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Save
money and help the environment by
checking your toilet & faucets |
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How do I test for a leaky toilet? |
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What can I do to maintain the sinks &
drains in my home? |
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I have soapy residue on my faucets what
can I do to remove this? |
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I had a flood of water in my home what
can I do to clean this up? |
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Common toilet troubles and how to fix
them. |
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Tank Fills, Water Still Runs
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Tank Doesn't Fill, Water Still Runs
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Toilet Won't Flush Properly
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Tank Fills Slowly or Noisily
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Condensation on Toilet Tank
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Leaks Under the Toilet Tank
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Want to save
money
and help the environment? |
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Check all interior faucets and toilets
and all outside hose bibs (where you
attach your garden hose). Minor drips
and leaks continuing 24/7 can add
significantly to your water bill.
Review your water bills for the last
several billing periods to see if
there are any unexplained changes in
consumption. Leaks get gradually worse
with time and the change in the bill
may not be noticeable from one billing
period to the next. |
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How do I test for a leaky
toilet? |
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Remove tank lid from toilet. Place
several drops of dark food coloring
into the tank, then wait for
approximately 30 minutes. If the color
in the bowl is darker in color, then
your toilet is leaking.
It is more cost effective to
repair your toilet and other leaks
than to allow your money to go down
the drain. |
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What can I do to maintain the sinks
& drains in my home? |
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In sinks or tubs where hair is washed, use a plastic
or metal "hair catcher" or screen to catch hair before
it gets into the drain.
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Don't pour grease down kitchen drains; pour liquid
grease from cooking into empty tin cans & set in
refrigerator until solidified; put can into tightly
closed plastic bag, wrap in newspapers & put into
trash bag.
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For grease buildup, dissolve 1 pound washing soda in 3
gallons of boiling water & pour down the drain. To
avoid burns from boiling water, hold water container
close to drain & pour slowly & directly into drain.
For heavy grease buildup, use an enzyme drain cleaner.
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Periodic use of a drain cleaner will prevent
accumulations in the pipe. Be sure to read & follow
directions on the container. Drain cleaners
are
very hazardous
so be very careful in using them.
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I have soapy residue on my faucets
what can I do to remove this? |
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Soapy gunk loves to settle on faucet spouts & handles. A
quick trick for chrome faucets & fixtures is to use
white wine vinegar. Soak a paper towel in the white wine
vinegar & squeeze out the excess. Wrap it around the
chrome fixture & wait 10 minutes. Take off the wet towel
& buff the chrome w/ a dry one. Be sure NOT to
use this method on brass or colored fixtures. While you
have the vinegar out, it also works to unclog sink
drains mucked up w/ soap residue and it is safer and
more environmentally friendly than chemical drain
openers.
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I had a flood of water in my home
what can I do to clean this up? |
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Mary Yearns, Iowa State University Extension housing
specialist has this to say about cleaning up a flooded
area:
After checking the structural safety of the area and
removing water & mud, use a coarse brush or long handled
broom to scrub down the floors, walls & ceiling.
"First, spray surfaces w/ lukewarm water to remove flood
residue," Yearns says. "Start w/ the floor, then move to
the bottom of the walls & work your way up. This will
lessen the chances of leaving muddy streaks on any
surfaces."
Next, use hot water w/ a heavy duty cleaner to scrub all
surfaces, again, starting at the bottom & working up to
the top.
A chlorine bleach solution may be used to remove odors
from areas that have been flooded. Follow up
w/ a rinse using a brush moistened w/ a solution of two
tablespoons chlorine bleach per gallon of water. Repeat
the scrubbing & rinsing until the odor is gone.
"You'll want to dry out the area, but if the outdoor air
is humid, don't open the windows to do it," Yearns says.
It's better to run central air conditioning or a
dehumidifier. These methods will remove moisture from
the basement air. Running a fan also will help dry
things out. |
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Common toilet troubles and how to
fix them. |
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Tank
Fills, Water Still Runs |
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Remove the tank cover & check the float arm. The
float arm & ball may be connected by an L-shaped
collar which lets you raise or lower the float
ball more easily.
Only about half the float ball should be below
water. When there's water in the float ball it
won't rise high enough to close the valve. Unscrew
the float ball & replace w/ a new one.
If lifting up on the float arm doesn't stop the
water, the washers on the intake valve may be
worn. Give
Gatell Plumbing
a call and we will be happy to replace this for
you. |
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Tank
Doesn't Fill, Water Still Runs |
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A running toilet may
be caused by a defect in the lift wire, the flush
ball or the flush valve.
Sometimes the lift wire & lift rod that raise &
lower the flush ball become corroded or bent.
Smooth the rough or corroded wire & rod w/ steel
wool or replace w/ new parts.
If the guide arm for the lift rod is not correctly
aligned, it will keep the flush ball from seating
directly over the ball seat. Loosen the setscrew
in the guide arm & move the guide back & forth
until the ball drops directly over the ball seat.
Tighten the set screw.
If the lift wire, rod & guide are operating
properly, a worn flush ball may be the problem. If
the rubber flush ball has hardened or is out of
shape, purchase a replacement ball & screw it onto
the end of the lift rod. You may wish to purchase
a flapper-type replacement for the tank ball. The
flapper unit has a long life-span & quieter flush
than the conventional flush ball. Follow
manufacturer's installation instructions.
If you need assistance
with this installation be sure to call
Gatell Plumbing
and we will provide you with prompt courteous
service. |
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Toilet Won't Flush Properly |
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If the
toilet handle must be held down to complete the
flushing action, first check the trip lever. The
lever is set at a slight angle inside the tank so
that it can operate w/out scraping the tank side,
the overflow tube or the intake valve. If the trip
lever isn't moving freely when you flip the
handle, slightly bend it toward the center of the
tank. As you bend it, use one hand to hold-the
lever in place where it joins the handle.
A second place to check is the lift wire. It may
not be raising the flush ball high enough & the
outrushing water may be pulling it back down too
quickly. Simply bend the lift wire enough to
shorten it. The shorter lift wire will hold the
flush ball out of the way of the rushing water.
An inadequate flush can also be caused if the
float ball is adjusted too low to allow a full
tank of water. Bend the float arm upward to
correct this. The water level in most tanks should
be 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the top of the overflow
pipe.
Occasionally, clogged outlet ports around the
underside of the bowl rim may cause an inadequate
flush. Scrub the ports w/ a wire brush to free
them of sediment or mineral buildup.
If none of these
helpful hints seem to do the trick, call
Gatell Plumbing
and we will put our 24 years of plumbing
experience to work for you. |
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Tank
Fills Slowly or Noisily |
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First,
check the water supply valve under the tank. It
may be open only part way. Open the valve
completely to let a full stream of water flow into
the tank.
A tank refill tube that is too short may be
causing the toilet noises. One simple solution is
to use a piece of rubber or plastic tubing
slightly larger in diameter than the refill tube &
about 6 to 8 inches in length. Slide the tubing
about two inches over the end of the refill tube.
The free end of the hose that you've added will
deposit water silently on the bottom of the tank. |
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Condensation on Toilet Tank |
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Condensation usually occurs on the tank surface as
a result of cold tank water & warmer room air. A
simple solution is to add a tank cover to the
outside of the tank.
Another method is to install an insulating liner
inside the tank. Kits are available from the
plumbing supply stores. Follow manufacturer's
installation instructions.
Another way of stopping condensation is to install
a mixing valve which adds a little warm water to
the cold water entering the tank. This raises the
temperature of the tank water. This device can be
installed by the pro's at
Gatell Plumbing.
Call us for your plumbing appointment. |
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Leaks Under the Toilet Tank |
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A leak
at the outlet or where the outlet pipe joins the
bowl may require removing the tank. This is not
a job for the inexperienced home repair person.
Call
Gatell Plumbing
to make sure this job gets done right. |
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