Easy Plumbing Fixes

Easy Plumbing Fixes

At some point, most of us will run into plumbing problems at home. If you are renting, this generally means you will call your landlord and have them take care of it. Unfortunately, if you own your own home and are not a professional plumber, this often means calling an experienced plumber out to your home to take care of the problem. Sometimes, this can result in you spending tons of money. Today we’re going to discuss some easy plumbing fixes that you can attempt yourself before calling for professional reinforcements!

easyplumbingfixes

Unblock Traps- Undo the sink trap, remove the blockage, and reassemble the trap. Although some clogs can be fixed by using a snake, oftentimes the best way to remove the clog and prevent future clogs is to remove it entirely.

Fix Pesky Sink Clogs- Remove the spring tab from the drain plug, remove the ball valve from the trap, remove the pop up plug, then thoroughly remove all debris in the drain. Sink drain clogs are super common, and contrary to popular belief, its NOT a good idea to use chemical drain cleaners.

Leaky Pipes- Check your pipes periodically for signs of rust or lime scale. This can indicate that you may have a small leak. If left alone, small leaks can turn into big leaks which can cause lots of damage.

If you have a plumbing emergency or have tried these easy plumbing fixes and still find yourself with a plumbing problem, call your local, trusted professional plumbers at Masterflo Plumbing today- (678) 822-7095! 

10 Yearly Home Maintenance Tips

10 Yearly Home Maintenance Tips

We all know that our cars need regular maintenance to keep running smoothly and efficiently, and our homes do, too. If you do some regular maintenance items each year, you can help prevent damage and stave off costly repairs. You’ll also keep your home running in tip top shape. Your home provides comfort, safety, and security for your family. Keeping it running well should be a top priority for you.

home-maintenance-tips

Here are 10 (easy) yearly home maintenance tips:

  1. Replace your furnace filters. This should be done 3-4 times each year to help reduce dust and allergens in your home and keep your furnace running more efficiently.
  2. Clean the condenser coils behind your refrigerator. This should be done once a year. It can be done easily with a vacuum cleaner. Not only will it keep your fridge running efficiently, it can also reduce your risk of a fire hazard.
  3. Replace the batteries in your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector yearly. This is an easy tip and is vital to the safety of you and your family.
  4. Check your water heater for leaks, cracks, or rust. Many problems with your hot water heater can be repaired if they are detected early enough. If left to fester, you will have to replace your entire unit.
  5. Check your furnace for any signs of wear or rust. Furnaces can also be repaired if problems are detected early enough at a fraction of the cost of replacing your entire unit.
  6. Clean your oven. Most ovens are self cleaning. Cleaning your oven can help eliminate obnoxious odors while you cook and can lower your risk of a fire hazard.
  7. Check your toilets and faucets for signs of a leak. Leaks can cause major damage to the integrity of your home and your home’s foundation if they are not caught and repaired.
  8. Clean your gutters. Depending on the amount of surrounding foliage and the area in which you live, this should be done at least once a year and as many as 4-5 times per year!
  9. Have your chimney professionally cleaned. This is particularly important if you plan to use your fireplace during the winter. Using your fireplace can be a huge fire hazard if your flue has not been cleaned out.
  10. Check your flashlight for batteries. Even if you don’t see any major natural disasters that affect the power where you live, power outages are common and can occur anywhere. Don’t get caught in the dark!

Remember to follow these 10 year home maintenance tips to keep your home safe and running efficiently for you and your family. For help with any plumbing maintenance around your home, don’t forget to call the trusted professionals at Masterflo Plumbing. Contact us at (678) 822-7095 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

Common Plumbing Problems (And Some Solutions)

Common Plumbing Problems (And Some Solutions)

Hearing the words “plumbing problems” is never a good thing. No one wants to deal with plumbing problems. Generally plumbing problems result in calling a professional plumber and sometimes spending hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars for a solution. 

While its almost certain that you will face a number of plumbing problems throughout your life time, the good news is that there are many common plumbing problems that can be solved fairly easily and without a plumber. If its not a problem that can be solved completely on your own, there are some things you can do to prevent the problem from worsening and causing further damage.

Today let’s take a look at some common plumbing problems and their solutions. Chances are that you’re not alone!

 

Hot Water Heater Problems

No hot water? Or do you have luke warm water? Are you running out of hot water too quickly?

  • Make sure your pilot light is lit
  • Double check your temperature setting
  • If you’ve got a big family or you use unusually large amounts of hot water, you may need a larger hot water heater or a second hot water heater installed

Clogged Drain

Is your drain clogged up? Is the water backing up into your sink?

  • Try not to pour hot grease or oils down your sink drain
  • If its already backed up, try to use a different sink
  • Don’t use chemical drain cleaners that you find in the store
  • Try using a plunger to move the clog

Stinky Drains

Do you cringe every time you’re near your sink? Are there foul odors coming out of your drains?

  • If you have a garbage disposal run it every time you put food in it
  • Try pouring vinegar and baking soda down the drain and flushing it with hot water

Leaky Pipes

Do you see water damage on your floors, walls, or ceilings? Do you hear a leak coming from your pipes?

  • Leaky pipes occur due to age
  • If you notice a leak shut off the water supply to that area
  • Pipe repair should only be done by a licensed, professional plumber

If you live in Woodstock, GA and are facing any of these common plumbing problems, call us today at (678) 822-7095! At Masterflo Plumbing we have a huge team of professional plumbers who have the knowledge, training, and experience necessary to deal with your plumbing problems correctly the first time!

plumbing-problems

 

What To Do If Your Toilet Overflows

What To Do If Your Toilet Overflows

At some point in your life you’ve probably had to grab your trusty old plunger and clear up a small toilet clog. Almost all of us have had a run in with a clogged toilet. While a clogged toilet is definitely annoying, its usually an easy fix with no resulting problems. Unfortunately, some of us have had to deal with a much worse toilet problem- a leaking or overflowing toilet. Toilet problems can start small and end up as big problems. A small crack in your toilet bowl can eventually turn into a large crack, leaving you with a leaking, overflowing toilet.

Today we’re going to talk about a few easy steps so that you’ll know what to do if your toilet overflows.

what to do if your toilet overflows

  1. Turn off the water! This is the first step and perhaps the most important! Turning off the water source to the toilet immediately can prevent any further leakage which may help to prevent some damage. Usually you don’t need to turn off the water source to the whole house. There is a shut off valve specifically for the toilet just behind the toilet or near the base. If you can’t find this valve, you should shut off the water supply to the whole house.
  2. Call a plumber! This is the next most important step. Unless you are a licensed, professional plumber, an overflowing toilet should not become your next DIY project. Contacting a professional plumber as quickly as possible is important. The longer your toilet problem is allowed to continue, the more damage you could have.
  3. Move any nearby objects! Water damage is no joke- a small amount of water can create major damage. If you’ve got any furniture, household objects, or wall hangings nearby, you should move them away to keep them safe.
  4. Clean up! Although the problem may not be completely fixed yet, if you’ve already shut off the water source to the toilet its safe to go ahead and clean up any water. Cleaning up standing water that has spilled from the toilet can help prevent more damage from occurring. It also helps keep the area safe for you and your plumber.

Now you know a little bit about what to do if your toilet overflows! If your toilet is leaking or overflowing and you’re in the metro Atlanta area, make sure to call the trusted professionals at Materflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

 

8 Easy Steps To Prevent Frozen Pipes

Easy Steps To Prevent Frozen Pipes

Plumbing problems never seem to come at a convenient time, but not having warm water during the harsh winter months is the ultimate in inconvenient plumbing problems. Frozen pipes plague millions of Americans each year, and if you live in an area that sees freezing temperatures during the winter, your pipes are at risk of freezing. If your pipes freeze, you could end up without any hot water to your home!

Don’t get stuck with frozen pipes and no hot water this winter, just follow our 8 easy steps to prevent frozen pipes!

frozen-pipes

  1. Insulate pipes that are in colder areas of your home with foam.
  2. Wrap pipes that are at risk of freezing with heater tape.
  3. Seal any gaps in insulation near your pipes.
  4. Replace older plumbing.
  5. Call a professional plumber to reroute plumbing that is exposed to the elements.
  6. During particularly freezing temperatures, allow warm air to circulate around pipes in cooler areas of your home. This may mean opening cabinet doors or opening the door to your basement or your garage from your main living space.
  7. Consider keeping the temperature in your home slightly warmer than normal overnight when outside temperatures drop the most drastically.
  8. Turn on your faucets to allow a slow drip overnight. This will ensure that water continues to flow through your pipes.

While these 8 easy steps can surely help prevent frozen pipes, nothing is guaranteed! If you find that your pipes are frozen and you are without hot water, call a plumber immediately! Many times frozen pipes can be fixed easily and without resulting in any problems, but sometimes frozen pipes can cause major damage to your home and property.

For more information about the safety of you, your family, and your home during freezing winter temperatures, read more from the Red Cross.

For an emergency plumber in your area, call Masterflo Plumbing immediately at (678) 822-7095! We’re on call for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

5 Easy Plumbing Tips

5 Easy Plumbing Tips

 

Owning a home can be one of the most rewarding yet challenging opportunities of your adult life. All kinds of things can go wrong that can end up costing you a lot of money. Plumbing problems plague many homeowners, but there are a lot of plumbing tricks that can help save you big bucks.

canton ga plumber

 

Here are a couple of money saving plumbing tricks that every homeowner should know-

  • Maintain your septic tank. Having a backed up septic tank can cost you tons of money. Make sure to only flush things that are flushable. Its a good idea to have your septic tank professionally checked yearly and have it pumped out as needed.
  • Make your own drain cleaner. If you’ve got a bad clog, you can easily make your own drain cleaner. Combine half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar and pour it down the drain. Make sure to flush it out with hot water afterwards. Store bought, chemical drain cleaners can be dangerous for your health and your pipes.
  • Use the right plunger. For sinks, a rubber bowl plunger works best. Toilet plungers have additional plastic that allow them to get inside the opening.
  • Know how to shut off your main water supply. If you have a plumbing emergency, you may not be able to prevent the disaster or prevent any damage, but you can drastically reduce the damage by knowing how to shut off your main water supply. Shutting off the water supply can stop the flow of water if you’ve got a broken pipe or leaky toilet.
  • When cold weather is coming, know how to protect your pipes from freezing and know what to do if they do freeze.

Using these 5 easy plumbing tips can make home ownership just a little bit easier! While following our plumbing tips can help you out, our best tip is to always call a plumber if you aren’t sure what you’re doing or if you have a plumbing emergency! If you need a Canton, GA plumber, call Masterflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

Leaky Toilet Tips

Leaky Toilet Tips

At one point or another, every home owner has experienced a leaky toilet in their home. Leaky toilets are a super common plumbing problem that every one deals with. Not only is the sound of a leaky toilet annoying, but the added cost on your water bill is annoying, as well! Not all toilet leaks have the accompanying obnoxious leaking sound, though. In fact, most toilet leaks can go unnoticed for months because they aren’t quite large enough to produce the tell tale leaking sound. We’ve got good news for you, though! Follow our leaky toilet tips, and you won’t have any of those costly, unnoticed toilet leaks!

Did you know that for all you DIYers out there that there’s a test you can do yourself to find out if your toilet is leaking? Remember, if you can hear the water in your toilet constantly running, then there’s no need to run this test- you DO have a leaky toilet!

If you want to test your toilet to find out if its leaking, find some food coloring. Red or blue work best because they’re the most saturated and easiest to see. Before you go to bed, put several drops of food coloring in the water tank- not the bowl- of your toilet. In the morning, check the bowl of your toilet. If there’s any food coloring in the bowl, then you have a leaky flapper.

What if you’ve got a leaky toilet?

Fortunately, you can fix most leaky toilets yourself without spending a ton of money!

The two most common leaky toilet culprits are the flapper or floating ballcock. The floating ballcock is the floating ball in the water tank of the toilet. The purpose of the ballcock is to indicate when the water supply should shut off. If the ballcock is set too high, the water will simply keep running. By adjusting the float downwards, you can get the water to shut off before it reaches the overflow tube.

The flapper is the main cause of leaky toilets. Over time with normal use, the flapper warps and doesn’t seal as well as it did when it was brand new. Water pressure from the tank then creates a leak in any of the small gaps. You can find a replacement flapper at any home improvement store for just a few dollars that you can install yourself.

For major leaks or other toilet problems, give us a call at Masterflo 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (678) 822-7095!

 

Save Money On Your Water Bill

Save Money On Your Water Bill

Who doesn’t like to save money?? I’m sure there isn’t anyone out there who doesn’t. What if its money you can save consistently, each month? Even better, right? A great way to save some money every month is by looking at your utility bills and finding ways to cut back on them. Today we’re going to talk about ways to save money every month on your water bill.

There are several easy ways for you to save money on your water bill each month, without compromising any safety, sanitation, or personal comfort for you or your family.

Low Flow Toilet

Toilets now days are made to be super low flow, meaning they use less water per flush. If you’re doing some updating, renovating, or buying or building a new house consider installing low flow toilets. There are also ways to retro fit your existing toilet to make it use less water per flush. Also, don’t use the toilet as a trash receptacle and flush it each time you throw a piece of trash in it. Flushing the toilet uses approximately 5-7 gallons of water per flush, so less flushes = a great way for you to save money on your water bill.

 

Maintenance/Check for Leaks

We recommend having your plumbing checked yearly by a professional plumber. A professional is more likely to catch tiny plumbing leaks before they turn into large leaks. Catching leaks and repairing them before they get worse is a way to make sure you are consistently saving money on your water bill. Make sure to check your toilets, showers, and sink faucets for any sinks of leaks. Another great way to catch a leak is to check your water meter. Read your meter, then go two hours without using any water in your home. If after two hours your meter reading is different than it was before, then you’ve got a leak somewhere.

 

Consolidate your laundry loads and dishwasher loads

Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load! Doing small, half loads that aren’t full can use tons of extra water. Also, skipping any pre-rinse cycles or additional rinse cycles can save you around 6 gallons of water per wash cycle. If you do have to run a partial load in your washing machine, make sure you change the settings to reflect the size of the load.

 

Shorter showers

Sometimes nothing beats a good, long, hot shower. However, limiting your shower to around 5 minutes is a good way to save money on your water bill every month. If you just love taking long showers and limiting your shower time isn’t an option for you, consider installing a water efficient shower head. Also remember that taking a shower instead of a bath is saving you approximately 50 gallons of water each day.

 

Be mindful of running water

Its a bad habit that many of us are guilty of- letting the water run. Try to be more mindful of wasting water by just letting the tap run. You may surprise yourself by how much water you are able to save just by turning off the faucet when its not absolutely necessary for it to be on. One great example is doing dishes- instead of letting the hot water run continuously while you’re doing dishes, try plugging up your sink and just filling it with hot, soapy water instead of letting the hot water run the whole time. Another great way to save money on your water bill is by turning off the water while you brush your teeth. Turning off the water while you brush your teeth can save you up to 25 gallons per month!

 

Recycle your water

There are all kinds of creative ways you can recycle your water. For example, collecting rain water to water your house plants can save you money on your water bill each month.

 

Follow these helpful hints to save money on your water bill every month! Don’t forget- if you need a trusted, professional plumber, Masterflo Plumbing is here for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! Call (678) 822-7095!

Bathroom Plumbing Tips

Bathroom Plumbing Tips

Do you want to avoid bathroom plumbing repairs? Of course….who doesn’t? Plumbing repairs can sometimes be costly, and are always inconvenient! Bathroom plumbing repairs in particular always seem to occur at the worst possible time. After all, if your bathroom plumbing isn’t working properly, its not something you can ignore. Most of us need our bathroom plumbing to be working in tip top shape every day! If you let your broken bathroom plumbing fester, you can end up with a huge sanitation disaster on your hands.

Bathroom Plumbing Tips Canton, GA

Because bathroom plumbing problems are such an inconvenience for any homeowner, we’ve compiled a list of helpful bathroom plumbing tips that can help you avoid needing repairs!

  1. Use a drain cover. The main cause of drain clogs in the shower or bathroom sink is too much hair. Hair can get stuck to pipes that are covered in sludge, or the hairs can gather in the the curved section of the pipe below your sink. Hair clog in the bathroom happen to all of us at one point or another! Having a drain cover that prevents all this excess hair from going down the pipes can save you some serious hassle.
  2. Don’t use store bought, liquid drain cleaner! Contrary to popular belief, these drain cleaners are not the answer to all your clog problems! Most of us try to solve the pesky clogged drain problem by going out to the store and buying one of the many liquid drain cleaners on the market. These chemicals are actually not that great at dissolving most clogs, and they can also damage your pipes which will lead to further costly repairs. Also, these cleaners can cause serious injury to your skin or eyes if not used properly. If you’ve got a tough clog that can’t be removed by a snake or plunger, it may be time to call in the professionals.
  3. Use a water softener. Using a water softener is another way to help prevent your bathroom plumbing from harm. Hard water has an excess of minerals, and these minerals can gather in your bathroom pipes and collect until your water pressure is significantly reduced. If this is allowed to occur, you’ll have to call a professional plumber to come descale your pipes, or if the damage is too significant you may need total pipe replacement.
  4. Schedule yearly plumbing maintenance. Scheduling a yearly visit from your plumber is a great way to keep your bathroom plumbing maintained and in good shape. A yearly maintenance visit from a plumber you trust will include a thorough pipe cleaning and inspection. This can prevent seemingly sudden, severe plumbing problems from creeping up on you!

Bathroom Plumbing Tips | Canton, GA Plumber Masterflo Plumbing

Following these bathroom plumbing tips can help save you a lot of time, money, and hassle! If you do happen to find yourself with a plumbing problem, call the trusted experts at Masterflo Plumbing! Remember- you can reach us any time 24 hours a day, 7 days a week no matter what kind of plumbing problem you find yourself facing. Call us today at (678) 822-7095!

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Garbage Disposal Tips

Garbage Disposal Tips

We’ve spent lots of time on our blog talking about your kitchen’s hero- the garbage disposal. You can check out our past posts about problems with your garbage disposal here and here. The garbage disposal is one of the most under appreciated appliance in your home- think about all the food and debris you’d have to fish out of your sink every day without it!

Today we’re going to run through a quick list of things you should and should not put down your garbage disposal so that you can keep your garbage disposal in working order!

Things you should be putting down your garbage disposal include:

  • citrus rinds
  • coffee grounds
  • eggshells
  • cooked meat scraps
  • fruit scraps
  • most vegetable scraps

Things you should not be putting down your garbage disposal include:

  • fruit pits
  • bones
  • shrimp shells
  • banana peels
  • nuts
  • grease
  • corn husks
  • onion skins
  • artichokes
  • potato peels
  • asparagus

These tips should help you keep your garbage disposal in working order! If you do notice that your garbage disposal is making a funny sound, not working, or leaking you should call a plumber right away to avoid further damage. At Masterflo we can diagnose your garbage disposal and repair it or replace it for you if it needs to be replaced. Contact us today at (678) 822-7095 for all your garbage disposal needs in the metro Atlanta area!

Canton GA Plumber | Masterflo Plumbing

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