Dunbar Plumbing Forums - Northern Kentucky's 1st DIY Plumbing Forum

Check out our new postcards soon to arrive and delivered to property owners in our area. Coupon be used with any service. Not applicable with already discounted services.

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328000/US-tornadoes-Yet-heartbreak-Oklahoma-massive-tornado-touches-highly-populated-suburb.html 
A terrible storm rocked the midwest today in Oklahoma. Many are feared dead in the aftermath of the huge tornado that ripped the state apart. Estimations were believed to be 1 to 2 miles wide during the nearly 30 minutes this tornado was on the ground destroying homes, vehicles, schools and a wide range of other buildings.

Numerous children in an elementary school are feared dead. A lot of the homes are not built to withstand 200 mile winds, something this storm came with. Over the next few days the true horror of this disaster will come to print with people and their stories come out describing the horrific event.

There is a great deal that couldn't afford the loss of their home, which will then make times in life even more difficult. Let's hope and pray that many are rescued and recover from this tragedy.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/dining/2013/05/17/tom-and-chee-swim-with-the-shark-tank-and-get-a-deal/


A great success story of two guys that got tired of working for the big man, started with a 10' by 10' tent and made a go at it selling grilled cheese sandwiches in a variety of many styles and choices.


The idea has worked so well that the makers of "Shark Tank" have committed to 600 grand towards the success and growth of the business.


With that investment, hard math divulges what the cost of that opportunity truly is.


The owners of Tom and Chee wanted the luxury of 5% ownership for $600,000.00 and the reality became the counter offer of 30% of ownership to obtain access to that 600 grand.

That is a sizeable amount of ownership, considering they just made a deal with the devil for that promise of growth in opening multiple locations. Add in taxes, there's almost 70% going somewhere other than your back and a lot of people are making money by your efforts to pull off the success story.

Sometimes business ownership can be touch and go, and sometimes defeating. We all understand that in business, there is sacrifice, always. This sacrifice means spending a lot of money, a lot of work, and a lot of patience waiting for the gift of success with others following the design to make you money. Not always does it work, but I give anyone credit for trying very hard to grow and become bigger.

Sometimes though, getting "bigger" is not always the prudent answer. There's the implied rush when in business when it comes to money. The more you make, the better you feel the more secure you think your next decision can be. What can become of that feeling can lead into a dangerous spot, especially when spending changes of those you rely on to pay the bills.

I wish the best of Tom and Chee in their endeavors. Their company name is catchy, I've never heard of a grilled cheese food restaurant before and like always, success costs money to happen. Hopefully this thread can be revisited years from now and they have a national reach with many lining up out the door to sample their good food.

A repeat customer of Dunbar Plumbing that recently moved from the Glenhurst subdivision to Harris Pike in Independence Kentucky contacted us for an outside hose faucet that the handle was stripped and/or spinning freely.

Upon arrival of the residence we asked to have the water shut off, proceeded to dismantle the Woodford outdoor hose faucet. This revealed that the handle was not stripped. Upon removal of the faucet's stem, it appeared that the operating end of the faucet was stripped where the device is made to catch and turn, screw inwards to seal off the water connection into the faucet.

It was an 8" Woodford Frost Free Hose Faucet, and the faucet we brought matched both the size and model brand of what the property owner had.

Sold the customer the complete assembly of the faucet brought to the residence as the potential always remains for future possibilities of an outside faucet left on accidentally that can freeze and burst the faucet. The price for 'stem only' assembly is nearly 2/3rds the cost of the faucet in total, so it was feasible to sell the faucet as a whole.

Customer was able to restore the use of this faucet without any necessary work inside the home where this faucet connected to the water lines under the kitchen sink. As always, we enjoy being a reliable service provider to those who over time move from to home and request our services. A small discount was given for the short time we had at the property resolving the issue.

http://thumb.tk/2hmu http://www.thumbtack.com/ky/independence/plumbing/24-hour-plumbing-services
 
 
 

A new plumbing customer to Dunbar Plumbing contacted us regarding a clogged toilet at the home. It was mentioned that plunging and the recent purchase of a closet auger did not rectify the situation. Below is an image of a closet auger and its use.

Picture of a Closet Auger

 
 
 

A repeat customer of ours contacted us to address a leak in the garage of their home on sylvan drive. Sylvan drive is located in independence kentucky. Dunbar Plumbing has done numerous plumbing tasks at this location and the house was built in the 1970 era.

Given the age of this home, Cast Iron was the majority of drain stacks inside this home with the rest of the branches done in copper drain piping. Copper drain work was something that simplified the installation of plumbing and due to the cost of piping in 3" or 4" copper, the use of cast iron was the preferred method. However over time what results in the aging of copper piping, the piping has a predetermined "life" before issues result in its use.
When we arrived at the home, first inspection of the piping arrangement led to the majority of the drainage system piped in the garage area. This along with minor removal of the ceiling revealed what was leaking onto the floor. A 2" copper drain line that connected into the main 4" cast iron stack had evidence of pinholes in the piping in the last foot of piping before transitioning into cast iron. Here is a brief explanation of what to expect on piping systems where cast iron drain piping and copper drain piping are mixed:
 
Most if not always when copper drain piping is used in older homes, a brass ferrule is utilized in the cast iron hub that connects to the larger piping. This, over time creates a situation where the transition itself starts to corrode and close up the inside diameter of the pipe. When this problem occurs, the waste matter that is travelling through the piping system is slowed down and causes buildup in the copper piping leading to the cast iron hub.
 
This area right before the copper enters the cast iron hub is where pinholes, or thinning of the piping occurs. Back in the day when copper drain lines were introduced, the actual thickness of the copper drain piping is paper thin to begin with, roughly 1/16" of an inch. With products such as detergents, acidic food waste, urine, and any other mixtures of household chemicals and products provides a cocktail of fluids/gels/liquids that travel through the copper drain lines and eventually become lodged in the piping whether it is a coating or clumps, gathering in turns or directions of the piping.
 
Over time, this collection of products serves as the problematic issues that lead to pinholes or deterioration of copper piping inside the system, leading to replacement.  It is common to see homeowners using electrical tape, wrapping the piping where the holes are found to be leaking to 'buy time' before finally replacing the piping. This surely is not the correct way to fix a plumbing problem, but nonetheless it is a method that provides a temporary fix until the piping is replaced correctly and according to code.