Last week we went over some tips to protect your home before cold weather sets in.  This week we’re going to continue with tips for when temperatures get menacingly low.

When temperatures fall below zero:

• Allow a small trickle of water to run overnight to keep pipes from freezing.
• Open cabinet doors to expose pipes to warmer room temperatures to keep them from freezing.

What do you do if your pipes freeze?

• Shut off the water immediately. Don’t attempt to thaw frozen pipes unless the water is shut off. Freezing can often cause unseen cracks in pipes or joints that will leak when thawed.
• Apply heat to a frozen pipe by warming the air around it, or by applying heat directly to a pipe. You can use a hair dryer, space heater, or hot water. Be sure not to leave space heaters unattended, and avoid the use of kerosene heaters or open flames.
• Once the pipes have thawed, turn the water back on slowly and check for cracks and leaks.

Before cold weather sets in:

• Know what areas of your home, such as basements, crawl spaces, unheated rooms, and outside walls, are most vulnerable to freezing.
• Eliminate sources of cold air near water lines by fixing windows, insulating walls, sealing cracks, closing off crawl spaces, and eliminating drafts near doors.
• Make sure everyone in your household knows where your main water shut-off valve is. If a pipe freezes or bursts, shut the water off immediately.
• Protect your pipes and water meter. Wrap exposed pipes with insulation or an electrical pipe heater. If your meter is located in a pit outside, keep the pit lid closed tightly and let any snow that falls cover it; snow acts as insulation, so don’t disturb it.

Check back next week when we tell you how to protect your home when temperatures fall below zero and what to do if your pipes freeze.

If you need help protecting your home call 973-887-1334 or schedule service on our website.

We’re offering $20.09 off your next service to commerate the new year.  Use this coupon to fix that dripping faucet and check off one of your resolutions!

To book an appointment, call 973-887-1334 or visit our schedule service page.

Russo Bros. & Co. was featured in the Daily Record December 27, regarding “Simple steps [to] help lower homeowners’ heating costs.” You can read the article at the Daily Record website.

Read more heating tips.

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward

Everyone here at Russo Bros. & Co. would like you to know that we appreciate being able to serve you, and we look forward to helping you and your friends whenever the need arises.

We sincerely thank you for your patronage.

Happy Holidays

The holidays are imminent, bringing together family, friends, and a few plumbing emergencies.  Many Americans take part in holiday celebrations with 10 or more guests.  These additional guests put a strain on your home’s plumbing system, which results in more emergency calls to plumbing and drain companies like us.

Big holiday meals require a busy kitchen.  Too much grease and food finds their way into the kitchen drain or disposer.  Holiday guests also equate to extra showers, bath, and lots of extra toilet flushes.  It all adds up to potential plumbing disasters.

Pipes clog because of gradual buildup of grease, hair, soap, food particles, etc.  All it takes is one major overload, like a house full of guests, to exasperate the situation and cause a clogged drain.  Follow these tips to avoid having to call us in an emergency:

In the kitchen:

-Avoid pouring fats or cooking oils down the drain, because liquid fats solidify in the pipes and cause clogs.  Wipe congealed grease from pots.

-Never put hard-to-grind, stringy, fibrous waste into the garbage disposer (poultry skins, carrots, celery, pumpkin pulp, banana peels).  The disposer can’t sufficiently grind these items and they will clog your sink drain.

-Run cold water down the drain for about 15 seconds before and after using the garbage disposer to flush waste down the main line.

-Turn on the disposer before adding food debris.

-Run the dishwasher and washing mechanism at night or at off times to conserve water temperature and pressure for your guests.

Learn more about Russo Bros. & Co. >>

To help lower your heating bill follow these tips:

• Set your thermostat to 70 degrees or lower during the day.
• Lower the temperature at night or when you are not at home. For every one degree you set your thermostat back you save 1-3% on your annual heating costs.
• Consider installing a humidifier. Humid air feels warmer than dry air and increasing the humidity in your home will help you resist winter colds and moisturizes dry skin.
• Install an automatic setback thermostat that can be programmed to turn the temperature up and down at preset times.

Visit us on the web at www.russobrosplumbing.com for additional tips and coupons.