Get Your Mind Out of the Gutters

By Billy Aldridge

Being a homeowner means having to wear a lot of hats.  Other than the privilege of paying the mortgage and utility bills every month, there are also a lot of honey dos that need doing on a regular basis, such as mowing the lawn, watering the lawn, trimming the shrubs and blowing off the driveway. (Thank God in Florida we don’t have to shovel the snow.)  There is also the occasional need to play Mr. Fixit.  The point that I am trying to make is with the exception of watering the lawn, which can be more or less automated with the installation of an irrigation system, most of these chores are not exactly labors of love.  Therefore they rob us of what little free time our hectic work week will allow.  So the last thing you want to do is waste any more of your time cleaning out the gutters.

Gutter cleaning is a lot like paying taxes in that it is a necessary evil that we all have to deal with from time to time.  In Jacksonville where the leaves more or less fall all year round, it isn’t unusual to have to clean them on a quarterly basis.  To neglect the gutters not only encourages the downspouts to back up and refuse to discharge water when the occasional gully washer comes through, which in Florida can also occur at most any time of year.  It can also result in damage to your home should water back up and make its way indoors. 

Of course, being a homeowner myself, I can appreciate not wanting to stick your hands into several inches of built up muck every three months in order to keep the gutters clear. Not to mention the danger of having to climb up on a ladder or the roof to do the deed.  If left unchecked, gutters become the ultimate if unintentional compost machines which are quite capable of turning leaves into dirt.  I have seen gutters on neighboring properties sprout grass and even saplings, so full of soil were they.  Once I even discovered a fire ant nest inside my gutters.  Talk about waiting a bit too long before taking action.

While technology has not yet come up with a self-cleaning gutter system, there is a simple way to eliminate 90% of the problem.  What I am referring to are gutter guards.  These are screens that fit snugly atop the gutter that allow leaves and other wind and rain-born debris to pass over while allowing precipitation to pass through the gutter.  They are relatively easy to install (or you can have them professionally installed) and come in a variety of materials, including plastic, rubber or metal to make sure they won’t clash with your home.  While they won’t eliminate 100% of gutter maintenance, they will make the chore of gutter cleaning a lot less of a hassle.  More importantly they become a barrier to prevent the birds and the bees from nesting there. (I’m not so sure about fire ants.)

Since installing gutter guards on my home I have found that the amount of time and hazard saved was no less than 12 hours per year, which is about the time it took me to install the guards.  All in all a good investment of time and money. Now if they could only perfect the robotic lawn mower.  So if you want to keep your mind out of the gutters, Google “gutter guards” today.

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing, a residential and commercial plumbing contractor located in Jacksonville, FL.  Visit their website at http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com for more tips and how-to videos.

Plumbers Jacksonville FL - When is the Right Time for Floridians to Winterize their Homes?

by Billy Aldridge

With the night time temperatures only going down to the fifties and the day time temp in the mid-seventies you wouldn’t think that it was time to start thinking about winterizing your home.  But you’d be wrong.  While we don’t get the kind of bone chilling breezes that the folks in say Chicago or Milwaukee do, we Floridians do have some days and a fair number of nights when the thermometer dips below freezing.  So the last time you want to start thinking about wrapping up the pipes is when one has burst and you are forced to start bailing out the kitchen.  By getting a jump on winter’s steely grip now you will save yourself a considerable amount of time and money in the coming months.

1.      Insulating exposed pipes - While is standard operating procedure to wrap outdoor spigots and drains when we are expecting a freeze, one of the areas that many people overlook in the Sunshine State are water pipes and drains that are either on the exterior of the home, or are in the garage.  These can freeze and burst if left unprotected.  To avoid damage, simply wrap the pipes with electrical-resistance heat tape, or to allow the tap to drip.  When it comes to outside spigots, always remove the hose and wrap the tap with a towel to keep frost from creeping in. 

2.      Check all the windows and doors for heat loss and repair or replace any cracked or missing weather stripping.  This is one that is a no brainer, since it not only prevents frost damage, but it actually pays for itself by reducing the electric bill.  Other than a visual inspection, the best way to detect a draft is to hold a lit candle up to window and door jambs on a breezy day.  If the candle flickers, there is significant heat loss.  Just be sure not to get too close to drapes or you might wind up with a more serious problem to contend with than heat loss.

3.      Inspecting the heating system – Don’t wait until the coldest night of the year to find out that your heat pump no longer pumps heat.  Now is the best time to get the heating system inspected.  Also make sure that you change the filter every month to keep the system from blocking up.  I once had to help a friend chip his filter off of a frozen air exchanger on the hottest day of the year due to the fact that he hadn’t changed it in six months.  Not only can this be a nuisance, but it can cause serious damage to the system.

4.      Drains and Gutters – Clearing out the gutters and drains in the fall means that they won’t freeze over, block up and perhaps fall down during a hard freeze in January.  A sure sign to know if your gutters need cleaning are if a garden is beginning to sprout up there.  A sure sign that your drain needs clearing is when you can no longer see it beneath the leaf litter. 

While Jack Frost isn’t exactly nipping at our noses right now, a sudden freeze can come down from the Northeast at any time during December, January and/or February.  The best time to tackle the chore of winterizing your home is now, while the weather is pleasant and everyone isn’t gang rushing the shopping centers as will be the case after Thanksgiving.

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing, a residential and commercial plumbing contractor located in Jacksonville, Florida.  Visit their website at http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com for all your plumbing needs.

Small Things Add Up to BIG Savings When it Comes to Water Conservation

By Billy Aldridge

When the economy is bad the last thing anyone wants to do is waste money.  But that’s exactly what many people do month in and month out without ever knowing why.  What I am talking about is wasting water needlessly.  Whether you realize it or not, there are a number of ways in which you can save money due to undetected water leaks.  Below are four things you can do every month or so to prevent your money from going down the drain.

1.       The Toilet

Other than installing a high-efficiency toilet which will save you money with every flush, the one Achille’s heel on every toilet is the flapper.   Over time, hard water and chlorine start to take their toll on the flapper, causing it to become warped.  Two of the ways to determine if it is time to replace the flapper are to look and listen.  If you remove the cover from the back of the tank, you should be able to see if the flapper is beginning to warp.  But if you hear the toilet running from time to time when there is no one in the bathroom, this is a sure sign that you need to replace the flapper.  Best of all, replacing the flapper is one of the simplest DIY plumbing projects in the book.  (Below is a video that takes you step by step through the process.)

2.       The Bathroom

Of course, the toilet is not the only culprit when it comes to rounding up the usual suspects when you are trying to track down a leak.  Another common source of water loss is due to leaky faucets and spigots.  You may not realize it, but that drip, drip, drip can add up to hundreds of gallons of water loss each and every month.   The shower can also rob you if you haven’t shifted to a high-performance shower head that can reduce consumption down to less than two gallons per minute.

3.       The Kitchen

While many people spend tens of thousands of dollars to upgrade their kitchens, there are a number of low cost ways to reduce water wastage in the kitchen, including changing the aerator on the faucet to a high-efficiency model, waiting until the dishwasher is completely full to run it and using the spray attachment or filling up the sink instead of simply letting the water run non-stop while you do the dishes.

4.       The Sprinkler System

The irrigation system is another robber baron when it comes to wasting water.   Just as with the kitchen and bath, there are high-efficiency sprinkler heads that can save water every time the system is activated.  There are also moisture sensors that will automatically turn the system off when it rains.  But the single biggest waste of water in the yard is due to cracked pipes and damaged sprinkler heads.  Even though the irrigation system operates on its own, every homeowner still needs to manually check to make sure that it is in proper working order and free from leaks.

The bottom line is that if you don’t want to make the utility company any richer, a little due diligence is all that it takes to make sure that your hard earned cash doesn't go straight down the drain.

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctor’s of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing, a commercial and residential plumbing contractor located in Jacksnville, FL.  Go to http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com for all your plumbing needs.