Have you noticed that your heating and cooling registers are coated with dust and other gunk? Are family members suffering from repeated respiratory allergies and ailments? If you’ve noticed these symptoms of dirty heating and air conditioning ducts, you may need to have them cleaned. One of the most often overlooked cleaning tasks in any home, duct cleaning can have a major impact on your home’s indoor air quality. So if you suspect your ducts are dirty, act now for a safer, healthier home.

To provide your home with heated and cooled air, your HVAC system draws air in through the return air vents, conditions it, and then distributes it throughout the house. Unfortunately, as it pulls in air, it also sucks in dust, pollen, dander, and other allergens. Over time, that grime builds up in your ducting. This wouldn’t be a huge problem if all of these contaminants just stayed put, however, as your heating and cooling system continues to circulate air, some of these particles are swept along with it. In short, the air blowing out of your vents is then contaminated with all of these allergens and irritants, leading to degraded indoor air quality.

Air duct cleaning is the solution to this problem. By removing the pollutants from your ducts, you can reduce the impurities in the air and make it healthier and more comfortable to breathe. This can be especially important if your loved ones suffer from allergies, respiratory ailments, or compromised immune systems. Improved air quality can benefit every member of your family, though, so don’t wait to call for duct cleaning services if you suspect dirty ductwork is impacting your home and health.

Typical air duct cleaning equipment takes the form of an oversized, specialized vacuum. This implement is connected to your air ducts, creating a negative air system that sucks air toward the vacuum and its attached containment unit. The vacuum pulls high-powered air through your ducts, sweeping away the accumulated dirt, dust, and allergens and safely trapping them inside. The best air duct cleaning services are performed by vacuums with HEPA filters, which ensure that none of the allergens and other particles escape. Some vent/duct cleaning companies also use motorized brushes and other tools to remove stuck-on debris, helping your ducts get completely and totally clean.

Keep in mind that DIY duct cleaning isn’t wise for even the most enthusiastic and adventurous homeowner. That’s because you need specialized tools and expertise to safely and correctly clean out your HVAC ducts. If not done properly, you can actually decrease your indoor air quality by spreading all of the dust and allergens from your ducts into the rest of your house! So rather than attempting a do-it-yourself fix, call your local heating and cooling contractor or duct cleaning service to ask about professional cleaning. These experts have the tools and technical know-how to completely seal off your ducts to ensure no contaminants are spread into the rest of the building and to completely clean out the built-up gunk for clear ducts and fresh air.

You try to take a shower, and end up ankle-deep in murky water. You brush your teeth, and the
sink doesn’t drain. We’ve all been there. There’s nothing pleasant about a clogged drain or blocked pipe. Fortunately, there are a number of drain cleaning solutions that can have things running smoothly again in no time. How do you know whether to tackle the problem yourself or to call your local plumber in? Here are a few tips to help you make the decision.

Taking the DIY Approach

From hair to grease and beyond, many clogs and blockages are easily resolved at home, using a number of DIY techniques. These work particularly well on soft blockages that are located relatively close to the
surface of the drain. If you know what is blocking your drain, or you want to try a quick fix before calling a professional, these options may be for you.

Corrosive Drain Cleaners

The first thing that many people do when faced with a clogged drain is reach for the drain cleaner. There are a number of drain cleaners on the market that use corrosive chemicals to power through soft clogs near the surface of the drain. These cleaners typically come in liquid form and contain highly concentrated bleach, lye, or potassium hydroxide. Some drain cleaners contain two components that are mixed when poured into the drain, creating a gas that is trapped inside the plumbing by a thick foam. The foam is designed to coat the insides of the drain pipe, removing the substance causing the clog. Chemical drain cleaners can be very convenient and easy to use. Most of them just require you to pour them into the clogged drain, wait awhile, and then rinse with warm water. The downside to chemical drain cleaners is that they are typically ineffective on more difficult clogs, or on blockages that occur further down the sewer line. The corrosive nature of these products also makes them potentially dangerous if they come into contact with your skin, eyes, or even lungs if you inadvertently breathe in their fumes. If you decide to use a chemical drain cleaner, take care to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and take proper caution to prevent injury.

The Natural Approach

A safer (but equally effective) alternative to chemical drain cleaners comes from combining ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. Do you remember building volcanoes for the school science fair by combining vinegar with baking soda to make an “eruption?” This technique builds on that same principle. First, pour about 3/4 of a cup of dry baking soda down the drain. Then, pour about 1/2 a cup of vinegar down the drain. White vinegar and apple cider vinegar work great, but any type will do. As soon as you pour the vinegar down the drain, you’ll want to cover the drain opening with a rag or some type of drain plug. The mixture of vinegar and baking soda will cause a chemical reaction, creating a foam that will rise up through the drain (just like the volcano!). Covering the drain will keep as much of the foam inside the pipe as possible, where it can unleash its cleaning power. Let the foam do its thing for about 30 minutes, then flush it thoroughly by pouring hot water down the drain. It may take multiple applications, but this method often leaves your drain clean and flowing smoothly. Using baking soda and vinegar is great when you need a drain cleaning solution on the fly, or if you are looking for a natural alternative to corrosive cleaners.

Clearing the Trap

A third DIY solution requires a little bit more work on your part, but is well-worth it if you are
faced with a large hair clog, or some foreign material caught in your sink drain. The first thing you’ll want to do is clear out the area under the sink. Then, place a bucket (you can use a pot in a pinch) under the sink pipes to catch any water or other debris that might fall out of the sink trap. Use pliers to loosen the metal slip nuts, and then finish removing them by hand. If you’ve got a plastic trap, you can usually skip the pliers, and just turn the slip nuts manually. You can use your hands to knock any blockage from inside the “elbow” of the trap into your bucket. If the clog is higher up near the drain (as is often the case with hair clogs in bathroom sinks), you can straighten a wire hanger and use that to pull the clog down through the pipe. Once the blockage is clear, just put the elbow back on and re-tighten the slip nuts. Dispose of the water and debris in your bucket (do NOT pour it back down the drain!), and voila–as good as new!

When to Call in the Pros

There are some times when it is just better to leave the plumbing repair work to the professionals. Examples of professional draining cleaning jobs include when you have:

• Recurring or persistent clogs that don’t respond to DIY treatment
• Thick grease blockages
• Clogged sewer pipes
• Invasive root growth

Master plumbers and other professionals have access to a number of tools made specifically for handling difficult drain clogs and blockages. Professional drain cleaners, such as those containing sulfuric acid, can be extremely dangerous when used by someone other than a licensed professional. Other professional tools, such as those used for hydrojetting, are far too expensive to be practical for anyone other than a master plumber. With the right tools and their extensive training, your plumber can effectively clear your drains of even the toughest blockages.

If you have tried to attack a difficult clog to no avail, it is possible that the blockage is in a place beyond your reach. With a bathtub drain, you might have to go into the pipes behind a wall. Some clogs can even
occur further down the water main, outside the house. A licensed plumber has the knowledge andexperience to handle complicated situations, making sure that all of your pipesend up back in the right places, avoiding further issues down the line. Amaster plumber can clear a drain and conduct additional troubleshooting todetect invasive root growth or other issues that you may have overlooked. If you’ve got a leaking faucet in addition to a blocked drain, you might want to call in a professional who can take care of everything at once.

The pros of calling in the Pros include:

• Expert knowledge and experience
• High-quality tools made to get the job done
• Convenience of having someone else do the work
• Troubleshooting knowledge to prevent other issues

When it comes to simple drain clogs, you can often resolve them on your own. For larger, more difficult jobs, don’t let the cost of hiring a professional deter you. Many plumbing specialists offer reasonable rates for their services, and you can’t put a price on your personal safety and peace of mind. Resolving a problem like a persistent leak can also save you on your water bill–savings that are well worth enlisting the help of a
professional.

A rooter is one of a plumber and sewer professional’s most specialized tools. When you call a plumber for drain cleaning service or sewer
line assistance, having a basic understanding of what a rooter is and how it works can help you conduct a more productive conversation. You won’t be left in the dark regarding what’s actually wrong and what your plumber is going to do to fix it, and your plumber will see that you are an involved homeowner who values their services. By knowing the ins and outs of rooter use, you’ll also know what questions to ask to make sure that the job is done fully and that all necessary sewer pipe repairs are addressed.

In essence, a rooter is a specialized type of plumber’s snake. It consists of sharp blades attached to a heavy duty cable that can be inserted into sewer lines. The blades are then turned by an attached motor to break up invasive tree roots–hence the name “rooter.” The invention of the rooter was revolutionary because it meant that sewer contractors no longer had to dig up your lawn to get access to underground pipes that were clogged by overzealous tree root systems. Gaining access to sewer lines via a rooter is both less invasive and less expensive than excavating, which is a plus for both plumbers and homeowners. If you have clogged or slow draining pipes, a plumbing and sewer professional will be able to use their expert knowledge and diagnostic tools to determine if tree roots in your pipes are the culprit. If they are, a rooter will be able to address the “root” of the problem quickly and efficiently.

When it comes to tackling plumbing difficulties that are caused by tree roots, getting rid of the roots is only half the battle. If you have roots in your sewer lines, it means that there are holes or other damage to the structure of those pipes. Using a rooter is the first step in getting your pipes working again. In addition to that, though, your plumbing and drain service professional will also need to make any necessary repairs and do appropriate sewer line replacement work in order to get the whole system back into tip-top shape (and to prevent uninvited roots from becoming a problem again). If you don’t know what to ask for at this step of the process, however, there are some plumbing professionals out there who won’t bother to inform you that this is a necessary action. This is where knowing what a rooter is, how it works, and what caused the problem in the first place comes in handy. If you know the lay of the land before going in to a conversation with your plumber, you can make sure that your property and sewer lines get the best care possible.

We don’t all need to be plumbing experts, but a little basic knowledge about what a rooter is and how it works can go a long way in making sure that we get the best drain repair and plumbing service available. If you call your local plumber in for help with sewer line clogs, you’ll be able to go into that conversation armed with the information you need to be an informed and involved client.

Whether you are a homeowner or a business owner, your hot water heater is a central part of your day-to-day life and is essential to both your comfort and your basic needs. When hot water heaters stop working, it can have a huge impact on just about every aspect of your domestic or business routine. Due to their complexity, it’s not advisable to try to water heater repair work on your own. The good news is, though, that a master plumber will have on hand the tools and the expertise to address any issue you might be experiencing with your hot water supply and can perform whatever repair, service, or replacement work is necessary to get things back to normal.

There are a number of different elements that might signal that you have a problem with your water heater. You may run out of hot water quickly, or only get lukewarm water even when you run water from the hot tap. You may also hear banging or other noises from inside the water heater tank. These symptoms can signal an array of problems, from a cracked tank shell to a damaged or malfunctioning heating element. These are not problems that are safe to address on your own, even if you have extensive home repair experience. Water heaters are powered either by electricity or gas and, of course, are connected to water supply lines. Working with this combination of elements can be dangerous unless you have professional experience with those utilities, so it is advisable to leave both the diagnostic and repair work to an expert.

Once you call a plumber in, he or she will be able to assess the situation and determine what part of the water heater system isn’t working. In some cases, however, your water heater may simply be at the end of its life. In this scenario, your plumber will be able to help you determine what your current hot water heater needs are for your home or business and can help you choose and install a new water heater that will best suit your situation. Your plumber may even recommend a new tankless water heater, which, as the name suggests, eliminates the hot water holding tank found in traditional water heaters. Instead, tankless models heat the hot water you need on demand, which is a more energy-efficient option than constantly keeping a reservoir of hot water at the ready. Whatever option you choose, your plumber will be able to disconnect and remove the old heater and perform the new water heater installation so that you get hot water running again as quickly as possible.

A working hot water heater is an essential feature of any home or business. If you’re not getting the hot water you need, contact a master plumber in your area as soon as possible. They can perform necessary repair work that is beyond the purview of even the most intrepid DIY expert or can replace your water heater in cases where repair work won’t be sufficient. With their help, you’ll be able to enjoy plentiful hot water and to feel secure in the service or replacement work that was performed.

When looking for a handyman service, it is important to take experience and quality of work into account. Whether you need plumbing, remodeling, or household repairs, choosing the right handyman services can make all the difference.

Finding a handyman that does an excellent job can be time-consuming and difficult. Yet, it can also be a positive experience that may lead to a lifetime of quality service. Therefore, it is important to find a handyman who is not only an expert in things like air conditioner repair but also remodeling or even foundation repair.

Some projects, like water heater installations, are best left to professionals as they can become expensive or even dangerous when done without any training. This is where the need for a handyman becomes glaringly apparent. Major projects like this can make your home look well groomed and provide safe, reliable performance when done professionally. Consider the eyesore that a rusting water heater or cracking cement would be in your basement. These issues would detract from the beauty and value of your home and can be avoided by hiring a professional.

Any concerns about the cost of a good handyman with ample experience is offset when considering the fact that a quality job eliminates the need for further repairs or replacements. In addition, hiring just one handyman can cover the areas of a plumber, foundation contractor, and air conditioning contractor, among other things. This eliminates the need for at least three different separate contractors and any costs that hiring different companies would create.

Quality handyman services are few and far between, yet they can make life worlds easier and can reduce the stress caused by issues in your home. With a wide variety of skills and services available, a good handyman can make your home look–and perform–the way it should.

Clogged or poorly functioning exterior gutters or interior drains and sewers can cause flooding and leaks that damage your home. Professional gutter, sewer, and drain cleaning services can address emergency problems and perform the necessary maintenance to stop them from happening again.

Water is necessary to life, but when it shows up where it’s not supposed to be in or around your home, it can cause untold problems. We often don’t see or notice the rain gutters or the sewers and drains that are part of the infrastructure of our home until there is a clog, breakage, or malfunction that causes unexpected leaking or flooding. These problems can damage both property and possessions, and they can be a major inconvenience to the people living in the house. Professional gutter or sewer contractors can do the necessary repairs to reduce the damage and disturbance caused by these types of problems and perform maintenance work that will help prevent such issues from recurring in the future.

Clogs are the major issue involved in gutter and drain malfunctions. Clogged gutters are usually caused by leaves, twigs, and nuts from surrounding trees getting caught in the gutter channel. These obstructions can cause standing water or overflowing problems that can impact your home in a number of ways including:

• Interior drywall damage
• Foundation deterioration and erosion
• Rotting woodwork and trim
• Basement leaks
• Interior and exterior mold
• Roof leaks and damage

If you find yourself in this situation, gutter repair and cleaning experts can perform the dangerous and messy work of getting your gutters clear again. The same goes for clogged drains. No matter what is causing the obstruction–excess hair that has gotten caught, foreign objects, or even intruding tree roots–sewer and drain repair professionals will be able to identify where the problem is and remove the source of the clog. These contractors have the expertise to do this work quickly and safely and will cause as little disturbance to the rest of your home as possible.

Dealing with an emergency issue like an overflowing gutter or a blocked drain is essential, but it’s perhaps even more important to keep your gutters and drains in good working order so that you don’t have emergencies in the first place. If you have experienced an unexpected clog, or if you suspect that there may be a growing problem with your drains or gutters, it is worth your while to call on leak detection or gutter protection experts. These professionals will be able to evaluate your interior plumbing and exterior gutters and perform any cleaning or maintenance necessary to get them into top condition.

Functioning gutters, drains, and sewers are essential to the overall health of your house. If you have a problem with one of these elements, it’s important to call on professional gutter contractors or sewer drain experts to deal with it quickly and effectively so that your home does not suffer unnecessary damage. These experts will also be able to do any maintenance, repair, or cleaning work needed so that you can avoid future problems as well.

A problem with your plumbing system can cause countless inconveniences and expenses. Ignoring such issues or relying on amateurs is just asking for more trouble. If you suspect blockages, leaks, or other plumbing problems, call your local professional today.

Are you making home updates and improvements to prepare for a sale? Did you wake up one morning to find a flooded bathroom or a stopped up sink? Have you been experiencing very high water bills? These are just three of countless reasons why home and business owners may need to call in the services of a master plumber. When you have plumbing problems of any kind, it is essential to trust an experienced professional plumber, ensuring all repairs, installations, and maintenance tasks are performed with knowing hands and quality products. Amateur work can not only cause a disaster–it can end up costing you a fortune to have a professional reverse the damage!

Just some of the excellent services available to you through your local plumbing expert include:

• Rooter Service – Take one step beyond your typical drain cleaning job! Sometimes very nasty clogs–tougher than what typical over-the-counter drain cleaners can handle–block pipes deep within your plumbing infrastructure. To dissolve these hair wads, invasive tree roots, and other blockages, your local plumber will use a powerful tool called a plumber’s snake to clear the blockage. Professional operation of this tool is essential, as using a snake that is the wrong size or is too powerful for your particular system can result in warped, cracked, or bent pipes.
• Leak detection service – A leak in your plumbing can cause high water bills, damage to your home and property, and more. The first step to repairing the leak is actually locating it in the labyrinth of pipes that run through the walls, ceilings, and floors of your building! This can be done with a variety of high-tech leak detection methods, such as video pipe inspection, hydrostatic detection, and static detection. Once the leak is detected, the plumber can determine the source, size, and severity of the leak and begin the appropriate approach for repairs. Professional leak detection also takes much of the guesswork out of pipe repair, meaning that your system will be working at top notch again faster and with fewer disturbances to your property.
• Water heater repair and installation – Everyone’s been stuck with a cold shower at one point or another, and for most people, it’s not an experience that they wish to repeat. If you have a broken or malfunctioning water heater that produces no or insufficient hot water, cold showers aren’t the only problem–without hot water, your dishwasher and washing machine will be unable to provide you the best service possible. Make sure that all of your amenities and appliances are performing at full capacity by calling your professional plumber immediately if you suspect that your water heater is malfunctioning or underperforming. Signs of a spent or damaged water heater can include discolored water, leakage around the tank, lukewarm water, and water that turns cold quickly.

Faucet repair, sewer repair, and drain repair are some more of the quality services performed by your local plumber. A true professional is available to help with jobs both big and small. Plumbing is a modern marvel that makes life as we know it possible. Don’t exacerbate your troubles or inconvenience yourself by hesitating to give your plumbing system the treatment it needs–call today!