But what causes clogged drains and pipes? We like to teach our customers how to prevent future plumbing problems, so we’ve offered this short guide on protecting your drains and pipes.

Common Causes Of Clogged Drains And Broken Pipes

Clogged drains and pipes can mean big problems, especially for businesses that rely on good plumbing function. A clogged drain or broken pipe is never good news, but it’s even worse news when you own a restaurant and are in the middle of rush hour or own a hotel and find out you’ve got flooding problems.

Clogged pipes are often caused by:

• Grease
• Hair
• Inappropriate items being flushed down pipes
• Food scraps
• Floss
• Diapers
• Sanitary products
• Tree roots that break the pipes and clog the pipes while wasting water

How To Protect Your Drains And Pipes

You can protect your drains and pipes by doing the following:

• Post a list of what is appropriate to put down the drain
• Post a list of what is appropriate to put down the garbage disposal
• Post a list of what is appropriate to put down a toilet
• Make sure your family, employees and patrons can see the lists
• Keep an eye on your water bill and look for signs of leaks (water bill spike)
• Monthly perform a hot water cleanse of your drains (using boiling water)
• Protect your drains with grates
• Clean the grates on your drains often
• Institute hourly drain and restroom checks so you can keep an eye on potential plumbing problems before they escalate

What To Do If You Have A Clogged Drain

If you’ve got a clogged drain, you can follow the steps listed here to try to unclog the drain by yourself. If you can’t safely unclog the drain on your own, call us and we’ll clear your drains and pipes immediately.

Let ER Plumbing Help You

Here at ER Plumbing, we are leak detection specialists and clogged drain specialists. We can handle leak and clogged drain problems of any magnitude. We can handle:

• Residential clogged drains
• Commercial clogged drains
• Residential leaks in pipes
• Commercial leaks

When Should I Replace My Hot Water Heater?

Of course the obvious answer is you need to replace your hot water heater when you are no longer getting any hot water, but wise homeowners replace their hot water heaters before they give out entirely. Why is this?

• The average conventional (tank) hot water heater only works at full efficiency for 10-12 years
• Once the heater ages, its efficiency drops, meaning you may be paying a lot more than is necessary to get the hot water you need
• If you haven’t maintained your heater, it may give out or stop working at optimal levels a lot sooner than if you’ve been performing annual maintenance
• You may stand to save a great deal of money if you switch from your old, inefficient hot water heater to a tankless water heater

But How Do I Know If I Should Replace My Hot Water Heater Now?

The following are good indicators that it’s time to replace your hot water heater now:

• You’re not getting enough hot water to meet your family’s needs
• Your heater is over ten years old (check the date on the tank)
• You want to save money on energy savings (for example, switching to a tankless hot water heater can save you up to 50% on your energy costs)
• You want to take advantage of a rebate or offer (keep up with tax credits and rebates for water heaters by checking these two sites: Energy Star and Energy Savvy)

What Maintenance Should I Perform To Extend The Life Of My Hot Water Heater?

To keep your hot water heater working at optimal capacity, you need to:

• Annually drain your tank and flush the sediment from the tank
• Change the anode rod once every three years

How Big Of A Hot Water Heater Do I Need?

Here at ER Plumbing, we’re experts at calculating out what size and type water heater will best serve your family’s needs. Check out our simple hot water size calculator post and contact us for a consultation. We’ll show you all your options and help you choose the right hot water heater for your long term needs.

Contact ER Plumbing – The Charlotte Hot Water Heater Specialists

Get Out Your Camera

You might think this is crazy, but the first thing you’ll want to do is to take a photo of the tag on the well pipe (that metal plate you see that has the well depth, water level, and other important information on it) so you have this information on hand. It’s good to know how old your well is and what the well depth is in case you have problems with your well in the future.

Prepare The Pipes

Your pump is actually deep down inside your well, so you’ll actually be looking at an extension of the well casing and the associate pipes. You’ll need to measure the length of the pipes that are exposed (out of the ground) so you can insulate them. If the pipes are somewhat frozen already, use a hair dryer to warm them up and then use an old towel to wipe them down.

Insulate The Pipes

You can use one of many types of insulation. Some people like foam pipe insulation, but others cut up old sweatshirts or a thick fabric like sweatshirt material or a thermal blanket. If you use sweatshirt material, be sure to wrap it twice (double thickness) to make sure the pipes are insulated enough. Use heat tape to attach the material or insulation around the pipes and to keep it secured.

Install A Heat Lamp

Now you’ll want to install a heat lamp inside the well house. You’ll need to plug it in, so be sure to use outdoor-safe extension cord to connect the lamp to the electrical outlet. The heat lamp will keep the well nice and warm.

Cover The Well

Cover the well with one of the following:

• An insulated, preconstructed well cover (you can find fiberglass rocks or well houses for sale at hardware stores)
• A trash can (better yet, a trash can within a trash can, with insulation in between the two cans)
• A brick well house
• A framed well house
  

If Your Well Is Frozen

Try thawing the pipes with a hair dryer. Check to see if the well is still working. Unfortunately, frozen pipes can cause the pipes to shut off tightly, which can ruin a submersible pump. If your pump is not working or you have a broken pipe that is now leaking, call us right away for a consultation.

Here’s a copy of our February newsletter:

February, 2012 Like our Facebook page and enter your name and email before March 15th and you’ll be entered in our drawing for an iPad2! ER Plumbing is giving away an iPad2 as a way to thank our loyal customers and increase our visibility in the Charlotte area. Simply click on this link, which will take you to our Facebook page, like our page if you haven’t already by clicking the “Like” button, and enter your name and preferred email. This will enter you into the drawing for an iPad2. You may wonder why you need to fill in your name and email once you’ve liked our Facebook page, and the reason is in order to comply with Facebook terms and conditions. New Plumbing Tips And Plumbing Q&A Column Here at ER Plumbing Services, we have launched an online initiative designed to ensure that plumbing information, tips and resources are readily available for families and businesses. We have reconstructed our website to provide a plumbing blog, Facebook posts, and Twitter updates to answer questions like: How do I know if I need a water filtration system? Why are my pipes making noises?. How can I safely unclog a blocked drain? What maintenance should I perform on my commercial plumbing system? How do I choose a new hot water heater? How can I detect a leak in my water or sewer pipes?. What is that leaky shower costing me? We are addressing these topics through weekly blog posts. The blog posts will be archived on the site by category. Links to the blog posts will be posted on our Facebook page, so you’ll get to see what questions are being addressed.Visit our blog New ASK DAVE Question And Answer Column We’re also about to a launch our new ASK DAVE question and answer column. Dave has thirty years of experience as a Charlotte plumber, and he’s eager to answer your plumbing questions. Post questions on our new ASK DAVE column and Dave will give you expert advice. In summary, we are striving to make this the most comprehensive and accessible consumer information knowledgebase provided by the plumbing industry. Thank You For Supporting ER Plumbing Services! $69 Off Gas Log Installation $25 Off Any Plumbing Service $200 Off Tankless Water Heater Installation Please take a moment and let others know how you feel about ER Plumbing Services! Proudly Servicing The Following Cities: Waxhaw, NC Weddington, NC Matthews, NC Pineville, NC Wesley Chapel, NC Concord, NC York, SC Davidson, NC Mint Hill, NC Indian Trail, NC Indian Land, SC Cornelius, NC Denver, NC Fort Mill, SC Gastonia, NC Harrisburg, NC Huntersville, NC Kannapolis, NC Lancaster, SC Locust, NC Marvin, NC Mineral Springs, NC Monroe, NC Mooresville, NC Charlotte, NC Mount Pleasant, NC Mount Holly, NC Rock Hill, SC Stallings, NC Stanley, NC Tega Cay, SC

Forward email This email was sent to tekspire@gmail.com by plumbingserviceser@gmail.com | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. ER Plumbing Services | 648-C Matthews Mint Hill Rd | Matthews | NC | 28105

We hope this drawing will attract new viewers to our blog and our upcoming ASK DAVE column. Please share this news with your friends and neighbors and let them in on the news. We appreciate your support and patronage!

Where do we use the most water? We actually use the most water flushing toilets and taking showers and baths. However, you can reduce this tremendous water usage significantly if you switch to low flow shower heads and low flow toilets.

How Much Water – And Money – Can You Save By Switching To Low Flow Showerheads And Low Flow Toilets?

The simple answer is a lot. Enough to pay for the switch, that’s for sure.

The long answer is this: you can save up to 4 gallons of water per minute by switching to a low flow shower head. While you’re at it, install a shower timer to help your family limit time in the shower. Teach women and girls to turn off the shower while shaving legs or waiting for conditioner, and encourage your family never to leave the shower running for extra time.

Switching to a low flow toilet or low flush toilet will save you up to 60% of the water used to flush toilets—which is significant, considering that’s where most of your water usage probably is.

To look into saving money, low flow shower heads, and low flow toilets, call ER Plumbing Services. Our trained Charlotte plumbers know exactly how to save you money (and save the environment at the same time). We’ll give you plenty of information on all your Charlotte low flow shower head options and will check for leaky shower heads, leaky toilets, and leaky pipes while we’re there. We’ll help you determine if your plumbing is working at optimal capacity and will support you as you make money-saving plumbing choices.

ER Plumbing Services – Serving the Charlotte area with pride.

• High water bills
• High energy bills
• Lost time or business
• Poor business (if not enough hot water or unpleasant restroom facilities)

What Do Our Maintenance Crews Do?

Our trained Charlotte plumbers will check your place of business with:

• Advanced leak detection
• Sewer pipe cleaning and clearing
• Pipe insulation, replacement, and checks
• Routine cleaning of pipes and drains
• Inspections of restrooms
• Replacement of faulty toilets, sinks, faucets
• Maintenance on hot water heaters to extend life and service capabilities
• Water purification
• Water main issues
• Large scale flood prevention and clean up

Our trained Charlotte plumbers know how to spot problems before they shut your business down or impact your quality of business. If you don’t have a Charlotte plumbing maintenance contract for your business, you’re risking a big outage or loss of business. Let ER Plumbing Services check out your local business and help you perform necessary plumbing maintenance to prevent a plumbing emergency.

Hot Water

Believe it or not, hot water can unclog a drain. Boil water on the stove and carefully pour hot water into the drain. Give it some time to see if it works, and then try again. Be careful not to get too much water backed up in the sink, toilet, or tub.

Plunge The Clogged Drain

Your toilet plunger is good for more than plunging your toilet!

• Put on rubber gloves and goggles (to protect yourself from anything that might spurt up.)
• Check out any connected sinks that might send dirty water shooting up out of their drains. (This is especially important if you are clearing a kitchen sink with two sinks). Cover the drains.
• Use the plunger to gently break up the clog. Plunger repeatedly, being careful not to send dirty water shooting up anywhere.

Snake The Clogged Drain

Using a short snake, try to excavate the clogged drain. Be careful not to force the snake as you don’t want to break any pipes or break off the snake inside the pipe or drain.

Call A Plumber

If you can’t clear the clogged drain using hot water, a plunger or a short snake, you will want to turn the job over to a professional. Why wouldn’t you want to rent or buy snaking equipment or use chemicals? We’ll tell you why:

Avoid Serious Injury

Plumbing jetters and snakes are powerful pieces of equipment; the better ones can cause serious injury or damage if used improperly. Don’t put yourself or your family members at risk. Instead of wasting your money on equipment you’ll only use once (and possibly use improperly, injuring yourself), let a plumber who has been trained in on the equipment and who has much higher grade and more powerful equipment take care of the problem for you.

Avoid Chemical Burns

A large percentage of chemical burns reported in emergency rooms are due to misuse of drain cleaners. This is because drain cleaners are made from lye and sulfuric acid, which can easily burn skin, cause blindness, or even kill you, if ingested.

Chemical drain cleaners usually don’t work, which means you’ll just have a clogged drain full of caustic chemicals when the plumber arrives or when you try to plunge or snake the drain. Chemical drain cleaners put you, your family, and our plumbers at risk. Please avoid using drain cleaners and let a professional unclog your drain safely and effectively without putting anyone at risk.

Learn How To Prevent Clogged Drains

If you learn proper drain care, you’ll prevent the problem in the first place. Here at ER Plumbing of Charlotte NC, we are committed to educating you as to how to clean your pipes and keep your drains clog-free. Peruse our blog posts for details on how to keep your drains clear and other plumbing advice.

ER Plumbing Services of Charlotte NC is equipped to handle commercial clogged drains and residential clogged drains. Give us a call for an estimate and prompt service, 24/7, any day of the week. We’re drain and pipe specialists!

Signs You Need a Water Softener

You might want to invest in a water softener if:

• You have calcium build ups in your appliances or pipes (scale)
• You have water hardness stains on your shower, tub, toilets, or sinks
• You notice shampoo don’t wash out of your hair well
• You’ve noticed that soap does not wash off your body well
• You conducted a hard water test and found out you have hard water

Signs You Need a Water Filtration System

You might want to invest in a water filtration system if:

• Your water tastes bad
• Your water smells bad
• Your water is an odd color
• You find sediment or particles in your water
• Your water has a chlorinated smell to it
• You conduct a water quality test and realize your water quality is not very good (See here for details on Charlotte water quality)

What a Water Softener Does

Water softeners reduce the amount of mineral build up in your water. There are two kinds of water softeners available—those that use salt and those that are salt-free. We’ll explain the pros and cons of both kinds of water softeners as you make your decision.

What a Water Filtration System Does

Water filtration systems use carbon-based filters to remove impurities and sediment from your water. Water filtration systems also counteract chemicals such as chlorine and chlorine byproducts, both of which have been linked to increased incidences of cancer and other health complications. (Read up on the government’s recommendation for use of water filtration systems here.)

Let ER Plumbing Help

ER Plumbing Services of Charlotte, NC has been helping people determine what their water quality needs are for over two decades. Let us help you decide if you need a water softener or if you need a water filtration system. We’ll explain the benefits and will showcase all your options, from a variety of price ranges and models. You’ll end up with higher quality water at an affordable price.

Check With Your Municipal Water Supplier

If you’re on city water, just check with your water supplier to find out what the water hardness of your water is.

Perform a Water Hardness Test

If you’re not on a municipal water system, you can buy a water hardness testing kit from a pool supply store or you can send your water in to a water quality company for a test. You should expect to pay between $10-$20 for such a test.

How to Read Water Hardness Test Results

The test will give you a result that reads as grains of hardness in every gallon of water (recorded as “gpg”). The grains of hardness refers to how much calcium, magnesium, or other mineral sediment is found in the water. You want your test to show less than .5 grains of hardness per gallon, but really, you shouldn’t be concerned unless your test results say you have over 3.5 grains of hardness per gallon. Anything over 10 grains is extremely hard water and requires immediate attention for sure.

Why is Hard Water a Problem?

Hard water can lead to a variety of problems, including scale build up, which can clog pipes and appliances. It can also leave build up on skin, hair, shower stalls, tubs, sinks, and toilets. Sometimes hard water leaves stains and deposits on appliances, clothes, and sinks, showers, tubs or toilets.

What Should You Do If You Have Hard Water?

It’s advisable to invest in a water softener if you have hard water. You’ll experience more pleasant showers, better hair, improved clothes washing, and will extend the life of your plumbing system and your appliances. We’ll be covering the details of water softeners in the next couple blog posts, so be sure to read up on what kinds of water softeners are available and how water softeners work. If you have any questions about water softeners in general, contact us here at ER Plumbing and we’ll give you our professional advice on water softeners and water filtration systems right away.

Here at ER Plumbing Services, we’re committed to helping you take good care of your home. We’ll offer free tips throughout the year that will remind you to change those filters, drain that water heater, and prevent drain clogs. We also provide tips for do it yourself projects and how to determine when you need a professional to help you tackle that home improvement project. Visit our blog regularly to stay up on the latest in home maintenance. Shoot us questions if you have them; we’ll do our best to answer questions as they come in.

ER Plumbing Services’ New Year’s Resolutions

Our promises to you:

In 2012, we will serve you promptly.

In 2012, we will provide top notch service at fair prices.

In 2012, we will remain open and available to solve your emergency plumbing needs, 24/7, including holidays.

In 2012, we will provide you with the most comprehensive and accessible plumbing tips and information available on the web, here on our blog.

Plumbing New Year’s Resolutions to Make

This year, we want to encourage you to take good care of your plumbing system. The following are a few resolutions you might want to make because they’ll save you money and prevent plumbing problems:

In 2012, we will not put vegetable peels, grease, or meat products down the garbage disposal.

In 2012, we will not flush anything but toilet paper and waste down the toilet.

In 2012, we will drain our hot water heater and flush the sediment from the tank.

In 2012, we will deal with any leaks (showerheads, toilets running, irrigation system breakage) right away.

In 2012, we will insulate any exposed pipes.

ER Plumbing Services New Year’s Wishes For You

Thank you for letting us serve you in 2011. We hope to serve you even better in 2012!

Happy New Year!