Brooks Plumbing Co. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘plumbing repairs’

What You Should Know About Your Garbage Disposal

Tuesday, May 16th, 2017

garbage-disposal-you-should-knowThere is at least one component in today’s modern kitchens that many homeowners take for granted—the garbage disposal system. Without a garbage disposal, you’d spend way more time scraping things into the kitchen trash bag, and subsequently more time taking the trash out to avoid a smelly home. Thankfully, most of our food waste can be put down the drain—but not all of it!

One of the most common reasons we get calls for professional DuPont, WA garbage disposal services is because something has been put down the drain that was never meant for a garbage disposal to manage. To ensure a fully operational garbage disposal and to help you avoid problems, we’ve shared some facts below that you should know about the system.

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Tree Roots: A Common Plumbing Threat

Monday, May 1st, 2017

tree-roots-common-plumbing-threat

There are many reasons that your plumbing system’s sewer line is buried beneath your yard. First off, it’s more attractive this way! But it’s also for safety and functionality purposes. Unfortunately, this means that not only is it out of sight—and thus hard to spot problems right away—it is susceptible to issues such as tree roots searching for a water source.

Tree roots are actually a fairly common cause of sewer line damage and clogs, which require professional Tumwater, WA sewer line services to resolve. As can be expected, tree roots crave water. So even the smallest leak in your sewer line can attract them. Tree roots are not the only threat to your sewer pipe, but it’s certainly an important one to be aware of.

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Leaky Faucets: More than Just a Minor Inconvenience

Monday, March 6th, 2017

leaky-faucetsNobody wants to deal with a plumbing problem in their home. But the fact of the matter is, leaks and other issues do occur. Fortunately, you can call on us for professional Tumwater, WA plumbing repairs. But perhaps you’re tempted to wait—after all, a leak is just a little inconvenience, right?

Actually, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average household’s leaks can account for over 10,000 gallons of water wasted every year! Not only is this a terrible waste of a precious resource, but it’s hurting your wallet too.

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Why You Should Never Ignore Pinhole Leaks

Monday, January 2nd, 2017

When you hear the term “leak” you may envision water gushing from under your kitchen sink and flooding the entire bottom floor of your home, or a pipe behind a wall rupturing leaving you with an expensive mess. Hopefully, you’ll never have to deal with something this dramatic. However, ignoring the much smaller leaks—those known as pinhole leaks–could lead to larger damages than you might expect.  What are pinhole leaks though, and why are they so bad?

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Check for These Plumbing Troubles in Your Home

Monday, October 17th, 2016

Plumbing problems are never convenient, nor do they ever happen during a convenient time. Plumbing leaks are also very hard for the average homeowner to detect, as plumbing systems are—for the most part—hidden behind walls. Sometimes you won’t even know you have a plumbing problem until it’s too late and the majority of damage has already occurred.

Plumbing leaks are actually one of the most common plumbing problems we get service calls for, and they can cause a number of different problems from water damage to burst pipes. However, if you know what to look for then you’ll know when it’s time to call in our professional plumbers. Keep reading to learn more about what type of problems you should watch out for in your home.

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Do You Have a Plumbing Leak?

Monday, October 10th, 2016

Plumbing leaks are one problem that no homeowner wants to deal with. But just as they are unpredictable in nature, they’re also sometimes inevitable. Unfortunately, they’re also difficult to find without professional training and equipment.

If you’re aware of what to watch for, however, you may be able to identify plumbing issues before they turn into much bigger problems that cause significant damage. Here are some of the warning signs that you may have a leak.

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How Can You Prevent Water Waste in Your Home?

Monday, September 12th, 2016

Clean drinking and potable water is one of the most precious resources we have in our homes, yet one that we often take for granted. Not only does wasting water hurt your wallet, but it also hurts the environment. As such, it’s important that we do all that we can as homeowners to ensure the proper allocation of this resource and ensure that we are doing our part to prevent wasting it. Keep reading to learn some of the most common water conservation tips.

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Ways You May Be Mistreating Your Garbage Disposal

Monday, February 9th, 2015

These days, it’s nearly unthinkable to build or remodel a kitchen without a garbage disposal unit. The garbage disposal helps to keep your pipes clear of clogs and it makes your work in the kitchen a lot easier.

The problem is that many people don’t actually treat their garbage disposals correctly. You may unintentionally inflict damage upon your garbage disposal and even put your plumbing system at risk if you don’t take the proper steps to keep it in check.

For garbage disposal replacement, plumbing repair, or drain maintenance with a team of trusted professionals, call Brooks Plumbing today!

How NOT to use your disposal

The following common garbage disposal mistakes should be avoided at all costs.

  • Putting non-food items down the drain. The garbage disposal is not as powerful as some people give it credit for, and for good reason. Paper, plastic, rubber, and other materials simply don’t belong in the plumbing system, and your garbage disposal won’t be able to break them down effectively. Be sure to inform family members that items like cigarette butts and plastic wrappers belong in the trash instead.
  • Leaving large chunks of food as-is. Your garbage disposal motor may wear down from large pieces of food as well. The motor can become overworked, and you may find yourself hitting the reset button underneath the unit frequently, and, eventually, replacing it too soon.
  • Pouring F.O.G. into the drain. Fats, oils, and greases all seem fairly innocuous, but these can be detrimental to the pipes. F.O.G. actually hardens as it cools down. And when this happens, they’ll collect in your pipes, leading to clogs. Additional debris gathers and sticks to the F.O.G., and you may deal with a major drain clog that needs professional repairs.
  • Throwing in these common food substances. Some things to avoid putting in the drains include hard food items (seeds, pits, bones, and popcorn kernels, for example), fibrous foods like celery and potato skins, and expandable foods. Celery could wrap around the impellers of the disposer, so be sure to cut it up if you do feed it into the unit. Foods like rice and pasta may expand in the pipes and should be avoided at all costs.

Be sure to take care of your plumbing system and call the friendly folks at Brooks Plumbing today to service or replace your garbage disposal in Olympia.

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