Do you live on the first floor of your condo or apartment building? Have you ever come home to a dirty sink that you know was clean when you left in the morning? Have you ever had standing water in your sink or dishwasher knowing that you didn’t use the kitchen and wonder what the heck is going on? Well, these are sure signs your kitchen drain is clogged.

Anyone who lives or has lived on the first floor of an apartment or condo building with multiple units above them may have had this experience. Water backing up in the kitchen sink without ever using the sink. We see this all the time in multi-unit buildings. What happens is the kitchens share a common pipe. The kitchen drain over time becomes clogged below the first floor, usually as the piping changes from vertical to horizontal. This becomes a real serious issue for occupants on the first floor. Any water used at the kitchen sinks in the apartments above will fill up the first floor sink and if enough water is used, fill the sink, spill over the rim or out of the dishwasher and onto the floor.

The water will continue to back up at the first floor causing major damage to floors, cabinets, and countertops especially if no one is home to notice. People upstairs don’t realize there is any problem because their unit is draining properly. The first floor kitchen sink is the lowest opening and that’s where the water comes backs up. I speak not only from my plumbing experience, but personal experience as well. This very scenario actually happened to my mother. She would spend winters in Florida. Her condo was vacant for the winter months. She was, of course on the first floor and I would check on her place twice a week … get the mail, make sure the heat was on, and things of that nature. Then one Sunday afternoon, I walked in and saw remnants of food and debris in the kitchen sink. Being in the plumbing business, I knew exactly what was happening and luckily caught it in time and was able to prevent a more serious problem.

If you ever experience any of the symptoms I described, you’ll need the cooperation from your upstairs neighbors. Tell everyone above you to stop using the kitchen sink or dishwasher. Your neighbors should be able to use everything else in the house i.e., bathrooms, showers, toilets should not be affected. Ask them to stay away from the kitchen and possibly the laundry depending on how the building is piped. If no water is used, the water level will remain the same. As long as the water level remains lower than the sink, you will be okay other than a sink full of dirty, smelly water. As long as your neighbors cooperate, you can avoid more serious damage until help arrives. Again, this is all predicated on the fact that you are at home to discover there is a problem. Imagine going to work, out of town for a weekend, or on a two week vacation and any time anyone of your neighbors used their kitchen sink or dishwasher they dumped that water on your kitchen floor, cabinets and counter top. It is a horrible thing to come home to.

If you are experiencing a slow kitchen drain, or completely clogged kitchen drain, or notice any of the warning signs I described, or any other types of drainage issues or questions, please do not hesitate to call and schedule an appointment today. Call 847-259-0200 for drainage problems or any of your plumbing needs.

By zachadmachinescom

With the cold weather approaching, we offer some very basic tips in order to winterize your home by keeping it warmer and lowering your gas bill.

1. Disconnect garden hoses from frost-proof sillcocks. The garden hose will trap water in the sillcock preventing it from draining and allowing it to freeze and break.
2. If you don’t have a frost-proof sillcock, after disconnecting the garden hose, make sure to turn off the supply valve inside the house supplying water to the sillcock. Then leave the sillcock in open position to allow it to drain.
3. Winterize or seal off drafty windows and patio doors with clear plastic.
4. Insulate the hot water lines around your water heater and lower the temperature of the water heater to around 120°F).
5. Wrap any hot water pipes that run through unheated areas of the house. Also, you can insulate cold water pipes to help prevent them from freezing during the winter.
6. Try replacing the weather stripping around the doors in your home.
7. Uncover all south-facing windows to let all possible sunlight in your home.
8. Keep all baseboard heaters clean.
9. Reverse the direction of ceiling fans to push hot air downward and delay it from escaping the house.
10. Check windows for leaks. Windows with wooden frames often warp and become inefficient.
11. Caulk both sides of the trim around your windows. This is an area where a lot of air can get in.
12. Avoid using space heaters to heat large areas of your house.
13. Winterize or remove any window unit air conditioners.
14. Keep all closet doors closed when possible. There’s no need to heat space that is not in use as long as it doesn’t contain water pipes.
15. Try to use the clothes dryer for consecutive loads of laundry. This conserves the energy that would be needed to heat up the dryer several times.
16. Replace the caulking around any bathtubs or showers.
17. If your home has folding attic stairs, consider winterizing or insulating the door with a cover of some sort.
18. Check the seal on the bottom of your sliding glass doors to make sure they aren’t letting in cold air.
19. If your water heater needs upgrading, consider installing an Energy Star rated heater.
20. Use the oven for baking during colder hours of the day to help heat your home.
21. Make sure that there are not any drafts coming in under doors. If there are, winterize by using a rubber strip to seal them off.

Boiler system heating

If your heat is a boiler system:

1. Winterize by cleaning your boiler – a dirty heat exchanger will not transfer heat efficiently sending most of the energy and your money out the chimney.
2. Have your boiler tuned up – by adjusting the boiler with a combustion gas analyzer and servicing pumps, zone valves mixers and other system equipment, your boiler heating system will run more efficiently which could present serious cost savings.
3. Upgrade your boiler to a new high-efficiency mod/con boiler. These boilers are up to 96% efficient. They will save money on your gas bill.
4. Do you have an outdoor reset installed on your boiler heating system? This allows your system to adapt to the weather and save energy when maximum output is not needed (most of the time).
5. Winterize your boiler system by having it checked to see if additional zones/thermostats can be installed. This way you can keep rooms less used cooler while having your major rooms that are used more during the day warmer.
6. If your boiler is more than 20 years old, there is a good chance that it wastes a lot of fuel. Consider upgrading to a newer one.
7. Install a programmable Energy Star thermostat that will lower the temperature at night and when no one is at home.
8. If you are replacing your driveway or sidewalks, winterize them by installing Hydronic Radiant snowmelt for convenience, safety and protect your new paver or concrete drive/sidewalks.

If you have any questions for your plumbing, hydronic heating or snowmelt systems, please call Quality Plumbing Services Inc. at 847-259-0200 or visit our website at www.qualityplumbingchicago.com.

By zachadmachinescom