Newsletter

“Blue Poly” Wreaks
Havock in Local Neighborhoods

You may have noticed small rivers in neighboring yards (or your own) from ruptured water supply lines. They are caused by defective supply pipes known as Polybutylene (”Blue Poly”), and are the subject of a $950,000,000.00 class action lawsuit. The chlorine in the local water supply “erodes” the plastic lines and causes them to rupture, leaving you without water, and eroding your lawn! In general, replacing these water supply lines can be costly, with prices ranging to $1,000.00 and more! Emergency repairs can increase this cost significantly. (See our coupon below).

Unfortunately, most of the “Blue Poly” in this area was installed over 10 years ago, which makes repair/replacement not eligible for reimbursement by the manufacturers. To find out if your home is eligible, visit www.pbpipe.com, or call 1-800-392-7591. Eligible homes are entitled to repair/replacement reimbursement (only after a leak has occurred).

Do It Yourself...
...and SAVE $$$!

Many common household plumbing problems can be corrected without the expense of calling a plumber. All you need is a few basic tools and a willingness to get your hands wet. Below you will find a basic “how to” guide for one of the more common household plumbing problems. Should you find that your repair is more than you care to handle, feel free to call us at 770-616-1924.

Clogged or Slow Draining Sink
This problem is commonly addressed with “Drain Cleaners”. Though most drain cleaners are somewhat effective in clearing a drain, they involve exposure to dangerous chemicals, and are often ineffective on seriously clogged drains. Two simple methods of clearing a clogged sink are:
Plumber’s Snake(Auger): A plumber’s snake is a steel coil usually contained in a plastic drum, and is used to physically break up the clog. Small augers are relatively inexpensive, and can be purchased at you local hardware store. They are very effective on kitchen sinks, but may not be applicable on bathroom sinks that have water stops. To use a snake, simply insert a short length of the coil into the drain 6” -12”( do not use on sinks with garbage disposals!), lock the set screw, and turn the handle on the drum vigorously. Unlock the set screw, and feed a little more coil, then repeat the procedure above. Most clogs are in the “P-trap” beneath the sink, so you should not have to feed a lot of coil.

Remove the P-trap: This method removes the need to purchase special tools to clear the clog, but can create a mess if not performed with care. You will need a bucket, and a medium size pair of “channel-lock” plyers. Use this method on bathroom, or kitchen sinks. Beneath the sink, there is a “U” shaped drain pipe (”P-trap”) that connects to your sink drain. This is where most clogs occur. Place the bucket beneath the “P-trap”, and loosen the slip-joint couplings on both ends of the trap with channel-lock plyers. Carefully remove the trap (it will contain water), and empty it into the bucket. Use a coat hanger to remove any debris from the trap, and flush the trap with water to clean. Replace the trap, and tighten slip-joint couplings hand-tight. Turn on the water in the sink, and check for leaks. You may need to further tighten the slip-joint couplings with the channel-lock plyers. Tighten ¼ turn at a time until leak stops. Do not over tighten, or you may damage the slip-joint nuts or “O” rings.

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