Preparing Your Home for Fall

The fall is a wonderful time of year. Football is on all weekend, pumpkin spice fills the air and it can be easy to forget the cold weather that is approaching. As a homeowner, you need to prepare for the seasons to help increase your home's efficiency and dodge those major malfunctions. It doesn't take long, just a few hours on your day off and you can avoid those headaches later on.

 

Clean Those Gutters
On the lanes you want to avoid the gutters at all costs. When it comes to fall preparation, you want to get in there and remove fallen leaves and debris. If you don't want to worry about future problems, go to the local hardware store and purchase mesh guards to protect your gutters.

Clean Your Furnace Filter
The heating season is approaching and your furnace needs a little help getting in shape. The first thing you should do is remove the unit's filter and exchange it for a new one. It's like the first day of school, you never want to go in with an old outfit! It might also be wise to have a heating professional come into your home and inspect your system and call out any problems before they become larger.

Winterize Your Plumbing 
In the next few weeks, you're going to want to perform your annual outdoor water shut-off. Winterizing these pipes and irrigation systems will ensure their safety going into next summer. If you neglect this year in and year out, you're just asking for trouble.

Perform Your Seasonal Safety Check 
This is a great time to check in on your CO monitors, inspect fire safety equipment and review your appliances efficiency. Look for leaky faucets, loose plumbing lines and make sure your home is sealed properly. There is no need to waste water or heat when you could be spending money on more valuable things.

The fall can be hectic with back to school, sports, work and all of your families daily activities. It might still feel like summer, but the cold weather is approaching and you know your home needs some plumbing and heating tune-ups if it is going to get you through the season. At Nassau County Plumbing & Sewer Rooter, we can perform both inspections in a timely and professional manner.

To schedule your fall heating and plumbing inspection, call 516-874-7937 or visit us on the web!

Tips You'll Need For Dog Bathing

We all love our dogs, but sometimes they just flat out stink! The obvious solution would be to give them a bath, but sometimes this is just too much of a hassle. Well you are in luck, because these five bathing tips for dogs will make things much easier. 

Tip 1: Don't Wash Them Too Often 

Dogs don't require the same cleaning schedule that you do. Experts recommend you clean your dog once a month, unless they have a skin infection. Bathing them too frequently can lead to knots, irritation and all sorts of uncomfortable rashes. 

Tip 2: Ease Them Into It 

At some point in your life you had to be taught how to bathe. Well, the same goes for your dog. You can start by putting them in the tub and leaving the water off for awhile. Play with Fluffy for a little while so he/she starts to associate the bath with play time. After they have calmed down a bit, you can slowly start cupping water and placing it on their backs. 

Tip 3: Make Sure You Have the Right Shampoo 

Pet stores try and run you dry with their prices, but you have to bite the bullet when it comes to shampoo. You don't want to use human shampoo on dogs because their skin has a different pH balance then ours does.

Tip 4: Remember the Drain 

When Fluffy makes a mad dash for dry freedom, you need to turn your focus to the drain. It's really just common sense, dogs have more hair than we do, so they leave more of it behind in the tub. Be sure to scoop up any wet hair that you can get your hands on. Once you have done that, run the water a little bit to make sure the rest of the hair you missed is washed down the drain.

Tip 5:  Give Fluffy a Treat 

When you trained him/her to sit, did you do so with the help of treats? The answer is probably yes, so make sure you do the same after they take a bath. Once you can get them to associate bathing with their favorite snack, you'll have to beg them to get out of the tub! 

At Nassau County Plumbing & Sewer Rooter, we know how important it is to keep you and your dog clean. But you can't do that without the cooperation of your plumbing. If you are having any plumbing problems, give us a call at 516-874-7937 or visit us on the web! 

Plumbing Leaks Cause Pest Infestations

Plumbing leaks are inconvenient no matter how you slice it, and they can even bring unwanted pests. Just like humans, pests need water to survive and plumbing leaks allow them a limitless supply. This is not to say that all pest problems are plumbing related, but it is definitely worth a little investigating.

The Investigation
Take note of the area that you are commonly seeing pests and inspect the nearest water source. The leak could be inside of your wall or in a tough to reach place, but most leaks are easily accessible. The area underneath your kitchen and bathroom sink are popular spots for insects to gather if there is moisture leaking from above. Often times, the leak is coming from the seal between the wall and the pipe that is entering it. Examine this area and make sure the seals are as tight as they should be. This could save your bathroom from becoming the party spot for the neighborhood cockroaches.

The Solution
Once you have determined where your leak is coming from, it is time to get all of the creepy crawlers out of your house! Calling in a plumbing professional to fix the leak is a good place to start. Once he/she cuts off the pests water supply, the time has come to give them a mini Armageddon. You can go to the local hardware store and purchase some pest removal products, or you can leave it to your local pest removal professional.

ATTENTION: The time to get rid of the pests is only AFTER the leak has been fixed. If you only focus on the surface of the problem, the pests will keep coming back.

If you need a plumbing professional to fix those tricky leaks, turn to Nassau Plumbing and Sewer Rooter! We provide 24 hour emergency service so you don’t have to wait until the morning. Give us a call at 516-874-7937 to schedule your appointment.