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Plumber's expect to get calls for service up to 50% more this thanksgiving weekend.
Why? because you're not paying attention to what you're putting down the disposal out
there and you've got all these people coming over and things are getting backed up. So
we thought we'd have Linda Stanfield the owner of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, the Punctual
Plumber, here to help us with our Thanksgiving, and hope that it runs smoothly. I feel like
just last month you were talking about pumpkin guts going down the drain and now we've got
other issues with the disposal. Let's talk about some of the things that people are okay
to put down the disposal, and things that you just need to avoid, and you really have
to pay attention because you get busy everybody's in the kitchen you're entertaining, people
are having cocktails and before you know it you've got some major problems on your hands.
So some of the good things are smooth liquids, but put them down in small amounts with a
lot of water. If you think you have enough water, put a little bit more water down because
that's really the key. Anything that goes down your drain you want to add a lot more
water to be able to push it through and liquefy it.
Now should I run the water and have it be cold for a while?
You know it's good to run the water for a few seconds before you put something down
and then run the disposal for a few seconds, then go ahead and add small amounts, more
water, small amounts, more water. The more water that you put in the more it's going
to go down because the drain looks better at the top and then it gets really small underneath.
So the things that can go down the drain versus what cannot? I know we've talked about pumpkin
guts from last month but if someone's made a pie don't put those down there.
Don't put the seeds down, correct. So fruit pies, asparagus strings can find themselves
around the blades and then the blades won't work well for the next item. So no bones,
no starchy items like rice or pasta, or potato peels. All of that will get in there and when
water starts adhering to it it starts to blow up two times the amount of size that you thought
you put in there.
When we were talking about the oil too, so many times people will cook that turkey and
then just poor that oil down the drain. You gotta let it cool and then put it in a bowl
right?
Yes, discard it another way because you can put it in there and if you saw it in a turkey
pan get hard and cold just imagine what it would do in your pipes. In a week you'll be
calling us because there's more problems.
Now lets talk about the disposal itself and break it down for us because what if there
is a problem?
So the biggest thing is I get calls where people say I want to replace my disposal can
I replace it or how much is it? Really we customize the disposal to the customers use
and needs. there are about 4 or 5 different types of disposals that you can use. So this
here is called an Evolution Excel which has 3 different grinding mechanisms. So you don't
only have two different grinding mechanisms. With this one here it actually grinds on the
top twice and then at the bottom twice. So you have two different areas that it grinds
before it goes on down.
Wow
So the standard disposal the particles will be this big, if you get a system like this
that grinds it 3 times they're going to be much smaller.
So it's easier to pass through.
Exactly so there are disposals out there that can really fit your cooking needs. You still
don't want to put down the seeds and the nuts and the bones, but still, the better that
it grinds before it goes down into your drain the better off. We also have disposals that
will put in a piece of freshener and biodegradable mist each time you use it. So people like
the smell, it doesn't get stinky, but it also gives you a bio-septic area where it helps
with your drainage system and it starts eating away at those particles naturally which is
a good thing.
OK, so does most expensive mean that that's the best one?
Not always. What we want to do is the horse power can change and the amount of different
grinding blades mechanisms can change so we want to make sure we fit the needs of the
kitchen cook or the kitchen user. Some people don't really need a 1 horsepower, other people
put items down there....
Because of how busy they are.
So at thanksgiving most of the time people find that their disposal just didn't meet
their cooking needs.
I personally know that we have a leak right now and I know it's right here, do I need
to replace the entire disposal for something like that?
We can look and see, but sometimes if it's at a connection we can go ahead and repair
it, but most disposals are encased and you really cannot just replace a part in side.
You really need to replace the whole item.
O.K. Alright, and quickly, so you've got a house full of people coming over, what about
our plumbing?
So you want to make sure that even in the bathroom, if you have visitors staying over,
another tip would be let them wait 10 minutes between showers. You want to make sure that
your guests have a hot shower. Some other tips with the bathroom: have a good garbage
can next to the toilet so everything doesn't have to go down the toilet. So have some helpful
areas so your guests can have the best experience at your home.
Have the best experience and nice and clean with no back up problems.
And so no plumber has to come visit you while you're holiday cooking.
If not make a place for him because he's going to join you for dinner. Thanks Linda. Happy
Holidays.
Thank you.