MMM…Bacon! Most say it’s one of the greatest breakfast, lunch, dinner or really whenever foods. Others say it is the best reason to wake up in the morning along with being the hardest thing to cook shirtless.  Bacon satisfies any non vegetarian’s senses and taste buds.  But after you cook this delectable treat, you are left with grease and you might wonder what to do with it.

NEVER, EVER pour bacon grease down your sink! It’s thick, slimy and can cause many problems to your pipes.  The grease will harden along the inner walls of the pipes causing them to clog. The only way to remove the hardened grease is to scrape it out. No matter how quickly you pour hot water down the drain, the grease will eventually harden.  Too much grease in your pipes will require the attention of a plumber.  If this problem moves down to the sewer, it can cause even more problems.  These kinds of build ups are responsible for about 47 percent of the sewer overflows that happen in the U.S. ever year.

The best way to dispose of the bacon grease is to let it cool in the pan and scrape it out into the trash.  You can also pour the grease into a separate container and dispose of the container after the grease cools.

If you are a bacon enthusiast, instead of dumping the grease out, here are a few recipes to recycle the bacon grease, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/21/bacon-fat-recipes_n_1813057.html.

To get your pipes cleaned or repaired, contact the professionals at Rodger’s Plumbing at 972-931-1021 today!

 

Signs that your Water Heater is on its way out

Your water heater is one of the most essential parts of your homes plumbing.  Many of your house hold appliances (washing machine and dishwasher) would be useless and you would be taking cold showers! Preventative maintenance of your water heater is crucial and can help to spot signs of trouble before anything serious can happen.

A few signs that your water heater will need attention:

• Drips, leaks or accumulated water underneath your hot water heater.
• If you are using a gas heater, it should burn mostly blue, not yellow.
• If using an electric heater, any scorching or soot colored areas.
• The water in your shower is either too hot or cold, or doesn’t show the temperature that it is set to.
• Rust or orange colored water coming out of your faucet.
• Bends or cracks in the water heater tank.
• A consistent popping or crackling noise.

 

Putting off Plumbing Repairs

There are a few reasons why you might put off performing a plumbing repair.  You might not have time to do it yourself, or maybe your busy schedule does not accommodate a plumber.  It’s sometimes easy to keep putting off that simple repair, but neglecting even the smallest issue can lead to a much larger and a more expensive issue later down the road.

Leaky faucets:

Just a few drops of water from your leaky sink might not seem like a big deal, right? Wrong.  Delayed maintenance and repairs will come back to haunt you.  According to the EPA Water Sense Program, a single leak can add up to 10,000 gallons of water per year.  Your water bill will be severely affected by this.

Leaking water can cause other problems other than taking your money.  If a leak occurs outside of a sink, toilet, or bathtub, moisture can end up creating mold or mildew causing rotten floors, ceilings or walls.  It is important to address the issue before it’s too late.

How Plumbing Problems Can Affect Your Health:

Certain plumbing problems can also lead to health problems. Mold and Mildew can cause respiratory problems and Biofilm in your pipes can lead to harmful diseases.  A simple leak around your toilet or a backed up sewer line, could mean that you and your family are being exposed to raw sewage inside of your home!

Mold and Mildew in your Bathroom

Mold and Mildew can occur in your bathroom when you have moisture build up caused by either a plumbing leak or water that remains on your tile.  It can show up as black specs or floral bodies around your shower, sink, and toilet.  These growths can look very unpleasant and can even cause health problems if they get serious.

Some ways to eliminate mold and mildew are with detergent and water mixes, bleach mixtures and spray cleaners.  These will loosen the mildew allowing you to wipe away with a sponge, medium bristle brush, or cloth.  Please use caution and protection when using any chemicals.  A breathing filter and ventilation is also a good idea.  It is not a good idea to let mold and mildew sit too long before removing it.  The longer it sits the more chances of causing allergies and respiratory problems.

It is important to find the source causing the excess moisture in your bathroom. By using a squeegee or rag to wipe up excess water from your tub, wall, or counter after you shower will help.  Also, having proper ventilation such as opening a window or a vent fan will also dry the bathroom quicker.

 

The Benefits of Professional Drain Cleaning

The drains in your home are a critical component of your homes plumbing system. Most people do not realize the importance of regular drain cleaning. Regular drain cleaning will help to preserve your plumbing system, but will also help to reduce your chances of having clogged drains.

Regular drain cleanings will help to maintain pipe efficiency and to ensure that they dispose wastewater quickly.  There are quite a few things that can clog your drains such as mineral buildup, food, hair, and cooking oil.

A Few More Benefits of Regular Drain Cleaning:

• Reduce Blockages
• Limits Smells
• Clean Home
• Reduced Expenses

Hiring a professional plumber to clean your drains will save you money in the long run.  By keeping up with routine drain cleanings, will help to prevent costly repairs.  Trying to clean your own drains can be more expensive and can lead to problems and costly repairs.  Rodgers Plumbing has the necessary tools to clean your drains.

 

Hiring a Professional Plumber Can Save You Money

Even if you have some DIY experience and can fix small plumbing issues around the house, there are times when you should call a profession plumber.

 

• Toilets: If a toilet won’t flush at all or if the water is draining slowly, something is blocking the pipes.  If you cannot clear the blockage with a plunger, the problem is much greater.  There is a possibility that you might have a septic problem or blocked sewer line.  If this is the case, an average home owner will not be able to fix this problem and should call a professional plumber.

• Faucets: When you think ignoring the leaking faucet is not a problem, think about all of that water that is being wasted. It’s basically money going down your drain.  Just one faucet drip per minute can waste up to 34 gallons of water in a year! This should be addressed sooner than later.

• Drains: Clearing a clogged drain with liquid plumber might be all that is needed, but chances are, the blockage will happen again. Next time it can be worse! Using liquid plumber too often can lead to problems and can lead to faulty pipes.  Over time, it can corrode a hole through the bottom of the pipes, which can lead to more expensive problems down the road.

 

Plumbing Problems You Should Not Ignore

 

Blocked Drains:

A blocked drain might be the easiest plumbing issue to fix, but if action is not taken to fix immediately, it can become very serious.  A blocked drain needs to be identified and removed, especially if it is your wastewater’s only path out of your house.

No Hot Water:

No one likes a cold shower, so naturally no hot water can be a huge annoyance. There are a number of things that can cause this.  The number one culprit is usually an undersized or faulty water heater.  Sometime it is as simple as adjusting the temperature dial on your water heater, but other times it is best to call a professional.

 

Leaky Water Heater:

A leaky water heater may seem like a small problem, but it can quickly turn into a big one.  Even a small amount of water can damage your floors, sub-floors and walls.  A leaky water heater may be a symptom of a much larger problem.  It is recommended to contact a professional plumber to repair or replace your water heater before it leads to a much larger problem causing damage to the property such as flooding in the attic or onto the downstairs ceiling.

 

Toilet Won’t Stop Running:

A toilet that won’t stop running is not only an annoyance but a huge waste of water.  This is something that you definitely do not want to ignore. Contact Rodgers Plumbing to help you fix your toilet before it leads to a bigger problem.

 

 Faulty Garbage Disposal:

A faulty garbage disposal has many symptoms and it is recommended to contact a trained plumber if you start noticing these 5:

• Bad Smells
• Water Leaks
• Jammed Disposal
• Making Noises
• Disposal Stops Working

Winterizing Your Inside and Outside Faucets:

It is the time of year people are busy traveling or having company over around a fire to warm up from the brisk night air. While many people are enjoying these fun activities, we all know that old man winter is right around the corner here in Dallas, Texas. It is important to take time to check that certain areas of your home are protected from the cold. Areas that are sometimes forgotten are the inside and outside faucets.

Frozen pipes can not only cause many problems to the homeowner, but can be extremely costly. Homes that are built in colder religions tend to have pipes that are insulated but those who are located in warmer regions, most of the time, are not. This can lead to problems if there is a sudden cold snap.

Here are some easy steps to take to make sure your faucets are ready for the winter cold.

• First, you want to make sure you locate all of the exterior faucets on the property. Some may be located on/in a wall, in a box in the ground, or on a pipe coming up out of the ground. All hoses should be disconnected, drained completely of water, and stored away.
• Next, shut off any accessible valves to the outside pipes and faucets. Open the handle on the faucet to ensure all water has drained out of the pipe and faucet itself. After the pipe drains, turn the handle on the faucet to the off position.
• Last, wrap all exterior faucets with a towel or cover them with a wall hugging insulating dome.
• Any interior faucets that are located inside on an exterior wall should be left on to drip at a very slow pace and the cabinet doors should be left open to allow warm air circulation.
• To further protect the interior pipes, it is advised to wrap the pipes in an insulation sleeve. These inexpensive sleeves can be found at your local home improvement store and can be used year-to-year.

So as you are enjoying your fun winter activities, make sure you set some time aside to winterize your faucets first.  These simple steps can save you from having to clean up a mess in your house and a costly fix.

 

 

The Dos and Don’ts of your Garbage Disposal:

Cooking the holiday meals, baking those delicious desserts, and catching up with family and friends. It is the season where the kitchen is one of the busiest rooms in your home.  If your sink is equipped with a garbage disposal, it is a tool that you will most likely be using often.  It is important that your garbage disposal is running problem free before the holiday craziness.

Garbage Disposal Do’s:

Maintenance:

You want to make sure that the disposal is properly maintained and clean. A simple and easy way to do this is to pour in a little dish soap, small pieces of lemon peel or orange peel (breaks down grease as well as eliminates unpleasant odors) and run cold water through the garbage disposal during and also for a few minutes after use. The reason for cold water is that it will cause any food and substances in the disposal to harden and be broken up by the blades.   Another easy and effective maintenance procedure is to sharpen the blades of the disposal.  To do so, run a few ice cubes through your garbage disposal. This will not only sharpen the blades but clean up any grease build up you might have.  It is recommended to run your garbage disposal on a regular basis.  If it is not used regularly, the internal parts can freeze up, rust and corrode. Even if you do not have anything to grind up, run cold water and soap though the disposal.

What to grind:

When using your garbage disposal, make sure the pieces you are grinding are cut small and that you run them through one at a time.  Putting too many plate scrapings down the disposal all at once can prevent everything from grinding up small enough and can also damage internal parts of the disposal.  Certain hard items such as small chicken bones, egg shells, and fruit pits are acceptable to run through the disposal, but we discourage this practice as they will most likely cause a clog in the sewer piping.  Always remember to run cold water though when running any food waste through the disposal.

 

Garbage Disposal Don’ts:

It is very, very important not to put certain items down your garbage disposal.  Glass, metal, plastic and paper are all things to avoid as well as large items such as big bones. These can jam the blades of the disposal. Expandable food items such as pasta and rice can stick to the sides of the disposal which will make it difficult to clean and flush the disposal out.
When grinding items through your garbage disposal, make sure that you do not stop the motor from running until the grinding is complete.

Be Careful!  

While you are in the kitchen this holiday season, just be aware of the Do’s and Don’ts when using your garbage disposal.  While a garbage disposal is a useful tool, it can also be very dangerous if not used with caution.  Never reach into the disposal if there is a jam.  You can use a needle nose pliers or something similar to grab the item or call us at Rodgers Plumbing to come help.

 

 

 

Keep your guests happy this Thanksgiving with stress-free plumbing.  Here are a few tips to keep the holiday more enjoyable.

1. Keep your water hot by waiting 15 minutes between each shower and not running dishes or laundry during peek bathing time.

2. Keep your drains clear by disposing of food scraps, peelings, and egg shells in your trash can or compost pile, not down your garbage disposal. The disposal may be able to grind it up but it most surely will get jammed up in your pipes.

3.Keep the trash cans close to the commode to encourage guests to place trash in the trash and not down the commode. Put the wet wipes up and out of sight. Some guests may not know they cannot be flushed down the commode.