Garbage Disposals The Do's & Dont's

The Do's

  • DO grind food waste only with a strong flow of cold water.
  • DO grind citrus and other melon rinds.
  • DO dispose of coffee grounds in your disposal.
  • DO dispose of small amounts of fats and grease in your disposal. Be sure to have the disposal operating and use a strong flow of cold water. If you have a large amount of fat and grease, we suggest you place it in a container, allow it to solidify, then dispose of it.
  • DO flush disposal for cleaning. Allow disposal and cold water to run after grinding.

The Don'ts

  • DON'T turn off disposal or water until grinding is completed and only motor and water sound is heard.
  • DON'T grind extremely fibrous material like corn husk, celery, artichokes, etc. to avoid possible disposal or drain blockage.
  • DON'T use hot water when grinding food waste.
  • DON'T put large amounts of starchy food in all at once.

Water Heaters

To avoid damage when leakage occurs:

  1. TURN THE GAS OR ELECTRICITY OFF:
    GAS: Twist the dial on the thermostat from the ON to the OFF position
    ELECTRIC: Turn the power supply OFF to the water heater at the appliance or circuit breaker panel.
  2. TURN THE WATER SUPPLY OFF:
    Twist the handle on the water valve above the water heater clockwise until it stops. If water does not stop, turn off the main water valve in front of the house.
  3. DRAIN THE WATER HEATER IF NECESSARY TO AVOID WATER DAMAGE:
    Attach a garden hose to the drain connection at the bottom of water heater. Run the other end of the hose to an area that won't be damaged by hot or rusty water. Open a hot water faucet in the house to allow air to enter the water heater as the water drains.
  4. Call OASIS PLUMBING & DRAIN SERVICE for repair or replacement

To lengthen the life of your water heater:

  1. Flush the water heater yearly (see your owners manual for instructions)
  2. Keep the temperature set at 110 - 120 degrees F. Water stored at higher temperatures are more corrosive, and requires more energy to keep it hotter. (Why have the water so hot that every time you turn it on you have to also turn the cold on half or full to lower the temperature to your comfort level?)
  3. Have the right size water heater, an undersized water heater will be overworked and usually cause you to keep the temperature set high.
  4. Have a thermal expansion test performed on your water heater, water expands as it is heated and can cause excessive pressure and failure to the tank and other plumbing in the home.

Are you waiting for what seems like "forever" for hot water to get to your bath sink or shower?? Consider having a re-circulating pump installed at the water heater. The average home in California waste approximately 16,000 gallons of water a year - waiting on hot water to travel from the heater to the fixture.

Going on Vacation?? Many homeowners return to find their home flooded due to a leak while they were gone, consider having a ball valve installed at a location so that you can shut the water off to your home while gone but still lets the sprinklers run to water the lawn and plants, and don't forget to turn the water heater temperature down to the "vacation" setting. No need to keep it heating while no one is home! (Have your water heater checked for thermal expansion before shutting off your main water supply valve for extended period.)

Toilets

Did you know that most toilet manufactures void all warranties on their toilets if you have or are using an "In tank bowl cleaner" i.e., Chlorine tablets, bleach, etc.

High pitched sounds in the water system when a toilet is flushed or faucet is turned on can some time's be due to a bad water level control valve in the toilet, or a bad pressure regulator.

A "vibrating" or "shuddering" sound when a toilet is flushed or filling can be the result of the angle stop not being opened all the way.

Have you recently installed a new "Fluidmaster" in your toilet, and now it continues to run? If the black fill tube is pushed into the flush valve opening and the end of the tube is below the water surface in the tank, it will siphon water out of the tank and cause the toilet to "run" every few minutes. Make sure to use the fill tube clip assembly that comes with the Fluidmaster.

Believe it or not there are toilets that you don't have to flush twice to clear the bowl! And yes they are still water savers, visit Totousa.com to see the G-MAX flushing system.

Faucets

When choosing a faucet be concerned with how available replacement parts are, our favorite is Moen or Price Pfister. Most faucets say "Limited" lifetime warranty. Make sure to read what the limits are. Keep the paperwork and any tools that were provided with the faucet for future maintenance needs.

Clean or replace if needed faucet aerators every 2-3 months to keep a nice even flow of water from the faucet, crooked flow or low water volume can be a sign of a clogged aerator.