The Family Plumber - Surprise, Arizona

Episode 28 "The water heater is heating up. So it's expanding a little bit and that is being handled by the expansion tank - it will take care of all that." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert The question today - "What Is The Expansion Tank For On My Plumbing System?" Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171

Episode 27 "Those lines could get brittle, especially if they're not stainless steel braided. The valves to the washing machine get brittle, bubble out, and burst." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert The question today - "How Often Do I Need To Change My Washing Machine Supply Lines?" Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171

Episode 26 "When the city starts building around or they start raising pressure up, they don't care about your home's water pressures. That's what I say. It's the home owner's responsibility to maintain it." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert The question today - "What Are The Dangers Of High Water Pressure In My Home?" Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171

Episode 25 "Just a few of the common things that might cause low water pressure..." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Do have just a trickle coming out of your faucets? This may have just started happening to you. Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today to talk about what may be causing your low water pressure in your home. The question today - "What Is Causing Low Water Pressure In My Home?" Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171

"PEX is a little bit higher,you know, a little bit more used than copper compared to the cast iron and the galvanized." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert So, what type of pipes do you have in your home? Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today to discuss the different types of plumbing pipes in your home. The question today - "What Is The Difference In Plumbing Types?" Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171

"So keep greases away from the sink." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert It can be annoying to hear our toilets constantly run. Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today. The question today - "What Cause My Drain To Clog?" Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171

"So, the first thing to do is check your flapper, make sure it's not warped, soggy, like the rubber deteriorated." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert It can be annoying to hear our toilets constantly run. Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today. The question today - "Why Does My Toilet Continue To Run?" Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: Check a pro Joe here with my friend Bobby Crowder. He's the family plumber. In surprise, Arizona. Hey, Bobby, how you doing pal? Hey Joe. Thanks for having me on. Absolutely. We get questions here all the time and questions cross my desk again. This comes up all the time. Why does my toilet keep running? You know, we flush the toilet and I know it's supposed to happen because uh I'm a quasi plumber and I'm, I'm kind of joking around. I am not a licensed plumber, but I do know when I push the lever down, it will lift up the flapper. Ok. And then the water from the tank will flow to the bottom of the toilet, the base of the toilet. And it will basically allow the water to push the waste out and then the flapper closes and then the tank fills again, but sometimes it continues to run or it'll run like a minute after it'll go off and on. So thanks for having me on again here, Joe. But uh I get a lot. So you, your toilet's running. Well, you better go catch it. I'm kidding. No, no pun intended. That's just kind of a bad joke for us. But uh here's this, there's, there's several, several things. So we've got, we got, of course your flapper the most common, right? And, but you also have your flush, your flush valve, your fill and your fill valve. So there is some more uh complicated issues we can get into, but then I'd probably throw everybody off. They probably wouldn't be like, what's, what's that mean? You know. So let's just do the three basics fill val flush valve. Flapper. So flapper, of course, every, you know, everything is about five years inside a toilet tank. So you should start thinking about, especially the flapper, five years, the fill valve about five years. And the flush valve, man, you know, that's you do lifetime with the toilet. But you know, that thing can leak or crack or, you know, the filled tube can crack and that's where you're getting your water, your, your leak from. So, um, first thing to do is check your flapper, make sure it's not warped, soggy, you know, like the rubber deteriorated. Um I would just recommend replacing it every five years anyway. It's just, you know, this way you can kind of save water waste. Um, the flush valve, the center tube where the flapper sits on that the bushing can go bad and start leaking through there. Uh, your fill tube that's right in the middle that could be cracked and it's leaking from there. Um, go to the fill valve, the fill valve is either on or off. That's just point. So, if it's a constant, uh and a constant flow, ok, you've got a bad fill valve. You, I mean, you can replace like the little diaphragm that's inside the fill valve, stuff like that. But, you know, after about five years, let's go ahead and replace, replace the whole thing. Let's buy your best bet, you know, five years in the flab for five years on the fill valve, flush valve just depends on if it's cracked or not. But those are your three main reasons. A toilet would be running. Yeah. And some of these things really can be handled by the homeowner if you want to. I mean, it's, it's, you know, call Bobby out if you'd like, which is fine. But if it's just a flapper, you really can't go wrong by replacing it. You're not gonna damage anything if it continues to leak because you thought it was the flapper. But it's...

"I've seen bones,I've seen,I meat,yeah,accidental stuff like, you know,forks and silverware and stuff like that." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Why do we continue to abuse our garbage disposal and plumbing system? The garbage disposal should not be used for most food items. Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today. The question today - "What Can I Put In My Garbage Disposal?" Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: My good friend, Bobby Crowder is joining me the family plumber. Hey, Bobby, how are you doing, Bud? Hey, how you doing? Nice to, nice to be here. Yeah, it's great to have you here. Ok. You're my go to guy when it comes to plumbing questions out here in Arizona. And I'll tell you, people don't know what they're doing with their garbage disposal. For some reason, people think that they can put everything down there, including the kitchen sink. That's funny. So there are things that we should and should not put in our garbage disposal. Correct? Oh, that is 100% correct. Hey, I've gone to houses that you won't believe where? I don't know. They just think that it's a, it's a, it's a trash compactor. I mean, it's like a, like a big giant garbage truck that's gonna compact and just bring it down the drain. I mean, I've seen bones, I've seen, I meat, yeah, accidental stuff like, you know, forks and silverware and stuff like that. But there's stuff that just not, they've, I've, I've seen, they've tried to put, uh, like paper towels and just everything they can, they just think it's, it's a, you know, it says garbage disposal but, you know, there's things that you shouldn't be putting down there for 100%. I think it should be called light vegetables and fruit. That's rotting disposal because, because those are soft. Um, and many of you may not know this but really what's to go into your sewer line or certainly if you have your own septic system should only be human waste. It really shouldn't be food products. It's not what the systems are designed for. Now, a sewer system isn't really your problem. It goes to the city if you will and they process it. But, but if anyone is listening, if you ever get a septic system, yes. Do not throw it off balance. It's like our stomachs. There's certain things you should not put in there. And so, uh, you know, don't put bones in there. It's bad for the, the actual machine itself. The garbage disposal. I'll tell you something else is big and Bobby backed me up on this isn't your busiest time around the holidays around Thanksgiving and Christmas you'll put too much grease in there. Oh, yeah, that's so, so the thing is, is like, uh, I think my busy. Exactly. It's gonna be Thanksgiving and around Christmas and it's usually the day before it's always at night. So it's, it's a constant basis. So where, you know, they're just like, uh, potato peels. No, nos, uh, carrot peels. No, nose eggshells. No, no. Uh, I, I can, the list can go on and on. Grease. 100. We put it in a jar, seal it up, throw it away. Yeah. Don't, don't put that down there. That's just bad for the drain. So, the thing is here, here, here's the thing. They could put a lot of that stuff down the garbage disposal and they'll run it. The thing, the, the garbage disposal will handle it. It's the drain that will not. And that's where it just kind of compacts in the drain. And then that's when they have, they have a backup and it just, it just doesn't work so light stuff. Uh, you know, vegetables, fruits, you know, little scraps off your plate is fine. Uh, like I said, septic tanks, you know, we try to, when it comes to septic tanks, I always look for it towards customer that, you...

"So you need to know what your hardness is coming into your house and how many people live in there?" - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Depending on the size of your family you may need a larger or smaller water softener. Also, the grains of hardness per gallon need to be checked as well. Check A Pro Joe (Jim Klauck) has asked plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder from The Family Plumber, to join him on this segment of the show. The question today - "What Size What Softener Do I Need For My Home?" How to size a water heater for your home? Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - CallTheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: What size water softener? That's a question that we got here at the Check A Pro Radio show. What size do I need? You know, I've got Bobby Crowder on the program with me. You've heard him here before? You've seen him here before on the show? And I'm going to pose this question to him. And honestly, I didn't think that there were that many size options. Hey, Bobby, how are you? Hey, Joe, how are you doing? Great. All right. So someone emailed the program and they want to know what's the right size water softener for my home? How do you figure that out? Uh It's, it's basic, it's, it's simple, it's simple for us or whatnot. So, like, uh you've got to know the hardness and you know, your grains per gallon and how many people are living there and what kind of water usage they're gonna be doing? So let's say, let's say their gallons, their grains per gallon is 10. You know, the hardness is 10 at their home. And if you got one or two people, you can do a 24. I don't recommend it. But, you know, technically it should be about a 32. Now, if you have 5 to 6 people, you're gonna go 40 grain. Now, remember these will go up once your grains per gallon are higher. So let's let's do it. Uh let's say 20 20 grains per gallon. So now the 3 to 4 people from 32 went to 40 and the 5 to 6 people went from 40 to 48. Now, if you go to the 40 you know, 40 grains per gallon, now you're 1 to 2 people is 48,000 grains, Your 3-4 people, about 64,000 grains. So and then up and then and up. So you need to know what your hardness is coming into your house and how many people live in there? That's a good rule of thumb. That'll kind of get you where you, you, you need to be. So definitely get a hardness test, see what you want, you know what your hardness is. You can buy those at any, any store. But you know, for hardness and then then you how many people live in your home and then you kind of have an idea of what, what I need or you can visit my website too. We are softeners will tell you which ones you actually need, you know, per family based. Sure, it's purely mathematical. It's based on your hardness and how much volume you're gonna need, which is usually based on how many people Bobby we're assuming that those people are bathing. So, right, when you say people, we're talking about clean people who are bathing, who are using the toilets, who are using the sinks and so forth. All of Bobby's information is located in the description of this podcast and he said you can find out more about this on his website and that is listed in the description of this podcast. Thank you, Bobby Crowder. Our little expert here on plumbing. Thank you. It's been a pleasure. Thanks Joe.

"There's a good rule of thumb, they say 1 to 3 people a 40 gallon gas, 40 gallon,electric,40 gallons is all right. When you go to 3 to 5 people in the home, it's usually about a 50 gallon." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Check A Pro Joe (Jim Klauck) has asked plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder from The Family Plumber, to join him on this segment of the show. The question today - "Does the size of your water heater matter?" How to size a water heater for your home? Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: Size may matter. Well, I'm talking water heaters here. I've asked my good friend Bobby Crowder, the family plumber in surprise Arizona to join me here on the program today to talk about the size of your water heater. What is the best size? What is the size you need? And it's interesting because Bobby, I think a lot of people aren't sure what size they have. Welcome. Hey, thanks for having me on Joe. Yeah, they don't, the thing is, is they don't care. They just see a tank out there and like, ok, it's just gonna provide but when they replace it or they get, you know, more people in the home or less people in the home, it's, you know, it's adequate to see what size you should actually have. So, there's a good rule of thumb, you know, they say uh 1 to 3 people is, you know, 40 gallon gas, 40 gallon, electric, 40 gallons is all right. When you go to 3 to 5 people in the home, it's usually about a 50 gallon. So keep in mind, you know, people, you know, running out of water or hot water, blah, blah, blah, you gotta remember. It also depends on your fixtures in your home, your showerheads, if you took out the aerators or, or, or flow restrictor, you're gonna be pushing out 23 gallons per minute. So, yeah, you're gonna drain that water heater down quickly. So I won't, I don't recommend that. You also got to remember the first hour of a water heater is much more than the continuous use of it. So, say like a 40 gallon you're gonna get, uh, like, I think it's 60 58 or 60 gallons for the first hour. So you will gain more that first hour. But if it's continuous, you know, shower after shower, shower. Yeah, then you're going to deplete it pretty, pretty quickly. So it has to be sized for your home and your family and a great way to tell if it's sized, right is by using it. So, if it's relatively new, let's say it's six months old to three years old. It, it still should be in great shape regardless if it's gas or electric, if you're constantly running out of hot water, regardless of why you need a bigger water heater. Because you're drawing you, you, I mean, like if you like, take 30 minute showers and so does your spouse and so do the kids then get a bigger water heater? That's correct. Yeah, it, you gotta to size it properly. Yep, it's important. Now some people in their homes will have two and it's great because it'll be split on both sides of the house. So, maybe the kids have their own and, uh, mom and dad have their own and then of course one of the sides is going to have the kitchen, which is important and, and the laundry, but you can actually split it. So you could have two forties and you really got 80. Correct? Yeah, I've seen that quite a bit. It's, it's, you know, a split system in their home or a holding tank, you know, vice versa. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm kind of greedy. My wife, my wife and I are empty nested and we have two fifties. Oh, nice. It's just about endless. We never run out of hot water. It's great. Hey, Bobby, this has been great. If you want to get a hold of Bobby and his team over at the family plumber. It's right in the description. All his information is right in the description of this podcast, his phone number and his website, Bobby...

"The only time you would have anything like that would be like I said, like tree roots or anything like that growing into the pipe." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Bobby Crowder from The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck (Check A Pro Joe) today on the show! Okay, we all have this question! How to avoid a clogged toilet? Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: We get a lot of questions here at the Check A Pro Radio show and a lot are about plumbing and this one's kind of an obvious one, but it's an important one and it's very simple how to avoid a clogged toilet and it's really uncomfortable. And so I'm gonna get a little personal here when it comes to clogged toilets. Generally, when the toilet is clogged, it's not clogged with something friendly. Ok. This is stuff that we don't want in our home. That's why we flush it. We want it out of the home. I've asked my good friend Bobby Crowder, the family plumber. He's in Arizona and he's joining me here on the program today to tell us how we can avoid a clogged toilet because it's very uncomfortable. Bobby. How you doing today? Good. How are you, Joe? I am fantastic. This is a common question. It'd be nice because if we didn't have clogged toilets, we wouldn't have to have plumbers come out so much to do something that isn't high tech. You guys are very good at un clogging them, but how do we avoid it? Uh That's uh, well, one of our most common service calls is, you know, a clogged toilet. So there is a list, I mean, it's, let's see, you know, it could be stuff that people throw down the toilet or else could be tree roots too. So we don't know until we get out there. But to avoid that, you know, besides the tree roots is there's, there's a huge list. So, first of all, disposable diapers. No baby wipes. No, uh, feminine hygiene products. No, that's very common. Uh, I get cigarette butts, uh, Q tips, cotton balls, cotton pads, medications, paper towels, tissues, cat litter. I've seen um, packing material, uh, dental floss, I mean, the list goes on and on and on. So the only thing that should be going down the toilet is waste liquid and paper, that's it. And when I say paper, I mean, like toilet paper, not the other, any other sorts of paper products just, you know, keep, stay away from those. But in order for us, you know, to avoid that for us coming out, please just don't do, don't do any of that and you're totally stay clean. So, Bobby, the list is shorter of what you can and should put in the toilet than what you shouldn't. So basically, er, we'll talk in toilet terms. Number one and number two, we know what that means. Everybody. Right. Pee and poop and then, and then an approved wiping appliance, which is going to be toilet paper. I say approved it, it, it should be something comfortable for you, but it should be biodegradable the best it can a lot. It's not, but it should be, I mean, the one ply would be ideal for the toilet, not ideal for us, but my point is, is nothing more than human waste. And we've spoken about using other products before, like a bad day to clean off. That would be ideal if you could actually hose off and not put any product in. Right. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that you, you'll avoid any kind of clogs under the toilet. The only time you would have anything like that would be like I said, like tree roots or anything like that growing into the pipe. Yeah. It, it, it's just so important to prevent things. It's kind of like us as humans. Ok? When you go to the doctor, the cardiologist, they're gonna say here's what you should put in your mouth and here's what you shouldn't and everything from your esophagus all the way down to your colon gets affected by what you put in. Not to...

"So it prevents any kind of waste going back in there, so you'll see little Chrome domes, it just prevents food and water waste coming back into the dishwasher so but over time those tend to leak so we'll just remove those ..." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Bobby Crowder from The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck (Check A Pro Joe) today on the show! Okay, we all have this question! What is chrome dome on our kitchen sink? Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: What's that Chrome Dome that's on the sink another counter on the sink in the kitchen that is there sometimes it makes a little bit of noise I think and I think it's important can I unscrew that and just put some type of cap there and I've asked our expert here in plumbing today on the show Bobby Crowder from the family plumber to answer that question hey Bobby how are you good how are you Joe I'm doing great can I just unscrew that and disconnect that and just plug that in my sink because I don't really need that little Chrome Dome do I well here's thing that a lot of people don't even know what that is so that's an air gap for your dishwasher to your disposal so this way no food can come back into your you know into your dishwasher when you run the garbage disposal cause with regard to suppose full and you're running it does push that waste down you know down the drain and they can't push back up towards that dishwasher so that air gaps prevents that and it's like a code thing too as well but now dishwashers have the newer ones have a check valve on their drain line so it prevents any kind of waste going back in there so you'll see little Chrome domes you take out that little chromedome cap that you'll see two little ones higher than the other it just prevents food and water waste coming back into the dishwasher so but over time those tend to leak so we'll just remove those and you just take a from the dishwasher all the way up underneath the ties you can't create the loop back down into your disposal that's just as good because now newer dishwashers have a check valve on them prevents that waste going back in so you can you know they're a hassle and they're noise maker and hmm did you get rid of them you can doesn't they're not really that pretty I mean it's something else that's right there on your kitchen counter on your sink near your you know spray faucet and so forth it's just something else popping out by the way everybody had checked valves in case you don't know allows water to go one way and not the other so we wanted to go um you know we don't want to come back in right so right we want it to be drained and we don't want to come back into our supply into the garbage disposal or directly into the drink because if you don't have a garbage disposal it will be drained right into your waste pipe Yep all right hey Bobby thank you so much once again you are a wealth of information for plumbing I really appreciate it bobby crowder the family plumber in surprise AZ and all of his information is in the description of this podcast so reach out to him for all of your plumbing needs thanks bobby thank you joe thanks for me on.

"SharkBites tend to fail over time and a lot of homeowners do is they make the mistake of putting them inside walls behind their walls for plumbing or they're adding a line or whatever not knowing that overtime those can fail.. ." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Bobby Crowder from The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck (Check A Pro Joe) today on the show! Have you heard of a SharkBite pluming connector? Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber is on the show today to explain how they work. Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: Hey, Bobby Crowder is joining me here on the check a pro radio show Bobby is one of our go to experts on the check a pro radio show he is a plumbing expert in surprise AZ the family plumber hey Bobby how you doing hey Joe how are you I'm doing fantastic hey I want you to help me out with something here I was reading this online article and it was talking about a shark bite fitting for plumbing what's a shark bite plumbing fitting shark bite fittings are a push to connect fitting it's usually for like no homeowners could do it themselves you know I'm not very big on them there's a new there's a new one out it's called quick fitting that's what it's kind of like a 75 year warranty the shark bites they tend to fail over time and a lot of what homeowners do is they make the mistake of like putting them inside walls you know like behind their walls for plumbing or they're adding a line or whatever and they just OK I'll just you know start back this together not knowing that overtime those can fail all it is just a fitting that has like little teeth in it with an O-ring that the pipe goes inside so you know overtime those can fail and if they fail inside your wall you don't know until it's too late I you know I prefer if you're doing something like that it's hard to get them right now but you know like the quick fittings you know let a plumber come out there and pro press it solder it no sweat it this way it's nice and solid you know the push fittings yeah it's one of those you know DIY kind of things you know for homers quick easy fix stuff like that but if you're going to do something like that please put an access panel there so you know if something happens you're it's easy access to get to yeah you know whether it's plumbing or electrical there are codes and just like electrical if you have a junction box it cannot be hidden behind sheetrock it needs to be exposed so the electrician can get back in same with plumbing it sounds like an interesting type of product For more information you can get a hold of my friend Bobby Crowder the family plumber and have him come out and take a look at your plumbing project all of the all of his information is located in the description of this podcast hey Bobby thank you so much for joining me today hey Joe thanks for having me on!

" When I go to these houses I'll see you know these wipes on the toilets on top of the toilet tanks and I see a lot of baby wipes and those are a no no..." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Bobby Crowder from The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck (Check A Pro Joe) today on the show! To flush or not to flush wipes down the toilet? That is the question today on the program! Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: This question comes up all the time are those flushable wipes that we use those personal wipes something that we should be putting in the toilet aren't they safe to flush down the toilet I've asked my good friend Bobby Crowder he's the family plumber in surprise AZ to answer this question for my listeners here today on the program hey Bobby how are you hey Joe how are you I'm doing fantastic thanks for joining me here on the program so some people don't ask the question they just throw everything including the kitchen sink into the toilet and they wonder why they call you out to you know have you clean out that line you know to get it unclogged so are these flushable wipes flushable well actually when I go to these houses a lot I'll see you know these wipes on the toilets you know on top of the toilet tanks and stuff like that the I see a lot of baby wipes and those are of no so any flushable wipes even though it says you know biodegradable it really is not most of them are not there is one that does do quite well we've done a lot of research and done tests and stuff and the one that does is the Cottonelle it actually breaks down the other ones do not after 24 hours they're just they're still like a big cotton mess so you've heard of icebergs before right yeah now these are called fatbergs is what we call that birds are softballs so if that bird is just like a big mass of fluid you know flushable wipes feminine hygiene products disposable diapers everything down and then it's combined with you know solidified fats so it just becomes big softball fat bird is what we call them so mostly residentials or the we call them softballs but yeah those are not the best thing if you're going to do that I highly suggest you know put them in a trash can or something like that because you're just going to mess up your sewer line and you have to have one of us come out and unblock that for you but if you're going to do anything I would definitely you know start the cotton mills that's for sure the tip of the day is don't put Q-tips in there don't put anything in there even Kleenex but just you know anything that's you know toilet paper disgusting fine but I have a recommendation which is totally coming from left field don't use toilet paper and you're like what do you mean don't use toilet paper well Europeans often don't they use the bidet and you're actually going to bathe yourself clean it's odd to us here in North America but it's very common in other countries isn't it oh for sure you know like the Europeans they've gotten a lot of stuff before we've gotten like the tankless water heaters all that stuff so we're kind of you know behind everything behind them so but yeah but days are very nice you know I would recommend a bidet and no pun with the behind you clean the behind with water and it's it is it's either another fixture like a toilet in your bathroom or you have toilets now that can do all in one but it's kind of nice because you're saving money on toilet paper you're saving money on plumbers coming out to fix the mess and the only thing going down is human waste and really that's all that should be going into the sewer system or the septic system exactly 100% hey Bobby this has been great hey all of Bobby Crowder's information from the family...

"OK now we have a tank leak if it's not that means it's coming from somewhere else .. ." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert Have you seen water in your drain pan? The pan that is under your water heater, the drain pan, is there to catch water that may have escaped your water heater. Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber is on the show to help us out today! Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: Here are the check a pro radio show we get all kinds of questions and we got a plumbing question today so I asked my good friend Bobby Crowder the family plumber to join me here on the program hey Bobby how you doing buddy hey check a pro Joe how are you how are you I'm doing I'm doing great hey a question came in and I think I know the answer to this even though there may be multiple answers but the question was this from one of our listeners why is there rusty water in that pan that metal pan underneath my water heater what could that be hmm well not just rust it could be anything actually it could be you know water itself it could be dirty water making it look like rust it depends on where the locations at you know like said addicts or you know Texas has yeah they're installed in the attics in Arizona where they're in the garage and so they tend to get really dirty so um usually if there's any kind of liquid or any kind of water or anything that's in that pan there's something going on and usually most of the time it is a leaky water heater but you get a check it first you come out when you come out there check to see if you know if it's a gas water here put that little that front plate there and stick your fingers inside the inside where the gas control valve assemblies at and see if there's any water in there if there is OK now we have a tank leak if it's not that means it's coming from somewhere else so you want to jump up above see what's going on if there's any of the flex lines leaking a ball valve any of the connections or I've even seen somebody have a water line that's ramped to a fridge around the back and it wasn't visible until that little water line was just thinking down inside there it wasn't what it was not a water heater issue so now they're using it as a drain pan exactly Yep so you know be very cautious dream pans are great they've been out here in Arizona we didn't do them very often until recently probably about uh I want to say six or eight years ago they've kind of put them in you know wanting them put in per code some cities are different than others so Arizona's a little bit different than maybe some other states but now we don't do we don't install a water heater without a pan whatsoever now it has sure have a pan and honestly if it's in the garage or somewhere that's more outside ish if you will it's not as big of a deal but if it is inside a utility room maybe in the laundry room type thing which it could be well then yes you're definitely going to want to do that also the pressure relief valve isn't it possible that that could leak it does usually like technically you're supposed to exercise that that TMP valve every six months he does that no one really ever does that you know flip it on off and when you do if it hasn't been done for a while and you flip it on and you try to flip it off now you're now you're probably going to causally or it's going to drip out the main line you know the drain line of it you know itself or it's just going to drop out of that little Chrome handle and then that could cause an issue down below but you know something like that would be an easy fix you know replacement with that TP valve so you know something like that I'd be very I love doing stuff like this is a very I love...

"Well actually I'm proud of it so when they call me hey you license bought an insurance I'm like yes we are so I like saying that ." - Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert To use or not to use liquid drain cleaners in your home's plumbing. Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder - "The Family Plumber" answers this question on the Check A Pro Radio Show with host Jim Klauck, AKA Check A Pro Joe! Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: Well,l actually I'm proud of it so when they call me hey you license bought an insurance I'm like yes we are so I like saying that. This is the check a pro radio show check a pro Joe has assembled a team of pre-qualified home service contractors to bring you the latest in services products and techniques now here's your host the man with a hard hat and tool belt check a pro Joe don't do it everybody I caution you do not hire the handyman to do a plumbers job plumbers are trained their license and they know how to do the job properly their experiences all they do they don't do electrical work they don't do air conditioning work they don't do handyman work they are professional plumbers so when you have a plumbing issue a plumbing problem hire a professional licensed plumber like Bobby Crowder the family plumber and surprise AZ Bobby welcome to the program hi Joe thanks for having me on yeah so why shouldn't people hire a handyman to do plumbing work well The thing is that the handyman is more you know I wouldn't say versatile but they have little bits and pieces here and there they come like the Jack of all trades master of none meaning they don't master one On one trade and that's our profession you know so they had little bits and pieces here and there when it comes to a licensed plumber you're getting somebody that's trained it's been trained for many years in order to get the license they've taken the test they know all the codes not only that they also insured too so something happens you you're covered you know when it comes to handyman if something happens they walk away and now you're stuck with the bill or the repair or the damages so a licensed insured plumber is the way to go just to secure your project that you're having come out to do sure so a handyman is a generalist and plumbers who are licensed are specialists it's kind of the same thing in the medical field this may help people a little bit when you go to your doctor and you're not feeling well you're having some stomach issues they're generalist their General practitioner they'll check you out and they'll probably say I'm going to refer you to a specialist for your stomach issues and off you go to a specialist and the specialist knows the stomach that's what they do so that's what plumbers do plumbers understand plumbing they're licensed and they're insured the problem with the handyman is really no one's looking out after them the state doesn't really have a finger on them and so it's just very risky and you don't want to have a plumbing problem because if the waste backs up in your house it's a smelly mess and if the supply lines let loose in your house that there's a huge disaster and you really want to have a licensed plumber they know what they're doing like Bobby that is correct like I said we get that we get it a lot well actually I'm proud of it so when they call me hell you license by insurance I'm like yes we are so I like saying that because you know it took a lot of my time to do you know to get licensed to you know for the bonds and insurance and maintain my license stuff like that I do that for the homeowners so this way the homeowners are safe no matter what if something happens they can the state can step in and all that other stuff and they're...

"Once they see go down the drain it's out of sight and out of mind, but they don't understand what it's doing inside the pipes ." - Bobby Crowder So, why do your pipes get clogged? Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder is here to answer this common plumbing question on the Check A Pro Radio Show! Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: Once they see go down the drain it's outside out of mine but they don't understand what it's doing inside the pipes. This is the check a pro radio show check a pro Joe has assembled a team of pre-qualified home service contractors to bring you the latest in services products and techniques now here's your host a man with a hard hat and tool belt check a pro Joe a common problem ever since we've had indoor plumbing is our drains get clogged it could be hair it could be food it could be waste from the toilet it could be a lot of different things I've asked my friend Bobby Crowder the family plumber to join me here on the program today to answer the question why do my drains get clogged now Bobby I know this is kind of a wide question it's not very narrow but I'm sure that you have some insight that you can share with us some common things like air fat and grease and some common things right correct there's one thing a lot of people don't do it what it is they tell you to maintain your drains and who does that nobody does that no nobody calls you Bobby until they have a problem exactly you know even myself I mean there's times I'll maintain like drains here and there but the typical homeowner that's you know not a plumber they're never no one ever does it's just how it is So what I recommend is you know maintain those drains you know just watch what you're putting down the drains but there's you know there's a product out there that's got like the good bacteria that you could put down your drain that will you know every three to six months they'll maintain their sewer system so just be very careful you know it's a good bacteria it's like a bio you know like you know bioclean kind of stuff so it's a maintaining it maintains the sewer lines in your drain so it'll it'll weigh the grease and but you know anything that can build up in your drains overtime but it's more of a homeowners you know kind of watch what you're doing what you know don't be putting grease in and any kind of thing down the drains that's not supposed to go there even though they figure hey it's going down the sewer line that's you know this dispose of this down the sink and it's done and once they once they see go down the drain it's outside out of mind but they don't understand what's what it's doing inside the pipes it's just your typical homeowner it's nothing that we can't fix for you but we can tell you how to maintain it and that's the way to maintain it would be just watch what you're doing get a you know a bio treatment that actually pour down the drains you know safe one not the acids or anything like that there is some safe ones out there they pour down there and maintain the healthy state of your sewer lines of your drains that keeps them clean I'll make a recommendation the grease is the fats pretty much any food item should not be going down the drain I'm personally not a fan of a garbage disposal so I don't have one because I really don't believe and I've been told by plumbers Bobby for decades the only thing that should be going into a waste line is water clean or dirty or human waste especially into a septic system it's designed to breakdown human waste not necessarily roast beef and a pork chop right I mean it's it's not well you laugh you have pulled out of garbage disposals pork chop bone I know you have and they will get stuck in...

"When you start doing those liquid plumbers you know solutions and stuff like that a lot of times they won't get any like the hard blockage ." - Bobby Crowder To use or not to use liquid drain cleaners in your home's plumbing. Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder - "The Family Plumber" answers this question on the Check A Pro Radio Show with host Jim Klauck, AKA Check A Pro Joe! Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: When you start doing those liquid plumbers you know solutions and stuff like that a lot of times they won't get any like the hard blockage. This is the check a pro radio show check a pro Joe has assembled a team of pre-qualified home service contractors to bring you the latest in services products and techniques now here's your host a man with a hard hat and tool belt check a pro Joe every once in a while our drains get clogged could be our kitchen sink it could be our bathroom sink heck it could even be our toilets and it's inconvenient it can also be dangerous because it can back up so I've asked my friend Bobby Crowder from the family plumber to join to tell me whether or not I should be putting that liquid drain cleaner into my sinks and into my toilets hey Bobby welcome to the program hey Joe thanks for having me on yeah so for years and decades I guess we've seen on TV you know buy these products there's a number of them out there that have liquid in them and are kind of Jelly and you pour them into a sink that's clogged or a toilet and it works its way through supposedly and opens up the drain is this the way to go are these safe well some of them are but a lot of them are not so I don't recommend a lot of them just because overtime they can damage the piping so if anything I would get a licensed plumber out there to actually see what's going on when you start doing those liquid plumbers you know solutions and stuff like that a lot of the times they won't get any like the hard blockage you know it won't release any of the hard blockages it'll release the this the smaller lot you know the softer blockage is what we call it you know if it's draining slow yes it can clear it but there they are bad for the piping but there is some products out there that's really excellent for maintaining your drain and clearing the blockages so I guess it depends the best thing to do is to call you because you're a licensed plumber and explain over the telephone what's going on and you would probably either recommend yes you can use this product or I need to come out and I need to help you yes exactly so when they do call me I do you know I'll recommend some different products that can depending on what kind of blood cancers are they're dealing with the they'll explain it to me and then I'll kind of diagnose it over the phone a little bit but there is you know the best thing is for like a licensed plumber like myself to come out and see exactly what is happening what is causing that blockage it might be might be a hard blockage or might be a broken pipe they were putting a bunch of chemicals down there that's just going to make things worse so we need to come out there and see exactly what's going on call the family plumber hello and water is his name he is the gentleman who's on with me right now all of his contact information is in the description of this podcast and you can also go to Google and type in the family plumber surprise AZ you will get his website and also all of these podcasts that we produced together hey Bobby thank you so much for your help today appreciate it thanks Joe have a good day check a pro as your local source for pre-qualified contractors stay tuned for more of the check a pro radio show.

"So if one element is bad it's just running off one element out of the two then yes you're not going to have much hot water." - Bobby Crowder Running out of hot water? Why is causing this? Is it an old water heater? Is your water heater too small? Bobby Crowder, the Family Plumber explains why you run out of hot water. Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: So if one element is bad it's just running off one element out of the two then yes you're not going to have much hot water this is the check a pro radio show, Check A Pro Joe has assembled a team of pre-qualified home service contractors to bring you the latest in services products and techniques now here's your host the man with a hard hat and tool belt check a pro Joe you know it's 6:00 o'clock in the morning and you get into your shower and the water's cold and you're like why does this happen I know the water heater works because we have hot water at times but why don't we have hot water now so I've asked Bobby Crowder the family plumber to join me here on the program today to answer this question hey Bobby why do we run out of hot water hey Joe thanks for having me on so that is a good question we actually get a lot of calls on that so that depends on the water heater the size of the home and how many people are actually using it so I get a lot of questions on you know it's they're not last it's not lasting long so on and so forth so that depends a gas water heater I'm not really worried about it's more of the electric water heaters that have the elements so if one element is bad it's just running out one element out of the two then yes you're not going to have much hot water but also they say it doesn't last long enough and they have like three people there or you got two people in one person's taking 45 minute shower so on and so forth I will recommend a lower gallon per minute shower head so that that helps out a lot so I even did that in my home lower the you know gallons per minutes on the shower heads someone say you can't get the soap out of your hair if it's too low but the 1.75 depending on the model or the make like kohler's really good they'll they put out enough water like 1.75 and it feels like a lot so compared to the older style which would putting out 2-3 gallons per minute of course now you're going to run out of hot water pretty quickly depending on how long to take it showers for but like I said it just depends on held the water heater is is in good shape how long are your showers so on and so forth so there is a lot of scenarios that's why you know call us out and we'll kind of diagnose that for you and and resolve your problem sure if there's four people taking showers at six 6:30 in the morning and you've got a 30 or 40 gallon water heater that's electric and it's not working well that could be a problem but if you have a 50 gallon gas and it's new you probably don't have a problem right exactly it's just has to be it has to be size for the for the home properly excellent this is great great information thank you so much Bobby, Bobby Crowder the family plumber and surprise AZ all of his contact information is in the description of this podcast Bobby once again thank you so much for coming on today thanks Joe have a good day check a pro was your local source for pre-qualified contractors stay tuned for more of the check a pro radio show.

"So, say it takes a minute to get hot water to your faucet or to your shower so now it'll only take 10 seconds to receive that (hot water)." Have you ever wondered how when you are in a commercial building like a restaurant or hotel you don't have to wait long for hot water at the sink or shower. However, at home it may take some time for the hot water to arrive. Bobby Crowder, the Family Plumber explains how you can have hot water almost instantly at your sink, shower or bathtub. Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out... For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com. Visit Us At - TheFamilyPlumber.com You Can Call Anytime: (623) 738-6171 Podcast Episode Transcript: So say it takes a minute to get hot water to your to your faucet or to your shower so now it'll only take 10 seconds to receive that this is the checker pro radio show checker pro Joe has assembled a team of pre-qualified home service contractors to bring you the latest in services products and techniques now here's your host the man with a hard hat and tool belt check a pro Joe you know what's really nice about being at a hotel when you turn on the hot water it's there instantly and I'm wondering how does that work here I am on the 15th floor of the hotel and I turn the hot water on in my sink or the shower and the waters there immediately but in my one level home it could take two to three minutes to get my shower hot so I've asked Bobby Crowder the family plumber in surprise AZ to answer this question I have why don't I have hot water instantly when I turn it on in my bathroom Bobby how are you good how are you doing Joe I'm have you on yeah thank you so much so what's the difference between what the hotel can deliver me and what my water heater at home delivers me well you could have the same thing at your single story or two-story home your residential home what it is it's just that you know it's a recirculating line that recirculates the hot water back to the to the point of where the water heaters at so when it comes to certain homes certain homes have the recirculating lines built into the home and some do not so when they do it's just a pump that connects to 1/2 inch line that connects to your water heater and circulates the hot water to where when you open up a faucet you have pretty much instant hot water now when you don't have that they came out this incredible I mean it's an amazing invention it's the gruntfest pump and it has a sensing valve that goes to the farthest fixture in the home so when you don't have that recirculating line so there's no more opening up walls or going in the attic and running a separate line you know dedicated lines so now they have this valve that goes underneath your farthest fixture and it goes to the faucet So what it does there's a pump that goes on the water heater that pushes about a quarter of a gallon a minute that pushes the water to this manifold and what it does is it pushes the warm water back into the cold side until it reaches about 103 to 107 degrees then the manifold cuts off so this way you're not constantly pumping hot water into the cold system so when that happens when you turn your faucet now you have your instant hot water there just like the hotels do even if you have a recirculating line so if those valves they if they go bad you'll have hot water in your in your cold side of your faucets you know or a hot toilet water but that's when you know the valve is bad and then you replace it but yeah the convenience of that you just say it's like a 90% so say it takes a minute to get hot water to your to your faucet or to your shower so now it'll only take 10 seconds to receive that so you'll start off with 103 degree temperature until the say your water here is 130 then you'll start getting it'll start getting hotter but at least you can jump into the shower or wash your hands...