• DO - Run very hot water into your kitchen sink drain either by boiling water on stove or from your faucet, then fill one side of your sink and plunge.
• DO - When plunging your kitchen "double" sink, plug up one side with a cloth hand hold.
• DO - When using your garbage disposal, run hot and cold water at full pressure.
• DO - Fill up sink after using your disposal and then drain.
• DO - If you have a dishwasher, use after using your garbage disposal.
• DO - Remove the aerator on your kitchen faucet when pressure is slow. Clean it by soaking in vinegar & water solution. Unscrew by hand or use channel pliers.
• DO - Remove the screws from your kitchen wash bowl and bath tub faucet, and put a few drops of household oil in each screw hole or under handle if removable.
• DO - At least twice a year clean out the inside of your toilet tank. When cleaning tank, turn off the water, flush toilet once,add small amount of cleaning detergent inside tank to water remaining, use a cloth or brush to clean.
• DO - Clean out holes under toilet seat and rim of the bowl - can use small end of a pocket knife.
• DO - Clean out 3/4" hole in the bottom of toilet bowl.
• DO - Replace rubber tank ball at this time if needed.
• DO - Adjust water level in toilet tank, 1" below top of 3/4"overflow pipe. To adjust type with 1/4" rod and metal or plastic float ball, put both hands on rod and bend end of rod towards float ball down, this lowers water level. To raise water level, bend rod up.
• DO - When plunging your bathroom sink or bath tub use a cloth and plug up the overflow and hold tight. It's a good idea to plunge your drains before they stop up.
• DO - Remove the stoppers and clean down into the pipe where stopper connects. ESPECIALLY in the bathroom sinks.
• DO - When finished plunging, fill wash bowl full, until it runs into the overflow. If you have a small type spring brush, use to clean inside the overflow.
• DO - Spray disinfectant cleaner into overflow.
• DO - If bath tub is slow draining and has the lever at the overflow for the stopper, remove bolts, and pull wire, lift lever out and clean hair from wire.
• DO - Oil parts in toilet tank that are above the water level, such as the handle and ballcock valve.
• DO - If you have trouble with tree roots in your sanitary sewer, purchase some copper sulfate in blue chunk form, put a sizeable amount on your basement floor drain strainer, let cold water run over it until it dissolves.
• DON'T - Put coffee grounds in your sink drains.
• DON'T - Use drain cleaners containing lye.
• DON'T - Poke any wire or rod into your sink drain.
• DON'T - Have a shelf above your china sinks with heavy objects that could fall into the sink. This will crack a china sink or chip the cast iron type.
• DON'T - Use your toilet tank lid for a shelf.
• DON'T - Have a knick-knack shelf above your toilet.
• DON'T - Pour a bucket of dirty water into your toilet; may contain a hidden scrub rag.
• DON'T - Pour hot water into toilet; temperature change will crack the bowl.
• DON'T - Put any type cleaning device into your toilet tank. Clean inside the tank by hand.
• DON'T - Hang wire type odor tablet in toilet bowl.
• DON'T - Put a brick in your toilet tank to save water.
• DO - Adjust water level.
• DON'T - Use the toilet bowl for a scrub tub.
• DON'T - Leave diapers soaking in the toilet bowl.
• DON'T - Throw disposable diapers in toilet.
• DON'T - Keep your waste basket in the kitchen and bathroom under the sink. This has a tendency to keep bumping the pipes and causes leaks.
• DON'T - Throw sanitary napkins into toilet.
• DON'T - When painting around the house, paint any of your copper water lines.
• DON'T - Forget at least twice a year to put a garden hose on the boiler drain at the bottom of your hot water tank and run until the water clears up. Spray this valve with a little oil also. I use WD-40.
• DON'T - Forget to check your flu pipe from your hot water tank to the chimney for leakage of fumes.
• DON'T - Let your water valves rust shut. Put some oil on the stem and open and close them a few times. If it leaks at the stem use a crescent wrench and tighten bonnet nut at the handle. Spray a little oil on the whole valve. Keeps from rusting.
• Here are some of the things I have removed from plumbing over the years of home plumbing calls: Small bottles, yo-yo's, tooth brushes, toys of all kinds, wire odor tablets, cigarette lighters, golf balls, lids and caps, car keys, hair curlers, false teeth, cream jars, wallets, combs, knick-knacks, pens and pencils.
• DO - Keep these items away from the toilet.
• DON'T - Let the children play in the bathroom with toys small enough to go down your toilet trap.
• DO - Get in the habit of putting the back of the toilet seat down before flushing.
• But if you haven't put into affect my DO's and DON'Ts, and you flush the toilet and the water in the bowl starts coming up and not down, quickly remove the tank lid, reach into the middle bottom of tank and push the rubber ball or flapper back down over the outlet. Then shut off the water supply.
• Now if you are sure you haven't let something like the above listed objects fall into the toilet, you can usually use a plunger to open the toilet. But if you are missing something from the toilet area that could be in the bowl, you will have to use a toilet auger to try and retrieve the object. If you can't remove it with the auger, the toilet will have to be fitted.
• DO - If you have a water leak from below your bathroom directly below your bath tub shower, and it only leaks when you take a shower, here's what to look for:
• DO - Check the entire tile wall on the inside area of the bathtub for cracks, etc. To repair, use a tube of tub & tile caulking seal.
• DO - Check the wall, especially around the handles and the spout of the faucet, seal all openings with caulking.
• DO - Check the inside edge of the shower door track.
• DO - If the water leak is below the toilet, first check the water pipe where tank and bowl are connected together. If there is no sign of water on the floor around the pipe, chances are your toilet needs to be lifted and a new wax ring installed (refer to toilet installation).
• DO - If you go on vacation or are away from home for a few days, always shut off your water supply to your home.
• DO - Keep heat on where water pipes and drain pipes are located in your home, when temperature is 32 degrees or colder.
• DO - If you can't put heat in an area where water pipes are, use an electric heat tape.
• DO - If your kitchen sink is located on an outside wall, leave cupboard doors open in severe cold weather.
• DO - Shut off all outside faucets in cold weather if they aren't of the frost proof type.
• DO - If you are closing up a home in the wintertime and there will be no heat in the home, shut off the water supply at the street or in the basement.
• DO - Open all faucets in the home and leave them open.
• DO - Open drain at bottom of hot water tank and drain.
• DO - Remove all water from toilet tank and bowl.
• DO - Put permanent Anti-freeze in toilet bowl and a small amount in the bottom of the toilet tank.
• DO - Put anti-freeze in all sink drains and bath and shower drains, enough to fill the traps.
• DO - If you wish, remove traps on sinks, but be sure and plug up open line, to keep out sewer gas fumes.

HOW TO INSTALL A NEW TOILET

5. Next put 2" rubber gasket on tank where it sets on the bowl, put rubber washers on bolts provided under the bolt head so they will be on the inside of the tank. Pick up tank and set on bowl over holes in bowl where bolts go through. Sit on bowl facing wall. Put bolts on from the inside of the tank into holes in bowl, put on metal washers and nuts and tighten. Hold tank level and tighten so it brings tank down level. Use a large screw driver inside tank and a crescent wrench or end wrench to back up nut under bowl. Tighten with screw driver. Hook water supply to tank, turn on water, check for leaks, snug up the bolts holding bowl to floor. If there is a space between the back of the tank and the wall, put a spacer of sort there to brace tank. A piece of wood or hard rubber works fine.

PARTS NEEDED:

Now DO put my DO's and DON'Ts into use, and your new toilet will never need a plumber. But if and when you do... 
San Diego Plumbers, San Diego Plumbing Contractors.

WATER CONSERVATION BEGINS AT HOME

Like the young man who went into one of the larger toothpaste companies and told the president of the company if he paid him a sizeable amount of money, he would give him his idea on how he could double his toothpaste business. The company president agreed, and the young man said, okay here's what you do, make the hole in all of your toothpaste tubes twice the size it is now, this will double the use of your toothpaste, and double your sales.

HERE ARE SOME OF MY IDEAS

WHEN YOU FLUSH YOUR TOILET AT ANY TIME, ALWAYS WAIT UNTIL YOU ARE SURE IT SHUTS OFF, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE LEAVING THE HOUSE. IF YOU ARE LEAVING YOUR HOUSE FOR A VACATION OR ONLY FOR A COUPLE DAYS, IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO SHUT YOUR MAIN WATER VALVE OFF. IT MIGHT SAVE A GREAT WATER LOSS, AS WELL AS A LOT OF DAMAGE TO YOUR HOME.

TRY THIS:

HERE IS A GOOD WATER SAVER:

UNDERGROUND WATER LEAKS

HERE ARE SOME OF THE WAYS A CITY COULD SAVE WATER

HERE IS A TWENTY FIVE YEAR WATER LEAK...

A twenty five year water leak. Can you believe the water loss here? I'll bet if we checked all over the good old U.S.A. we could find some water being wasted.

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