Tips

If you're losing hot water pressure in your house don't just assume you need a new water heater. A bad water heater installation can cause the hot water outlet on your water heater to corrode and clog up, restricting water flow. You don't necessarily have to replace your water heater. Removing the infected piping on the top of your water heater should solve this problem. Whether you live in Oak Creek or Greenfield, water heater installations and repairs should be performed by a professional from Tim’s Plumbing Co. LLC.

One of the most common complaints people have with their residential plumbing systems is a lack of water pressure. If you are experiencing this problem at one or more of your plumbing fixtures, don't just assume it's the pipes. There are a variety of simple problems you can check before calling a plumber. Take the screen off the spout of the faucet and clean it out. Remove your showerheads replace them or clean them. Rust and calcium build up inside these parts giving you the impression your water pressure isn't what it should be. If you are experiencing plumbing issues, contact us.

It's nice to have hot water in your house when you want it. One day, that hot water is not going to come out of the tap and you may have to repair or replace it. There are some things you can do to push this day off far into the future. The most important of these things is to drain your water heater every year, especially if it's more than five years old.

Occasionally homeowners complain about a musty smell coming from their bathrooms or basements. This musty smell could be sewer gas coming from various sources. Most commonly from floor drains. In your basement, you most likely have a drain on the floor. Sometimes these get covered up or otherwise hidden from view for various reasons. After a while, the water will evaporate, and it needs to be refilled with water. It's the water in the trap that keeps the sewer gases at bay. Also, if your toilet rocks or moves around, a damaged wax ring seal may not leak but allow sewer gases to enter your bathroom. The wax ring will need to be replaced. If you are experiencing any of the above issues, contact us.

If your home is fifty years old or more, you may want to consider preventative maintenance on your drains. Kitchen and bathroom sink and tub drains are the most notorious for clogging. Over the years grease, toothpaste, soaps, and shampoos slow drain down by sticking to the walls of your piping, narrowing the opening by which the water and waste can flow down. After some time, these drains close altogether forcing you to get them cleaned out. The bad news is once a drain clogs it tends to continue to clog with alarming regularity. Use a drain opener to maintain full flow in your drains.

Operate all your plumbing shut valves throughout your house once a year. Turning valves on and off once a year will keep gaskets lubricated and the valve from rusting open or shut. Too often in an emergency, a valve may not work properly, taking longer to shut-off the water or not getting it shut-off at all. The wrong time to find out is when water is flowing everywhere! The most common of these problems is by the laundry water supply hoses. Old hoses can burst suddenly, flooding a basement. If the shut-off valves don't work, you'll have to shut the whole house down. Simple maintenance would prevent these emergencies.

Never put toilet tank cleaning tablets or chlorine tablets in the tank of your toilet to freshen the water during flushing. These tablets, most commonly blue in color, can affect the rubber gaskets inside your tank causing leakage and eventual property damage. These leaks are usually small and not easily detected after random use of the toilet. Now not only does the toilet needs to be repaired, but your floor may also need to be replaced as well.

We suggest if you want to clean your toilet bowl and tank once a week pour bleach into the tank and flush it through 3 times after about 10 minutes. DO NOT let the bleach sit in the tank any longer than 10 minutes.

If your garbage disposal stops working suddenly, it has probably jammed itself on something inside the grinding chamber. One solution to this problem is to manually turn the disposal chamber one way or the other using an Allen wrench or disposer wrench sometimes found nearby the disposal. Put the wrench in the disposal from the bottom side, directly in the middle, and turn. Once the obstruction is free, remove it using tongs or pliers, and press the red button on the bottom of the disposal. Run a good amount of cold water through the drain and you're back in business. If that fails, unfortunately it might be time to replace the disposal.

So, you've put a bunch of junk down your disposal hoping it'll all go away and now it's not draining. Well, unfortunately, your garbage disposal can grind up and handle most stuff you throw its way, but your drains probably can't. Just because the garbage disposal box says you can stuff bones down there doesn't mean you should. I know what you're thinking now. Why would they say that if it really can't do it? Well, the truth is, you can do some things to your piping to ensure you don't stop it up, but you typically can't put in a huge garbage disposer and expect your existing plumbing to handle the load. Some changes to your existing plumbing system may be necessary to keep your garbage disposer AND your drains running well and prevent them from getting clogged. Remember: rice, potato peelings, celery, carrots, and other similar foods can plug a drain in a hurry and no matter how awesome your garbage disposer is, some foods will solidify like butter once in your drain.

Your toilet may not be flushing right because of a well-known criminal to plumbing seals and gaskets in a toilet known as the "Blue Water Tablets". These chlorine tablets that freshen your toilet water will kill gaskets and seals in your toilets and cause them to leak. Worst of all, when they dissolve away, they float away into the flushing mechanism of the toilet restricting water from creating the power flush required to remove waste from the toilet causing clogging and other messes.

KEEP THOSE THINGS AWAY FROM YOUR TOILET!

If it's too late and you need our plumbing services, contact us today to schedule an appointment.

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•     Unplug your water heater.
•     Clear away any snow from the exhaust.
•     Use a heat gun or hair dryer to melt any ice that may be in the exhaust.
•     Once clear and ice obstructions are gone, plug your water heater back in and turn on if you turned it off.
•     Reset your temperature.

If your bathroom sink drain is running slow, check the "pop-up" plunger for debris. Toothpaste, shaving cream, soap, and mouthwash do a great job of building upon parts inside the drain causing slow flow. If the plunger doesn't come out, you'll need to unscrew the nut that holds the plunger rod in place on the drain itself. Pull it out and then the plunger can be removed. Clean both the rod and plunger and reassemble. If this tip does not repair your drain issues, call us.

Installing a new faucet is simple if you have relatively open access underneath the sink. Special tools might be needed to tighten nuts in the small, cramped space under the sink. Read the instructions closely to make sure all the parts are assembled in the correct order. If you are not remodeling but only replacing the faucet because it leaks, be sure to check the washers in the handles. If they're worn, they'll leak. Replacing them does the job for a lot less money! Caution. Many older houses do not have shut-off valves on the pipes. You will need to shut off the water for the whole house. If this is the case, it's probably best to contact us. We can install the new valves while replacing your faucet fixture.

•     Supply - Failing water heaters have trouble supplying hot water quickly and for extended periods of time. You might also notice rust-colored water coming from your pipes.
•     Age - Most water heaters should be replaced every 10-12 years. If your unit is nearing a decade or over that age, it’s time to call Tim’s Plumbing Company for same-day replacement.
•     Noises - Unusual popping, clanging, or rumbling sounds coming from a water heater is a symptom of a malfunctioning unit.

Water isn't any fun if it's not where you want it! In this case, you want it in the kitchen sink. Water might be spraying out of the end of the faucet if the screencap is loose or partially blocked. Tighten it or clean it out. If the water is coming out of the handle(s), the seals are probably worn. Take off the handles (be sure to turn off the shutoff valves!) and replace the seals. If the problems are even worse, just buy a new fixture. Contact the plumbing experts at Tim’s Plumbing today to install your next kitchen faucet.

If you want to replace these yourselves, pay very close attention to the exact size and threading of the connecting pipes. It would be best to take off the handles and take them along with you to the hardware store or plumbing supply outlet. You might be able to save money by just replacing the seals and cleaning off the handles. Then you can replace them, and they'll work like new. If you have a tiled wall with faucets set above the tub, be extremely careful not to put too much pressure on the tile. If the tiles crack and you don't have any replacements, it won't look could and could cause leaks.

We have several hundreds of used toilet tank lids.

If yours is broken, it's best to call us at 414-762-5723 or email service@timsplumbing.com to get assistance with locating one in our stock.

We have lids from the early 1900s through early 2000s of brands like Briggs, American Standard, Crane, Mansfield, Kohler, etc.