Ensure the longevity and reliable performance of your garbage disposal. Some of the dos and don’ts of proper garbage disposal maintenance are:

Dos

Run Cold Water: Always run cold water before, during, and after using the garbage disposal. The cold water helps solidify grease and oil, making them easier to chop up and preventing clogs.

Use Small Pieces: Cut larger food items into small pieces before feeding them into the disposal. This reduces the strain on the blades and prevents jams.

Use Cold Water with Citrus: Drop small citrus peels down the disposal while running cold water. This helps clean the disposal and leaves a fresh scent.

Grind Ice Cubes: Grinding ice cubes helps clean the disposal’s blades and keeps them sharp. This simple practice can prevent odors and improve grinding efficiency.

Don’ts

Avoid Hard Items: Do not put hard items like bones, fruit pits, or shells down the garbage disposal. These can damage the blades and motor.

Limit Fibrous Foods: Avoid dropping stringy or fibrous foods like celery, corn husks, and onion skins into the garbage disposal. They can wrap around the blades and cause clogs.

Stay Away from Grease: Never pour grease, oil, or fat down the disposal. They can solidify and clog the pipes over time.

No Non-Food Items: Do not put non-food items like plastics, paper, or metal into the disposal. These can damage the blades and cause malfunctions.

By following these essential dos and don’ts, you can ensure the proper maintenance of your garbage disposal unit. You can also extend its lifespan and prevent avoidable repairs. For garbage disposal repair in East Los Angeles CA, A-1 Total Service Plumbing is your trusted partner. Call us today for more information or for an appointment.

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Here are some essential things to remember during an emergency plumbing situation:

Do: Turn off the Water Supply

The first thing you should do is shut off the water supply for safety reasons. This will prevent further water damage in your home while waiting for pipe or sewer relining.

Do: Call for Emergency Repairs

Call for emergency repairs as quickly as possible. The sooner our crew arrives and diagnoses the issue, the quicker we can resolve it with cast iron pipe relining or other restoration or replacement services.

Do: Contact Your Insurance Company

When you have a plumbing emergency, such as a burst pipe, call your insurance company after you contact us. Some companies offer partial or even full reimbursement for pipe relining in East Los Angeles, CA.

Don’t: Attempt DIY Repairs

It’s natural to want to save money on repairs. And many people think that a pipe root intrusion repair or other services will cost too much. However, most DIY attempts often result in worse damage to the plumbing and structural damage to the home. You could even injure yourself if you don’t have the right tools and experience.

Don’t: Remain in an Unsafe Environment

Don’t stay in the area if you smell a gas leak or raw sewage has backed into your home. Evacuate all people and pets immediately. Our crew will promptly evaluate the pipe for compatibility with CIPP or other repair methods.

When faced with a plumbing emergency and needing efficient pipe repair on a tight timeline, turn to our professional team at A-1 Total Service Plumbing. We’ll quickly restore normalcy to your home. Contact us today to learn more.

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Dedication to High Customer Value

Our visionary founder, Raymond Gray, comes from a long line of master craftsmen in pipefitting and plumbing. Through experience, our firm knows that fair pricing, providing realistic timelines, and maintaining the right staffing level ensure that all projects go off without a hitch. By prioritizing excellent customer service and listening to what our clients want, we deliver five-star service on every project we handle.

Long-term Commitment to Customer Service

We want to be your forever plumber. To make that happen, we ensure that every customer gets the star treatment every time. During each interaction, we operate with integrity, honesty, and respect. Our customer service also includes hiring the right people. As plumbing technology increasingly focuses on trenchless services, we recruit plumbers with a growth mindset. Trenchless technologies require flexibility and adaptability. We choose and train candidates who are passionate about learning and want to develop their skills in order to deliver the best possible customer service. We hire based on character, not experience.

Building Relationships

Our company aims to build lasting relationships with our customers. To do this, we deliver the top-notch solutions they deserve. Most of our business comes from repeat customers and word-of-mouth recommendations. We also strive to maintain a growth mindset to continue being the company you can always rely on. As a team, we also make it a point to learn from our mistakes and challenge ourselves further by taking on new challenges.

Ready to experience the five-star level of service we provide to each of our customers? Contact A-1 Total Service Plumbing today to schedule an appointment.

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A-1 Total Service Plumbing is here to shed light on preventative home checks and to keep homeowners in the know about what they should look out for in their plumbing systems. By being more informed, costly appliance damage and other frustrating complications can be avoided.

How Should You Go About Proactive Maintenance?

A foolproof plumbing maintenance plan consists of three specific inspection periods: annual, quarterly, and monthly. Following this routine ensures that all essential plumbing components remain in top condition and even the most minor issues are addressed before they wreak havoc in your home.

Proactive Plumbing Maintenance Tasks by Period

• Annual: Water heater inspection and flushing; kitchen line inspection and cleanout; sewer line inspection and cleanout

• Quarterly: Water pressure inspection and any necessary adjustments

• Monthly: Thorough inspection of showers, sinks, and bathtubs for leaks, signs of water damage, and mold & mildew growth

Prevent Plumbing Emergencies by Detecting Early Signs

Your senses of smell, sight, sound, and touch can aid you in detecting early signs of plumbing issues in your home. Conducting casual inspections in areas such as the bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room can help you identify any peculiar odors or changes in temperature that could be attributed to a larger problem occurring behind the scenes. Additionally, if you notice that your sink is draining slowly or that your floors are becoming increasingly cold, then it’s likely time to bring in a professional plumber.

Plumbing Tasks That Should Be Entrusted to a Professional

DIY projects are all the hype these days, but some plumbing-related tasks are best left to professionals. It’s essential to understand which jobs require more technical know-how than what you possess as an amateur handyman or woman.

A few examples include:

• Thorough water pressure testing.
• Flushing your water heater (whether you own a traditional tank model or a tankless unit).
• Performing repairs or replacements.

A lot can go wrong during these complex procedures, and opting to hire a licensed plumber can help to ensure the job is done safely and correctly.

At A-1 Total Service Plumbing, we encourage homeowners to become more informed about their plumbing systems. By engaging in proactive maintenance and always being on the lookout for early signs of plumbing emergencies, costly repairs can be avoided with ease. Contact us today to learn more.

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Below are the essential tips to help you properly maintain your toilet.

Don’t Treat Your Toilet Like a Garbage Can

Your toilet is not a garbage can; don’t treat it like one. One of the major causes of clogging is flushing things other than toilet paper. This includes cleaning wipes and feminine products among others. These materials aren’t easily dissolved and can eventually clog your toilet.

Inspect the Shut Off Valve

Located either behind or right under the toilet, this knob is responsible for shutting off the water supply to the toilet when needed. Should it refuse to budge, make sure to reach out to your trusted local plumber to have it serviced.

Check for Leaks Regularly

Leaks can happen in many parts of your toilet. It is important to always keep an eye on your toilet to spot any leaks. Ensure you check every part of your toilet. Use food coloring inside the tank to detect leaks. You will need the services of a professional plumber for better results.

Use Water Softeners

The installation of water softeners can be beneficial to your entire plumbing system–toilets included. Unlike soft water, hard water has a lot of minerals such as calcium. These minerals accumulate and block pipes as time goes by. On top of that, hard water breaks down vital toilet components. For instance, seals degenerate much faster when exposed to hard water.

Proper toilet maintenance can save you a lot of trouble as a homeowner. There’s no better way of keeping your toilet in good shape than working with a reputable plumbing company like A-1 Total Service Plumbing that’s backed by many years of experience. Contact us today for all your plumbing issues!

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A-1 Total Service Plumbing receives multiple calls on malfunctioning washing appliances. In most cases, we find out the filter has never been checked. In this blog post, we take a close look at why it is so important to regularly check the washing machine filter.

Why Clean The Filter?

Washing machine filters have everything to do with the drainage system. If the filter is covered with lint the dirty water won’t drain out properly. After completing the wash cycle, you might also notice your clothes are still in dirty water.

Extreme cases of lint accumulation lead to blockage that could prevent the automatic lock system–meaning the washer assumes there is water in the tub. Such malfunctions can ultimately damage the entire washing system.

Signs That You Need Filter Cleaning

• Detergent residue
• Black stains on the washing machine’s rubber seal
• Clothes take longer to dry
• Bad odor
• Lint buildup

Instead of waiting for these signs to appear, make it a point to schedule a regular maintenance schedule with a plumbing company you trust. The interval of checking the washing machine filter mostly depends on how regularly you use the machine and how much load you put on it. The type of clothes you wash also dictates how fast you need the filter checked.

The simple act of cleaning the filters can help keep your washing machine in great condition. At A-1 Total Service Plumbing, you get premium quality services at friendly prices. Let us handle all your washing machine maintenance needs. Contact us now to schedule an appointment!

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At A-1 Total Service Plumbing, we offer two types of pressure relief valves which are suitable for different systems.

They Include:

• Spring-loaded pressure relief valves
• Pilot-operated pressure relief valves

Spring Loaded

The spring loaded valve is the basic structure that provides protection from excessive pressure. The valve contains a nozzle, a disc, and an adjustable spring load that helps the valve to open and close. An increase in pressure level increases the spring force. This causes the pressure relief valve to lift. Most of our systems are designed with overpressure allowance to ensure the valve reaches full lift.

Pilot Operated

The pilot-operated valve consists of a valve inlet and a dome area. The closing force is often greater than the opening force to ensure the main valve is tightly closed. The pilot valve has two designs. The opening can either be rapid and complete or gradual and partial. Pilot valves are often used in large low-pressure tanks.

Other functions of pressure relief valves include:

• Prevent the loss of material
• Safe removal of excess fluid
• Regulate pressure in specific sections
• Sequence motion

Causes of Excess Pressure

Different systems have different pressure limits but the reasons for overpressure are similar. It is important to consult our technicians regarding the most suitable relief valve based on your existing structural needs. Blocked outlets are also common reasons for excess pressure. External fire causes abnormal heat that alters chemical reactions. This also leads to excess pressure.

A-1 Total Service Plumbing has the expertise and extensive experience needed to provide you with top-quality plumbing services. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!

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