As we reach the big time for the end-of-the-year holiday celebrations, you are probably going to use your kitchen much more than usual (with the exception of perhaps Thanksgiving). Entertaining guests and family members means a lot more cooking and kitchen activity, and this will also mean immense stress placed on the garbage disposal. You don’t want to have an abrupt breakdown of your disposal and need to scramble to find repairs during the height of the holidays. To help prevent that from occurring, we’ve put together a list of food items that should not go down the disposal.
Red Rock Mechanical, LLC Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category
During the Holiday Feasting, Here Is Some Food You Don’t Want in the Garbage Disposal
Monday, December 21st, 2015
Some Landscaping Tips to Help Prevent Root Damage to the Sewer Line
Monday, September 21st, 2015
A frequent problem that people encounter with their sewer line is root infiltration. The sewer line is buried a few feet underground on your property, where it’s protected from most potential damage. But the roots of trees and some shrubs will seek out the sewer line because of provides moisture and nutrients. The roots can start to grow into the pipeline, creating clogs and eventually placing enough pressure on the material that it will start to crack.
Reasons Your Toilet May Be Leaking
Monday, August 24th, 2015
Water leaks from toilets are a common plumbing problem. Unfortunately they are 1) often hard to detect at first, 2) capable of causing major damage to flooring, even leading in extreme cases to the floor collapsing, and 3) not easy to diagnose, since there a multiple reasons for them to start.
Don’t Flush These Items Down Your Toilet!
Monday, August 10th, 2015
Toilets are one of the essential parts of any indoor plumbing system. Unfortunately, toilets are often treated as if they were the same as a garbage can, and homeowners flush objects down them that should absolutely not end up in the sewer line or (if the home doesn’t have a connection to the municipal sewer system) the septic tank. These items can create heavy clogging in pipes and damage sewage pumps. We’ve put together a short list of some of the bigger offenders that you should never flush down a toilet.
Why Your Plumbing May Develop Pinhole Leaks
Monday, August 3rd, 2015
In a recent post, we approached one of the major problems that can hinder a home’s air conditioning system: refrigerant leaks caused by corrosion linked to chemicals in the air. In this post, we’re going to look at a similar problem that can negatively affect your home’s plumbing: pinhole leaks.
Signs You May Have a Slab Leak
Monday, May 11th, 2015
Slab leak is a professional plumbing term used for leaks that occur in water lines under the foundation of a home. The name can also apply to any leak that starts under a hard rock surface, but with homes it almost always means leaks in the cold and hot water pipes down in the concrete under the house. About 80% of slab leaks happen in the hot water lines, and the rest in the cold water lines.
Leaky Faucet? Don’t Wait for Plumbing Repair!
Friday, April 3rd, 2015
The drip-drip-dripping sound from a leaky faucet can be quite an annoyance. However, many homeowners don’t see this as reason enough to call a plumber. While a leaky faucet is an inconvenience (and it may stain the bottom of the tub or sink), it often does not seem like a severe enough issue for immediate plumbing repair. However, when you keep in mind how much water a leaky faucet can wait over time, it becomes apparent that plumbing repair should be completed sooner rather than later.
If you need plumbing repair of any sort in Stowe, VT, call the experts at Red Rock Mechanical. We can repair your leaky faucet or provide leak detection services if you’re worried about leaks in your water line.
The easiest way to see how a leaky pipe affects you and your community is by looking at the numbers. At a leak rate of one drop per second, your faucet will waste 5 gallons of water a day, which is almost 2,000 gallons over a year’s time. Still think this isn’t a lot? Now consider what would happen if every home in the United States had a leak to this extent. That’s a lot of water! And, as it turns out, according to the U.S. EPA, American households waste almost 1 trillion gallons of water a year in leaks alone.
Your faucet may not be the only part of your home that leaks. You may have a leaky pipe somewhere in your plumbing system contributing to your water waste and high utilities. If you want to lessen your impact and prevent plumbing problems from worsening, you might consider having your plumber perform a full pipe inspection.
Besides, for a skilled plumber, fixing a leaky sink should not take a very long time at all. You may be surprised at how quick and painless the process is, as long as you choose a reputable plumbing company for the job. Red Rock Mechanical is committed to providing quality customer service to our customers, no matter how small of a leak we’re dealing with. Trust in our skilled team of experienced technicians for any plumbing repair you come across in Stowe, VT.
3 Signs that You Need Pipe Repair
Friday, March 20th, 2015
When your pipes are in need of repair, you may notice it right off the bat. For example, you may not be able to use your drains at all or you may notice water leaking from underneath your sink. However, pipe damage does not always present itself so clearly. When you find yourself in need of plumbing repair in Williston, VT, contact the friendly plumbers at Red Rock Mechanical today. For your information, we’ve gathered a list of some of the warning signs.
- Low Water Pressure – Pipe leaks may not always be so obvious. The United States Environmental Protection Agency estimates that the average household may have pipes that leak up to 10,000 gallons a year! And many of these leaks go undetected for long periods of time. Sometimes, you notice the drip-drip-drip of water in the sink. Other times, however, a leaking pipe will present few warning signs besides an obvious effect on your water pressure. When you notice that the water pressure in your home is low, call on the help of a technician ASAP. Water may not make it to your faucet as quickly because it is leaking underneath the property or through the walls, potentially resulting in thousands of dollars in damages.
- Slow Drains – When the drains in your home don’t seem to clear out as quickly as you’d like, you can probably guess that there is a clog in the pipes. What you may not know is that those drain cleaning liquids found in stores can do serious damage to the pipes and to your health (especially to your skin and eyes). Slow moving drains are always a job for a professional plumbing technician when a regular plunger won’t work. Our plumbers use only high quality tools to remove drain clogs and ensure the life of your pipes.
- A Musty Smell – An annoying musty odor that won’t seem to go away is a huge warning sign. Unfortunately, excessive leaking can lead to mold. And mold can result in a number of ensuing issues with your family members’ health. Pay attention to this issue so that you can catch mold early on if it has become a problem.
Call our professionals at Red Rock Mechanical today for expert plumbing repair in Williston, VT.
Preventing the Need for Plumbing Repair
Wednesday, March 4th, 2015
Plumbing emergencies are never ideal. When a pipe bursts, you may experience flooding to a degree that requires immediate attention. Even a small leak can be a major annoyance and may cost you extra on your utilities. A drain clog is not only an inconvenience; it can also cause waste to backup into the drains in your home.
Take preventive steps to protect your plumbing system today. Call a plumber at the first sign of trouble, and try taking any of the following steps to protect you from the cost of plumbing repair. Speak with the friendly professionals at Red Rock Mechanical for more information.
- Pay attention to what goes down the disposal. Your garbage disposal helps make your work in the kitchen go a little more smoothly, but it should not be treated as a catch-all for whatever waste you need to get rid of. Of course, this includes non-food items, like cigarette butts, paper, and plastic wrappers. But you should also avoid hard food items like shellfish, bones from meat, and unpopped popcorn kernels. Fats, oils, and grease belong in a separate trash container, and be sure to rip large pieces of food into smaller bits.
- Purchase a drain trap. In the bathroom especially, hair is a major source of clogging. Keep your locks from clogging the drains by purchasing a simple drain trap from a hardware store and cleaning it out daily.
- Look for signs of leaks. Learning to spot the signs of plumbing leaks is the best way to schedule repairs in a timely manner, potentially saving you money and protecting you from a big mess later on. Look for any sudden drops in water pressure, water spots on the walls, or pooling water in the yard.
- Call a plumber at the first sign of trouble. Don’t delay plumbing repair as a small leak can always develop into something much worse.
- Schedule regular plumbing maintenance. Finally, schedule annual plumbing maintenance with a trained specialist. A plumber will look at every portion of your plumbing system, from the water heater to the drain pipes, cleaning and adjusting some parts and recommending services that may help further prolong their lifespans.
Call Red Rock Mechanical today for professional plumbing maintenance, repair, and advice from professionals you can trust in Montpelier, VT.
Why Pinhole Leaks are so Damaging
Monday, February 16th, 2015
Pinhole leaks are one of the most dangerous kinds of pipe leaks that can occur in your home. They also happen to be one of the most mysterious. Despite years of research, the EPA has yet to determine the cause of pinhole leaks. This makes them difficult to predict or prevent, with regular professional examinations being the only reliable way to identify and fix them before they cause too much damage. Let’s take a look at what pinhole leaks actually are, and why you should have your pipes checked for them periodically.
What are Pinhole Leaks?
Pinhole leaks are small leaks that exclusively affect copper pipes, which are resistant to almost all other types of corrosion. The type of corrosion that causes pinhole leaks is called “pitted corrosion,” where the pipe inexplicably begins to degrade from the outside in. Eventually, this opens up tiny holes in the pipe, no larger than the end of a pin. The leak is large enough to allow water to drip from the pipe, but not enough to cause a noticeable drop in water pressure. This makes pinhole leaks very hard to detect.
Why Should I Worry About Pinhole Leaks?
Pinhole leaks are a problem both because of their size and location. Most of a home’s plumbing pipes are located in the walls and ceilings, surrounded by insulation and support studs. A pinhole leak in such a location will cause severe water damage to the insulation and even rot out the studs, if given enough time. Wet insulation also provides an ideal environment for mold growth, adding a health hazard on top of the structural damage to the wall.
Most leaks have symptoms that are visible to the homeowner in some way, either through a loss in water pressure or water discoloration from rust travelling up through the pipes. Pinhole leaks have neither of these indications, as the corrosion is from the outside in and the leak is too small to cause a drop in water pressure. As such, the only way to protect your home from pinhole leak damage is to have a professional investigate your plumbing at least once every year.
If you haven’t had your home’s plumbing examined in a while, call Red Rock Mechanical to make an appointment. We provide professional plumbing repair service throughout Burlington, VT.
