Safety Tips for Your Home

Main water cutoff: Make sure everyone in the house knows where it is in case of an emergency.

Toilet overflow: If you believe your toilet is about to overflow, quickly remove the tank lid, reach down and push the flapper of flush valve closed. That will keep the bowl from overflowing while you clear the stoppage.

Toilet Check: Remove tank lid, add food coloring to the water in the tank. Check the bowl in ten or fifteen minutes. If you see the color, the flapper is leaking. This should be done every year. These leaks are silent but you might hear the toilet filling when it is not in use. This is another indication of a failing flapper. This type of leak can also reflect heavily in your water bill!

Check your water meter periodically: If you are not using water in the house all the dials on the meter should not be moving or spinning. A movement in the dial may indicate a water leak, probably in the toiler. This could cost you dearly over time.

Stop valves: These are valves located under your sinks and toilets. Familiarize yourself with their locations in case of an emergency.

Open and close all valves every six months to a year: This will ensure that they will work when you need them to. If valves are not operable for long periods of time they will seize and turning them off will be difficult or even impossible!

Stopped drains: Use drain-cleaning liquids as a last resort because the damage your pipes and often do not work. Maintain your drain pipes with Bio-Clean. Bio-Clean is a harmless bacteria that will come to life with water and eat away all stoppages. Once pipe is clear it just washes away.

Laundry Valves: These should be closed when you are not home for long periods of time. (Vacation) If a hose breaks down while you are away, well lets just say it would not be a good situation.

Always hire a licensed plumber: Make sure you hire a licensed plumber and check into all insurances make sure everything is up-to-date. Do not take a short cut to hire an unlicensed plumber because he charges less – Would you have a doctor treat you if he was not licensed? Just an FYI. Good luck with all your plumbing and heating endeavors.