M&M Plumbing

Use vinegar and baking soda to clean out the inside of your dishwasher.

A dishwasher is one of the main appliances that you use, so shouldn’t you be giving it the attention it needs to stay clean? We clean the rest of our 

appliances when they get dirty -- the food out of the bottom of the oven, the microwave after we have soup boil over. But did you know that you should be cleaning your dis

hwasher about once a month? Even if your plates are coming out shining and clean, you can start to smell a foul odor. This is because of the bacteria and mold growing in different spots around your dishwasher.

The door gasket and the drain filter can both be spots that odor-causing bacteria can grow. The drain filter is usually the common part of the dishwasher that collects odor, but an article from Sears says that the door gasket can also create odors:

“The door gasket is the black rubber tubing that lines the opening of the dishwasher. The gasket has a magnetic strip on the inside to help it cling to the dishwasher door frame and prevent water from leaking out during cycles. Sometimes, food particles that get washed off dishes during the cleaning cycle get stuck on the sides of the gasket, so the gasket may need to be wiped down every now and then with a damp cloth or paper towel.”

Just Say No... to Drano!

Do you have a sink or tub drain that drains slowly or is completely backed up? You may be tempted to go for that quick fix and buy a chemical drain cleaner, like Drano or Liquid Plumr. After all, they are inexpensive, easy to apply, and it's a lot cheaper than calling a plumber, right?

Well before you pour that potion down your pipe, you may want to consider the potential risks from using these products.

First, they are highly toxic. The main ingredients in chemical drain cleaners are highly corrosive -- usually sulphuric acid and lye. They work by dissolving grease and hair into a liquid so it will flow down your drain. While the consumer versions of these products are not as concentrated as commercial products, they are still extremely dangerous. The ingredients can be fatal if ingested. If the cleaner touches your skin or membranes, it can cause severe burns. And if the drain cleaner is accidentally mixed with another cleaning agent that contains bleach (like the kinds of cleaners many people use in their sinks and tubs), you may inadvertently create chlorine gas, a highly toxic and deadly gas.

In our last blog article, we gave you some simple solutions for cleaning and maintaining your garbage disposal. In this article, we will cover the do's and don'ts of using your disposal. Most of garbage disposal repair and replacement calls we make could have been avoided by taking better care of this appliance in the first place.

Click the image to access the original article on getting rid of mold and mildew in the bathroom.Here is the link to the original article: http://shor-tn.us/mm-getridofmold

We found this article on the Home and Living Cheat Sheet website and think this is excellent advice.

The authors suggest two key factors in getting rid of mold and mildew in the bathroom:

1. Make sure you have a properly installed shower curtain liner. Curtain liners are cheap, so there's really no reason why you can take their advice and put up one that completely covers your shower opening. Then of course, make sure you keep the liner inside the tub so the water that hits it flows down inside the shower.  Spending a few dollars on a shower curtain liner could literally save you thousands of dollars in repairs from mold, mildew and dry rot.
   
   
2. Test your shower or bath tub liner. If you have a liner installed in your bath or shower, it's very important to be sure they don't leak. If water gets between the liner and the original shower enclosure, you can end up with some really nasty mold growth, and once that starts the only real way to fix it is to remove the liner.

When is the last time you flushed you water heater?  If you're like most people, your answer is, "I'm supposed to flush my water heater?"

Because your water heater is essentially a water storage tank, while the water is being held in the tank, sediment naturally occurring in just about every source of water settles to the bottom of your tank.  Over time, this sediment builds up, and can effect the normal operation of your water heater.

While there are not typically symptoms of a water heater that needs flushing, neglecting to flush you water heater regularly affects the internal components of your water heater and shortens its lifespan.  It also can affect the efficiency of your water heater, requiring more energy to operate (higher costs!).

Underground sprinkler systems must be turned on slowly at the begining of the watering season to prevent damage to the pipes and sprinkler heads.When you restart your irrigation system each spring, it’s important to follow the correct startup procedures so that you do not damage the system. Starting up the system is not particularly complicated, but it’s more than just turning on a valve. Be patient when turning on your irrigation system after it’s been winterized because if not, you could have a geyser of water filling up your yard and costly repairs.

The key to preventing system damage is to turn on the water slowly. This allows the pipes to pressurize and all the air to purge. Turning on the water source too abruptly can cause pipes to burst. Even if your pipes don’t rupture right away, you could create stress on the pipes that leads to damage and leaks down the road.

Hometips.com has a good explanation on how to properly start your irrigation system:

“Begin the process by filling the main line of the irrigation system (located between the water source and the zone valves). Slowly open the shutoff valve that controls the water supply to the entire system. A quarter turn or so is all you will need. Take your time and remember that the water has to travel the entire length of the main line. Once the main line is filled, proceed with filling each zone, again, by very slowly opening the zone valve manually.”

As we write this, most people around Olympia are recovering from two of the biggest family holidays of the year -- Thanksgiving and Christmas. Big family get-togethers mean lots of food, and lots of use of your garbage disposal. If you're finding that your kitchen sink is not draining like it should, or that your sink has a lingering smell that won't go away, there are some simple steps you can take to clean and maintain your garbage disposal. As much as we love the work, we hate to charge for a service call when there is a a simple fix that a customer can do themselves.

We've mentioned this topic on our social media pages a number of times in the past, but it's about time we "plunge" into it further and "flush" out any additional questions you might have. We are talking of course about the two different types of plungers you should have in your home.

Many people don't realize that there are two types for two different purposes. And unfortunately, home improvement stores confuse the matter my selling plungers that don't really do the job.

The first type of plunger is the one you are more likely familiar with. This is the one that looks like a suction cup with a handle sticking out of it. This type of plunger is designed for clearing a sink or tub. While these come in multiple sizes, many people mistakenly buy the larger versions thinking they are for toilets.

This plunger, sold at Home Depot for $2.98, has no flange and is designed for sinks and tubs.This plunger, sold at Home Depot for $5.99, includes a flange which creates a positive seal inside a toilet drain.

Here is a scary scenario. Make sure you read this, because it could certainly happen to you.

Rubber reinforced hose, a better alternative than a regular rubber hoseYou're all ready to go on your week-long, family vacation to Hawaii. As usual, you've been careful to "button down" your house, making sure garbage cans have been put away, the mail has been put on hold and the newspaper has been stopped. You've let your neighbors know you'll be gone and given them a contact number in case of emergency. You've checked all your appliances to make sure they've been turned off, and even checked all the faucets and toilets to make sure they aren't dripping or leaking.

One week later you return after a long flight and return drive from SeaTac Airport. You and your family are tired from the trip and looking to get home, unpack and get some rest. You pull into the garage, and are alarmed to find the floor of your garage soaking wet. Opening the garage entry to the home, you're greeting by soaking wet carpet that squishes like a sponge when you walk on it.

Frantic and confused, you search for the cause. It's not a burst pipe. It's not a backed up toilet. No, it's the one thing you never thought to check: your washing machine. The hot water hose leading from the spigot to the back of the washing machine burst, leaving the spigot to run freely for who knows how long while you were away.

Warning: This is NOT a plumbing tip!

Nope... not a plumbing fixture! But knowing which way to run your fan can save you energy year round.But as Olympia area plumbers, we also know a thing or two about other home maintenance tips. When we come across things that can help our plumbing customers, whether or not it's related to their toilets and faucets, we try to pass them along.

Here's a common question that many people have: If you have ceiling fans, you can help circulate air through your house to save energy on heating and cooling. But which way should you run the fans, clockwise or counter-clockwise?

The answer depends on the season.

Have you purged your underground sprinkler system yet? If you haven't, it's time to do it now.

Here's why. Most liquids continue to contract (shrink and become more dense) when they get colder. That means they take up less space. But water has a unique property that causes it to start to expand when it reaches about 39 degrees. Then, gradually, it begins to contract again, but it still stays less dense than water.