Be Cautious With Your Cooking Habits This Fall

September means the start of fall, which brings cooler days, changing leaves and lots of pumpkins. Fall also means that the holiday season is rapidly approaching.

For many, the holidays mean more time in the kitchen and extra strain on kitchen plumbing. This can result in clogged pipes, broken garbage disposals, and stressful plumbing emergencies.

To help you avoid any such problems, today we’ll talk about some things you can do to protect your kitchen plumbing even during the busiest seasons.

Are You Using Grease Traps?

It seems that when you’re cooking a big meal it’s hard to avoid getting a little bit of grease, fat or oil in your sink. As much as you might work to avoid this, when you start moving around lots of pots and pans, it can be hard to prevent.

Rather than panicking about this, make sure that you’re using grease traps. These traps go in your drain or waste pipe and keep grease from passing into your sewer system.

This means that you can prevent blockages and wastewater backups even if a little bit of grease goes down the drain. It’s an easy way to protect your kitchen plumbing and to have a little extra peace of mind this holiday season.

The Secret is a Weekly Hot Water Pipe Cleaning

Another easy way to protect your kitchen plumbing is through weekly cleanings with boiling water. While these might not clear out full blockages, they will help to keep your pipes clean and to clear away small blockages.

Once a week, boil a teapot full of water. Once the drain is clear, pour the boiling water down your drain to clean it out and to get rid of small buildups or blockages.

This is an incredibly simple way to help protect your pipes and to keep them flowing smoothly throughout the holidays.

Garbage Disposal Tips and Reminders

Lots of cooking and entertaining can be hard on your garbage disposal. To keep it from burning out or creating plumbing problems, be thoughtful about how you use it.

Remember first, that it’s not a trash can, but rather is for small amounts of food scraps. Next, always make sure you run cold water when the disposal is grinding.

Finally, pay attention to what you put down the garbage disposal. Never put grease or fats, coffee grounds, starchy foods or fibrous foods in the disposal. These can cause the disposal to stop running and can lead to clogs in your pipes.

You don’t want your garbage disposal to breakdown while you're in the midst of preparing a big meal, so prevent that by always using it properly and by being careful about what you put down it. The holidays can be hard on kitchen plumbing, yet you need all of your kitchen plumbing and appliances working.

Having this ensures that your biggest meals and parties go smoothly. We hope these tips help you to take extra care of your plumbing systems during the upcoming holiday season and that they help you avoid any plumbing emergencies!

Do you want to make cooking and cleaning in your kitchen easier and more pleasant? Garbage disposals can do all of these things while helping Evansville, IN homeowners save money.

These devices let you easily take care of post-meal scraps, create a more enjoyable cooking environment and maintain the health of your plumbing, which means you won't have to call in a plumber as often. They become such a big part of your home life; you'll wonder why you didn't buy one earlier.

Let's get into detail about how these machines can help. Here are three benefits of installing a garbage disposal in your kitchen.

1. No More Pesky Clogs

Try as hard as you might to avoid it; whether it's during meal prep or clean up, some food particles will make their way down your drain.

Larger pieces tend to accumulate over time and form obstructions, which can majorly impact your kitchen's plumbing. This can lead to slowly draining water, standing water in the sink and eventually clogs.

Increased pressure from these blockages may lead to leaks, which can cause water damage under your sink and spread throughout your kitchen. The cost of fixing the damage caused by clogs can be sky high.

Installing a garbage disposal is your best bet to avoid such catastrophe. The device is designed to chop up any food waste into bits small enough to be flushed down without an issue.

It eliminates the possibility of any debris being left behind to potentially form clogs. There will also be no need to order drain cleaning or plumbing repair services, so you get to save money on home maintenance costs.

2. Get Rid of Bad Smells

Homeowners can all agree about the foul stench of old, rotting food. It makes for a nasty kitchen environment and is often caused by food caught in the drain or left in the garbage bin.

Bits of food in drains can sit there for a long time, while smells from the garbage remain until somebody decides to take out the trash. Cooking and cleaning become distasteful household chores.

Having a garbage disposal, however, means you never have to deal with stinky odors again. All the food you toss during meal prep, such as potato peels and leftover scraps after eating can be disposed of instantly. There's no food left to stink up the joint, plus, since food waste is often heavy, taking out the garbage will be easy and done less frequently.

3. Better Dishwashing Experience

Garbage disposals make washing dishes by hand a more pleasant task. If you use the device to get rid of any food before washing, you can let your pots, pans, dishes, and utensils soak in relatively clean water.

There's no need to put your hands in dirty water or handle a sink strainer clogged up by pieces of food. Once you're done, any bits of food left can be chopped up and flushed down by the unit. It's a better cleaning experience overall.

Improved Kitchen Hygiene

Having a garbage disposal installed can significantly improve the overall hygiene and cleanliness of your kitchen. By quickly disposing of food scraps, you eliminate the risk of clogs and unpleasant odors that can arise from rotting food. This keeps your sink and drainage system functioning optimally, preventing the buildup of grime and bacteria that can lead to unsanitary conditions.

Moreover, the ability to efficiently grind and flush away food particles means you can maintain a fresher and more hygienic environment in your kitchen. This not only enhances the overall user experience but also contributes to a healthier living space for you and your family.

Reduced Maintenance Costs

Investing in a garbage disposal can help you save money on costly plumbing repairs and maintenance over time. By preventing clogs and blockages, you can avoid the need for frequent drain cleaning services or the replacement of damaged pipes. This proactive approach to waste management can significantly reduce the likelihood of expensive plumbing issues down the line.

Additionally, the convenience of having a garbage disposal means you'll be less reliant on taking out the trash as often, further contributing to cost savings on waste management services. This makes a garbage disposal a smart long-term investment for homeowners looking to optimize their kitchen's efficiency and overall cost-effectiveness.

Expert Tips for Connecting a Refrigerator

It can be exciting buying a new refrigerator for your Evansville, IN home, but modern appliances are a lot more complicated than their predecessors.

Nowadays, fridges come with water dispensers and ice makers, both of which need to be connected directly to the kitchen plumbing.

Luckily, installation isn't too difficult. It just takes some extra planning and a bit of effort to pull off. Here's a simple guide you can use to help you set up a new refrigerator.

Connecting the Water Dispenser

The very first thing you need to do is find a nearby cold-water supply. Kitchens often have them under the sink.

If you're a lucky homeowner, it's possible there's one directly behind where the refrigerator is meant to be installed, and if this is the case all you need to do is make a direct connection, and you're finished.

Otherwise, once you've located the water supply, follow these steps.

Step 1: Plan Out the Piping

This may depend entirely on how the kitchen is designed. In some cases, it may be possible to run piping through cabinets, while in others one may be forced to have them go through the flooring.

It's also important to record precise measurements, so you know exactly how many materials you need. You may also decide to run the piping either through cabinets or beneath the flooring. Don't forget to record accurate measurements so you can be sure you have enough materials for the project.

Step 2: Water Turn Off Valve

Shut off the water at the supply and run a faucet until all the water flows out. This will reduce the amount of water that may leak while you conduct the installation.

Step 3: Connect an Adapter to the Water Supply

There are three types of adapters you can use to connect your fridge to the water supply: a soldered tee-fitting, a compression tee-fitting, and a saddle valve. Many kits you can purchase from a store will include a saddle valve. We strongly recommend you don't use these.

Saddle valves don't work well and are often made poorly. Many states don't allow licensed plumbers to install them. Instead, you should use a tee-fitting. Soldered tee-fittings, made by hand, are stronger than pre-made compression tee-fittings, but either one will serve its purpose.

After selecting a type of tee-fitting, disconnect the kitchen sink faucet from the water supply and connect the tee-fitting. Next, connect the faucet to the tee-fitting, giving both the appliance and faucet access to water.

Step 4: Attach Piping to Tee-Fitting and Refrigerator

Link up the piping to the final connection in the tee-fitting and run it along the pre-planned path. Hook it up with the last connection behind the fridge. Turn the water back on and look carefully for leaks at the tee-fitting and along the piping.

Once you're able to confirm the connections are solid, test them by running a few gallons of water and making a couple buckets of ice. Keep doing this until you get clean water coming out of both devices.

Connecting the Ice Maker

In modern refrigerators, the water dispenser and ice maker share the same water line.

This means if you successfully followed the instructions above, you should already have a functioning ice maker.

Hiring an Expert to Help

Kitchen plumbing projects can be intimidating, and nerve-wracking.

If you feel you need assistance from an experienced hand, there's no shame in asking for help.

Hiring an expert to perform an installation assures you the job will be done successfully. Feel confident knowing your brand new refrigerator will be up and running in no time.