Posts Tagged ‘Cuyahoga County’

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Cleveland Heat Pump Tip: How to Maintain High Efficiency Filters

Monday, March 26th, 2012

The filter on your Cleveland heat pump is an integral part of your home’s comfort system. Without that filter, the device will quickly be subjected to an influx of debris and contaminants that can get into the machinery and the air being filtered into your home. As a result, you need to make sure you properly maintain the filters to reduce stress on your heat pump.

Change Your Filters

High efficiency filters are designed to remove as much of the airborne contaminants in the air as possible. This is fantastic for keeping your indoor air clean. But if you don’t properly maintain the filter, air quality can worsen and your heat pump is put under unnecessary stress. Specifically, the extremely tight knit filter, designed to stop nearly anything from getting through, gets clogged.

Now your heat pump is forced to work much harder to draw the air it needs from outside and heat or cool your home. On top of that, the filter is filled with contaminants that can start to leak back into the air supply, actually making your indoor air quality worse than it would be otherwise. That’s why it is so important to clean your filters on a regular basis (for permanent filters) and replace them if they are one time use.

 Recommended Filters

You have options as to which types of filters you use for your Cleveland heat pump. Filters come in multiple options, from super high MERV rated filters that trap up to 99% of all contaminants as small as 0.3 microns.

Electrostatic filters are especially efficient because they extract contaminants of all types – from dust and mold to smoke and gas fumes. A good filtration system should effectively remove anything from the air without needing replacement too often.

Permanent filters tend to offer the best protection against airborne contaminants and generally need to be cleaned once a month. HEPA filters are often permanent and while each filter is different, these are often extremely effective at minimizing contaminants in the air without putting stress on your heat pump.

For more information about how to maintain your Cleveland heat pump, give Pompeii’s Plumbing & Heating a call!

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Oberlin Plumber’s Guide: How to Stop a Toilet from Overflowing

Friday, February 24th, 2012

An overflowing toilet is a really unpleasant problem to have in your Oberlin home, and one you will undoubtedly want to correct right away. Toilets are reliable in that they tend to last a long time and not act up much, but when yours does start to malfunction, you pay attention right away.

To start with, examine the root cause of the overflow problem. There are three major causes of overflow: a clogged or blocked drain that does not allow the toilet to flush properly, an improperly adjusted float that allows the tank to overfill and a blocked vent pipe that replaces the air in the pipe after each flush.

Each of these requires a different course of action, so let’s discuss each individually.

If the drain is blocked, you will probably know right away. For one, water will overflow from the toilet’s bowl rather than the tank. For another, there will probably be quite a mess. Treating this type of overflow problem is straightforward—remove the clog. For simple clogs, a plunger and some elbow grease will get it done. Another trick is to stick the open mouth of an empty two liter bottle into the drain and squeeze. The blast of air can knock the clog free.

If your toilet is clogging and overflowing frequently, however, the problem may not be with the drain or with anything you are doing. It may be that the vent pipe is clogged. A vent pipe moves external into the plumbing system to replace the air that is pumped out with each flush. When it is blocked, the toilet can’t flush properly, which can lead to overflowing. If you have trouble with frequent clogging, call Pompeii’s Plumbing & Heating to inspect the situation.

In both of those situations, the toilet bowl will overflow. Another possibility is that the tank overflows, which is a different kind of problem. This is often cause by the filler float being set too high, so the tank fills with too much water. You can fix this by simply adjusting the mechanism inside the tank that controls the level of the float.

Whether it’s one of these three, or something else entirely, when your toilet overflows, be sure to check it out and get it fixed right away. If you are having any problems with your Oberlin home’s bathroom plumbing, give Pompeii’s Plumbing & Heating a call today!

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Rocky River HVAC Question: How Much Ventilation Do I Need for My House?

Monday, February 13th, 2012

By now you’ve probably heard how important it is to have good ventilation in your Rocky River home. Especially if your home was built in the 1980s or early 1990s when ventilation issues were prevalent, you may not have enough clean air moving through your home. But, how much ventilation do you need? What is enough and if you don’t have it, how do you ensure your home is retrofitted properly?

 How Much Ventilation?

Most recommendations for ventilation come from the Home Ventilation Institute, which provides a series of standards of measurement for builders and contractors retrofitting homes for better ventilation. Here are some of their recommendations and how they might apply for your home:

  • Bathroom – Small bathrooms (less than 100 sq. ft) need 1 CFM per square foot of bathroom. The number goes up for each fixture if you have a large bathroom.
  • Kitchens – Your kitchen range needs at least 100 CFM if against the wall and upwards of 150 CFM if on an island.
  • Ventilators – If you have an HRV for your home, you should have at least 100 CFM for 2,000 square feet and another 50 for every 1,000 square feet of home size being ventilated.
  • Home Ventilators – The actual volume of CFM for ventilators depends on the type of ventilator being used. For example, a whole house ventilator needs upwards of 6,000 CFM for a 2,000 square foot home. Attic ventilators need 1,400 or more.

So, what does this mean for your home? It means in general that you need a lot of ventilation and that the best way to get it is through mechanical ventilation techniques combined with your air handler and ductwork.

Especially if you recently added insulation and weather proofing to your home but have not yet updated your ventilation, you might have a major air quality problem, so call Pompeii’s Plumbing & Heating to have us evaluate the indoor air quality needs of your Rocky River home.

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Avon Lake Plumbing Guide: Easy Drain and Sewer Maintenance

Friday, January 27th, 2012

When it comes to your Avon Lake home’s plumbing, one of the most important things you can do is perform regular drain and sewer maintenance. Those pipes are vital to maintaining a steady flow of waste water out of your home – if something goes wrong, you’ll regret not fixing it earlier. Here are some easy strategies for maintaining your drains and sewer lines:

  • Avoid Unflushable Items – Some items are designed to be flushed down the toilet. Everything else is not. If something isn’t specifically designed to go down your toilet, don’t put it down there. This includes paper towels, napkins, any kind of food, floss, or hair, and anything else that should go in a garbage can. Toilets may seemingly whisk everything away in one flush, but a lot of that stuff can get stuck on its trip to the sewer.
  • Clear Drains Weekly – You can’t clean your sewer line without professional help, but you can do your best to keep drains clear on their way out. Use boiling hot water and lemon juice or a mixture of baking soda and vinegar once a week to clear out the drains of any excess build up. Also, avoid putting any grease or other gunk down the drain that might stick to food particles and clog the drains.
  • Have Slow Drains Inspected – If a drain in your home slows down significantly, have it inspected. It might be a bit of hair stuck in a trap somewhere, or it could be your sewer line starting to clog. It’s better to know now than to wait and fall victim to a much larger problem in weeks or months.
  • Use Drain Strainers – Don’t let anything go directly down the drain. Use strainers to block food, hair or other stuff from getting into the sink or bathtub drains. Hair in particular, when mixed with grease or soap can become a glue-like substance in your drains.

Drainage and sewer maintenance are services that can be scheduled with Pompeii’s Plumbing and Heating to ensure that all your drain lines are open and flowing efficiently to maximize residential drainage. It is the general maintenance that helps to stop small unseen issues, before they turn into larger and much more costly situations.

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Grafton Plumbing Guide: How to Clean Water Spots from a Shower Door

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

The relationship between your Grafton home’s water and your shower is paradoxical. You use the water in the shower to keep yourself clean, and you can use water to keep your shower (and everything else!) clean, but if left unchecked, the water itself will leave your shower dirty and spotty.

Those spots left on your shower door are mineral deposits from water that has evaporated, leaving its mineral passengers behind. They are especially problematic in areas with harder water. Here is how you can get rid of them.

The Natural Way

It may surprise you to know that with all the chemicals available on the market for cleaning the bathroom, the best remedies for hard water are actually natural ones: lemon juice and vinegar. They are both acidic, so they can dissolve the mineral deposits, and they rinse away clean.

To use lemon juice (or a lemon), apply it to a damp sponge and wipe the door. You can also squirt the lemon juice directly on the door and wipe it with a sponge. Use this technique and let the lemon juice soak in a bit for tougher stains. Your shower will not only be clean, but it will smell like lemons.

Although it doesn’t smell as nice as lemon juice, vinegar also works well. Don’t forget the cleaning power of vinegar and baking soda, which generates a powerful chemical reaction that helps break up tough stains. For water spots, mix up a paste of vinegar and baking soda. Use a small brush, like an old toothbrush, to spread the paste around the edges of the shower door and on any tough stains. Wipe it clean with a damp sponge.

You can also use vinegar or lemon juice weekly to keep tough deposits from building up.

Other Ideas

There are some other methods you can use if the spots are really stubborn. CLR, for example, can break up very stubborn mineral deposits, but it is also toxic, so use it sparingly. Daily shower cleaner sprays work well to stop water spots from forming if used regularly.

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Elyria Plumbing Guide: How to Use a Plumber’s Snake

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Your Elyria home’s kitchen sink is backed up and you can’t prepare dinner. Or your toilet is plugged and even the plunger isn’t fixing the problem. It may be time to call for the snake – plumber’s snake that is.

For those of you who are intimidated by tools, take note: you have nothing to fear from the snake. It is easy to operate and is an effective alternative to some professional plumbing repairs.

Okay, so you’ve decided to use a snake to unclog your pipe. Do you have one? If you rarely use a snake in your home you might want to consider renting one. Most tool rental shops have snakes in varying sizes for rent – from hand-held to electric. But it is a good idea to have one around for emergencies and you can find hand-held snakes for under $10 (often named “augers”).

The first thing you need to do is prep for the job. Make sure you have cleared out an area to work on the plumbing and that you have plenty of rags to mop up any spills or drips. It is a good idea to lay down some newspaper or plastic to keep the floor and cabinets dry, too.

Make sure you have access to the pipe by removing any drain covering. Obviously you will have directly access to the toilet drain. Before operating the snake you should put on a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands from the metal coils of the snake and any debris that might be in the pipe.

Next, slowly feed the snake into the pipe. You may have to turn the snake in a clockwise direction to move it along. Once you have reached the clog – and you can usually tell when the snake stops feeding – it is time to rotate the snake into the clog and loosen it up. The head or tip of snake should be able to grab on the debris so that you can pull it back out and dispose of it. In the process, some of the debris may wash away down the pipe and that’s okay (well, as long as it doesn’t accumulate further down the circuit). You really want to use the snake head to “chew up” the debris for removal, rather than just pushing it further down the pipe.

Once you have removed the debris clogging the pipe, run hot water down the pipes to wash away any remnants. Replace the drain cover if necessary and clean up your mess. Voila!

If you have a stubborn clog that won’t snake out or if you just aren’t comfortable using a tool, call a professional Elyria plumber to save you the effort.

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Bay Village Plumber Tip: How to Replace a Toilet Seal

Friday, January 6th, 2012

If you have ever taken a look at the base of your Bay Village home’s toilet where it meets the floor, you may have noticed a bead of caulk sealing the base of the toilet to the floor. While this watertight seal is important, there is actually a more important seal hidden within the base of the toilet.

Inside, your toilet sits on a wax ring that serves to keep sewer odors from wafting into the room, seal water from leaking from the bathroom plumbing and provides a degree of stability to the toilet installation. You may need to replace that seal if:

  • You notice leaking water at the base of the toilet.
  • You smell sewer odors in your bathroom.
  • The toilet is unstable or rocks side to side at all.
  • The toilet was removed temporarily for any reason, such as replacing it or putting down new flooring.

As it happens, replacing the toilet seal is a fairly simple and inexpensive operation that you can do on your own. To take care of this job yourself, follow these 16 steps:

  1. Shut off the water supply.
  2. Empty the bowl and tank by flushing the toilet. You may have to flush twice.
  3. Get the bowl and tank completely dry by soaking up any remaining water with a sponge, rag or towel.
  4. Remove the bolts that attach the base of the toilet to the floor.
  5. Disconnect the supply line the leads into the toilet.
  6. Gripping the bowl, rock the toilet gently back and forth to break the seals.
  7. Lift the toilet free from the floor.
  8. Now you can see the remnants of the old wax ring. Remove all that thoroughly.
  9. Place the new seal in place of the old one, centering it exactly, with the rounded side up.
  10. Replace the toilet over the seal and flange.
  11. Have a seat! No, really; this helps to create a new seal between the ring and the toilet.
  12. Reattach the nuts you removed from the base.
  13. Reconnect the water line.
  14. Turn the water supply back on.
  15. Flush the toilet, looking carefully for any leaks.
  16. Apply a new bead of caulk to the bottom of the bowl to complete the sealing job.

And if you run into any problems, call your local Bay Village plumber!

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Parma Plumber’s Guide: How to Fix a Slow Drain

Monday, December 26th, 2011

Ever fill up a bathroom bowl or kitchen sink with water in your Parma home and then wait forever for the water to drain? A clogged drain can take forever to free up and is often the source of frustration and a loss of precious time as you get ready for work or play.

The solutions to fixing a slow drain can be very simple or complex, requiring a little patience or expertise to a major service or repair bill. Let’s hope the solution is the former and not the latter. And here are some suggestions.

If your bathroom sink is draining slowly, remove the stopper and inspect it for any “cling-ons” – namely hair. One of the most common clogs can be hair wrapped around the shaft of the stopper. Remove the hair, replace the stopper, run some hot water and check to see how quickly the water drains down. If that simple fix doesn’t work, dig a little deeper.

Hair can be tangled in the flange or the horizontal rod and clip, further down the pipe. You may need to dig out the hair or debris with a long object like a screwdriver or wire hanger. Don’t bring out the “big guns” like a snake or auger if something simpler will do the trick.

Once the debris is cleared, you may even want to use a small hand plunger to force air down the pipe and remove any other residual debris that may be slowing down the water flow. These steps should clear up the problem. A liquid or granulated drainer cleaner may also break up the clog. Running hot water can do the trick, too.

If these solutions don’t work, a slow drain could be the result of a more serious problem. At that point you may want to use a snake on the problem or call a professional plumber to fix it.

If your kitchen sink drains slowly, the problem could be a build-up of food or grease in the pipes. Once again, using a plunger or chemical drain cleaner may solve the problem. But don’t discount the fact that something may be blocking the pipes, like a piece of bone. A visual check of the problem might be the simple solution to the slow drain “mystery.”

If you are at your wit’s end and the water drainage continues to be a problem, call a professional plumber. They may even be able to walk you through a cleaning process over the phone.

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My North Royalton Furnace Isn’t Producing Enough Heat – What to Do

Friday, December 16th, 2011

If your North Royalton home is cold, many blame the furnace for not bringing up the warm temperatures or they blame the thermostat for not working right.

It may very well be a thermostat issue – often caused by the location of the thermostat – that is causing the problem. However, sometimes root cause is found in the furnace or ventilation system.

Your indoor environment may be contributing to a seemingly slow-moving furnace. Your furnace may be working too hard to keep up with the heat demand because of an excessive build-up of dirt or debris on the filter or around the moving parts, such as the motor or fan belt. The most obvious thing to do is to keep the airflow unobstructed and keep all working parts clean.

First of all, you should regularly check your furnace filters and if they are dirty, replace them or clean them. Disposable furnace filters are relatively inexpensive and come in a variety of sizes and media ratings (ratings determine what size media is used and its ability to trap certain sized particulate). You can buy these individually or in bulk from a number of different resources. It is a good idea to replace the filters every three-six months.

Mesh filters can be removed, cleaned and reinserted. Like replaceable filters, mesh filters should be checked on a regular basis and then cleaned at least every three months.

You can remove the access panels to your furnace and inspect the components for any build-up of dust, dirt, or debris. Using a vacuum with an extension hose usually is all it takes to clean up the area.

Other reasons for poor heating performance include dirty or blocked ductwork. The harder your furnace has to work to push air through the ventilation system, the longer it takes to bring the heat up. Make your furnace work less and keep vents clear and ductwork clean.

Finally, the reason your furnace isn’t producing enough heat may not be the fault of your furnace at all – you may have a leaky house. But that’s a whole different story.

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Thursday, November 24th, 2011

Happy Thanksgiving! We plan to celebrate by eating lots of turkey and enjoying some time with our loved ones, and we hope you do the same! Thank you for choosing us as your contractor. Here is a recipe from allrecipes.com for Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake, a treat that will get your holiday started off right!

“Cheesecake lovers will applaud this addition to the holiday dessert selection. A layer of traditional cheesecake is topped with a layer of pumpkin pie flavored cheesecake and baked. ”

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
  • 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 pinch ground cloves
  • 1 pinch ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
  2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.
  3. Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.
  4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.

For more details, click here.

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