Up on the rooftop

Man, I really hate it when a house has no cleanouts.

Save the Water!

If you think you have a leak, there is an easy way to check. First, make sure all the faucets, washing machine, dishwasher, etc. are turned off so that you have no water running. Go to your water meter box and open the lid; you may need a flat head screwdriver to pry it up. If you can't see the glass of the meter, clean it off so it's all visible. Your meter may not look exactly like this one, but this one is a common style used in North Texas and most indicators are fairly similar. Look for what I would call "the spinner"; in the picture above, the spinner is the black and silver wheel in the center of the dial. When water is running, it spins fast or slow depending on how wide you have a fixture open. If nothing is running inside your house and the spinner is turning, there is a good possibility you may have a leak somewhere. It could be any number of things... leaky hose faucet, toilet running or bad flapper, or it could be one you can't see like a slab leak or a bad service line in your yard. If it's not obvious to you, call a plumber. If it's not obvious to him, call a better plumber.

Another easy way to tell that you might have a leak is your water bill. In Fort Worth, an average water bill for someone who doesn't irrigate is around $50 a month, and in most places, your water bill is fairly consistent from month to month, with small increases from time to time. If you notice all of the sudden that your bill has doubled or even tripled, something is up.

Water carved the . There was even a broken water pipe at the bottom of the Grand Canyon when I went through. The plumbing crew had to be flown in by helicopter, with their tools and materials sent in on a second flight in, and they had to camp for a couple of days to fix the leak. With no power tools. In some of the oldest rock in the world. If you have a leak at home, hopefully the repair will go a little smoother than that for your sake AND mine.

Water will always find a way out, and in a house this usually means damage. And that kind of damage usually lends itself to other damage and it can snowball. The sooner you can locate the problem, the less you will likely suffer. More important in the long run, though, is the fact that every leak wastes water, and clean water is slowly becoming a more finite thing than many had ever imagined. Nothing in the world can replace it and our sources are dwindling, but I would bet that I could find at least one leak of some sort in almost every house and business I work in, and most people don't think that much of it. It's time to start taking it seriously.

If you have a leak, or know someone who does, please contact me immediately. I work hard every week so that I won't have to tell my grandchildren, "Oh yeah... water. Sorry about that. We had all these leaky faucets and pipes and hoses and it just didn't seem like that big a deal at the time." Besides, if we fixed all the leaks, taking a really long shower every once in a while wouldn't be such a bad thing.

Think about it. I do every day.

I hate these aerators, but they make me think

I keep a picture like this in my phone for reference. As many times as I've disassembled one of these, they still confuse even me some times. If you have ever done it, you know what I'm talking about. Even new they produce a crappy stream, and are prone to clogs. Some old stuff is better than what they make now, but not these.

I use the phone on my camera as a tool as much or more than a pipe wrench. With my smartphone, GPS, and daily use of the web, I tell people that I am the plumber of the future. And it's true. A couple of years ago when I managed a plumbing company, I was checking employees' licenses online. As I keyed in a name, one of the guys asked, "Where'd ya learn to type like that, college boy?!" I replied, "In high school. On a typewriter." He laughed with the others and said, "I bet you check yer email every day, don't you?" Ha! This was in 2006 when lots of people had been checking their email everyday for many years. So, I'm the plumber who checks his email at least ? times a day... it's on my phone. Need some help? Call me, email me, send me a message on facebook, IM me, whatever. I'm here to make sure your plumbing is the best it can be.

Found the leak!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

This is a test of the Tony The Plumber Broadcast System.

This is only a test. Trying something new. I have been posting pictures, video and notes to several sites for a long time now. Now I'm trying to streamline it by putting all in one place.

http://tonytheplumber.blogspot.com/

Uploaded by www.cellspin.net

Your Friendly Neighborhood Plumber

I worked all day yesterday and, other than a quick trip to the supply house, I was never more than 3 blocks from my house. I like working close to home...

• I eat lunch at home. Occasionally even with ice cream. It's cheaper and better than fast food.
• I save gas, sometimes I even walk. I tell my neighbors it makes us both "green".
• Extra tools and parts are a 5 minute round trip. As long as I've been doing this, I still forget things every once in a while. I keep a lot of stuff on hand and I have at least one of every tool they make.
• People like a plumber they know. Especially one who live close. If you have ever had a plumbing emergency, I bet you didn't have a plumber who responded within 30 minutes at 10 PM.
• Neighbors talk. I have worked for few for several years now, and they have told others, who are now telling others. Now, I have worked for several for a few years. And the list keeps growing.
• People who live close by always pay up front because they’ve seen the Russian that I send out to collect past due payments. Haha, just kidding. But serious.
• The problems are the same ones I’ve had in my house.

The houses in my neighborhood are plumbed very similarly and the same repairs have to be made in all of them with variations in degrees of difficulty due to the work of the many or few that have laid hands on it before me. Everyone who attempts or properly executes an installation or repair has their own particular style... and nobody thinks anyone else knows what they are doing. It's kind of a funny thing. I look at plumbing all the time that has lasted 60 years or more, but because of the way it was originally installed, wonder how it ever worked.... and it's never had a problem. In the same respect, another plumber might look at a project I completed and laugh inside his head even though I thought it was good work. There is more than one way to plumb, but in the end, it's all plumbing. And that's what I do.

I can see the past, present, and future of my neighbors' plumbing; and yours too, for that matter. I know what to expect because I've seen it so many times. The first time we looked at our house, before we bought it, I inspected ALL the plumbing. I wanted to know what I needed to do before we moved in and what I needed to do in the next five years. These lists have come and gone and I've already made the next list and am working on the next. If I've ever worked at your house, there is a list in the back of my head for your plumbing future, should you choose to accept it.

If you happen to live outside of my neighborhood, that’s okay too. I do have a truck. And like I said before, it’s all plumbing.

I'm Tony The Plumber, and my plumbing sense is tingling.

Green Tag!

On the rough-in portion of the remodel. Ok to cover.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Total remodel

Adding new PVC drains to old cast iron pipe
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Problem solving

Today, I solved three plumbing mysteries using nothing more than knowledge. And a 99 cent steak knife. Three different problems, all ongoing, and three different solutions.

1. Problem: Sewer gas smell in kitchen. Solution: Clean garbage disposer. That's not sewer gas yer smelling. Garbage disposers are your enemy. I removed the one from my own kitchen and I am still alive. Food down the drain = plumbing bills in your future.
2. Problem: Water heater won't stay lit. Solution: Dang thermal reset switch. That's an expensive lesson to learn. An alternate solution would be to never buy a water heater from Lowe's or Home Depot. I know those water heaters to be prone to problems. It costs more to have a plumber install one for you, but it's all in the warranty and service. Whirlpool, GE and the like will honor whatever it is they say they will in their respective warranties, but on their time, not yours. And sometimes they will just sent you the parts and then you pay someone to install them. And that's not cool.
3. Problem: Commode water rises in the bowl, the drains, but slowly... even after using a plunger. Solution: Clear flush jet with 99 cent steak knife. The flush jet is the small hole near the bottom of the bowl where all the water drains. Some commodes have them, some don't. If you have an older toilet, or live in an older house, this is more common. Over time, minerals in the water deposit on the inside of that flush jet and eventually clog it up. I wear long rubber gloves and use a cheap steak knife to poke the hole clean, using the serration of the knife to break the deposits free. Cheap is important when it comes to a steak knife for this application, as you want a blade that you can bend to fit your flush jet. This lesson was a bargain for the student, as she won't have to call someone next time. I even let her keep the steak knife.

I enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience with customers, even if it means they won't have to call me for that particular kind of problem ever again. Because I help them though, they always call me again. A lot of plumbing problems are simple to fix, but many are not. I would rather teach someone how to fix the easy things so that when big problems arise, they aren't broke from fixing all the little ones. And plumbing is going to be around for a really long time.

Classes are always in session and the steak knife is included in the cost of tuition for the flush jet course.