The Ghost of Business Past

By Billy Aldridge

As the old saying goes, “One man’s problem is another man’s opportunity.”  That adage has never been truer than it is today, when one considers the glut of office and retail space that has become available due to businesses shutting their doors. While a weak economy can sound the death knell to a number of ventures, there are those who look to capitalize on another’s misfortune by scooping up office and retail space on the cheap.

Ask any commercial realtor or property owner and they will tell you that tenancy for the past few years has been at a historic low.  So too are rents.  Where once office buildings and strip malls were filled nearly to capacity, any drive around town will show you numerous “ For Sale,” “For Rent” and “Space to Lease” signs.  While you may be looking to start a new venture or expand an existing one, realize that while you might be able to rent space on the cheap, there are a few things you need to check out before you sign on the dotted line.

In the first place, while you may inherit a prime location to run your operation due to a vacancy, you may also wind up inheriting your fair share of electrical and plumbing problems that were either ignored or jury rigged by the previous tenant or landlord.  A quick inspection can tell you whether systems are up to snuff, or if you are about to buy into someone else’s nightmare.

Areas to check include:

A picture of antiquated Water Heaters (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

     1.      Are there any signs of leaks in the roof or walls? Wet spots, discoloration and any indication of mold could be signs that water has or is finding its way into the structure.

     2.      When you turn on the hot water, how long does it take for the water to get hot and how hot is the water coming out of taps.  If the water seems to take an inordinate amount of time to heat up or comes out lukewarm at best, this indicates a compromised water heater.

     3.      Do sinks, drains and toilets empty quickly and completely?  Or does the water stand there awhile before it drains?  While this sounds like a simple enough problem to overcome, the last thing you want to do is have your sink back up during your grand opening.

     4.      When you turn on the tap, is the water pressure outstanding, average, or inadequate? Older buildings have older pipes which over time tend to clog with mineral accretions that reduce the effective flow of water.  The only solution in many cases is to re-pipe.

      5.      Are toilets low or high efficiency models?  In structures built before 1990, the toilet can use twice the amount of water every time it is flushed.  If you have a lot of foot traffic, this could add up to real money.

      6.      Other than plumbing, you also need to test every electrical fixture, socket and circuit to make sure that there are no electrical issues that need to be addressed. 

The bottom line is that by taking an hour or so to thoroughly inspect a property that you are considering can save you weeks of problems once you have taken possession.  After all, there are reasons other than financial that cause a business to close or relocate.  Just make sure that the ghost of business past doesn’t come to haunt you in your latest venture.

Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology with Aldridge and Sons Plumbing.  To find even more helpful hints and how-to videos, visit their site at http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com

Are You Ready for Hurricane Season?

By Billy Aldridge

While we may have dodged a bullet when it came to Tropical Storm Andrea, this may only be a taste of 

Tropical Cyclone Bingiza (Photo credit: NASA Goddard Photo and Video)

what’s to come as we Floridians slog through yet another hurricane season.  Since it’s always a good policy to hope for the best and prepare for the worst, I thought I’d take some time to talk about how to prepare your home’s plumbing for nature’s wrath.  While most people are more concerned with stocking the shelves and making sure that they have enough batteries and candles should the lights go out, there are a number of plumbing-related issues that you need to cross off your hurricane checklist before the next big blow.

     1.      Nobody is concerned with potable water until there is none to be had.  When hurricane conditions are imminent, you should fill your bathtub and a number of pots and pitchers with water, since the flooding that accompanies a hurricane brings with it a host of bacteria.  While you can always boil water in order to kill pathogens, if you have an electric stove and the power goes out, this might not be feasible.  So stocking up on water to drink and bathe in before the storm hits is always a good idea.

      2.      Once the water starts to rise, the last thing you want to do is flush the toilet.  This is a sure way to flood the bathroom.  As distasteful as this might sound, you need to have a bucket, plastic bags and baby wipes handy for just such a contingency.  Better safe than sorry.

      3.      Make sure all your drains and sewers are free of leaves and debris.  The last thing you want to do is have water back up into your home when the lightning is flashing and the rain is coming down in sheets.   If your drains have been slow to remove water after an afternoon shower, now is the time to have your local plumber inspect them for root intrusion.  I have actually seen water geyser up from blocked drains during major storms.  While most people worry about wind damage, flood damage is far more prevalent and costly to repair. 

      4.      Other nasty things that can accompany storm waters are snakes, rodents, bugs and mold, all of which would much prefer to spend their time inside your home during and after the storm.  This means you need to check for holes in screens, missing or damaged weather stripping and cracks in walls and broken seals around pipes, all of which can admit creepy crawlies.

5.      Locate and test all the water shut off valves in your home.  Should a pipe burst or water start to backflow into your home, you need to know how to shut off the water to part or all of your home.  (See video above to learn how to locate and shut off your water main.)  As bad as conditions are outside, the last time to start looking for the shutoff is when crud starts infiltrating your home via the plumbing.  You also need to locate and test the shutoff valves on your toilets, sinks, water heater and washing machine to make sure they shut completely.  If you haven’t exercised these valves in years they may have frozen shut and need to be either lubricated or replaced

     Billy Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge & Sons Plumbing in Jacksonville, Florida.  To see more helpful how-to videos go to http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com

Stupid Pet Plumbing Tricks

By Bill Aldridge

You know in my line of work I have experienced a number of “I can’t believe you did that” moments such as when children flush toys and such down the commode.  But lately I have begun hearing tales of stupid pet tricks that revolve around plumbing.  In this week’s blog I will share a couple of these.  I will also request that you share yours with me by emailing any plumbing related pet stories to billy@aldridgesonsplumbing.com.  We will share them with the crowd on Facebook.

Cable TV for Cats

As everybody knows, cats are some of the most curious, intelligent and sometimes downright infuriating creatures that exist on the planet.  I have known felines who could seemingly defy gravity, or otherwise would perform gymnastic feats that no human could hope to match. 

Recently I was told a couple of detective a stories by friends that revolved around their cat.  The first story began oddly enough when his water bill arrived in the mail.  Most people know approximately how much water they use on a monthly basis.  When the bill suddenly skyrockets, as did my friends, the hunt is on for a hidden leak.  The problem was that after two months had passed with an inordinately high water bill, they still had not discovered the leak.

One day the owner returned early from work to retrieve something he had left behind.  This meant that no one other than the cat remained in the house.  Imagine my friend’s surprise upon opening the door to hear the toilet flushing in the guest bathroom.  Nervously creeping down the hallway, my friend was hoping that he wasn’t about to startle an intruder.  However, upon peering cautiously around the door jamb what did he see?  None other than his cat standing atop the toilet tank watching the water swirl round and round in the bowl.  Apparently the cat had been spending the day by reaching down and flushing the toilet in order to entertain himself.   I guess it beats watching cable TV.  Mystery solved.

Cat in a Hot Tan Wall

Another friend’s brother was busy doing some plumbing DIY one afternoon last summer.  He had removed the access panel in the bathroom in order to get at a pipe that was located behind the wall.  (He had promised his wife that he was going to fix a slow leak while she was at her sisters for the weekend.) No sooner did he take off the panel when he realized that he had left his tools in the garage.  So he scampered down to the garage leaving the panel on the floor. 

Coming back to the bathroom he began working on the pipe.  Once or twice during the procedure he heard his wife’s cat meowing from somewhere in the house.  Figuring the cat must be crying for his supper, he quickly finished the repair, closed the panel and went down to feed the cat.  It wasn’t until an hour after filling the cat’s bowl that he realized he had a problem.

You see, while the cat’s food remained untouched, it continued to keep meowing.  Searching high and low, 

Cat (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

the brother couldn’t seem to locate the cat.  It wasn’t until he managed to localize the sound from behind the wall in the bedroom that he realized he had a problem.  Apparently while he had been getting his tools from the garage, the cat had wandered into the bathroom and decided to explore the interesting space behind the wall. 

Running back to the bathroom, he quickly removed the panel and called to the cat.  The cat answered back from some distance away, which meant that he had wormed his way who knew how far inside the wall.  The way he explained it he spent the better part of an hour trying to coax the cat out.  While the cat would respond, he didn’t seem to be in any hurry to return.  Returning to the bedroom, he listened for the cat again only to discover that it had moved even further away from the bathroom.  Now in a panic, he knew he was in deep trouble if his wife came home and found her cat trapped behind the wall.  He was starting to consider knocking a hole in the drywall in order to extricate the cat when he remembered that his neighbor was a veterinarian. 

Running next door, he found the neighbor watching a ball game and drinking a beer.  After explaining his situation and waiting for the vet to stop laughing, the neighbor gave him some advice that precluded his having to start knocking holes in the wall.  He told him to simply leave some cat food outside the opening in the bathroom.  When the cat got hungry enough it would follow the scent to the food and come back out of the wall.  Anxious to find any solution that would not give his wife an excuse to remind him that he was anything but a handyman, he did as he was told and about an hour later, the cat magically reappeared. Needless to say, this is one brother who will never again leave any access panel open anywhere in the house.

Bill Aldridge is one of the Doctors of Plumbology at Aldridge and Sons Plumbing in Jacksonville, Florida.  Visit his website at http://plumbers-jacksonville-fl.com