FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Garbage disposers are meant to “dispose” of small particles of food, like the kind you would wash off of used dishes. Expecting the disposer to grind up leftovers, cooking oils, including bacon grease, high starch items, coffee grounds, eggshells, or other food peelings overwork the disposer, causing it to fail sooner than expected. Tossing those items regularly down your kitchen drain will also cause it to clog more frequently, requiring regular drain cleaning services and over time can even compromise your drain line causing more costly complications and repairs.
Avoiding tossing these items down the kitchen sink will help to keep your drain lines and disposer in peak working condition. Also, make sure to always run water when running your disposer, and then let the water run for a few seconds after turning off the disposer.
You may be experiencing a main sewer back up. First, check your front clean outs (remove cap if necessary) to see if they are holding any water, or if water is spilling out. If so, stop all water usage in your home – do not run the laundry or dish washers, do not flush toilets, or use any shower or faucets. Then give us a call so we can send a drain cleaning professional out right away.
A clean out is the main access point for a sewer line, and a sewer line is the pipe that carries out all of the waste from various fixtures in your home. In general, most homes will have two clean outs, one for the kitchen drains and another for the sewer main line. If your home does have a clean out, it is generally located somewhere around the base of the home. Clean outs allow for easy access to drain lines for cleaning and unclogging.
Toilets come in a variety of styles, shapes and sizes, some are self-cleaning, some preserve water usage, or some can even flush up to 14 golf balls at a time with ease. While all of those options are great for individual preference, you must first know the size of the toilet you need. This is called the rough in, and to figure out your rough in size, you measure from the wall (excluding baseboards if present) to the bolts of the base of the toilet. Anything under 11.5in requires a 10in rough in, anything over requires the more common 12in. rough in. Once you have the rough in size, you can move on to the more stylistic features of a toilet like height and shape.
Most water heaters last anywhere between 10-15 years. Some units will last longer especially if it is maintenance regularly.
Most water heaters last anywhere between 10-15 years. Some units will last longer especially if it is maintenance regularly.
A homeowner can easily figure out the age of their existing water heater by checking the manufacture’s label on the unit. Snap a pic and head over to their website, enter applicable information, usually found on the serial or model number. From there you will find all the information you need including the age of your water heater and any warranty information if applicable.
Water heater age and performance are the best indicators for replacement. As the water heater ages, the parts will wear and even just routine maintenance can cause an older unit to fail. If it has stopped providing hot water altogether or if the amount of hot water it is producing has lessened, you may need a new unit. Another good way to tell would be to inspect your unit for rust, nearby water spots or water collecting in the pan, all of which could be a sign of a leak.
Any of these symptoms could be indicators of a unit that will be failing soon and should be addressed by a licensed plumbing professional. Using a compromised water heater for too long may result in more serious issues and even cause damage to your home.
The pros of a tankless are that you will get endless (not instant, which is a common misconception) hot water, they take up less space and they can be more energy efficient. However, those pros must be weighed against the initial cost of switching from traditional tanks to the tankless. This includes in most cases much more than just the cost of the unit and installation. If you are seriously considering switching, give us a call for a free consult and estimate, we will be happy to come out and help you make an informed decision.
There are several reasons you may be experiencing high water bills, such as constantly running water in one of your fixtures, a leak in your main water line or irrigation system to name just a few. If you notice your bill is higher than normal or if the water department notifies you of high-water usage, give us a call and we will come out and help you diagnose the issue and, in most cases, make repairs same day. ***Irrigation or sprinkler leaks can be diagnosed, but must be repaired by a sprinkler or irrigation specialist.
If you are asking either of these questions, you may have a slab leak. A slab leak is a ruptured water line somewhere underneath the concrete slab of your home. You will want an experienced plumber with the right equipment to help you through the process. The first step would be to diagnose and locate the leak. The next step would be to discuss repair options, which could include re-routing the water line, slab penetration or tunnel excavation. Our leak locating experts will work quickly and thoroughly to assess your situation, and will provide you with the least evasive option for your repair, because protecting your home is always our first priority.
At Don the Plumber, we do not charge calls by the hour, instead we use a general flat rate and competitive pricing model for most of our services and repairs. Most repairs vary in difficulty, and as in all service industries, plumbers vary in experience. Charging a flat rate price for our general plumbing services and repairs maintains our plumbers as service providers and not sales people. No haggling on price, just upfront honest pricing that you can expect from every level of plumber.
All of our plumbers are fully licensed, but plumbers of all experience levels are to be expected, especially in this trade. We pay our plumbers a weekly salary based on license level and experience along with regular performance bonus opportunities. We do this so that we attract the best of the best and to ensure our customers always receive the best possible service.