Dual Shut Off

Posted on April 19, 2012 by AztecPlumbing

Plumbing Tip

When it comes to your plumbing it’s always a good idea to make sure you shut the water off to your home when leaving for any extended period of time. In fact, a lot of homeowners who leave for the season prefer to lock the valve that shuts the water off to the house so no one can accidentally turn it on.

Unfortunately, that makes it impossible for the pool company to fill the pool during our dry season. One way to overcome that is to install a hose connection underneath the main valve. That allows the pool company to fill the pool whenever necessary and protects your home from damage that can result when the main valve is left on and you’re not home.

Posted in Plumbing | Tagged Fort Myers Plumbing, plumbing tips | Leave a comment

Thanks for Capturing the Snake – a Unique Testimonial

Posted on March 8, 2012 by AztecPlumbing

A Testimonial Like No Other

Hello,

I would just like to thank you and tell you what a good job Jim Lyle
did for us today. We called in with a slow and often clogged drain.
Jim explained that he could clean the drain and then look into the
drain with a camera to make sure we removed all of the clog. I wasn’t
sure that performing a colonoscopy on the house was worth the extra
money but I seriously wanted the clogs to stop happening so I said,
“ok”.

As we watched the camera move up the pipe I was stunned when Jim
exclaimed “That’s a cable…”. It was covered with years of grease
and not really recognizable to me. But sure enough there was a
plumber’s snake stuck in the junction of two pipes. The cable proved
difficult to remove since it was stuck in a bend in the pipe. After a
couple of tries to remove it from the front of the house Jim had to
get on the roof and pull it out thru the stack above the kitchen. It
has probably been stuck in the pipe since before we bought the house
10 years ago.

I know you probably only hear from customers when things don’t go so
well…so I just wanted to say JOB WELL DONE JIM!

Thanks again.

Ruth B.

PS- He did make me buy a jug of BioOne (good salesman).

Posted in Home Maintenance, Plumbing | Tagged Cape Coral Plumbing, funny story, Plumbing Problems | Leave a comment

Welcome Back Seasonal Residents!

Posted on October 16, 2011 by AztecPlumbing

Plumbing Tips

Welcome back to your winter haven! What should you do on arrival to make sure all your plumbing is in order? Well we have compiled a short to do list for you to follow:

Turn the water back on.
Purge system of air at all fixtures.
Drain and refill the water heater, by either attaching a garden hose to the bottom of the heater to flush it, or run your fixtures on the hot side for 5-10 minutes.
Replace any carbon or sediment cartridges.
Check operation of toilets, faucets and tub/shower valves. If your toilet continues to fill slowly several minutes after it flushes, or it flushes slowly, you may want to rebuild it; this will conserve water and have it flushing to its full ability.
Check to make sure no water or waste leaks have developed underneath all sinks.
Check condition of washing machine hoses.
Check outdoor hose bibs for leaks.
Check the main shut off to the house. If it will not turn, or is hard to turn, have it replaced. If you have an emergency, and need to shut off the water, it is imperative that this is working properly.
Run the water at the refrigerator and throw out the first batch of ice cubes.

CAP members with Aztec Plumbing can schedule their annual home inspections to coincide with their return and have most of these items checked by a professional at no additional charge! Please visit our website below for a complete description of our Customer Appreciation Plan.

If you have any questions, please call Aztec Plumbing, Inc. at 239.542.2284 (BATH) or visit us on our website at AztecPlumbing.net or send us a “tweet” at twitter.com/aztecplumbing.

Posted in General Information, Plumbing | Tagged plumbing tips | Leave a comment

Plumbing Tips!

Posted on September 20, 2011 by AztecPlumbing

Polybutylene Pipes – A Ticking Time Bomb

What is a polybutylene pipe you may ask? Well, in the world of plumbing, polybutylene pipe refers to an older grey plastic pipe that was used heavily in construction in the 80’s and is now obsolete. So… now you ask, what makes this pipe so ominous, and how do I tell if I have it in my home or business?

First the ominous part; Grey poly lines break down over time (10 years in most cases) and it has a failure rate of 100%!
Secondly, the fittings used on these lines are made of plastic, copper or both, which also fail in time.
Thirdly, and scariest of all, is unlike copper water lines, which deteriorate gradually, giving you time to realize you need to repipe, grey poly lines blow apart without warning causing a flood.

Which Pipe Would You Want in Your House?!

“Whoa, I know that I don’t want that happening to my house” you may be saying, but how do I know if I have polybutylene piping? It’s quite easy to determine if you have poly pipes if you know where to look. Go to your water heater and look at the water lines above it. If they are grey, you probably have polybutylene pipes and should consider repiping your home.

The good news is that by repiping your home with CPVC, this eliminates the potential flood hanging over every home with poly piping!

If you have any questions, please call Aztec Plumbing at 239.542.2284 (BATH) or follow us on our website at www.AztecPlumbing.net, Facebook at www.facebook.com/AztecPlumbing, and/or Twitter at twitter.com/AztecPlumbing.

Posted in General Information, Plumbing | Tagged Fort Myers Plumbing, Plumbing Problems, plumbing tips | Leave a comment

Add Value to your home by upgrading Plumbing Fixtures

Posted on July 23, 2011 by AztecPlumbing

Plumbing Tips

Add Value to your home by upgrading Plumbing fixtures

Summertime in Southwest Florida is hot, sticky, and a great time to add value to your home. Many homeowners on a tight budget may not want to overhaul a kitchen or bathroom, but updating faucets, tubs, toilets, sinks and showers are inexpensive projects that add value to homes.

If your kitchen or baths are outdated consider replacing the faucets or sinks to create a more appealing and “up to date” look. If you’re replacing an existing faucet, be sure to choose one with the same amount of holes in the deck of the sink as the one that’s being removed. You also have different styles to choose from, a one handle model that rotates directionally to choose water temperature or two handles for mixing hot and cold water. Also some newer models have sprayers integrated right into the faucet itself. Another thought to consider, do you want any type of filter system, whether it be total home filtration or a filter attached to the new faucet itself. How does your toilet look and function, should the entire toilet be replaced or just the lid? Many older toilets leak causing tremendous water waste over time. There are many types of toilets on the market today giving us a variety of options in water conservation and style!

It only takes a few upgrades in your home to really make a difference in value and style!!

Posted in Fixtures, General Information, Home Maintenance, Plumbing, Projects | Tagged Fort Myers Plumbing, plumbing tips | Leave a comment

Water saving ideas!

Posted on June 18, 2011 by AztecPlumbing

Plumbing Tips

Water Saving Ideas!

This time of year water conservation always becomes more of a concern for us living in southwest Florida. The summer rains haven’t started yet, and oftentimes the sunny days of winter haven’t left us with much of a water reserve.

This year is no exception, and as a matter of fact our water reserves are at near record lows. How can you help? Well there are some simple steps you can take to lesson your personal water consumption.

First of all, follow all the irrigation water restrictions in your area. This is by far the greatest drain on our water reserves. Secondly, take a quick trip around your house and look for the following things: Running toilets, dripping faucets in sinks and showers, and leaky outside hose bibs. These slow dribbles add up quickly to water waste. Next if you have a pool with an auto fill, you might want to turn it off for a day or two and make sure that you have no leaks. These can be hard to detect as your auto fill keeps the water level steady despite a leak.

Finally you may also want to consider changing out older toilets which generally use around 3 ½ gallons per flush to more water efficient models requiring only 1.6 gallons per flush. It’s also a good idea to change your flappers annually. If you ever hear the toilet filling for no reason, the flapper is leaking.

Remember little changes can make a world of difference!

Follow us on: http://www.aztecplumbing.net/http or /www.facebook.com/AztecPlumbing

Posted in General Information, Home Maintenance, Plumbing | Tagged appliances, Cape Coral Plumbers, Home Maintenance, preventing plumbing problems, Water conservation | Leave a comment

Aztec customer nominated for City of Ft Myers Beautification Award!

Posted on May 11, 2011 by AztecPlumbing

Bradley McGrath of River by Builders Construction Company announced that his company has been nominated by city councilman Johnny Streets for a City of Ft Myers Beautification Award! The house located in an historic district, was redesigned and rebuilt with wonderful results! This is quite an honor and Aztec Plumbing is proud to have been the plumber on this restoration project!

Posted in Award nominations, General Information, Plumbing, Projects, Restoration | Tagged Award, Fort Myers Plumbing | Leave a comment

What is a Repipe?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by AztecPlumbing

Plumbing Tips!

What is a repipe?

Living in southwest Florida puts us at greater risk for certain plumbing problems, one of them being the deterioration of copper water lines. When this occurs, the only sure fix is a total home repipe. A repipe is the replacement of all existing water lines with clean, safe CPVC which is a material that is resistant to the effects our water has on copper. The procedure consists of running new hot and cold water lines overhead, down walls, and connecting them to your existing water fixtures. Shut off valves, fixture supplies, icemaker and dishwasher lines are also replaced, as well as washing machine hoses. At the end of the process all pressurized water lines from your main shut off valve forward are replaced.

There are several reasons that make repiping a necessity, but one factor is the water itself. Areas that receive water from reverse osmosis plants such as Cape Coral, Ft Myers, Pine Island, Captiva, and Sanibel experience the greatest need for repiping, as this water, over time, breaks down copper piping leaving it prone to leaks. Most times a visible leak or damage is the first indication that repiping may be necessary.

Additionally, many homes and businesses in our area were piped with polybutlyene, also referred to as Quest piping. Serious issues with this piping have lead to a class action lawsuit, for more information visit www.pbpipe.com.

For more complete information please contact us at www.aztecplumbing.net, where you can also visit our blog and face book, or call 542-2284.

Posted in General Information, Home Maintenance, Plumbing | Tagged Cape Coral Plumbing, Fort Myers Plumbing, Home Maintenance, licensed plumber, Plumbing Problems, preventing plumbing problems, Southwest Florida Plumbing | Leave a comment

Tips for departing seasonal residents

Posted on April 20, 2011 by AztecPlumbing

Plumbing Helpful Hints!

Before you leave for the summer!

For many of you, the time is fast approaching where you’ll be closing up your place here, and traveling to other places to enjoy more “comfortable” summer temperatures! Lucky you!! Before you take flight and say adios, there a few things you can do in your home to see that your plumbing fares well while you are gone. Probably the most important thing you can do is to shut off the water to your home at the main junction where it enters your home. This may seem self evident, but many a flood would be averted if people just took this simple step. Another simple procedure you can do would be to flush out your water heater. This is easily done by attaching a garden hose to the bottom valve and running water into the heater and then letting it drain out. You want to make sure the hose will drain out to your street as to not let the “dirty” water stain your driveway etc. This prolongs the life of your water heater as the heating elements tend to be in the bottom of most units and this procedure flushes out the “crud” that gums them up. If you have someone watch your property you will want to have them flush your toilets weekly if possible. This keeps the seals from drying out and prolongs their life as well!

These few steps will help preserve your “winter” oasis while you’re away enjoying your summer!

If you have any questions please call Aztec Plumbing, Inc at 239-542-2284

Posted in General Information, Home Maintenance, Plumbing, Projects | Tagged Home Maintenance, home maintenance for departing residents, preventing plumbing problems, Southwest Florida Plumbing | Leave a comment

Helpful Hints for Keeping Your Garbage Disposal Clean

Posted on March 24, 2011 by AztecPlumbing

A Simple Solution

Part of the after dinner ritual in most households is loading the dishwasher, wiping down the counters, and scrubbing the sink. There is however, a mostly forgotten about appliance, in terms of cleaning that is, living in the depths of most kitchen sinks, the garbage disposal…! Oh yea, when did I last clean that? Or, an even better question, how do I clean that?

Here’s an easy way to freshen up that great chopper of kitchen waste! Buy a toilet bowl brush specifically for this job, keep it under your sink, and whenever things seem a bit grungy, use it to scrub out the rubber flaps and chopping mechanism. You can use anything on the brush you like, from a little dishwashing soap to lemon juice, it’s up to you. It’s amazing to see the “stuff” you’ll bring up, and voila, now your hard working garbage disposal is as “clean as a whistle”!

Posted in Home Maintenance | Tagged appliances, Cape Coral Plumbing, Fort Myers Plumbing, Home Maintenance | Leave a comment

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