What to Keep Out of Your Garbage Disposal This Thanksgiving

Between inviting guests over for dinner, making your grocery shopping list, and food prep, it can be easy to push caring for your garbage disposal to the back of your mind.  However, many Thanksgiving foods are bad for your drain!  Prevent plumbing problems by keeping these Thanksgiving dishes out of your garbage disposal.

Be Careful With These Thanksgiving Foods:

• Potatoes - Starchy vegetables like potatoes can expand in your garbage disposal system.  This can clog the drain and keep your garbage disposal blades from spinning.
• Asparagus - Including asparagus in a side dish?  This stringy vegetable can wrap around the disposal blades and keep your system from working properly.
• Turkey Bones - If you're cooking a whole turkey, be sure to keep any bones out of your drain.  It's a common myth that bones can go down your disposal.  However, bones are strong enough to bend and break your disposal blades.
• Leftover Grease - Although grease may look like a liquid, you'll want to keep it far away from your kitchen sink.  When grease hardens, it can cause clogs in your plumbing drains and in your garbage disposal.  Be sure to dispose of any leftover grease from your turkey or other dish in the garbage.

If you're using a dishwasher this Thanksgiving, it's important to scrape off any leftover food.  In many cases, the dishwasher is directly linked to your garbage disposal.  Similarly, this can cause plumbing problems.

If you experience any problems with your garbage disposal this Thanksgiving, give us a call.  Our expert plumbing technicians can help clear your drain and leave you with a stress-free holiday.  Call 585-216-3058 to contact our office or visit our website to learn more about the plumbing and remodeling services that we offer to the Rochester area.

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Tell Tale Signs Your Water Heater Needs Maintenance

Water heaters often go overlooked, but just like any other appliance in your home, they require regular maintenance!  With water heater maintenance, you can extend the life expectancy of your tank and prevent problems.  If you're experiencing any of these problems in your home, you're probably due for water heater maintenance.

Signs You Need Water Heater Maintenance:

• You Don't Have Hot Water - While this may seem obvious, inadequate, or no hot water entirely, is a sure sign your water heater is not working effectively.  This could have to do with your water demand, or it could be a faulty valve.  With regular water heater maintenance, you can fix these problems and restore hot water in your home.
• You Have Rust Colored Water - This is likely due to corrosion on the inside of your tank.  You'll likely need your water heater checked out by a professional.
• There Is A Rotten Egg Smell - Bacteria in your water heater tank can fed on hydrogen gas, causing a rotten egg-like smell.  It might be time to flush your water heater to keep it clean and in good condition.

Are you experiencing problems with your water heater?  Call 585-216-3058 to contact our office or visit our website to learn more about the plumbing and remodeling services that we offer to the Rochester area.

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How to Prep Your Plumbing For Thanksgiving Dinner

Thanksgiving is just a week away!  As you get your dinner plans together and invite family and friends over for the holiday, don't forget about your plumbing!  Taking a few steps towards preventing plumbing problems next Thursday will help ensure your Thanksgiving celebrations go smoothly.

Thanksgiving Plumbing Tips:

• Treat Your Disposal Carefully - You should always be careful about what is going down your drain, even if you have a garbage disposal.  Starchy, stringy and greasy foods can clog your disposal and keep it from working effectively.
• Dispose of Grease - While grease may look like a liquid, it will harden when cooled.  Keep grease out of your plumbing pipes or you might end up with a slow draining sink.  Instead of dumping grease down the sink, place it in a container where you can dispose of it.
• Keep An Eye On Your Dishwasher - Many people don't realize that your dishwasher empties into your garbage disposal!  Any leftover starchy foods (potatoes), stringy foods (vegetables) and greasy foods (turkey), that are stuck to your plates can slow down your drains.  Make sure that plates are cleaned off before you put them into the dishwasher.
• Run the Water - Keep the water running while you are cleaning the dishes after Thanksgiving dinner.  This will help make sure that any food particles are down the disposal and that they do not get stuck and clog your drains.

If you run into any problems with your plumbing system this Thanksgiving, give our office a call!  Our highly trained plumbing technicians are here to help you with all of your home plumbing needs - no matter when they occur.  Call 585-216-3058 to contact our office or visit our website to learn more about the plumbing and remodeling services that we offer to the Rochester area.

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How to Turn Off Your Hose Bibb

This weekend is the perfect time to turn off the water running to your outdoor hose and prep your plumbing system for the cold months to come.  By winterizing your outdoor plumbing, you help prevent freezing issues and cracked plumbing pipes.  That's why in addition to removing your garden hose this fall, it's important that homeowners turn off the hose bibb.

What is a hose bibb?
The hose bibb is the spigot on the outside of your house.  It's what you connect your garden hose to to get water to water your plants during the spring and summer months.

Now that it's getting colder outside, it's important to disconnect your garden hoses and turn off your hose bibbs.

How To Turn Off Your Hose Bib:

1. Locate Your Hose Bibb Shut Off Valve - Your hose bibb will have a shutoff valve inside of your house.  This may be in a basement, crawl space or utility room.  If you're not sure where this shut off valve might be, check near your water meter.
2. Turn Off The Valve - Your water shut off valve should look like a small wheel.  Turn the wheel clockwise until it won't turn any more.  If you have a ball valve, you'll need to turn the handle so that it faces perpendicular to turn it off.
3. Detach the Garden Hose - Go outside and remove as much water as you can from your garden hose.  Then, detach it and store it in your basement or shed.
4. Leave the Hose Bibb Open - Once the hose is away and detatched, turn your hose bibb on and let any excess water run out.  This will help prevent water from freezing and expanding (and eventually cracking your plumbing).

Having a hard time winterizing your plumbing system?  Give us a call!  Our highly trained plumbing technicians are here to help you with all of your home plumbing needs.  Call 585-216-3058 to contact our office or visit our website to learn more about the plumbing and remodeling services that we offer to the Rochester area.

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How to Winterize Your Plumbing System

Cold winter days are right around the corner.  While we know that the upcoming weeks leading up to the holidays and end of the year can be busy, it's important to set some time aside to winterize your plumbing system.  With a few quick, seasonal updates, you can prevent plumbing problems and keep your system running smoothly through this busy time of year!

Winterizing Tips:

• Insulate Your Pipes - Look around your home for any exposed pipes.  Any pipe that has cold air blowing on it has the potential to freeze.  Make sure that your pipes are well insulated (see photo).
• Keep Garage Door Closed - Keep the doors to your home closed and well insulated.  Make sure that there aren't any drafts.  This will help keep warm air indoors, and cold air outdoors.  You'll also save on your heating bills!
• Always Leave Your Heat On - If you're planning a holiday getaway, don't turn your heat off when you leave!  While we all are looking to save a little here and there, turning your heat off can cause the plumbing in your home to freeze.  This can cause cracks in your pipes and lead to serious plumbing problems.  Instead, you can turn the temperature on your thermostat down, but leave it at temperature of at least 55 degrees F.

If you run into any problems with your plumbing system, give us a call.  Our highly trained plumbing technicians can help get your system up and running in no time.  Call 585-216-3058 to contact our office or visit our website to learn more about the plumbing and remodeling services that we offer to the Rochester area.

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How to Prevent Flooding This Fall

Cool fall weather is perfect for getting your home improvement projects out of the way before the holidays hit.  Here are a couple of tips to help you prevent floods this fall and keep your home comfortable through the end of the year.

Flood Prevention Tips:

• Check Your Sump Pump - Do you have a sump pump in your basement?  Sump pumps help prevent flooding and keep your home and your belongings safe.  If you are planning any holiday getaways, make sure that you check your sump pump to make sure that it's working before you leave the house.
• Clean Out Your Gutters - With the leaves falling more and more each day, you want to make sure that your gutters are clear.  Your gutters are responsible for letting water run away from your home.  When the gutters are filled with leaves, the water can become stagnant and on colder fall and winter nights, it can freeze and expand and damage your gutters.

If you are looking to add a sump pump to your basement or you are having trouble with your plumbing, don't hesitate to give us a call!  Call 585-216-3058 to contact our office or visit our website to learn more about the plumbing and remodeling services that we offer to the Rochester area.

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Popular Kitchen Remodeling Trends

The kitchen is the heart of any home.  With the holidays right around the corner, many homeowners will be spending more and more time in the kitchen prepping for holiday meals and gatherings.  If your kitchen is outdated and unorganized, this can make prepping food difficult!  

It might be time to update your kitchen and create a space that works for your family's needs.  These popular trends will give you some design inspiration for you kitchen remodel.

Kitchen Remodeling Trends:

• Quartz Counter Tops - Quartz counter tops are in more demand than granite counters.  It is more durable and resistant to staining and unlike granite that needs to be sealed regularly, quartz counter tops require no continued maintenance.  
• Under Cabinet Lighting - Lighting underneath the cabinets helps keep your counter space well lit so that you can prepare foods comfortably.
• Specialty Cabinets - Spice pullouts, cabinets for canned goods, pan pullouts, tray dividers, stackable cutlery drawers and more!  

Looking to remodel your kitchen for the holidays?  Give us a call!  Our professional remodelers can help you create your dream kitchen.  Call 585-216-3058 to contact our office or visit our website to learn more about the plumbing and remodeling services that we offer to the Rochester area.

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