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More rain please
The rain has kept emergency plumbers on their toes.
If you need help with a flooding emergency, please call us.
Meanwhile, blow the rain to the west.
Our country cousins need it!
Storms bring blocked drains
The well-needed rain that arrived in Sydney over the last few days has created many blocked drains and grates that can easily be fixed.
Take the opportunity in between showers to check any pits or drains around your home that may be blocked by leaf debris or dirt. Put on your gardening or washing up gloves to clean them out; it may save you from some unexpected flooding.
The blocked drain shown here was covered by leaves and gum nuts blown off in the storm. It wasn’t able to cope with the deluge of water that caused the garage to flood.
If your roof gutters are full and overflowing, it may be leaf debris and twigs or even a tennis ball from the summer back yard cricket series blocking the gutter outlets.
If you choose to put a ladder up to the roof gutters to have a look, please be very careful.
Take care climbing on your roof.
It may be very slippery!
The Lone Drainer’s Recipe #3
The Lone Drainer’s Mushroom Sauce for Pasta
This doubles as a fabulous addition, as a sauce for steak the next night, and takes care of two of the five vegetables per day that you are meant to eat.
This recipe is an example of The Hardworking Plumber’s Secret Timesaving Tip: Cook It Once, Use It Twice, (tastes sensational both times!).
This recipe is so simple that it is hardly a recipe; but it’s impressive to eat nonetheless and made in a matter of minutes. I put this on the stove, on a low heat, go have a shower, (yeah, yeah, I know its dangerous, but The Lone Drainer and his Team are tired after a hard day on the tools and a shower while dinner cooks saves precious minutes which means we get to eat earlier).
(Ed: gotta give it to Dave Conroy, always thinking, thinking…).
And credit where credit is due, this recipe was pretty well invented by Leigh, the best gasfitter in Sydney’s east, then developed by me, whom some experts would say is the best and most modest plumber in the Eastern suburbs….
INGREDIENTS:
½ a box of already cut up mushrooms, the kind you buy at the supermarket
Left over white wine
Garlic (buy the bags of single clove garlic from Harris Farm Markets as they take less time to cut and peel- see pic)
Three tablespoons of cream
A tablespoon of parsley – if you have it
A decent glug, glug, glug of olive oil, i.e. three big tablespoons if you want to be accurate
A bag of salad mix
METHOD
Chop up the garlic any old how. Small is good.
In a largish frypan, heat the olive oil on a medium heat, add the garlic, fry until it smells good but not brown, tip in the half box of mushrooms, stir, turn heat down, add a cup of white wine, and half a cup of water or stock, (the mushrooms should be more or less covered with liquid), stir and let stew while you take a shower or set the table. Put a big pot of salted water on low heat, (again the amount of salt doesn’t really matter, but if you like precision, a tablespoon will do).
Okay, all cleaned up now, turn the heat up under the pasta water till its boiling, add the pasta.
Throw some of the salad leaves into a bowl and dress with a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of vinegar. Put on the table. This is your salad to go with the pasta.
Add three tablespoons of cream to your mushrooms and stir. Turn off the heat under them but leave in pan on stove.
Once the pasta is cooked, (it should still have a bit of bite to it as it will go on cooking in the sauce) drain it, put in a largish bowl and add the mushroom sauce to it. Stir and eat. Delicious!
Here is a pic of the pasta in the bowl, ready to eat: (note the inspection outlet in the background – we plumbers are always experimenting with the latest technology)
Next week, we’ll talk about the Plumbers’ pantry cupboard and what you need to keep in it in order to be able to make a delicious dinner in ten minutes flat every night.
Until then,
Read our blog. Cook our food. Admire our plumbing.
The Lone Drainer’s Recipe #2
I scream, you scream, we’ll all scream for The Lone Drainer’s Passionfruit Ice Cream.
I, Dave Conroy, the master of the fast but excellent tasting recipe, have developed a speedy, easy, no-equipment-necessary recipe for fantastic ice cream. OK, it’s not super healthy, but it is home made, you know every single good ingredient (3) that’s in it because you put them there and its 100% natural.
Here is the recipe:
Go to the supermarket on the way home from work.
Buy 1 can of condensed milk and 1 carton of cream and 6 passionfruit.
Stir the cream and condensed milk together in a saucepan over a low heat.
Add the insides of the 6 passionfruit and let it sit off the heat while you open a beer, watch the news, have a shower or water the garden.
Then, (and this is the good bit) raid the grog cupboard, find some vodka. Any other liquor will do, but vodka is good because it has no flavor or colour. Gin will work just as well. Anything that won’t mask the flavor of the passionfruit. Add a good slug, around two tablespoons. Stir. Put the lot in a plastic container and stick it in the freezer. It’ll be ready in about an hour.
This wondrous creation has been tried and tested in the The Lone Drainer’s Test Kitchen many times. There is science at the back of it too. The alcohol in the vodka stops the ice cream forming crystals, which make for an unpleasant texture. Alcohol just won’t freeze in a normal domestic freezer. So it keeps the ice cream creamy. Ipso facto, you don’t have to do all that churning with machines and gadgets and what not.
We’ve tried it with whisky and two espresso coffees instead of the passionfruit and that came out tops too. It’s just not a fussy recipe. But it won’t work without the grog. Trust me. I’m a plumber. And I don’t like to waste good alcohol.
Here is a picture of two thirds of my last batch of passionfruit ice cream. I did want to photograph it BEFORE eating it, but just couldn’t resist. Evidence of how good it is.
Read our blog. Cook my food. Admire our plumbing.
The Lone Drainer Recipe collection
It’s the second month of the New Year and we’re all still full of good intentions.
I, The Lone Drainer, the fastest plumber in the Eastern suburbs, hereby announce my New Years Resolution: I will become a better cook. I am committing in print in the hope that my public announcement will help me stick to the program.
Here’s how it will work:
Every week, I will publish a new recipe, fully tried and tested in The Lone Drainer Coogee kitchen and stomach. I’m aiming for easy, fast and not too many ingredients. And something that won’t make me fat. I want to be a fit, healthy fifty year old. (Ed: who are you kidding Dave? Rumour has it you’re closer to sixty already!)
It won’t always be a recipe, sometimes it will just be a meal idea, suitable for a man to make. (OK, sexist, I know. I’ll rephrase that. What I mean is suitable for me, a mere male without a lot of cooking skills, but certainly a man who likes to eat well).
Here is No 1 Recipe, a sample of my ‘easy-after-a-hard–days-work–plumbing meal’ idea:
Go to the supermarket.
Buy a bag of mixed salad leaves, a bottle of bread and butter pickles, and a piece of salmon.
Put two potatoes and two carrots on to boil. (Good plumbers need carbs. We work hard and burn a lot of energy).
Spread the salad leaves on a plate. Pour a tablespoon of olive oil on the leaves. (Uncooked olive oil is good for keeping cholesterol down).
BBQ the salmon. Or cook it in a heavy cast iron frypan. Six and two minutes on a gas stove.
Put the salmon on top of the leaves. Put the now cooked potatoes and carrots next to the salmon on the plate . Add a couple of dill pickles. There is dinner. Four vegetables, fish for protein and a few carbs for energy. Twenty minutes tops.
Read our blog. Cook my food. Admire our plumbing.
Never a cross word…
HOW CLEVER ARE YOU? WIN A PRIZE TODAY! (Yes! A prize from Dave, The Lone Drainer!)
The first person to email us (info@thelonedrainerandpronto.com.au) a photo of the correctly completed crossword (click on the link on the line below), wins a box of the excellent and bio friendly “Who Gives A Crap” toilet paper.
Inventor rolls out 100 years
Milestones come and go; however, it shouldn’t pass without notice that January 23rd 2019 is the centenary of application No.9902/19 with the Commonwealth of Australia’s patent office of the “serving apparatus for toilet paper” also known as the toilet paper roll holder.
The invention dispenses a product most of us use daily.
Whether your favourite toilet roll is textured or patterned, two or four-ply, premium or pulped, waxed or lotioned, the standard sized roll or the jumbo or jumbo junior, whether you roll over or under, please take a moment to contemplate the genius of Clarence Edward Anable of Sacramento, California.
Mr Anable’s revolutionary invention has, without doubt, improved the sanitary status of the world.
How much will it cost to fix my toilet?
“Running toilet”…..Is all that was stated in an email earlier this week, along with the attached picture.
It’s hard to say from this picture, but I tried to help the writer by asking a few simple questions:
Is it a close coupled suite or are the pan and cistern separate?
Is it the inlet or outlet valve leaking?
Does the water turn off at the control valve?
Is the connection between the control valve and the cistern hard drawn tube or is it one of those flexible braided connections?
The outlet valve is redundant. It could be rewashered if that’s the problem, was part of my email response
The flushing toilet is a wonder of the modern world we can take for granted considering our previous post about 4.4 billion people not having a toilet.
But our local bathroom suppliers currently have 48 different types of toilet cisterns on display and that’s not including the antique in our picture. They all have different water connections and flushing mechanisms.
So please, help us help you by providing as much information as possible about your particular leaking toilet.
In the meantime, you can turn off the water and flush your loo with a bucket.
World Toilet Day 2018
November 19th 2018 is World Toilet Day.
With the population of the world now at approximately 7.7 billion people, many of us would be surprised to learn that over 4.5 billion people do not have a clean toilet or running water to wash their hands.
According to a UN report, a third of schools worldwide don’t have any clean toilet facilities and nearly 1 billion school children don’t have hand washing facilities.
It seems extraordinary that in a world where most people have a mobile telephone approximately 892 million people have to squat out in the open.
This, of course, has knock-on hygiene effects with the pollution of domestic drinking water being a direct contributor to many cases of sickness, disease and even death for those less fortunate than us.
Today, as you use your dual flush toilet in the privacy of your home, workplace or school, spare a thought for these people.
You may also consider buying Who Gives a Crap toilet paper. Who Gives a Crap donate 50% of their profits to help build toilets for those who have none.
Who is responsible for my sewer pipes?
Did you know homeowners are responsible for their sewer pipes up to and including where they meet the Sydney Water sewer mains?
A lot of people are shocked when they find that out.
If you need to renew your sewer pipe line because it has been damaged by tree roots and the pipes run out in the middle the road, then, the homeowner is responsible for all the costs of the renewal, including Council road opening fees.
Gas heater time again
Winter is coming to Sydney.
With some much needed rain approaching as we head towards June 1st, it’s time to go looking for some indoor heating.
If you haven’t run your gas heater since last winter, please dust it and ensure the bayonet fittings are well lubricated before inserting the heater hose. Don’t forget to check for leaks. Soapy water is one way to do it.
If you’re in Sydney and not sure about your gas appliances – Call Us! 02 9664 4990
How do tree roots get into pipes? #2
In my last post I described how tree roots can easily travel through the soil that has been loosened by excavation for your pipe installation.
Do you know why tree roots grow in sewer pipes from the top of the pipe joints?
Condensation is formed when we run water from our water pipes, through our drains. Especially when we have a hot shower, and wash our clothes or dishes in hot or warm water. When the warm water enters the drains buried in the cold earth, condensation is formed, and it gathers on the inside top of our sewer pipes and drains.
The tree roots moving through our already loosened soils can now move along the top of the pipelines and are attracted to the warmth and moisture inside. All they need now is a way into the pipe.
This 1.58sec clip shows how.
How do tree roots get into pipes?
Tree roots grow through trenches dug for plumbing pipes.
When plumbers excavate a trench in virgin soil to lay our pipelines to take the waste water from your home, we till the soil.
The simple method of excavating the soil with a shovel or even a mechanical excavator like a backhoe actually breaks up the soil.
See the tree in our attached pic?
Its root system will be able to grow through the trench looking for weakness in the pipe line.
After we complete our excavations and lay the pipes in the trenches, we back fill the trench, putting the excavated soils back.
Sometimes we water in the soil and quite often use a compactor to help with the back fill process.
Excavations are often back filled with an aggregate like blue metal gravel.
The back filled trench is never as compact as the virgin soil. It provides the roots of nearby trees a much easier path to “wander” along in their search for water and nutrients.
Do tree roots grow in PVC pipes?
Do tree roots grow in PVC pipe?
Yes they do!
The PVC pipe shown here in this Youtube clip has tree roots growing in through the wall of the pipe in three different places. There is a significant Norfolk pine tree and a Paperbark tree within two-three metres of the pipe.
The roots were cut from this pipeline about 8 weeks ago.
This survey was taken before applying Vaporooter to the pipe line.
Vaporooter will NOT fix a broken pipe. Vaporooter stops tree roots in drains!
In this case, we are only keeping the roots at bay until the necessary repairs are undertaken.
Giving a Crap on World Toilet Day 2017
The Lone Drainer and Pronto in Sydney will pay tribute to a unique and special observance whose goal is to install a working toilet in emergent nations.
On November 19, The Lone Drainer and Pronto (TLDP), will participate in the World Toilet Day 2017 (WTD2017). This is a United Nations’ (UN) worldwide event that will highlight the lack of proper sanitation and safely-managed toilets; a problem affecting over 4.5 billion people in economically developing nations.
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Wipe your bum for a good cause!
We all poop. Most of us daily, and some of us do so in style. Now your idea of style can be different to mine, but style is a luxury some simply don’t have.
That’s exactly what the World Poop Day is about!
You might have noticed I have been recently ranting about the ‘poop day’ or to be more specific the World Toilet Day 2017 (WTD2017).
This event is not a joke, not a metaphor of some kind – it’s a REAL DEAL.
If your toilet was blocked for a week, then you probably would be jumping out of your skin, right? What if you had no toilet for two weeks or a month? Unthinkable!
Well, some poor folks in third world countries have no toilet at all. If you had no proper toilet you’d need to squat wherever you can, which sometimes may be very uncomfortable and embarrassing.
Imagine this. You watch the footy (your team is hammering the other team!) when suddenly you have to go for number two. Easy, you visit the loo.
But what if you didn’t have one?
Option one, you run outside, squat anywhere. Shoot.
Option two, you run to your neighbour’s house (you don’t want to poop under your own window). Poop.
Option three, poop in your pants. Wash later. You don’t want to miss your favourite game.
Luckily, for most Aussies we don’t have to think about it, we simply head for the throne, and on the throne, we sit. But we need more thrones especially for those who cannot afford one! No need for fancy ones, only appropriate ones.
That’s the appeal of the WTD2017 – build more thrones, and create proper sanitation conditions for those in need. We need appropriate thrones that can properly take care of business without polluting the environment.
On November 19, 2017 (the WTD2017) be sure to pause and feel grateful if you have access to a working toilet. Billions around the world aren’t so lucky!
If you would like to do something positive, you can purchase the Who Gives a Crap toilet paper – we give 50% of the profits towards building more toilets.
Be sure to forward this page on to friends and family. We all need to wipe ourselves after taking a dump – now you can wipe yourself for a good cause!
Something to think about when you reclaim your throne!
I had a few clients and blog readers asking me questions about the upcoming World Toilet Day 2017. To recap, it’s about raising public awareness of the worldwide problem of inhumane toilet conditions that some must deal with.
Today, I would like to answer some of the questions about World Toilet Day 2017, and suggest an easy way for you to make a difference.
What is the World Toilet Day 2017? (WTD2017)
The WTD2017 is a special observance arranged by the United Nations (UN) to highlight the serious problem of the lack of proper sanitation conditions in many third world countries. Over 4.5 billion people have no toilet/working toilet; this is a third of the world’s population!
When will this important observance be held?
The WTD2017 will take place on November 19, 2017.
Am I at risk?
In Australia, you should be fine unless you live in rural areas with no access to proper toilet and sanitation. If you don’t poop in a hygienic toilet or if the poop is not disposed of properly, then with the aid of rainwater it may enter the ecosystem. This is often the problem in many third world countries. That’s why the goal of WTD2017 is to raise public awareness and get people talking about this important issue – hopefully, that will make a positive difference!
Why should I care?
Well, if no one cares, no one cares, right? But we can all make a difference. You see, according to WHO (2014) improved sanitation could stop around 842,000 people from dying each year.
What can you do?
You could, for example, donate money or support a reputable charity or purchase the Who Gives a Crap toilet paper. (50% of its profits go to building toilets for people who need them most).
Here’s the link if you would like to support this important cause. The toilet paper has no chlorine, no inks, no dyes, and no perfume or deodorant. It’s good for your bum–it’s good for the world!
Remember, to pause at least for a moment on November 19, 2017 to think about the World Toilet Day 2017. If you wipe yourself with the Who Gives a Crap toilet paper, you know you’re also making a difference with every wipe!
World Toilet Day 2017
A UN report claims that worldwide, at least 2.4 billion people are without basic sanitation. The report states some of the peoples of south Asia and sub Saharan Africa don’t have access to a toilet or clean running water.
It appears that people in these parts of the world have a mobile phone but don’t have a working toilet.
Living and working as a plumber in Sydney Australia visiting some of the best homes in the country, it seems crazy that over 869 million people still defecate out in the open.
So what can the average reader do to help those less fortunate than us?
Good Question!
Look out for reputable organisations that are working to deliver the basic hygiene we take for granted and send them a donation.
Even a small donation equivalent of what we Aussies spend on coffee weekly would change the living standard and the lives of many of those less fortunate.
Make a difference during World Toilet Day 2017!
Did you know that some people have to do without a toilet?
In the West, we’re so used to sitting on one when we go for a number two. If the toilet runs smoothly we don’t even think about it; we take it for granted.
But sitting down for number two in comfort and style is a luxury many simply cannot afford. And we’re not talking about having shiny porcelain toilets with fancy fixtures. They have no toilets–be it porcelain, wooden or a metal one. NONE.
So, where does the poo go? Well, that’s why you just have to hear about the important World Toilet Day 2017 or WTD2017 for short.
You see, when you reclaim your throne, billions of people must wing it so to speak and take a dump wherever possible. Their toileting might happen anywhere. In the woods behind a tree, under a bridge, or in some fenced-in backyard. And, we’re not talking about an emergency where you find yourself driving past midnight with your girlfriend, and suddenly you must go.
Of course, those things happen. But imagine having to plan, search and hunt for squatting space every time you need to take a dump! Well, consider this:
According to WHO/UNICEF (2017) a whopping 4.5 billion people either have no toilet or no working toilet. About 869 million people worldwide practise open defecation because they have no proper toilet! But, it gets worse.
A shocking 1.8 billion people drink water that has no protection against contamination from faeces. So, the question ‘where does the poop go?’ becomes a serious issue. Because every time the poop is not disposed of properly it may enter the ecosystem and end up in a drinking water reservoir!
So, count yourself lucky the next time you take a seat on your comfortable porcelain, and you don’t have to use grass or leaves to clean yourself!
Most importantly, be sure to spread the news about the WTD2017.
And yes, there is something you’re contributing by purchasing the Who Gives a Crap toilet paper – 50% of the profits are used to build toilets in third world countries.
Thankfully, we have the World Toilet Day 2017; it puts things into perspective a little, doesn’t it?
The Joy of Toilets in Coogee
Exactly 12 months ago today the Mayor of Randwick Noel D’Souza, broke ground on the new Coogee Beach toilet block. I am happy to report that these new facilities were un-officially opened 360 days later on Friday September 1st 2017. The first day of spring.
And it was worth the wait!
The discomfort to beach regulars and the interruption of the foot traffic flow along the upper and lower promenade right in the middle of Coogee beach is a distant memory.
I’ve been watching the evolution of the site and my almost daily hop, skip and jump along the lower prom and the detour around the street level construction zone sensed that this simple toilet block would be another jewel in the Coogee crown. I was right!
The spring weather on Fathers Day saw people out in droves. They were happy to use the new facilities. I had to try ’em for myself. The plumbing is state of the art.
The hand wash facilities at the front of the change room with electronic sensor taps that spit water into the free form basins when they detect your hands in range, compliment the soap dispensers. The showers in this open public area are all push button. I tried one and had my shirt sleeve soaked by the instant arrival of fresh H2O from the water saving shower head.
Mums and Dads will be able to rinse off and have their kids do the same without having to go into the change rooms and toilets dedicated to both sexes.
I didn’t venture into the ladies but the men’s change room is great.
Features include 5 low maintenance stainless steel WCs with concealed water saving cisterns and an easy to maintain urinal about 5 metres long, 5 additional showers and plenty of clothes hooks and seating to get changed before and after swimming. The entire area can be easily washed down and the beautiful polished concrete floor and the brightly tiled walls will help keep the facility sparkling.
During my roaming through the freshly laid turf in the park above, I had wondered about the new concrete seating and the glass panels set into the ground there.
I’m pleased to say they are skylights for the change rooms below. Brilliant!
Well done Randwick City Council.
Use Toilet Paper not Tissues
Here is a simple demonstration by Tristan from The Lone Drainer And Pronto showing why you should use toilet paper rather than facial tissues in the bathroom.
Toilet paper breaks down when it gets into water, whereas facial tissues bind together rather than falling apart.
Beware, facial tissues can cause a costly blocked drain.
Use toilet paper, not tissues.
My bathroom is flooding!
There are busted pipes in peoples homes every day. Knowing where to turn off your hot and cold water could be the difference between having a few wet items under the kitchen sink and having a total flood.
Yesterday morning we had an urgent phone call with a difference requesting an emergency plumber.
Allan, the homeowner knew exactly where to turn off the water to his home unit. A flexible connection under his bathroom vanity basin had burst.
Allan heard a “pop” then the sound of running water as it gushed out of his bathroom vanity basin onto the floor and out the door. Fortunately, shutting off the water quickly kept the damage to a minimum.
We were able to rescue Allan and his family pronto.
We replaced the ruptured hot flexible connection and changed the corroded looking cold connection also.
Poo News
Our readers are still the best source of fun, information, insights and images from the wonderful world of plumbing
I’ve heard plenty of explanations of the word Poo. I hadn’t heard this one.
Shower outdoors more often
With our hottest summer on record, many of us have been showering outdoors. It’s a perfect opportunity to water the garden and the lawn, stay cool ourselves and save water.
Some clients have us set up a permanent outdoor shower in the garden or near the swimming pool just to rinse off.
I reckon simple is best. Good old corrugated and canvas.
Our correspondent enjoying the Three Capes Track in beautiful Tasmania, also reports it was 13°C.
My toilet cistern is leaking #1
“My cistern is leaking into the toilet pan.”
If you press the Full and Half flush buttons and they don’t effectively clear the toilet bowl, that means, their isn’t enough water in the toilet cistern to do the job, or the buttons just don’t work, or the cistern just won’t refill or it’s slow to fill.
Then I know how to fix the toilet that won’t flush properly.
This pic shows the water inlet to the cistern and the outlet valve or flushing mechanism that sends the water into your toilet pan.
Either of the valves shown could be faulty.
If the inlet valve doesn’t shut-off, it will cause the cistern to overfill and spill into the overflow tube that will run down into the pan. You may need a new inlet valve.
If the outlet valve is leaking into the pan, the outlet valve may need to be replaced or re-washered.
Either of these valves leaking could be causing leaks into the pan.
If you’re not sure, just ask us.