Author: beeandjay

Avoid Holiday Blockages

Posted on by beeandjay

Don’t let a plumbing blockage ruin your holiday fun

 

With the holidays only a few days away here are a few tips to make sure you don’t end up with a plumbing emergency during the festivities.

Your kitchen sink is not a garbage can.  To keep the water flowing smoothly remember the following things should never go down your sink, even with a garbage disposal:

Fats

Cooking Oils

Potato & Onion Peels

Fibrous vegetable like celery and pumpkin

Bones

Skin from poultry

 

If your guest are helping with clean up put a garbage bin front and center so everyone knows to scrape dishes there and if you have a garbage disposal let them know what not to put down the disposal.

 

In the bathroom the only thing that should go down the toilet other than what comes from your body should be toilet paper.  That means things like cotton balls, swabs, cleansing cloths and similar items need to go into the trash not flushed away.  This included wipes that are labeled “flushable”, they are not very friendly to your ejector pumps and can cause them to become clogged and not work.  Have an empty trash can near bye so visitors won’t feel they have to flush something they shouldn’t.

 

Fix slow drains right now.

 

Time for a New Toilet

Time for a New Toilet

Posted on by beeandjay

If it’s time to buy a new toilet and turn that old one into a planter, but you don’t have a clue where to start… I’m here to help.  Working in the plumbing industry for over 25 years and also being married to a plumber, I can be a little bit of a snob when it comes to my plumbing fixtures and where to purchase them; with that being said; If I needed to replace my toilet I would first measure from the wall to the first set of bolts at the base of the toilet, depending on how old your house is, the rough measurement is most likely 12”.  Older houses may have a 10” or 14” rough.  Once I have that information I would see how much space my current toilet takes up, take that information to the nearest bath showroom and pick out my new toilet.  But what if you wanted to just pick a toilet online or go to your area home improvement center.  I am going to assume here you have a 12” rough toilet.  You need to figure out if you want a one piece or a two piece toilet, a round or elongated toilet, comfort height or standard height and last what kinda flush.  What you ask does all that mean, let me try to help you

Toilet Piece

 

 

A one piece toilet integrates tank and bowl into a seamless design that is easy to clean.

A two piece toilet features the traditional design of a separate tank and bowl.

 

 

 

 

Toilet Height

 

A standard height toilet bowl is about 14-1/2” and is also good for small children.

A comfort height toilet bowl is about 16-1/2”, which is about the height of a chair.  Most people find it to be more comfortable and easier on the knees.

 

 

 

 

Toilet Shape

An Elongated bowl is about 2″ longer then a round front bowl and provides added room and comfort for adults.  Some manufacturers offer a compact elongated bowl, which will enable you to fit an elongated bowl in a tight space.

A round front bowl requires less space, so if space is an issue this is your toilet and tends to be good for small children.

 

 

 

Once you have figured out the type of toilet you want you need to figure out the flush.

Gravity flush, assisted flush, how many flushing options do you want, do you want touchless or even a bidet feature.  (Bidet Feature a whole another blog)

A gravity flush toilet is your standard toilet flush.

An assisted flush toilet moves water from the tank to the bowl and out of the trapway using electricity or pressure.  I have a pressure assist toilet and it can be a bit loud, commercial toilet sounding and when we first moved into our house my girls where young and refused to flush the toilet because it scared them.

Some toilets offer a dual handle for your water gallons per flush option to save water and money.

Touchless technology allows you to flush your toilet by placing your hand over the senor, thus minimizing the spread of germs around the bathroom.

Customer Service

Customer Service

Posted on by beeandjay

As we celebrate 50 years of service it is important to remember we would not be here without our customers. We value our customers and their opinion of our service, good or bad. Without it we cannot continue to grow and change as the needs of our customers do.

The Customer

  • Is the most important person in the company
  • Deserves our most courteous and attentive treatment
  • Does not interrupt our work; he/she is the purpose of it
  • Brings her/his needs; it is our job to fulfill them
  • Does not depend on us – We depend on them
  • Is part of our company, he/she is not an outsider
  • Is part of our business
Outdoor Gas Appliances

Outdoor Gas Appliances

Posted on by beeandjay

With the unofficial start of the summer this weekend, don’t forget to check your idle gas appliances ie. Gas Grill or Gas Fire Pit connections. Check burner jets for clogs and be sure that gas hoses are sound and secure. To do a gas leak test, you spray the connections and any open lines with soapy water, then turn on the gas, if it bubbles turn off the gas and call a gas professional to repair.

Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday

Posted on by beeandjay

The original building 50 years ago. Check out Our Lady of The Lakes above the doors. What you ask, “is Our Lady of the Lakes?”

The original building owner, Herman, created a handmade wooden ornamental piece, named Lady of the Lakes, which at the time was proudly mounted over the front doors of the building (unlike today, Lake Mahopac was visible from our location on Route 6). Herman told us that she will look over the business. She now hangs on the wall in our conference room.

Kohler’s Nightlight Toilet Seat

Kohler’s Nightlight Toilet Seat

Posted on by beeandjay

Another great product I found while checking out Kohler’s newest Products. The Nightlight toilet seat with two unique LED light displays that illuminate your toilet in a soft glow. Perfect for anyone who needs to use the bathroom in the middle of the night.

The guiding light, located in the seat’s hinge, is visible with the lid down. It projects a gentle glow onto the toilet’s tank so users can easily see the toilet area when entering the bathroom. No need to flip a switch and brace yourself for the harsh bathroom that wakes you up and makes getting back to sleep that much harder.

Nightlight runs automatically on a seven-hour cycle so you don’t have to worry about leaving it on during the day or turning it on every night. With just the push of a button, you program the first cycle, and the Nightlight will activate at the same time every night. The slim, low-profile toilet seat runs on four “AA” batteries for up to six months, so you don’t have to deal with messy cords or wires that add clutter in your bathroom.

Not only does it guide you in the middle of the night, the Nightlight comes with the Quiet-Close™ feature that prevents those rude awakenings commonly caused by a slamming seat, and Quick-Attach® hardware and Quick-Release™ functionality let you easily install the seat and remove it for a thorough cleaning.

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How to avoid freezing pipe Headaches

How to avoid freezing pipe Headaches

Posted on by beeandjay

With temps plunging into record lows, the potential for frozen pipes can create a headache for homeowners. Here are just a few things one can try to avoid this from happening.

In basements and crawl spaces, pipes touching an outside wall or located outside need to be properly covered. There is an insulation that is available at most home improvement or plumbing stores that is the shape of the pipe (usually 1/2″ copper), has a slit down the middle and wraps around the pipe.

Remove any hoses in the backyard from the hook up, shut off the valve and open the valve outside so all the water drips out.

I know this one will go against your conserve water side, but turn on your taps. There’s pressure built up in the pipes, and if water’s not moving and that pipe is exposed to cold then it could Freeze, so just turn that faucet on a little bit. Moving water will not freeze as rapidly as it could just sitting in the pipe.

In the event of a prolonged power outage, turn off the main shut off valve which controls water coming into the house and then open all the faucets and let the water run through. This way you have no water in the pipes for freezing.

You can also drain your water heater during an outage to avoid damage. Usually above the water heater there are two valves, one for hot water and one for cold water, shut off the water there. On the bottom of the water heater, there is a spout and that is where you will drain the water.

Sometimes even after taking measures to avoid a freeze up it happens. If you have no water and suspect your pipes are frozen, we strongly recommend not tampering with them and call a plumber. There have been instances of consumers trying to heat pipes on their own, which can, in turn cause more damage.

If a pipe has burst, the first thing to do is automatically go to the shut off valve and turn the water off. That will stop the water from making any more damage. Then call in a plumber to fix the pipe.