Smile Today w/ Bay(Maxx)!

It’s National Smile Day!

National Day Calendar- May 31st, 2019

Hello everyone, I’m BayMaxx, Next Level Plumbing’s biggest fan, mascot, office guard dog, and couch potato! If we haven’t met yet, I’ll tell you a bit about myself before the blog begins. I’m probably intimidating from afar, and I can have a scary bark, but I’m the nicest 4 year old American Staffy you’ll ever meet!

I love my humans a WHOLE lot and like to follow them around wherever they go because I’m happiest when I’m close to the people I love. I can’t help but wag my tail whenever my mom smiles at me and I’m very good at listening (especially when dad tells me to do something!)

My favorite thing to do is play with my toys, lay in the sun, and make people smile! So it makes sense that I’m the one sharing with you today!

Did you know today is National Smile Day??

I have a big, goofy smile- but it’s hard not to smile back when a pup like me is grinning at you right!?

Smiling is really good for you, did you know that when humans smile more often it puts them in a better mood, lessens stress, lowers blood pressure, helps improves relationships, boosts the immune system, stimulates pain relief and can also help them live longer!?

So many benefits to smiling more! I wonder what the benefits of smiling more often are for dogs???

Today on National Smile Day I hope you can make the effort to smile more than normal, even if you don’t feel like it! Sometimes doing something good for yourself, even if your not in the mood can help reverse the negativity you might be feeling and shift your perspective in the right direction!

What is something that makes you smile? How can you put a smile on someone else’s face today?

And don’t forget! Smiles are Contagious!

Have a happy rest of the week, I’ll see you next time! Lots of love! -BayMaxx

Thanks for being with us here at Next Level Plumbing! If you’re interested in reading more about BayMaxx or checking out his blog posts, just click any of the following links!

Detective BayMaxx & Water Leak Detection

“A Lesson on Life”: A BayMaxx Blog

Proud of My Plumber! -A BayMaxx Blog

Hope you enjoy!

As always, if you are looking for a plumber to help you out with a maintenance call or plumbing emergency, feel free to give us a call or text at (941)504-3578, check out our website, or email us at nextlevelplumbingllc@gmail.com we’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/smile-today-w-baymaxx/

Ask Your Plumber 1.0

“Can I clear my stopped up drains myself?”

The short answer is maybe. There are a lot of variables involved, but there are things you can do to help clear stoppages, and just as importantly, to keep them from happening in the first place.

Enter now the drain cleaner formulas that flood the market. If you go to the store to pick up a drain cleaner to dump into your slow or stopped up drain you can easily become overwhelmed with the options at hand. As a plumber I have recommendations that simplify the process significantly.

What I recommend for drain cleaners to dump down the drain are the natural ones. The ones with safe bacteria and enzymes in them. These work by adding the bacteria into the drain lines which then begins to naturally break down the organic materials that can build up in the drains. This works the very best as maintenance since the bacteria is a slow acting solution.

I always steer people away from the chemical drain cleaners because they are chemicals and can be extremely harmful, and in some cases fatal if not used properly, or are added when the presence of bleach or ammonia are present. Plus, if the chemical fails to clear the stoppage then the plumber has to deal with the chemicals and very well may charge a higher price because of it.

When it comes to chemical cleaners if they are strong enough to clear a corrosion blockage, then they are probably strong enough to deteriorate the actual piping itself. So while sometimes they can work to basically burn away the organic materials that are blocking the drain, they pose a lot more risk than regular maintenance with the bacteria based cleaners.

So next time you find yourself looking at a big box store for drain cleaning products, disregard all of the chemical based ones and the remaining options will be much more simplified. Good luck, I’ll be checking in on this blog again soon! – Byron Thomson

 

Did you enjoy today’s blog written by Next Level Plumbing’s owner and master plumber? If you did, go ahead and check out these other blogs written by Byron!

Ask Byron: Tank VS. Tankless?

Revolutionizing the Industry: Part 1- “The Problem…”

Fix It Felix: Common Fixes You Can Do!

Hope you enjoy!

As always, if you are looking for a plumber to help you out with a maintenance call or plumbing emergency, feel free to give us a call or text at (941)504-3578, check out our website, or email us at nextlevelplumbingllc@gmail.com we’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/ask-your-plumber-1-0/

Memorial Day Plumbing Prep!

Memorial Day Weekend Is Here!

While you’re busy celebrating freedom & honoring those who’ve fought & fallen for that freedom we enjoy… don’t forget to make sure you & your home’s plumbing are ready for the long weekend of festivities!

Here are some plumbing tips for this & future holiday weekend from Byron Thomson, Next Level Plumbing’s owner & master plumber!

It’s time to break out the grill, make the iced tea and have people over to your house to enjoy your 3 day weekend. I love a good cookout on Memorial Day, and it’s important to make sure everything goes right!

Here are 3 tips to ensure you aren’t surprised by plumbing problems when your guests are over. 

1. If you’re grilling anything make sure you have a hose nearby. Most of us will not have a grilling accident in our lives but for those that do, having water there and ready from your hose could be the difference in a small mishap and a disaster. 

Note: If a hose bib is not nearby you can have one installed close to your favorite grilling location.  Or if you want a cheaper solution just purchase enough hoses to reach and put a sprayer on your hose. 

2. If you are having guests over that means that the drains are going to be worked harder than normal. If you have been putting off taking care of slow drains, stop procrastinating! The odds they will fail for your company drastically increase! Get it fixed before guests arrive. 

3. It will likely be a warm day, do you have enough ice? Do you have an ice maker in your fridge? You can always run an ice maker water line to compatible fridges so you don’t have to buy as much ice. 

Want to read more from us? Check out the blogs below to see what else we share throughout the year!

Finishing Touches & Finalized Checklists

Low Water Pressure? This Could be Why!

Ask Byron: Tank VS. Tankless?

Hope you enjoy!

As always, if you are looking for a plumber to help you out with a maintenance call or plumbing emergency, feel free to give us a call or text at (941)504-3578, check out our website, or email us at nextlevelplumbingllc@gmail.com we’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/memorial-day-plumbing-prep/

Scents of Summer!

Everyone has memories that connect to different times in their lives. All of our senses come into play to help us recall the past, and sometimes déjà vu can hit us hard if we smell, hear, see, taste, or touch something that reminds us of a past memory.

Summer has always been a season that the senses help to distinctly remember for me.

Summer brings me back to seeing my friends all rejoicing for being out of school, listening to the horses run in the paddock when they’re let out in the morning; the taste of lemonade, cold watermelon, hot dogs, hamburgers, and those red, white and blue rocket popsicles at cookouts with friends and family; feeling the sand in between your toes and the cool waters at the beach when you  can’t take the summer heat anymore… smelling the saltwater in the air, sunscreen, vanilla milkshakes, coconut and lime body lotion, and the list goes on.

What does summer make you think of? What did your senses help you recall?

The blog today is all about those summer scents and bringing them back into our lives to make our homes a little brighter and happier!

Did you know today is National Vanilla Pudding Day? And yesterday was National Strawberries & Cream day?

Two things that DEFINITELY remind me of summer!

Let’s bring more summer scents into our homes with some fun and easy DIY Bath or Kitchen Accessories!

Check out these cool lotions, soaps, bath salts and more that can transform the atmosphere of a room with their fantastic summer scents!

5-Minute DIY Pineapple Coconut Pina Colada Sugar Scrub

Green Tea & Aloe After Sun Lotion

Neapolitan Soap Pops

Summer Scented Play Dough

Summer Diffuser Blends

Want to see more fun summer scented DIY’s? Check out our Pinterest- “The Pinteresting Plumber” and look for the board titled “From the Blog to You” to learn more about the many different Pinterest finds we’ve connected to our blog!

Interested in reading more of our blog posts? We’ve shared a few links below so you can easily click and read on!

Summer Vacation Faves from NLP!

Low Water Pressure? This Might Be Why!

BayMaxx’s Best Ways to Conserve Water!

Hope you enjoy!

As always, if you are looking for a plumber to help you out with a maintenance call or plumbing emergency, feel free to give us a call or text at (941)504-3578, check out our website, or email us at nextlevelplumbingllc@gmail.com we’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/scents-of-summer/

Love a Tree Day! (May 16th)

Tomorrow (May 16th) is Love a Tree Day!

National Wildlife Federation: Love a Tree Day 

Hello again friends! I’m BayMaxx, Next Level Plumbing’s mascot, biggest fan, and office guard dog!

I also occasionally take over the blog to tell you all about things that are important to me and my family! Today I’m sharing with you a national holiday that many adults forget, but most school children are made very aware of- National Love a Tree Day!

I say that many kids know about this day because it’s often a fun addition to curriculum and teachers love the opportunity to get their kids outside and appreciating nature!

It’s also incredibly important for young people to know the importance and value of trees on this planet! Check out the link below that explains how important this philosophy is for kids today!

How to Help Children Understand the Philosophy of “The Lorax”

Trees are so important that Dr. Seuss’s “The Lorax” is a common childhood story/movie most all of us have seen! Even as a puppy I saw it when it came out in theatres!

The Lorax talks about the importance of trees and gives a very vivid description for young people as to why trees need to be protected. Anyone who reads the book or watches the movie simply has to agree with or at least cheer on the Lorax when he says,

“UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” “I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues.” – Dr. Seuss

The Plumber’s Unfortunate Reality with Trees…

Some people may not care so much about trees, and some may care a bunch, but when it comes to the safety of your house, or the soundness of your houses plumbing, sometimes trees are not the biggest help.

Many plumbers have to deal with problem roots from trees planted too close to the house that have spread their roots into septic tanks, in and around main pipelines, and into areas they shouldn’t be.

When this happens, plumbers don’t have much of a choice, they often have to chop away at the roots of the tree to free up the problem plumbing area, and that can be a big and difficult job depending on the size of the tree and it’s roots! Sometimes other options are available when there is a problem with a tree and a house’s plumbing, but those options are often limited to time, money, and resources.

That being said, if you own a house you may or may not have experienced this plumbing problem yourself. If you’re looking to buy or rent a house, please take the time to look around and ensure the plumbing is safe and sound, and that no trees are in a place where their roots could cause serious damage to the plumbing in the future!

The Benefits of Trees/ How to Show a Tree Some Love Today!

(When you take the time to read about the benefit and importance of trees today, you might be reminded of just how valuable they are to our Earth!)

Here are 3 out of 22 Benefits of Trees:

TREES COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

Excess carbon dioxide (CO2) is building up in our atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Trees absorb CO2, removing and storing the carbon while releasing oxygen back into the air. In one year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the same amount of CO2 produced when you drive your car 26,000 miles.

TREES CLEAN THE AIR

Trees absorb odors and pollutant gases (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulfur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.

TREES PROVIDE OXYGEN

In one year an acre of mature trees can provide enough oxygen for 18 people.

(courtesy of treepeople.org you can go there to read the rest of the benefits and see what you can do to help our environment as well!)

Want to Show the Trees Around You Some Extra Love?

Check out the link at the top of the blog, (also attached below) for some great ways to spread a little extra tree-love today!

The Five Best Ways to Celebrate Love a Tree Day

I hope you’ve learned a bit about the importance of trees and the role they can play in plumbing as well! Have a happy rest of the week, I’ll see you next time! Lots of love! -BayMaxx

Thanks for being with us here at Next Level Plumbing! If you’re interested in reading more about BayMaxx or checking out his blog posts, just click any of the following links! Detective BayMaxx & Water Leak Detection, A Lesson on Life & Proud of My Plumber!

Hope you enjoy!

As always, if you are looking for a plumber to help you out with a maintenance call or plumbing emergency, feel free to give us a call or text at (941)504-3578, check out our website, or email us at nextlevelplumbingllc@gmail.com we’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/love-a-tree-day-may-16th/

Hide & Seek (Plumbing Ed.): The Anode Rod

It’s time for another round of…

“Hide & Seek: Plumbing Edition!”

This time around we’re going to be learning about…

The Anode Rod!

Wait, what? What is an anode rod?

Every water heater comes with what is called an anode rod installed inside the water heater. This is basically a rod of metal that sits submerged in the tank full of water. The reason water heaters come with an anode rod is to help the water heater last longer.

The water in your water heater is, particularly in Southwest Florida, very aggressive, which means it will destroy many metals it comes in contact with. This includes your water heater. The anode rod is designed for the sole purpose of giving the water something to destroy instead of the water heater itself.

For this reason they manufacture and install anode rods with the water heater out of metals that are easier for the water to destroy than the tank material itself. This means that the water will go to work on the anode rod and eat it to basically nothing before it starts attacking the water heater.

The more aggressive the water, the quicker the anode rod will get destroyed. To help evaluate the health of your anode rode, and by default the health of your water heater, a periodic visual inspection should be performed.

How often should this visual inspection be done? It depends on your water quality and age of the water heater. It is best to consult your local plumber to determine a reasonable schedule to check the anode rod based on your specific situation.

This is one way you can increase the chances of extending the life of your water heater by catching when the anode rod is used up, and replacing it with a new anode rod before the water can substantially damage the tank.

Curious about maintaining your water heater???

I have tried to keep it simple for the purposes of this blog, but if I have sparked your interest there is a lot more in-depth information here http://www.waterheaterrescue.com/Longevity/water-heater-anodes.html

Want to check out more “Hide & Seek” blogs? Here are a few links!

Hide & Seek: How Old is My Water Heater?

Hide & Seek: Finding Your Cleanout

Hide & Seek: Main Shut-Off Valve 

If you’re water heater is extra mysterious and giving you trouble, or have questions about it’s condition, the plumber can always help you out with that!

Hopefully this edition of Hide & Seek has been helpful to you!

As always, don’t hesitate to give us a call or text at 941-504-3578!

Whether it’s a last minute emergency, or something you want to schedule to be done later in the year, we’ll be more than happy to help you with any plumbing problems you may have!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/hide-seek-plumbing-ed-the-anode-rod/

Nat’l Coconut Cream Pie Day

It’s National Coconut Cream Pie Day!

(National Coconut Cream Pie Day)

Are you a fan of coconut cream pie? Or just pie in general? If you are, then today is a great day to celebrate! ESPECIALLY if you would pick coconut cream pie off a list of various pies handed to you!

My personal favorites are coconut cream pie, peanut butter pie, and chocolate peanut butter pie! I’m guaranteed to pick one of those three if I go to an Amish restaurant in town! I’m also guaranteed to finish that piece of pie then and there, because nobody in their right mind let’s a delicious piece of pie go to waste!

There are endless reasons to eat pie… let me name a few for you! Birthdays, holidays, happy occasions, sad occasions, no occasion, for dessert… breakfast…lunch… ok I’ll be honest it’s hard for me to resist pie if it’s offered to me!

If you’re not a fan of coconut cream pie, or you’re just not a “pie person” then don’t worry! You can still get something out of reading this blog! There are plenty of other days to celebrate, and you’re sure to find one you can be all in for soon enough! You can keep an eye out for more fun and unique days to celebrate by following along on our blog here, or by keeping track yourself using the National Day Calendar  

nationaldaycalendar.com

Want to make your own coconut cream pie?? Check out these fun Pinterest recipes!

“Grandma’s Coconut Cream Pie”

“The Absolute Best Coconut Cream Pie”

Prefer to buy your pies? If you’re looking for the best tasting pies in Sarasota, I recommend going to Der Dutchman, Yoders, or Sommers Amish restaurants! They have the yummiest, biggest pies in town! If you want to go the easy route, Perkins also offers some tasty pies, and strolling over to your neighborhood Publix will provide you with quite a few pie options as well!

Curious about more fun days we celebrate here at NLP?! Check out these links to see more blogs like this one!

National Pet Day

National Skilled Trades Day

National Be Heard Day

Hope you enjoy!

As always, if you are looking for a plumber to help you out with a maintenance call or plumbing emergency, feel free to give us a call or text at (941)504-3578, check out our website, or email us at nextlevelplumbingllc@gmail.com we’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/natl-coconut-cream-pie-day/

Sarasota Gardens for Your Meditation Consideration

Today is

National Garden Meditation Day!

It’s the perfect opportunity to get outside, enjoy nature (in your own garden or at a public one) and spend a moment or two meditating and stepping away from life’s craziness to focus on the little things that make the big picture of life beautiful.

If you have a garden at home, then you’ve got one less step to do then the rest of us! But if you’re interested…

Since I don’t have my own garden to go out and enjoy, I’ve discovered some wonderful gardens around town that I’d like to recommend on this National Garden Meditation Day!

#1. Marie Selby Botanical Gardens:

This is the first place I’d recommend to anyone wanting to enjoy nature and beautiful plant life here in Sarasota. Selby Gardens is filled to the brim with a wonderful assortment of every type of flora you can imagine and it’s all within a beautiful garden set up that you can stroll through or pause to enjoy. Want to bring your kids along? They’ve got a Children’s section in the “rainforest area” that will keep the kiddo’s entertained as well as you! Though it’s not free, it’s absolutely an experience worth having here in Sarasota. (Click here to learn more!)

#2. The Ringling Museum:

You’re probably a bit confused about why I’m recommending a museum for Garden Meditation Day, well it’s because within the museum’s property (which is quite a lot of land) there’s an abundance of nature and perfect locations to sit down in the shade of a banyan tree and pause for a moment. This includes the Bayfront Gardens which are a joy to explore and experience. There is also Mable’s rose garden on the Museum property that has a lovely history along with a beautiful variety of roses. Not a big fan of roses? The banyan trees by John & Mable Ringling’s mansion, the Ca’d’Zan (meaning “House of John”) provide endless shade and offer a nice relaxing place to enjoy the breeze from the bay and the sights around you. There’s also a Children’s Play area that I’ve seen many adults envy (including myself) for how fun it is! Though there is an admission to the museum, it’s free on Mondays! (Click here to check out their website!)

#3. Sarasota Jungle Gardens:

More in the mood for activities along with beautiful views of nature? Sarasota Jungle Gardens has both flora AND fauna for you to enjoy! It’s the perfect place for the family with lots to see and do! You’re less likely to find a tranquil place to meditate here I think, but it’s overall an awesome place to visit! Check their website for admission info and more details! (Link to Website & Info)

#4. The Sarasota Garden Club:

Looking for something that won’t cost you an arm and a leg to go and enjoy? The Sarasota Garden Club is free to the public and has plenty of nice spots throughout the Gardens to stop and appreciate! To learn more about the Gardens and when it’s open to the public you can check out their website! (Click here for Garden Website)

Want to create your own little meditation oasis in your backyard? You might need a plumbers help for some of that! For a free, in person estimate you can call or text our office at 941-504-3578 or email us at nextlevelplumbingllc@gmail.com we’ll be happy to help!

Happy National Garden Meditation Day from us here at Next Level Plumbing!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/sarasota-gardens-for-your-meditation-consideration/

National Skilled Trades Day at NLP

Today is National Skilled Trades Day!

(Today on the National Day Calendar!)

It’s an important day for us here at Next Level Plumbing, and it’s important across the nation as well!

Why?

Simply put, the skilled trades play a MASSIVE role in our lives. The broad field encompasses more than you might realize, from plumbing and construction to service jobs and healthcare, beauty stylists, chefs, vet techs and more all work within the category of Skilled Trades.

So many parents push for the children to go to a four-year college and get a degree (I know, I’m one of those kids) but I had no clue- until I met Byron and started working at NLP- that there is a real need for more people in the Skilled Trades, and that depending on the trade you choose, you can have amazing benefits along with a rewarding job! Many of the trades require some time put into receiving a certificate, but for those who aren’t able or willing to go the expensive and time-consuming college route, the trades are an amazing option!

This day is used to help raise awareness in our society about the importance, and value, of the Skilled Trades in the US. For us here at NLP, we celebrate on this day recognizing the hard workers in our area of the Skilled Trades, the plumbers! Especially our very own NLP owner and master plumber, Byron Thomson. We know how hard it is to do the jobs that so many people in the Skilled Trades do, and we want to thank them all, and give our own hard worker a pat on the back and a HUGE thank you for the immense effort and time he has put into becoming one of the very best in his field!

If you’re curious about how this day is celebrated across the nation, and want to learn more about why it’s so important you can check out the link below this blogs title. And if you want to learn more about the plumbing industry, and Next Level Plumbing’s role in the Sarasota industry, you can check out the following links!

The Plumbing Industry Today

Revolutionizing the Industry: The New Customer Experience

Plumber Reviews & Ratings in Sarasota

Have a plumbing problem, emergency, or concern you want to discuss with us here at NLP? You can call or text us at 941-504-3578 or shoot us an email at nextlevelplumbingllc@gmail.com we’ll be happy to help you out however we can!

Thanks for following along with us here, and…

Happy National Skilled Trades Day!

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/national-skilled-trades-day-at-nlp/