Save Money On Your Water Bill

Save Money On Your Water Bill

Summer is halfway over, and if you’re like many parents, you may have noticed you’ve been spending more money than usual. Going on family vacations, taking your kids to participate in local activities, and summer camps all cost money! Keeping your kids engaged and occupied all summer is worth the extra spending, so today we’ve come up with some ways to help you save money in another area! Our tips all focus on ways that you can save money every month on your water bill. The only thing better than saving money is finding ways to save money consistently, every single month. At the end of the year you’ll be amazed at how much money you can save.

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.

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5 Ways To Save Money On Your Water Bill:

1) Install A 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.

2) Keep Up With Your Home 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.

3) 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.

4) Take 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.

5) 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!

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!

DIY Plumbing Repair

DIY Plumbing Repair

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. If you own your own home and are not a professional plumber, this can mean 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 DIY plumbing repair tricks that you can attempt yourself before calling for professional reinforcements!

DIY plumbing repair

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! 

Easy Plumbing Fixes

Easy Plumbing Fixes

Plumbing problems are never a good thing and can give many homeowners heat palpitations! Often, plumbing problems result in calling a professional plumber and sometimes spending hundreds (or thousands!) of dollars for a solution. Fortunately, we’ve got some easy plumbing fixes for you! 

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 easy plumbing fixes!

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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

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If you live in Marietta, 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!

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! 

How to Caulk a Toilet in 9 Easy Steps

How to Caulk a Toilet in 9 Easy Steps

Now that the weather has cooled off and outdoor projects aren’t top on the to do list, its time to tackle some projects inside the home! Whether you’ve got a brand new toilet to install, or you need to touch up an old one, caulking a toilet is easy! Today we’re going to teach you how to caulk a toilet in 9 easy steps!

toilet-repair-services-canton-gaToilets should always be caulked to the floor in order to prevent any movement of the toilet. When a toilet moves, the wax seal could get broken and water can collect under the toilet and rot the floor. Oftentimes, homeowners will set a toilet and then caulk around the outside edge. This method generally isn’t strong enough to hold and it also leaves a large, visible line of caulk. Read on to find out the best way to caulk a toilet!

  • Set the toilet in place, making sure its square against the wall
  • Use masking tape to make an outline of the toilet on the floor
  • Remove the toilet and lay it on its side
  • Measure the depth and width of the gluing edge of the bowl
  • Use your caulk gun to apply caulk directly to the floor using the depth you measured in the previous step
  • Install the wax ring
  • Lower your toilet onto the floor
  • Stand on the toilet to make sure its properly adhered to the wax ring
  • Use a paper towel to clean up any extra caulk

If you love to tackle DIY home repair projects (or even if you don’t!) these 9 steps will make caulking a toilet easy! For any plumbing projects you don’t want to tackle yourself, call Masterflo Plumbing today at (678) 822-7095!

 

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.

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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!

 

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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Easy Plumbing Tips

Easy Plumbing Tips

Today we’re going to run through a few plumbing tips. The best part of these tips is that they’re easy and can save you a ton of time, money, and stress. Plumbing problems can hit you at any time and are usually unexpected. And of course- they usually occur at the most inopportune times. Its important to be prepared and have a few tricks up your sleeve so that you are more prepared to deal with the inevitable plumbing problem that pops up. The more prepared you are, the more likely you are to avoid a huge disaster.

Here are some plumbing tips every homeowner should know-

  • Make sure you know how to turn off the water to your sink, toilet, and main water source. If you’ve sprung a leak it is vital that you know how to turn off the water to prevent further damage. And don’t forget- righty tighty lefty loosey.
  • Be familiar with the different types of plungers and which ones to use where. For inks you should use a bowl shaped rubber plunger. Plungers that should be used for toilets have an additional piece of rubber that allow it to get inside the opening of the toilet.
  • Don’t use an auger if you aren’t a professional plumber so that you can avoid damaging your pipes. On that note, don’t do any fancy DIY plumbing if you aren’t a trained professional! While trying to save money you can inadvertently cause additional damage costing you additional money.
  • Don’t use the chemical drain cleaners sold at the store as they are harmful to your plumbing system! Instead, if you’ve got to use something, use an all natural combination of baking soda and vinegar. Pour in half a cup of baking soda followed by a half cup of vinegar. Once the fizzing stops, pour hot water down the drain to flush it. If this doesn’t work, try plunging. If you still can’t clear the clog, its time to call a professional plumber.
  • Keep up with your septic tank maintenance. Its one of those things that gets forgotten about, but if your septic tank backs up you’ll end up with a major problem on your hands! Have your tank checked out by a professional yearly and don’t plant anything with roots over or near your lines.
  • Lastly- make sure to find a plumber you can trust BEFORE you have a problem and keep their number handy! Plumbing problems can escalate quickly.

Following these tips can potentially save you time, money, and keep you from dealing with a huge headache! For a trusted, experienced plumber in the metro Atlanta area call Masterflo today at (678) 822-7095! Remember, you can call us anytime day or night- 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

 

 

Plumbing Tips: Garbage Disposal Repair

Plumbing Tips: Garbage Disposal Repair

We all love our garbage disposals, but none of us truly realize how much until it breaks, right? Without a doubt, the garbage disposal is one of the greatest inventions because it can make your life in the kitchen a thousand times easier. While its not one of the most common plumbing issues people have, your garbage disposal can break just like a toilet or shower head can. Here are some great, simple tips for keeping your garbage disposal healthy and avoiding the need for garbage disposal repair!

  1. Make sure you know what’s safe to put down it and what’s not. There are definitely some obvious things that you shouldn’t be putting down your garbage disposal- namely, plastic and metal. Solid objects like forks, spoons, and serving utensils definitely shouldn’t go down your garbage disposal. Although these things are obvious, there are some other objects that shouldn’t go down your garbage disposal that aren’t so obvious. Fibrous vegetables like celery and onion skins can get tangled up in the disposal. Fats, oils, and grease can also clog up the garbage disposal because as they cool off they solidify. Bones and fruit pits are also not supposed to go down your garbage disposal.
  2. Flush is out with boiling water. Pouring a pot full of boiling water down your garbage disposal every once in a while will flush it out. The boiling water will help break up and loosen and waste that has collected in the disposal chamber or the drain pipe. We recommend doing this once a month to help clean out old waste and prevent future build up.
  3. Don’t push your luck, get it repaired! This one may seem obvious, but we’re ALL guilty of it. How many times has one of your appliances started acting up and you just ignore it and hope it goes away on its own?? If your garbage disposal is making a funny sound or vibrating more than normal, call a plumber for garbage disposal repair! Contrary to popular belief, garbage disposals CAN be repaired- they don’t always have to be completely replaced! Having a garbage disposal repaired quickly can prevent having to have it totally replaced, saving you lots of money!

If you need help with your garbage disposal or need garbage disposal repair help, call Masterflo Plumbing today at [callout add_button=”no” button_text=”Learn More” button_url=”#”]

(678) 822-7095

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