Plumbing Prep for the Holidays

Prepping For The Holidays

It is that time of year again. The holidays are getting very close. This year may not see the same amount of guests as a normal holiday season due to COVID, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be making our own holiday dishes for our small holiday get-together’s.

As a plumber I have found that there are times of the year when we can expect certain plumbing issues to happen. One of those things are holiday stoppages. When a drain system is subject to the extra grease from the cooking around the holidays it can be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.

What happens is that in a lot of houses the drains are already partially blocked when compared to their original size. This is even more common in houses that have cast iron pipes for their drains.

When the drains fail then you need a plumber, and it’s an emergency. But if you can take care of the problems before they fail all of the way you can do it on your own terms.

One of the biggest signs of a drain that is failing is when the toilet bubbles. This is a sign that the drain system is not working properly and needs to be addressed. If you wait to deal with a situation like this it is likely to fail under the load of company and extra cooking.

So to help your holidays go smoother, take care of the drains when you know you have a problem before they become a bigger problem.

And Happy Holiday’s from all of us at Next Level Plumbing!

Curious to know more about Next Level Plumbing? Let us know! You can continue to read more of our blogs by clicking the links below.

 

Next Level Upgrades: Shower Draining Slow?

Rate & Review Your Sarasota Plumber!

Ask Your Plumber: Toilet Differences

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!

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source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/plumbing-prep-for-the-holidays/

Halloween Horror Stories: Plumbing Edition- Part 2

Halloween Horror Stories:

Plumbing Edition 2020- Part 2

(Told by Next Level Plumbing Owner & Master Plumber, Byron)

It is October, and with Halloween around the corner that means spooky story time has arrived.

In the course of being a plumber, you find yourself having to get into some places you might rather not have to go. Sometimes you just sit there and stare at the place you have to fit yourself into and wish you had chosen a different occupation.

One such instance occurred to me several years ago. This particular place that I would rather not have gone into was under a home. As plumbers we often have to crawl under houses and fix plumbing drains and water lines. Sometimes we have to replace all of the drains and water lines under the home.

Whenever I have to crawl under a house, I open the access up and take a tentative look around with a flashlight from the safety of the outside. I then proceed to shine the light in and put my head into the hole. If all is clear, I start crawling into the dark and sometimes unsettling area.

So once I cleared the space like I normally do, I proceeded to bring my tools and materials under the house with me to perform the work needed to be done. I didn’t have enough room to actually crawl, so I had to scoot myself forward.

Everything was going fine…

until I saw in front of me the remains of what looked to be a mauled animal. It wasn’t fresh, but it didn’t seem to be from too long ago either.

I immediately looked around to see if the mauler was still under the house with me. Not seeing anything, I had to continue my work. But I was prepared with a tool for a club in case I had to face whatever it was that had done the mauling!

TAKEAWAY LESSON FROM THIS STORY:

The moral of the story is this: Always block off entrances to the crawl space below your home. You don’t want critters living under the house and getting into stuff. And if I have to go under there I don’t want it either. So put screens across any access to keep them out!

Did you enjoy this terrifying tale from Next Level Plumbing’s Owner and Master Plumber? If so, you can continue to read more of our blogs by clicking the links below

Halloween Horror Stories: Plumbing Edition 2020

Pumpkin Carving with your Favorite Plumbers!

Next Level Tips: Smart Meter Savvy

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 Halloween Horror Stories: Plumbing Edition- Part 2 appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/halloween-horror-stories-plumbing-edition-part-2/

Rate & Review Your Sarasota Plumber!

It Matters a LOT! Why? Keep reading below to find out!

Here are some common questions that might be asked when considering reviews and ratings for a plumber or other business in the Sarasota area…

1) Where can I rate/review my plumber and the experience I had?

2) When looking at reviews, should I check more than 1 site to verify a businesses reliability?

3) Why are reviews so important to businesses and customers?

Keep reading below to have these questions answered and learn more!

Reviews and ratings are becoming more and more important to businesses and consumers these days. Many people will choose one business over another based on popular reviews, or what the majority has to say about them. Others are willing to take a chance on something new, or prefer to find out how things are on their own.

When you’re about to let a stranger into your home to work on parts of your house that need a professionals attention (like air conditioning, plumbing, construction, etc.) it becomes critical to find someone who you:

1) feel safe allowing into your home, and

2) will do a good job for the price that you pay.

There are far too many horror stories out there of people using a friends handyman to do a job only to have it fall apart and the handyman disappear costing them so much more than if they had originally sought out a professional.

This is another reason ratings and reviews are so valuable to the consumer today. If you are in need of a plumber, pool guy, air conditioning tech, or contractor, heading to google to do your research is a fair a logical next step in the planning process!

However, today there are many places on the web that provide reviews and ratings for all kinds of businesses. Yelp, Google Reviews, Home Advisor, Angie’s List, Next Door, and The BBB (Better Business Bureau) are all options you might come across.

Problem is, which site is going to provide the most reliable and accurate information for you?

Some sites allow businesses to pay more in order to be the first business the consumer sees. Others charge businesses to even be shown on their site, and will display their business as “certified and recommended” for a fee. Not all rating/reviewing sites are unreliable, as they do provide the consumer with other consumers opinions and experiences with the type of business they are searching for.

If you’re wondering if you should check more than one site to verify whether a business is legit or not, we’d say go for it! You’ll find different reviews everywhere you go, and you may see a trend showing as you search for what you’re looking for. Looking at reviews across the board will only help you to make a better decision, rather than only checking on a site like HomeAdvisor and then being unhappy with the business you chose simply due to the reviews you read there.

One fact remains true, while there can be false reviews out there, the majority are going to speak out the truth, if you choose the business with 2,000+ reviews but with a 2.5 star rating instead of the business with a 5 star review but less reviews, you may want to consider the rating or the written reviews to be more valuable in the deciding factor.

Businesses WANT to be rated and reviewed, especially if they are guaranteeing a good experience AND delivering on the guarantee.

Here at Next Level Plumbing we try to ask happy customers if they would be willing to rate and review us, so that we can continue to grow and show new customers what we’re capable of. If a customer is unhappy we do all that we can to fix the problem and make sure we leave them satisfied with the job.

If you don’t think your rating or review matters, it truly does! It may take up a few minutes of your time, but in doing so, you’re helping the community to see what businesses are worth using, and which are worth avoiding.

Next Level Plumbing is thankful for all the wonderful customers we have and the reviews we’ve received from them. Our personal favorite form of review is from Google Reviews! We will continue to work hard for the customers happiness and strive to provide the best plumbing expertise, hopefully that will show in the ratings and reviews as well!

Interested? Curious to know more about Next Level Plumbing? Let us know! You can continue to read more of our blogs by clicking the links below.

Next Level Upgrades: Shower Draining Slow?

Ask Your Plumber: Toilet Differences

Next Level Tips: Faucet Fix!

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 Rate & Review Your Sarasota Plumber! appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/rate-review-your-sarasota-plumber/

Halloween Horror Stories: Plumbing Edition 2020

(Told by Next Level Plumbing Owner & Master Plumber, Byron)

It is October, and with Halloween around the corner that means spooky story time has arrived.

As a plumber for about 18 years now I’ve had a few very unsettling situations I’ve run into, and this is just the month to share some of them with you!

*This story gets rather gross, so if you want to skip ahead, read the last paragraph to get the helpful tip on keeping this from happening to you.*

“The Washing Machine’s Revenge”

I would start with it being a dark and stormy night, but if I’m being honest, it wasn’t stormy, it was just night time. I was the on call technician so I was the one responsible for after hours emergencies. I was going about my evening like any other evening when I received a call on the emergency line. I answered and heard a panicked gentleman on the other end of the line. He told me he had sewage everywhere in his house and he needed me right away.

One thing you learn from being on call is that not everyone describes things the same way. To some people sewage everywhere could mean sewage coming up in the shower. To others it could mean literally everywhere. You never know what to expect when you get there, so it is best to always be prepared.

When I arrived at his house, it was getting late and I walked up to the house with my boot covers that we wear inside ready in one hand, and knocked on the door. When the door opened I realized immediately that my boot covers… to keep the floor nice and clean… were not going to be needed. I walked into the living room and there was sewage ALL over the floor. It was in both bathrooms, kitchen, bedrooms, hallways, living room, etc. Sewage was everywhere.

Long story short, I assessed the issue, found the problem, and fixed it. It was a main line stoppage. Nothing too out of the ordinary, but what WAS out of the ordinary was what caused the stoppage to overflow into the house.

TAKEAWAY LESSON FROM THIS STORY:

When you have a main line stoppage, it means the drain is blocked after all the drains tie together. When you flush one toilet, it can come up in the shower, or the bathroom across the house. What happened here was that there was a blockage like normal, but the washing machine was running. This caused several loads of water to be pumped out into a drain that was already full. It basically acted like a pump to pump sewage into the house.

Helpful Tip Time!

If you have toilets bubbling, or sewage coming up in the shower, do not run the washing machine. If sewage starts coming up in a toilet or shower, turn the washing machine off immediately.

Did you enjoy this spooky tale from Next Level Plumbing’s Owner and Master Plumber? If so, you can continue to read more of our blogs by clicking the links below

Pumpkin Carving with your Favorite Plumbers!

Fall is Upon Us! …Right?

Natural Ways to Make Your House Smell FANTASTIC for Fall!

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 Halloween Horror Stories: Plumbing Edition 2020 appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/halloween-horror-stories-plumbing-edition-2020/

Pumpkin Carving with Your Favorite Plumbers!

Our Next Level plumbers are big fans of Fall! We’re even planning to have a pumpkin carving contest! Things have been pretty crazy this year, so keeping as many traditions as we can helps life feel a bit more normal. Some people decorate their pumpkins a day or two before Halloween, others have already carved or decorated a pumpkin at the very beginning of October. And then there’s the people who go all out decorating for Fall as well as Christmas and every other season that they love! Regardless of how you celebrate, we wanted to share some different pumpkin carving and decorating ideas for you and your family this Fall season.

Hope you enjoy!

The Carved Classic

The famous old fall back that so many of us prefer! Finding the perfect face to carve into your pumpkin can require a lot of, or barely any, thought! Whether you use a template or your imagination, it’s going to turn out different each time! Check out the faces Byron and Mollie carved last year!

The Painted Project

Not into cutting up gourds or getting messy but still the artistic type? This might be the right route for you! Painting a pumpkin will provide you with a unique canvas to create a masterpiece on! Maybe painting is a bit excessive for you? Sharpie works great too, and doodling on the pumpkin can turn into a masterpiece as well!

If you need inspiration for this painted pumpkin of yours, check out Pinterest, or Google some ideas! The options are endless!!!

The Mod Podge Masterpieces

You can use mod podge (found at any craft store, or Walmart!) to make all types of pumpkin masterpieces! You can create a vintage “paint by numbers” pumpkin, or decorate your pumpkin with pictures of your favorite fall memories! However, if you want this pumpkin to last you will want to invest in a Funkin or fake pumpkin which you can find at craft stores and most stores with Halloween decorations available!

Great Gourd Games

Want a more interactive pumpkin on display? You’re in luck! People are using pumpkins for all sorts of things these days! You can make your pumpkin into a dart board, pumpkin puzzle, or beanbag toss! Check out our board to see examples!

The Magic Mason Jar

This idea is so cute and simple! It’s sure to make all those mason jar lovers fawn over your fall artwork and want a pumpkin mason jar of their own! It’s just a few simple steps: cut off the stem of the pumpkin to create a level place for the top of the jar/pumpkin; use a tart pan as the mason jar lid, paint your pumpkin whatever color you want you mason jar to be and add on some yarn writing in the front (using a hot glue gun) to really give it that mason jar look!

The Glitter Bomb

Here comes the Mod Podge again! Once you’ve coated your pumpkin (or created the specific design you want) in this sticky glue, then find a safe place to get glitter crazy! The possibilities are endless with this, just make sure to warn any glitter hating friends or family (ahem… Byron) that there will be a glitter radius they will need to steer clear of!

Pumpkin Personalities

This is a great option if you have kids and/or want to avoid too much of a mess! No need to cut into your pumpkin unless your design of choice requires it. You can make different faces or animals by painting the pumpkin accordingly and attaching different parts to them! Get creative!

The Chiseled Look

Use a linoleum cutter to shave a design into your pumpkin! This unique style is adding a whole new dynamic to pumpkin carving! By shaving off parts and cutting others it creates different lighting effects that are sure to wow any passers-by! You can get extra creative by placing battery powered lights inside to illuminate any holes you’ve put in your pumpkin!

Diorama Display

We used to make dioramas in elementary and middle school, but now we’re discovering that everyone can join the fun with a pumpkin diorama! It is suggested you use a Funkin (fake pumpkin) for this so it lasts longer. After carving out your pumpkin to the desired style (look for ideas on Pinterest!) Spray paint your pumpkin black and cut a large hole in the front to create your diorama within!

Fall Foliage

Not sure what to do with all those fall leaves you collected? Find a white gourd or paint a pumpkin a natural white then découpage those pressed fall leaves onto your round canvas using Mod Podge!

If you are looking for templates to go along with these great ideas, countryliving.com has a ton of perfect pumpkin templates, you’ll have options galore! Don’t forget the blessing that is Pinterest either! It’s a bottomless pit of creativity!

Plumber’s Pumpkin Carving Tip!!

If you plan to put those messy pumpkin innards down the disposal, make sure to use plenty of water with it! Running your water an extra amount always helps anytime you’re using your disposal, so don’t hesitate to do so!

Hope these ideas help you feel Fall in the air! Enjoy!

Happy Fall! You can continue to read more of our blogs by clicking the links below

PSA: Who Do I Call? City or Plumber?

Next Level Upgrades: Shower Draining Slow?

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 Pumpkin Carving with your Favorite Plumbers! appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/pumpkin-carving-with-your-favorite-plumbers/

Fall is Upon Us! …Right?

Here in Florida, sometimes we might be well into the Fall season, but Florida has yet to play catch-up still sporting it’s mid summer attitude with intense heat and humidity.

I, for one, am an absolute Fall lover. The weather, the colors, the food, the atmosphere it brings…. Fall is my favorite! But living in Florida can make it difficult to really feel and appreciate the Fall season.

So, we’re sharing some of our favorite ways to feel the Fall season a bit more here in Florida! Check out our “Next Level” list of Fall faves below!

Here are a few things we’re FALL About!

Cinnamon Brooms or Fall scented candles!

You can find these brooms in most grocery stores these days! Not meant for sweeping, but adding that fantastic fall scent to your home; you can get the small or large kind to hang in your living room, laundry room, car or somewhere else! Not a huge cinnamon fan? Then light your favorite candle and enjoy the cozy feeling it brings to the room!

Pumpkins!

Can one ever really have too many pumpkin during Autumn? Well… maybe…. but I haven’t experienced that yet! Get a pumpkin or two, place them where they will add some autumnal joy to your life, carve one into a happy jack o’ lantern if you so desire, and enjoy!

Simulate the Fall Atmosphere!

The weather outside is sticky and hot? If you aren’t too worried about your electricity bill, turn the AC down a few notches and enjoy the cool feeling of Fall inside!

Bake Something!

If turning down the AC wasn’t enough, you can try baking something as well! Your favorite pie, cookies, bread or pastry, make a soup or Fall favorite that fills the house with a wonderful aroma and warms the soul!

Hope these ideas help you feel Fall in the air! Enjoy!

Happy Fall! You can continue to read more of our blogs by clicking the links below.

PSA: Plumbing Regulations

Next Level Tips: Ghost Toilet!

Ask Your Plumber: Toilet Differences

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 Fall is Upon Us! …Right? appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/fall-is-upon-us-right/

PSA: Plumbing Regulations

Plumbing Service Announcement:

-Plumbing Regulations to be Aware Of-

Today Byron, Next Level Plumbing’s owner and master plumber, is sharing some important plumbing regulations for new homeowners, renters, landlords, when remodeling, etc.

When making upgrades to your house it is important to consider what people you hire to make those upgrades. As a plumber that has been in the field for over 16 years, I have seen jobs that are so terrible I struggle not to laugh out loud in front of the customer; so dangerous that I have had to kill the power and run; and others simply installed incorrectly that never worked well from day one.

And THAT is why we have codes and laws to follow. Not just because when people don’t it drives me crazy, but the important fact that those codes are not only there to protect the current homeowner, but also future homeowners.

It is always a good idea to check with your local authorities concerning your project because requirements can change or vary from county to county. Regardless, I will give a few examples of things to look for so you can be a little more prepared.

There will always be people who will want to do your project for you, but not all of them are qualified. When planning for an upgrade, it is always good to contact the experts in the particular field. Sometimes a handyman can accomplish the upgrades you require, but sometimes they cannot.

Remember! A good handyman should be perfectly willing to tell you that the project exceeds his license, or what portion of the project does.

Each trade has its own license.

The handyman can do small things, but when you get to AC, electric, plumbing etc., it is best to contact a business in those trades specifically. This is becoming more and more important as new technology is introduced and things are not all the same as they used to be.

There are some tasks for the trades that are illegal for someone without a license to perform. Whatever requires a permit needs to be performed by a licensed contractor for that task, or the homeowner can do it themselves. This means that for me, as a plumber, I cannot run a new electric line to a new water heater location because a licensed electrical contractor needs to do that. Ask me to do it? Well…

Sometimes these codes and regulations seems burdensome, but the reason they are there is to give security to the owner and future owners that the job is done correctly and will not cause the building structural problems or even health problems down the road.

Interested? Curious to know more? Let us know! You can continue to read more of our blogs by clicking the links below.

Next Level Tips: Smart Meter Savvy

Ask Your Plumber: Toilet Differences

Next Level Upgrades: Shower Draining Slow?

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: Plumbing Regulations appeared first on Next Level Plumbing.

source https://nextlevelplumbingllc.com/psa-plumbing-regulations/