Keep Your Garbage Disposal In Top Shape
It’s pretty easy to treat your garbage disposal like a trash can. The truth is that the humble garbage disposal is more sensitive than many people believe and can easily break or malfunction if not treated properly. Here is some advice for keeping your garbage disposal in top shape.
1. The Garbage Disposal is Actually Not a Trash Can.
Most of us toss anything and everything into the garbage disposal without thinking too much about it. The disposal is designed to grind up small pieces of soft food so they don’t clog your plumbing. The following items should never be put into your kitchen disposal:
- Eggshells
- Bones
- Meat fats
- Unpopped popcorn kernels or fruit pits
- Anything expandable like rice
- Asparagus, celery and other fibrous vegetables
- Any non-food products
2. Invest In A Repair Tool.
You can find a garbage disposal
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Spring Into The Season
Warmer weather is upon us, and spring is a great time to freshen up your home with those projects you have been putting off all winter. Sure, you will clean out your closets, organize your junk drawer, cycle out heavy winter sweaters and snow boots for swimsuits and sandals, and revive your home’s landscaping. But these simple, affordable tips can give your home a brighter, lighter feel as we head into spring and summer.
Accessorize
No, we are not talking about updating your wardrobe. Knick-knacks, photo frames, throw pillows, window treatments and other décor items give your home personality; swapping them out to welcome in a new season is a great way to breathe new life into a tired winter house. Even if you don’t go all out and purchase new accessories, consider moving things you already have into new areas of your home or bringing out pieces you’ve been keeping in storage. Another great way to re-accessorize is to get
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Don’t Wait Until It Breaks!
Even if you never get your hands dirty changing an air conditioning filter, inspecting a furnace or boiler, fixing a leaky faucet, draining your water heater or unclogging a sink drain, there are a few simple air conditioning, heating and plumbing tips every homeowner should know. Do it yourself or hire a professional – these tips can help you get started.
Air Conditioners
Schedule a professional inspection twice a year. In between professional tune-ups, you can clean the outside unit yourself with a garden hose, keep it clear of debris and shrubbery, straighten bent fins and change the filter every two to three months.
Furnaces and Boilers
According to the US Consumer Products Safety Commission, homeowners should schedule an annual professional inspection of chimneys, flues and furnace vents for leaks, built-up debris, and to ensure connections are secure. Inspectors should also check the furnace or boiler
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Household Leaks Waste Water
If you were to add up all the gallons of water wasted across the United States by common household plumbing leaks, you probably wouldn’t believe the number: One trillion. That’s right! Household leaks waste more than a trillion gallons of water every year. That is more than enough water to supply the cities of Miami, Los Angeles and Chicago…combined.
Water Leaks Can Raise Your Water Bill
On a note that hits closer to home in these tough economic times, simple water leaks can raise your household water bill by as much as 12 percent.
Conserve Water Now
In an effort to encourage Americans to find and fix plumbing leaks, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced it will hold an annual “Fix a Leak Week”, in March.
According to EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, “When households have a leak, it’s not just a waste of water, it’s a waste of money. But fixing leaky pipes, buying
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Resolve Common Plumbing Problems
You do not need to know a lot about plumbing to handle minor home plumbing repairs. These simple tricks can help you solve a few common problems without fancy equipment or a high price tag.
Sink Sprayer
If you struggle when pulling free your kitchen sink sprayer hose from its base, then chances are it is getting caught on the shutoff valves under the sink. To smooth things over, wrap ½ inch foam pipe insulation around the pipes and valves; secure it with duct tape if it slips. You can get more than enough pipe insulation for a job like this for about $3 at home improvement centers or your local hardware store.
Creaky Pipes
Hot water can cause copper pipes to expand, which makes them rub against the joists and hangers that hold them in place. This is usually what causes the creaking, clanking, or banging you hear coming from your home’s plumbing. You can purchase a few sheets of adhesive-backed felt
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Common Water Heater Problems and Signs You Might Need a New Unit
Your home’s water heater is probably the most costly component of your plumbing system, and many common water heater problems are actually pretty easy to figure out and repair without the assistance of a plumber.
Temperature Problems
If your water is too hot or doesn’t seem to get hot enough, fixing the problem is usually as simple as adjusting the thermostat on the unit. For most households, the ideal temperature for hot water is between 120 and 140 degrees.
If there is absolutely no hot water coming from the tank, you could have a broken heating element (or gas thermocouple, if your device is powered by natural gas). These components are easy to replace on your own and should restore your hot water supply right away.
Noise Problems
There is nothing worse than a hot water tank that bangs, creaks, knocks, or whines. Most noise issues are caused by the sediment
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Maximize The Performance of Your Water Heater
A basic annual service of your water heater will keep it working efficiently, will maximize its performance and keep it lasting longer, saving you money in the long run. Whether you water heater is gas, electric, solar powered or a heat pump, a little maintenance will prevent your water heater breaking down. If you intend to do any such work yourself always ensure that you check the manufacturer’s manual before you start.
Check For Drips and Leaks
The first thing you should check for are any drips and leaks. Check the valves and pipes carefully to make sure there aren’t any signs of water and look underneath the heater for any pools of water. As your heater is probably in a dark closet or in the basement use a flashlight to make sure you don’t miss anything. A leaky water heater can cause a lot of damage, most of which will be easy to miss, such are carpets rotting and mildew and rot harming your floors.
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Minimize the Risk of Freezing and Bursting Pipes
Every winter when the temperatures drop your water pipes are at risk of freezing and bursting. There are a number of things you can do to minimize the risk of this happening. The first thing to do is get to know where the vulnerable areas in your home are, such as where pipes run outside the house and the coldest places in the house, which are usually outside walls, unheated rooms and basements and crawl spaces. Then get to work waterproofing and leak-proofing. Check where there are drafts of cold air round chimneys and flues and caulk and seal these.
Seal Air Leaks
Seal off air leaks. If you have a crawl space or a window that isn’t perfectly sealed then cold air can seep in; pipes near this cold area are more likely to freeze.
Locate Water Shut-off Valves
You need to know where the water shut-off valve is in your home as if the worst happens and a pipe does freeze or burst you can turn
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Avoid Costly Household Plumbing Issues
Plumbers will never be out of work; firstly because serious plumbing faults will always occur and will need to be repaired and secondly because of the problems that arise due to silly things that homeowners do to their household plumbing system.
Sin 1 – Leaving Hoses Attached to Outdoor Faucets in Winter
This is probably down to sheer laziness. A hose that is left attached to an outdoor faucet in extreme winter weather can be damaged. Not only is it bad for the hose but also it can cause the faucet and the water supply pipe to freeze.
Sin 2 – Overuse of Drain Cleaner
Drain cleaner products are a very effective and safe way of getting rid of blockages in drains if you use them carefully and on the right kind of blockage. However, when you are cleaning a drain do not use too much or you could corrode the drain itself and even make the blockage worse. When you finally call the plumber it may mean that
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The Best and Worst Flooring for the Bathroom
Residential flooring has certainly come a long way from the days of avocado green shag pile carpet and faux brick linoleum. However, with so many options available it can be hard to decide on the right flooring for your space, particularly in the bathroom. You want something that will complement your décor and hold up under the unique demands of a wet and humid atmosphere, aggravated by the high level of heating usually found in the room.
Here we have rated some of the most common types of residential flooring, starting with the worst and building up to the best for bathrooms and other damp spaces.
10. Carpet
Not only is a carpet in the bathroom virtually impossible to keep clean. Even worse, it will collect condensation and moisture down to the padding. Thanks to a combination of moisture and heating, mold and mildew will thrive, making your floor constantly damp and giving the whole
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