Kitchen Sink Odors: Food debris and oils build up inside your garbage disposal. To eliminate these odors, place ice cubes and lemon peals in the disposal. If you have citrus trees in your yard, cut up the fruit before placing it in the disposal, and run the disposal until clear.

Disposal Maintenance: Use cold water when grinding food waste to help cool the unit. Completely grind food before turning the disposal off. Avoid grinding fibrous waste such as celery, artichoke leaves and cornhusks. Do not overload the disposal.

Disposal Jams: Turn off disposal. Turn off the tap water. Using a ¼ inch Allen wrench, insert it into the hole in the center of the disposal bottom and turn it back and forth in both directions until it turns freely in complete circles. Remove the food or item that caused the jam with a pair of tongs. Find the red reset button on the bottom of the disposal. If the button does not click, then the breaker did not trip.

Noisy Hot Water Tank: All of that gurgling, popping and rumbling while the water heater is in operation, is usually due to the accumulation of sediment and mineral scale on the inside. When the tank heats up, the steam pressure within the deposits cause them to pop off of the sides. Sediments also reduce heat transfer from the burner to the water, causing the burner to run longer. Sediments can also clog the drain valve which may cause the thermostat bulb to be immersed, causing poor temperature regulation.

Sediments and mineral scale reduce the life of your water heater, so follow the manufacturer’s guidelines to regularly drain off the sediments.

No Hot Water: Check to insure the gas is on to the water heater. Check to see that the pilot light is lit. If the pilot is not lit, refer to instruction manual. If the pilot is lit and the water heater is not lighting, call Brooks Plumbing to check it professionally.

Air Conditioner: Replace or clean your A/C filter frequently…more often if you have pets.

Keep Those Drains Running!

• Don’t pour grease, fats or coffee grounds down your kitchen drain.
• Use a paper towel to wipe out greasy pans before washing.
• Ample warm water will help dissolve shaving cream, toothpaste and soap in the bathroom sink.
• Use a lint catcher on your laundry drain hose and clean it regularly.
• Use a strainer in the tub or shower drain to catch hair and foreign objects.
• Keep the lid closed to prevent objects from toilet falling in from the tank top.