Toilet, Sink, and Shower Plumbing  

Plumbing repairs and options for your bathrooms and kitchen

Clogged toilet. It’s truly one of the most annoying and unpleasant home plumbing problems. However, it's also one of the most common plumbing problems.

If your toilet is not flushing correctly, consider the following as you decide how to get it working again:

• If your sink drains well, your probably have a clog in your toilet trap.
• If your sink also doesn't drain well, it may be a more serious problem such as an obstruction in your main sewer line (often tree roots), or sludgy build-up. In this case, a plumber should be called.
• A clog can often be caused by facial tissue or some other product that wasn’t designed to disintegrate like toilet paper.
• If you have kids, the clog could also be a toy, sock or some other item in the line.
• You may get temporary relief from a plunger, but if the clogs keep happening call a plumbing specialist.

Kitchen sink clogs. Food particles, detergent residue and other matter can all contribute to clogged sinks.  Fortunately, this plumbing problem usually builds slowly so if you notice a clog, chances are that the source of the problem will be nearby and within reach.

• Try  a plunger first. Fill the sink with a couple of inches of water and give it a shot. You’ll know pretty quickly if it works.
• Next, check the trap—the lowest bend in the pipe under the sink. If it has a  cleanout plug at the bottom, just open it up and pull out the clog with needle nose pliers or whatever works best.
• If the trap is the more ordinary kind with couplings on either end, loosen both couplings, slide the trap off and clean it out with a wire brush.
• After removing the trap, you may find that the clog has moved a bit further down the line.  In that case, you can try to insert an auger into the still-open pipe and push the obstruction out.
• IMPORTANT: Before disconnecting your pipes, make sure you put a bucket underneath to catch the water that will run out. And be careful not to apply so much pressure that you crush or otherwise damage your pipes. The last thing you want is to make matters worse.
• Beware of supermarket drain-cleaning products—many of those products can be damaging to your pipes. Instead, try Drainright^® Drain Maintainer—the exclusive drain cleaning product from ARS^® / Rescue Rooter.^®

Contact your local ARS^® / Rescue Rooter^® plumbing specialist for expert help with your toilet, sink, shower or any plumbing problem.

Bathrooms are going high-tech.

Manufacturers including Delta^®, Moen^®, Kohler^®, Toto^® and many others are pushing plumbing technology to new levels.

Saving water. Ecological concerns and legislation are behind some of these innovations, such as low-flow showerheads and toilets to help conserve water.

High-tech toilets and spa-like showers. Others advances are driven by the desire to simply update the features of these bathroom basics. For example, Toto^® offers toilets with automated flushing, heated seats, mechanically controlled seats and lids, bidet-like functions and other spa-like features.
 
And there is even a new wave of showers featuring computer programming to control temperature, water pressure and spray type. It’s a personalized shower experience for every member of the family.

There are a lot of innovations going on in the world of bathroom fixtures that can make your home more comfortable.

Contact your local ARS^® / Rescue Rooter^® plumbing specialist today to learn more about upgrading the fixtures in your home.