Cleaning a garbage disposal doesn’t have to be rocket science, even though some people try to turn it into a superior project for the gifted.

In fact, garbage disposal cleaning, assuming nothing major is wrong with your unit, can be one of the easiest things to do around your home. Everything you’ll need will come from your refrigerator. The combination of ice and citrus fruits will have your disposal running well and smelling great.

Our Lewisville TX plumbers are experts when it comes to garbage disposal installation, repair and maintenance and have additional information in our Plumbing Tips section. Feel free to give us a call, or contact us online today for information.

The Super Bowl, one of biggest events in the world, will take place Feb. 6. As football fans get ready for Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, plumbers are getting ready for the age-old question that has become something of a classic myth.

“Should I flush during halftime?”

Amazingly, rumors of sewage systems running amuck because of the millions of simultaneous flushes during halftime of the Super Bowl has become something plumbing professionals address each year. It’s obvious that toilet use increases during the Super Bowl, as millions of fans are watching the biggest American football game on the planet, but massive metropolitan sewage breakdowns do not exist. In fact, they are often laughable to plumbers.

Myths will come and go, but know that this myth is just that. Check out more information on the myth in our Plumbing Tips section. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact our expert Lewisville TX plumbers for information. Call us, or contact us online today.

The argument is starting to become more and more of an issue for homeowners.

Which is better: Conventional water heaters or tankless water heaters?

According to experts, there are benefits with both types of water heaters. While the argument appears to be an old school vs. new school account, both devices offer many positives with few negatives. Our Lewisville TX water heater experts want to provide some of the advantages and disadvantages for both the conventional and tankless heaters.

Feel free to check out our Plumbing Tips section for more information. Our experienced Lewisville TX plumbing technicians are available to assist you with all of your water heater inquiries, in addition to installation and maintenance. Call our Lewisville plumbing company for more information, or contact us online.

Having trouble getting rid of that bathtub stain? You’re probably not the only one.

Tub stains can be a nuisance for someone looking to turn a bathroom into a masterpiece. Fortunately, there are methods to getting rid of unwanted stains. In order for that to happen, however, homeowners must know what their tubs are made of.

Most bathroom tubs are made out of one of three materials – porcelain, enamel or acrylic. While porcelain may be considered the most durable, acrylic and enamel may be the easiest to damage without proper instruction. Know which material your tub is made of, and know how to treat said material.

Check out the stain removal tips on our Plumbing Tips section. For more information on bathtub stain removal, call our Lewisville TX plumbers, or contact us online.

Aside from simply breaking down, a number of things can go wrong with your water heater without proper maintenance and upkeep. Preventative maintenance is perhaps the most important aspect of caring for any part of your plumbing system, and your hot water heater is perhaps the heart of the system. In the winter especially, you don’t want to suddenly be without hot water or facing other issues with the system.

For example, taking a shower can be quite unpleasant if the water coming from your hot water heater smells like rotten eggs. This odor is typically caused by the way a certain kind of bacteria found in the water reacts with the magnesium and aluminum contained in most water heaters. This creates hydrogen sulfide gas, which releases an odor similar to rotten eggs. If you have a water softening device, the smell can become even worse. Do not remove the anodes from your water heater to address the issue. Rather, start by turning off the cold water supply to your hot water heater, then opening a hot faucet in the house. This will relieve some of the pressure from the tank. Open one side of the plumbing and pour in a few pints of hydrogen peroxide. With everything closed again, turn the cold water feed back on and run all faucets and taps in the house. This will temporarily relieve the smell, though you may want to contact a local Lewisville water heater expert if the problem is not solved.

Other problem that can lead to the early demise of your hot water heater include internal rust, the buildup of sediment within the tank (caused by hard water being heated), corrosive fumes (from air intake that contains bleach, ammonia, or acids), and high water pressure (over 80psi), which can damage the heater, as well as the piping and other appliances. However, perhaps the most common cause of losing a water heater is neglect. Many don’t consider the ramifications of neglecting their hot water heater tanks, and with the ability to develop leaks or other issues over time, preventative maintenance is essential to the lifespan of your hot water heater. If you aren’t sure about your own water heater, consider contacting a plumber in Lewisville with expert knowledge of hot water heaters for a routine inspection of the system.

The past few weeks, the Dallas-Fort Worth area has seen chilly temperatures, but let’s be honest: We haven’t seen frigid temperatures as of yet.

This all may change as we prepare for 2011. The months of January and February traditionally are the months where Texas feels more like upstate New York and less like Arizona. This is the perfect time for you to winterize your pipes and prepare for the freezing temperatures that potentially could do damage to your water pipes.

The first step in winterizing is to locate all water faucets and other places where water pipes can be bothered by inclement weather. Cover the faucets with something that can provide respectable insulation (a towel or heavy piece of clothing) against freezing weather.

From there, cover the wrapped faucet with a plastic bag and secure it with a rubber band. This will not only help to keep the faucet and water pipe dry but also keep the towel or clothing serving as insulation secure. It may seem a little off-base, but if done properly, it works.

Keep in mind that if your water lines get cold enough, they will break. A broken water line could cost you tons of money, and having a major bill is no way to start the new year. Contact our Lewisville TX plumbers for more information on winterizing your pipes. Call us today, or contact us online for details.

We’ve all seen the commercials. Liquid chemical drain cleaners auch as Liquid Plumr or Drano seem to make all bathroom and kitchen clogs go away.

Then again, so do plumbers.

So which one is better? Good question.

What an actual plumber may tell you is that the liquid chemical drain cleaners can be effective but also can be harmful to your drain pipes, particularly if the pipes are made of metal (versus plastic drain lines). If used properly, Liquid Plumr and Drano can get the job done, but you have to ask yourself: Do I really want to take that risk either way?

Check out our Plumbing Tips on when to call a plumber and when to use the liquid chemical drain cleaners on your bathroom and kitchen sinks. Feel free to call our plumbers in Lewisville TX today, or contact us online for more information.

More and more professionals are agreeing that tankless water heaters are the way to go. They provide hot water on demand, which reduces cost for you each month.

If you own a tankless water heater or are considering purchasing a tankless water heater, you may have heard this question once before.

Rinnai or Noritz?

These are two of the most well-known brands of tankless water heaters around. Both have their advantages, and to be honest, it’s hard to distinguish the two – even though both market themselves as no competition toward the other.

Feel free to check out our Plumbing Tips & Articles section as you make your decision. Feel free to call our Lewisville TX plumbers for additional information, or contact us online today.

When it comes to everyday activities, we all have our daily routines. From a plumbing standpoint, some of the things we do that we tend to take for granted can eventually haunt us in the long run.

Here are a couple of things to put on your “things not to do list.”

• Disconnect the water hose from the faucet to prevent problems with frozen pipes as the weather starts to get colder.

• Steer clear of pouring cooking oil and grease down the train, as it can become a major drain clogging issue.

For more in-depth information on things that will keep your plumbing in pristine condition, visit the Tips and Articles section of our Lewisville TX plumbing website.

Natural gas leaks can be extremely dangerous and deadly. A simple flip of a light switch in some gas leak conditions may be all it takes to cause an explosion. Although odorless by nature, the natural gas that flows into your home contains odorant – similar to a rotten egg smell – added by the gas company to make it easy for you to detect gas leaks.

You can’t rely exclusively on your sense of smell, however, to detect gas leaks. The odor added to natural gas often fades. Additionally, this odor may be masked by other odors in your home. For these reasons, a gas leak detector is recommended.

For information on gas leak detectors, visit the Tips and Articles section of our Lewisville TX plumbing website.