Five Quick Plumbing Fixes

It’s Saturday morning. It’s been an exhausting week and you were out late last night. You decide that a hot shower is just what you need, so you shuffle your way sleepily to the bathroom and turn the shower faucet on.

The familiar spitting sound reminds you, almost with insult, that you’ve been meaning to call a plumber for two weeks! Now it’s weekend, and you know there’ll be a weekend surcharge if you call one now!

Dang.

Instead of taking yet another low-pressure, completely un-satisfying shower, read up on some simple plumbing hacks to help you maintain your home, and also avoid unnecessary fees for a plumber.

Quick Plumbing Fixes: Low Pressure in the Shower

We’ll help you with that spitting shower first – the good news is that it’s likely caused by a build-up of scale, which is a fairly easy problem to solve:

Before you do anything, switch the water off at your main inlet.
Remove the shower head, and the plate.
Soak the shower plate in a descaling agent for several hours. We recommend white vinegar.
Rinse the plate and reassemble the shower.
Enjoy! (Remember to switch the water supply back on)

If you’re unsure about what you’re doing, Clovis Plumbing Services is available to meet your needs.

Unclogging a Sink Drain

A clogged drain is a common problem in any normal household – it’s certainly worth it to try to solve the problem independently, without a plumber. And it’s actually kinda fun:

Pour hot water down the drain.
Pour a moderate amount of baking soda down the drain, and then carefully pour vinegar directly after it.
There will be a chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar, so please plug the drain quickly.
Give it a few moments before carefully removing the plug, and pouring more hot water down the drain.

A clogged drain should come right with this method, and we love that it’s more eco-friendly than using harsh, and often dangerous, chemicals. If your drain is still misbehaving after a clean, do give us a call.

Quick Plumbing Fixes: Smelly Garbage Disposals

A garbage disposal unit is constantly chewing up food and waste – it stands to reason that over time, rotting food trapped in the blades may develop a nasty odor. You can deal with this quite effectively with the simplest tools and ingredients:

Place ice cubes into the garbage disposal, along with a generous portion of lemon peels.
Switch the garbage disposal on and let it run for about 30 seconds, while adding a little bit of dishwashing detergent. The debris should harden and become a little slippery, which makes it easier to remove.
The lemon peel is a natural cleaner and leaves your garbage disposal unit smelling super-fresh.

Garbage disposal units don’t have to be overwhelming – maintain them and keep them clean, and they’ll service you for years. Clovis Plumbing Services is able to assist you with repairs.

Dropped a Ring in the Toilet

As much as you love that shiny diamond ring, we can understand the temptation to flush and walk away. Take a deep breath – you’ve got this:

Take out the filter from a wet-and-dry vacuum.
If it’s jewellery that you’re trying to retrieve, use a crevice attachment on the hose.
Insert the vacuum hose into the toilet as far as possible, and switch it on.
You will likely hear the item being sucked up.
Throw your vacuum away. (We’re kidding! But you may want to give it a good wash with a sterilizing soap)

This method can also be used to extract items from sink drains, and could save you the hassle of completely dismantling your bathroom, just for a trinket. But if you do need help, we’re a call away.

Quick Plumbing Fixes: Saving Water

Older toilet cisterns are typically larger and they hold a lot more water than the newer cisterns. Newer designs have been refined, and less water is required to flush a toilet.

If your old-school toilet is still functioning really well, it seems a shame to replace the entire thing, but you can still try save water with this simple hack:

Fill up a 20-ounce plastic bottle with water and place this into your toilet tank.
Make sure that the bottle does not float – you’ll need to ensure that there’s no air in the bottle, so that it sinks.
The bottle displaces water in the cistern, so that you’re using 20 ounces less water per flush. Added up over time, that’s a huge contribution to the world water crisis, and to your monthly water bill.

If your old-school toilet is showing signs of giving out, Clovis Plumbing Services offers complete bathroom installation services – and now we’re available for all of your plumbing needs.

We’ve increased our footprint in the Central Valley, and now offer plumbing in Fresno Ca. Our services are comprehensive, from installation to repairs, services, maintenance and leak detection. When DIY doesn’t work, let us help you.

Please visit our Blog for tips and tricks that will help you succeed with your next plumbing project!