What do you know about your gas supply?

Winter starts tomorrow and if gas is your preferred method of heating then read on…

Natural gas is a great resource to have in any home for ovens, cooktops and hot water heating. However leaks in a high pressure gas line can be extremely dangerous especially if they go unnoticed or are allowed to continue unchecked. The massive explosion in Bondi Junction last year is an example of how horrible a gas blast can be.

If you live in a building with multiple gas meters, it is really important to know where your gas meter is and how to turn it off. Make sure all the gas meters in your building are labelled or numbered clearly, so that in the event of an emergency, you can turn your gas off safely.

Which gas meter is mine?

Here are some pointers to detect gas leaks early so that appropriate measures can be taken to avoid major damage.

1. If you suspect a gas leak, mix some bubbles using detergent with water, and cover the suspect area. If bubbles expand, you have found the leak.
2. Don’t ignore a gas leak. Gas can be dangerous! Not to mention your bills will be increased.
3. Disconnect your plugged-in gas heater in summer.
4. When reconnecting the heater in winter and the bayonet is difficult to plug in, it is probably dusty. Dust and lubricate the connection, then try again.
5. Don’t mess around with gas. If you are not sure don’t touch!

If you are not sure when it comes to a gas pipe problem, always call a licenced plumber and gasfitter.

Prevention will reduce blocked drains.

Today it was a pleasure to meet “Dr Elliot”… This man is incredibly organised.

We were called to his home to run our drain cleaning equipment, the world-famous “Rattlesnake” high-pressure water drain cleaner, through his house drains, downstream to the sewer boundary trap at the rear of his property, adjacent to the swimming pool.

He has had blocked drains in the past and declared he didn’t want the inconvenience of a blocked sewer pipe during the upcoming holidays when his extended family would be visiting and his old sewer line would be put under pressure.

The thought of having his beautifully manicured garden dug up or even disturbed, inspired this house proud professional to maintain one of his homes main arteries – the plumbing.

He compared our house visit to check his blocked drains to a patient having a  health check with their Doctor, especially as we get a little older. Pipes and people!

Dr Elliott knew where all the access points to his drains were located, how to test his sewer and all the symptoms of a blocked drain. It was a pleasure to work with such a professional.

An ounce of prevention will keep your drains running. Oh, and if pain persists, see your Doctor.

The latest sewer notes and history of Venice

Mozarts neighbours get the drains cleared

More S – – T from Venice! The best part about this blog is sharing with so many people and getting your insights into my topic, S – – T.
Our knowledge of the sewers of the world grows.

Basically, we all use our toilets regularly and if you are not, then seek medical advice. Now I’m not going to get into anything unsavoury in this post, but I have a few toilet jokes and stories lined up for you in the future. So stay regular!

Our regular readers would have read about the world famous Venetian Gondolier my friend Giovanni Giudice in earlier blog posts like Holy S – – T.  A Gondoliers impression.

Here in Australia, as we drift into the cooler months it’s spring in Venice and Gio has been keeping me up to date with some interesting facts about the sewer movements and the history of his home town.

Here is an excerpt from a recent communiqué:

Mozart slept here!

Yesterday I took these pics of drain boats in the first one you can see how they get the pipes to the house. This house is just in front of the house where Mozart, Wolfang Amadeus Mozart, stayed when he came to Venice in the Carnival of 1771.

This is written on the marble white stuff you see. Probably there is still some Mozart S- -T!!

Drain boat at St Marco square

This pic is of another Drain boat in front of San Marco Square. As you see from the last picture, I have taken all these pics from my gondola. You can see I’m under the bridge and you see the back (stern) of my lady, my gondola.

Take care my friend,
Giovanni

If you are travelling to Venice and need a guide, look for Giovanni, he is the best!

7 easy ways to extend the life of your Water Heater

Have you found yourself in a situation where its winter and you head home for a shower after work, or after a rugby or netball training session, turn on the hot water tap and the water is cold?

There are many plumbing fixtures around your home, the bath or hand basin, kitchen sink, of course the toilet. Some homes, offices and small business  have multiple toilets, showers and basins.

As we move into the cooler months the average hot water heater becomes more important for all these plumbing fixtures to work.

Its easy to take these often ignored assets in your home or office for granted, but some simple actions will prolong the life of your storage water heater.

Replacing your  hot water heater can usually be unexpected and sometimes expensive, but in today’s fast moving world we can easily ignore this vital cog in our daily routine.

So be sure you are aware of the following:

• Where is your water heater? You need to know where it is!
• Is it gas or electric? You need to know!
• Can you turn off the gas or electricity?
• Can you turn off the water supply to your heater?  Try it! Check this valve or tap works
• Is it  a mains pressure storage heater or instant (continuous)?
• If it is mains pressure, have you released the Temperature and Pressure Relief valve (T&PR valve)?
• Keep the area around this heater clean and clear. Keep long grass, paint cans etc.   well clear.

T&PR valve on mains pressure external gas water heater

See the “hook” on the Temperature and Pressure Relief valve, lift it and hold it up for 30 seconds at least every three months. If this is working properly, it will discharge the hot water whilst you hold up the hook, then stop when you let it go. It is normal for it to discharge water while the heater is heating. Then the water should stop!  Be careful the hot water doesn’t scald you.

Our water heater is a friend, if you are ever unsure about how your water heater is performing, or have any questions about any of the things we have outlined here, contact a professional plumber for guidance.

Remember to engage a licensed plumber to attend to your hot water heater.

https://www.thelonedrainerandpronto.com.au/hot-water-services.html

How to Keep Your Restaurant Clean

Simon from ‘Specc’ Restaurant in Clovelly, tells us how ‘Grease Release’ helps him easily keep his busy kitchen free of fats, oils and grease, leaving his kitchen surfaces clean enough to eat off. Grease Release also keeps the drains from the kitchen sink and floor drains that run to the restaurant grease trap flowing freely. It also keeps the grease trap easier to manage because Simon can clean up any greasy surfaces with cold water.

Our family eats at Specc regularly. Its vibrant atmosphere, fantastic location right near Clovelly Beach in Sydneys Eastern suburbs, and a menu that sets the tastebuds tingling, keep us coming back time and time again.

Check out Simon and Specc at www.specc.com.au

Carrying Out a CCTV Survey of Sewer Pipes

The Importance of Carrying Out a CCTV Survey of Sewer Pipes when Clearing Blocked Drains

Once again there is water all over the floor from a blocked drain, and you need to grab the phone book and look up plumbing services Sydney to find plumbers that can come out and unblock the drain. You can save yourself repeated repairs and repeated calls for service by simply having a plumbing service carry out a CCTV survey of sewer pipes, so that when there is a problem it will be easy to clear the blocked drain. The CCTV survey can tell you what caused the initial drain blockage.

There are many reasons a drain would get blocked, and having a map of where all the pipes are is going to save you a lot of money in the long run.

Tree roots, industrial waste, and cracked or broken pipes are all reasons the drain might be blocked. The problems that come with blocked drains are foul smells and potential health risks. Call a professional plumbing service to make sure that your plumbing is not going to cause you discomfort in your home or business and end up costing you many times more than it needs to.

It is said that prevention is the best cure and by having a CCTV scan and mapping of your sewer system just got a lot easier with help from professional plumbing services. The scan will clearly show small objects, hair blockages, and any other refuse that is stuck in the drain. The scan maps the sewer lines so that you can track where a problems lies.

Plumbing services that are practised in using the CCTV scans can quickly and easily solve your blockage problems. The clear detail shown with this method will save money right from the start. Instead of having to tear up half of your garden and part of your paved drive, the scan shows exactly where the work needs to be done. Plumbing services have stepped up to the plate to carry out the scans and correct any problems the home owner or business owner may encounter in their plumbing.

By using the opportunity of a blocked drain to get a CCTV scan done, you will be able to better maintain the sewer; now that you know where all the pipes run that is.

Renovation is another time you may want to use the services of a professional plumbing service. The map will give you a clear understanding of where you can and cannot build.

Call on the plumbing services of certified plumbers to address and correct the problems with your system and to maintain them as needed. The CCTV scan saves time and money that would be laid out for labour. Understanding how the pipes run in and around your house will enable you to dig anywhere on your property. Be careful, and be sure to call in a team of professionals that take care of everything from doing the scan to fixing whatever problem you may be having with your plumbing.

Burst water hose floods house.

It’s Saturday night in the city and we received an emergency call from a long term client, “HELP we have a tap over the kitchen sink that is leaking lots of water and flooding our kitchen.”

Now on a Saturday night, this sounds like a job for “The Lone Drainer and Pronto“! We were at the house within 30 minutes to repair the leaking tap!

The kitchen sink mixer tap had exploded, gushing water everywhere, and our clients who were having a peaceful dinner, could not turn the water off!

The 2 valves controlling hot and cold water supply to the kitchen sink flickmixer style tap, and the water meter at the front of the property could not be turned off. Both the taps had seized and the water just kept running out all over the kitchen!

Something to aim for….a fly on the wall

In a previous blog post  He aims, he shoots, he scores, I showed you a field goal in a urinal to reduce spillage. Some people were wondering what the original one at Schiphol Airport (http://www.schiphol.nl/) looks like… So once again, courtesy of Exponential Growth Strategist (http://www.ExponentialPrograms.com) Dr Marc Dussault (http://www.MarcDussault.com)  here is the infamous fly in the urinal at Schiphol Airport!

 This blog is all about having fun with everything having to do with plumbing, plumbing services and plumbing repairs. If you come across anything that you think my readers would enjoy – please send it to me via a comment on this blog. In advance, I thank you for making this a top blog for plumbing aficionados!

Toilet Paper or Bidet?

The Harsh Reality of Using Toilet Paper Rather Than Washing with a Bidet

Having travelled Europe extensively, one gets used to a bidet. Coming back to Australia made some of the queried group bemoan the loss of the bidets they got so used to. The question as to whether or not it was environmentally responsible to throw tissue paper in the toilet or in the trash was raised.

The questioner remarked that they were bothered by how much tissue paper is used by a single family and they wondered just what it takes to remove the paper from sewage lines and from the treatment plants. Some experts were asked this question and they came up with answers to those questions and wonderings. Of course, all the experts came from the plumbing services fields and would know best how to deal with this problem; they gave opinions on what they felt were the best options. We also inquired at several plumbing services and a couple of places that offered a professional plumber.

When attached to a sewer line that is maintained and repaired by a city, the toilet paper is decomposed through the processing system. In order to break down any solid matter that is in the waste water, methane is used. Ways to harness this methane gas is being researched and tested to make this process more efficient. Toilet paper blockages in the sewer lines don’t happen often, but consider the fact that the blockages would be reduced if a bidet were used.

Cleaning one’s self with toilet paper in a home that is hooked to a septic tank can cause all sorts of nasty things to happen inside your house when blockages happen. Plumbing services have to be called in to remove the offending paper, and then any crack in the pipe or seam that is a little rough can gather another huge wad of toilet paper and clog everything up again. This is good news for the plumber; they appreciate the business, but for the home owner, this is a costly repair.

Bidets would do away with the need for toilet paper and end the numerous blockages that are created when someone shoves a huge wad of paper down the toilet.

If you are really lamenting the loss of the bidet, call in the plumbing services and get your bidet installed. Almost any plumber will be more than happy to install a bidet for your home. With a bidet of your own, you will reduce the amount of paper that is used, reducing the amount of trees used in the process.

Giving up the toilet paper is much more sanitary than giving up the bidet. The bidet allows for a cleaner person while not using as many resources.

In the end it was decided that the bidet is the best way to go environmentally, for the best sanitation and for low repair bills.

Plumbing Products – Bio-Clean and Vaprooter

Plumbing Products Have Come a Long Way: A Look at Some Products and Their Benefits

Sir John Harrington, the godson of Queen Elizabeth I made a new invention for his godmother: Sir John created the flush toilet and built it for his godmother. This all took place in 1596, according to history records.

Alexander Cummings obtained the first patent for a flushing toilet in 1775. Toilets started gaining popularity, and a city wide sewer system was constructed to handle the flow of refuse. As science advanced, it was recognised that poor sanitation caused diseases and in 1880 the officials of the day decided that toilets and sewer systems were not luxuries but priorities to control human waste and disease.

Jumping to modern day plumbing, the innovations and possibilities are endless when you have plumbing services like The Lone Drainer and Pronto, experts in the field of plumbing with 40 years combined experience. Any type of renovation, plumbing emergency or plumbing need can be taken care of with just one phone call to The Lone Drainer and Pronto.

Sewer lines brought whole new problems to society that had not been faced before. Many old trees had roots that sometimes stretched for a block. These roots invaded the sewer lines because the roots are attracted to the plumbing pipes where they find a constant source of moisture. Today there is a product that eliminates this problem for you. Vaporooter is 100% safe and has been used successfully for more than 40 years. Paying for repairs is much more expensive than using Vaporooter to prevent the problem in the first place. Vaporooter stops tree root blockage from occurring.

Are you tired of having plumbing problems where roots have crushed, cracked or blocked your sewer pipes? It gets very expensive trying to keep up with repairs. So call The Lone Drainer and Pronto plumbing services and get insurance on your drains with Vaporooter.

Older homes with older pipes can produce a foul odour, but there is a way to solve that problem. The plumbing services of The Lone Drainer and Pronto have a product that will solve this problem for you faster than you could have ever imagined. You will no longer have to be embarrassed about the odour coming out of your pipes when you use Bio-Clean. This environmentally friendly bacteria waste eliminator will get your pipes spotless and odour free. What a relief it will be to walk into your home and smell the cut flowers instead of sour old pipes!

Bio-Clean performs several functions such as cleaning out the hair in the drains and pipes, and dissolves paper and cotton without using toxic chemicals. This environmentally green solution to an ageless problem is safe, will clear most of the obstruction in the drains and pipes and will not damage your pipes and/or fittings. Bio-clean is friendly to your plumbing pipes and drains.

Just what is your peace of mind worth when the plumbing goes on the blink and the missus is upset because your drains are blocked? Call The Lone Drainer and Pronto, and keep the peace in your household with Vaporooter and Bio-Clean.