Helpful Plumbing Tips

Tips For Home Owners

There are a number of simple plumbing tips that can help you maintain any plumbing system, be it a commercial or residential plumbing system, that can help prevent emergency plumbing needs or costly after hour visits. It's not that we don't want to make money here at Trent Plumbing, we like profit as much as the next plumbing contractor, but we care about our customers. There's plenty of plumbing work to be had under the best of circumstances. We feel that if you take advantage of some of our experience and heed these simple tips, you'll thank us with your continued business, and long relationships is what Trent Plumbing is all about.

So here are some simple tips that can help your plumbing operate at its maximum proficiency, and that can also save you some money!

Heed the weather- Extreme temperatures can do serious damage to plumbing and to heating and air conditioning units. So if you see that the weather is going to be extremely hot or below freezing, make sure you prepare for it. Make sure pipes are insulated. Simple foam installation will usually suffice. For outdoor or exposed plumbing you cannot insulate, leave a trickle of water on so the pipes don't freeze. It's better to spend a few dollars on water than it is to replace burst pipes. Make sure drainage is clear on A/C units and try and give them a break at night when you can.
Change filters- Any plumbing system or heating system that utilizes a filter does so for a reason, it needs to catch debris so that it can breath and flow and function properly. But be it a heater unit or an A/C unit or a pool filtering system, filters get clogged, which provides the same result as if there were no filtering system in the first place, the unit becomes clogged and cannot function properly. This can result in severe damage. Routine cleaning and changing of filters not only lengthens the life of any plumbing machine, it saves money.
Clear drains- Be it a simple kitchen drain or an extremely important storm drain, keeping the drains clean can prevent costly plumbing problems. Drains are designed to allow water to flow but to keep debris from entering the pipes. Storm drains, for example, drain excess rain water, potentially damaging to the structure of your home or to your landscaping, away from your house, but they can't do so if they are blocked. Make sure your drains are clear and free of debris so they can do their job.

How to Collect a Water Sample

It’s important to collect your sample properly. The accuracy of your test results depends on it.

1. Get a well water sample collection kit. Water collection kits are available from your nearest PHO laboratory, public health unit or designated pickup location in your area.

2. Use the sample bottle from the kit.
We only accept drinking water collected directly into the bottle provided in the kit. Be sure to check the lid of the bottle. If the seal is broken, use a new collection kit.

3. Sample your well water when you are sure it can be delivered to the PHO laboratory in time. We will not test a sample if it is too old by the time it is received by the laboratory. Contact your local public health unit for sample drop-off locations in your community. Confirm how soon a sample must be submitted after collection to ensure it is tested within the required 48 hour limit.

4. Remove any aerator, screen or other attachment from your kitchen faucet. If you cannot do this, take a sample from an inside tap with no aerator, such as the bathtub. Do not take a sample from an outside faucet or the garden hose.

5. Turn on the cold water for two to three minutes. This will help remove standing water from your plumbing system.

6. Disinfect the end of the faucet spout with an alcohol swab or diluted bleach solution. Use a diluted bleach solution (1 part household bleach to 10 parts water) or an alcohol prep pad to remove debris or bacteria. Do not disinfect the spout with a flame because this can damage the faucet.

7. Turn on the cold water again. Let the tap run for another two to three minutes.

8. Remove the lid of the sample bottle. If the “tamper proof” ring on the lid is broken, use another PHO collection bottle. Do not touch the inside of the lid, put down the lid or rinse out the bottle since it contains a preservative to neutralize any chlorine that may be in the sample.

9. Fill the bottle to the level that is marked. If the water level is below the fill line there may not be enough volume to perform the test. If there is too much water, the sample cannot be mixed properly. Close the lid firmly and keep it cold but not frozen until it can be delivered to the drop off location.