For over 25 years, Scott Surma has provided the residents of Yelm, Washington, with high-quality plumbing services and custom plumbing solutions. When Scott Surma first founded Top Notch Plumbing in Yelm, Washington, he hoped to not only create a successful business but an institution his community could rely on. Today,  Top Notch Plumbing offers residents a variety of plumbing services, including sewer and rooter services, water leaks and plumbing repairs, as well as remodel and new construction plumbing. Within this site, Scott Surma hopes to share his expertise on a number of different plumbing topics and help homeowners develop a better understanding of maintaining various plumbing appliances and lines. Today, Scott Surma hopes to provide readers with an introduction to these topics by sharing best maintenance practices for sewer and drains, water filtration systems, and kitchen garbage disposals.

Sewer and Drain Maintenance 

Maintaining a home’s sewer and drain lines are one of the best ways to ensure a home’s plumbing systems can continue to run optimally. While there are many different ways to maintain a home’s plumbing, Scott Surma of Yelm, Washington, recommends the following tips that are both effective and gentle on drainage lines.

Snake Your Drain Frequently

Snakes are a tool that can be purchased in most supermarkets and plumbing supply outlets. Snakes are cheap and can be used within the home to remove clogs with little physical effort. Snakes, otherwise know as augers can be fed into most drain lines and work to break up small clogs. While snakes may not work with certain clogs, they do help to prevent the buildup of larger clogs without damaging lines. However, if a homeowner cannot unclog their drain with a snake, this is a good indicator of a larger clog which will need to be removed by a professional plumber.

Use Enzyme Cleaners to Prevent Buildups

Another method of line maintenance plumbers often recommend to clients is enzyme cleaners. Enzyme cleaners are often used to remove stains around the home, but certain types of enzyme cleaners can be used to clean out drainage lines. Homeowners can find these products at most plumbing supply outlets and hardware stores.

Maintaining Reverse Osmosis Filters and Membrane

One of the most common water filtration systems families use within the home is the reverse osmosis water system. Reverse osmosis removes contaminates from unfiltered water, otherwise know as feedwater, by forcing the water through a semipermeable membrane. Water will then flow from the more concentrated side of the RO member to the less concentrated side, providing homes with clean drinking water. Like most water filtration systems, maintenance is a must to ensure clean drinking water and a long-lasting system.

Most reverse osmosis systems are compressed by several filters, including the sediment filter, pre carbon filter, RO member and, and the post-carbon filter. OF these three filters and RO membrane, all four must be replaced and tested on a regular basis. Most plumbers recommend the sediment filter, and two carbon filters are replaced every 6-12 months.

Sentiment filters will work only up to the point where they become fully clogged and water can no longer flow through. For carbon filters, the same is true, as carbon filters absorb impurities and can only absorb so many contaminants before needing to be replaced with a new carbon filter. To ensure that a reverse osmosis filter lasts to its maximum lifecycle, homeowners should complete the following steps:

–        Inspect and replace O’Rings to prevent future leaks

–        Check that the system cartridges are sanitized every service

–        Make sure that the tank’s pressure is set at the proper level to provide the household the maximum volume of clean water.

–        Ensure that the RO is serviced by a professional water purification company every 6-12 months

Maintaining a Kitchen Garbage Disposal

When a garbage disposal is working properly, it is one of the most useful appliances within the kitchen. A kitchen garbage disposal helps dispose of foul-smelling food items and reduces garbage in landfills. However, when disposals stop working, the decaying food that remains within the disposal can leave a horrible stench that permeates throughout the home. In order to avoid this common problem, Scott Surma of Top Notch Plumbing suggests the following tips in order to better maintain the kitchen garbage disposal.

Avoid Hard or Fibrous Food – Garbage disposals were designed for grinding down small, easily disposed of foods. Certain foods such as popcorn kernels, apple seeds, and bones cannot be ground down by the garbage disposals blades and will only harm the disposal and make drainage more difficult. Additionally, fibrous foods should also not be placed within the garbage disposal as fibers often wrap themselves around the blades and can cause the garbage disposal to jam. For this reason, homeowners should avoid placing onion skins, celery stalks, corn husks, and eggshells within the garbage disposal.

Frequently Clean the Inside of the Garbage Disposal — Like many other kitchen appliances, garbage disposals require frequent cleaning in order to continue to perform optimally. Over time, the garbage disposal blades can dull if food has built up too long. Homeowners can use different cleaning agents or other chemicals to remove this buildup. One of the most popular methods is using baking soda and vinegar to displace some of this buildup. After homeowners believe the buildup to be removed, pouring ice into the garbage disposals can help sharpen the blades and displace any remaining food items.

In upcoming blogs, Scott Surma of Yelm, Washington, will continue to share tips homeowners can use to improve their household plumbing, answer commonly asked questions regarding various plumbing issues, and discuss the nuances of starting a plumbing business. Visitors interested in learning more about different plumbing topics are encouraged to return to this site for frequent updates.