Past Issues of eNews
Below is some of the information we've pasted along in previous eNewsletters. We've selected a few of our tips from our previous issues, but of course we offer the best tips to our subscribers.
Please note, any mention of specials or pricing is no longer valid. Past issues are provided for information and reference only. Information provided is NOT intended to replace the knowledge of a professional.
Product Information: Remodeling Your Bathroom - Five Things You Should Know
4.27.2011 eNewsletter
Remodeling your bathroom or kitchen is a great way to update your home. Whether it is as small as simply updating fixtures & faucets or as ambitious as moving walls & adding useable space like cooktop islands, a remodeling project can be stressful. With twenty years in new construction & remodeling, here are a few things we think anyone thinking about a remodeling project should know.
1. Think Long Term - Remodel with your future needs as well as your current desires in mind. You don't want to be forced into another remodel to install grab bars to accommodate your elderly parents or spouse! Should you invest in an ADA compliant toilet to make it easier on your knees or are you more likely to have young children who would prefer the "shorter" toilet? Whatever your situation, taking a few minutes to think about how your needs might change can save you from needing another remodel in a few years.
2. Think Green - Be aware of the long term savings to your pocketbook and the environment which are available to you with today's green products. There are many products today that offer water savings without sacrificing comfort. Be sure to review all your options.
3. Consider Radiant Flooring - Nothing beats stepping out of the shower on to a warm tile floor. There is no better time to add this luxuary update than when you are planning on replacing the floor. Radiant floor heat is an affordable luxuary that you'll be thankful for every morning.
4. Hire Right – Getting the right general contractor makes all the difference in a project. Be sure to hire someone who has references that speak to their abilities to communicate with you, keep to a timeline & adhere to your budget.
5. Keep a Team Approach - Involve your contractors & designers in your thoughts. Getting opinions from multiple perspectives will result in the best design for you in the long run. A beautiful layout that can't be fixed when repairs are required is going to cost you unnecessarily in the long run. Beauty, function & future maintenance are key.
Maintenance Reminder: Identify Your Water Shutoff Valves
2.1.2011 eNewsletter
Water is a life source, but when it’s leaking in your home it’s more like a pain source. Just this week, we had a customer who couldn’t find her shutoff’s & thus sustained more damage to her home than necessary. In an emergency, the very last thing you want to do is struggle to find your water shutoff valves. We strongly encourage you to get to know your home & where the shutoff valves are located. In the event of a leak, this information can save you thousands in unnecessary water damage.
There are two types of shutoff valves – the main shutoff which controls the entire house & supply shutoff’s that control water to specific fixtures & appliances. While every home is built differently, the logic of these valves is usually similar. Supply shutoffs are found near the fixture or appliance. To see an example, take a look behind your toilet at the knob on the left side as you face the toilet (most toilets have these but certainly not all do). Yours could look like your water hose shutoff or more similar to a pull lever. If you can’t see a shutoff behind the toilet, check your other fixtures like your kitchen sink or laundry machine. These should have 2 - one for the hot; one for the cold.
If the leak is major, then sometimes the supply will not stop the water. You should know where the main shutoff valve is to turn all the water off to your house. The main shutoff is typically located near the water meter. Around here, the valve is typically inside in a basement. The shutoff will be on the water line coming into the house and will always be before the first fixture or appliance such as a water heater. As a starting point, check around your water main or in the mechanical area of your home.
If you have trouble finding these valves on your own, please have one of our plumbers label your shutoffs the next time we perform a service call. Knowing how to stop water from flooding your home can be an extremely useful piece of information & takes just a few minutes to understand.
Maintenance Reminder: Sewer Maintenance - Why You Should Keep Sewers On Your Mind
1.11.2011 eNewsletter
Weekly we get calls from customers wondering why their sewer is backing up “again”. While in extreme cases the sewer needs to be dug up, your sewer system isn’t something you should totally forget about. Every bit of water you use in your home – from your daily shower to the laundry to flushing toilets all of these run waste water through your sewer pipes. Waste, water, toilet paper & whatever else you might flush (even though we know that you know you should not flush anything else) runs through the sewer pipes. The tricky part is that it’s not just what you flush that you’ve gotta worry about . Roots make their way through the pipes too. The roots in the sewer piping catch things, especially toilet paper, causing the sewer to back up. Periodic maintenance of your sewer system, with rodding or chemical treatments, is the best way to prevent trouble. Since so many homes have finished basements filled with children's toys, computers & furniture, preventatively rodding as often as every 6 months is recommended to minimize the risk of backup.
Quick Fix Tip-o-the-Month: How to Properly Plunge a Toilet
1.11.2011 eNewsletter
A clogged toilet is no fun, but after this quick tutorial you can quickly & easily clear simple blockages. As with any job, first you need the right tools. When it comes to plunging a toilet, you need a plunger that has a cup to it vs. the half moon shaped ones. Enclosed is the picture of the style plungers you’d find in any plumber's home. With proper tools in hand, you want to approach the toilet at an angle so the extended cup of the plunger fits in the toilet's drain. Slowly push in and pull out as you feel the vacuum clearing the drain. When done right, you’ll actually feel the drain release. Remove the plunger & be sure to empty its contents into the toilet. We recommend twisting the plunger around as the cup can hold some water in it that you don’t want to end up on your floor.
Product News: Dirty Water & New Backflow Prevention Device Enforcement
10.5.2010 eNewsletter
Many of our customers have received letters from their local municipalities about backflow prevention devices, commonly referred to as RPZ's. Recentely thre has been a change in interpretation & enforcement on the requirements of a RPZ by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). THe new interpretation says a backflow device is required on any boiler over 200,000 but's - meaning in plain English, about 50% of the homes with hot water/radiator heat fall into the group required to have an RPZ & certify it annually. The reason the larger boilers require RPZ's is the larger boilers, especially commercially, have chemicals added that increase the threat of dirtying the water supply. While we don't believe our customers are at risk with the gual check valves that are already on most boilers, when working on a boiler we will need to meet state law requirements. If you have a pool, spa, irrigation system or hot water heating system to maintain compliance you should have an RPZ & annually certify it's properly working.
Product Spotlight: Two-In-One Toilet Seat for Potty Training
8.4.10 eNewsletter
Surprise your friends and
family with this unique baby
shower gift – a toilet seat
that has an embedded potty
training seat it in. No more
clunky plastic training seats,
the NextStep® Built-In Potty
Seat™ makes potty training
better for toddlers and parents.
The durable wood, two-in-one
toilet seat accommodates both adult and child users equally eliminating clutter. The seat's design features a built-in potty seat that recesses into the seat cover where it is secured magnetically when not in use.
Maintenance Reminder: Winter Tips to Keep Your Pipes from Freezing
1.14.10 eNewsletter
Ice is one of pipe's worst enemies. You can ward off the possibilities of frozen (or worse, burst) pipes with these winter tips.
1. Open Your Cabinets Closed cabinets can be up to 20 degrees colder than the air outside them
2. Keep the Temperature Above 65 degrees
3. Run Water On those really cold days, if you have pipes susceptible to freezing (i.e. pipes on outside walls or ones that have frozen in the past), keep a little water running. Running water cannot freeze (physics doesn’t allow it). You'd like to have a steady drip. If you can count the drips coming out of the faucet, you aren't running enough water. Beware, both hot and cold lines can freeze. Also, be aware, if you have your drain line going through an unheated garage, it is possible to have a drain line freeze. This can cause flooding in your home as well.
Quick Fix Tip 'O the Month: Sump Pump Discharge & Window Well Fixes
12.15.09 eNewsletter
With the temperature dropping, don’t forget to check your window wells discharge lines to make sure they are clear of
leaves and debris. Cleaning these areas of your home now can save you from dealing with frozen leaves obstructing
your lines and causing your home trouble in the future.
For those who haven't done this year, please remember to disconnect those outside hoses to prevent them from
freezing!
Quick Fix Tip 'O the Month: Thanksgiving Plumbing Preparation
10.29.09 eNewsletter
Things you can do to make your holiday run smoother
While Thanksgiving might not make you think of your
plumbing it should. Can you think of another time of the
year when you put more down your garbage disposal?
If your home is anything like ours, you spend days (if not
weeks) in preparation. Cleaning. Shopping. Cooking. Pulling
out the fine china. All so when people arrive at our home, it
feels like theirs. The absolute last thing you want to deal
with is your sink clogging, the heat not keeping up or the
basement taking on water. While it’s certainly not the most
glamorous thing about the holiday’s, taking some time to
prepare your plumbing can save you head- and heart-ache.
Sharpen Your Garbage Disposal Blades…
One great way to keep your kitchen disposal working at top
performance is to keep it's blades sharp. The quickest and
easiest way to do this is to fill your disposal with 15-20 ice
cubes, turn on the cold water and run the disposal. The ice
actually sharpens your disposal blades as it's worked
through the system.
…And Watch What You Put Down There to Begin With
The golden rule of disposals is to use plenty water before,
during and after grinding items in your disposal. Here are a
few other tips.
- Have you ever heard the old saying "It's like shoving 10lbs of potato in a 5lb sack"? Well, the adage can extend to your sink! Be careful what you try to shove down the disposal. Try disposing of small amounts of food (especially foods like potatoes, celery and lettuce).
- Items like grease and gravy are best disposed of in separate containers. If you choose to put them down your drain, be sure to use LOTS of water.
- Be careful with plastic ties and utensils. Frequently these items find their way into your disposal damaging the teeth and jamming the disposal.
Product Information: Buying a Toilet – Things You Need to Know
10.29.09 eNewsletter
Not too many people besides plumbers notice the
idiosyncrasies of toilets. They come in various shapes,
heights and rough plumbing sizes, and not all toilets flush
equally well. There are a number of factors you need to
consider when buying a toilet as they – despite our lack of
awareness – are not one size fits all!
- Distance from the Wall – This critical dimension is the most important factor when selecting a toilet. Toilets come in 10, 12 or 14 inch rough dimensions. Most are 12inches, but if your home has a different configuration you cannot install the toilet without repiping! Determining your rough is a simple process (we will walk you through the required measurement over the phone) but is an essential first step in the buying process. Think of it like shopping for shoes, if you are a size 8 and you get a size 10 shoe you’d never survive a day.
- Shape – Toilets come in round front or elongated front shapes. As their names suggest, the elongated front stretches out a bit farther. If you’re looking for a toilet for a small bathroom, be sure to take into consideration the distance between the toilet and the door.
- Height – Today’s toilets come in standard height and what is referred to as comfort height (formerly known as handicapped height). We’ve found that many of our customers prefer the comfort height as it’s easier on the knees. Of course, if you are on the shorter side the comfort height can leaving you feeling like your feet are dangling.
Let us help you select the right toilet for your home, style
and budget! If you are looking at getting a new toilet, give
us a call and Peg Mahoney can help you narrow your choices to toilets you’ll be happy with. Having helped hundreds of customers with their selections, Peg knows exactly what you need to look for when selecting a toilet. Call Peg at 847.432.0320 to get her help with your new toilet.
Quick Fix Tip 'O the Month: Preventing Toilet Clogs
9.21.09 eNewsletter
Often the most cost effective way to save money and avoid trouble on your plumbing, heating and cooling has more to do with consumer behaviors than anything else. Please remember the word disposable does not mean the same thing as flushable. Diapers are certainly disposable, but are almost guaranteed to clog your plumbing! While you may have gotten away with flushing some of these items in the
past, we strongly recommend against it. Some common things that clog toilet and sewers.
- Tampons and pads
- Condoms
- Whitening Strips
- Dental floss
- Band-Aids
- Q-Tips
- Hair
- Facial Wipes
- Baby wipes
- Paper towels
- and of course, the dreaded cell phone!
Maintenance Reminder: It’s Time for Your Heating System’s Maintenance
9.21.09 eNewsletter
Don’t get left out in the cold! Schedule your home heating system’s maintenance for the winter today. Maintaining your heating equipment can add years to its service life, not to mention the effects well maintained equipment can have on your utility bills. Plus, if you complete your maintenance before November 20, 2009 you can take advantage of
our pre-season discounted rates! To schedule your appointment, call 847.432.0320.
Quick Fix Tip 'O the Month: Frozen AC Units
7.27.09 eNewsletter
Sometimes air-conditioning units freeze up and literally form
ice on them. This is a common trouble. You can save money
by defrosting the unit yourself before the HVAC technician
arrives. This cuts down on the service call time and expense
because the technician doesn’t have to wait for the unit to
defrost. To help the unit defrost simply turn the air
conditioner off and turn the fan on. This will let the ice melt
and give our technician immediate access to the unit when
they arrive at your home.
Quick Fix Tip 'O the Month: Washing Machine Hose Connection
1.19.08 eNewsletter
Like most people, you probably don't think too often about the water connection to your washing machine. Heck, even some plumbers don't spend much time thinking of things like hose connections! Well, we are here to remind you that you should. We have seen tremendous damage to homes (particularly homes with second floor laundry areas) where the rubber hoses that bring water to washing machines have burst - most times without any warning. Check your hoses to see that the rubber has not worn down to paper-thin thickness (from friction and erosion) or that pressure has created a bubbling that looks similar to a water balloon ready to burst. Mahoney Plumbing urges you to take the time to check your hoses for these signs of stress and wear.
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Our North Shore and Chicago area services include: Highwood, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Glencoe, Winnetka, Bannockburn, Deerfield, Lincolnshire, Wilmette, Kenilworth, Northbrook, Northfield, Riverwoods, Buffalo Grove and Glenview, Illinois. We do travel outside these areas for new construction, remodeling and other services.
501 Bank Lane, Highwood, IL 60040 - PH 847.432.0320 - FX 847.432.0581 - Info@MahoneyPlumbing.com
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