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Great plumbing information, news and advice from Curtis Plumbing.

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Best Practices to Keep Your Kitchen Sink Maintained

Best Practices to Keep Your Kitchen Sink Maintained

It’s easy to assume that the dirtiest place in your home would be your toilet. But actually, that isn’t true.

The place in your house with the most bacteria is actually the kitchen sink. A study found that kitchen sinks contain bacteria like E.coli and salmonella. Cleaning sinks is a big part of kitchen sink maintenance, especially when you realize that this bacteria accumulates and there’s old food sitting in your drains and pipes just waiting to form a clog.

Here’s what you can do to keep your kitchen sink clean and maintained in Riverview, Brandon, Valrico, and other nearby Florida areas.


Keeping Your Kitchen Sink Clean

Using abrasive chemicals that are often found in cleaners can lead to damage to your kitchen sink’s finish. A great alternative is to use baking soda and vinegar. Sprinkle a layer of baking soda on the bottom of the sink and let it form into a paste-like consistency. Make sure to then rinse it out...

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Signs Your Pipes Need to Be Replaced

Signs Your Pipes Need to Be Replaced

Older homes often have aging pipes. Mainline backups and leaks are common with such older systems. After the condition deteriorates to a certain point, pipes will need to be replaced.

In more serious cases, calcium deposits can break loose and work their way into your glass of water. Here, we will discuss when it’s time for complete replacement.


Low Water Pressure, Visible Rust, & Leaks Are Key Signs

Fixing pipes under a sink in Brandon.

The water in Florida often leads to a lime buildup in pipe systems. The clogging becomes so severe that there is not enough room for water to properly flow. In the Tampa Bay Area, it’s common for older homes to have cast iron pipes or copper pipes. Hard water can cause buildups and deposits can form, leading to impossible clogs. Eventually, the system’s pressure back builds and can cause leaks.

Another key sign is the presence of rust colored water. When rust is showing in the water itself, it’s usually a sign that corrosion is occurring...

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Why Store-Bought Drain Cleaners Are Harmful

Why Store-Bought Drain Cleaners Are Harmful

No one wants to start brushing their teeth or washing their hands only to realize their sink drain is clogged. It’s gross, it’s annoying, and it’s definitely inconvenient.

There are many drain cleaners you can buy at the store for a quick fix but using those can eventually cause more harm than good. Here are some reasons why you should not use store-bought drain cleaners to fix your drain clogs.


How Chemicals Can Affect Your Pipes

A diagram of how drain cleaners enter pipes of homeowners in Brandon, FL.

When you use these drain cleaners, they come with caustic chemicals inside them. These chemicals can actually cause your pipes to weaken over time if you keep using the drain cleaners. The chemicals work to break up the clog, but the reaction generated when these chemicals mix releases heat. If you have PVC pipes this especially is harmful to them.

Sometimes, the chemicals don’t work so well and can just end up sitting in your pipes. As they weaken, the potential for them to burst increases.

A burst pipe can...

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High-Efficiency Toilets vs. Regular Toilets

High-Efficiency Toilets vs. Regular Toilets

Have you ever thought about how much water is used to power each toilet flush? Back in the 1980s, it was over three gallons each time. To put that in perspective, it’s recommended that an adult should consume two liters, or half a gallon, of water each day.

Water conservation is high on people’s lists these days and there are many ways to save on water consumption within your homes or commercial properties. Converting to water-saving toilets is one way to do this.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, changing to high-efficiency toilets in a home reduces toilet water usage more than 50%. For a family of four, that means saving 15,000 or more gallons per year.

So, are high-efficiency toilets worth the investment? Yes, not only for your water bill, but also for the overall well-being of our environment.


How Do Water-Saving Toilets Work

This toilet we installed for a Riverview homeowner uses less water than the previous one.

The National Energy Policy Act of 1995 brought into law that all new toilets had to be low flow, meaning...

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How to Keep Your Toilet Tank Clean & Why

How to Keep Your Toilet Tank Clean & Why

There are so many things to do around your household, when it comes to cleaning, that some items slip through the cracks and do not get touched. One of the most forgotten items in households is the toilet tank. This area of your bathroom, if left unclean, can lead to the buildup of bacteria, mold, and odors that can have your bathroom consistently smelling unpleasant, as well as pose a health risk.

You should take the time at least twice per year to clean out your toilet tank. And, It only takes a few minutes to do!


Constantly Flushing Unclean Water Leads to Staining & Odors

Toilet tank of a Riverview that is about to receive a cleaning.

Your toilet tank and toilet bowl are part of the same mechanism, so the same water affects them. If the water in your tank is unclean, then you are constantly flushing unclean water into your toilet bowl, which can lead to staining and odors.


Rarely Used Bathrooms Could Have Bacteria in Their Toilet Tanks

If you have a basement or guest bathroom that is rarely used, or you leave your...

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