Archive for the ‘Kitchen Plumbing’ Category

Yes! Plumbing Helps Channel 8 News with Fix A Leak Week

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Did you know that those small leaks in your toilet, kitchen sink, or outdoor faucet can contribute to 10,000 gallons of wasted water in your home each year?  In order to raise awareness that household water leaks are a national problem, the Environmental Protection Agency  made this week Fix A Leak Week.  Dennis Thompson from Yes! Plumbing walks Sherry Swensk from Channel 8 News through a typical home to show viewers common leaks that could be affecting anyone’s plumbing.  Click on the video below to watch Dennis display where leaks occur and how to address them.

Throughout the video Dennis and Cherry discus how to identify leaks and easy ways of correcting them.  Here are a few images of areas that need plumbing maintenance throughout the home.

These are images from the Fix A Leak report on Channel 8.  Dennis and Sherry go over how to detect leaks occurring in your toilet, and how to fix them.  They also review how to fix common faucet problem in the kitchen and bathroom.  Dennis also points out an interesting fact that water used in most homes throughout the Las Vegas desert contains heavy minerals, causing this tap water to become hard water.  This hard water will contribute to the deterioration of pipes and plumbing fixtures throughout a home at an increases rate.  This abuse from hard water will increase home’s chances for springing a leak.

This final image is of a home’s water meter.  Dennis from Yes! Plumbing discusses how to detect if you have water leaks just by looking at this.  After you turn off all your water using appliances check your water meter and if the white triangle in the center of it is still spinning, that will indicate that you have a leak somewhere in your house.  If you have any questions about how to follow up on this test please call Yes! Plumbing for more information.

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Posted in Bathroom Plumbing, Kitchen Plumbing, Plumbing | Comments Off

Why is the Garbage Disposal in My Las Vegas Home “Humming”?

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

Ah, the garbage disposal: one of the greatest conveniences and frustrations of a Las Vegas kitchen. When it is working well, it seems like few things could be better than this magic machine that whisks away our gross garbage. But when it is on the fritz, there is nothing more annoying.

One common occurrence is the “humming” garbage disposal. You flip the switch to turn the disposal on, but instead of spinning up and sucking those coffee grounds away, it just makes a humming noise and doesn’t do anything. Definitely frustrating. The good news is that since it is making that humming noise, you may be in OK shape. Read on further kitchen plumbing tips.

There are two basic causes of the humming phenomenon. Let’s discuss the simpler one first.

Stuck Flywheel

Most of the time, the problem is as simple as a stuck flywheel. Usually this problem is identified by the brevity of the humming sound, as the garbage disposal will either reset itself or the circuit breaker will trip and the whole thing will shut down.

To fix a stuck flywheel, follow these steps:

  1. Shut down the power to the garbage disposal by shutting of the circuit breaker or pulling the fuse.
  2. Using an offset wrench (it came with the disposal unit, but you can buy a replacement at the hardware store), turn the flywheel clockwise to dislodge it.
  3. For a no-wrench fix, stick a wooden broom handle down the drain and into the disposal, then use that to manually turn the blades.

If the problem is just a stuck flywheel, that should take care of it. However, there is another, more sinister explanation for the humming sound.

Seized Motor Bearing

If your efforts to free the flywheel did not get the disposal working again, then you may have a seized motor bearing on your hands. A disposal with a seized motor bearing needs to be replaced. It’s as simple as that.

However, before you go ahead and assume the worst, it would not hurt to have a professional look at it. It is possible that the flywheel is just quite stuck and needs the touch of a pro. If not, call Yes! Air Conditioning & Plumbing, and we can go ahead and install a new unit for you.

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What Spring Valley Residents Need to Know About Point of Use Water Heaters

Tuesday, February 28th, 2012

For years, most Spring Valley residents have used the same system to heat their water. A single tank that heats and stores water at a set temperature for whenever it is needed. That system, as well as it works, is not very efficient, and with costs for gas and oil rising so much in recent years, many people are looking for better ways to heat their water.

That’s where point of use water heating comes in. These tankless water heaters are designed to heat your water when you need it heated instead of filling a tank of 50 or 60 gallons and heating it continuously even when you don’t.

How Point of Use Water Heaters Work

A point of use water heater works by directly heating the water supply to a single fixture. So, you would install a point of use water heater on your kitchen sink and only one water supply pipe would go to that heater. When you turn on the hot water faucet, the point of use heater would turn on (using electricity) and heat your water to 170 degrees F.

These devices only work on a single fixture at a time but they are much less expensive to purchase than a whole house tankless hot water system. Additionally, you can control where hot water is available.

The Advantages of Point of Use Hot Water

A tank hot water system can cost hundreds of dollars of year extra to run, especially if your family doesn’t use much hot water. Imagine what happens if you have four children that go off to college. Your “just big enough” tank suddenly becomes way too big and your bill stays unnecessarily high.

Point of use heaters allow you to decide where hot water is available and have instantly available hot water as you need it. The cost of the units and installation is affordable for most homeowners and you don’t have to commit to a whole house system if you are not ready.  If you have any questions about this topic please call Yes! Air Conditioning & Plumbing

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Troubleshooting Plumbing Problems in Mountains Edge

Wednesday, February 22nd, 2012

Plumbing may seem like a complex mystery for most Mountains Edge residents, but some common plumbing problems you can investigate yourself before calling in a plumber. Read on to see how.

Drainage Difficulties

Drains that don’t work right are a drag. Whether it’s a slow drain, a backed up drain, strange gurgling sounds emanating from a drain or unexplained wet spots on the lawn along the path of a drainage pipe, no one wants to deal with a messy drainage debacle.

However, if you are experiencing one of those problems, here are some steps to try in order to get to the bottom of it:

  1. Explore the extent of the problem. If it is just your kitchen sink that runs slowly or backs up, then you know it is localized, but if all your toilets are backing up, then that is probably a different kind of problem.
  2. If there is just one offending drain — as in the kitchen sink example — flush it with boiling water and/or white vinegar should be all the kitchen plumbing you will need. If necessary, you can also try a commercial drain clearing product.
  3. With a more general plumbing problem, it helps to determine the route along which the water is draining. See if you can figure out where the drain pipes run through your home, which can help you determine if the problem is somewhere along the drainage line.

Wasted Water

Has your water bill gone through the roof lately? This could be due to wasted water that you don’t even know about. Below are some  causes of wasted water and how to determine them.

  1. Dripping faucet or running toilet. This can be pretty obvious because they make noise, so listen up! Especially pay attention if the toilet runs sporadically at unexpected times.
  2. A leaky pipe. This culprit is trickier, so look for signs of water along your base boards, on the floor near plumbing fixtures and underneath sinks.
  3. If you still can’t find the culprit, check your water meter and note the reading. Then check it again in an hour to see how much was used. This piece of information can at lease clue you in to the extent of the problem.

These techniques aren’t foolproof and won’t help you determine 100% of problems, so don’t be afraid to call Yes! Plumbing if need be.

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Posted in Kitchen Plumbing, Plumbing, Yes! Plumbing | Comments Off