NEXT LEVEL QUARANTINING: PLUMBING ED.

What are some things you can do to check on your plumbing system while you’re stuck in your house?

Turn your main water shutoff off and back on again.

Do this a couple of times to make sure the inside parts move like they should and it breaks away any buildup trying to freeze it in place. These should be used every 6 months to a year just to make sure they still work and maintain fluid movement by the integral parts. While the water is off, turn on a faucet or hose bib to make sure the water shuts off all the way to make sure it is working correctly. Note: if you have a pump on your water heater, it is best not to run water with it off as it could burn the pump out. But for most people this test is a good idea.

Look at the pipes under the cabinets.

If any of them are turning green it is most likely that bleach is in one of the cleaners under the sink. Bleach gets into the air even through a closed bottle and corrodes copper pipes. If you see this remove the items containing bleach and put them in a place where they aren’t next to pipes.

Give an overall visual inspection.

Look under cabinets, check the floor under pipes for wet spots, look for stains going down pipes to indicate there is or was a leak. Run water for several minutes in the sinks and look for any drips underneath. This is what we will do to see if everything is in good working order. Sometimes you can catch leaks early by running more water or filling the bowl with water and letting it out. It is good to catch theses leaks early before water damage occurs.

Stay safe everyone!
Concerned about your home and plumbing? Give us a call!
Did you enjoy today’s Next Level DIY blog?
If you did, go ahead and check out our most recent COVID-19 related blogs for plumbing advice!

“Stay at Home” Plumbing DIY’s

Next Level COVID-19 Safety

Next Level COVID Safety: Part 2

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 nextlevelplumbinginc@gmail.com. We’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

The post Next Level Quarantining: Plumbing Ed. appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/next-level-quarantining-plumbing-ed/

“Stay at Home” Plumbing DIY’s

NEXT LEVEL

“Stay at Home” Plumbing DIY’s

2020 has definitely been throwing some curveballs at the world. Since the State of Florida issued a mandatory “stay at home” for everyone, more and more people are spending time indoors, and probably realizing just how much can be done with the time spent at home.

For all of you staying home these days, with more time on your hands than you’ve had in a while, we’ve pulled together a compilation of past Next Level posts to share with you! These DIY posts will hopefully provide helpful tips and inspirations for you during your time indoors- please enjoy and keep positive!

Toilet problems but not wanting to call a plumber into your home during all this COVID mess? Check out this DIY Toilet Fix blog from Byron!

Ask Your Plumber: DIY Toilet Fixes?

Spring cleaning is on many people’s to-do list! We’re here to help with a simple DIY plumbing checklist for you to use during your spring cleaning!

Simple Spring Plumbing DIY’s

Been noticing that certain areas of your home could use an upgrade? Check out this “easy DIY ‘Spa Upgrade’ for you bathroom” blog for more inspiration!

8 Easy DIY Spa Upgrades for Your Bathroom

You can be your own “Fix It Felix” if you check out our “Fix It Felix” blog series! We’ve got tons of great advice on plumbing fixes you can do- no plumber necessary!

Fix It Felix: Slow Moving Drain?

Stay safe everyone!
Concerned about your home and plumbing? Give us a call!
Did you enjoy today’s Next Level DIY blog?

If you did, go ahead and check out our most recent COVID-19 related blogs for plumbing advice!

Next Level COVID-19 Safety

Next Level COVID Safety: Part 2

PSA: COVID-19 (Part 2)

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 nextlevelplumbinginc@gmail.com. We’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

The post “Stay at Home” Plumbing DIY’s appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/stay-at-home-plumbing-diys/

Next Level PSA: Preventative Maintenance

NEXT LEVEL PSA: PREVENTATIVE PLUMBING

We are spending more time at home right now and for many of us that means we can actually get some stuff done around the house. This makes it a great time to do some preventive maintenance on your plumbing.

Here are a couple things you can do to help your system work better and help you understand the health of your home’s plumbing!

Check your flappers.

If you take the toilet lid off and flush it, you will see a rubber flapper piece lifts up and lets the water out. Take your hand and wipe it off on the bottom flat edge. This can clean off the flapper where it sits against the seal as gunk can build up on it. It should also be flexible in most cases, so if it is hard you know you will have to replace it in the near future.

Test your main water shutoff to your house.

For most homes in Florida the shutoff is located outside. Usually on the side of your house closest to the meter by the street. It will be a lever handle or knob most likely and be about a foot or so from the ground.

Turn it on and off. Test the water inside to make sure it is fully stopped. If it shuts off you know it is working in case you need it in an emergency.

Flush your water heater.

Note: we don’t recommend doing this if your water heater is 6 years old or older and has not been flushed before, or if the drain valve is plastic.

To flush the water heater connect a hose to the bottom valve of the water heater, run it to wherever you would like the hot water to go, and turn the valve on at the water heater. Leave the water on to the water heater, and let run for about 5 minutes or until water runs clear without debris.

Electric can be left on as long as you leave the water on the heater. This is because this is flushing and not draining. Do not drain your water heater.

Clean aerators.

On the end of faucets there is a piece called an aerator that has a screen in it. Some models are very difficult to get to, others just thread onto the faucet where the water comes out.

By unscrewing this you can clean the aerator which can increase the flow in the faucet. Only do this as you are comfortable with it. Do not force it, they come off easily if in good condition, if in bad it is best to leave it alone.

Stay safe everyone!

Concerned about your home and plumbing? Give us a call!
Did you enjoy today’s Next Level blog? If you did, go ahead and check out these other blogs!

Next Level COVID-19 Safety

Next Level COVID Safety: Part 2

PSA: COVID-19 (Part 2)

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 nextlevelplumbinginc@gmail.com. We’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

The post Next Level PSA: Preventative Maintenance appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/next-level-psa-preventative-maintenance/

Next Level COVID Safety: Part 2

Next Level COVID-19 Safety: Part 2

How we can help whether you’re quarantined or not!

As we are all now checking daily for updates on the latest Covid-19 news we are all trying to figure out how our lives can continue during this time without exposing ourselves and others to this virus.

At Next Level Plumbing we have been and continue to watch the news so we can learn the latest and stay informed about how it spreads, who is in danger, and how we can eliminate all unnecessary exposure to the virus.

As we have stated last week we have stopped shaking hands, started making sure to wash our hands even more than regularly, are maintaining the advised 6 ft distance from others, are monitoring all our employees health carefully, etc.

This week as we continue to watch the news about Covid-19 unfold we are carefully working out the best ways to be able to help our customers in need, AND not expose either our customers or our employees.

With Covid-19 many people are stuck in their house now, and it would be a great time to meet service people to get things done, but you may not want a stranger coming into your house while you are trying to avoid contact with other people.

Is there anything you can still do?

Yes there is! (This depends on what type of lock down you are in.) There are outside parts of the plumbing system that can be repaired or replaced without any exposure to yourself.

What are these things?

1. The main water shutoff to your house can be replaced if needed completely from the outside in most cases.

2. For those that do not have a cleanout for their sewer system above ground, one can be installed to make it easier, better, and often cheaper to clear a stoppage down the road. It is code to have them above ground now, but it didn’t used to be so there are a lot of older houses with the cleanout buried that could easily be done from the outside without exposure to yourself.

3. Garage work: If your water heater is in the garage it can be replaced or serviced without entering the house.

4. Water filtration: There are inside and outside filtration units. If you are wanting a whole house filtration and conditioning system installed that is usually done in the garage or outside.

5. Any work on the water line from the street to the house and the sewer line outside can be done without going inside.

6. Hose bibs on the outside of the house are able to be replaced from the outside.

PLEASE NOTE!

The list above is about the normal installations. Each individual house may differ, and we can assess that as needed.

We are trying to keep risk of exposure to a minimum while still providing essential services. If there are things that can be done without adding risk of exposure to either our customers or our technicians that’s great!

We hope you all stay safe during this time!

Concerned about your home and plumbing? Give us a call!
Did you enjoy today’s Next Level blog? If you did, go ahead and check out these other blogs!

PSA: COVID-19

PSA: COVID-19 (Part 2)

Next Level COVID-19 Safety

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 nextlevelplumbinginc@gmail.com. We’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

The post Next Level COVID Safety: Part 2 appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/next-level-covid-safety-part-2/

Next Level COVID-19 Safety:

How we are handling the Covid-19 outbreak.

As we are all now checking daily for updates on the latest Covid-19 news we are all trying to figure out how our lives can continue during this time without exposing ourselves and others to this virus.

At Next Level Plumbing we have been and continue to watch the news so we can learn the latest and stay informed about how it spreads, who is in danger, and how we can eliminate all unnecessary exposure to the virus.

As we have stated last week we have stopped shaking hands, started making sure to wash our hands even more than regularly, are maintaining the advised 6 ft distance from others, are monitoring all our employees health carefully, etc.

This week as we continue to watch the news about Covid-19 unfold we are carefully working out the best ways to be able to help our customers in need, AND not expose either our customers or our employees.

At the end of the day, if your toilet is not flushing it is a serious health issue. The fact that we normally operate with good, clean water in and bad water out is what keeps us from getting a whole slew of diseases…

This is why plumbing is categorized under essential services and is remaining open.

 

While we remain open, we want to do our best to ensure we can STAY open for our customers.

This means that if you are sick, we ask you to let us know when you book the call so we can be prepared. Our technicians will stay home if they are sick as well and this will help reduce the spread of the virus.

If you are sick and still need plumbing work done, let us know, and we will try to work out anything that is safe and effective for you, BUT we have to know in advance to be able to be prepared!

We do encourage you to evaluate what is worth doing right now, and what should be put off for later in an effort to slow the spread of the virus.

Come back next week to read our blog for a list of things we can do without much risk of exposure to you or our technicians.

 

PSA: COVID-19

PSA: COVID-19 (Part 2)

Just A Text Away!

We hope you all stay safe!

The post Next Level COVID-19 Safety appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/next-level-covid-19-safety/

PSA: COVID-19 (Part 2)

PSA: COVID-19 “The Corona Virus”

-Part 2-

During this time of uncertainty there is a lot of concern about spreading the virus. We are taking this seriously and are implementing new procedures to protect not only ourselves, but our customers as well. At the same time we are still doing our best to take care of our customer’s needs.

This is why we are implementing video calls to walk you through fixing your own plumbing if you have the corona virus or are knowingly exposed to it.

Here is the basic idea of how it will go.

For those that require plumbing work and who have the ability to try to fix it with help, we will schedule a time for a technician to FaceTime you and evaluate the problem. If it seems like something that you are comfortable to do with step by step help, we will walk you through the process and give an estimate of the price. If you need parts (and are in our service area), we can drop them off at your house and finish the step by step instructions while in the truck.

This is can also be an option if you are someone who needs to be extra cautious in avoiding any exposure to the virus.

While this won’t work for everyone, it is a good way to be able to take care of a plumbing issue and avoid exposing anyone else.

At Next Level Plumbing we are trying our best to do our part to reduce the spread and still be able to take care of our customers plumbing needs.

For more details please just call the office!

Stay safe, be smart, and don’t panic!

We hope you all stay safe during this time!

Concerned about your home and plumbing? Give us a call!
Did you enjoy today’s Next Level blog? If you did, go ahead and check out these other blogs!

PSA: COVID-19

Go Green… Hybrid Water Heaters

Storytime with Byron: “Toilet Truths”

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 nextlevelplumbinginc@gmail.com. We’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

The post PSA: COVID-19 (Part 2) appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/psa-covid-19-part-2/

PSA: COVID-19

PSA: COVID-19 aka The Corona Virus

By now basically everyone has heard of Covid19 or the Corona virus. How will it affect you and the people you care about? We can’t tell that. But we can do our part to help decrease the spread.

At Next Level Plumbing we have implemented a few things to make sure we are doing everything we can to help reduce the spread of the disease and be able to continue to take care of pressing plumbing emergencies.

Here is a list of the things we have implemented as we try to play our part in helping reduce the spread of Covid19.

1. Washing hands. This is always a good idea with plumbing, but we are increasing the amount of hand washing that we do. We are also using hand sanitizers when hand washing is not feasible.

2. Stopped hand shaking. We always strive to be friendly with all of our customers, but in the effort to remove one more way to spread the virus we have stopped shaking hands. We will still be just as friendly (after that short awkward moment of standing there trying hard not to do what we do so naturally).

3. If we show any symptoms that are consistent with the virus symptoms we will stay out of your house and self quarantine.

4. Keep the recommended 3 feet apart from other people.

We hope you all stay safe during this time!

Concerned about your home and plumbing? Give us a call!
Did you enjoy today’s Next Level blog? If you did, go ahead and check out these other blogs!

PSA: Washing Machine Hoses

Go Green… Hybrid Water Heaters

Next Level Need to Know: Plan Ahead for Bigger Jobs!

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 nextlevelplumbinginc@gmail.com. We’d be happy to schedule a free estimate for you and provide you with all the professional help you need!

The post PSA: COVID-19 appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/psa-covid-19/