Getting New Counters? Think Plumbing!

If you’re thinking about have new counters installed, make sure you talk with you plumber first!

What many people don’t know, and what many counter installers won’t/can’t tell you, is that if you have new counters installed in your kitchen or bathroom, you may need to adjust your plumbing. The plumbing under your sink is set to a certain elevation, and because of the Uniform Plumbing Code, must maintain specific standards. If the counters you are installing are thicker, or are going to be set higher or lower, it could mean you need to drastically alter the existing drain pipes. Also, You must make sure the the counters are drilled to the same measurements of your current sink basin. If this step is overlooked than the counters you receive may cause you to have to buy an entirely new sink, whether you wanted one or not.

The reason many counter installers won’t tell you all of this information is because they may not know. They are not plumbers, so we shouldn’t expect them to know all the rules of plumbing. However, they should know to tell you to contact a plumber to make sure the counters you are installing will match your current set-up. You’re likely going to need your plumber afterwards to set all of you kitchen/bathroom fixtures and pipes back up afterwards, so you might as well include them from the get go and make your life a little easier. It sure spares the headache of making adjustments after the counters are already in place.

Thanks for reading along. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for future blog posts please feel free to leave them in the comments section below. Remember, with McAdams Plumbing, The Proof is in the Plumbing!

-MP

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MP Folly of the Week

At McAdams Plumbing we see a lot of fun, exciting, and sometimes dangerous plumbing missteps. When we find great ones we love to pass them along to you, our readers, in hopes that you won’t make the same mistakes in the future. If you’re not sure what you’re doing is right, you’re probably doing it wrong. Remember what Grandpa McAdams always used to say; “Ricky, pick your battles.” Timeless wisdom. On that note, we give you this week’s plumbing folly:

Yikes! I hope that faucet is just for decoration. Or the socket. Either way, that is just poor decision making there. Well, hope you got a giggle out of that, I sure know I did.

If you have any funny plumbing related stories or pictures please feel free to sen them our way. Always looking for good Blog material. Hope everyone has a wonderful week and remember, the Proof is in the Plumbing!

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Fun Fact of the Week

Alright, so with this week’s fun fact we’re going to talk a little about water waste.

McAdams Plumbing always recommends that if you have a leaking faucet or toilet, you get it repaired right away. We don’t say this because we want your business (well, not entirely!). We say this because leaking water can be amazingly wasteful. You’d be surprised how much just a little drip can add up to in the long run. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at the facts.

If a drip from your faucet fills an eight ounce glass in 15 minutes, it will waste 180 gallons per month and 2,160 gallons per year.

Yea, that’s a lot of waste! Now think of that in terms of leaking faucets and toilets in a house. It can really add up!

So be smart, for you and for our environment. If you have leaks in your home, get them taken care of!

Alright, that’s all we have for today. As always we would love to hear your questions, comments, or suggestions for future blogs. You can comment below or contact us at [email protected]. Thanks, and remember, the Proof is in the Plumbing!

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“Credit Kipp J Schoen Photography: http://schoenphoto.zenfolio.com“

For this weeks blog McAdams Plumbing wants to make sure our friends and patrons are prepared for the upcoming holidays and all that they can bring.

First off, we need to let you know that like most businesses, McAdams Plumbing will be closed from Sunday, December 23rd, through Christmas day, Tuesday the 25th. We will re-open with our normal business hours (7am-7pm) on Wednesday, December 26th.

With the holiday schedule in mind we want to make sure that you don’t delay taking care of plumbing problems if you notice them. The last thing anyone needs to worry about over the holiday is having a plumbing emergency during such an inconvenient time. Here’s a list of some of the common problems folks run into during this time (Hint: use this as a check list to be sure none of these are going to sneak up on you!):

Toilets Constantly Running

Many times folks have a bathroom they use infrequently except when visitor come to stay. When the activity in these bathrooms increases it can expose bad fill valves or warped flappers that cause the toilet to run constantly or fill improperly leading to a poor flush. Test your toilets a few times before company arrives to be sure that everything is working properly.

Visitors Flushing Unflushables

Unflushables, get it? Like “Untouchables.” Anyways, as much as we wish they would, guests don’t always follow the same rules of the home as you do. Make sure your guests know that the ONLY things you should flush down the toilet are human waste and toilet paper. Even “flushable” sanitary products can present a problem so avoid it all together and make sure people put trash in the pale, not the toilet.

Clogged Sink Drain

If your sink drains slowly now, it’s only going to get worse as your kitchen activity increases over the holidays. Don’t allow yourself to get stuck in a situation where your drain clogs in the middle of Christmas dinner preparations, have it taken care of in advance. McAdams Plumbing can normally get in and out and have the drain cleaned in less than an hour. Check our Drain Cleaning page for deals!

Clogged Shower/Bathroom Faucet Drains

With the increased holiday activity kitchen drains aren’t the only ones that get clogged. Check your shower and bathroom faucet drains as well. If any of these drain poorly look at getting those taken care of as well. As you’ll see on our Drain Cleaning page if you need multiple drains cleaned MP gives you 50% off any additional drain cleaning with the purchase of a full price initial drain cleaning. That’s a deal you just can’t beat!

Garbage Disposal

Another common problem we run into is broken or clogged garbage disposals. Remember, garbage disposals are meant to handle minor scraps left over from food preparation and cleaning. Do not use it at a garbage can! Too much food can overwhelm the garbage disposal and jam or break it. Also make sure your running cool water down your drain when operating your garbage disposal to keep the motor cool and the waste flowing down.

Shower Leaks

Many times guests using showers forget to close the door all the way or pull the curtain completely closed. More than once have we been called out for an emergency leak repair when it turned out that someone simply left the door partially ajar during a shower and allowed water to seep into the floor. Save yourself the headache (and emergency service fee) and remind your guests to fully close the door or curtain when showering.

Hoses and Sprinklers

We covered this topic in our What About Your Sprinkler Systems? blog but it’s worth mentioning again. If you haven’t already make sure you disconnect your hoses for the winter and have your sprinkler systems blown out right away. This will help avoid major problems with frozen pipes over the winter.

And finally…

Sump Pumps

Sump pumps work to push water from under your home, that could become a problem, out to a safer area. If your sump pump fails and the increased moisture of the winter season raises the water table under your home the result could be a basement flood! Make sure your sump pump is working properly; if you are unsure feel free to call MP at 303-465-1900 and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.

Ok, I think that covers quite a bit! Make sure if you have work you’d like to have done before the holiday break call and get on the schedule. Things tend to fill up last minute and we don’t want anyone to get pushed aside. As always if you have any questions call, email, or leave a comment below. We’re always monitoring our blog so give us your suggestions or questions, we’re here to help!

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