kitchen sink – i.e., many times per day, every day – and all the grimy business that it usually has to put up with, it’s kind of amazing that your don’t experience headaches with your kitchen plumbing once a week. Chalk that up to the marvels of modern engineering and design.

That does not mean that kitchen plumbing is perfect, though, and all homeowners face problems with their kitchen plumbing from time to time. Fortunately, many such problems are fairly common and routine and therefore are easily remedied.

Below are 3 common kitchen plumbing problems and some possible solutions for each:

  1. Clogged drain
    Probably the most commonly aggravating of all kitchen sink problems is the clogged drain. If you have never had to deal with one, first thank your lucky stars and then brace for impact, because you’ll probably have to soon. This is usually caused by some piece of food or other deposit obstructing the sink. Try plunging it out, or breaking it up by pouring boiling water or white vinegar down the drain. This may take several attempts. If none of that works, you can resort to a commercial drain opening product.
  2. Leaky faucet
    Got a dripping sound keeping you up at night? Often, leaky faucets are caused by an obstructed aerator, which is that little screen thing on the end of your faucet. Unscrew that, clean it with water and put it back on. If the faucet still leaks, there may be a loose fitting somewhere further down the line, in which case you may need to call in a plumber. (Bonus tip: To quiet the dripping noise until the leak is fixed, tie a length of string to the end of the faucet. The water will run down the string silently instead of clanging into the basin all night.)
  3. Garbage disposal won’t run
    The quickest and most common solution to this problem is the reset the garbage disposal by pressing the button on the unit under the sink.

If these tips don’t work to solve your kitchen plumbing conundrum, then it is probably best to call in a Woodbury professional. Plumbing is a tricky thing – and garbage disposals can be dangerous – so sometimes it is best to leave it to licensed and professional plumber Resolve Rooter!

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Woodbury Plumber’s Tip: Why Replace Your Sewer Line

Wednesday, January 25th, 2012

You probably don’t want to think about having to replace your Woodbury home’s sewer line, and hopefully, you won’t ever have to. Most sewer lines last many years without having to be replaced, so it’s possible you won’t have problems with your line for the entire time you are in your home.

It is not uncommon for sewer lines to need replacement at some point, however. Some common reasons for replacing a sewer line include:

  • The line has broken, cracked or collapsed. This can be the result of an intruding tree root, extremely cold temperatures resulting in freezing, wear and tear or simply the pressure of soil over time.
  • The pipe has deteriorated or corroded. Even the highest quality materials eventually break down, whether from within or without. As the pipes rust and degrade, they can spring leaks, rupture or collapse.
  • A section of the pipe has collapsed. Because of soil conditions surrounding a certain section of the pipe, that one section may collapse, creating a bottle neck that becomes a full-fledged obstruction.
  • Leaking joints. The fittings connecting sections of the pipe can become loose, worn or corroded, which means the seal is degraded and the line starts leaking.
  • The sewer line was made of substandard materials to begin with and has broken down over time.

If and when you encounter any of these situations, you will likely discover that the best solution is to replace at least a section of the line, if not the whole thing. Often, if there is damage to multiple sections of pipe or if the whole line is very old, it is best to replace the whole thing at once.

One alternative to replacing the line outright is having it relined, using trenchless technology. This is less labor intensive and doesn’t require digging up your whole yard. It is not necessarily the solution for everyone, so ask a Woodbury professional if it might be appropriate for your particular sewer line replacement needs.

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What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Woodbury Home?

Wednesday, December 21st, 2011

When installing a new water heater in your Woodbury home, it is important to get one that is the appropriate size. Of course, one that is too small will not handle the capacity you need, so you will be stuck with water that is not quite hot enough.

You may think to just buy one that you are sure can more than handle the capacity you need, but there are drawbacks to this strategy. A water heater that is “too big” will also draw more power, resulting in waste and unnecessarily high bills. Plus, it will cost more up front than you really need to spend.

The trick is to get a water heater that is the correct size for your needs. For a conventional water heater with a tank, the metric you will need to refer to is the unit’s first hour rating, or FHR. To determine the necessary FHR, you first need to determine during which hour of the day your home uses the most water. Typically, this is either first thing in the morning or later in the evening, when most people are bathing. Once you know this, determine what the water usage is during that hour based on average usage for each task. For example, let’s say a typical morning in your home consists of:

  • 3 showers (average of 12 gallons each)
  • 1 food preparation (5 gallons)
  • 1 hand dishwashing (4 gallons)

That’s about 45 gallons of hot water needed during that hour, so you need a unit with an FHR somewhere in that ballpark. The U.S. Department of Energy has a good worksheet to use for these measurements, which includes average usage rates for common household hot water tasks.

If you find any of this confusing, consider a professional consultation during the selection process. That will ensure you get the water heater that is right for you.

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