Our water bills have been raised to a minimum of $102.00 per month.  The typical home with a family of four and a yard is experiencing at least $150.00 per month for water.

There is also talk going on that the rates could be raised even higher.  So I’m trying to figure out what to do about it.  I understand my rates will never be lower than $102.00 per month, but how do I keep the bill from going to much higher.

I started by converting three of the five toilets to dual-flush.  This is working really well.  It took a couple of weeks to finally train our family to use the appropriate button.

Next, I inserted water restriction washers by removing my shower heads and simply inserting the washer.  It took all but five minutes.  The shower still produces quite a lot ofwater.  This is a better solution than forcing the family to get wet, turn off the water, soap up and then turn the water back on for a rinse.That did not go over so well with my wife!

The other thing that I have been doing is to install a drip irrigation system in my side yard flower beds and bushes.  I installed ½ gallon per hour drips for all the flowers and when needed “micro-sprayers”.  Some of the newly planted trees were installed with “adjustable flow” drip heads.  These can be adjusted from ¼ of a gallon per hour up to 10 gallons per hour.  Most trees require 20 gallons per week.

I created a new program on my sprinkler control box for the drip so that it goes on twice per week for 3 hours.  The plants seem to be doing better than ever.  They are getting water directly where it’s needed and the slow dripping of water penetrates to the roots with no “run-off”.

I will let you know how these changes are affecting my water usage next month.

Oh and remember to call your Roto-Rooter plumber to help you convert those toilets to dual-flush.  For appointments, go to www.1800GetRoto.com or call us at the same number.

Dan Wager

It’s officially springtime, one of my favorite times of the year.  So what can we do to prevent serious plumbing/draining issues?  I thought you would ask this question, so here you go:

Outside

• Check for bird nests in plumbing vent pipes. Some people secure a wire meshover the top of all vent pipes.  If these vent pipes are blocked, you will know it!  You will start to experience sewer gas odors in the home.
• Check faucets and hose bibs to make sure water flows freely. If an outdoor faucet drips or if there is leakage inside your home the first time the hose is turned on, you may have had a frozen pipe/valve that cracked and needs to be replaced.

I experienced the above this spring, even though I installed one of those insulated faucet covers.  I turned on the faucet and OMG, water was coming through my home’s siding. 

Inside

• This would be a good time to drain & flush your hot water heater which will help loosen out any sediment buildup at the bottom of the tank.
• Shut off the heating element for your water tank. If you have an electric heater, turn off the breaker at the main panel.  If it’s a gas heater, turn the thermostat to the pilot setting.
• Turn off the cold water supply to your tank. You probably have a shut-off right at the tank (on a copper pipe running into the top of the tank).
• Attach a garden hose to the bottom drain valve on your water tank and run the hose to a drain.
• Turn on a hot water faucet in your home (this will make sure a vacuum doesn’t form in the lines).
• Return to the tank and open the drain valve near the bottom of the tank. (The valve on the side of the tank, near the top, is a pressure relief valve. Leave it alone.)
• Check the color of the water coming out of the tank. At first it will likely be rusty or dark, but after a few gallons have drained, it should become clear.
• Close the drain valve on the tank when the water runs clear, then turn off the hot water tap in your home.
• Turn the cold water supply back on and allow the tank to fill.
• Turn the power or the gas supply back on once the tank has filled with water.

If you have any comments, please feel free to post them on the blog!  Have a great Spring Season!!!

Dan Wager

Almost every toilet in America uses at least 1.6 gallons of water per flush and as many as 25-30% of all toilets use 3 or more gallons of water per flush.

Talk about a waste of water! Also, 75% of all flushes are for liquid or, as we call it, Number 1 waste. So with this in mind, let me introduce you to the much talked about “dual flush” systems.

Simply put, by converting, or replacing your toilet with a dual flush system, you can save more than 15,000 gallons of water each year, per toilet. The concept is a basic one, for Number 1, press Number 1 on the toilet button. For bigger jobs, press Number 2…..voila, the right water volume for each occasion.

This paragraph is very important, so read it carefully. If your toilet is 1.6 gpf (gallons per flush), than you can simply replace the internal parts by using a dual-flush conversion kit. If your toilet requires 3 gpf or higher, you will likely need to replace your toilet with a new toilet that incorporates dual flush technology.

Now “why?”, you ask, “should I buy a new toilet if I have a toilet that uses 3 gallons or more per flush?” Well, that’s a good intelligent question! You see, toilets that require 3 gallons or more per flush have been specifically designed to require that much water to get around all those bends and curves leading to the sewer line.

On the other hand, 1.6 gpf toilets have fewer curves and, therefore, are more efficient. If you just convert your 3 gpf or larger toilet to a dual flush, you will experience lots of clogs…not a good thing!

With dual flush technology, your toilet will operate with half the water for all liquid flushes (Number 1) and will use the entire 1.6 gpf for solids.

I have included a clip from HydroJet, showing how the technology works. After you have viewed it and decide that it would be better for your Roto-Rooter plumber to convert your toilets, simply call 1800GetRoto, or book an appointment online at www.1800GetRoto.com.

Happy Flushes!
Dan Wager

1. The chain that connects to the flush lever is too tight. When the flap is in the close position, the chain should have some “slack” in it. If not, adjust the chain link a couple of notches.
2. The rubber valve flap is old and therefore the rubber has cracked or simply worn. If this is the case, purchase a valve flap replacement. Replacement is very simple, just turn off the water to your toilet, flush to empty the tank as much as possible. Wrap a piece of tape around the link that the hook is connected to and then disconnect the chain and snap off the old flapper. Take the new flapper and snap it on and reinstall the chain. Turn on the water valve and see if that stops your leak.
3. Mineral buildup around the flapper valve. If you typically drop in your tank one of those chemical tablets, you will sometimes find a bunch of dissolved sediment building up around the tank valve. If this is the case, turn off the water to your toilet, scrap around the bottom of the tank and valve with a putty knife orspatula. Once all the partially dissolved material has been scraped/dislodged, turn on the water and flush the toilet 3-4 times. While flushing, continuously check the bottom of the tank to see if the flush valve is clean.
4. A crack toilet tank around the valve could be another reason for leaking water. To check this, empty the water tank and visually inspect very carefully for fine line cracks around the valve. If there is a crack, you will need to replace your toilet.

If you have any questions or in need of a plumbing expert, give us a call at 1-800-GET-ROTO.

Did you know the number one culprit of wasted water in your home is hiding in the bathroom? It’s the leaky toilet! Can you believe that?  Not long showers. Not washing machines. But a leaking toilet. 

Up to 20% of all homes have toilets that are leaking to one degree or another.  In most cases, you can’t even detect a subtle toilet leak!

The average leaky toilet wastes about three gallons every four hours. Multiply this by six and Voila! Eighteen gallons of water go down the drain every day. That is about 6,700 gallons per year wasted. Many leaks can waste as much as three gallons per hour!

How do I know if my toilet is leaking?

So, your big question is, “How can I detect if my toilet is taking a leak?” The answer is simple, so let’s flush this out!

There are two basic methods you can use to check for a leaky toilet.

1. Food coloring method
• Take off the tank cover and put it in a safe place. Don’t drop it, or it will crack.
• Next, find some food coloring, preferably red, and put at least 12 drops in the toilet tank. Then wait about 30 minutes.
• Slowly lift the toilet seat and stand back!  Not really, but just lift the lid and check to see if the toilet bowl has a red tint in the water. If so, you have got a leak.
2. Pencil line method (accurate but requires some basic bathroom plumbing skills)
• Remove the tank cover and mark, with a pencil, a line right above the water.
• Then, kneel down next to the “john” and take a peek behind it, typically on the left hand side, to identify the water valve. You will also find a water supply line going up to the bottom of the tank.
• Turn the water valve knob “clockwise” to close the flow of the water.  Turn the knob until it stops.
• Come back to the toilet in 1 hour, lift the tank cover off and peek inside.  Has the water in the tank dropped below the pencil line? If so, you have a leak.

With the second method, it is not surprising to find an empty tank, which means you are losing three gallons of water per hour. That, my friend, adds up to 26,000 gallons per year!

Now that you know you have a problem, what can you do to stop a toilet from leaking? Check back soon for an in-depth look at how to fix a leaking toilet.

Have a more complicated issue that requires toilet repair or replacement? Give us a call at 1-800-Get-Roto.

Today, that business has grown to become one of the nation’s largest Roto-Rooter franchises. California’s population now tops 37.5 million, and the average American, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), uses 80-100 gallons of fresh water every day!

The family still has homes in California and it’s where their children and grandchildren live.  They care about the quality and the quantity of fresh water that’s available. With many of the water issues California has faced in recent years, fresh water is not something we can afford to take for granted.

That’s why at Russell Warner Roto-Rooter, we’ve started our “52 Billion Gallons Saved” campaign, part of our RotoGreen initiatives. Our goal is to help homeowners in our service area – which stretches from Los Angeles to Sacramento and over to northern Nevada and Lake Tahoe – save 52 billion gallons of in-home fresh water in the next 24 months.

Are you with us? A great place to start is with your bathroom toilet plumbing.

One of my major responsibilities around here is director of flushology. So, here are some interesting statistics:

The biggest waste of fresh water is our toilets!  Yes, can you believe it?  Everyone flushes, on average, five times per day, but here is the “poop scoop;” 75% of all our flushes is for Number One.

Well, the average toilet being used takes 1.5 to 2.0 gallons of water per flush, yet the toilet only needs half of that amount for “liquid waste”!

There are approximately 13 million people who live in our franchise area, which is, get this, 65 million flushes per day of which 48.8 million are for Number One.

So what can we do to save 52 billion gallons for the year?  Take a “nature walk”?  No, not really. But, we will announce this solution on my next blog!

Until then, we would love to hear your guesses. How do you think you can best save water with your toilet? Post your comments below! You can also “like” us on Facebook, where we’ll be sharing more information about our initiatives.

Thank you,

Dan Wager, Marketing Director

Russell Warner Roto-Rooter

We appreciate all your business and support through the years. We have been servicing our franchise areas since 1947, when my mother and father moved out west to start up the first Roto-Rooter franchise in California.

This website has been designed to be one of the most comprehensive plumbing-related websites in the U.S. and we hope that it will serve you well. The entire focus in creating www.1800GetRoto.com was to provide you with timely information and different methods to conveniently reach us when you need service or if you just have a question that you would like answered.

We invite you to come back often and join us on our blog, FaceBook & Twitter. We will be featuring timely information, sales promotions and articles involving our RotoGreen water and energy conservation programs.

And, we’d love to hear from all of you so we can continuously improve our services and product offerings. After all, during these tough economic times, it’s so important to provide excellent service and price/performance value for our customers.

Sincerely,
Linda McDonald, Alaina & Casey