A water softener is necessary when a home has “hard water”. Hard water contains an abundance of calcium or magnesium. This can cause two major problems. It can make “scale” form on the inside of the pipes. The calcium and magnesium permeate out of the water and stick to the pipes; this reduces the flow through the pipes causing the pipes to eventually clog. Another problem caused by scale is it reacts with soap to form a scum and reduces the soap’s ability to lather; this is turn makes showering less effective.

A water softener replaces the calcium and magnesium ions in the water with sodium ions. To replace the ions the water in the home runs through a chemical matrix or through a small bed of plastic beads. These beads are covered with sodium ions. The beads only contain calcium or magnesium and eventually stop softening the water.
Next regeneration takes places: the beads are soaked in a stream of sodium ions. The water softener creates a brine solution and flushes it through the beads. The brine replaces all of the calcium and magnesium that was built up with sodium. The leftover brine and all of them calcium and magnesium are flushed out through a drain pipe.

Read more about installing a water softener in your home.

• Check your home’s water pressure to make sure it is below 80 pounds per square inch. Anything above this number can be destructive to your home’s plumbing system and lead to an over usage of water.
• During a time when you are not using any water check your water meter. Re-check the meter reading again after eight hours. If the meter is different it may mean there is a water leak that needs to be fixed.
• Over 40 percent of your home’s water usage is due to flushing your toilets. By installing a new flapper and fill valve it will help your toilets run more efficiently.
• A new showerhead can help you save up to 7.5 gallons of water per minute while showering and will not effect your water pressure.
• Repairing all your leaky faucets can save up to 150 gallons worth of wasted water each day, and 4,500 gallons per month.

For information about water quality in your home visit our website.

Is your shower not running hot water? Are you experiencing only cold water running through all of your faucets and fixtures or is it just your shower? This constant cold water flow could be due to a number of different issues.

If all of the fixtures in your home are having cold-water issues, the water heater in your home could be the problem. First, begin by checking your water heater’s temperature to see if it is set on the proper setting. If the heater is an electric model, check for a blown fuse. If the heater is a gas unit the pilot light may need to be relit. After relighting the pilot light, if there is still no hot water there could either be an impediment in the flue, a malfunctioning part, a defective temperature control or a buildup of sediment.

The pipes in your shower could be another cause for a lack of hot water. Unless your home has copper piping, which hardly ever corrodes, you may need to inspect and replace your galvanized steel pipes. The issue may also be that you need to check your hot water valve. If your hot water valve is only slightly open or not open at all you will need to widen the opening.

After checking the water heater and pipes if you do not find anything wrong the problem could also lie in the valve in your shower. After time the rubber parts in the valve become worn out, they may begin to bulge and block the waterways. When the water temperature passing through the valve increases the valve enlarges, this leads to parts falling off and obstructing the hot water valve.

Diagnosing your own hot water problem is not always easy. If you are experiencing a shortage of hot water in your home call Russo Bros. & Co. and we will gladly come inspect the possible problem areas and give you an estimate on the spot.

Read more about our plumbing services.

If you have a drain that continuously becomes clogged, you’re not alone.  At least one in five homes has a similar problem with a tub, shower, sink, toilet, or drain. If you’re like most people, you’ve probably used a plunger or poured a chemical down the drain to free the blockage.

Don’t!

Over time, drains and pipes become impacted, and a “sludge” forms around the inside of the pipes. Snaking or plunging may temporarilyassuage the clog, but they don’t eliminate the cause. And if you use chemicals, you may be harming your pipes and fixtures.

When you have a drain with consistent problems, call a professional, like Russo Bros. & Co.  We will send a highly qualified technician in a fully stocked truck to assess the situation.  They can find out if it really is just a clump of hair causing a clog, or something more serious, like a tree root that’s slowly destroying your piping.

Learn more about our drain cleaning service.

We here at Russo Bros. & Co. have a mission and set of core values that we apply to our everyday work.

Mission Statement

We are committed to 100% customer satisfaction by providing outstanding, on-time, quality service with the highest caliber employees.

Core Values

• Accountability: We follow through on our responsibilities and actions
• Teamwork: Our office and field staff work together to provide outstanding service to our clients.
• Honesty: We always deliver value to the client and inform them of their options.
• Integrity: We never compromise our professional recommendations to save a client time or money. We always treat a client’s home or office as if it was our own.
• Quality: We pride ourselves on high quality work products that help maintain the safety and well being of our clients.
• Organized: We keep our trucks neat and fully stocked so we can perform all service calls the first time.
• Cleanliness: We always smell good and look presentable when performing service calls.
• Friendliness: We keep communications open; anyone can speak with anyone within our company.
• Respect: All employees have value to add to our organization.

Visit our site to learn the history of Russo Bros. & Co.

Our booties are red,

Our uniforms are blue,

If your faucet is leaking,

We’ll fix it for you!

To book an appointment, call 973-887-1334 or schedule service online.

A typical house spends 14% of their energy bill on hot water. Tips to lower this cost include:

• Installing a low-flow shower head. It can cut water usage by as much as 50%.
• Keep showers under 5 minutes.
• Attach low-flow aerators to kitchen and bathroom faucets. The faucet will flow stronger while using less water. (For a family of four this can save thousands of gallons of water per year.)
• When vacationing during these cold winter months, remember to place your water heater in vacation mode.

Read more tips from Russo Bros. & Co.