Unclogging a Sink: Techniques Recommended by a Plumber

When your sink is clogged, it can really get in the way, whether you’re dealing with an issue in the bathroom or the kitchen of your Stuart home. You simply want that water to flow the way that it should, not cause an overflow on to the floor. Take it from a plumber with experience to find the best ways to clear your drain in any sink in your home.

Use Your Plunger as Your First Line of Defense

A plunger is a highly effective tool. You should have one on hand for clogs with any of your plumbing. Set one aside for your sinks to ensure it is more hygienic. Before you plunge, run hot water in your sink. The hotter the water, the easier it will flow. Make sure you have a good seal as you place the plunger over the drain. Begin to do hard, rapid thrusts to free any blockage in the pipes. As an added measure, you can remove the P-Trap to ensure it is cleaned out. You’ll find this U-shaped section of pipe under your sink. It is the common culprit when it comes to clogged drains.

Break Out Your Cooking Supplies

Believe it or not, baking soda and vinegar can provide you with a natural way to clean your drains. Your first step will involve getting any excess water out of the sink. A cup will do as you transfer it to a bowl, bucket, or the tub. Measure a cup of baking soda and pour it down your drain. Measure a cup of vinegar and pour it down the drain next. Wait for ten minutes and begin running hot water down the drain to clear the pipes.

Snake the Pipes

Go to the home improvement store or the hardware store to purchase a snake. It is a coil of wire that you will push down the drain. It has a corkscrew on the end that will help to dislodge anything getting in the way. Run hot water after you’ve run your snake to get your water flowing freely.

Ask for Professional Assistance

If do-it-yourself methods don’t help, you could have a bigger problem. This is when you need to call in the professionals. A plumbing service can help you to identify the source of your clog and resolve the problem so you don’t have to fight with your drain anymore.

Unclogging a sink is a job for the pros. Call Allore’s Plumbing Services LLC at (772) 288-0998 for all your plumbing needs!

Five Simple Ways to Cut Down Your Water Usage

Saving water in your home is both good for the environment and good for your pocketbook. Here are five simple ways to cut down your water usage.

Be on the lookout for leaks

You can try all the water conservation techniques you can think of, but if you have a hidden leak somewhere in your Stuart home, it will all be for naught. Most leaks that occur in homes aren’t of the pipe-bursting, basement-flooding variety. They are slow drips that are out of sight.

It’s important to check all your plumbing fixtures and any pipes you have access to at least monthly to check for hidden leaks. Another way to check for leaks is to watch your water bill. If it suddenly goes up significantly without a logical explanation, you could have a hidden leak somewhere.

Turn the water off in sinks

One of the biggest ways people waste water in their home is by running the sink faucet more than they need to. For example, you don’t need to leave the faucet running when you are brushing your teeth.

You can turn it on to wet your toothbrush, and then turn it off until it is time to rinse your mouth out. There are numerous other situations where this can apply.

Install flow devices and sensors

Another way to cut down on your water usage without even having to think about it is to install flow devices. The most common is one that prevents your toilet from using more water than it needs to flush.

If you want to go a bit more high tech, you can install sensors on your kitchen and bathroom faucets that will turn the water off if you don’t have some item under the faucet.

Use gray water

Gray water is essentially recycled water. It can be used for watering plants and shrubs around your house. For example, you might put a bowl or pot under you when you are rinsing off vegetables and fruits in your sink and then use that water to water plants both inside and outside your home.

Take baths instead of showers

Showering is one of the most water-wasting activities in your Stuart home. A showerhead uses about 5-7 gallons per minute. If you replace a couple of showers each week with a bath instead, you can save dozens of gallons of water.

Put savings in your pocket this month by cutting the water usage in your Stuart, FL home. Call Allore’s Plumbing at (772) 288-0998, and see  how much you can save this month.

The 3 Most Important Water Heating Regulations & Their Importance

The nation’s focus on energy efficiency has prompted federal agencies to devise new appliance regulations for home and business owners in Stuart and abroad. However, the installation for water heating appliances may prove a financial burden to consumers even though their performance guarantees long-term energy savings.

According to the u.S. Department of Energy, nearly one dollar per day is saved in energy costs when using water heaters that meet new regulation standards. There are three main criteria in which water heaters must meet before installation in new buildings and homes.

Storage Volume and Energy Factor Requirements (effective April 2015)

The new storage volume standards and energy factors for water heaters include the following:

Gas-Fired Storage Water Heater: Storage volume of between 20 and 100 gallons; EF (energy factor) = 0.675 for a volume of 55 gallons or less and an EF= 0.8012 for a volume of 56 gallons or more

Oil-Fired Storage Water Heater: Storage volume of 50 gallons or greater with an EF = 0.68

Electric Storage Water Heater: Storage volume of between 20 and 100 gallons; EF= 0.96 for a volume of 55 gallons or less and an EF= 2.057 for a volume of 56 gallons or greater

Tabletop Water Heater: Storage volume of between 20 and 120 gallons with an EF= 0.93

Instantaneous Gas-Fired Water Heater: Storage volume of fewer than 2 gallons with an EF= 0.82

Instantaneous Electric Water Heater: Storage volume of fewer than 2 gallons with an EF= 0.93

Testing Procedures

Water heaters are regularly tested for meeting longevity, durability, and energy savings, with an overall target of 3.3 quads of energy equal to $63billion in energy bill savings. The detailed methods used to conduct testing are specified in DOE Appliance Standards 10 CFR 430 Appendix E to Subpart B. The revised testing procedures apply to water heaters produced and installed between the years 2015 and 2044 (30 years).

Exceptions and Waivers

To date, exception relief and test procedure waivers have not been issued for residential water heaters, but exemptions may be given to small businesses. States are not exempt from the new energy conservation standards under no circumstances, so be sure to get your Stuart water heater on par.

Any hold ups regarding your Stuart, FL water heater? Call Allore’s Plumbing at (772) 288-0998 today for any of your repair or maintenance requests.

5 Inventive Ways to Remodel Your Bathroom for the New Year

Whether it’s a cosmetic makeover or a top-to-bottom renovation, an artful bathroom remodel turns the most-used room in your Stuart home into a stylish space. This popular home improvement project also gives you the opportunity to customize your bathroom so that it fits your personal needs and tastes to perfection. Find inspiration with these five inventive ideas, and start the new year off right with a remodel that speaks to your creativity and flair for style.

1. Create the Illusion of More Space

Focus on the floor when you want to make a small bathroom appear bigger than it is. Large-scale tiles set on the diagonal instantly make the room feel more spacious. Extend the illusion with a sleek and contemporary floating vanity. Strip lighting installed in the toe kick of your existing vanity works well too.

2. Use Lighting to Set the Mood

No design element has a greater impact on a room’s atmosphere than lighting. For a bright and cheerful space that revs up your energy on busy mornings, banish shadows with wall sconces, pendant lights or track lighting. For a space that invites relaxation at the end of a hectic day, add dimmer switches that let you dial down the lighting.

3. Make the Mirror a Focal Point

Transforming the vanity mirror into an attention-grabbing feature makes a bathroom feel less utilitarian and more like other living spaces in your home. Make it ornate with a highly decorative frame or chic and modern with clean-lined design. For a unique look, border a flat wall mirror with colorful ceramic tiles.

4. Invest in Spa Amenities

Reserve the lion’s share of your remodeling budget for pampering fixtures and features. Whether it’s a steam shower, a soaking tub or a heated floor, amenities that soothe your aching muscles, help you unwind or lift your mood are well worth the investment. Other indulgences to consider include shower seats, anti-fog mirrors and towel warmers.

5. Harmonize the Space with Matching Accessories

Bathrooms with too many eye-catching elements make the space feel cluttered and chaotic. Unify the design with coordinated accessories for a professional look. From towel racks and drawer pulls to the items displayed on your vanity, matching accessories give a bathroom a designer touch.

Even a modest bathroom remodel can make your home a more comfortable, convenient and enjoyable place to inhabit. For the new year, resolve to improve the look, functionality and style of your Stuart home with upgrades that let you express your sense of invention.

Start the new year in your Stuart, FL home with a new bathroom! Call Allore’s Plumbing Services LLC at (772) 288-0998 today, so we can get started!

Water Treatment: What Are the Benefits of Water Softening

Hard water is a common problem in many Stuart homes today. This type of water contains high concentrations of minerals such as calcium. It can affect several different parts of your house and life. Here are some of the benefits of water softening.

Make Cleaning Easier

One of the main benefits of water softening is that it will make cleaning your home much easier. Hard water can leave behind a yellowish or reddish residue that builds up over time. It can take extensive scrubbing or special cleaners to remove those deposits. Additionally, hard water can prevent some cleaners from working properly. Water softening will remove those minerals so that they do not stain your sinks, tubs and toilets.

Prevent Scale Buildup in Pipes and Appliances

A second benefit of water softening is that it will prevent scale buildup in pipes and appliances. Minerals like calcium in hard water can start to line your pipes. It can collect in the tubing and nozzles in appliances. This can eventually cause damage that will need to be repaired by our professional plumbers. Scale can even lead to corroded or blocked pipes. Having a water softening system installed will prevent this from happening.

Preserve Your Clothes

Doing laundry in hard water can negatively impact your clothes, linens and other fabrics. The minerals that are in the hard water will start to saturate the fabric. This can lead to clothes that do not feel soft or comfortable. It can cause colors to fade over time. Your clothes could be damaged if the problem is not addressed. Installing a water softener will help to preserve your clothes and other fabrics for as long as possible.

Water Feels Cleaner On the Skin

Hard water has a distinctive feeling when on the skin. You might have a strange residue or a slick feeling on your skin after taking a bath or shower. Hard water can prevent soap and shampoo from lathering correctly in certain instances. Water softening will remove these problems. Your water will feel cleaner and more natural on your skin. Your beauty products will also work as intended when you have softened water in your home.

Heat Water Faster

A final benefit is that softened water will heat up faster. The minerals in hard water can cause it to take much longer for water to get hot on your stove or in your home water heater. The result will be higher energy bills especially if your water heater becomes filled with minerals. A softening system will allow you to save time and money when heating up water in your Stuart home.

Your family deserves the purest water in your Stuart, FL home. Call Allore’s Plumbing at (772) 288-0998 for water treatment.

3 Toilet Maintenance Challenges

If there is one maintenance challenge most people don’t want to face in their Stuart home, it’s a bout with their toilet. Not only can it be frustrating and inconvenient, but it can also lead to quite a mess as well.

However, by learning more about some of the most common maintenance challenges toilets present, people can have a much better idea of what is wrong with their toilet and what will need to be done to get it fixed. Whether it’s a clog, a leak, or an older toilet to be replaced, knowing as much as possible about toilet maintenance can go far in helping to resolve many common problems.

Pre-1994 Toilets

If a toilet in a home was made prior to 1994, it should be replaced with an updated model. By doing so, a person will save large amounts of water and keep their monthly water bill much lower as well.

Older toilets use twice as much water as do new models, and they are also much more prone to breaking down than today’s models. While it may be costly initially to purchase one and have it installed by a plumber, in the long run it will more than pay off in savings.

Preventing the Dreaded Clog

When a toilet gets clogged, even the smallest clog can present quite a challenge. If the clog is in the drainpipe or trap, it might be able to be cleared quickly. However, if it’s in the sewer line, a plumber can spend hours on the job getting the clog cleared.

Needless to say, the repair bill can run well into several hundred dollars or more for this repair, so it’s best to know how to prevent clogs from happening. Using high-grade toilet paper always helps, since it’s made to disintegrate quickly once wet. It’s also smart to not put anything in the toilet that won’t be easily flushed, since it almost always results in a clog.

Don’t Let the Toilet Leak

If a toilet leaks gallons of water daily, a person’s Stuart water bills will go extremely high. When toilets hiss continually and never sound as if they shut off after flushing, they are leaking water into the toilet bowl from the tank. The common cause of this is a worn flapper valve, which is not closing completely after each flush. If this happens, the toilet can waste 200 gallons of water daily.

Are you having trouble with your Stuart, FL toilet? Call Allore’s Plumbing at (772) 288-0998 for all your plumbing needs!

Top 4 Tips for Pet Owners When it Comes to Pipes and Drains

The piping system of your Stuart home is critical to the day to day functioning of that home and to your well being while living there. As such, you should be concerned with how those pipes are functioning and how to keep them safe and in good working order.

Animals Love To Chew On Piping

Any area of your home that has exposed piping is like a chew toy wonderland for pets. They see it, and they want to play with it. However, you can prevent this from happening by simply putting up all necessary barriers to getting to those pipes.

Make sure that all exposed pipe is hidden from the view of your animals. You do not want them to chew on it and potentially harm themselves or the piping.

Make Sure Pets Are Getting Enough Water

A big part of the reason why some pets get near piping in the first place is simply because they are looking for water. Unfortunately, many pet owners are not giving their pets enough water to drink. They frequently do not realize that pets should have their water bowls refreshed at least twice per day according to experts.

If pets do not receive the proper amount of water, they are likely to search for alternative sources of hydration, and that sometimes leads them towards piping, toilets, and anywhere else that may seem attractive to a thirsty animal.

Do Not Flush All Pet Products

Just because something like cat litter or the like says that it is flush ready does not mean that you should actually do it. There are a multitude of risks that could come with flushing something that cannot actually go down the toilet. Make sure that the product is truly safe to flush before making an attempt to do just that.

Using A Strainer

For areas like the bathtub where pets have to be exposed to water, consider using a drain strainer. This is a simple tool that many use to make sure that nothing goes down the drain which was not supposed to.

It helps keep out particles of all kinds, including pet hair. The strainer may be used in the bath tub when giving the pet a bath to help keep those loose pieces of fur from making their way down the drain of your Stuart home.

Don’t let your fluffy pup clog up your drain! If you need drain cleaning in your Stuart, FL home call Allore’s Plumbing at (772) 288-0998 today!

Why is Your Water Discolored?

When you find your water discolored, you want answers in a hurry. Not knowing how serious the problem can be, you’re left wondering what to do next. Obviously, the first step is to contact a local Stuart plumber.

With many of the situations involving discolored water, the last thing you want to do is tackle the project yourself. In some cases, the discoloration can be caused by a hazardous health situation, so it’s best to leave these repairs to the pros. However, if you’re curious as to why your water isn’t clear, here are some of the most common reasons why.

Rusted Pipes

If you’ve got pipes in your home that are old and made of metal, there’s a good chance they are starting to rust on the inside. When they do, expect to start seeing water that is red, yellow, or orange in color flowing from your faucets.

While not extremely hazardous to your health, it’s best to have the pipes replaced as soon as possible. If you live in an older home, it’s a good idea to have a plumber inspect any old pipes for rust and have them replaced if needed.

Hard Water

If you have a well for your water supply, you might be having problems with hard water. This type of water, known for its very high mineral contents, can be various colors. However, its most common color is reddish-brown or in some cases pink.

If you find pink water in your bathtub, you’ve got water that has very high iron levels. If it’s more of a rusty color, it will probably have high levels of both iron and magnesium. Whatever minerals are present in high levels, plumbers can add water softeners and various chemicals to lower the mineral content.

Sewage Leaks

One of the most complex water discoloration problems, sewage leaks are also some of the most expensive to repair. If a home’s water turns dark brown or black, there’s a good chance sewage has leaked into the water supply and contaminated it thoroughly.

A plumber should be called to examine the home’s sewer and water lines, and in many cases they will discover cracks or other damage in the lines. If they do, the lines will need to be replaced. Since the lines are buried underground, they will need to be dug up, so expect to pay a hefty repair bill to solve this problem.

Keep your Stuart, FL home free from contaminated water. Call today at Allore’s Plumbing, for water filtration and more!

Water Filtration: What are the Benefits of Water Filtration? What Are Some Common Filtration Options

Benefits and Options of Water Filtration

Water filtration is the process of filtering tap water to remove harmful particles and contaminations. There are variety of filtration systems offered to consumers that effectively remove lead, bacteria, chloroform, and arsenic from water supply in Stuart homes.

If consumers are unsure about the safety of water, have it tested by a local health agency or a certified laboratory. Professional plumbers may assist consumers with water filtration options and installation of the appropriate filtration systems to meet the needs of families.

The Benefits of Water Filtration

Water filtration has its benefits, including health, taste improvement, and safe drinking water. Clean and safe water consumption may improve health of digestion and detoxify the body. It is proven that consuming the daily recommended servings of water helps to build a strong immune system to prevent diseases, such as cancer.

Filtration systems enhance the taste of water and provides safe drinking water for infants and the entire family. It may reduce the risk of bladder, colon and rectal cancers. Contaminate-free water helps to improve the appearance of the skin, hair and nails. Fresh and clean water also helps to maintain weight and control weight gain.

Common Filtration Options

Some of the most common water filtration options are whole house, carafe, faucet mount, countertop, under sink, and in-line. Water is normally filtered with a filter cartridge or filtration media. Whole house filtration option is used throughout the consumer′s home. In-line filters are installed on the water pipes to cleanse and purify water supply.

Water filters, such as carafe, faucet mount, countertop, and under sink are available in popular brands and different sizes. The most popular brands include General Electric, Brita, Culligan, and Pur. If consumers want quality water filtration systems, these brands and other brands have a broad selection of models with different water capacities.

An important feature of most brands is plumbing connectors that can be affixed to faucets in the kitchen. Another feature is an automatic indicator which alerts homeowners when the filter requires replacing.

Water is a natural resource that requires filtration if supplied by the city municipals. The benefits of filtration systems include fresh tasting water and reduction of illnesses associated with contaminates found in water supply. A licensed plumber specializes in installing water filtration units and evaluates the home consumption to confirm the appropriate water capacity. Stuart consumers should consider the costs associated with certain filtration systems and filter replacements. Contact a professional to learn your options for filtration and how it may benefit the whole household.

Call Allore’s Plumbing at (772) 288-0998 to purify your Stuart, FL water!

3 Ways to Detect a Water Leak in Your Home

Leaks can lead to costly damages in your Stuart home if they aren’t detected early. Thankfully, these leaks don’t come without warning signs. Here are three signs you should look for when searching your home for leaks.

1. Extremely high water bills

If your water bills have been resting at about the same place each month but suddenly start to spike, this can be a sign of a leak. If you haven’t made any drastic chances to your water usage, you may want to investigate your pipes or water meter to see if you can detect a leak, especially if your water bill has been high for the past few months.

2. Musty smell with mold and mildew present on the wall

Mold and mildew can often be found in moist, dark places. These bacteria can often grow on shower walls, but if you find them on non-shower walls, it could be because you have a leaking pipe. Additionally, stagnant water often emanates a musty smell. If your bathroom has been thoroughly cleaned and you still smell must, there could be a hidden leak somewhere within your bathroom walls that is causing water to accumulate.

3. Water stained or damaged walls, ceilings, and floors

These are a tell-tale sign of water damage. If you notice warping, sagging, or staining on your walls or ceilings and you can’t explain the source of it, you could have a water leak. You should also pay close attention to your floors. If your flooring seems warped or damaged in some areas, a leak, coming from an area near where the damage is occurring, could be to blame. Humidity can also cause damage, such as warping and staining, so make sure to rule it out as a cause before you begin searching for leaks.

If you notice damage to your Stuart walls, ceilings, and floors, coupled with a high water bill and a musty smell, you probably have a leak. It is best to seek professional help from a plumber in order to find out where your leak is located and properly fix the problem. Once you have determined there is a leak, it is best to act as quickly as possible so that no further damage is caused.

Call Allore’s Plumbing at (772) 288-0998 today to get your Stuart, FL system checked out by a professional plumber!