Words of wisdom about plumbing and air conditioning from our family to yours.
Like many adult children who did not grow up around handy parents, the care and upkeep of your home can be a real head scratcher. What to do when certain very common problems arise can seem like a very big deal when you don’t have the experience of seeing someone fix them.
As plumbing and air conditioning pros, we get a lot of the same questions; things you probably should know as a homeowner.
Conversely, we’re parents, too, so we get it. People just not as well versed in the mechanics of our home systems (and how to maintain them yourself) as we used to be in our grandparents’ day.
The following is a list of things we wish that every up-and-coming adult is armed with the knowledge that they need to run a household — without having a panic attack every time the drain gets clogged.
Change the filter on your air conditioning system every two months. Period.
Picture this, you’re sitting at home in the middle of summer and the register just won’t kick out cold air. You mess with the thermostat, reset the system, and you just get neutral air. You stockpile on box fans, dress for the desert, and wait for the HVAC pros to come and diagnose the problem. They pull out a filter that looks like the bottom of the Dead Sea and BAM! — you just spent hundreds of dollars to get someone to change your filter. They aren’t expensive, buy 6 at a time and set a ping on your calendar to change them every two-to-three months. A clean filter will keep you snug as a bug in a rug in winter and cool as a cucumber in summer.
If you’ve got a clogged drain due to nasty hair and other gross stuff, start with an over-the-counter drain unclogger first.
Most bathroom drain clogs result when dirt, skin flakes, and especially hair binds to soap scum on the walls of drain pipes. Over time, this gunk accumulates and reduces water flow. Before you call us (and we love when you do), troubleshoot the clog by removing and cleaning the drain stopper. Next, try using the humble drain plunger, keeping in mind to block the overflow drain in the tub or sink. If that doesn’t work, remove the drain elbow joint and clean it out. Clean drain stoppers routinely to prevent clogs and use a hair strainer drain-cover to trap hair before it goes down the drain.
If you’ve noticed a sudden drop in water pressure, it might not be the plumbing.
Don’t panic. There are many possible reasons you may be experiencing low water pressure. First, check each faucet in the house to see if the pressure problem is isolated, running hot and cold water separately to see if they have roughly the same pressure. If it’s only the shower head and/or a faucet that are weak, they may just need a good cleaning. To clean a shower head or faucet aerator, simply soak them in vinegar. If pressure problems persist, the source of the problem lies elsewhere.
If you ignore a running toilet, the water company will laugh all the way to the bank.
When you hear your toilet running, there’s usually a sign that your water bills are going to start getting unnecessarily high. Think of how much water is wasted when the toilet is constantly running. Often, it’s just a quick fix that you can do yourself. The problem is often just an open flush-valve or something small within the tank. Take a look inside — it may not be as bad as you think — and it’s definitely costing you money. (Need to make a major repair? Check out our step-by-step instructions.)
Taking the time to understand your home systems doesn’t require trade school or a budding genius. Many of the everyday items that keep the water flowing and the house heated / cooled have been built the same way over the last one hundred years, you just have to know what to look for.
And now that you’re armed with your newfound practical knowledge about plumbing and air conditioning, you can avoid the high-stressed reaction when things don’t work quite right.
In over your head? No worries, we got you. Ask “the water guys” at Sirius Plumbing.& Air Conditioning. We’re here for you.
Sirius Plumbing and Air Conditioning services Dallas/Ft Worth or any one of these mid cities:
Dallas, Plano, Carrollton, Richardson, Garland, Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Lewisville, Flower Mound, Coppell, University Park, Highland Park, Fort Worth, Richland Hills, North Richland Hills, Hurst, Bedford, Euless, Colleyville, Keller, Southlake, Grapevine, Trophy Club, and surrounding DFW communities.
We are committed to treating our customers like family. We make sure that we’re there for them when they need plumbing repairs, air conditioning repair, and hot water heater repair. We also help when people have a leaking toilet, clogged drain, or gas line repair. What’s more, we do tankless water heater installation and HVAC replacement. Get to know us better at siriuspac.com/about/.
Sirius Plumbing and Air Conditioning intern Knox Thornhill is making a difference in the Dallas community. A junior at SMU majoring in accounting, he plans to receive his BBA in the spring of 2024 and looks forward to working in the business world.
