 Dishwashers are a god-send. Most of us out there do not enjoy washing dishes. So when our dishwasher starts having trouble, it can get frustrating. One source of dishwasher trouble is a clog. This can be caused by not rinsing dishes properly before running them through the washing cycle. Make sure you clear all bits of food off your dishes to help prevent clogging. If there are bits of food, they can accumulate in your filter basket or drain hose causing clogs.
But how will you know if it’s clogged? Signs indicating a clog can be water backing up in the sink, gurgling sounds, shaking or thumping while the dishwasher runs. Standing water in your dishwasher after a wash cycle also indicates a clog, because leftover food is clogging the drainage basket. Once you’ve figured out the dishwasher is clogged, how do we fix it? First, clean your drain basket. Make sure it is free and clear of debris. Then you’ll want to gather all the items you’ll need to clear the clog.
If the problem persists, give a plumber a call as there might be a bigger issue. Call Tony’s Plumbing and we’ll get your dishwasher all cleared up and draining smoothly!
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 When it comes time to upgrade your main bathroom, you will most likely be very excited to redecorate and pick out all the pretty stuff you’ll see in the bathroom. But the biggest concern should be upgrading your plumbing, so your bathroom functions properly and you don’t have to worry about any issues down the road.
When you decide to remodel your main bathroom, one of the first things to think about is what kind of fixtures you are going to install and what kind of plumbing you need to support that. Whether it’s adding jet spray shower panels or a bidet, these are the types of items that will need additional plumbing. Plan out what types of fixtures you’re adding to your bathroom, and plan for a larger budget for the additional piping that may come with it. Even if you’re not adding new items to the bathroom, you may have to replace or repair your pipes. Especially with older homes, pipes could be rusted or rotted out where you can’t see it until you’ve torn out your old bathroom fixtures. So there may be some additional pipe replacement. This also leads to the opportunity to upgrade your pipes with a 2 inch drain for faster drainage. The standard drain sizes are a half inch to three-quarters inch smaller than a 2 inch drain, and by increasing the size of the drain even minimally, will speed up the drainage in your new bathroom. This is very beneficial if you have multiple members in your household. Also consider installing anti-scald devices that can add cold water to the hot water coming from the water heater to prevent scalding hot temperatures on your skin. Or now may be the time you want to also upgrade your hot water tank to a tankless system. With this, you can control the highest temp that your water will come out of your faucets, which can also prevent scalding. With your upgrade on the new bathroom, you can also add a water softening system if your home has hard water. When you’re ready to tackle your main bathroom remodel, give us a call at Tony’s Plumbing and we’ll get your bathroom all set for your beautiful new bathroom.  Now that the frost has thawed and the flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, as we cue baby Bambi to emerge from the forest… You get the idea, the sun is shining, our winter hibernation period is ending, and it’s time to get out there and see the world again! Here are some fun ideas for grabbing our family and leaving our couches to explore the Twin Cities.
 It’s time to take a nice, relaxing hot shower... but what happens when the water is too hot. If your water is suddenly burning hot when you try to take a shower, there are several things that could be wrong. Let’s take a look at how to fix this problem.
 Hearing rattling in your garbage disposal? Or just generally concerned on how to maintain this particular appliance in your home to avoid repairs or replacement? Here are a few tips to keep your garbage disposal running smoothly.
If you have any questions or need help with your disposal, give Tony’s Plumbing a call and we can get your garbage disposal moving.  Ewwwww… gross. There is a hair clog in your drain. This might be one of the most wretched tasks that one might have to accomplish. If you have ever cleaned out a hair clog in a drain, you know that it looks gross, smells gross, and is wretch-inducing. So, to avoid having to perform this task, let’s talk about how to prevent the hair from clogging up in the first place. You’re probably not going to remove the source of the hair-causing clogs (i.e. family members and yourself) from your home, so let’s focus on your plumbing.
Before taking a shower or bath, clean any loose hairs you see laying on the base of the tub and shower and throw them in the trash can. The same goes for the bathroom sink. This helps reduce the amount of hair that can end up down the drain. Add a protective screen, such as a drain cover for over and under your drains. This will catch the hair and prevent it from going down the drains, we suggest the drain covers that are specifically designed to trap hair. Remember to clean the cover regularly by removing the hair and placing it into a trash can. You can also try flushing all of your drains at once, sending a torrent of water to clear up the hair and debris. Several people will have to coordinate for this task. Close all the drains including the bathtub and shower and sinks, and then fill each one with warm water. Have someone standing by each one of your drains and toilets, then coordinate your water attack! Have everyone open the drains and flush all the toilets at the exact same moment. This could flush all the debris out of the pipes, but if this fails, further cleaning of the pipes will need to be done. If these preventative measures don’t quite do the trick, and you still have water that won’t drain, here’s how to clean the clog. If you can see the clog, try removing it with your hands or a bent wire hanger (they also sell plastic, barbed drain-cleaners instead of using a wire hanger). If this doesn’t clear the drain, then you can try a chemical drain cleaner from the store, or you can try this natural solution. Pour ¾ cup of baking soda into the drain, and then pour ½ cup vinegar down the drain after the baking soda. Then plug the drain for about 30 minutes, then pour boiling water down the drain. Look to see if you can see the drain is clear and run water for about five minutes to see if this did the trick. If the clog still persists, you might need to bring in the professionals. Give us a call at Tony’s Plumbing to help with your clogged drain needs!  You get up in the morning and you’re all ready for a nice hot shower to help energize you and get you going for your day. You turn on the faucet, and the strength of the water is not quite what it used to be... Your water pressure is suddenly low. But what could be the cause? If the water pressure is only low for a certain period of time, then it could be a water supplier issue. Call your water service supplier and see if there is work being done and that might be a cause for your temporary low water pressure. If this isn’t the case, the following reasons could be the culprit.
If you need help figuring out why your water pressure is low or are in need of service and repairs, give us a shout at Tony’s Plumbing and we’ll take care of your plumbing needs!  As homeowners, there can be lots of things to learn. There’s the life expectancy of the roof, the HVAC, appliances, etc, etc… The list goes on and on. But have you thought about your plumbing? We all know how important this aspect of your home is. If you’ve ever had to turn off your water, then you realize immediately how often you are utilizing it. So let’s talk about how long different facets of your plumbing should last.
First, let’s start with your water heater. Depending on the type of water heater you have, the life span will vary. A traditional water heater will last about 8-12 years (depending on the manufacturer’s suggested service life). While a tankless water heater should get you around 20 years of operable use. These are the typical lifespans for these units, though there are variables to this particular item, like how many people in your house are using the hot water everyday. Your water heater should have a sticker on the side of it stating the year it was installed, if not, then it should be included on your water heater manual. Your pipes might be the most important thing to know the status of. If they are compromised, then there is a potential for a broken pipe in your house that can cause all sorts of expensive water damage. So it’s best to know that they are in solid shape. If you don’t already know, check your home inspection report or home warranties as to when your plumbing was installed and what type of pipes are in your home. Metal pipes like steel, iron, and brass will generally last you about 50-70 years, while copper will last a little longer at 70-80 years. Plastic PVC piping doesn’t last as long, with a lifespan of less than 50 years. Consider hiring a plumber to inspect the current state of your pipes if you are unsure about their status. Moving onto the lifespan of your faucets. These typically will last you about 12 years, but might need some additional maintenance to make it that far. If there is a hard water build up, they may need a cartridge replacement. If there is leaking, you can try taking it apart and reassembling it. But this might require a replacement if tightening the parts doesn’t do the trick. If you find rust coming out of the faucet, then it’s definitely time to get a new faucet. For those of us with sump pumps or well pumps, that’s another plumbing aspect to be aware of. Sump pumps help keep basements dry and usually last about 10 years, so remember to keep this one on your calendar and have it inspected when you are approaching 10 years to make sure it’s still properly running to avoid potential basement damage. And for those of us with well pumps, the lifespan is about 8-15 years. Depending on how many people are in the house, water usage, and how much sediment can build up, all can determine how long the well pump will last. This is also an important one to be aware of, since it is what provides water into your house. And last, but not least, your toilet. These will last a long time, up to 50 years. But the components in your tank might not last quite as long. These can be easy fixes, and you’ll know when these parts need replaced, because you’ll have trouble with flushing the toilet. If you have an older toilet, that is not energy efficient, consider having that replaced to get a smaller water tank. This can help save on your water usage and your billing.  If you’re a homeowner, at some point, you’re going to have to replace your water heater. Since the lifespan of a water heater is between 8-15 years, you’ll have to replace yours someday. And when that day comes, there are a few different types of water heaters that you can choose from: gas, electric or tankless. Here are the basics on the advantages, disadvantages and their differences.
Gas Water Heater Though these types of water heaters cost more than electric upfront, they will cost less to operate due to the cost of natural gas. Look for a model that doesn’t use a continuously burning pilot light for the most cost efficient heater. Another perk with having a natural gas line to your heater, makes it more reliable. In the event of a power outage, you’ll still have access to hot water, unlike an electric water heater that needs electricity to operate. When a water tank runs out of hot water, a gas heater heats up a fresh tank of water faster than an electric heater. Electric Water Heater These are a less costly option for purchasing, but there will be higher monthly costs with the service for electric rather than natural gas. Electric water heaters are safer than gas water heaters because with the lack of an open flame underneath a gas unit, there is less risk of fire. An electric water heater will also be easier to use and be smaller in size than a gas heater. Electric water heaters do have a slower recovery rate. If you use up all your hot water in the tank, it’s going to take a lot longer to heat up the fresh water into the tank. Think about your family and household needs, if you use lots of hot water at the same times of day, then maybe gas is a better option. As far as maintenance goes, both gas and electric are fairly easy to maintain. To help lengthen the tank’s lifespan, both types should be flushed regularly to stop sediment from building up on the bottom of the tank. Though, with a gas heater, the lines should be inspected periodically to prevent gas leaks. Tankless Water Heater Upgrading to a tankless water heater is a value to any home. These units will last longer, offer endless hot water, and use less energy that can reduce utility bills. Without the need for a giant tank of water, tankless water heaters take up less space than other water heaters, opening up more room in your utility space. These units look neater than a hot water tank, so this could be a benefit if your hot water heater is visible in a high traffic area. On-demand heaters provide a continuous supply of hot water as it’s needed, eliminating the need to keep up to 60 gallons of water hot all the time. Tankless water heaters that operate with natural gas are more efficient than tankless electric heaters because they can provide more gallons per minute of hot water. If you’re going tankless, gas is better than electric. The disadvantage of a tankless is that it is more expensive than regular gas or electric water heaters. Tankless water heaters also require much less maintenance. Depending on the quality of your water supply it will need maintenance every 4-5 years.  Cleaning bathroom. Photo courtesy of canva. If you have unsightly stains on your bathtub, sink, or toilets, it could be rust. These rust stains can be caused by a number of things, but it’s more often that your galvanized pipes have accumulated rust that is caused by hard water leaving residue of iron and minerals behind. Here’s some easy ways to clean them up for a like-new sparkling bathroom.
One of the nastiest looking offenders when covered in rust stains, is your toilet. Even after a good cleaning, it still looks gross. So, to get rid of these stains, you’re going to have to do a good cleaning. Before you start, turn off the water to the toilet and drain the water out by flushing the toilet. This way you have a dry space to work with while you scrub. Turn the bathroom fan on and/or open a window for some ventilation. These cleaning tips also work for the rust stains found in your sinks and bathtub, but don’t use your toilet brush on your bathtubs and sinks. You’ll want to use a ceramic-safe scrubbing pad that is made for bathtubs and toilets, and some include a handle for harder to reach places. Also, don’t use the same scrubbing pad for your toilet in your bathtub and sink to prevent the nasty transfer of germs. First you can try a mixture of one-part water and one-part vinegar. Spray this onto the toilet and scrub with a toilet brush or a ceramic-safe scrubbing pad. You can also mix one-part vinegar with three-parts baking soda to create a paste. Apply it to the toilet bowl by sprinkling it around the bowl. Then scrub the bowl with your toilet brush or ceramic-safe scrubbing pad. Turn the water valve back on and flush again to see the clean results. If you missed some areas, just repeat the process. Another more natural way of removing rust, is using lemon juice and salt. Mix bottled lemon juice and salt until it creates a thick paste. Apply the paste to the rust stains and let it sit for 15-20 minutes. When the time is up, scrub the paste and then rinse it off. The bonus to this type of cleaning, is having a lemony fresh scent. If these methods just aren’t cutting it and you need a little more fire power, there are products on the market that will remove rust stains that you can use as well. The downside is that they can be pretty harsh with their chemicals, so if you’re looking for a safer way to clean, go with the baking soda and vinegar. If you’d like to skip the reoccurring cleaning of rust, and eliminate the source of the problem, call Tony’s Plumbing to help find a solution for your bathroom. |
AuthorAt Tony's Plumbing & Heating, we offer outstanding residential and commercial plumbing and heating services in the East Twin Cities metro. With our blog, we hope to bring you useful tips and tricks for ever day life! Archives
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