Don't Flush That!

Putting the wrong things down sinks, pipes and toilets can leave you with an expensive plumbing bill to unblock pipes.

It also adds to the amount of waste arriving at our sewage treatment plants. These extra items must be screened out, dumped in bins and trucked off to landfill.

This can also lead to sewage overflows and problems in other parts of the sewerage network caused by small items building up and blocking the network.

So keep it simple and only flush the three P’s – pee, poo and paper.

Contact Fix Your Plumbing for all blocked pipes and drains.

Plastic Hanging Toilet Deodoriser

Those cute little plastic hangers that you put the cleaning tablet in promise to create a super clean & fresh smelling toilet however they can often cause more damage than you think. The plastic holders that are supposed to hang in the toilet bowl can often fall out and cause a blockage, leading to unnecessary plumbing costs.

Where possible also avoid using cistern and toilet cleaning/deodoriser tablets.When placed in the cistern, the cleaning product can cause deterioration of the rubber seals which leads to premature leaking of your toilet.

Contact Fix Your Plumbing for all toilet and cistern repairs.

Unclog Drains

We all know the warning signs. The sink takes a little longer to drain. You begin to notice water pooling around your feet in the shower. And the odors. The strange, unpleasant odors. They're all signs that you may soon be facing a clogged drain. And then one day, boom. Your drain is blocked completely. It's something you need to deal with quickly, or face the wrath of a burst pipe or a useless bathroom.

Here are some effective tips you can try to clear your drain.

1.  Tweezers -  Remove hair around the drain by hand or put those tweezers to work to pluck away at visible hairs tangled around the drain hole.   
   
   
2. Bent Wire Coathanger - Simple enough, but surprisingly effective. Take a regular wire coat hanger and straighten it out as best you can. Then, bend one end over to create a small hook. Push that down the drain and start fishing. You should be able to get all sorts of hair and nasty stuff out of the drain. Remember, you always want to be pulling gunk out, not pushing it further. When you've got as much out as you can, run the hot water, and it should clear things up nicely.
   
3.  Baking Soda and Vinegar - Mix 1/3rd of a cup of baking soda with 1/3rd of a cup of vinegar in a measuring cup. It will fizz immediately, and you should waste no time pouring it down the clogged drain. The fizzing action will help to remove the gunk, hair, and grime that has built up in the pipe. Let it sit for one hour or even overnight if you can. Flush with hot water. Alternatively, get as much of the dry baking soda as you can down the drain first, then pour on the vinegar.
   
4.  The Wet & Dry Vacuum - If you have a wet & dry shop vacuum, it can become a terrific tool to unclog drains. First, set it to vacuum liquids. Cover up the vent to prevent a mess. Then, create the tightest seal you can over the drain. You may want to get creative and adapt an old plunger head for this purpose. With the vacuum turned on its highest setting, it can be powerful enough to draw the clog up the pipe and into the vacuum bag. It doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot.
   
5.  Boiling Water - Tips don't get any easier than this. Put the kettle on (or use the stove or microwave if you don't own a kettle) and boil up as much water as it will hold. Now pour it slowly down the drain in two to three stages, allowing the hot water to work for a several seconds in between each pour. This is usually the easiest and quickest way to unclog a drain. If there's any water left, congratulate yourself with a cup of tea.

Contact Fix Your Plumbing to unclog your blocked drains.

Pipes Making Noise?

Pipe noises range from loud hammering sounds to high-pitched squeaks. The causes may be loose pipes, water logged air chambers, or water pressure that's too high. Anchoring exposed pipes is a simple solution; other remedies such as anchoring pipes concealed inside walls, floors or ceilings, may call for a professional.

Pipes are usually anchored with pipe straps every 6 to 8 feet for horizontal runs, 8 to 10 feet for vertical.

Banging - When you anchor a pipe, especially a plastic one, leave room for expansion.

Don't use galvanized straps on copper pipes.

Squeaking - Only hot water pipes squeak. As the pipe expands, it moves in its strap, and friction causes the squeak.
Solution: Cushion it as you would a banging pipe.

Water Hammer - This noise occurs when you turn off the water at a tap or an appliance quickly. The water flowing through the pipes slams to a stop, causing a hammering noise.
Check for Loose pipes

For help with those noisy pipes contact Fix Your Plumbing.

Don't lose your hot water this WInter

At this time of year your hot water system is working harder than ever to bring you nice hot showers and baths. A new water system can be expensive but you can extend the life of your system with a few simple checks.

1. Have a look at the age of the unit, hot water unit years to human years is 9 to 1. A long life of a hot water unit is 11 to 13 years.
2. Remove any rubbish from the base of the unit, keep the base and top dry and clear.
3. Exercise the valves on the side of the unit, this will keep them working well and not over pressure the unit if one fails.
4. What will happen if your unit leaks? Is your unit inside where it can flood? Do you have materials that can get wet if it does leak?

You can tell the age of your hot water unit, just look for an information panel like this at the top.

 

 

If you do need to replace your hot water system then consider the size of the unit you need. If your family has grown you may need a larger capacity system or if down-sized a smaller system may suffice.
Contact Fix Your Plumbing today for information and advice on all electric and gas hot water systems.

Toilet Leak

Check the toilet for leaks by removing the top off the tank and listening very closely. If you hear any hissing at all, try to locate where it is coming from. If you locate the area where the leak is coming from, assess it and determine if you can fix it. If you can't, then call a plumber.

• If nothing is noticeable, add some food colouring and put a couple of drops in the tank (not the bowl). Wait several minutes (don't flush) and if you have coloring in the bowl, you have a leak in the flapper at the bottom of the tank that is allowing water to seep through. At this point you can assess it if you want to do the repair yourself, or call a plumber.

• If you have more toilets, go ahead and repeat the process with each toilet to make sure you don't have more than one problem.

Even More Bathroom Design Happiness

There is a lot more to bathroom design than what it looks like. The right choice of products can actually help bring peace and harmony to your home. So if your bathroom feels like a battlefield in the morning, it may be time for change. Contact Fix Your Plumbing today.

Tip 5 - Avoid a chilly, damp morning

 Tip 6 - How to deal with bathroom clutter

More Bathroom Design Happiness

There is a lot more to bathroom design than what it looks like. The right choice of products can actually help bring peace and harmony to your home. So if your bathroom feels like a battlefield in the morning, it may be time for change. Contact Fix Your Plumbing today.

Tip 3 - How to deal with a non-hair-wash day

 

 Tip 4 - Don't be left out in the cold

Bathroom Design Happiness

There is a lot more to bathroom design than what it looks like. The right choice of products can actually help bring peace and harmony to your home. So if your bathroom feels like a battlefield in the morning, it may be time for change. Contact Fix Your Plumbing today.

 Tip  1 - Avoid the headbutt

 Tip 2 - How to make more with less

Burst Water Pipe? Now What?

Could you turn your mains water off right now? If the answer is no then it's worth finding out where your main tap is located on your property. The time spent looking for the main water tap in a plumbing emergency such as a burst pipe can be the difference between a minor water leak and a flood.
For houses - turn the water off at the mains by using the stop cock tap which may be located near the front hose tap, at the mains near the property boundary on the water meter or underground in an identified chamber.
For units - turn the water off at the mains inlet pipe to the unit by using the stop cock tap, which may be located near the front hose tap, near the roof at the front entrance, in an underground pit with a removable cover or elsewhere—indicated by a number somewhere on the building.
If the burst pipe is outside the property boundary (eg. on the footpath) contact Qld Urban Utilities or your local water service provider then call Fix Your Plumbing

Plumbing DIY Disasters

Did you know, Monday is our busiest day here at Fix Your Plumbing? On Monday the calls come in to fix the DIY plumbing disasters that took place over the weekend! Play it safe, always use a licensed Plumber. Contact Fix Your Plumbing 

All concealed

If you're heading out this weekend to get some inspiration for your bathroom renovation here's something to consider. In-wall cisterns don't suit every job, but for something that little bit special, they are worth keeping in mind. In-wall cisterns create more space and offer a elegant, sleek and attractive solution that will make you and your renovation stand out from the rest of the crowd. Contact Fix Your Plumbing for more information www.fixyourplumbing.com.au

      

Picture this.

What's the next best thing to x-ray vision? Your walls may not have much inner beauty, but it's a good idea to take pictures of what's inside during renovations. The same goes for floors and ceilings. When your next renovation or repair project rolls around, you'll know where the framing and the electrical and plumbing lines are.Another handy tip from Fix Your Plumbing

Which Dishwasher?

When it comes to shopping around for the best dishwasher in the Australian market, you need to do your homework. This is especially true given that respondents to a recent Canstar Blue survey reportedly expect their dishwasher to last at least eight years!
So how do you figure out which dishwasher to buy?
Each year, Canstar Blue survey Australians who have purchased a dishwasher in the last few years to see how satisfied they are with their purchase. This year, Miele earned the Most Satisfied Customers Award – Dishwashers, 2014 – excelling in five of the eight survey criteria.

Miele’s key boast is that its’ German engineered products go through particularly extensive testing:
- dishwasher doors are tested 100,000 times,
- machines are run through 7,500 dishwashing cycles to determine effectiveness, and
- all appliances are tested to the equivalent of 20 years’ of usage.
Miele may be the obvious standout but other rated brands also proved themselves worthy of a spot on your shopping list:
Dishlex received five stars for value for money, ease of use, and warranty /service.
ASKO finished with five star ratings for performance, reliability, and ease of use.
LG ticked the ‘five star box’ for value for money, and
Electrolux secured five stars for dishwasher ease of use.
Fisher & Paykel, Westinghouse, Samsung, Bosch, and Whirlpool were also rated. Visit http://www.canstarblue.com.au/appliances/dishwashers/ for all ratings. and contact Fix Your Plumbing regarding installation www.fixyourplumbing.com.au

Money down the drain?

Did you know?
Bathrooms and toilets account for about 40% of your household water use. Simple changes to your bathroom fittings and in your everyday habits can result in substantial water savings.
1. Install a water efficient shower-head - replacing your showerhead with a three star/AAA rated shower-head, you can save around 11 litres of water a minute.
2. Take shorter showers - reducing your shower time by one minute a day, you can save more than 7,300 litres of water a year
3.Install tap aerators - these can reduce the flow of water through a tap by up to 50%. Over a year, this could save a family more than $604.
4. Fix dripping taps - a tap dripping at a rate of one drop per second wastes approximately 20,000 litres of water per year. So make sure you fix a dripping tap as soon as you notice it.
5. Only fill the bath with as much water as needed - use less water for children and pets and check the temperature as you fill. Adding extra water to get the correct temperature after the bath is at the right level is wasteful.
6. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth - you could save more than 50,000 litres of water for a family of four over a year
7. Use a dual flush toilet - a dual flush four star rated toilet can save the average home up to 35,000 litres of water a year
8. Check for toilet leaks - you can check for leaks in your toilet by placing a few drops of food dye into the cistern. If, after 15 minutes, the food dye has seeped into the bowl then you may have a leak. Contact Fix Your Plumbing to fix this for you www.fixyourplumbing.conm.au