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4 Basic Facts about Sump Pumps

February 17th, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

Photo courtesy SteamBoilers.org

Water damage in a basement can be an expensive mess to clean up. While basements tend to be rare in California, we do have some. However, many California basement owners are not as “basement savvy” as those in the Midwest or Northeast where basements are much more common.

If a basement floods, valuable documents and belongings may be ruined beyond repair, and structural damages to the foundation may occur. To prevent such problems from occurring, sump pump installation in Sacramento area homes and businesses may be a wise choice. Following, are some common questions about sump pumps that can help you determine if one is right for you.

What is a sump pump?

This is a system designed to collect water and transport it safely away from the foundation of your building. Since water naturally flows to the lowest point possible, a tank that can hold up to 25 gallons of water is installed underneath the ground at the lowest point in the basement. Water is collected in the tank until it reaches a certain level where it triggers a float switch on the sump pump and is then pumped out and piped to a safe distance away from the house.

How does water get in the basement?

Water can seep into your basement through the cracks in the foundation walls, in the small joint space where the wall and the foundation meet, and even through small holes left by pipes or cables. If you live in a flood zone or where the water table is high, water seepage is common. Water can also enter through these places when there is a heavy rain storm. Water seepage is not the only way water can enter your basement. When a water pipe breaks, you can have a lot of water damage if the broken pipe goes undetected for some time, sometimes turning a basement into an indoor pool.

Who needs a sump pump?

Any building that has a level underneath the ground should have a sump pump. This includes basements, cellars, and crawl spaces.

What types of systems are available?

You can choose from two main categories: submersible and pedestal. The motor for the submersible type is mounted inside the tank. It is tightly sealed so that water can’t damage the parts or wiring. Although it is more difficult to service this type of system, it may be desirable if it is in a visible, high traffic location. That way, others will not notice it is there. Submersible pumps also tend to be quieter. The second type, the pedestal type, is mounted on the top of the tank. This motor is easier to get at and service, but it is also visible to anyone.

The potential costs of water damage are high. Therefore, sump pump installation in Sacramento homes and businesses is a relatively inexpensive insurance against expensive and headache that can occur from water. Call a Roto-Rooter office today for more information.

 

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What Would You Rather Do Than a Water Heater Repair?

February 17th, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

There are a lot of things in life that we have to do and some that we like to do. It is likely safe to say that no one is doing a water heater repair for fun, so that is in the list of things that we have to do. So, keeping that in mind, what are some of the things that you would rather do than that? Here is a list of some of the things that I would assume would be on that list.

  1. Going to a basketball game with your boys – This is a no brainer. Sports and time with your boys.
  2. Golfing –Who wouldn’t rather be out on the links?
  3. Boating – Again, not that time of year but that is something that we all love to do.
  4. Camping – We are on a roll here with summertime activities, but this is another great one that is fun to do and much better than hot water heater repair.
  5. Going to dinner with your wife – This is a great one. Your wife loves this too and would also much rather have you do this with her than have to repair the water heater.
  6. Watching a suspense film – These are great movies to watch and they involve some intense scenes. There is nothing to make you feel more alive than being sacred half to death. Still better than working on that water heater.
  7. Clean – Now I know this one is a bit questionable, but we all have that bug to clean from time to time and no matter when it is taking place it is going to be better than the water heater thing.
  8. Working on the car – If you have to work on something the hot rod in the garage or simply that old car are far better to work on than a water heater.
  9.  Building a garage – This is much better than the water heater repair because you are building something new rather than fixing something that is used. 

Now imagine going out to do any of these fun activities only to come home to a broken water heater! Yeah, that’s a real downer. The thought of going through a day or three without hot water for baths, showers, laundry and dishes is not one anybody cares to think about. Thankfully, there is a 24-hour plumber nearby that can fix or replace your water heater on the same day you call. Wouldn’t you rather let the Roto-Rooter guy deal with water heater repairs so you can concentrate on the fun things in life?

 

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Is Plumbers Tape Really For Plumbers?

February 10th, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

You know how sometimes something leads one to believe certain things and in reality it is not the case at all? Those types of things can cause anyone to ask silly questions like, is plumbers tape really for plumbers? The answer to that question is yes, plumbers really use plumbers tape. Of course, so do the HVAC companies and some general contractor businesses as well. The benefit of this tape is that it is made of metal and is flexible. This makes it is a great strap with some strength to hold things in place. We’re talking about the flexible metal strapping with holes placed about an inch apart, not the Teflon tape that is often used to seal threads – this is sometimes called plumbers tape as well.

When using this kind of “tape,” plumbers are able to quickly strap their pipe and make sure it is secure.  The other advantage to this kind of strapping for plumbers is that it comes in a roll and is easy to carry with them. This means that they can have a lot of strapping with them in a small space in their tool belts.

When you talk to the plumbers and ask them about this tape they will tell you that there is no way they could live without it on the job.  They will also tell you that they go through a lot of it.

Plumbers must be flexible and creative in how they go about getting their work done. They must find ways to get everything in place and according to the construction or remodeling plan, not get in the way of the electricians or the heating guys and still be in the right spot with their water lines and drains for all of the sinks, toilets, etc. It can be a challenge, but they are always up to the task. This is also where the plumbers tape can come in handy. When they have to hang things in weird places and need to make sure that it is secure and won’t start knocking when covered over by drywall.

Although plumbers and other construction people primarily are the ones that use plumbers tape, many men find it handy to have in their tool box at home to help with projects around the house as well. Because of the versatility of thep lumbers tape it works well as a general strap and hanging material and does not take a lot of space or effort to make work.

 

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Top Seven Scariest Things Found When Doing a Sump Pump Installation

February 9th, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

Roto-Rooter has done quite  a few sump pump installations over the years and occasionally when we dig a hole in the basement for the sump pump we find some pretty scary things. Here is a list of the scariest things that we may or may not have actually found while doing this kind of work. 

  1. We once found some human remains when digging the hole for a sump pump. We are pretty sure it was the guy who was wheeling the concrete in by wheelbarrow. We figure he tripped, dumped the concrete on himself and then got poured over.
  2. A large snake – This is something that scares our technicians every time.
  3. The portal to the hole that goes all the way to China – We were always worried that our employees would one day find this and fall in all the way to China.
  4. A fire breathing dragon – We are just lucky that the water put out the flame of that fire breathing dragon because we could have lost an employee.
  5. A Halloween Mask – It almost scared our employee to death because it was one of those very scary looking Freddy Krueger ones.
  6. Santa Claus – Okay, we didn’t really find him under the basement floor, but we did find a guy that was all red. Wait, could that have been the devil? Now I am nervous.
  7. A Giant Shark – The customer may have waited a little too long to call us on this one. We had to be careful to make sure we did not get our hands bitten off while doing the sump pump installation.

As you may have guessed, none of that was real. However, there are some scary basements that we find ourselves in from time to time to install a sump pump. We want to make sure that you get the service you want and that we leave your home and possessions in better shape than when we got there.

 

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Why You Might Hate Drain Cleaner & Shouldn’t

February 3rd, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

When you think of a drain cleaner in Sacramento what comes to your mind? Most likely you think of either the brand name bottled product that you use on a clogged drain or a service that specializes in drain cleaning, like Roto-Rooter. Even if you first think of the brand name the next thing that you are going to think of is the clogged drain and how you’re going to deal with it.

Instead of thinking of a clogged drain you should be thinking of clog-free drains when you think of  a drain cleaner. You should be using drain cleaner before there are clogs in the drain as a way to prevent clogged drains. When you use drain cleaner in this manner, the association of what it means to you changes.

Of course, this does not mean that you will never have a clogged drain again. It will still happen from time to time, but not nearly as often as before if you use a drain maintenance product like Roto-Rooter’s Pipe Shield brand once a month. You can get Pipe Shield from your Roto-Rooter plumber or local Roto-Rooter office. But sometimes even the best over-the-counter drain cleaning products aren’t strong enough to unclog a pipe and you’ll have to call in a professional plumber or drain cleaner to unclog your pipes.

Roto-Rooter is the number one Sacramento drain cleaner because we’ve been eliminating clogs in pipes for over 76 years.

 

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Do You Expect your Plumbing Repair Guy to Be Friendly?

February 3rd, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

When you have some trouble with your plumbing and you call a plumbing company to come and fix it do you anticipate that the plumber on the job is going to be friendly? Do you need him or her to be friendly? And is that important to you? Do you believe that this impacts his ability to do plumbing repair?

The truth is if the plumber is not friendly it does not impact his / her ability to fix the problem. However, it can impact whether you call that plumber back the next time that you have an issue. We understand that here at Roto-Rooter and we are working hard to make sure that we are giving you not only the top of the line plumbers in terms of ability to repair your plumbing, but that you also getting plumbers who are friendly and do their work with a smile.

Your feedback is always valuable and that is why we ask you questions. We sincerely want to continue to improve your experience with Roto-Rooter and we know that will happen as we ask questions and then address them.

That being said, and we think we know the answer to this, given a choice of having either an excellent expert plumber who is not so friendly come to your home and fix things or an okay plumber who is very friendly which would you choose. The truth, we believe, is that people will choose friendly over expert as long as the one who is friendly can get the job done. The reality is the general public is not going to be educated enough in the industry to have a full appreciation of what the expert plumber can do that the others cannot. For that reason, the only thing that a customer is really caring about is that the person who comes to their home is able to resolve the issue and that they are friendly and helpful. When this is the case they are happy and will come back over and over again. Roto-Rooter tries hard to stress to its plumbers that it is important to be open, approachable, helpful and friendly – in addition to being darn good at what they do!

Of  course there are those that are going to care more that the plumber is an expert in the plumbing repair that he / she is there to do, but by far and large it is the friendly face that people seem to prefer.

 

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Frozen Popsicles or Frozen Pipes?

January 28th, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

Picture this if you will. It is late at night during the holiday break. It is bitterly cold outside and there is patchy snow on the ground. You are tucked into the covers of your bed, all nice and toasty warm after being cold all day from playing in the snow. Given those circumstances, which would you rather have – a frozen popsicle or Sacramento frozen pipes? This seems like a simple question, right? Is it really? Yes, it really is. No hidden secret here. Frozen water lines in the home are horrible to deal with and yet they must be dealt with.

So how do you prevent yourself from needing to get out of the warm bed on a cold night to deal with frozen or even burst water lines? There are some things that you can do to help your odds, though there are never any guarantees. Fortunately, we rarely get the freezing temperatures and wind chill required to freeze pipes in Sacramento. But when that weather does arrive, our pipes aren’t exactly prepared for it around here. Prevention is extra important in the south and here in California.

First, take the time to make sure your insulation in the attic is sufficient. Check this around September or October, before it becomes real cold. This gives you a chance to do something about it if more is needed because of the settling over years.

Second, anything that is in serious question, such as the lines that run above the garage or beneath pier and beam homes or trailers, use heat tape on these pipes to make sure that they do not freeze up.

Third, on extremely cold nights turn on all indoor water taps that are along outside walls and let them drizzle out through the night. Moving water is tougher to freeze and thus this will help prevent it from freezing in the pipes. Open the cabinet doors on vanities and kitchen sinks to allow warm air to circulate.

These small, simple tips will help to give you the best chance of making it through another winter with no frozen pipes in Sacramento. Of course, you will want to make sure that you employ these tips every winter. Checking each year and making any improvements that are needed each fall will give you the best chance to avoid any trouble in winter.  

Of course, if you are building a new home you may want to think through this potential issue and make sure that there are resources available where you need them. For example, running heat tape on pipes would require plugs. It is much nicer if there is already a plug handy nearby. This is the kind of thing you can think through when building a new home.

 

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Practical Faucet Repair Advice

January 25th, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

If you find yourself with a leaky faucet in need faucet repair you may want to have some very practical and worthwhile advice to make the repair go as smoothly as possible. There is one piece of advice that I would recommend in this case and that is to hire us.

Of course, you may say that this is not practical advice but rather biased advice. However, there are many reasons why this is very practical advice to follow.

First, let me start by saying that it is biased to recommend you hire Roto-Rooter. I think it is the wisest choice, but that is a biased opinion. However, it is one that is backed up by many non-biased people all over the country who have used our services. The key in the statement to hire us is really a hidden one and that is to hire a professional plumbing repair company. The reason that this is practical advice is because of how quickly we can perform the repair compared to how quickly you can. If you are losing money because you are using your valuable time to fix the faucet then it makes all kinds of practical sense to hire someone to fix it for you

Second, while you may be able to pull the faucet apart and put it back together you will find it harder to diagnose the very thing that is causing the issue in the first place. Sometimes it is obvious but not always. If you have to go through the process several times to get it fixed you will have wasted a lot of time. Hire us and take that same amount of time to make money. That means you will pay for our services and then some. This is always a better financial decision if your time is valuable to you.

Lastly, the quality of your faucet repair is likely not going to be as good as it should be and that may mean a lot shorter period of time before it has issues again. Why go through that process over and over? If you hire us to do the work chances are you are going to have that one repair in the same amount of time that you will have repaired it three or four times. At that point, you are talking about the actual hard cost of repairs and how much practical sense it makes to hire us instead of you doing the work yourself. If all of this is not enough to convince you, consider the fact that you really did not want to repair the faucet in the first place.

 

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Planning to Avoid Plumbing Problems

January 19th, 2012 by Roto-Rooter Bloggers

It is frustrating when you have to clean up from plumbing problems and then call in the plumber to come and fixe an issue with the plumbing. Not only did you have a mess and potentially had some things ruined, you had the expense of a professional plumber. So, here are some tips to think about in order to make sure you avoid and problems with the plumbing.

  1. If you are building a home now, make some changes to the plumbing design before it goes in. If you are in this spot you have a tremendous advantage because you can make fundamental design changes that will help you avoid issues when you are in your home. Talk to the plumber and pick their brains about what could be done from a design perspective that would help eliminate the most common plumbing issues. It may cost you more now, but that is far better than the headache and continued expense later for plumbing repairs.
  2. Use some pipe cleaners on a regular basis. Make it a routine as part of the deep cleaning days. By doing this you are going to keep the lines clear and free from the common backups that happen when months of build up from the junk that ends up down the drain essentially builds a dam.
  3. Close the lids to the toilets. This seems like a simple step, but so many of the troubles with the plumbing are a result of young toddlers putting things on the toilet and then flushing. By closing the lid you protect yourself because they are not strong enough to lift the lid.
  4. You can also put plugs in the drains of all the sinks for the same reason. While this will help, it is a bit annoying to always need to remove the plugs just to wash your hands, brush teeth and anything else.
  5. Make some clear rules with your children about what can and cannot go down the garbage disposal. Many plumbing problems arise because things were sent down the disposal that should not have been.

By following these simple steps you can avoid a lot of problems and enjoy clear plumbing for a long time. Of course, that does not mean that you will be without plumbing problems at some time in life, but you can reduce greatly the number of times you find yourself in this situation.

 

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Water Emergency Preparedness for the Whole Family

December 19th, 2011 by pabrams

When a water device breaks, it can cause major damage in a very short time. To prevent major plumbing repairs in Sacramento homes, every member of the household should be comfortable water emergency response.

Emergency Preparedness Planning

The first step to preventing major water damage is to create and implement an emergency preparedness plan. Gather all members of the family together for a meeting. Take a tour of the house and identify different areas where water can break through and places where you can turn off the water. If you have small children, you may want to role play different scenarios and have them practice actually turning on and off the water valves.

Locate the Water Main Valves

Generally there are two water valves you can turn off to halt the flow of water in your house.

  1. Inside Main Valve: The inside main valve is usually located in the basement or near a wall where the water line enters the house. Typically it is equipped with either a gate valve or a ball valve. The gate valve is shaped like a wheel and is operated by turning the wheel clockwise until the water is off. A ball valve is a lever that you turn clockwise for a quarter of a turn to turn off the water. When the ball valve lever is parallel with the pipes, the water is on and when it is perpendicular to the pipes, the water is off. Keep in mind that many slab foundation homes are not equipped with an inside water main valve. For those homes, the outside main valve is the default water shut-off valve.

    The water main shut-off valve is located on the water meter valve in an underground box near the curb

 

  1. Outside Main Line: The outside main line is the city meter and is usually located near the street or curb. It is beneath the ground in a cement casing and covered by a heavy metal lid. To turn off the valve, you will need a water key. The specific type of water key will depend on the type of valve you have. If the valve has a tab on the top, you will need a key that has a two-pronged fork on the end. If it has a square nut, you will need a key that is similar to a lug wrench. To turn off the water, turn it clockwise until it stops.

 

Individual Appliances

All appliances that use water have their own shut off valves. If possible, this is the best way to deprive the area of water. For instance, you can turn off the shower valve while you wait for the Roto Rooter repairman to come and make the plumbing repairs in your Sacramento home. While you are waiting for it to be fixed, the rest of the house can still have water.

 

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5 Ways to Save Money and Prolong Water Heater Life

December 15th, 2011 by pabrams

Purchasing, using, and repairing a hot water heater in your Sacramento home can be expensive. Following are five things you can do to prolong the life of your water heater and save money.

Follow Energy Saving Guidelines

According to the ACEEE (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy), the three biggest uses of hot water are clothes washers, showers, and baths. To limit the amount of hot water you use in these areas, install low-flow shower heads, reduce the amount of time in the shower, run only full batches of clothes or dishes, and use energy-efficienct appliances.

Insulate the Tank and Pipes

The amount of heat lost while the hot water is just sitting in your tank is known as standby loss. You can reduce this loss by wrapping a water heater blanket around your tank. Be sure to purchase one that fits your tank and is designed for either gas or electric systems. Another way you can reduce standby loss is to insulate your hot and cold water pipes that connect to your heater.

Regularly Drain Sediment

It is natural for water heaters to collect sediment on the bottom of the tank, especially with hard water. Leaving the sediment in the tank reduces its efficiency and costs money. It also shortens the life of your water heater because it makes the bottom rust out faster. You should regularly drain your tank. Follow the instructions in the owner’s manual. When you do, make sure the heater is unplugged from the wall and any gas is turned off. Also, be careful when you work around it because both the water coming out of the tank and the pipes can be very hot. You may want to have a professional from Roto Rooter come and do it for you.

Replace Rusty Tanks

Unfortunately, when your tank rusts out, there is nothing you can do but replace it. When you are looking to replace your system, you may want to consider going to a more energy-efficient water heater such as an on-demand system that does not store the water in a tank. This type of system heats the water as you use it. Another energy-efficient water heater is a heat-recovery system, which redirects heat generated from your other appliances into a water heating system.

Make Minor Repairs

Some problems require minor water heater repairs in Sacramento. These include leaky valves or corroded valves. Problems of this nature are small and do not require a new system. It is important to take care of them promptly, though, before they turn into larger problems that cannot be repaired.

 

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Garbage Disposal Use, Care, and Cleaning

December 13th, 2011 by pabrams

The kitchen garbage disposal has become one of the most favored appliances of today. It helps keep your kitchen smelling fresh by eliminating or reducing the amount of food filling up the garbage can. It also makes the chore of cleaning up after meals quick and simple. To keep your disposal running smoothly, Sacramento plumbers recommend paying attention to what you do while using the disposal, things to avoid, and cleaning the disposal.

When Using the Disposal

When you use your disposal, always use cold water. Hot water can liquefy fat and grease. This allows the grease to adhere to the blades and build up sludge.

Use plenty of water while you are running the disposal. After the food is chopped up, let the water continue to run for 10 to 20 seconds so all food particles will be washed out of the appliance and flushed down the drain.

Don’t stuff the appliance full and then turn on the blades. This can make your blades jam. Instead, put the peelings or food into the disposal a bit at a time and allow the blades to grind away before adding more.

Run the appliance every time that food is put down the drain to prevent the food from decaying and smelling.

Things to Avoid

Some foods and items are very hard on the blades and gears and should never be put down the disposal. Don’t put down fibrous particles such as onion skins, celery stalks, artichokes, egg shells, or corn husks. The fiber from these things can wrap around the blades and make them jam.

Another group of things to avoid are hard items. This includes popcorn kernels, pits from plums or peaches, apple seeds, bones, or nuts. In addition, non-food items such as plastic, glass, or metal should not be put down the disposal. The appliance can’t chop up these things. Moreover, the little bits, such as apple seeds can get wedged underneath the blades and make them jam.

Don’t put your hands down the disposal. If something is wedged, use pliers or tongs to get it loose or call one of your favorite Sacramento plumbers to fix your disposal for you.

Cleaning

It is natural for sludge to build up along the sides of the appliance and on the blades. An easy, quick cleaning method is to grind up a rock salt and ice cubes. When doing so, allow the cold water to run for about 30 seconds. The salt and ice will remove the grime. For a sweet smell, you can use frozen lemon cubes.

 

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