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Dunbar Plumbing Forums - READ BEFORE USING FORUM / Dunbar Plumbing Business Magnets
« on: January 04, 2012, 03:05:09 AM »Dunbar Plumbing Business Magnets that we give to our customers throughout the northern kentucky area.
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Dunbar Plumbing Business Magnets that we give to our customers throughout the northern kentucky area.
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Water Heaters / Electric Water Heater Replacement Prospect Point Villa Hills Kentucky
« on: May 10, 2011, 09:41:28 AM »
Dunbar Plumbing - Northern Kentucky Plumbers was called out to replace a 40 gallon electric water heater that malfunctioned in a condo. This happened on Paddock Lane in Prospect Point, Villa Hills Kentucky. The electric water heater was manufactured in 1996, quite an old water heater that went a long time before it went into failure mode.
The water heater malfunctioned by the upper thermostat sticking, heating the water up to extreme temperatures that resulted in the Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve to open up, allowing the extreme high temperatured water out of the tank to prevent an explosion, along with giving notice that something is truly wrong with the water heater. The hot water that was releasing from the water heater was coming out at such a large amount that the area drain could not handle the volume of water it was trying to collect. What happened as a result is this high temperatured water ended up in two bedrooms along with a hallway that destroyed both carpeted floors and a wood floor.
The good thing is nobody woke up in the middle of the night and burned their bare feet (likely scenario) going to the bathroom.
The customer had an existing 40 gallon Sears Kenmore Water Heater installed that as mentioned, lasted over 15 years without any draining, any maintenance, up to this one episode. Given that reliability the customer was inclined to purchase another Sears Kenmore product along with increasing the gallon size to 55 gallons. The current household at any given time has 1 to 2 adults and 4 children, and between bathing and laundry, the upgrade to a larger water heater was deemed necessary. The 55 gallon water heater actually came with better pricing since it is sold primarily on the most common application involved for homes based on size and needs.
Here are some pictures of the water heater before and after. We actually already had the old one partially taken apart on the first picture but the final pictures show the finished product.
The water heater malfunctioned by the upper thermostat sticking, heating the water up to extreme temperatures that resulted in the Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve to open up, allowing the extreme high temperatured water out of the tank to prevent an explosion, along with giving notice that something is truly wrong with the water heater. The hot water that was releasing from the water heater was coming out at such a large amount that the area drain could not handle the volume of water it was trying to collect. What happened as a result is this high temperatured water ended up in two bedrooms along with a hallway that destroyed both carpeted floors and a wood floor.
The good thing is nobody woke up in the middle of the night and burned their bare feet (likely scenario) going to the bathroom.
The customer had an existing 40 gallon Sears Kenmore Water Heater installed that as mentioned, lasted over 15 years without any draining, any maintenance, up to this one episode. Given that reliability the customer was inclined to purchase another Sears Kenmore product along with increasing the gallon size to 55 gallons. The current household at any given time has 1 to 2 adults and 4 children, and between bathing and laundry, the upgrade to a larger water heater was deemed necessary. The 55 gallon water heater actually came with better pricing since it is sold primarily on the most common application involved for homes based on size and needs.
Here are some pictures of the water heater before and after. We actually already had the old one partially taken apart on the first picture but the final pictures show the finished product.
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Valves and Fixtures / Bromley Crescent Springs Kentucky - Bury Hydrant Plunger Replacement
« on: April 28, 2011, 11:45:13 PM »
Dunbar Plumbing was called out for plumbing services Northern Kentucky Plumbers in Crescent Springs for an Animal Petting Farm. This petting farm located in Crescent Springs Kentucky is located within one mile the Crescent Springs Home Depot off of Buttermilk Pike. A local veterinarian owns this petting farm and we've been doing work at this location for numerous years.
The work being performed at this location was servicing a Bury Hydrant near the barn structure. Here are some numerous images of bury hydrants that are commonly used for outdoor water sources year round. Bury Hydrants provide the resource of year round water availability by its unique design that protects the fixture from freezing during use.
A bury hydrant is designed with the actual shutoff of the water attached to a plunger at the end of a long rod. This rod connects to linkage up above which incorporates a handle for easy lifting and use. When the handle is lifted on a Bury Hydrant, the long rod that reaches to the length of the end of the galvanized tube that leads into the ground is raised, allowing water to pass through the connection.
This connection creates positive flow which sends the water upwards and out of the spout. When the water is turned off, this same rod connected to the handle is pushed down, allowing the plunger at the end of rod assembly to seal off the water. The Bury Hydrant Plunger is the small rubber head that screws onto the end of the rod that goes the distance of determined length of the Bury Hydrant that provides the positive seal to prevent water from passing by or leaking when the Bury Hydrant is not in use. Here are some pictures of Bury Hydrant Plungers. These plungers look like large rubber bullets in design, made to seal off the water.
Bury Hydrants are well known for reliability and the only issues with them are the plungers going bad from years of use or excessive usage. Dunbar Plumbing makes a point to not disconnect the linkage when replacing the defective plungers. Our method of repair is removing the entire hydrant assembly from the galvanized pipe so that removal of the pins, screws or simple adjustments are not affected, causing the bury hydrant to leak in the on or off position. Bury Hydrants as they age have a tendency to rust, and when they rust it is very difficult to determine the manufacture name. It is crucial that the name of the manufacture is known to replace the Bury Hydrant's Plunger along with other numerous moving mechanical parts.
Bury Hydrants - What makes them Freeze Proof?
Bury Hydrants become durable by design with their function to provide water during freezing temperatures without the risk of damage. When the Bury Hydrant is in the off position, a weep hole is built into the brass connection at the bottom of the Bury Hydrant. During the initial installation of this Bury Hydrant, manufacture and plumbing code requirements enable the vertical length of the Bury Hydrant to drain back into the ground at a connection that is below frost line. Frost lines are determined by local plumbing codes as a measure in the depth of the ground that determines a safe distance into the earth that ensures any water line will be deemed not to freeze. In the state of Kentucky I believe the code of depth is nearly 42" without quick reference to a codebook. This measure equates to three and a half feet. In states like Florida, Frost line depth might only be 12"-22" at most. Check with your local authority or plumbing division to find out what your "safe" depth for water line installation is required. This depth dictates the length of Bury Hydrant for your application, giving the normal distance into the ground as well as the amount of height the bury hydrant sits at above the ground's surface.
When a Bury Hydrant is installed, grillage or pea gravel is recommended for an area reaching 18" in diameter in the area of the connection where the Bury Hydrant connects to the water supply. The weep hole in the brass connection at the base of the Bury Hydrant allows for the water that is delivered from the hydrant to release and remove from the galvanized pipe so that the water will drop back down out of the pipe into the pea gravel. The galvanized pipe is now empty, providing the inability to freeze in the winter and readies the faucet for its next use. A common mistake made in the use of Bury Hydrants is leaving hoses connected to the Bury Hydrants or capping off a small leak caused by a defective plunger. A leaking Bury Hydrant will cause the water to either 1. leak underground without detection, thinking there is a broken water line or 2. leak to a point that the underground pea gravel is diluted, not allowing water to leave the near area of the hydrant.
Bury Hydrants that are installed without proper drainage around the base of the Bury Hydrant will cause the hydrant to freeze and break, not allowing the water to drain back underground. When Bury Hydrants break, given the age of the Bury Hydrant determines if the job entails a repair or complete replacement. A complete replacement involves digging up the ground to the depth of the water line connection, along with the cost of a new Bury Hydrant and efforts involved. Proper installation is crucial with these faucets, giving long lasting life and reliability. Northern Kentucky Plumbers offers Bury Hydrant repairs and replacements in the Northern Kentucky area. Call Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 to have your Plumbing Problems Solved.
The work being performed at this location was servicing a Bury Hydrant near the barn structure. Here are some numerous images of bury hydrants that are commonly used for outdoor water sources year round. Bury Hydrants provide the resource of year round water availability by its unique design that protects the fixture from freezing during use.
A bury hydrant is designed with the actual shutoff of the water attached to a plunger at the end of a long rod. This rod connects to linkage up above which incorporates a handle for easy lifting and use. When the handle is lifted on a Bury Hydrant, the long rod that reaches to the length of the end of the galvanized tube that leads into the ground is raised, allowing water to pass through the connection.
This connection creates positive flow which sends the water upwards and out of the spout. When the water is turned off, this same rod connected to the handle is pushed down, allowing the plunger at the end of rod assembly to seal off the water. The Bury Hydrant Plunger is the small rubber head that screws onto the end of the rod that goes the distance of determined length of the Bury Hydrant that provides the positive seal to prevent water from passing by or leaking when the Bury Hydrant is not in use. Here are some pictures of Bury Hydrant Plungers. These plungers look like large rubber bullets in design, made to seal off the water.
Bury Hydrants are well known for reliability and the only issues with them are the plungers going bad from years of use or excessive usage. Dunbar Plumbing makes a point to not disconnect the linkage when replacing the defective plungers. Our method of repair is removing the entire hydrant assembly from the galvanized pipe so that removal of the pins, screws or simple adjustments are not affected, causing the bury hydrant to leak in the on or off position. Bury Hydrants as they age have a tendency to rust, and when they rust it is very difficult to determine the manufacture name. It is crucial that the name of the manufacture is known to replace the Bury Hydrant's Plunger along with other numerous moving mechanical parts.
Bury Hydrants - What makes them Freeze Proof?
Bury Hydrants become durable by design with their function to provide water during freezing temperatures without the risk of damage. When the Bury Hydrant is in the off position, a weep hole is built into the brass connection at the bottom of the Bury Hydrant. During the initial installation of this Bury Hydrant, manufacture and plumbing code requirements enable the vertical length of the Bury Hydrant to drain back into the ground at a connection that is below frost line. Frost lines are determined by local plumbing codes as a measure in the depth of the ground that determines a safe distance into the earth that ensures any water line will be deemed not to freeze. In the state of Kentucky I believe the code of depth is nearly 42" without quick reference to a codebook. This measure equates to three and a half feet. In states like Florida, Frost line depth might only be 12"-22" at most. Check with your local authority or plumbing division to find out what your "safe" depth for water line installation is required. This depth dictates the length of Bury Hydrant for your application, giving the normal distance into the ground as well as the amount of height the bury hydrant sits at above the ground's surface.
When a Bury Hydrant is installed, grillage or pea gravel is recommended for an area reaching 18" in diameter in the area of the connection where the Bury Hydrant connects to the water supply. The weep hole in the brass connection at the base of the Bury Hydrant allows for the water that is delivered from the hydrant to release and remove from the galvanized pipe so that the water will drop back down out of the pipe into the pea gravel. The galvanized pipe is now empty, providing the inability to freeze in the winter and readies the faucet for its next use. A common mistake made in the use of Bury Hydrants is leaving hoses connected to the Bury Hydrants or capping off a small leak caused by a defective plunger. A leaking Bury Hydrant will cause the water to either 1. leak underground without detection, thinking there is a broken water line or 2. leak to a point that the underground pea gravel is diluted, not allowing water to leave the near area of the hydrant.
Bury Hydrants that are installed without proper drainage around the base of the Bury Hydrant will cause the hydrant to freeze and break, not allowing the water to drain back underground. When Bury Hydrants break, given the age of the Bury Hydrant determines if the job entails a repair or complete replacement. A complete replacement involves digging up the ground to the depth of the water line connection, along with the cost of a new Bury Hydrant and efforts involved. Proper installation is crucial with these faucets, giving long lasting life and reliability. Northern Kentucky Plumbers offers Bury Hydrant repairs and replacements in the Northern Kentucky area. Call Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 to have your Plumbing Problems Solved.
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Drains and Drainage / Northern Kentucky Plumbers - Clogged Drain on Highland Avenue Fort Mitchell Ky
« on: April 27, 2011, 10:16:29 PM »
Dunbar Plumbing was contacted in regards to clearing a floor drain that was backing up onto the floor whenever the washing machine was ran in the home. The job was located on Highland Avenue on Fort Mitchell Kentucky. Highland Avenue is a well known, well travelled street that the Fort Mitchell Fire Department is located at. Fort Mitchell Kentucky is also well known for Beechwood Independent Schools when it comes to their educational programs and sports associations. This in turn greatly increases the property values in the Fort Mitchell area.
Northern Kentucky Plumbers such as Dunbar Plumbing was called through a lookup on the internet for someone to remove the obstruction and clear the drain. Dunbar Plumbing provides drain cleaning for residential homes with our top of the line drain cleaning equipment made by Spartan Tools.
When we arrived to clear the drain, the property owner showed us the situation and the floor drain that was backing up. There was visible toilet paper on the floor around this floor drain. A newer PVC drain system was installed in an adjacent room that we were led to clear the drain. The opening of the floor drain was too small for our cable and would not allow us access to the clear the drain properly.
As always, we ask the customer upon arrival to run water into the drainage system to give us indication or a sight gauge to see how far the drain clog is away by seeing how fast the water backs up. If the water takes awhile to back up, there is good chance that the clog is further away. When the water was ran the floor drain closest to the exterior back wall started to make bubbling noises that would lead to the presence of a clog outside in the drain piping, not inside the home. Visual inspection of that floor drain showed where raw fecal matter had been slowly 'burping' back up onto the floor for a considerable amount of time.
We installed our drain cable into the drain at the exact opposite side of the house, ensuring that for the cost of services that the entire drain piping system underground would be extensively cleaned, given the cable is travelling through the pipes, scouring the walls inside. Around 32 feet into the drain we approached an area about four feet long that the machine turned with resistance and some struggle, like it was chopping through buildup. This is where a good drain cleaning operator will allow the machine to sit and turn in a stationary position and slowly clean the affected area where buildup has occured. Most likely this is a belly in the pipe or a misaligned pipe that is creating an abrupt low spot in the piping, allowing for buildup that led to the problems with the drains operating efficiently without backing up onto the floor.
Even before we started operating our drain equipment, the customer was instructed to turn on all fixtures so that water was running into the drain system. This in combination with the cable inside the piping instantly opened the drain, stopping the sounds that were emitting from the floor drain that was closest to the outside drain line. Constant flushing of the toilet along with the washing machine being filled up for operation and then sent to rinse, dumping the large amounts of water into the drainage system did not back up onto the floor.
Our efforts for this customer proved fruitful and we believe that we gained a new customer in this situation. Customer told us they owned a bar/restaurant close by and that from time to time they might need plumbing services on occaision.
Customer was very pleased with the results and we hope that a good working relationship becomes of our meeting. As far as the plumbing system we worked on?
The drain system is reaching almost 90 years old, truly well beyond the life expectancy of the product when first installed. Many situations, deterioration and most likely settlement of the ground are to blame for clogging issues. Given that the piping back in that age was not water tight, a new drain system in the future is the property owner's best interest.
Call Northern Kentucky Plumbers - Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 for Drain Cleaning or other Plumbing needs in your home.
Northern Kentucky Plumbers such as Dunbar Plumbing was called through a lookup on the internet for someone to remove the obstruction and clear the drain. Dunbar Plumbing provides drain cleaning for residential homes with our top of the line drain cleaning equipment made by Spartan Tools.
When we arrived to clear the drain, the property owner showed us the situation and the floor drain that was backing up. There was visible toilet paper on the floor around this floor drain. A newer PVC drain system was installed in an adjacent room that we were led to clear the drain. The opening of the floor drain was too small for our cable and would not allow us access to the clear the drain properly.
As always, we ask the customer upon arrival to run water into the drainage system to give us indication or a sight gauge to see how far the drain clog is away by seeing how fast the water backs up. If the water takes awhile to back up, there is good chance that the clog is further away. When the water was ran the floor drain closest to the exterior back wall started to make bubbling noises that would lead to the presence of a clog outside in the drain piping, not inside the home. Visual inspection of that floor drain showed where raw fecal matter had been slowly 'burping' back up onto the floor for a considerable amount of time.
We installed our drain cable into the drain at the exact opposite side of the house, ensuring that for the cost of services that the entire drain piping system underground would be extensively cleaned, given the cable is travelling through the pipes, scouring the walls inside. Around 32 feet into the drain we approached an area about four feet long that the machine turned with resistance and some struggle, like it was chopping through buildup. This is where a good drain cleaning operator will allow the machine to sit and turn in a stationary position and slowly clean the affected area where buildup has occured. Most likely this is a belly in the pipe or a misaligned pipe that is creating an abrupt low spot in the piping, allowing for buildup that led to the problems with the drains operating efficiently without backing up onto the floor.
Even before we started operating our drain equipment, the customer was instructed to turn on all fixtures so that water was running into the drain system. This in combination with the cable inside the piping instantly opened the drain, stopping the sounds that were emitting from the floor drain that was closest to the outside drain line. Constant flushing of the toilet along with the washing machine being filled up for operation and then sent to rinse, dumping the large amounts of water into the drainage system did not back up onto the floor.
Our efforts for this customer proved fruitful and we believe that we gained a new customer in this situation. Customer told us they owned a bar/restaurant close by and that from time to time they might need plumbing services on occaision.
Customer was very pleased with the results and we hope that a good working relationship becomes of our meeting. As far as the plumbing system we worked on?
The drain system is reaching almost 90 years old, truly well beyond the life expectancy of the product when first installed. Many situations, deterioration and most likely settlement of the ground are to blame for clogging issues. Given that the piping back in that age was not water tight, a new drain system in the future is the property owner's best interest.
Call Northern Kentucky Plumbers - Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 for Drain Cleaning or other Plumbing needs in your home.
5
Dunbar Plumbing Forums - READ BEFORE USING FORUM / NORTHERN KENTUCKY PLUMBERS
« on: April 27, 2011, 01:16:46 AM »
In Northern Kentucky there are numerous plumbers that provide plumbing services. Dunbar Plumbing provides 24 hour service for the Northern Kentucky area. Northern Kentucky Plumbers providing service for drain cleaning, sump pump replacements, general emergency plumbing repairs, backed up drains, leaking faucets, clogged toilets. These are some of the jobs that Northern Kentucky Plumbers take care of to provide plumbing services and correct the problems faced by homeowners when plumbing goes wrong. Northern Kentucky Plumbers provides plumbing services to the Boone, Kenton, and Campbell county areas in Northern Kentucky.
Northern Kentucky Plumbers Dunbar Plumbing is located in Northern Kentucky providing Drain Cleaning, Sump Pumps, Faucet Repairs, Faucet Replacements in the following areas in Northern Kentucky:
Edgewood Kentucky Plumbers
Fort Mitchell Plumbers
Erlanger Kentucky Plumbers
Fort Wright Plumbers
Union Kentucky Plumbers
Covington Kentucky Plumbers
Park Hills Kentucky Plumbers
Northern Kentucky Plumbers
Florence Kentucky Plumbers
Independence Kentucky Plumbers
Ryland Heights Plumbers
Taylor Mill Plumbers
Latonia Kentucky Plumbers
Hebron Kentucky Plumbers
Alexandria Kentucky Plumbers
Falmouth Kentucky Plumbers
Kenton County Plumbers
Boone County Plumbers
Campbell County Plumbers
Petersburg Kentucky Plumbers
Elsmere Kentucky Plumbers
Newport Kentucky Plumbers
Verona Kentucky Plumbers
Highland Heights Kentucky Plumbers
Walton Kentucky Plumbers
Morningview Kentucky Plumbers
Ludlow Kentucky Plumbers
Crescent Springs Kentucky Plumbers
Bromley Crescent Springs Kentucky Plumbers
There are many Northern Kentucky Plumbers and Dunbar Plumbing offers 24 hour service for the entire Northern Kentucky area.
http://DunbarPlumbing.com
859-359-4833
Northern Kentucky Plumbers Dunbar Plumbing is located in Northern Kentucky providing Drain Cleaning, Sump Pumps, Faucet Repairs, Faucet Replacements in the following areas in Northern Kentucky:
Edgewood Kentucky Plumbers
Fort Mitchell Plumbers
Erlanger Kentucky Plumbers
Fort Wright Plumbers
Union Kentucky Plumbers
Covington Kentucky Plumbers
Park Hills Kentucky Plumbers
Northern Kentucky Plumbers
Florence Kentucky Plumbers
Independence Kentucky Plumbers
Ryland Heights Plumbers
Taylor Mill Plumbers
Latonia Kentucky Plumbers
Hebron Kentucky Plumbers
Alexandria Kentucky Plumbers
Falmouth Kentucky Plumbers
Kenton County Plumbers
Boone County Plumbers
Campbell County Plumbers
Petersburg Kentucky Plumbers
Elsmere Kentucky Plumbers
Newport Kentucky Plumbers
Verona Kentucky Plumbers
Highland Heights Kentucky Plumbers
Walton Kentucky Plumbers
Morningview Kentucky Plumbers
Ludlow Kentucky Plumbers
Crescent Springs Kentucky Plumbers
Bromley Crescent Springs Kentucky Plumbers
There are many Northern Kentucky Plumbers and Dunbar Plumbing offers 24 hour service for the entire Northern Kentucky area.
http://DunbarPlumbing.com
859-359-4833
6
Valves and Fixtures / Malfunctioning Toilet - West Crittenden Avenue Fort Wright Kentucky
« on: April 05, 2011, 11:35:51 PM »
A repeat customer of Dunbar Plumbing contacted us in regards to a malfunctioning toilet that was not flushing properly at the property. Over the phone, the customer told us the toilet was over 50 years old and that the brand name was Crane. Crane is a well known brand name in the plumbing business, a product name that offers tub faucets, kitchen faucets and lavatory faucets. This home, located in Fort Wright Kentucky is near the Fort Wright Civic Club, the Fort Wright Fire Department. Highland Avenue runs perpendicular to west Crittenden Avenue.
When we arrived at the property, the fill valve (Fluidmaster 400A) was not properly refilling the tank, the overflow fill tube was not properly sending water into the overflow to replenish water back into the trapway for the next flush, and the triple seal float ball was leaking due to age, allowing water to escape between flushes. The first steps we took was draining the tank of water by shutting off the supply valve leading to the toilet. In flushing the toilet we removed the majority of the water and placed a small bucket where the flexible stainless steel supply line connects to the shank of the fill valve. Once we removed the fill valve supply line, we noticed the fill valve was relatively loose in the tank, surprising that it never leaked during this time.
Once we removed the fill valve, the remainder of the water escaped through the hole in the tank and prepared the new fill valve that was going in. Dunbar Plumbing prefers to use Fluidmaster products, and the Fluidmaster 400A is our first choice for brand name fill valves for toilets. The Fluidmaster has proven to be the best one on the market, most universal to nearly 100's of toilets with the adjustable height design and float cup that is adjustable to set water levels inside the tank. When the fill valve was installed, a new stainless steel flexible toilet supply line was installed feeding the water to the fill valve. Flexible stainless steel supply lines offer a great universal flexibility to connect two fixed positions together through method of flexibility of the supply line. Given the length of the supply line dictates how easily the connection is without any hard bending or kinking.
The float ball design on older toilets were a common design, utilizing lift wires that connect to the flush valve assembly and trip lever. We installed a new triple seal float ball to correct the chronic leaking between flushes. When flush valve float balls go bad, the water inside the tank will slowly leak into the bowl of the toilet, causing the fill valve to replenish the water back inside the tank. This proves costly over time and will continue to get worse as time moves on. Chlorine over time has a tendency to destroy rubber components inside of tanks over time, which requires the replacement of these products.
Once everything was replaced inside the toilet, the water was turned back on and the toilet was tested for operation, making sure that any adjustments that needed to be made were performed before we left the property. We have done numerous jobs for this particular customer stretching over 3 different properties. Glad to be of service to this customer and look forward to servicing this customer in the future.
Contact Dunbar Plumbing to schedule your next plumbing service call at 859-359-4833
When we arrived at the property, the fill valve (Fluidmaster 400A) was not properly refilling the tank, the overflow fill tube was not properly sending water into the overflow to replenish water back into the trapway for the next flush, and the triple seal float ball was leaking due to age, allowing water to escape between flushes. The first steps we took was draining the tank of water by shutting off the supply valve leading to the toilet. In flushing the toilet we removed the majority of the water and placed a small bucket where the flexible stainless steel supply line connects to the shank of the fill valve. Once we removed the fill valve supply line, we noticed the fill valve was relatively loose in the tank, surprising that it never leaked during this time.
Once we removed the fill valve, the remainder of the water escaped through the hole in the tank and prepared the new fill valve that was going in. Dunbar Plumbing prefers to use Fluidmaster products, and the Fluidmaster 400A is our first choice for brand name fill valves for toilets. The Fluidmaster has proven to be the best one on the market, most universal to nearly 100's of toilets with the adjustable height design and float cup that is adjustable to set water levels inside the tank. When the fill valve was installed, a new stainless steel flexible toilet supply line was installed feeding the water to the fill valve. Flexible stainless steel supply lines offer a great universal flexibility to connect two fixed positions together through method of flexibility of the supply line. Given the length of the supply line dictates how easily the connection is without any hard bending or kinking.
The float ball design on older toilets were a common design, utilizing lift wires that connect to the flush valve assembly and trip lever. We installed a new triple seal float ball to correct the chronic leaking between flushes. When flush valve float balls go bad, the water inside the tank will slowly leak into the bowl of the toilet, causing the fill valve to replenish the water back inside the tank. This proves costly over time and will continue to get worse as time moves on. Chlorine over time has a tendency to destroy rubber components inside of tanks over time, which requires the replacement of these products.
Once everything was replaced inside the toilet, the water was turned back on and the toilet was tested for operation, making sure that any adjustments that needed to be made were performed before we left the property. We have done numerous jobs for this particular customer stretching over 3 different properties. Glad to be of service to this customer and look forward to servicing this customer in the future.
Contact Dunbar Plumbing to schedule your next plumbing service call at 859-359-4833
7
Northern Kentucky - Greater Cincinnati News and Events / Independence Kentucky Fireworks Celebration Parade
« on: April 05, 2011, 12:15:58 AM »
Every year the city of Independence Kentucky has their annual parade that stretches through Independence Kentucky, starting at Summit View Middle School and carries all the way past the Independence Post office, Independence Court House, Independence City Building and the Independence Fire House.
Here is a short video of some footage from the 2010 Fireworks Celebration in Independence Kentucky.
Visit the Independence Kentucky Fireworks Celebration website for more information.
IndependenceKyCelebration.com Independence Fireworks Forum
Here is a short video of some footage from the 2010 Fireworks Celebration in Independence Kentucky.
Visit the Independence Kentucky Fireworks Celebration website for more information.
IndependenceKyCelebration.com Independence Fireworks Forum
8
Northern Kentucky - Greater Cincinnati News and Events / KoldBreeze.com - Northern Kentucky - Greater Cincinnati Misting Fans
« on: April 05, 2011, 12:03:13 AM »KoldBreeze.com is located in the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati area that provides misting/misting fans/misting fan equipment for the entire tristate area. KoldBreeze.com Forum also provides an area for many to see the products up close and see what events we have done over the past few years.
KoldBreeze.com 859-462-MIST(6478)
9
Drains and Drainage / Clogged Toilet Drain - Vista View Drive Covington Kentucky
« on: April 04, 2011, 01:39:06 AM »
A customer of Dunbar Plumbing from over 6 years ago referred us to a daughter of the mother we worked for in Taylor Mill for an emergency drain backup that occurred on Vista View Drive in Covington Kentucky. Vista View Drive is located in the Crystal Lake Subdivision off of Hand Pike, a road that indirectly connects SR17 Madison Pike/3L highway to SR16 Taylor Mill road. Crystal Lake Subdivision is a suburban housing area where the homes range from less than 2 years old up to almost 30 years old in some of the oldest parts of the subdivision.
The home we performed the drain cleaning at was an older home on Vista View Drive, nearing the 20 to 30 year old range. This is easily identified by the use of cast iron drain piping in the groundwork of this home. The customer had already removed the toilet from the floor when they callled, given this property was a reposession and was being fixed up/remodeled.
When water was poured into the closet flange serving this toilet, water would back up and gurgling would occur, signifying an obstruction in the line. We took our Spartan Drain Cleaning Machine, drum machine and cleared the obstruction without the retrieval of any roots. A small amount of fabric, possibly a fabric softener sheet was removed from the end of the cable.
We had the customer run extensive amounts of water through the drain system as soon as the obstruction was cleared, taking the drain cable out the full distance while moving inside the drain while water was running through the piping. Drain system was running very well once completed.
While there, we identified high water pressure that was made known to the property owners and also the condition of the aging water heater. We recommended replacement of the water heater while the home is vacant. We certainly appreciated this customer who referred us to a family member over 6 years later and we hope to repay the favor with a discount in the future. Customers were satisfied with our work and I'm sure the helpful advice will go a long ways. Contact Dunbar Plumbing for more information and schedule today for your next drain cleaning service! 859-359-4833 or visit DunbarPlumbing.com.
The home we performed the drain cleaning at was an older home on Vista View Drive, nearing the 20 to 30 year old range. This is easily identified by the use of cast iron drain piping in the groundwork of this home. The customer had already removed the toilet from the floor when they callled, given this property was a reposession and was being fixed up/remodeled.
When water was poured into the closet flange serving this toilet, water would back up and gurgling would occur, signifying an obstruction in the line. We took our Spartan Drain Cleaning Machine, drum machine and cleared the obstruction without the retrieval of any roots. A small amount of fabric, possibly a fabric softener sheet was removed from the end of the cable.
We had the customer run extensive amounts of water through the drain system as soon as the obstruction was cleared, taking the drain cable out the full distance while moving inside the drain while water was running through the piping. Drain system was running very well once completed.
While there, we identified high water pressure that was made known to the property owners and also the condition of the aging water heater. We recommended replacement of the water heater while the home is vacant. We certainly appreciated this customer who referred us to a family member over 6 years later and we hope to repay the favor with a discount in the future. Customers were satisfied with our work and I'm sure the helpful advice will go a long ways. Contact Dunbar Plumbing for more information and schedule today for your next drain cleaning service! 859-359-4833 or visit DunbarPlumbing.com.
10
Drains and Drainage / Clogged Kitchen Sink - Capital Avenue Elsmere Kentucky
« on: April 04, 2011, 01:21:43 AM »
Emergency call came in on Saturday April 2nd regarding a clogged kitchen sink drain that involved the garbage disposal not working and both sinks not draining. The customer told us that she found us on Yelp.com and that she had read some positive reviews on Yelp and gave us a call. When we arrived, both sides of the sink were clogged and the garbage disposal was jammed. The very first thing we did was use an allen key and unjam the disposal.
We knew at the time of unclogging the disposal that there was some type of foreign object inside the chamber from the way the disposal would suddenly stop in the turning motion. Given the kitchen sink drain was still clogged, our priority was getting the kitchen sink unclogged and free flowing. Capital Avenue is located off of Stevenson road, off Kimberly Drive as well to reach the location of this street. Elsmere Kentucky is a growing community near Erlanger Kentucky where Dixie Highway shares the traffic path for numerous cities along the way.
With the abrupt use of a toilet plunger, we took the plunger and depressed the wastewater sitting in the sink and forcefully pulled back, creating a large suction of the wastewater in the piping system. With a few vigorous attempts, this removed the clog in the piping system and got the drain free flowing.
Our first intention was to use our drain cleaning machine but even though the property owner stated the drain chemicals were removed from the drain, it was more than obvious that the drain chemicals were present beyond a reasonable doubt. One thing we mention to all of our customers who have Dunbar Plumbing perform plumbing services is that additional charges are applied when dealing with drain chemicals.
Over time, drain chemicals slowly damage the drain cables used in our profession of drain cleaning and it's better to avoid the chemical completely than to go through the risk of exposure to the cables or physical contact, meaning skin/eyes/hair of the human body.
We offered the talent of the toilet plunger for this reason only, as we believe the charges implement for our expertise should require tools in our hands far more skilled in using than a $6.00 plunger.
Knowing Hazardous chemicals were in the piping, it was a good move that proved economical to the customer and safer for us to deal with.
The foreign object was then removed from the garbage disposal once the drainage was no longer backed up into the system. Contact Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 for all of your plumbing needs and drain cleaning. Visit our website at DunbarPlumbing.com for more information.
We knew at the time of unclogging the disposal that there was some type of foreign object inside the chamber from the way the disposal would suddenly stop in the turning motion. Given the kitchen sink drain was still clogged, our priority was getting the kitchen sink unclogged and free flowing. Capital Avenue is located off of Stevenson road, off Kimberly Drive as well to reach the location of this street. Elsmere Kentucky is a growing community near Erlanger Kentucky where Dixie Highway shares the traffic path for numerous cities along the way.
With the abrupt use of a toilet plunger, we took the plunger and depressed the wastewater sitting in the sink and forcefully pulled back, creating a large suction of the wastewater in the piping system. With a few vigorous attempts, this removed the clog in the piping system and got the drain free flowing.
Our first intention was to use our drain cleaning machine but even though the property owner stated the drain chemicals were removed from the drain, it was more than obvious that the drain chemicals were present beyond a reasonable doubt. One thing we mention to all of our customers who have Dunbar Plumbing perform plumbing services is that additional charges are applied when dealing with drain chemicals.
Over time, drain chemicals slowly damage the drain cables used in our profession of drain cleaning and it's better to avoid the chemical completely than to go through the risk of exposure to the cables or physical contact, meaning skin/eyes/hair of the human body.
We offered the talent of the toilet plunger for this reason only, as we believe the charges implement for our expertise should require tools in our hands far more skilled in using than a $6.00 plunger.
Knowing Hazardous chemicals were in the piping, it was a good move that proved economical to the customer and safer for us to deal with. The foreign object was then removed from the garbage disposal once the drainage was no longer backed up into the system. Contact Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 for all of your plumbing needs and drain cleaning. Visit our website at DunbarPlumbing.com for more information.
11
National - International - Global News Around the World / Failed Attemps in Stopping Radioactive Water Entering Sea as "Limited Success"
« on: April 04, 2011, 01:02:32 AM »
Japan nuclear crisis: workers using newspaper and sawdust to block pipesJapanese workers battling to stop a radioactive water leak into the Pacific from the beleaguered nuclear power plant have resorted to using newspaper and sawdust to try and block the pipes. To read more click here. In Japan this nuclear meltdown continues to get progressively worse and worse. This all started on March 11th 2011, Today is April 4th. From the get go, those in charge have made a mockery out of the truth regarding the seriousness of this situation.
They knew if they pumped water into these buildings that have malfunctioned, there would be water displaced as a result. It does not take a brain surgeon to figure this out. What they are trying to stop now is the flow of water entering back into the sea, which will cause serious problems with the aquatic life, down to the fish that are harvested from the ocean that's a large source of food for the Japanese.
They recently tried the use of concrete but stopped this idea as fast as it started, probably due to the amount of concrete it would take to cover up this mess and how much trouble it'll be to clean it up when the time comes. An idea about putting the radioactive water on tankers, but what would they do with the radioactive water at that point?
What this all boils down to is repeated lies from the upper brass of this electric company, stating their records indicated safety measures to which we now know isn't true on all levels. The earthquake combined with the tsunami disabled the diesel generator backups which forced this nuclear powerplant into an overheating situation, causing the explosions that led to power failures. The amounts of radiation these people that have been forced to reckon with at this powerplant will most likely suffer the ultimate, which is death. Radiation sickness or cancer is the most likely result of radiation exposure. Products to protect yourself from radiation sickness found at websites such as buyiodide.com help with protecting the thyroid gland of the human body.
There will be no quick results in this situation unfortunately. Very sad for all the families of Japan that have been mislead on the seriousness of the situation there, being forced to live out this nuclear fallout that will claim lives for decades after they eventually stop the transfer of radiation exposure at this damaged plant. So often, humans are responsible for the majority the tragedies in this world.
They knew if they pumped water into these buildings that have malfunctioned, there would be water displaced as a result. It does not take a brain surgeon to figure this out. What they are trying to stop now is the flow of water entering back into the sea, which will cause serious problems with the aquatic life, down to the fish that are harvested from the ocean that's a large source of food for the Japanese.
They recently tried the use of concrete but stopped this idea as fast as it started, probably due to the amount of concrete it would take to cover up this mess and how much trouble it'll be to clean it up when the time comes. An idea about putting the radioactive water on tankers, but what would they do with the radioactive water at that point?
What this all boils down to is repeated lies from the upper brass of this electric company, stating their records indicated safety measures to which we now know isn't true on all levels. The earthquake combined with the tsunami disabled the diesel generator backups which forced this nuclear powerplant into an overheating situation, causing the explosions that led to power failures. The amounts of radiation these people that have been forced to reckon with at this powerplant will most likely suffer the ultimate, which is death. Radiation sickness or cancer is the most likely result of radiation exposure. Products to protect yourself from radiation sickness found at websites such as buyiodide.com help with protecting the thyroid gland of the human body.
There will be no quick results in this situation unfortunately. Very sad for all the families of Japan that have been mislead on the seriousness of the situation there, being forced to live out this nuclear fallout that will claim lives for decades after they eventually stop the transfer of radiation exposure at this damaged plant. So often, humans are responsible for the majority the tragedies in this world.
12
Water Pipe and Piping / Frozen/Burst Water Line on Windsor Way Florence Kentucky
« on: April 04, 2011, 12:25:02 AM »
Repeat customer of Dunbar Plumbing contacted us for a burst water line that led to an outdoor kitchen that we installed last year. The job is located on Windsor Way in Florence Kentucky, in Gunpowder Estates off Gunpowder road. We have provided a great deal plumbing services for this customer over the years to which we are very grateful for.
The water line in question was a 1/2" copper line that led to the outdoor dishwasher. We was hired to design an outdoor plumbing system that was resistant to freezing after preparations are done for winterization. The water line in question has a 1/2" by 3/8" angle stop that allows for a stainless steel braided connection to the dishwasher. Even though we opened and drain this copper water line leading to the dishwasher, having the angle stop narrowing down to 3/8" created the situation where water collected inside this pipe, allowing the cold weather to freeze and burst the pipe.
Given that Dunbar Plumbing designed this system "not" to freeze during the winter months, along with our efforts last winter to winterize this system, we returned to this residence, removed the burst water line and installed a new one (about 24" long) and installed a tee right before the angle stop, allowing for another drain that is simple to open and remove all water from the line. Along with this design we also angled the water line so gravity will remove the majority of the water from the piping when it comes time to winterize.
Even though the customer offered to pay us for our time, we took care of this repair at no charge to the customer as we will not hold a customer liable for design flaws. It was a very simple repair, less than 20 minutes of our time and it was a gesture that strengthens our ongoing relationship with this customer. We would not of felt comfortable taking any payment for our time and the system is now correct and usable for the design it was created for.
The water line in question was a 1/2" copper line that led to the outdoor dishwasher. We was hired to design an outdoor plumbing system that was resistant to freezing after preparations are done for winterization. The water line in question has a 1/2" by 3/8" angle stop that allows for a stainless steel braided connection to the dishwasher. Even though we opened and drain this copper water line leading to the dishwasher, having the angle stop narrowing down to 3/8" created the situation where water collected inside this pipe, allowing the cold weather to freeze and burst the pipe.
Given that Dunbar Plumbing designed this system "not" to freeze during the winter months, along with our efforts last winter to winterize this system, we returned to this residence, removed the burst water line and installed a new one (about 24" long) and installed a tee right before the angle stop, allowing for another drain that is simple to open and remove all water from the line. Along with this design we also angled the water line so gravity will remove the majority of the water from the piping when it comes time to winterize.
Even though the customer offered to pay us for our time, we took care of this repair at no charge to the customer as we will not hold a customer liable for design flaws. It was a very simple repair, less than 20 minutes of our time and it was a gesture that strengthens our ongoing relationship with this customer. We would not of felt comfortable taking any payment for our time and the system is now correct and usable for the design it was created for.
13
Valves and Fixtures / Garbage Disposal Replacement - Knob Hill Court in Fort Wright Kentucky
« on: March 23, 2011, 09:33:26 PM »
This was for a repeat customer of Dunbar Plumbing. Knob Hill Court is off of Mt. Vernon Drive in Fort Wright.Corner sink, customer had one of those older delta faucets where the on/off control is one hole, the center hole is for the swinging spout and the right hole is the sprayer.
Customer had a new one to go into the sink, identical to the old one coming out.
The opening into this corner sink was that of a lazy susan design, where the door is actually 90 degree angle that swings of a set of hinges as one piece, nothing accordian.
Roughly 18" I had to gain entry into this deep corner to disconnect the faucet and reinstall the new one, along with installing a new insinkerator evolution series garbage disposal.
Had to be creative on the replacement of the faucet replacement because you literally could not make the flexible hose connections to the valve under the sink, unless you was 16 year old 80 pound kid.
Once I removed the holding nut, I pulled the valve up out of the sink to remove the two flex lines (one to sprayer, one to center spout) and went about installing the new one. The difficulty was these two connections along with 2 3/8" copper tubes coming out of the valve, retaining nut having to go over top all of it along with the spacer. This is where I think Danze/Pegasus could of taught a lesson to Delta, using the open hole design in the holding nut along with the 2/3 screw tighten down design, as this holding nut I needed to tighten down wasn't even close to an 1/8th of an inch. One arm, long arm into the opening and just barely seeing the locking channels grabbing two straight edges of the nut. I truly believe a basin wrench would not of worked in this application whatsoever.
Once the faucet was secure, I installed two 1/2" by 3/8" 1/4 turn valves along with 3/8" flexible stainless steel supplies that are made to reconnect to copper tubes. The existing faucet did not have isolation valves so the customer was pleased with this new design, along with the stainless steel supply lines.
Got the faucet in, leaks at the camber. I tightened the clip, nothing. Has a plastic pivot ball and I told him to get a stainless steel one with a new camber washer because it's possibly because of the age of the faucet that might be the reason for why it is leaking. He had the faucet for over 3 years, had dust on it as it might of been a 20 year old faucet from back in the day when it was made. How he found an exact match was amazing. It was old; soft copper tubes were very rigid and had to be careful bending them so they wouldn't kink up/collapse.
He's going to fix the leak as he doesn't want to pay me to fix the new faucet.
Old garbage disposal was removed before the full work was done to the faucet. Garbage disposal flange had been leaking for almost a decade due to plumber's putty not holding up. Vibration could of played a role as well. It was a waste king... garbage. Customer opted for a new Evolution series Insinkerator garbage disposal this fellow could not believe how quiet this disposal was.
I usually install the "compact" series, the cheapest of the 3 in the Evolution Series but they didn't have this particular model, sold him the step up that was in stock for the same price as the compact series.
Made this customer's day and I don't blame him. I had to even take my fingers, open up the rubber baffle that sits in the mouth of the mounting flange to see if the innards were turning because I thought maybe it was jammed. It wasn't, and I told him that he'd have to remember to turn it off, as some people have forgotten that it is even on.
Took a considerable amount of time to do this job, 3.5 hours and I'm so glad I didn't schedule a call thereafter; the difficulty of this job was done mostly by one hand inside the cabinet because it was too narrow to get the whole body inside, moving the hands around. I need motrin.
After I wrote up the bill, this fellow and I had been discussing internet travels and he asked me to check out his website, see what is wrong. Well, having 4 toolbars at the top of your web page would be a good start to remove/get rid of the junk. I viewed his website, right clicked and viewed source that revealed his internet guy never did a lot of things right.
He was pleased with the results of what I found so he could get him to fix it, and gave him some great ideas to make his website work more proactively so he can make money. He had 1700 indexed pages so that was a good start!
Always a pleasure to work for repeat customers. I replaced a water heater and a water softener in 2008, turned out great.
Customer had a new one to go into the sink, identical to the old one coming out.
The opening into this corner sink was that of a lazy susan design, where the door is actually 90 degree angle that swings of a set of hinges as one piece, nothing accordian.
Roughly 18" I had to gain entry into this deep corner to disconnect the faucet and reinstall the new one, along with installing a new insinkerator evolution series garbage disposal.
Had to be creative on the replacement of the faucet replacement because you literally could not make the flexible hose connections to the valve under the sink, unless you was 16 year old 80 pound kid.
Once I removed the holding nut, I pulled the valve up out of the sink to remove the two flex lines (one to sprayer, one to center spout) and went about installing the new one. The difficulty was these two connections along with 2 3/8" copper tubes coming out of the valve, retaining nut having to go over top all of it along with the spacer. This is where I think Danze/Pegasus could of taught a lesson to Delta, using the open hole design in the holding nut along with the 2/3 screw tighten down design, as this holding nut I needed to tighten down wasn't even close to an 1/8th of an inch. One arm, long arm into the opening and just barely seeing the locking channels grabbing two straight edges of the nut. I truly believe a basin wrench would not of worked in this application whatsoever.
Once the faucet was secure, I installed two 1/2" by 3/8" 1/4 turn valves along with 3/8" flexible stainless steel supplies that are made to reconnect to copper tubes. The existing faucet did not have isolation valves so the customer was pleased with this new design, along with the stainless steel supply lines.
Got the faucet in, leaks at the camber. I tightened the clip, nothing. Has a plastic pivot ball and I told him to get a stainless steel one with a new camber washer because it's possibly because of the age of the faucet that might be the reason for why it is leaking. He had the faucet for over 3 years, had dust on it as it might of been a 20 year old faucet from back in the day when it was made. How he found an exact match was amazing. It was old; soft copper tubes were very rigid and had to be careful bending them so they wouldn't kink up/collapse.
He's going to fix the leak as he doesn't want to pay me to fix the new faucet.
Old garbage disposal was removed before the full work was done to the faucet. Garbage disposal flange had been leaking for almost a decade due to plumber's putty not holding up. Vibration could of played a role as well. It was a waste king... garbage. Customer opted for a new Evolution series Insinkerator garbage disposal this fellow could not believe how quiet this disposal was.
I usually install the "compact" series, the cheapest of the 3 in the Evolution Series but they didn't have this particular model, sold him the step up that was in stock for the same price as the compact series.
Made this customer's day and I don't blame him. I had to even take my fingers, open up the rubber baffle that sits in the mouth of the mounting flange to see if the innards were turning because I thought maybe it was jammed. It wasn't, and I told him that he'd have to remember to turn it off, as some people have forgotten that it is even on.
Took a considerable amount of time to do this job, 3.5 hours and I'm so glad I didn't schedule a call thereafter; the difficulty of this job was done mostly by one hand inside the cabinet because it was too narrow to get the whole body inside, moving the hands around. I need motrin.
After I wrote up the bill, this fellow and I had been discussing internet travels and he asked me to check out his website, see what is wrong. Well, having 4 toolbars at the top of your web page would be a good start to remove/get rid of the junk. I viewed his website, right clicked and viewed source that revealed his internet guy never did a lot of things right.
He was pleased with the results of what I found so he could get him to fix it, and gave him some great ideas to make his website work more proactively so he can make money. He had 1700 indexed pages so that was a good start!
Always a pleasure to work for repeat customers. I replaced a water heater and a water softener in 2008, turned out great.
14
Drains and Drainage / Main Line Sewage Clog - Clover Nook Drive in Burlington Kentucky
« on: March 23, 2011, 01:34:25 AM »
Dunbar Plumbing was called out to an emergency plumbing call regarding a sewage backup. Customer explained that sewage was backing up into the toilet on the ground level (basement) whenever the plumbing was used on the first floor level of the home. This was a quad level home that has numerous living areas at different elevations with steps inside the home never more than 4 to 6 steps. Customer gained our phone number by searching Google for Northern Kentucky Plumbers where we showed up at the top of the list for emergency plumbing service.
The customer went on to state that not even a week/two weeks prior that another plumbing company had been out there to clean a kitchen sink drain that was running slow. The plumber didn't have much success and used a larger cable, retrieved a disposable wipe that the customer thought was extremely odd given it was a kitchen sink drain. Clover Nook Drive is off of Camp Ernst road, a very heavily travelled road in Boone County Kentucky. Briargate is the street that turns off of Camp Ernst road that leads to this street.
Customer was glad to see us arrive no later than 45 minutes from the time we called. The toilet had already been removed from the closet flange on the ground level where the backup was occurring. Customer showed us the piping directly behind the bathroom so we could directly diagnose exactly where the clog is, and that we wanted the closest proximity to the clog as possible. We set the machine up and within the first 20 feet we ran into a hard obstruction inside the 3" drain piping.
When we removed the cable back out of the drain, the last foot of the cable was wrapped with numerous disposable wipes that most likely was responsible for the clog in the drain line. Customer went on to say that the prior family member that lived at the property always put these disposable wipes into the drain, and there was a good chance that possibly hundreds of them could be inside the drain line. In knowing this, we instructed the customer that when the drain was open and free flowing that heavy amounts of water should be ran down the pipe while the cable is in the drain to get the majority of those wipes out of the drain. We always state to our customers that toilet paper and urine, fecal matter is the only items to go down a toilet. The rest belongs in the garbage, always.
Once it is after the fact, there's not much you can actually do since the buildup continues inside the piping where accumulation of these wipes will slow down the flow of the drain system and create a clog in the drain. In total we made three passes with our cable which was 80 feet in total, making sure the drain was completely open and free of the disposable wipes. As part of the service, we told the customer that we would reset the toilet back down on the closet flange and hook it back up, test it to make sure the system was working the entire time. Also encouraged the property owner to flush the toilet repeatedly after the drain cleaning work was done, running sinks, filling up the laundry tub and operating the washing machine to create the heaviest amount of water flow into the drain system to move any remaining disposable wipes from the drain. Call Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 or visit DunbarPlumbing.com for your plumbing needs.
The customer went on to state that not even a week/two weeks prior that another plumbing company had been out there to clean a kitchen sink drain that was running slow. The plumber didn't have much success and used a larger cable, retrieved a disposable wipe that the customer thought was extremely odd given it was a kitchen sink drain. Clover Nook Drive is off of Camp Ernst road, a very heavily travelled road in Boone County Kentucky. Briargate is the street that turns off of Camp Ernst road that leads to this street.
Customer was glad to see us arrive no later than 45 minutes from the time we called. The toilet had already been removed from the closet flange on the ground level where the backup was occurring. Customer showed us the piping directly behind the bathroom so we could directly diagnose exactly where the clog is, and that we wanted the closest proximity to the clog as possible. We set the machine up and within the first 20 feet we ran into a hard obstruction inside the 3" drain piping.
When we removed the cable back out of the drain, the last foot of the cable was wrapped with numerous disposable wipes that most likely was responsible for the clog in the drain line. Customer went on to say that the prior family member that lived at the property always put these disposable wipes into the drain, and there was a good chance that possibly hundreds of them could be inside the drain line. In knowing this, we instructed the customer that when the drain was open and free flowing that heavy amounts of water should be ran down the pipe while the cable is in the drain to get the majority of those wipes out of the drain. We always state to our customers that toilet paper and urine, fecal matter is the only items to go down a toilet. The rest belongs in the garbage, always.
Once it is after the fact, there's not much you can actually do since the buildup continues inside the piping where accumulation of these wipes will slow down the flow of the drain system and create a clog in the drain. In total we made three passes with our cable which was 80 feet in total, making sure the drain was completely open and free of the disposable wipes. As part of the service, we told the customer that we would reset the toilet back down on the closet flange and hook it back up, test it to make sure the system was working the entire time. Also encouraged the property owner to flush the toilet repeatedly after the drain cleaning work was done, running sinks, filling up the laundry tub and operating the washing machine to create the heaviest amount of water flow into the drain system to move any remaining disposable wipes from the drain. Call Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 or visit DunbarPlumbing.com for your plumbing needs.
15
Faucets / Kitchen Faucet Replacement - Ashgrove Court Independence Kentucky
« on: March 23, 2011, 01:09:26 AM »
Customer contacted us in regards to a kitchen faucet replacement along with an outdoor faucet that was leaking on the back side of the house. The job location was Ashgrove court in Independence Kentucky, back in the Villages of Beechgrove. Beechgrove is a part of Independence, one of the first few "large" subdivisions that was created in the late 1970s.
The age of this home is stamped by the fact that the drain piping in the home is cast iron for the ground work, the upper drain waste and vent piping is PVC. Subdivisions such as the one we visited today are subdivisions where you can expect to see modifications to the plumbing systems, along with some products that have served almost 3 decades with sufficient/good reliability.
When we arrived to the property, customer stated there was two faucets leaking which concerned us that possibly high water pressure may be playing a role. Before the water was shut off to make the necessary repairs, we test the water pressure at the rear outside hose faucet which revealed 60+ pounds pressure without a pressure reducing valve present on the main line. We could see the entire water service coming out of the floor without any indication that there was a pressure reducing valve anywhere. No thermal expansion tank was present at or near the water heater as well.
Once the water was shut off, we proceeded to repair the back outside faucet. Removal of the stem for the faucet revealed the black rubber washer was old and hardened along with a crack in the mating surface where the seat washer comes in contact with the seat. We replaced the seat washer and reassembled, fixed the problem.
Next, the kitchen sink faucet replacement.
Once we looked under the sink into the cabinet, we realized it was going to be a difficult task to replace the kitchen sink faucet. The faucet itself was loose on the deck, and the nuts were froze into position. Along with that revelation, the way the flexible supply lines connected to the copper water lines was a serious conglomeration of transition fittings that needed to be removed from the equation to simplify the replacement.
The first thing we did was cut/remove the existing shutoff valves and install 2 new 1/2" by 3/8" shutoff valves so the faucet had new isolation valves and no numerous points in the system where it could possibly leak. Using our famous Ridgid kitchen sink faucet installing tool, we removed the existing faucet. The tool we used is designed with slots to mesh into the tab pattern of the common plastic nuts used for holding down/anchoring new faucets to sink decks. The tool works quite well and even though it does work all the time, it works the majority of the time and that's far better than before. Before, the only tool out there for that application of moving the holding nuts was a basin wrench which was notorious for ripping the ears off of the nuts. Once that happens, removal is very difficult and involves the difficult task of breaking/splitting the nut.
Once the faucet was removed, we installed a customer supplied Delta two handled kitchen sink faucet with sprayer. This was a long necked spout, chrome finish. Very nice and elegant and the customer really enjoyed the looks of the faucet. Underneath the sink we installed new stainless steel faucet supply lines connected to the new shutoff valves for the hot and cold.
As always, Dunbar Plumbing follows the traditional design of using silicone grease to cover the holes of where the allen screw holes are for the handles, along with the fine threads of the aereator. We make a point to show this to our customers while this is being done, something that proves that no matter who works on that faucet in the future, the correct steps have been taken to allow for removal of the handles without fighting to get the allen screws out.
Customer was very pleased with the finished results and we are very glad to service this new customer. Call Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 or visit DunbarPlumbing.com for your plumbing needs.
The age of this home is stamped by the fact that the drain piping in the home is cast iron for the ground work, the upper drain waste and vent piping is PVC. Subdivisions such as the one we visited today are subdivisions where you can expect to see modifications to the plumbing systems, along with some products that have served almost 3 decades with sufficient/good reliability.
When we arrived to the property, customer stated there was two faucets leaking which concerned us that possibly high water pressure may be playing a role. Before the water was shut off to make the necessary repairs, we test the water pressure at the rear outside hose faucet which revealed 60+ pounds pressure without a pressure reducing valve present on the main line. We could see the entire water service coming out of the floor without any indication that there was a pressure reducing valve anywhere. No thermal expansion tank was present at or near the water heater as well.
Once the water was shut off, we proceeded to repair the back outside faucet. Removal of the stem for the faucet revealed the black rubber washer was old and hardened along with a crack in the mating surface where the seat washer comes in contact with the seat. We replaced the seat washer and reassembled, fixed the problem.
Next, the kitchen sink faucet replacement.
Once we looked under the sink into the cabinet, we realized it was going to be a difficult task to replace the kitchen sink faucet. The faucet itself was loose on the deck, and the nuts were froze into position. Along with that revelation, the way the flexible supply lines connected to the copper water lines was a serious conglomeration of transition fittings that needed to be removed from the equation to simplify the replacement.
The first thing we did was cut/remove the existing shutoff valves and install 2 new 1/2" by 3/8" shutoff valves so the faucet had new isolation valves and no numerous points in the system where it could possibly leak. Using our famous Ridgid kitchen sink faucet installing tool, we removed the existing faucet. The tool we used is designed with slots to mesh into the tab pattern of the common plastic nuts used for holding down/anchoring new faucets to sink decks. The tool works quite well and even though it does work all the time, it works the majority of the time and that's far better than before. Before, the only tool out there for that application of moving the holding nuts was a basin wrench which was notorious for ripping the ears off of the nuts. Once that happens, removal is very difficult and involves the difficult task of breaking/splitting the nut.
Once the faucet was removed, we installed a customer supplied Delta two handled kitchen sink faucet with sprayer. This was a long necked spout, chrome finish. Very nice and elegant and the customer really enjoyed the looks of the faucet. Underneath the sink we installed new stainless steel faucet supply lines connected to the new shutoff valves for the hot and cold.
As always, Dunbar Plumbing follows the traditional design of using silicone grease to cover the holes of where the allen screw holes are for the handles, along with the fine threads of the aereator. We make a point to show this to our customers while this is being done, something that proves that no matter who works on that faucet in the future, the correct steps have been taken to allow for removal of the handles without fighting to get the allen screws out.
Customer was very pleased with the finished results and we are very glad to service this new customer. Call Dunbar Plumbing at 859-359-4833 or visit DunbarPlumbing.com for your plumbing needs.
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