Dalton Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, Electric and Fireplaces, Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Plumbing’

3 Causes of Clogged Toilets

Monday, April 11th, 2016

Toilets are the single most important plumbing appliance in your home, for obvious reasons. When they get clogged up, they can bring your household screeching to a halt, and while the simplest issues (i.e., clogs caused by human waste and toilet paper) can usually be covered by the use of a plunger and some good old-fashioned elbow grease, other causes require a professional plumber’s attention. Here in Waverly, IA, you have a reliable service on call to help, but we’ve found you can avoid a clogged toilet simply by monitoring what you flush down it during the day. Here are 3 causes of clogged toilets that should watch out for.

Continue Reading

How Does UV Water Disinfection Work?

Monday, April 4th, 2016

If you think back to high school science class, you can likely recall the basics of UV (or ultraviolet light), which lies beyond our ability to see, but which can affect us nonetheless. In sunlight, it causes our skin to tan or burn. In smaller amounts, such as those present in a UV light bulb, it can interact with the detergent in our laundry to make white clothes glow in the dark. (It’s how you get that effect at amusement parks or rock concerts). But UV light can serve a far more important role than momentary amusement. When applied properly, it can help make the water in your Hudson, IA home a whole lot cleaner and safer. All you need is a UV water disinfection system in your home.

Continue Reading

Time to Get Your Air Conditioner Ready For Spring

Monday, February 15th, 2016

It’s still winter here in Cedar Falls, IA and that means our heaters are currently keeping our homes warm and cozy. But the thaw will be here before you know it and soon enough, temperatures will be high enough to demand your air conditioner. Now is the time to prep your air conditioner for regular service. It gives you plenty of flexibility to adjust things according to your schedule, and in case there are any surprises, you have plenty of time to deal with them before you have need of your system. Here’s a few tips to help you out.

Continue Reading

Be Careful What Your Pour Down the Drain This Winter

Monday, February 1st, 2016

Your kitchen sink is the sight of a lot of food activity, and with the Super Bowl on its way, you might be using it a lot to prepare food for your guests. Whatever your food-based plans are, however, they would benefit from a little care and foresight as far as what you pour down your drain. The wrong foods or liquids can damage your garbage disposal or clog up your pipes, forcing you to call a plumber when you should be enjoying the game. If you watch what you pour down the drain this winter, you can avoid an awful lot of hassle. Here’s a quick list of some foods you should dispose of in other ways.

Continue Reading

Never Attempt Plumbing Repairs Yourself

Monday, December 7th, 2015

Here in Cedar Falls, IA, we pride ourselves as being pretty self-sufficient, and homeowners may be accustomed to handling little repairs around the house themselves. With plumbing, however, this can be a big mistake. No matter how small or seeming inconsequential the issue, it always pays to have a professional take care of them problem instead of attempting plumbing repairs yourself. Why? We’ve laid out a few very good reasons below.

Continue Reading

Watch Out for Garbage Disposal Problems This Holiday Season

Monday, November 30th, 2015

The holidays have arrived here in Cedar Fall, IA, and that means your kitchen sink is going to be seeing a lot more use. Holiday meals for visiting family members, cookies and other delicious treats from the oven, even the odd turkey sandwich put together from leftovers: Christmas and the holidays mean food, and with that food comes increased use of your kitchen sink and garbage disposal. You don’t want yours experiencing any kind of a problem during the holidays, which is why we strongly recommend  you keep an eye on your garbage disposal for problems this holiday season. It lets you get a jump on the issue before interfering with a big meal or a visit from your gusts. Here’s a quick rundown of common signs of garbage disposal problems.

Continue Reading

How Does a Sump Pump Help My Home?

Monday, November 16th, 2015

Sump pumps are designed to help protect your home against the dangers of flood waters, which can be quite severe here in Cedar Falls, IA. It’s not 100% necessary, at least not the same way a water heater might be, and homeowners would be perfectly justified in asking whether or not they really need one installed in their homes. Like any form of insurance, it’s optional, though you are definitely taking a chance if you choose not to have one installed. It might help to understand exactly how a sump pump helps your home, and what benefits it brings that justifies the cost of installation.

Continue Reading

How to Prevent Frozen Pipes This Winter

Monday, November 9th, 2015

Winters are as cold as they come in Cedar Falls, IA, and among the most common calls we take involve frozen pipes. When the water inside your pipes freezes, it expands, putting huge pressure on the pipes themselves and often causing them to burst. When that happens, you have a huge mess on your hands: cleaning up water damage in your home as well as having to replace the burst length of pipe. You can call on us when your pipes burst to fix the problem promptly, but we believe that an ounce of prevention beats a pound of cure. Here’s a few tips on how to prevent frozen pipes this winter.

Continue Reading

3 Things to Look for in a Quality Plumber

Monday, October 26th, 2015

Your plumbing isn’t something that you should take for granted, and when it breaks down, you need someone who can evaluate the problem quickly and fix it effectively. It can be hard to tell the quality plumbers from the fly-by-nighters sometimes, however, and with the sheer number of options you have in Cedar Falls, IA, finding the right service gets even more difficult. There are some easy ways to tell a quality plumber from a less reliable one. Here are 3 of them to help you filter out the right options when your pipes and faucets need some help:

Continue Reading

What are the Benefits of Hydro Jetting?

Monday, October 19th, 2015

Hydro jetting is a safe, effective and environmentally friendly way of getting rid of stubborn clogs in your plumbing, drain and sewer system. It works through use of a specialized head fitted onto the end of a hose. The head sprays water at surprisingly high pressure in a 360-degree arc through your pipe system: self-propelled down the length of the pipe and scouring it clean as it goes. This removes build-up such as food, grease, hard water deposits and similar detritus, leaving the pipes clan and clog free through their entire length. What are the benefits of hydro jetting over other kinds of clog removal? We’ve provided a brief list below.

Continue Reading