As many visits to homes that we make to repair plumbing issues, we sometimes find a really nice remodeled bathroom but look at the piping behind the walls and find nothing was changed or upgraded. This is also what a lot of “flippers ” do. These companies come in and are not licensed in plumbing and only do what is necessary to make the remodel pretty. While leaving the bones so to speak alone. This leaves home owners with a LARGE headache later when the ignored piping goes bad. In some cases the entire bathroom has to be ripped out to rectify the problem. It is always a good idea to ask about your existing pipes and what the “contractor” plans to replace. Having a licensed Master Plumber asses the plumbing system to see if re-piping is necessary. I really don’t enjoy seeing a homeowner in this situation, having to explain they were in a sense ripped off.

It’s that time of year again, soon you will want to do some spring cleaning. This will most likely involve your garden hose, so how well did you take care of your winterizing? Did you remove that garden hose from the spigot? If not you may have a burst pipe. When you turn on your hose faucet for the first time this spring make sure you check the inside pipe connection when it is turned on. This is when it will leak, when you turn on the valve. It is very important to remove the hose from the outside spigot, leaving it on will increase the chance’s of a frozen pipe burst. If you have any issues with your outside plumbing give us a call and we will be glad to help.

Water heater maintenance is there such a thing, I often get asked this. There is a way to flush out some of the mineral sediment that builds up over time in your tank. Is this something I suggest doing? Not usually, why don’t I suggest performing this task? Well anytime you open a valve at the bottom of a vessel holding gallons of water connected to your homes plumbing system there could be a problem. A piece of sediment can clog the drain valve and then you have an emergency plumbing call on your hands. If you feel you want to flush out your water heater call a professional plumber in to walk you through the process, we can also make sure you have the proper working valves needed to perform the job. After that if you feel comfortable doing the task then by all means do so, once a year should be helpful. You can also protect your water heater and other water using appliances in your home by installing a water softener or other proven method of water conditioning. So give us a call and lets do some preventative maintenance.

It’s the season for entertaining and unless you have a family full of bald uncles, your drains will be working overtime and will have you pulling your family’s locks out of your shower. Here’s what you can do to try and clear that hair clog without harsh chemicals.

While a tangled mess in your drain is better than having your relatives tangle at the dinner table, solving the problem with chemicals isn’t healthy for your pipes or the environment. In addition to hair, all the hair products soaps gels coloring and other concoction and potions your relatives brought to beautify attach to the hair clumping up an already hairy situation.

Instead of reaching for that ever popular chemical , the solution might be right in your cupboard.

Baking soda, is a natural compound that can dissolve mineral deposits, organic compounds and fight odor causing bacteria and fungus in your drains.

3 easy steps to try and unclog a drain:

This method will require baking soda, white vinegar, and hot water.

1. Measure one cup of baking soda and pour it down the drain. Then one cup of white vinegar and pour it down immediately following.
2. Watch for a fizz effect to start and wait for five minutes after it stops then flush with two quarts of hot water.
3. Repeat this process until the clog clears

For a stubborn clog or odor, try adding a half cup of salt and let the mixture stay in the drain overnight then flush with two cups boiling water in the morning.

The good thing is this method will not harm your pipes or the environment, and should be used as a regular maintenance process to prevent clogs and odors from occurring.

If this procedure fails the clog could be further down the pipe and that’s when you give us a call. John Schoeffling Plumbing has decades of experience with drains and all phases of plumbing repairs, and will be happy to help you out with your plumbing needs.

Its that time of year again, time to be careful of your plumbing that is susceptible of damage from freezing weather.  Removing your hose and putting a dab of water proof grease on the threads will prevent your frost proof type hose faucet from damage.  If you have a regular style hose spigot then further measures such as shutting off the water supply and properly draining the exposed portion of the faucet is necessary.  You should store your hose indoors and smear some water proof grease on the connectors to preserve them till next season.  I have seen an increase of low quality connectors being sold, and have in many cases  had to replace hose spigots because of inferior metals being used instead of brass.  The couplings become seized onto the threads and damage the valves.  Buying a quality made product will prevent this, if you think you have one of these putting water proof grease on the connection can also help.  If you need assistance with any type of winterizing  contact your local plumber for help.

Why are plumbers so expensive?

Was I just ripped off when the parts only cost “xyz”…..

Many of us have these question when it comes to hiring a plumber. So why does it seem like every small or large plumbing job will cost you an arm and a leg?

The key reasons you need to hire a licensed professional;

Some argue that plumbers save more lives than the average doctor. You’re probably wondering how I could say something like that keeping in mind both the very different job backgrounds. Well, if you take a look back in history the most deaths that occurred in the world started from people becoming gravely ill from diseases that were spread by poor or overall lacking sanitation and plumbing as well as contaminated water supplies. #blackplague

Professional plumbers, like myself, are part of the backbone of what runs and keeps our great cities going. Take a moment to really consider what you would do if you couldn’t shower, let alone a hot shower, couldn’t wash your hands or any of the dishes you eat off of every day. Not to mention everyone’s favorite bathroom pal, the toilet. You may also know this nifty invention by the names: “the John”, “the porcelain throne”, “the Lou”, or the more simple term used by those with more of a squeamish side, “the water closet”. These are all things we take immensely for granted today, but if they disappeared tomorrow we’d be shit outta luck. Plumbing as well as many other trade professionals, are jobs that are guaranteed to stay in our great cities and employ our younger future generations with an honorable career while at the same time bringing in a great salary. These are the jobs that can’t be shipped overseas or done with a half effort throw a bandaid on it standpoint.

Why not hire a handyman?

You may think that hiring a plumber with a business comes along with paying for the overhead that comes with it. While a handyman is cheap, and simple. While saving yourself a few bucks.

There is no shortage of disaster stories that have happened to people who have tried the handyman route. Try searching some stories on youtube yourself to see  some of the disasters first hand.

Do you have an old two or three handle shower or tub and shower valve?  Have you wanted to upgrade to a single lever valve, and worry about tile or wall repair cost?  There is a way around it.  Upgrading to a modern single lever gives you not only great  temperature control it also gives you positive hot and cold balancing.   If someone uses water or flushes a toilet while you are in the shower the temperature won’t change.  With a cover plate we can remove the old set up and install a modern comfortable shower experience for you and your family with out tile work.

Recently storms and rains have been abundant.  We have seen our share of home owners not prepared for  them.  Either they were depending on a very old sump pump and system, or had no back up in place for a power outage.   If your primary sump pump is older than 8-10 years old we suggest having a new pump installed.  If you have no back up in place you should have us look at your situation and see what type is right for your home.

Using a small business is a much more detailed oriented solution to repairs and remodeling.  And in the end your cost is much lower than paying that large company with huge overhead.  The down side may be that you have to wait a few days for your appointment,  but it will be well worth your patience.  In many case’s  working close with customers gives them what they want and need in keeping them happy with there homes plumbing system.  Too many times we see customers getting charged way over what it should cost to make a simple faucet install,  water heater install or a drain cleaning job.  So supporting small shops is not only good for your local plumber / neighbor,  but will save you money.

gas log 2018

Do you have a fire place in mind?  Are you wondering who do I call to run a gas line to a gas fire place.  Well a plumber can do this.  Many times I hear people say they never knew that a plumber does this.  We sure do, and we run them to gas bbq grills  also.