Indeed, winter months are the busiest of all of the four seasons. This is because this really is the time when people celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving. During the holidays, households typically tend to a good wide range of guests. Of course the additional guests within the house can really put a serious strain to your home?s plumbing system. More and more people into the house mean more dishes that should be washed and bigger meals that should be prepared. With that said, plumbing disaster is inevitable during these times, thus, resulting to increased emergency calls to your trusty plumber.

A occupied kitchen must put up with increased grease build up and more foods finding their way to your drain. Using this in mind, sink clog is certainly one regarding the absolute most common issues that homeowners typically encounter at this time. Also, having holiday guests can be equated to more showers, additional toilet flushes and more sink usage. These extra bathroom and kitchen work will continuously add up and eventually give option to an impending plumbing disaster.

As hair, food, grease, and soap continue steadily to develop, all it requires is certainly one major overload to exacerbate the situation. And a house full of guests can end up being the trigger for your plumbing system to finally give in. So at this time, perhaps you are wondering exactly what exactly are the items that you can do in order to be able to prevent these things from happening throughout the absolute most important time regarding the year. In that case, check out great tips which you should keep in your mind.

TIPS IN THE KITCHEN

Just as much as possible, keep away from putting fibrous and hard-to-grind wastes on your garbage disposer, such as poultry skin, carrots, banana peels, pumpkin pulps and the likes. The garbage disposer is not capable of grinding these products thus when you forced them into the disposer will cause serious clog to your sink drain.

It is also recommended not to ever drain fats or oil into the sink. You should be aware that oils and fats may solidify in the drain pipes thus clogging the drain. Therefore, be sure to wipe away congealed grease from your cooking pots before washing them within the sink.

If your wanting to add food debris or particles in the sink, be certain that you turn on your own garbage disposer. This is required to ascertain that the solid particles that will go down the drain will be grind to tiny pieces to ensure smooth sink draining. It is also a great idea to allow water to run for at least fifteen seconds before and after you make use of the garbage disposer so that the wastes that you have got introduced to your drain will be flushed efficiently down the main pipes.

Since water demand is increased during the Holidays, it is recommended that you apply the washing machine and dishwasher at night in order to conserve water pressure and temperature.

TIPS IN THE BATHROOM

Make sure to put a garbage can near the toilet to make certain so it will not be used as a trash bin by the guests. Remember to put a reminder in your bathroom to inform your guests not to ever flush sanitary napkins, tissues, along with other stuff that will not belong within the toilet. Doing so will preclude you from dealing with serious toilet clogs later on.

It would be best if you plan ahead when it comes to showering time of each guest. It is far better if you spread out the utilization associated with shower during the day. Tell your friends and relatives to wait for at least 10 minutes in between showers so as never to strain your bathroom plumbing that much.

Specialists, like plumbers in Boston or Dallas plumbers, is going to be more than willing to give you tips and advices on how to properly care for your plumbing system throughout the winter time. You may even opt to consult with their websites to have more useful tips on just how to keep your home?s plumbing in tip top shape this coming Holiday.

For more helpful plumbing advice and winter plumbing tips, contact the professionals at Best Plumbers«.

Drip. Drip.

A water leak is a problem you will hopefully never deal with as a homeowner. The greatest pain of these leaks is how they can happen seemingly undetected. If you don?t pay close attention to your water bills or sources of water around your house, you could be letting a leak (or leaks) fester for a long time.

Here are some ways to check around your house for any potential water leaks.

1. Toilet Tank

Water leak detection starts with knowing what devices around your house use the most water. Your toilet uses a whole lot of water, and you don?t want to take a chance on any of it leaking. To determine if your toilet is a possible source of a water leak, simply take the lid off the tank. If you hear some irregular hissing sounds being emitted, than you have reason to suspect a leak.

There is also a good test you can perform with your toilet tank and food coloring. Simply release a few drops of food coloring into your toilet tank. Wait ten minutes and then check the bowl. If the color has reached into your toilet bowl, you have strong evidence of a leak occurring.

2. Water Meter

Your water meter will offer unbiased evidence as to how much water is being used in your home at any given time and is vital for determining if you have a leak. Make sure you know exactly where your home?s particular meter is located and shut off all sources of water and appliances that use water. If your meter is moving even with these devices shut off, then it is very likely that you have a leak occurring.

3. Keep An Eye On All Your Faucets

You might not think much when you see your kitchen sink or shower-head drip. You might very well just take it for granted and assume it to be a harmless flaw within your home. However, those are signs of a water leak that you should not ignore whatsoever. Make sure you pay attention to all faucets for leaks, inside and out.

4. Monitor Your Water Bill

If you have been living in your house long enough, you should have a sense of how much your water bill typically is. If it has gone up a large amount in recent months with no reason as to why, you might be looking at a leak. Also, compare what your current bills say for water usage. It is likely that a leak is severely increasing your usage without your awareness.

5. Keep Constant Track of Potential Leaks

We?re not saying you need to be stressing yourself out looking for leaks 24/7. However, having a good sense to monitor your home for leaks with some regularity is a great idea. The earlier you detect a leak, the better.

Give Us A Call

If you have found a leak or suspect you have one (some types of leaks, like a slab leak, are difficult to notice yourself), give usaa call. Located in Garland, Texas, we are a professional and courteous plumbing company who will help in all matters of water leaks, from pipe leak to sewer pipe replacement to sewer line repair. Water leak detection is an important trait to have as a homeowner. With In-House, you can trust us to do the rest of the work. Weaalso provide slab leak services inaRowlett, Mesquite, and Plano just to name a few.

You?ve probably heard about the tragedy impacting residents of Flint, Michigan, where household tap water of most residents has become hopelessly contaminated and unsafe to drink or bathe in. This happened after the city switched its water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, whose water is far more corrosive. This caused the leaching of various pollutants from the water mains and service lines going into resident homes. The most worrisome of the pollutants is lead.

A little background is in order. For a long time lead was the most common material used for plumbing pipes, dating all the way back to the Roman Empire. In fact, the word ?plumber? comes from the Latin terms ?plumbum,? meaning lead, and ?plumbarium,? which translates as worker with lead. Because lead is easily malleable, the ancient Romans found it the ideal material to fabricate water pipes. When modern plumbing first began to take shape in the 1800s, there were no pipe manufacturers. Early plumbers had to make their own pipe and, like the Romans, they settled on material that would be relatively easy to work with, which was lead.

Lead pipe also became the material of choice for municipal water mains and the service lines that connect those mains to homes and buildings. Many of our older eastern cities still have lead mains and service lines that in some cases date back more than a century. (The earliest American water mains were mainly made of wood, a few of which still remain in service in old cities like Boston.) It wasn?t until well into the 20th century that medical researchers identified lead as a toxic health threat, especially impacting childhood development.

So why isn?t everyone back east suffering from lead poisoning? Fortunately, calcium and other minerals in our water supplies coat the inner surfaces of water pipes so that the flowing water doesn?t come directly in contact with lead. This prevents leaching and chemical treatments can be added to water supplies to enhance such resistance ? the absence of such treatment is what led to the crisis in Flint.

Once lead was identified as a toxic substance plumbing codes got changed to prevent the use of lead pipes to convey water. It would cost billions and billions of dollars to dig up and replace all the ancient lead water piping still in use, though they do get replaced when a line breaks and must be dug up to repair. Meantime, most water mains and service lines are now made of other materials, such as copper, galvanized iron or heavy-duty plastic.

Here out west most of our population centers arose after lead fell out of favor for water pipes. In this area most service lines are made of copper. So does this mean our drinking water is entirely free from lead contamination?

Not entirely. We?re certainly at lesser risk than so many older cities back east that are still served by lead pipes. Yet a smaller but not insignificant danger lurks from the fact that most of our region?s copper pipe was joined by lead-based solder, which wasn?t banned until 1986. Chlorinated water in particular can cause leaching of that lead.

I don?t want to exaggerate the threat, but it would be irresponsible to say that some amount of lead cannot invade your home?s water supply. If you one of our Family Plan members, ask our technician to test your water quality during your annual inspection and maintenance visit, or give us a call and ask us to check your water quality. Especially notify us if your water starts showing discoloration or bad taste.

Many people think that becoming a plumber is as easy as joining the staff of a plumbing company. This is not the case. Plumbers have to take a series of classes and have proper qualifications to start their career. If you are looking to become a plumber, or are curious of what it takes, keep reading! We are excited to share our training and trade with you!

Step 1 ? Have a High School Diploma

Having a high school education is key to becoming a plumber. A high school diploma is not the only qualification that you must have. You must also be a professional and driven individual that have strong mathematical skills. Throughout the workday, we are challenged with measuring, calculating, and placing a series of elements. To have the basic knowledge of math and geometry will help you tackle each of these challenges with ease.

Plumbers are always in demand. This is a highly competitive field that is still growing. Having a high school diploma and the necessary knowledge will put you ahead of other candidates when applying for jobs. Brushing up on these skills before going into interviews will ensure that you can prove that you are capable of tackling tasks better than others.

In some cases, we have found that plumbing companies will request that you share or take the ACT test, which specifically target English and math courses. They can then identify your skills based on your scores.

Step 2 ? Educational Plumbing Classes

You can?t become a plumber overnight! You must take a series of vocational courses that will give you the certification to begin your job hunt. These classes can range from technical school or college programs that are geared toward plumbing specific challenges. The classes will range from toilet repair to fixing a leaky faucet to fully renovating a bathroom. By completing these courses, you will be able to earn an apprenticeship in your state.

Step 3 ? Plumber Apprenticeship

This is the most crucial step to becoming a plumber. To be employed, you must complete a certain amount of time of an apprenticeship. This can range anywhere from four to five years or a number of hours. This is to give plumbers experience in the field before they accomplish tasks on their own.

To be enrolled in an apprenticeship program, a plumber must apply and take an aptitude test. This will ensure the you are aware of the best practices and methods of a plumber. The scoring of your test along with the following requirements will allow you to be able to proceed to the next step:

• No criminal record
• Valid identification or drivers licence
• Drug testing
• Clean driving record

Step ? 4 Journeyman Plumber?s Exam

After you have completed your apprenticeship and passed the exiting exam, you are now allowed to take the Journeyman Plumber?s exam. This is the last and final step in proceeding to start your career as a plumber. When you are ready to take your Journeyman Plumber?s exam, you will need the following:

• Signed affidavit from the plumber you worked under during your time of apprenticeship
• Have proof of your completed coursework
• Schedule test time
• Take a practice test. There are many online resources, like the one here, to give you an idea of what kind of questions you will be asked.

After you have taken and passed your Journeyman Plumber?s test, you are officially a certified plumber. This will give you the opportunity to start your career as a plumber in your state! A career in plumbing is rewarding. Although it may take hard work, helping people every day with knowledge and expertise is a great feeling.

As you get your home ready for the holidays, a particular topic you?ll need to discuss is your plumbing ? is it ready to handle guests if you?re hosting the holidays at your house? Are there any repairs that you?ve been saying should be done by the new year? Last but not least, do you have a plumber in mind to help if an emergency arises? Considering that your plumbing system can make or break your home, it?s extremely important to have a plumber lined up, especially during one of the busiest times of the year.

Should you still be in need, here are 5 questions you should ask before hiring one:

If you?re located in Orange County, California and need a plumber for the holidays, we encourage you to choose Barker and Sons Plumbing & Rooter. We?re available for service 24/7, offer upfront pricing, are licensed, guarantee 100% of the services we perform and have been in business for over 30 years! Truth be told, our services just can?t be beat.

To speak with a member of our team about working with us for all of your plumbing needs this holiday season, please give us a call at 714.630.8766 today!