Treat your garbage disposal more kindly
Remember that garbage disposals aren’t garbage cans. Don’t put coffee grounds, fibrous vegetables, bones, pits, or other items that can damage the blades down the disposal. Never pour oils or grease down your disposal either, because once it cools, it will solidify. That will be bad. Always use full blast cold water from your faucet when using your disposal, and rinse it clean. Be nice to your garbage disposal and it’ll be nice to you.

A simple way to improve your style in your home may be just a change of fixtures. Shown here is a 1950’s harvest gold bathroom. By installing a new Gerber toilet in white and a Gerber porcelain white drop in bowl lavatory sink, and a chrome Moen faucet. This bathroom had a face lift that really was inexpensive, but made a huge impact. http://Gerber https://johnschoefflingplumbing.com/norristown-pa-plumbing-services/installation-faucets-sinks-toilets-bathroom-renovation-garbage-disposals-sump-pumps-instant-hots-dishwashers-and-ice-maker-supply-lines-installed/

Be smart when hanging shelves. Shown in this photo is a job where it turned out homeowner installed new pantry shelves, and anchored them into his drain pipe to the second floor. Looking in the basement and measuring to make sure there are no pipes in the wall you are working on can be all it takes. If those steps are taken it will make hitting a pipe less likely. Using a stud finder and locating studs can determine wall construction lay out also and can help with this. But all things said it can still happen. Try to locate if possible from the basement or use common sense if you know there is a bathroom over head there is likely to be pipes in the wall below. Just a helpful reminder from your local plumber close to you.

Too many times I see home improvements made and the old plumbing pipes are ignored. If you see something that doesn’t look right to you it most likely should be observed by your local plumber. Sometimes being observant can save you a lot of money. For instance I recently had a situation where a flooring contractor replaced a floor in a bathroom and the closet flange (this is the pipe that your toilet sits on) ended up being too high. If the toilet was pulled by a plumber this would have been addressed before it be came an issue. Look, no one wants to pull up a brand new floor to fix an issue that should have been addressed prior too it being installed. Or tear out a new tile job because a lead drain line was left in and is now clogged beyond repair. So remember to be observant, ask questions, and do the improvement right the first time.

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.