Should the toilet seat be left up or down?
This controversial topic will be discussed over the next few weeks
It’s a question that constantly arises when men and women share the same toilet. For some reason, this seemingly trivial question creates passion normally unseen from all sorts of people. It has been a topic of great debate throughout this country for many years, in fact since the toilet seat was invented.
It’s pretty clear that this old debate and your “position” is divided by gender.
Women complain that it should be the man’s responsibility to lower the toilet seat after use.
Whilst men seem to question why women should be heard all the time. Or in fact why it’s an issue at all
Now my wife, living in a houshold with 4 boys is incredibly patient about this subject. In fact her biggest complaint is about our aim, So, to get the ball rolling on this, I have to share this great image sent to me by Marc Dussault.
Let me know what happens in your house, how the boys and girls deal with this topic of ups and downs!
The Plumbing industry has been very good to me and my family.
Every year around January we have anywhere between 5 and 20 boys (or their mothers) contact us looking for a plumbing apprenticeship. We have trained 9 apprentices in 20 years (plumbers apprenticeship is 4 years). (more…)
As Christmas approaches, the days grow longer and we get together with our family and friends, keep an eye out for some of those vital symptoms that indicate you have a slow or blocked drain.
Make it a holiday break to remember for the right reasons, rather than needing to call an emergency plumber to rescue you and your family from a sewer blockage.
Keep an eye out for;
The excessive rise or fall of the water level in your toilet. We call it syphoning, and it comes with a Glug Glug Glug
Slow draining water or ankle deep water in the shower or bath.
Swarms of small flies or sewer flies around smelly drains
Your kitchen sink, waste disposal unit or dishwasher are slow to drain.
Toilet paper or dirty water around your sewer surcharge gully in the garden or yard.
Dirty water leaking from a retaining wall or garden bed that conceals sewer pipes.
These are signs of a blockage, and your pipes have been trying to tell you, that all isn’t well.
When the extra guests arrive you will know.
So have a look around you home for the symptoms and please do not ignore them.
In this internet age when we want it, we want it NOW!
If you have a plumbing emergency and you need it fixed fast, we need great suppliers to support us deliver to our clients.
This image sent to me by Marc Dussault shows the great lengths that our industry brothers in Thailand are going to so they can deliver to their clients in an emergency.
Defective toilet paper causes a $40,000 plumbing problem.
This blocked drain sounds like a job for The Lone Drainer And Pronto
According to the Denver Post, The University of Colorado is suing over ‘defective’ toilet paper that caused $US40,000 in plumbing fees over the past few years.
The incidents included toilets bubbling over, overflowing toilets, and toilets that simply wouldn’t flush and would cause some flooding and backed up drains. In one instance, the university had to saw-cut concrete and excavate sewer pipes in order to remove an auger from a sewer line that was so bound up and clogged with toilet paper that it became stuck. There were flooding issues in 27 buildings in the spring of 2009 alone. The lawsuit claims that ‘the toilet paper… failed to disperse properly and caused the toilets and sewer lines at the university to become clogged’.
Now the problem has been addressed, and the lawyers have begun clogging the pipelines of the legal system with their own paperwork. For plumbers, cleaning out blocked sewers comes with the territory. Dealing with lawyers, however, is something else.
I cannot understate the importance of keeping stormwater drains and stormwater pipes and pits around your home or business clear of dirt and debris and now that most of our deciduous trees have lost their leaves for the autumn its a good time to clear them from your gutters, downpipes and stormwater pits and drains.
This image shows a small stormwater pit that collects water from around a well known harbourside cafe in Sydney.
The last week in May 2011 brought record breaking rainfall in Sydney.
These cafe owners were flooded and sustained lots of water damage, simply because this little drain was not kept clear and the drains flowing.
Simple maintenance can prevent these kind of floods.
If you have stormwater drains like this and need help to keep them clear and clean, then it sounds like a job for The Lone Drainer And Pronto.
It was just like flushing money down the toilet……
We’ve all used this expression more than once, and in our life as plumbing professionals we see people flush all sorts of items down the toilet, in effect flushing money down the toilet by not thinking before they flush.
We have retrieved all types of unusual things from sewer pipes, including underwear, gloves, a 2 litre Coca Cola bottle, dental floss, sanitary napkins and tampons, even a piece of construction scaffolding???????
Well, this one was unusual, this client actually did flush his money down the toilet.
Yes, he flushed his wallet!
I have a few of these unusual things to show you and will over the next few weeks, so stay tuned!
In Sydney, according to the Weather Channel we have just experienced the wettest May 40 years!
Well it has been wet, and the rain in the suburbs along Sydneys coast both yesterday and today, the last 2 days of May 2011 have done plenty to boost the average for the month.
The volume of water running into stormwater grates and drains has at times put our stormwater pipelines under plenty of pressure.
We have had plenty of blocked drain emergency calls from people with overflowing drains that could easily be prevented.
These few simple tips will help avoid stormwater overflows.
As most of our beautiful deciduous trees have lost most of their leaves by now, it is often these leaves that create overflow problems when the rains come quickly.
1. Clear leaf and tree debris from your roof gutters and downpipes.
2. Keep channel grates, driveway grates and drains clean and clear.
3. Dont stockpile household items over any of your outside drains.
4. Run a garden hose through these drains periodically to check they are flowing.
5. Know where your stormwater pipes run to, and ensure these outlets are clear.
If you are not sure, please ask us.
P.S. I got home last night to overflowing gutters at the front of our home. Fortunately I could clear the leaf debris easily and allow the rainwater to run into our stormwater pipes .
Today at Global Headquarters for The Lone Drainer And Pronto, in Melody Street, Coogee we had an information session, jam packed with Questions and Answers about Taps, Toilets and Tree roots.
Although we weren’t quite turning local plumbing enthusiasts away from our rooms (wait till next time), those who came and participated in Dr Daves Tap Tutorial asked some very meaty questions about how their taps worked and how to fix them. They learned where to turn off their water main supply, their water heaters and gas supply meters.
We had a demonstration of a drainoscopy or how we use our drain camera to see what is going on in their sewer pipes and drains and how tree roots can damage even new PVC pipelines and we discussed the dangers of using flexible water connections, water hammer and the many ways it can present itself along with the operation of gas stoves and appliances.
Chris and I really enjoyed doing this presentation for you and hope you may tell your friends what you learned and tell them about our next presentation on the First Tuesday in May. Tuesday May 3rd 2011.
Now, The news that everyone wants to hear is, who Won A Years Supply of Toilet Paper?
Well, after putting your all names into my hat, I am happy to announce Gary is our winner.
CONGRATULATIONS GARY!
Think of us when as you enjoy your prize.
Please call our office on 02 9664 4990 to arrange a time drop in to our Headquarters and collect the first instalment of your prize. We can deliver the rest if it suits you!
We also gave 2 other very constructive participants a copy of “Whats My Pee Telling Me”
P.S. On the subject of toilets and toileting check out this and other interesting blog posts on our website http://thelonedrainerandpronto.com.au/blog/bidets/
