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Bathroom cleaning tip #2

We plumbers wash our hands 10 or more times a day.

The Coronavirus pandemic is making us all think about the transmission of germs and how the virus is transmitted on the surfaces we come in contact with. Any time we work in your bathroom we more than likely touch the hot and cold taps in your bath, shower or hand basin and the cold water tap to your toilet.

The tap supplying water to the toilet isn’t touched regularly, so, it has a reduced chance of transmission through touch. But, it is near the toilet so airborne germs are a concern.

The simple task of using the toilet and then wiping ourselves is something we all learned as kids, but, in researching this article I’m surprised to learn the number of different methods people use.

No matter how you do it, the first thing we all do is flush the toilet.

Before we wash our hands!

Alarm bells are ringing for you right now. As they should be!
But(t), let’s be practical.

Whether you have a plumber working in your bathroom or not, keep an atomiser spray bottle with a mix of water and disinfectant with an appropriate cleaning cloth in your bathroom. Spray the toilet flush button, the cistern lid, the toilet seat and lid and wipe them over thoroughly.

And if you’re keen to clean the entire bathroom, click here to see another of our easy cleaning tips.

 

How to Change a Tap Washer

Everyone should know how to change a tap washer!  Not everyone wants to, but its a handy skill to have. Read More

Plumbing Emergency – Can’t turn the water off!

When you have a plumbing emergency

On Thursday night a client rang after 9.00pm to say her basin tap that had been leaking for a few weeks was now gushing water… and the water meter at the front of the house wouldn’t shut off!
images
We were able to rescue her family quite quickly. However it was an expensive process.

What’s the take away from that? If your taps don’t feel right, please don’t ignore it. Call a plumber and schedule a repair. And if your water meter wont shut off, it sounds like a job for The Lone Drainer and Pronto.

Water saving tips for Spring

Now we are really into spring and the gardens are blooming, after our long weekend heatwave, the lawn needs to be watered.

A dripping tap can waste up to anywhere between 30 and 200 litres of water a day. That’s over 70,000 litres a year.
dripping tap
So here are a couple of simple water saving tips to get you through spring and the long hot summer ahead.

Ensure all household and garden taps are always turned off tightly so they don’t drip. Don’t force taps as you can damage them and actually cause leaks.

Develop a regular routine of checking all indoor and outdoor taps, washers and pipes for leaks, cracks and breaks.

Check all your household appliances for water leaks. Learn how to repair leaking taps; a new washer is inexpensive and easily available at your local hardware store.

If in doubt call us for some over the phone guidance on  02 9664 4990.

Happy Plumbers + Great Service = Happy Clients

We have a great team of plumbers here at The Lone Drainer and Pronto! They are good at their job. They Love their work. We call it “Furk”! Having FUn..at..woRK

On Monday afternoon, 27th October 2014, I got the following email:

Hi Dave,
Thank you so very much for taking my phone call early this morning and organising Chris and Leigh to come to my house so quickly.

Chris and Leigh arrived, knocked on my door, introduced themselves with smiles and put me at ease that my sewerage problems would be fixed.

Such a relief. I could not have had nicer people to arrive on my door step. Both well mannered and very pleasant people to talk to.

I also had a problem with my kitchen sink tap. Unfortunately I had to leave Chris at the kitchen sink as I had to go to work. He did a good job and I now have a brand new tap looking at me! Both men were very efficient.

Again, thank you for being so prompt and getting the job on its way.

Kind regards,

Julie B. Randwick NSW

Leigh and Chris with Plunger

Leigh and Chris with Plunger

Water….. Water everywhere!

Its been raining……. a lot! We have had blocked stormwater pipes, blocked sewer pipes, burst pipes, damaged water pipes and leaking taps of all kinds to attend too. The common denominator is Water

Yes, Water.

Now summer is just around the corner and it’s getting hotter, we are exercising more and sweating a lot!
So my simple health tip, not just for athletes, is drink more water! It flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps the brain alert. It just makes you feel better.
Drink h2o

Stop Leaking Taps

As a plumber, the majority of house calls I make have to do with leaking taps. Obviously in most cases it is correct to call a plumber but some times we are called to houses to carry out a simple plumbing job that takes five minutes which could have easily been completed by anyone with a little know-how.

Here are a few pointers that can help to avoid problems like these:

  1. Treat taps gently. They should be turned off with thumb & forefinger. If you are having an arm wrestle turning your taps off, stop it!
  2. Try to repair a dripping tap if you can. Always turn the water supply to the house off first!
  3. Simple repairs can be done by anyone. Don’t forget the o-rings, tap washers, tap seats and fibre washers. Lubricate them all.
  4. There are so many types of taps available today, even the pros need to seek advice.
  5. There is no shame in not being able to repair a dripping tap. I have seen plumbers who are grown men cry over leaks like these.

Who turned off the hot water?

Who turned off the hot water?… That was the call today from the residents in a block of 82 home units.

Our clients shower tap was leaking; a 1/2 bucket of hot water every minute and needed new washers.

So, “Where does the Hot Water turn off?” asked The Lone Drainer. “I don’t know”, replied our client! What followed was a search for the hot water shut off in all the usual places; under the vanity basin…. no; under the kitchen sink…. no; in the bathroom ceiling…. no; what about the duct in the hallway…. no!

Next, The Lone Drainer called the maintenance manager’s mobile, courtesy of the Emergency Number notice in the foyer. When he finally responded, The Lone Drainer and Pronto already knew that the valves in the cupboard shut off all the units on the other side of the hallway, but not ours.

“The hot water shut off valve should be in that duct” said Al the manager. “It’s not!” said The Lone Drainer. “Any suggestions?”

“So you’re gonna have to shut down hot water for the whole building” says Al.

Woman in shower cap Now there is a protocol for shutting down water to a building with 82 units at midday. Normally it’s a notice on the board and in the lift a couple of days in advance. Not today!

I had Pronto go to the foyer and buzz every unit to tell those that answered that the hot water is gonna get turned off in 1/2 hour for about 1/2 an hour.

By the time we shut down the boiler, drained the building then removed the shower tap and re-washered it, replaced O-rings and lubricated the moving parts, put the tap back together and turned the boiler valves back on, an hour and 15 minutes had gone by. Luckily only 18 of 82 residents came looking for the reason they had no hot water on this cold Sydney day.

Moral of the story:

Know where your hot and cold water turns off…. And make sure it does! Now, that sounds like a job for The Lone Drainer and Pronto!

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!

Sydney Plumbers love our drinking water!

The interest over the new Sydney water desalination plant just continues to grow.

After blogging 2 weeks ago about the taste of our drinking water,  a topic that is very important to me, we have been contacted by lots of people who also have an interest in our Sydney drinking water. I believe we have here in Sydney Australia, one of the best water supplies in the world and now that we have the Desalination plant, it does secure our drinking future.

Most of our clients have shared with us their thoughts on the flavour of our drinking water, the colour of the water, the taste  and smell of the water; and  you are all correct.

Just make sure, if you have leaking taps or running toilets, you have them repaired as soon as possible.

Save water where you can and keep drinking water. It makes you feel alive!

Does Your Water Taste Different?

Since the new Sydney Water desalination plant was commissioned January 28th 2010, we have had one of the hottest and yet wettest Sydney summers in recent years.

During this hot spell, we insisted that everyone on our plumbing service team, especially the plumbers out in the field, take water bottles and re-hydrate regularly.

Some of our team believe that the Sydney tap water is “different” since the desalination plant started mixing with our traditional water source.

I had to keep drinking to test the tap water, but, I think the water tastes a little “sweeter”.

Now “portable” water as our water supply is known to  plumbing professionals, should be without:

  • odour
  • colour
  • flavour

So we started to ask some of our clients what they thought, and we got different feedback from some of them.

Some, like me, said it is sweeter. Others reported the water was a different colour. Some even believed the new water supply had caused their taps and toilets to leak. Mind you, these comments were received whilst repairing those same leaking taps and  leaking and running toilets.

So, is our water supply different? What are you mixing it with?  Tell us what you think via the comments box.

As an incentive for the best Sydney Water story, I have 5  exotic Golf club caps to give away, courtesy of Champion Sports.

The US Masters begins next week Thursday April 8th – Sunday April 11th, 2010 in Augusta, Georgia, so post your comments by Friday April 16th, 2010 and  the 5 best Water stories will be eligible to win a prize.

Oh and keep drinking water! We recommend it.

Toilet Leaks Waste Water

How Much Water Is Wasted When I Continue To Let My Toilet Leak?

When a meter’s flow indicator moves and you know that all the water outlets are off, both inside and outside, you can be sure that there is a leak somewhere in your lines. The continuous drip of a leaky tap, or a constantly running toilet, will add dollars and cents to your water bill in a hurry. When this happens, it is time to call for toilet plumbing services.

It is estimated that $145.00 is added to your water bill annually if the toilet continues to run after flushing. This is money you are paying out that you don’t have to. The insides of the toilet cistern are inexpensive compared to the extra money you pay because your toilet is constantly running. So it makes sense to acquire plumbing services Sydney to fix your leaky toilet or tap.

The constant running of a toilet not only wastes water but will increase your utility bill over a period of time. That extra money, not to mention the water, could be used more advantageously.

Let’s think about the water that is wasted when you continue to let your taps or toilet leak.

Wasting water is no longer something you can do and not feel guilty about it. The shortages around the world can be helped if everyone keeps their equipment in good working condition, and if we are all mindful about how we use water and how we can prevent wasting water that can be better used somewhere else.

It would not be hard to put together a list of items you could purchase with the money you are paying for the wasted water from the leaky toilet. There are many ways to spend that $145.00. Whether the money is used for a needed item or for leisure, that money can be better spent on something that you will have for a while or something you will enjoy whenever you want to. Therefore, it is well worth it to hire plumbing services to fix your leaky toilet.

So many people can be helped by you simply ensuring that you do not waste water negligently. Neglecting to take care of your household can cost you hundreds of dollars in a short period of time. Lately, the economy makes us spend thriftier; hopefully it also teaches us to be more conservative of the natural resources that are limited worldwide. Contact one of the plumbing services Sydney to make sure you are doing your part to conserve water and put the water where it will do the most good.

Sydney’s New Water Desalination Plant – Why Your Water Bills Will Go Up

Why Dripping Taps and Leaking Toilets will cost More $$$ with Sydney’s New Water Desalination Plant

Do you have a problem with a leaky tap or toilet? You will be amazed how much money dripping taps and leaking toilets will cost you per day. On an average, one house with three taps that leak at a rate of 60 drips per minute will cost you the price of 64 litres of water per day. This adds up to a whopping 23,000 litres of water per year.

The price of water will go up as new plants are added, such as Sydney’s New Water Desalination Plant. The key to keeping money in your pocket is to contact plumber services Sydney and fix the leaks!

Water conservation is on everyone’s mind these days. The cost of water is going up because there just simply is not enough water without programs such as the New Water Desalination Plant. Just as all other water recovery programs, it is expensive to run one of these plants. The more water that your dripping taps and leaky toilets waste, the less water there is for everyone, and the more you will pay for that water.

Saving money is on everyone’s mind as prices go up and budgets get slimmer. One of the best ways to save money on household bills is to make sure everything is in top operating order. You can ensure that all your dripping taps and leaking toilets are in top shape by calling in professional plumbers. Plumbing in Sydney is quite a large business and everyone needs a plumber sooner or later. You need to call the guys who are professionals and can take care of your dripping taps, leaking toilets and all your plumbing needs.

The constant drip, drip, drip of a leaky tap in the middle of the night keeping you awake is not a good way to start any day. A person with a very busy schedule, which most of us have, does not need to listen to that tap drip even one more night. Call the professional plumbing services today and get them to stop that annoying drip from keeping you awake another night.

A leaking toilet can be just as annoying and as costly. Call plumbing services Sydney to solve your problems.

Some bathroom surfaces stain quite easily. That ugly stain in the back of the sink is caused by a tap that is constantly dripping. This will ruin an expensive sink. Call in the professionals to prevent the destruction of your beautiful sinks.

The phone book has a “Plumbing Sydney” section where you can find and hire plumber services and get your dripping taps and leaking toilets fixed so you save money and water. Call today for an appointment and, see how easy and inexpensive it is to have your house in tip top plumbing shape.

Problems with hot water during the long hot summer?

Welcome to 2010!

Over the Christmas and New Year period we were called to rescue people with all sorts of plumbing emergencies!

Burst water pipes, blocked sewer drains, leaking taps and toilets are commonplace, but, here at the height of summer, calls for help for running hot water is at an all time high!

Ruptured water heaters or burst water heaters happen all the time and we only think of it as a problem in the winter, but we love a warm shower in the summer just as much.

Try telling a family that we can’t replace their particular type of heater over the holidays, because…………..ahhhhhhhh!

So here are a few simple tips that will assist:

1. Know where your water heater is. You would be surprised how many people don’t know where their water heater is!

2. Know how to turn your water heater off.

3. Try turning your water heater off to check that the cold water valve that turns it off works. One emergency water heater job we went to on Boxing Day, could have saved the owner money if they could have simply turned their heater off at the control valve or tap. The tap would not work, so we had to shut down the entire house, cut out the faulty tap valve and fit a new valve. We then turned the water to the house back on, so our clients at least had cold water to flush the toilet, make a cuppa and have a cold shower until we could track down the appropriate new water heater that was needed.

4. Pull the pressure relief valve on your mains pressure water heater, let it run for 5 or 10 seconds. When you let the valve go the water should slow down and then stop. If it does not stop, try it again. The pressure relief valve should be eased at least every 6 months.

5. Make sure its dry and clean around the base of your water heater storage area. Keep it clear of leaf debris, and long grass if it is outside.

6. Don’t store flammable liquids, petrol or paint anywhere near a gas water heater.

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

The Lone Drainer And Pronto!

At The Lone Drainer and Pronto we’re not like other cowboy plumbers…

We fix your blocked drains, leaking taps and toilets with Silver bullet speed and without making a mess. And before we start, we provide you with our legendary no-surprise fixed quote that blends over 40 years of plumbing experience, technology and training so good…. even other plumbers seek our advice!

(02) 9664 4990 http://www.TheLoneDrainerAndPronto.com.au

Thanks to Dr Marc Dussault for helping us “hit our targets”.
Check him out at http://www.antimimeticisomorphism.com/

https://www.thelonedrainerandpronto.com.au/