Here at F.H. Furr we have a high opinion of the good people of the metro D.C. area, so we’re going to assume you know that if you put chicken bones down your garbage disposer, it’s not going to work – at least, not for long. If you’ve been following our plumbing advice, your garbage disposer should be working just fine.

Unfortunately, there is this little thing called the “aging process,” and much like it wreaks havoc on our own bodies, it also does a number on our homes. Your garbage disposal is not immune to its effects. If you’re wondering if it’s time to replace your disposer, read on for five helpful hints.

1. Food in your dishwasher. If your spouse swears they rinsed the dishes before putting them in but you’re still winding up with a dishwasher full of food, it may be your garbage disposal to blame. The two are connected, so when the garbage disposer is backed up or broken, the dishwasher takes the brunt.
2. Clank, rattle and roll. If you hear clanking or rattling, it means that something is down the disposer that shouldn’t be, and the disposer doesn’t like that. Or it can mean that one of the little metal pieces has worked itself loose and is rattling around in there. Either way, you need help. If you hear a buzzing or whirring noise, the foreign object has blocked the disposer from spinning. The good news- Your motor still works.
3. Funny smells. If there’s a permanent icky smell coming from your sink, that’s a good sign your garbage disposer isn’t working as it should. If food particles are stuck in the mechanism, or it’s not appropriately chopping and discarding your leftovers, food can build up in the nooks and crannies, causing a big stink.
4. Leaks. There are several common areas around a garbage disposer that can leak. One is at the sink flange. This can be a sign of a loose disposer, and you’ll need to tighten the screws. The other common area for leaks is at the discharge pipe. Often this is simply because of loose gaskets at the pipe, but if they are already tight or tightening them doesn’t work it may be time to call a professional.
5. Nothing happens. This is the big kahuna of drain pipe deaths – if you flip the switch and nothing happens, not even that half-hearted buzzing noise, it’s time to call in the big guns.

It’s possible you may just need to press the re-set button on your disposer, but more often than not it means your garbage disposal has gone to the happy disposer farm in the sky. Cry a little, mourn, and give F.H. Furr a call, we’ll be there to give your home a thorough plumbing inspection, and we’ll come out to your home for free*! No dispatch or diagnostic fees!

Each month, homeowners receive bills in the mail, and although these aren’t necessarily items they look forward to, they’ve become used to opening the envelopes and going over the charges. Most of the time, they aren’t surprised by what they see, yet, have you ever ripped open that water bill only to find that it’s soared since last month? Or maybe it’s gradually gotten higher and you barely noticed. Either way, your bill can creep up on you. So what’s the cause of this sudden inflation? More often then not, the rise is due to water leaks!

Leaks In Your Home

Leaks are fairly common in most homes, and can become very costly over time. They can cause even more damage and expense if they aren’t taken care of ASAP! Unfortunately, most of these leaks are tricky to identify…that is, until you see them on your utility bill! Leaks are almost always a sign of a bigger problem, so how can you detect them and nip it in the bud?

Leak Detection Is The Answer!

Leak Detection is a service that plumbers are able to perform on your home to identify where the leaks are and put a stop to them! Leaks are usually uncovered in places like

• Toilets
• Faucets
• Showers
• Water Lines
• Pipes

Discovering these sources will lower your bill and cut down on water waste! According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), most homes leak an average of 10,000 gallons of water each year! That’s enough to fill up a backyard swimming pool! When you put things in perspective, you can easily see why leaks need to be eliminated!

So How Does It Work?

Getting a professional plumber out to your home to perform a leak detection service will be hugely beneficial for your home and your pocketbook! A plumber will be able to perform checks on each spot in your home that’s likely to be leaking. Once they identify it, they will be able to fix it the right way, allowing your utility bill to go back down where it belongs? The benefits of having a professional plumber perform a leak detection service on your home will far outweigh any cost to have them do it. Here’s what leak detection can do for you:

• Help you identify exactly where the issue lies
• Lower your monthly bill
• Protect your home from the dangers of water damage
• Give you peace of mind
• Eliminate water waste

Water damage can be expensive to handle! Don’t wait for a leak to become a real problem, detect it fast, and safely! With F.H. Furr’s Plumber in Your Home for Free service, we’ll send a plumber out to your home to assess your plumbing and give you an estimate, absolutely free! What do you have to lose! Give us a call for more information, and keep your home safe and comfortable this season!

Most homeowners aren’t plumbers. This is a fact. No one ever said you had to be; that’s what plumbers are for! So why should you ever have to know anything about plumbing? The answer is simple: to avoid everyday blunders that could create an issue when you might desperately NEED a plumber’s assistance. Although we are always ready, we know that you’d rather call for a leaky sink than a flooded basement!

So here are 3 plumbing tips that every homeowner should know about to avoid any harmful and potentially expensive blunders!

1. How to shut off the water

Picture this: your daughter’s boyfriend fancies himself a handyman. One night while you sit down to dinner and complain of the sound of that darn toilet running, he gets the bright idea to earn brownie points by playing plumber and saving the day! By fixing your toilet, he looks good in front of your daughter and makes an impression on you! Now picture the reality; he doesn’t save the day. In fact, he ruins it by unscrewing something that shouldn’t even be touched WITHOUT turning off the water first. When performing any kind of potentially water-heavy plumbing procedure, shutting off the main water line is imperative! Be sure that in any emergency involving water, you simply shut the water off by turning off the main water supply. It’s simple….”Righty tighty, lefty loosey!”

2. Avoid chemical drain cleaners whenever possible

Although we understand that occasionally a bottle of Drain-O might be pretty tempting, avoid it if you can! Chemical drain cleaners are harsh on your pipes, wearing them down and causing them to rust over time. Granted, if you have a one-time (and we mean one) issue, it’s unlikely that this remedy will do too much damage. Never use drain cleaners as a go-to option. Start out with combinations of hot water, vinegar, and baking soda. These healthy home remedies are easy to make and work nearly as well as chemicals that can harm your pipes. And for any clogs that you just can’t beat. Call in the experts!

3. Don’t use an auger if you haven’t been trained

This one might sound harsh, but this plumbing staple is for experts who have been trained to use it. An auger can be an effective unclogging tool but can also cause damage if used incorrectly. If you get the urge to use plumbing tools other than a plunger, be sure that you are well-educated on how they are meant to be used! Many plumbing calls are the result of a “do it yourself” attempt gone wrong!

Remember, keeping an expert plumber’s number around in an emergency is a must…almost worthy of being tip number 4! Be sure to call F.H. Furr if you run into a plumbing problem you can’t fix. It’s usually cheaper to repair than to replace! Be knowledgeable about your home and its’ plumbing! Give us a call for more information or to have a plumber come out to your home for free*!

Your home may be suffering from sewer issues! Take a look at these helpful tips to find out whether you’ve got leaks, burst pipes or backups beneath your home! These issues can be disastrous if left unattended! Be sure to have on of F.H. Furr’s trained technicians take a look at your home’s sewer lines to see if a repair or replacement is needed! Take a look at this informative infographic to see the 5 important signs of a sewer line problem! Do you have any of these issues at your house? 

Water leaks have your utility bill on the rise? You could be wasting thousands of gallons of water each month if you allow them to continue! Have the professionals perform a leak detection on your home and find out how much you could be saving every month!

What would you do if you discovered that you were wasting hundreds of dollars every single year without even knowing it? What if you found out that your money was simply going down the drain…. Literally! Most Northern Virginia homeowners don’t realize that water leaks can happen all year long, and there’s a good chance that they could be happening in your home right now! So what are water leaks, and how can you prevent them?

Water can leak from pretty much any water source in your home, and it’s very important to keep track of whether or not you are safe from water leaks. The average home in Northern Virginia suffers from leaks that add 10% to your water bill each month! This causes additional costs to pile up, and before you know it, you’ll be wasting water AND money left and right!

Common household leaks include:

• Toilet
• Faucet/sink
• Showerhead
• Underground Water Lines

These are often fairly easy to fix and maintain by simply tightening faucets or replacing toilet flappers. Outdoor water leaks can be a bit trickier to handle! When you come across a water line leak, you’ve got a bigger issue on your hands! Often times your water lines could be leaking underground for months before you ever find them, leaving you scratching your head over unexplained utility bills. So how do you avoid these leaking disasters?

Call in the professionals at F.H. Furr!

A periodic checkup is the best way to fight off water leaks in your home! Don’t let your money or water be wasted! Call F.H. Furr today and find out more about our leak detection services! Our trained technicians will come out to your home and check for water leaks so you can rest assured that your home is safe from dangerous and costly water damage!

More often than not, you don’t put much thought into your toilet, because come on…it’s a TOILET! But what most people don’t realize is that toilets actually account for about 26% of water use in single family homes. Without your knowledge, it’s more than likely that you’re flushing money down the toilet….literally! By switching over to a high efficiency toilet, you could save money by reducing the amount of water that you use each month.

Many people wonder if higher efficiency toilets really get the job done, especially since they’re using less water. The answer is yes! When low flow toilets first made their appearance in the ’90s, they were problematic, and that stigma has hung around. The truth is, high efficiency toilets today don’t have the issues that they did when they began, and now low flow doesn’t equal poor performance. Pressure-assisted flushers and modifications made to the curve of the bowl itself give higher efficiency toilets the ability to flush better than any of the old models.

Ditch that old toilet! If your home has been around for a while, chances are that your toilet has too. If it was made before 1995 it can use as much as five gallons of water every time you flush it! Imagine five of those big milk cartons that you can barely fit into your refrigerator. High Efficiency toilets use less than 1.3 gallons of water per flush, which seems like a pretty good reason to upgrade! You could save thousands of gallons of water every year, and that’s money that goes back into your pocket instead of down the drain.

There are several different types of higher efficiency toilets. Not only are there low-flow toilet options, but there are dual flush toilets which allow you to choose the amount of water that you flush every time you use them. The duel flush has two buttons: one that lets you flush liquid waste and uses less than a gallon of water, and the other, which flushes solids using 1.6 gallons of water. It’s easy to see why this is a cost-effective option.

Overall, high efficiency toilets are a simple way to cut costs on your water bill. Once they’re installed, you can treat them the same as you would your old toilet, nothing changes except for your bill! If you decide to take the plunge and install a new, high efficiency toilet, let F.H. Furr be the ones do it for you! Our experienced technicians will install your toilet quickly and correctly. Don’t wait, upgrade to a high efficiency toilet and start saving today!

Ask F.H. Furr: What to Do if You Suspect Your Plumbing Has Developed a Leak…and how do I go about detecting it? Asked SAM G. of Bethesda, MD.

Detecting leaks can be a difficult proposition for homeowners without the technology and experience available to professional plumbers. Some leaks are easy to spot—dripping plumbing fixtures and puddles of water are more evident, but there are leaks that take place under your floor, in the piping outside your home, or even within your walls that can be hard to detect until they’ve already done damage. If you suspect a leak, follow these steps.

• Contact your plumber immediately. Time is of the essence in terms of keeping your costs down when you have a leak that is within your walls or under your floor. A dripping faucet, running toilet, or small puddle in the laundry room might not be as dramatic, but the sooner your plumber can fix the problem, the sooner you can begin using your appliances again.

• Begin damage control. If necessary, use towels and other measures to contain spilled water. This can lower your costs for floor or carpet cleaning caused by spreading water. Wrapping and securing a towel around a leaking pipe can prevent damage to your walls, but any time you encounter a high-pressure leak, leave it alone to avoid injury and let your plumber handle the job.

• If the leak is an emergency, shut off the water to your home. Before disaster strikes, it’s always a good idea to ask your plumbing professional to show you where the main shutoff is for water in your home, as well as individual valves that you can use to stop smaller leaks in their tracks.

• Identify the cause of the problem and act accordingly. If the leak was caused by piping or plumbing in poor condition, have your plumber inspect the rest of your home for potential accidents waiting to happen. This can keep you ahead of costly repairs with preventative maintenance instead.
  

Contact F.H. Furr Plumbing, Heating, and Air Conditioning at (703) 540-4838 if you think you have a leak in your Fairfax home’s plumbing. We can isolate, repair, and prevent leaks in the future with the best equipment and experience.

Thanks, Sam, for that great question! Next time, we will be talking about Whole Home Energy And Duct Performance Audits. And if you have a question, feel free to submit it below, and if your question is picked, WIN a FREE Giftcard to Outback!

More from Plumber, Heating Repair & HVAC Specialist: Plumber Fairfax VA

You’ve seen it. You’ve heard about it. But will it happen to you?

Unexpected flooding may not be a recurring nightmare for you (and let’s hope not); however, just as we protect ourselves from the unforeseen, your home should also be protected from the dangers and damages of flooding. Protecting your nest egg should be high on your priority list, and just as you would arm yourself against robbers and fire, equip yourself against an often overlooked culprit – water.