Mullin Plumbing

PLUMBING TIP OF THE MONTH
Why put off for tomorrow, what you can do yourself today.

Winterizing Your Plumbing:
Caulk around pipes where they enter the house . Close all foundation vents. (Open foundation vents are probably the greatest cause of frozen or split water lines.) Cut wood or styrofoam blocks to fit vent openings, then slide them into the vents. (Styrofoam is available at hardware stores or from insulation suppliers.) Open the vents again in the spring to prevent dry rot. Protect outside pipes and faucets. In some homes, the outside faucet has a separate shut-off in the basement. If you have a separate valve for outside faucets, shut if off. Then go outside and turn on all the faucets to drain water in the lines. Leave the outside faucets on while you go back and check your outside shut-off valve for a small brass plug or cap on the valve. Turn this plug far enough that water drains from the valve. Then, tighten the plug back and turn off all the outside faucets. Wrap outside faucets or hose bibs. Do this if you don't have a separate valve to turn off outside faucets. (Also remember to disconnect garden hoses.) Use newspaper or rags covered with plastic, fiberglass or molded foam insulating covers to wrap the faucet. (Molded foam insulating covers are available at plumbing and hardware stores.) Drain in-ground sprinkler systems. Check manufacturer's instructions for the best way to do this. Insulate pipes in unheated areas such as the crawl space, attic, garage or basement. Use insulating tape or molded pipe sleeve and wrap it over the entire length of exposed pipe. Cover all valves, pipe-fittings, etc. with insulating tape or fiberglass. (Check your hardware store for supplies.) Shut off and drain your water system if you are leaving home for several days. (Turn off the water heater before draining the system.) Leaving your furnace on a low setting while you're gone helps, but may not prevent freezing. Turn off the main shut-off valve, then go through the house and turn on all faucets, sinks, tubs, showers, etc., and flush the toilets. Go back to the valve and remove the plug so that it can drain completely. Follow-up by re-tightening the valve and turning off the open faucets. Open cupboard doors in the kitchen and bathrooms. Water lines supplying the kitchen or bathrooms are frequently located in outside walls. Any air leaks in siding or insulation can cause these pipes to freeze. Leaving the cupboard doors open when the temperature is below freezing allows pipes behind the cupboards to get more heat. Let the water run if the temperature dips below freezing. (A stream slightly smaller than a pencil width should be sufficient.) Faucets farthest from the street should be the ones left running. Using cold water will save on your gas or electric bill.

MULLIN PLUMBING TIPS & HINTS
Here are a collection of tricks of the trade we have collected over the years and would like to share with you.

#1 - Drain your water heater.
Your water heater constantly builds up deposits at the bottom of the tank. That is also where the drain is. Flush your tank in the spring with a water hose on full blast in the driveway until you can no longer see sediment discharging from the hose. Shut off the drain and repeat next spring.

#2 - Dishwater in disposal?
You may have sink water running into the dishwasher from the disposal side. Simply use a 1" pipe clamp, and anchor the hose drain to the wall under the sink. Be sure and make the "LOOP" positioned above the (or higher than) the disposal connector.

#3 - Steamed up mirrors?
Hey fellas. Your wife taking a shower so hot that you can't see to shave? Wipe some shaving cream all over the mirror, then wipe it off with a "newspaper". The newspaper (crumbled up) will not leave linen or thread fibers like a towel or paper towel. Try it on your side, and leave her side all fogged up, or not.

#4 - Constant root problems in the sewer line?
Try boiling rock salt in a pot. Wait till you go to bed then flush the whole pot of rock salt down the toilet. Do this every week for a few months, we hear customers' "UP NORTH" say this is very effective to burn the roots up. (Wait till bedtime instead of daytime, so your wife doesn't wash the whole mess downstream with a few loads of laundry).

#5 - Too hot, or too cold when in your recliner?
In most homes the temperature will vary, closer to the floor, because your thermostat is mounted on the wall too high or not up high enough. Try "EYE-LEVEL" or ask a "Heat and ai tech" how tall it should be.

#6 - Septic Problems?
This happens most commonly in fall. How often do you pump your tank, and when was the last time? 80% of septic tank homeowners can't answer that question. Your tank should be pumped out approximately every 2 years, (Depending on family size) keep solids from flowing into the lateral field. $150 - $200 every 2 years is much cheaper than a few thousand dollars for new laterals.

#7 - Where is your clean out?
Did you know that Plumbing Companies/Sewer & Drain Services charge additional for locating,or not having a clean out? Surprisingly, most homes built after 1975 or so, do have a clean out, but it's buried, broken, grass grown in it and other things. Make sure the cap is on at all times; also children enjoy dropping rocks and sticks down them. Also, lawn mowers clip the tops and break them. Fix/repair the tops and keep the lids on.

#8 - No pressure in faucet?
If your home has good water pressure throughout, but not at one particular faucet, maybe change the aerator. Truly, each aerator should be unscrewed and cleaned out once a year. Good luck not scratching it, or getting it back on. Maybe just buy a few new ones at a hardware store, surprisingly only a couple of dollars.

#9 - Maintain plumbing in your huge home.
Not all bathrooms in the house are used on regular basis. Be sure and flush the "unused" toilets, and run water thru unused faucets to maintain odor, drain and leaking parts for fixtures. You really don't want any problems when company arrives.

#10 - Dirty racks in the dishwasher?
Use a lime deposit remover in the soap tray, put machine on heat dry.

#11 - Septic Maintenance:
Pour a cup of yeast every month or so into toilets.

#12 - Maintenance in pool areas:
Replace broken drain grates, and flush out drains. Clean the sticks, grass and leaves from french area drains.

#13 - Sprinkler maintenance:
Turn on sprinkler systems in the fall and replace broken heads; adjust streams.

#14 - Broken bulb in the socket?
Don't use pliers or any metal tool to fix this. Simply take a 1/2" potato and press into the broken part and twist the broken bulb out.

#15 - Odor in Disposal?
Use ice cubes, a wooden spoon to press them down the disposal and 1/2 box of baking soda (same kind used in the fridge) and hit the switch.