The toilet is a vital piece of functional plumbing in your home. You can’t get along without one! But you also shouldn’t tolerate having an old toilet that’s starting to have chronic repair issues or is wasting water. Like any fixture or appliance in a household, a toilet isn’t designed to last forever. At some point, you’ll want to have professional plumbers take out the old one and install a new one. When is it time to take this step with your bathroom plumbing? We have some tips below.
Ken Neyer Plumbing, Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category
When Should I Replace the Toilet in My Bathroom?
Monday, November 27th, 2017Threats to Your Kitchen Sink Drain
Monday, November 13th, 2017
November and December are months of the year when professional plumbers are busier than usual. And the reason is a straight-forward one: kitchen plumbing is almost “under assault” during this time because of the holidays: the feasting, the cooking, the guests. Kitchens are at their busiest at the end of the year, and no part of the kitchen plumbing is in as much danger as the drainage system (which includes the kitchen sink disposal as well as the drain).
We’re always ready to help you when you need kitchen sink plumbing assistance. But we also have families and we understand that nobody wants their holiday feasting interrupted because of a clogged up kitchen drain or busted disposal. So to help you avoid these hassles in the first place, we’re going to take a closer look at what threatens your kitchen sink drain. The more you know, the less likely you’ll run into an untimely plumbing emergency.
A Reminder about Your Garbage Disposal and the Holidays
Tuesday, October 24th, 2017
The last three months of the year pack in the holidays close to each other, and parties and feasts are a big part of all of them. You’ll probably do a good share of entertaining at your home during the end of the year, and we want to remind you about how to best treat your garbage disposal during the festive season. One tough Thanksgiving dinner can wipe out a sink disposal that’s already has a few years behind it. But if you’re careful, there’s no reason you shouldn’t have a disposal that keeps pace with you through to the New Year—and beyond.
Make the Switch to a Low-Flow Toilet
Tuesday, August 1st, 2017
What appliance in your home uses the most water per year? You’d likely guess “the shower,” but that’s not correct. (Unless you take ridiculously long showers—which you should stop doing right away!) No, the correct answer is “the bathroom toilet.” The toilet accounts for 40% of all indoor water use. This means that a toilet that uses too much water is the biggest source of household water waste. If you have an older toilet (more than 20 years), we recommend looking into having it replaced with a special low-flow model, also known as a low-flush toilet. But a low-flow toilet is also a good idea as a replacement for newer standard toilets. The difference in water use is still significant.
How to Catch Plumbing Troubles Early
Monday, July 10th, 2017
Prevention is always better than having to deal with a plumbing repair problem as it happens. If you can catch a plumbing issue early, you’ll be able to avoid both a costlier repair job down the road and major consequences that can lead to water damage in your house or vital fixtures (such as the toilet) no longer working.
It’s easy to say you should try to find plumbing problems as early as possible. It’s another thing to be able to do it! But that’s why you have professional plumbers like us around! Below are some tips for preventing plumbing troubles in Cincinnati, OH and throughout the Greater Cincinnati Area.
Why Your Toilet Won’t Stop Running
Monday, June 26th, 2017
There are sounds you expect to hear from appliances and fixtures in your house, and you know how long these sounds should continue. For example, after a toilet is flushed, you should hear the sound of running water for about a minute afterwards. This is water coming from the feed line to fill up the tank to a set level, ready to rush down into the bowl for the next flush.
But if the sound of running water continues for more than a minute after the flush, there’s something wrong. Often, all it takes to correct the problem is to jiggle the handle or flush the toilet a second time. If the issue persists, there’s something wrong in the tank or elsewhere in this vital fixture that will need to be repaired. For your bathroom plumbing in Cincinnati, OH and the surrounding areas, we’re the plumbers to contact for the job. We have 24-hour emergency service available—and trouble with a toilet often counts as an emergency!
Knowing How to Shut Off Your Water in an Emergency
Monday, June 5th, 2017
A plumbing mishap can range from small leaks and clogs to major water damage from a busted pipe. All plumbing issues require attention, but flooding from a broken pipe is one that creates a justifiable sense of panic in homeowners. Water damage can add up to thousands of dollars in repair costs and lead to the loss of irreplaceable valuables.
In case of a broken pipe emergency, you need to know how to shut off the water in your household and stop the problem at its source. Then contact professional plumbers to handle the repairs and turn the water back on when they’re finished.
Piping Materials the Modern Professionals Use
Monday, May 15th, 2017
Pipes are what most people think of when they hear the word “plumbing.” This makes sense. Pipes are the essential part of what plumbing is, the transportation of water, sewage, and gas from one place to another.
Since piping has a long history, there have been many different materials used to construct it, such as clay pipes back in the Bronze Age. (Clay, although better than Bronze Age era clay, was also common through the first half of the 20th century.) The piping materials used up to 1970 were usually cast iron, galvanized steel, and lead. These have fallen from favor, especially lead because of the toxicity it can add to fresh water. These materials are also prone to corrosion, which is why older homes often need to have water and sewer line replacements.
The modern plumber has superior piping materials available. Below are some of the materials we use for working on piping in Cincinnati, OH and the surrounding areas:
Is Your Sump Pump Ready for Spring Flooding?
Monday, March 13th, 2017Spring is coming up soon, and we’re already experiencing warmer weather here in Cincinnati—although these warmer temperatures are also coming with rains and thunderstorms. The change between seasons from winter to spring is when flooding presents the biggest danger to homes. Snowmelt and stormy weather can mean water entering your home’s basement or crawlspace, causing expensive water damage and creating an environment where mold and mildew develop.
This is where a sump pump is invaluable. A sump pump turns on automatically to pump out excess water that flows into the lower parts of a home. This water is pumped out to the waste water system or into a well. If you don’t have a sump pump in your home, we encourage you to contact our professional plumbers to arrange for this service. If you do have a sump pump, look below to find out how to prepare it for the season of flooding.
A Look at the Different Types of Well Pumps
Monday, March 6th, 2017
Not every home has the benefit of a connection to the municipal water system to bring potable water into the household plumbing. These homes instead use a ground well.
If your home’s plumbing relies on a ground well, there are a number of crucial components in place necessary for it to work. One of these is the well pump. Unless you walk out to the well daily with a bucket to draw out the water you need, the water in the well won’t reach your house without the action of a well pump. And not just any pump will do: there are different models to match with different well depths.
We’re going to take a closer look at the different types of well pumps commonly used for residential ground wells. Finding the model that fits your home’s needs when it’s time to either install a pump for a new well or replace an aging pump is a job to leave to professional plumbers. You can depend on our skilled plumbers for a great new well pump installation, as well as future repairs and maintenance.