• It is best to use cold water — NOT hot water — when you run your disposal. Let the cold water run as long as the motor is running, and be sure to avoid overloading the disposal.
• Corn husks, artichokes, onion skins, celery, and other high-fiber material can clog your disposal.
• Do not pour fats or cooking oils into your sink. Liquid fats can solidify in cold drainpipes, trap food particles, and clog the drains.
• Do not put coffee grounds down the drain.
• If your disposal is clogged, turn off the motor and the water.
  • Reach under the sink and insert the service wrench that came with your disposal — or a ¼ inch Allen wrench — into the hole on the bottom of the disposal. Turn it back and forth until it can turn freely in complete circles.
  • Then use tongs to remove whatever caused the disposal to jam.
  • Finally, press the red “reset” button on the bottom of your disposal in case the disposal needs to be reset.
• Food particles which remain in your disposal can cause odors. Put a combination of ice cubes and lemon peel in the disposal, run it for about thirty seconds, and then run cold water through the disposal. Disposal cleaner or degreaser may help too.

There are several ways to find out if your water bills are higher than they need to be.

• Check faucets for dripping water. Fix a leaky faucet promptly. Be sure to check under sinks for moisture or leaks.
• Periodically check your toilets for leaks:
  • Place a few drops of food coloring in the tank – not the bowl. A couple of tablespoons of instant coffee or Kool-Aid will work too.
  • Check the toilet after about thirty minutes. If the water in the bowl has some of the color in it, the tank is leaking and the stopper and valve seat may need to be replaced.
• Check for underground leaks or undetected leaks in the home:
  • Turn off the main water valve inside your home and then go outside and check your water meter. If it is still turning you may have an underground leak.
  • Alternatively, write down the numbers on your water meter at the beginning of a period when your home is going to be unoccupied for a few hours. Check the meter when you return; if the numbers have changed, they may be a leak somewhere inside the home

Conservation Checklist

Saving water is like any other habit. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes. Become water-wise, it’s fun to find more ways to conserve.

Sometimes a small investment can pay large dividends. For example, buying a low-flush toilet can save over 18,000 gallons of water a year! It’s up to all of us – individuals, businesses, industry – to save the earth’s resources.

So remember, wherever you go, take your water-consciousness along. What works at home, works at the office!

In General

• Watch for leaks.
• Pay attention to the SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS of plumbing.
• Check all faucets for drips.
• If a drip fills an 8-ounce glass every quarter hour, it will lose about 180 gallons per month.  That’s 2,160 gallons a year, enough for 30+ showers or baths! Drips can usually be fixed by replacing inexpensive washers or valve seats.
• Install flow restrictors or other conservation devices on all faucets. With these in the shower alone, you can cut your water use from about 5 to 10 gallons per minute to as low as 1.4 to 3 gallons per minute.
• Wrap exposed indoor and outdoor pipes to prevent breakage in freezing weather.

In the Kitchen/Laundry

One of the most common areas for water loss is the kitchen sink area.

• Check under cupboards once a week for wet spots or bowed cabinetry.
• Keep drinking water in the refrigerator so you don’t have to run the tap until the water gets cold enough to drink.
• Only run full loads in your dishwasher.
• Scrape food from plates with a utensil, not running water.
• Don’t continuously run water in the sink.
• Hand wash dishes in a sink full of soapy water; rinse all at once. Soak hard-to clean pans overnight.

In the Bathroom

• Check sinks for drips or leaks once a week.
• Check grout and tiles in shower area.
• Are any loose? Is grout missing, allowing water to flow beneath the tiles?
• Check toilets for leaks.
• Drop a teaspoon of food coloring into the tank.
• If the color appears in the bowl after 15 minutes, have the “flapper” valve replaced.
• If leaks continue, have a professional check your system.
• Decrease the amount of water used per flush. Replace regular or older toilets with new ultra-low flush models or put water displacement devices inside every toilet tank.
• Make them from plastic water bottles weighted down with pebbles. DO NOT PUT BRICKS IN YOUR TANK. They can dissolve and clog siphon jets.

Meter Test

1. This test should be conducted for a 30 minute period, during which time no water is being used on the property.
2. Find your water meter, which is usually located in front of the house in a covered box near the street.
3. Write down the numbers indicated on the meter at the start of this test.
4. Return to check the meter reading after 30 minutes have passed.
5. If the numbers have not changed, you do not have a leak in your pressurized water system. If the numbers have changed, continue with the following steps.
6. Shut off the valves under all toilets in the house, and repeat steps 1-4.

If the numbers have not changed, you may have a running toilet that should be serviced.

If your toilet is stopped up and if the water level is low, there is an alternative if a plunger doesn’t work.

• Fill a bucket or plastic wastebasket with warm water and pour it into the bowl from waist level or higher.
• Repeat if necessary after the water level is once again low.

Periodically check your toilets for leaks:

• Place a few drops of food coloring in the tank — not the bowl. A couple of tablespoons of instant coffee or Kool-Aid will work too.
• Check the toilet after about thirty minutes. If the water in the bowl has some of the color in it, the tank is leaking and the stopper (“flapper”) and/or flush valve seat may need to be replaced.

• Don’t let your outdoor faucets freeze up in the winter.
• Unattach your garden hoses before freezing temperatures arrive in the fall.
• Then close the shut-off valve on the pipe(s) which lead to your outdoor faucet(s).
• Then open the outdoor faucets so that any residual water can drain.
• If your indoor faucets sometimes freeze in very cold weather:
  • Try leaving the cabinet doors under the faucets open so that they can get a bit more heat.
  • In extreme cases let the water trickle very slowly into the sink.
• Insulate water pipes which may be exposed to freezing temperatures or wind. Water pipes which are not being used should be drained for the winter in areas where there may be severely cold weather.
• If there is plumbing in your garage, be sure to keep your garage door closed when it is very cold. Pipes in unheated garages or basements should be insulated.

• Repair or replace a leaky faucet promptly.
• Be sure to check under sinks for moisture or leaks. Even a slow leak can waste as much as 15 or 20 gallons of water a day. But a leak not only wastes water; it can eventually ruin your faucet or even your cabinets and floors.
• Leaky faucets are ordinarily caused by seals which are dirty or worn. You may either clean or replace the worn parts, or you may want to install a new faucet.

• Place a strainer over kitchen and bathroom drains if they do not already have one; this will prevent hair, pieces of soap, and other debris from clogging drains. Clean the strainer as needed.
• Unclog a drain mechanically rather than chemically when possible.
• Use chemical drain cleaners sparingly, especially if your pipes or traps are brass, steel, or cast-iron; some chemicals may corrode metal pipes. Try this instead: pour a cup of baking soda followed by a cup of vinegar down your drain every month.
• The drains in showers and in bathroom sinks typically need extra care; pour two or three gallons of boiling water down each bathroom drain about once a month to clear out hair and greasy particles.
• Every week or two remove sink and tub pop-up stoppers and rinse them off.
• Every three or four months remove the overflow plate on the tub.
• Then pull up the pop-up assembly to reach the spring or rocker arm.
• Remove accumulated hair and rinse thoroughly.
• If your shower drain is plugged up:
  • Try a plunger first.
  • If the plunger doesn’t unplug the drain, insert a plumber’s helper (“snake”) down the drain.
• Prevent drain clogs by putting a lint trap on your washing machine discharge hose.

ExpressRooter preventive maintenance programs can help you avoid costly business interruptions before they occur. Take control of your business with scheduled maintenance for drains and sewer lines, and all your plumbing needs.

If you need multiple location service or information about national accounts please contact info@expressrooter.ca for a free, no obligation commercial plumbing consultation.

ExpressRooter® commercial plumbing technicians provide:

• Fast priority service – usually within 60 minutes
• Free estimates – you approve the price before we start
• No extra charge for nights, weekends, holidays, or travel time
• Fully equipped for all emergencies at any time
• Commercial customer maintenance plans
• Consolidated billing for multiple locations

Drain Check and Planned Maintenance Recommendation

All of our drain specialists are experts in dealing with any and every drainage problem.
They are the experts that can visit your premises and identify any potential problem areas within your drainage system including:

• A check on all fixtures water supply and drain lines
• Advice on particular problem areas, such as sewer backup prevention
• Provide full report on our findings.

If you need multiple location service or information about national accounts please contact info@expressrooter.ca for a free, no obligation commercial plumbing consultation.

ExpressRooter® commercial plumbing technicians provide:

• Fast priority service – usually within 60 minutes
• Free estimates – you approve the price before we start
• No extra charge for nights, weekends, holidays, or travel time
• Fully equipped for all emergencies at any time
• Commercial customer maintenance plans
• Consolidated billing for multiple locations