Frequently Asked Questions

Pipe corrosion can be caused by a number of things, almost all of which are related to water quality, including:

• Chemicals in the water
• The pH of the water
• The amount of oxygen in the water
• The temperature of the water
• The water pressure and the speed at which the water moves through the pipes.

Most faucets can be cleaned with a damp, soft cloth. If you just installed new faucets, you may want to find out if the manufacturer has any recommended cleaning solutions for more stubborn stains. Make sure to avoid any abrasive cleaners or pads – these may scratch the surface and finish of your faucet.

A single drop from once faucet may not seem like a lot. In fact, it takes 15,140 drops to equal a single gallon. But think about it this way:

• If you have one faucet that leaks 10 times a minute, that’s 14,400 drips per day – 347 gallons per year from a single faucet!
• Multiply that by three faucets and it’s over 1,000 gallons!

If you want to figure out how much your faucet is leaking, count how many times it drips in a minute. Once you figure that out, you can figure out how many times it drips per hour – number of drips x 60 – or per day – drips x 1440. From there, you can divide the total number of drips into 15,140 to get the number of gallons you could save by calling Alescio Plumbing & Contracting for faucet repair!

If you can repair the faucet and restore the shine on its finish, faucet repair is a perfect option. However, if your faucet is too badly corroded or too old to find replacement parts, faucet replacement may be easier (and possibly cheaper!).

You really shouldn’t put ANYTHING down your toilet, except what’s supposed to go down there. Avoid putting in things like:

• Baby wipes, napkins, facial tissue or paper towels. While these will flush fine, they don’t break down the way toilet tissue does and will cause clogs or damage your septic system.
• Sanitary products or diapers
• Q-tips, cotton balls or dental floss
• Hair
• Food scrap
• Small toys
• Cat litter

Your toilet may be leaking silently. Here’s how to tell:

Put a few drops of food coloring into the toilet tank and make sure no one uses that toilet for about a half hour. Once the half hour is up, come back and check if any of the food coloring leaked into the bowl. If it has, call Alescio Plumbing & Contracting for toilet repair as soon as you can!

Yes – it just depends on what’s going on.

• If you’ve ever opened your toilet tank, you’ve probably seen a metal or plastic ball resting on the top of the water. This is called the float, and it governs how high the toilet fills. If the float is cracked, water will seep inside and the ball won’t be able to sit above the water. As a result, the toilet can overfill and water can leak into the overflow tube, creating an endless cycle of filling and draining that will wreak havoc on your water bill. Sometimes, fixing the float just involves bending the metal arm it is attached to so the float sits on top of the water – just be careful not to snap it! In newer toilets, the float rides up and down in a plastic tube. While these are generally more durable than float arms, occasionally the ball will get stuck on grit or debris and may need to be moved manually a few times to remove the obstacle.
• If the float ball isn’t the issue, check the chain attached to the handle. If the chain is too long, it could get trapped under the flap and let water through. If it’s too short, it won’t allow the flap to seal properly. Shorten it or replace it as necessary.
• If that’s still not the case, you probably have a leaky flapper valve. The flapper valve is located at the bottom of the tank and is generally pretty easy to replace – just pop it off and put a new one in.

This usually means there’s food stuck in your disposal. Since the disposal drain and dishwasher drain are connected, a clog in one will lead to a backup in the other. To prevent this from happening, always make sure your garbage disposal is free of food particles before turning on the dishwasher and always run the garbage disposal with plenty of cold water. If it gets really bad, you can plug up the sink, fill it with water, then remove the plug and run the disposal. The weight from the water should help force out whatever is backed up in the drain, eliminating the blockage. If this doesn’t work, give us a call! We carry garbage disposals on our trucks and can have you up and running the day you call.

Yes – in fact, there are a lot of things that should never go down a garbage disposal. Fibrous foods, including celery, asparagus and artichokes can wrap around the blades and choke them. In addition, you should avoid putting down:

• Potato skins
• Bone fragments and eggshells
• Banana peels
• Fats / grease
• Unpopped popcorn kernels
• Onion skins
• Fruit pits and seeds
• Stringy vegetables like asparagus and celery

The required horsepower for your sump pump is determined by the area of drainage connected to the sump, the depth of groundwater, the depth of the basement, and a few other factors (most homes use a 1/3 hp pump).

Sump pumps are generally reliable, but if they fail it’s usually because of a power failure. During a storm (when you rely on your pump the most), a power outage will render your pump useless. To prevent this, consider installing a battery backup. This will kick a few moments after the power goes out, letting you enjoy peace of mind the next time a storm is headed your way.

If you have a basement that frequently floods or your home is built so water flows toward it, you should definitely have a sump pump. A sump pump will prevent the basement, as well as laundry areas and storage rooms from being damaged during heavy rains or in places where the water table is high.

One benefit of tankless water heaters is unlike conventional water heaters, they never run out of hot water. While storage tank water heaters have a limited capacity (usually between 40 – 60 gallons), tankless water heaters heat water as it passes through the system, meaning you’ll never run out of hot water – especially important when the whole family is in town!

Another benefit is that since there’s no stored water, there’s no risk of an untimely leak (flooding from water heaters is one of the most common homeowner insurance claims!). And, since you’re only heating the water you’re using, you’ll see major reductions on your energy bills.

Everyone’s needs are different so it’s hard to say without knowing exactly what’s going on in your home. To get a rough idea of the size (gallons per minute capacity) you’ll need, think about how much water you use on a daily basis – how long are your family’s showers? How often do you run the dishwasher or washing machine? Do you ever use them at the same time? Try to get a rough estimate of how much water you use, then call Alescio Plumbing & Contracting to install a tankless water heater that meets your family’s needs.