How to Winterize Your Home Cold weather is a joy for skiers and people who plow and shovel snow. For the rest of us, it can be intimidating and downright nasty. To stay prepared, you must winterize your home before that time of the season rolls around. Contacting the right professionals to winterize your home is a fundamental part of home maintenance. Your home value and the long-term durability of home HVAC and plumbing heavily depend upon annual maintenance and preparing for the cold snaps ahead. Let's consider some of the critical aspects of winterizing your home below. #1: Home Energy...

Ways To Prevent Home Water Damage No one wants to walk into their home and find their basement or other rooms flooded. Not only does it make the area contaminated with bacteria and viruses, but it leaves behind water damage. One of the most expensive fixes that you can ever have to deal with in your home is water damage. It can rot right through structural supports that can make your home an unsafe place to live. You shouldn't ignore water damage either. The longer it's left to rot, the worse the cost is going to be. When it comes to water damage, the best-case scenario is to prevent it...

How To Use A Plunger Properly Today, your friends here at Benjamin Franklin Plumbers are going to teach you how to use a plunger. Although it may seem like a no-brainer, there is a specific refined technique for people who think they know a thing or two about how to use a plunger. We often hear stories of customers who failed to unclog drains because they didn't know how to use a plunger, so it only makes sense to publish information that is as detailed as possible. Types of Plungers Like any job, having the right tools makes things a whole lot easier. When it comes to plumbing, there is more...

Do I Need a Home Water Filtration System? All water sources in the U.S ranging from rivers to lakes to wells have some degree of contamination. The type of contaminants varies from natural minerals to chemicals from industrial and environmental pollution. Stormwater or pesticide runoff, acid rain, and industrial waste contaminate the rivers and lake water quality, which leads to private wells and public water supply contamination from pathogens, hazardous chemicals, and agricultural pesticides. Most contaminants are not at high enough levels to cause severe illness but can have other health...

Plumbing Tools Professional plumbers provide invaluable services to customers who need major plumbing problems fixed and fast to prevent property damage and unnecessary expenses. But it doesn't mean that you shouldn't have a few plumbing tools of your own. Owning them can help with various minor fixes. Although, it is good to have these plumbing tools whenever you need to fix minor issues that happen. Like a dripping faucet or a stopped up toilet. They come in handy whenever a little plumbing issue happens.   5 Plumbing Tools Your Toolbox Should Have Here are the 5 plumbing tools you...

Light Your Hot Water Heater Pilot Light Your hot water heater pilot light can go out for several reasons. The lack of a pilot light may indicate a problem with the heater itself, but a hot water heater pilot light can go out for other reasons such as fluctuations in the gas pressure. If your pilot light is out, there will usually be cold water coming out of your hot water valves. The good news is that you can follow these 5 easy steps to reignite your hot water heater pilot light:   1. Turn Off the Gas  The first thing you want to do is to make sure the gas is turned off. To do this,...

  Dishwasher Will Not Drain   Since their invention in the late 1800's, dishwashers have become a time-saving appliance that's expected in your average, modern-day home. Like any frequently used home appliance, dishwashers require occasional maintenance and troubleshooting. There is nothing more unpleasant than opening up the dishwasher and seeing the bottom filled with soapy water and food residue. You may question if your dishes are even clean. Check out a few reasons as to why the dishwasher might not be draining below.   Clogged Drain Pipe   If you have noticed that your...

  10 Garbage Disposal Tips   Your garbage disposal is one of the most commonly used appliances in your home. There are good practices to keep in mind that can help extend the life of your garbage disposal, and minimize the maintenance needed. Our plumbers wanted to offer these garbage disposal tips to help keep your kitchen running smoothly.   Tip 1: Use Hot Water While Grinding Food   Using hot water while grinding food in the garbage disposal can help homeowners avoid having problems with grease and clogs that can stick to the sides of the appliance and the pipes underneath...

Gas or Electric Water Heater?   If you have hot running water, your home has a water heater. This appliance would be difficult to live without. There are many types of water heaters and odds may be that you aren't sure what kind of hot water heater your home is using. The most common types are gas and electric water heaters. Less common types are the propane, solar and oil water heaters. An electric water heater uses electric resistance coils, while a gas water heater utilizes natural gas for heating water. Fortunately, there are easy ways to determine the type of water heater you have...

Clogged Bathtub Drain? The bathtub or shower is probably one of the most frequently used spaces in your home, and it's noticeable whenever something isn’t working properly, especially when its a clogged bathtub drain. No one wants to get clean while murky water pools around their feet. There are many factors that can contribute to a clogged bathtub drain, but there are several quick solutions you can try before you might need to call a plumber. Check Strainers and Stoppers Most bathtub or shower drains have some kind of drain stopper or strainer the help keeps large pieces of debris from...