Expert advice from our plumbers in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach and Newport News
Winter time in Hampton Roads can be as cold as many other places across the nation and so keeping informed on tips like those mentioned below can help your plumbing run smoothly. Many of the issues seen by our plumbers in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News, Hampton, Williamsburg, Yorktown, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Tabb, Grafton, Smithfield, and James City County could have been prevented with proper maintenance.
When winter is just around the corner, it usually means plumbing problems are bound to creep up without much notice. When pipes are exposed to cold weather and your plumbing system is strained by the many guests staying in your home during the holidays, sometimes an emergency situation comes up and you need a trusted plumber quickly.
Potential Problems to be Aware of
In the Kitchen:
- Never pour meat fat or oil down the drain after cooking a meal. Once oil and fat enters the drain, it solidifies and clogs up the system. Always wipe grease from pots and pans and properly dispose of them.
- When putting food into the disposer, avoid tough foods that don’t break down easily like celery, banana peels, carrots, pumpkin pulp, and tough animal parts like bones and some types of skins. These foods will quickly clog your drain and may even break the blades in the disposer.
- After breaking down food in the disposal, run cold water down the drain for approximately 15 seconds. The cold water will help the waste flush down the drain easier.
- Only run the washing machine and dishwasher at night or during odd hours to save energy and retain warm water for your house guests.
In the Bathroom:
- Try to spread out shower times. Some guests are early risers, others like to sleep in. Having a line of people waiting on the shower at the same time is a fast way to drain your hot water heater. Also, shorter showers are easy when people are on a schedule. Encourage everyone to speed up their shower time - 10 minutes is often sufficient and you won’t waste money on many an active hot water heater.
- Turn up your water heater to conserve hot water. Never turn it up more than 125 degrees F.
- If you need a remedy for weak water pressure, try pouring a cup of vinegar into a plastic bag and place the bag over the shower head for soaking. To hold it in place, tie a twist tie around it and keep it there overnight. When morning comes you can remove the bag and use an older toothbrush to scrub off mineral deposits. Gently removing the mineral deposits will improve the water flow.
- Always keep a trash can in your bathroom so guests can dispose of their trash. The toilet should never be used as a trash can and doing so will clog it up. You should never let anyone flush diapers, facial scrub pads, hair, cotton swabs or balls, or sanitary products down the toilet, as it will clog the toilet and possibly flood.
If you have a plumbing emergency or would like your plumbing properly winterized, please call us at (757) 467-0000 or click here to email us. Let us show you why our customers call us the best plumbers in Norfolk, Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Newport News and Hampton Roads.
More about our plumbers in Norfolk
Since 1987, A-1 Sewer & Drain Plumbing & Heating has consistently served the commercial and home plumbing needs of satisfied customers in Hampton Roads. With nearly 30 years of work to our credit, our Norfolk plumbing company is extremely proud of its A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau. Our Class A Contractor plumbing company and its plumbers in Norfolk have more than 260 years of combined plumbing, drain, and water heater replacement experience, which means we’ve seen it all – the good, the bad and the ugly – and we will solve your plumbing problem with integrity and professionalism.
