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Don't Invite the Plumber to Thanksgiving Dinner.
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 Your House Efficient and Enviornmentally Friendly
Many people wonder what they can do make their houses more environmentally friendly and efficient. You can employ quite a few ideas and practices to help achieve an environmentally friendly house. The great news is that many of these steps require no more effort than you already put into your home.
The most important thing you can do to make sure you have an efficient and environmentally friendly house is to reduce the amount of energy you use to heat and cool your home. The first thing is to make sure your home has enough insulation for your climate. The more insulation you have, the less energy you will waste trying to replace heated or cooled air that escapes when there is not enough insulation in your attic, walls, and basement.
Environmentally Friendly House
Also, check your home for drafty windows and doors and take steps to reduce the draft or stop it all together. Look at the thresholds of the exterior doors. Are they airtight? If not, you could be losing significant amounts of heat in the winter and allowing hot air to sneak right in during the summer. Replace worn or cracked caulking around windows and doors and make sure that you have window coverings (a.k.a. curtains or blinds) inside to cut down on drafts as well.
Consider replacing your old appliances with models that meet the E.P.A.'s standards on energy efficiency. Look for the Energy Star Label the next time you need to purchase a big-ticket appliance and you will see the energy savings right there on the label. Many times, Energy Star Appliances can pay for themselves through the savings they create year in and year out.
Keep your furnace and air conditioner clean and well maintained. A dirty furnace, heat pump, or air conditioner is less efficient than one that's clean. Dirty heating, air, and ventilations units will cause your energy consumption to skyrocket. Change the air filters on a regular basis and have your heating and cooling system regularly inspected to insure that they are operating at peak performance.
Just a few simple steps can help turn your energy hog house into one of the most environmentally friendly and efficient houses on the block. On top of simple things like turning a light off when leaving a room or installing fluorescent light bulbs the steps mentioned above can help save the earth and save you some valuable cash as well!
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 How to Prevent Clogged Drains
The best way to deal with a clogged drain is to keep if from getting clogged in the first place. To paraphrase Smokey the Bear, "Remember, only you can prevent clogged drains."
Several simple practices can greatly reduce how often you go hunting for that wrench.
Steps to Preventing a Clogged Drain
- Check sink and tub stoppers every 3 months or so for hair and soap scum (biofilm) buildup and give them a quick "de-gooping."
- Once a week, fill each sink and tub in your home to the brim and then pull up the stopper. The volume and weight of the water will fill the drainpipe completely with water. It will do a good job of flushing the drain line.
- If your drain is running slowly, pour a pot of boiling water down it. That will clear a lot of problem clogs, especially in your kitchen drain, where oils are likely to collect and solidify.
- Another simple slow-drain fix is to pour a quarter cup of baking soda in the drain, followed by half a cup of vinegar. Wait ten minutes for that to do its thing, then flush it with boiling water.
- Collect waste cooking oil and grease in portable containers with lids. Empty pet-food cans are perfect for the job. Send them off to the dump with the rest of your trash. Grease is good for the landfill, but not for your pipes!
- Don't pour oil or grease down any drain. And wipe greasy pans (plates, countertops) with a paper towel before you wash them. Toss the greasy paper towel into your trash.
Have a great plumbing tip? Contact us today.
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 How to Clear a Clogged Drain
To clear a clogged drain, plungers work very well if you use them properly. They should be the first tool one uses when a clog happens. When you are working on a tub or bathroom sink drain, you'll most likely get the best results if you remove the stopper mechanism from the drain inlet. To do that, locate the control rod attached to the drainpipe below the sink. You will need to remove the rod - it's usually secured by spring clip. The rod intersects your stopper stem rather like thread through a needle. You will need to pull it all the way out to free the stopper stem. You can now pull the stopper unit up and out of the sink.
Tip! Place a tub or a bucket under your sink trap before you pull that rod! Expect a gush of dirty water escaping the rod hole when you pull it.
Steps to Clearing a Clogged Drain
Pull the stopper out of the sink. You'll probably find a lovely ball of hair and soap goop clinging to the stopper rod. Most of the time, a good de-gooping will solve the drainage problem. After clearing the rod, drop the stopper unit back into the drain opening. Replace the control rod, making sure that it's "threaded" properly back into the slot in the stopper stem by checking that the stopper lifts and drops as it should. Then secure the rod with its nut and clip.
The drain stopper on your tub is usually attached to the lever on the overflow outlet. You can usually access this by removing the overflow cover with a screwdriver. You can then pull up to remove the lever and the tub stopper.
If the drain is still sluggish, try this: grab your plunger and a wet washrag. Fill the sink (or tub) about two inches deep with water. Hold the rag tightly against the overflow holes and plunge down hard two or three times. Make sure the head of the plunger is snug against the surface so that you get a good vacuum when you plunge. If you're lucky, that will do the trick, and water will flow readily down the drain. If plunging doesn't work, it may be time to try some of the off-the-shelf drain cleaners, or call in a professional.
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