HOW TO BE NICE TO YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSAL Garbage disposals are a whirring world of convenience. Here are a few tips to keep your disposal spinning happily and to keep you from going crazy. Turn the water on full force before adding scraps, do not pack the unit. Feed scraps in slowly so the unit won’t overheat or jam. Stringy items like carrot peels or spaghetti may wrap around/bind the unit. Throw them in the trash along with hard items like bones. Run cold water for 30 seconds after garbage disposal is finished grinding so the waste material is flushed into the waste pipe (and to avoid a case of “the stinky disposal”). Prevent foreign objects, such as small kitchen utensils, from falling into the disposal. Disposals have enough power to ruin silverware. Of course, never try to poke a utensil into the disposal when it’s running. HOW TO GIVE YOUR DISPOSAL A BREATH MINT Unpleasant garbage disposal odor is probably the result of decaying waste matter left in the unit. Grinding the rind of a lemon or other citrus fruit in the disposal will sweeten the smell immediately. If this doesn’t work, a more complete cleaning agent from your hardware store may be needed. Here’s a home remedy. Turn off the power to the garbage disposal by unplugging the cord below the sink. Wipe the underside of the black plastic baffle with a soapy sponge to clean away any residue. Place the stopper in the sink and fill sink half full of warm water and one cup of baking soda. Reconnect the power to the unit. Turn the disposal on and remove the stopper so the warm baking soda water flows through the unit and flushes away any material. EVEN WATER CAN HAVE BAD BREATH Water doesn’t have the good fortune of breath mints. When your water smells bad, it means there’s bacteria or minerals dissolved in the water. Get that fresh, crisp water without importing it from the Swiss Alps. If your water has an odor, give Genz-Ryan a call. We can test your water and then treat the system to solve the problem. Fresh, clean water is an option for every home. HOW TO RESUSCITATE A GARBAGE DISPOSAL By design, garbage disposals are pretty durable units, but once in a while they can have a bad day. If something seems wrong with your disposal, here are some things you can try before calling Genz-Ryan. If the disposal will not work at all: check your breaker or fuse box to be sure there is electrical power to the disposal. If the disposal stops during use: it may be jammed. Release a jam as follows. 1. Turn off the power to the unit. Turn off the water. 2. Open the cabinet under the sink so the bottom of the disposal can be seen. Using the wrenchette that came with the unit (this looks similar to a miniature crow bar), insert one end into the center hole on the bottom of the disposal. Move the wrenchette back and forth until it can be moved a full revolution. 3. Use tongs to remove any objects in the disposal. Allow the unit to cool for 5 minutes and then push the reset button. If the disposal fails to respond: it's time to call Genz-Ryan. HOW TO FIX A SLOW RUNNING OR DRIPPY FAUCET If both the hot and cold water are running slowly or dripping, the aerator is likely congested with sediment or hard water deposits. The aerator is the piece that screws onto the end of the faucet spout to introduce air into the water so it doesn't splash. On newer faucets, it also restricts the water flow to conserve water. Unscrew the aerator by hand or with a wrench being careful to not scratch the finish on the aerator. Disassemble all the parts, being especially careful to lay the parts out in the order they are removed. Clean the sediments/deposits from each part and reassemble in exact order. Note: Soaking the aerator in white vinegar overnight will help remove hard water deposits. If it still runs poorly, try going to the hardware store and buying a new aerator. If that also fails the problem is in the faucet or the plumbing piping system and it's time to call Genz-Ryan. HOW TO STOP AN OVERFLOWING TOILET If your socks are wet and you’re not standing in the shower, your toilet may be overflowing. Don’t panic. Try these few steps and you just might save the day. If they don’t work, then it’s time to call Genz-Ryan. Turn off water at valve under the toilet. The shut-off valve will be a turn or push style. If it’s a case of too much paper or other matter causing a stoppage, a plunger should do the trick. Make sure the water in the tank is completely full. Lack of water causes toilets to flush improperly and could lead to plugging. Too many attempted flushes with a plug could cause an overflow. If the toilet's not operating because the sewer is stopped up, open up the sewer clean out (located outside your home) to relieve pressure on the system. If none of these tips work, it's time to call a drain cleaning company. FIX THE FLUSH, STOP THE RUN If your toilet is continuously running, the water level may be too high. If the toilet isn’t flushing well, your water level may be too low. Either way, you need to level out the water. Here’s how. Mansfield and Sterling models. Take off the lid of the tank. On the inside of the back right hand corner there will be a water line. This is where the water level should be. If the water level is above the line, locate the ball cock to your left (a tall cylinder with a screw on the top). To raise the water level, loosen this screw. To lower the level, tighten the screw. Kohler models. The ball cock is on the left hand side. It’s gray and has a black §oat (a big round plastic piece that slides up and down on the gray cylinder). To adjust the level, pinch the wide part of the “v” on the ball cock together and raise it up for the water level to go up and lower it for the water to go down. DRAINING THE SILLCOCKS FOR WINTER Despite the way it might sound, a sillcock is not a bird, but a spigot. Before outdoor temperatures drop below freezing, water to each outside sillcock should be turned off and the pipe drained. Here's how... Turn off the valves. Locate the valve that controls water flow to each sillcock. There probably will be one for each and are often located in the mechanical room or unfinished portion of the basement. Just reach up and turn them off. Do the double drain. Go outside and open the sillcocks fully so that all water in the pipe can drain out. Return to the valves in basement — if they have a small drain port on the side of the valve, open it up. The port allows air to enter the system to facilitate drainage. The sillcocks may be left open all winter. In the spring, once the temperatures remain above freezing, remember to complete all of the steps you did in the fall in REVERSE order. BASEMENT FLOODING ISN’T ANY FUN We don’t need to go into detail, but a backed up sewer or heavy spring rains make for an awful mess in the basement. Flooding is very destructive and costly to clean up. If you’ve ever tried to remove soaking wet carpeting, you know what a pain it is. Here are some options to prevent this from happening in your home. Flood Guard. One simple and inexpensive way to prevent flooding is to install a Flood Guard. It mounts easily into the basement drain and acts as a check valve by allowing water to flow out, preventing it from backing up. The Flood Guard reacts to rising water in the same way as a float would react. As the sewer backs up, the float rises to seal off the drain until the water recedes. No mess for you. The Flood Guard float can be installed by Genz-Ryan. Sump pump. You could also install a sump pump for added protection. WHAT TO DO WITH A FROZEN PIPE Frostbite, shoveling injuries and frozen water pipes are just a few of the things that can go wrong when living in Minnesota. If you think you may have a frozen pipe, try these two steps to see what's going on. Assess the situation If you suspect a pipe is frozen, turn off the main water supply to the house. Inspect the pipes to see if they are cracked. Call Genz-Ryan immediately if there is any evidence of damaged pipes. Grab a hair dryer. (We’re serious.) If the pipes are intact, take a hair dryer and blow warm air over the frozen area. Keep the dryer at a moderate distance, so the pipes don't get hot. When the ice is melted and it doesn't look like a pipe is broken, turn on the water and be glad you're not waist deep. WHILE YOU’RE AWAY THE PIPES WILL PLAY It seems every time people go out of town, the house knows it and acts up. While you’re away, you do not want a plumbing disaster. One way to avoid a plumbing disaster while you’re away is to turn off the main water shut-off. It’s located near your water meter. With it off, no water can magically turn your basement into a swimming pool. The only drawback is that the main water supplies the humidifier and no humidity means dried out hardwood floors. The solution? Genz-Ryan can install a water supply line before your water shut-off that supplies water to the humidifier exclusively. Give us a call for an estimate. SOFT HITTING TIPS ON WATER SOFTENERS Soft water is intended to make your life a little easier and your skin a little less scaly. If it takes a whole bar of soap or bottle of shampoo to do the trick, your water softener is not doing its part. Here’s the short list. Check to see that it is plugged in. Yep, plug it in if it’s not. Check the level of softener salt in the unit. If needed, refill the unit with salt to the manufacturer’s recommended level. Following the directions that came with the water softener ensure that it is recycling at the correct interval. Some units must be reset after a power outage. Call Genz-Ryan if your water is still being hard on you. KEEP YOUR SUMP PUMP SATISFIED You're not alone if you don't even know what a sump pump is. It's a device that works in conjucntion with drainpipes to keep water away from the foundation of a house. You can largely ignore them, but once in a while it's nice to check in. Here's a checklist to do each spring – before the ground thaws. Keep the basket free of sand and stones. Make sure that the float is clean. Disconnect the outside hose when the house is prepared for winter, but be sure to reconnect as soon as the ground starts to thaw! For extra peace of mind, call Genz-Ryan to have a back-up sump pump or a high water alert installed. EVERYTHING TO KNOW ABOUT WATER FILTRATION Water filters are really good to us. They are plumbing devices that remove dirt, rust and sediment from water entering into the home. THE WHOLE HOUSE. A whole house filter is installed where the main water line enters into the home. The installation should be done by a professional. Benefits of a whole house filter are extending the life of many of your appliances, reducing the scale and hard water spots on dishes and showers. This works great with water softeners to help keep your hair and skin from become dry and flaky. FILTERING FRIENDS. For drinking water and ice cube makers, other filtration is available. A reverse osmosis system may be installed under the kitchen sink to remove any impurities in the water. Hooking up a filter to an ice cube maker will also keep the ice clear of any sediment. Filters should be changed about every six months depending on usage and water problems. NO WHIRL IN YOUR WHIRLPOOL? Generally, whirlpools work pretty well, but if your world suddenly ceases to swirl, here are a few things to try before calling Genz-Ryan. Check the breaker box to be sure the unit is receiving power. Check water depth. The water should be above the jets before they are turned on. Refer to the instruction manual for your individual unit’s requirements. Be sure that the air intake valves are open. Make sure faucets or showers aren’t running. Running hot showers or using hot water for other appliances will deplete the supply from the hot water heater, which may result in an insufficient amount of hot water to fill a large whirlpool. Note: some whirlpools have an optional heater feature or Genz-Ryan can install a water heater with more capacity. Call Genz-Ryan if it still doesn’t work. MAYBE YOUR LAWN WANTS A METER If you're a green thumb, or a brown thumb wanting to be a green thumb, you know the importance of watering lawns and plants. To save on the sewer portion of your water, have Genz-Ryan install a second water meter just for lawn sprinklers. It’ll improve the green on your lawn as well as the green in your wallet. Now what’s better than that?