Home Maintenance

When you are the homeowner and you live in your own home, you should have a good understanding of how your plumbing system has been maintained over the years. After all, you and your family are the ones living in the house. As the homeowner, hopefully, you have taught your family, guests or roommates how to properly take care of the plumbing. For example, you don’t flush cat litter or paper towels down the toilet, and you don’t pour grease down the kitchen drain. But what if you rent your property out? Or, what if you’re renting your home? Whether you rent your home out to tenants, or if you’re a new tenant, you don’t exactly know how well the plumbing has been maintained while it’s been rented out. Plumbing Concerns for Tenants If you’re a tenant, it’s your responsibility to understand how to properly maintain a home’s plumbing system.

Just as you should insulate your plumbing pipes, your walls and roof, insulating your hot water heater is an easy and inexpensive way to improve efficiency and save money each month. If you have a new unit, it’s probably already insulated. But, if you have an older hot water tank, we recommend checking it out to see if it has an insulation with an R-value of at least 24. If it does not, you may want to consider insulating the hot water tank. Why? Because by insulating the tank you can: Reduce standby heat losses by as much as 45% Save up to 9% on your water heating bill The insulation should pay for itself within a year It’s easy to find pre-cut jackets or blankets that are in the ballpark of $20. If you aren’t sure of your water heater’s R-value, all you have to do is touch it. If

When you’re a homeowner, drain clogs are inevitable, especially when you live in a house with toddlers or children, or you have a large family. Before you call the plumber to handle a clogged drain, there are some things that you can do to try and remove the blockage on your own. Toilets: If you have a clogged toilet, the trusty plunger is your first line of defense. Plungers do more than just unclog toilets, they can be used to unclog bathtubs and showers as well, but just be sure that you fill the base of the shower or tub with at least one inch of water, this way there is a seal before you begin plunging. If the plunger doesn’t do the trick, try a drain auger, also known as a “snake.” This is a flexible cable that is pushed into a drain to manually break apart the clog.

As we say goodbye to summer barbeques, family vacations, and fun in the sun, we say hello to work, school and we celebrate the fall. We have a lot to look forward to – pumpkin pie, apple cider, hot chocolate and of course the holidays! As the weather gets colder, homeowners have some plumbing concerns to pay attention to. When it comes to the oncoming winter, from a plumbing perspective the biggest concern is freezing temperatures, ice, and related damage. With it being the fall, you need to prepare for colder weather now, before the winter brings frigid temperatures, especially overnight. If you don’t prepare ahead of time, you could be in for some headaches and costly repairs once winter weather makes its debut. Follow our fall plumbing tips to help you avoid a plumbing emergency once any ice, snow, or freezing temperatures arrive. Getting Ready for Colder Weather Around

Homeowners can agree that indoor plumbing is one of the best modern inventions of all time. Having water, let alone hot water, on demand, is something we’ve all come to expect in our daily lives. However, all plumbing systems may eventually develop clogs and plumbing problems, there’s no candy-coating that. We’ll give you tips on clearing stubborn clogs in kitchen sinks, toilets, bathtubs, and floor drains. Whether you’re battling a backup with baking soda and boiling water, using drain cleaners to stop the clogging or grabbing a plunger to try and clear the blockage, a clogged drain is never fun. These time-tested techniques can dislodge almost any clog and buildup. If the clog won’t clear after you’ve made a few attempts, you’ll have to admit unclogging defeat and turn the job over to a licensed professional plumber and drain cleaning specialist. Beware that if you exert too much force, it

If you’re a homeowner, you’ve probably put some thought into the insulation in your walls and roof. What about your hot water tank, can insulation help you save energy and money there too? The short answer is yes, absolutely. You already know that it’s smart to insulate your walls and roof, and the same goes for your hot water tank. Insulating your water heater is a simple and inexpensive way to save money each month, all the while improving energy efficiency. If you have a brand new water tank, it’s probably insulated. On the other hand, if you have an older unit, you’ll want to check to see if it has an insulation with an R-value of at least 24. If it doesn’t, we suggest insulating the water tank. By doing so, you could easily reduce the standby heat loss by as much as 45%, and you can save as

Should you get your sewer drains cleaned, also known as a sewer cleanout? Should this be a part of your regular main sewer line maintenance, or should a sewer cleanout be done on an as-needed basis? If you’ve never thought about a sewer drain cleanout in your years as a homeowner, you may want to consider this drain cleaning/plumbing service. Usually, sewer drain cleaning is done on an “as-needed” basis when there is a small clog or blockage that needs to be removed with an auger or hydro jetting, and after the clog is cleared everything can resume as normal. However, if the drain cleaning wasn’t done before the drain line gets a clog so bad, it causes a main sewer line backup, leading to the sewer system spewing raw sewage into the home, which costs much more to get cleaned out/repair the water damage. Fortunately, clogged sewer lines usually

The integrity of your plumbing systems comes down to quality installation, maintenance, and naturally, wear and tear. At A-1 Sewer & Septic Service Inc., we’re here when you need repairs or emergency services, but our role goes beyond that. We want to help you save time and money over the long haul. By following these handy plumbing tricks, you can save both money and headaches down the road. Each of these tips is rather inexpensive, and shouldn’t cost you more than around $20 at the local hardware store. 1. Put an end to sink-sprayer snags. Do you find yourself jiggling the hose every time you pull out the kitchen sink sprayer? If so, it’s probably catching on the shutoff valves under the sink. To stop this from happening, slip 1/2 inch foam pipe insulation over the pipes and the shutoff handles, and tape them so they’ll stay put. It shouldn’t

While winter is a cheerful season full of fun holidays and time with family, it is always exciting to look towards a colorful spring. With the new season approaching quickly, it may be a good idea to start getting your spring cleaning list in line. One of the most important things to check-up on after a cold winter is your plumbing! Making sure all pipes and faucets are in line for the spring season is a must, especially if you want to prevent future plumbing problems. A-1 Sewer & Septic Service Inc. is here to look out for you by providing helpful tips for your spring cleaning plan. Remember, if you ever run into complex plumbing issues, be sure to give us a call to avoid dealing with a big DIY headache! Spring Season Plumbing Tips Though a beautiful and lush season, spring can bring some unique plumbing problems of

Reducing the level of heat in your home can be not only beneficial for your wallet, but can also help lessen your impact on the planet. In many cases, the cost of utilities takes up a significant portion of the monthly expenses of regular home operations. Whatever your reason, there are some helpful tips that can reduce your dependence on energy consumption and still help your home stay warm. What Can I Do to Reduce My Energy Use? Reduce energy use and maintain temperatures in your home by: Using the sun for free heat by opening curtains on the windows facing the sun Closing curtains when the sun goes down Donning socks, sweaters, and throw blankets around the house Setting the ceiling fans to turn clockwise and push heat down Turning the thermostat down 10-15 degrees at night Closing and sealing off rooms that are not often used and direct