Your home drainage system probably does not get the care that it deserves. More than any other system in our homes, drains are the most likely to be ignored until a problem arises. Drain cleaning is the best way to make sure that there are no problems brewing in your Orlandoadrains, and to eliminate any small issues before they become a big headache.

It is inevitable that foreign objects are going to wind up in your drains. Food waste winds up going down the sink drain, hair gets pulled down the shower drain, and grease builds up in your drainpipes over time. All of these foreign bodies are what lead to blockages, not to mention countless other types of debris from storms and other causes. By the time you?re aware of a blockage it is already past the ideal time to deal with one. Don?t wait until your drains are backing up and you can?t properly dispose of wastewater. Call Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc.atoday and have your drains professionally cleaned.

The best part of professional drain cleaning is how easy it makes the process. Don?t dump unnecessary chemical cleaners down your drains only to have them sitting in your clogged pipes. When you call for professional drain cleaning service you get the benefits of such technology as video pipe inspection. This is the most effective and unobtrusive way to pinpoint the specific location of a clog or blockage in your home?s drains. A camera connected to a flexible rod is fed into your drain?s opening and sends back images from within the pipe. There is absolutely no guesswork involved, and no unpleasant surprises upon opening up your drains. The problem can be accurately diagnosed and resolved with no unnecessary work or fees.

For serious, deep cleaning of your pipes, professional cleaning services like those offered by Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc.aare the way to go. Don?t degrade the integrity of your drain lines with harsh chemical cleaners. Let the professionals inspect your Orlandoadrains, locate the specific problems, and solve them in a safe, non-intrusive way. Keep your home?s drains working properly and cleanly with regular drain cleaning service.

We have a few more tips for maintaining your plumbing as the weather has changed and spring has sprung! As you tidy up the house and swap your fuzzy boots for flip-flops, keep in mind that spring is an excellent time to do a check-up on the health of your plumbing.

The first thing you will want to do is check for leaks. One way to locate slow leaks in your home is by taking a reading on your water meter before bedtime, then again the next morning. If you didn?t use any water overnight and the reading has changed, you have a leak that should be repaired. Places where you would commonly find leaks include kitchen and bathroom faucets, dishwashers, washing machines, icemakers, pipes under sinks, and outdoor faucets. You can also find hidden leaks stemming from inside your toilet tank. To check for this, add six drops of food coloring to the tank. If the toilet is leaking, the food coloring will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes.

Next, let the spring season be a reminder to you to visually inspect all of your appliances for wear and tear. Check your toilet tank and bowl for cracks. Consider replacing your water heater with a newer more energy-friendly model if it is more than 15 years old. If your home has a sump pump, make sure it operates properly by pouring a few buckets of water into the sump pit. The pump should quickly turn on, discharge the water, and then shut off without any problems.

Finally, plumbing related items in your home may need a good cleaning. If your shower head has collected mineral deposits, you can soak it in vinegar overnight, then give it a gentle scrub to remove them. To flush out corrosion-causing sediment in your water heater, carefully drain several gallons from the tank, following manufacturer?s instructions. If your washing machine has a lint trap, clean it out. Check for bird nests in your plumbing vent pipes. Make sure your gutters, downspouts, and yard drains are free of debris.

The above maintenance tips can help you welcome the new season without the added worry of an unexpected plumbing problem. As always, if you find yourself in need of a repair or you have any questions, Barker & Sons Orange County plumbing is available anytime at (714) 630-8766.

01 Nov 2011

Home Inspections: Don't Forget the Plumbing!

Are you looking to buy a new home in the Austin area? Are you getting ready to put your current home up for sale? If you have any experience with these transactions, you know that a home inspection is a huge part of the process. But while you?re checking for cracks in the foundation, termites in the walls and other potential issues, make sure the plumbing system gets inspected too ? or you may end up with a raw deal.

Consider the sewer lines, for example. If you?re in the market for a home, you?re not just buying a house ? you?re also getting all the pipelines anda external feeds that serve that house. Some neighborhoods that are highly prized for their historic value have the biggest problems in this department, because they?re depending on old, fragile sewer lines that can clog up with tree roots. You?d better know what shape those lines are in before you close that deal! (It?s also nice to know in advance where your sewer clean-out is located.)

The condition of the internal plumbing matters too. If you?re buying or selling a home with leaky or stuck faucets, noisy pipes, low water pressure or a worn-out garbage disposal, you?d better know it. Sellers can fix these problems in advance while dressing up their home to help ensure a quicker sale at a better price, while buyers can insist that these problems be repaired before closing.

Whether you?re buying or selling, Steve?s Plumbing Repair can make sure you do it the smart way. We can inspect your sewer lines for cracks or blockages with a fiber-optic camera, check your water pressure and make sure your fixtures are in good shape. Contact us today to make us a part of your home inspection checklist!

Between groceries, utilities, car payments, mortgage payments and other expenses, it can be strenuous trying to balance your checkbook and stay ahead of the curve. Moreover, paying out so much money each month makes it extremely difficult to save, and have funds to serve as a nest egg or as savings for luxuries that make life so enjoyable, such as a family vacation.

So how can you save more money without taking on a second job or volunteering for extra hours at work?

One way to do so is by taking a proactive approach to reducing your water bill. Put simply, reducing your water bill is possible when you conserve water. That means less flushing of toilets, not leaving a yard sprinkler on for long periods of time, and taking shorter showers.

Speaking of showers, if you were to reduce your shower time by four minutes daily, over the course of a typical year that would amount to saving 4,000 gallons of water! Stores sell low-flow shower heads, which can still give you a strong spray without using as much water as older or traditional shower heads do.

While in the bathroom, you can also save gallons of water by not letting the faucet run continuously during the time it takes you to shave or brush your teeth. Turn the faucet on to rinse stuff, and turn it off when the water?s not being used.

What other things do you wash? If you have a dishwasher and a washing machine for clothing, a smart tip is to fill them up fully and run them, rather than doing several ?not fully full? loads of dishes or laundry. And for the record, using a dishwasher is more water-efficient than hand-washing dishes, if you want to use less water overall and save money on your water bill.

In Arizona, should you need a plumber to install, inspect or repair water faucets, pipes and/or connections, call Brutinel Plumbing at 520-836-5802.