Ken's Plumbing | Blog

Discover the essential steps to troubleshoot your sump pump effectively and keep your basement dry. Follow this comprehensive guide to address any issues and ensure your sump pump is in optimal working condition.

No doubt that we love our pets! They are part of the family, and like any family member, sometimes they can be a little bit of a handful. They can chew on a favorite toy or shoe, or they can scratch our floors and furniture. Although our furry friends don’t mean it, they can also cause a few issues with our plumbing if we are not aware. This happens because the effect they have on our system is not readily apparent. In order to keep our pipes and pets happy, we put together a list of tips to pet-proof your plumbing.

The plumbing system in your home gets used constantly. Every time you take a shower, wash your hands, do the laundry, run your dish washer, go to the bathroom, water the garden...  Well, you get the idea.

While you may not think about where the water comes from and how it gets to its final destination, the process is more complicated than you might think, and it's important to make sure your plumbing system stays healthy.

If your plumbing system breaks down, you will quickly find yourself wanting to pull your hair out in frustration.

Day to day activities aren't the only reason you should care about the health of your plumbing system. Let's take a closer look at why your plumbing system is so important, and why you should give more thought to its health and longevity.

You know you shouldn't do it, but it's just soooo easy. The garbage disposal is conveniently right there and you have a bunch of food waste that you just want to get rid of. You throw it down the disposal, turn it on, and the waste is gone forever with seemingly no consequences. Does this sound like you? We don't blame you. Using the garbage disposal as a second trash can is a very easy thing to do, and half the time people don't realize that the things they put in their disposal can actually cause serious long-term damage that will be pricey to fix.

Let's look at 5 of the worst things you can put down your garbage disposal and why it's probably a good idea for you to make the extra few steps to the trashcan instead.

Clogged drains and other plumbing problems are never a fun thing to deal with -- especially if you have to pay out the nose to get them fixed.

Many times a clogged toilet and simple drain can be fixed with a few DIY methods that can save you from spending a lot of money on a service call that only lasts a few minutes. In today's blog post we're going to look at a few plumbing hacks that can get your draining problems fixed and help save your budget too!

Modern homes have many “invisible” systems—such as buried cables and underground plumbing—that keep things running smoothly without drawing attention to themselves. The flip side of this convenience, however, is that when something breaks down, the problem can go on for a while before becoming obvious.

This is especially true when it comes to your home’s sewer line, the pipe system that discreetly moves all wastewater from your toilets and drains into the main city sewer (unless, of course, you have a septic system). It’s great that we don’t have to think about where all that waste goes—until something goes wrong.

Does your home have a septic tank? If so, you’re not alone—nearly one in five American homes uses a septic system instead of connecting to a city sewer system, and it’s especially common in rural areas.

Relying on a septic tank means you’ll have to take a little more care of what you put down your drains, plus make time to do some regular maintenance to prevent problems down the road.

Here’s how to properly maintain your septic system:

One in five American homes runs on a septic tank instead of a community sewer line.

Is your home one of them? If so, there are several things you need to know about how to keep your septic system running smoothly.

Today we’ll be looking at the simple step of using an enzyme formula to keep the good bacteria in your tank working well!

Why your septic system needs good bacteria

Your septic system relies on natural processes to break down organic solids until they are safe to release into the soil (and thus the groundwater). Naturally occurring bacteria in your tank are primarily responsible for doing the heavy lifting here. When the processed liquid (called effluent) is released into the drainfield, other natural and physical processes break down remaining organic matter from there.

Ah, evening on Thanksgiving Day.

Dinner’s over, the whole family is full and happy, and it’s time to load up that dishwasher and clean the kitchen before the big game (and serving up dessert, of course!).

You pack up the leftovers and now you’re ready to take care of that oily turkey roasting pan.

Here’s where things can go very, very wrong.

If you’re distracted by your nephews and nieces or in a hurry to get to the pumpkin pie, you might just put the pan in the sink and wash all those turkey drippings right down your kitchen drain—not even realizing the huge problem you’re about to create.

Did we ever mention that the day after Thanksgiving is one of the days we plumbers get the most home calls?

Do you dream of a comfortable yard filled with mature shade trees in the summer and a show of foliage in the fall? Trees are a beautiful addition to your home’s landscape. But as with many things in life, keeping trees comes with a price—in this case, occasional maintenance costs.

You probably know the importance of keeping branches trimmed away from your roof. But did you also know that root growth can spell (expensive!) trouble for your home’s plumbing if left unchecked?