The Family Plumber - Surprise, Arizona

"So keep greases away from the sink."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
It can be annoying to hear our toilets constantly run.  Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today.
The question today - "What Cause My Drain To Clog?" 
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171

Episode 28
"The water heater is heating up. So it's expanding a little bit and that is being handled by the expansion tank - it will take care of all that."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
The question today - "What Is The Expansion Tank For On My Plumbing System?" 
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com
 
 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171

Episode 27
"Those lines could get brittle, especially if they're not stainless steel braided. The valves to the washing machine   get brittle, bubble out, and burst."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
The question today - "How Often Do I Need To Change My Washing Machine Supply Lines?" 
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171

Episode 26
"When the city starts building around or they start raising pressure up, they don't care about your home's water pressures. That's what I say. It's the home owner's responsibility to maintain it."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
The question today - "What Are The Dangers Of High Water Pressure In My Home?" 
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171

Episode 25
"Just a few of the common things that might cause low water pressure..."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
Do have just a trickle coming out of your faucets? This may have just started happening to you.   Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today to talk about what may be causing your low water pressure in your home.
The question today - "What Is Causing Low Water Pressure In My Home?" 
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171

"PEX is a little bit higher,you know, a little bit more used than copper compared to the cast iron and the galvanized."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
So, what type of pipes do you have in your home?  Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today to discuss the different types of plumbing pipes in your home.
The question today - "What Is The Difference In Plumbing Types?" 
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171

"So, the first thing to do is check your flapper, make sure it's not warped,soggy, like the rubber deteriorated."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
It can be annoying to hear our toilets constantly run.  Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today.
The question today - "Why Does My Toilet Continue To Run?" 
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171
Podcast Episode Transcript: 
Check a pro Joe here with my friend Bobby Crowder.He's the family plumber.In surprise,Arizona.Hey,Bobby,how you doing pal?Hey Joe.Thanks for having me on.Absolutely.We get questions here all the time and questions cross my desk again.This comes up all the time.Why does my toilet keep running?You know,we flush the toilet and I know it's supposed to happen because uh I'm a quasi plumber and I'm,I'm kind of joking around.I am not a licensed plumber,but I do know when I push the lever down,it will lift up the flapper.Ok.And then the water from the tank will flow to the bottom of the toilet,the base of the toilet.And it will basically allow the water to push the waste out and then the flapper closes and then the tank fills again,but sometimes it continues to run or it'll run like a minute after it'll go off and on.So thanks for having me on again here,Joe.But uh I get a lot.So you,your toilet's running.Well,you better go catch it.I'm kidding.No,no pun intended.That's just kind of a bad joke for us.But uh here's this,there's,there's several,several things.So we've got,we got,of course your flapper the most common,right?And,but you also have your flush,your flush valve,your fill and your fill valve.So there is some more uh complicated issues we can get into,but then I'd probably throw everybody off.They probably wouldn't be like,what's,what's that mean?You know.So let's just do the three basics fill val flush valve.Flapper.So flapper,of course,every,you know,everything is about five years inside a toilet tank.So you should start thinking about,especially the flapper,five years,the fill valve about five years.And the flush valve,man,you know,that's you do lifetime with the toilet.But you know,that thing can leak or crack or,you know,the filled tube can crack and that's where you're getting your water,your,your leak from.So,um,first thing to do is check your flapper,make sure it's not warped,soggy,you know,like the rubber deteriorated.Um I would just recommend replacing it every five years anyway.It's just,you know,this way you can kind of save water waste.Um,the flush valve,the center tube where the flapper sits on that the bushing can go bad and start leaking through there.Uh,your fill tube that's right in the middle that could be cracked and it's leaking from there.Um,go to the fill valve,the fill valve is either on or off.That's just point.So,if it's a constant,uh and a constant flow,ok,you've got a bad fill valve.You,I mean,you can replace like the little diaphragm that's inside the fill valve,stuff like that.But,you know,after about five years,let's go ahead and replace,replace the whole thing.Let's buy your best bet,you know,five years in the flab for five years on the fill valve,flush valve just depends on if it's cracked or not.But those are your three main reasons.A toilet would be running.Yeah.And some of these things really can be handled by the homeowner if you want to.I mean,it's,it's,you know,call Bobby out if you'd like,which is fine.But if it's just a flapper,you really can't go wrong by replacing it.You're not gonna damage anything if it continues to leak because you thought it was the flapper.But it's not,it's only gonna cost you five bucks by the way to put the flapper in.No big deal.But sometimes people will do it themselves.And after they've replaced a number of parts,the thing is still,still running.So they have to call you out.Yeah,exactly.And when they can't figure it out,you know,your little customers,like,oh,I do a lot of stuff but when it comes to plumbing and water they kind of stay away from it.But you gotta keep in mind a lot of people are just used to the,the flapper that comes up and comes back down.They're actually,there's are different flappers or,you know,the cylinder,you know,rings and stuff like that,that those are a little bit more difficult to get off.But,you know,if you call me up and stuff,I can kinda help you out and see what we can do from there.But you know,there is different cylinders,flappers for the toilet.So and everything is getting a little different nowadays.It's not just standard,standard flapper anymore.So everything's kind of advancing just just for to keep the uh waste water low.Like our toilets are now 1.2 eights.I used to love the 1.6 is in,but now those are becoming obsolete and now we're down to 1.28.So I'm sure we're gonna keep going,you know,just kind of conserve water,which we're ok with.Absolutely.And so yeah,the technology is changing.Our plumbing expert Bobby Crowder,the family plumber,all of his information,including a link to his website.You get a hold of him is located in the description of this podcast for all your plumbing needs.Get a hold of my buddy Bobby.Thanks,Pal.Thank you.Thanks for having me on again.Take care.

"I've seen bones,I've seen,I meat,yeah,accidental stuff like,you know,forks and silverware and stuff like that."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
Why do we continue to abuse our garbage disposal and plumbing system?  The garbage disposal should not be used for most food items.  Plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder, The Family Plumber joins Jim Klauck - aka Check A Pro Joe on the show today.
The question today - "What Can I Put In My Garbage Disposal?" 
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171
Podcast Episode Transcript: 
My good friend,Bobby Crowder is joining me the family plumber.Hey,Bobby,how are you doing,Bud?Hey,how you doing?Nice to,nice to be here.Yeah,it's great to have you here.Ok.You're my go to guy when it comes to plumbing questions out here in Arizona.And I'll tell you,people don't know what they're doing with their garbage disposal.For some reason,people think that they can put everything down there,including the kitchen sink.That's funny.So there are things that we should and should not put in our garbage disposal.Correct?Oh,that is 100% correct.Hey,I've gone to houses that you won't believe where?I don't know.They just think that it's a,it's a,it's a trash compactor.I mean,it's like a,like a big giant garbage truck that's gonna compact and just bring it down the drain.I mean,I've seen bones,I've seen,I meat,yeah,accidental stuff like,you know,forks and silverware and stuff like that.But there's stuff that just not,they've,I've,I've seen,they've tried to put,uh,like paper towels and just everything they can,they just think it's,it's a,you know,it says garbage disposal but,you know,there's things that you shouldn't be putting down there for 100%.I think it should be called light vegetables and fruit.That's rotting disposal because,because those are soft.Um,and many of you may not know this but really what's to go into your sewer line or certainly if you have your own septic system should only be human waste.It really shouldn't be food products.It's not what the systems are designed for.Now,a sewer system isn't really your problem.It goes to the city if you will and they process it.But,but if anyone is listening,if you ever get a septic system,yes.Do not throw it off balance.It's like our stomachs.There's certain things you should not put in there.And so,uh,you know,don't put bones in there.It's bad for the,the actual machine itself.The garbage disposal.I'll tell you something else is big and Bobby backed me up on this isn't your busiest time around the holidays around Thanksgiving and Christmas you'll put too much grease in there.Oh,yeah,that's so,so the thing is,is like,uh,I think my busy.Exactly.It's gonna be Thanksgiving and around Christmas and it's usually the day before it's always at night.So it's,it's a constant basis.So where,you know,they're just like,uh,potato peels.No,nos,uh,carrot peels.No,nose eggshells.No,no.Uh,I,I can,the list can go on and on.Grease.100.We put it in a jar,seal it up,throw it away.Yeah.Don't,don't put that down there.That's just bad for the drain.So,the thing is here,here,here's the thing.They could put a lot of that stuff down the garbage disposal and they'll run it.The thing,the,the garbage disposal will handle it.It's the drain that will not.And that's where it just kind of compacts in the drain.And then that's when they have,they have a backup and it just,it just doesn't work so light stuff.Uh,you know,vegetables,fruits,you know,little scraps off your plate is fine.Uh,like I said,septic tanks,you know,we try to,when it comes to septic tanks,I always look for it towards customer that,you know,eliminating the garbage disposal,even though,even though I'll educate the homeowner,who knows what their kids might do and stuff like that.So we try to stay away from that kind of stuff.But,you know,let's,let's keep it light.It's,let's prevent from one of us coming out if you would like.But we're more than welcome to come out if you want us to.Yeah.So I'm,I'm kind of anti garbage disposal.I don't have one.I,I live on a ranch.We have a septic system and it's,it's a balanced system.It actually is designed to break down human waste and process that.It's not designed to take the carrot peels and the,and,and a banana peel for that matter.And you're just looking for trouble and it's really better to throw it in the trash and let the trash guy deal with it.Even things like,you know,gravy,which has fat in it,but any kind of,you know,fatty substance,uh if you have,you know,some,you know,leftover butter that's starting to smell,don't throw it in the sink or garbage disposal,put it in the trash and have it carted away.Here's the thing,it's easier for them to just to step over and put it into a sink than it is to walk over and put it into a garbage.It's kind of,you know,it's shorter distance for or quicker distance to get it,get it done.So it's just,it's,we see that a lot,everybody,it's not a garbage chute.It is really designed for,for liquid to travel through.And if you put this stuff in it,it's gonna make it more difficult for the liquid to travel through.If the liquid has trouble traveling,it will back up.And that's when you call Bobby Crowder.Bobby's information.All of his information is located in the description of this podcast for all of your plumbing needs,including your garbage disposal needs.Contact him at the family plumber.Thanks Bobby.I appreciate it,buddy.

"So you need to know what your hardness is coming into your house and how many people live in there?"
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
Depending on the size of your family you may need a larger or smaller water softener.  Also, the grains of hardness per gallon need to be checked as well.
Check A Pro Joe (Jim Klauck) has asked plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder from The Family Plumber, to join him on this segment of the show.
The question today - "What Size What Softener Do I Need For My Home?"  How to size a water heater for your home?
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  CallTheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171
Podcast Episode Transcript: 
What size water softener?That's a question that we got here at the Check A Pro Radio show.What size do I need?You know,I've got Bobby Crowder on the program with me.You've heard him here before?You've seen him here before on the show?And I'm going to pose this question to him.And honestly,I didn't think that there were that many size options.Hey,Bobby,how are you?Hey,Joe,how are you doing?Great.All right.So someone emailed the program and they want to know what's the right size water softener for my home?How do you figure that out?Uh It's,it's basic,it's,it's simple,it's simple for us or whatnot.So,like,uh you've got to know the hardness and you know,your grains per gallon and how many people are living there and what kind of water usage they're gonna be doing?So let's say,let's say their gallons,their grains per gallon is 10.You know,the hardness is 10 at their home.And if you got one or two people,you can do a 24.I don't recommend it.But,you know,technically it should be about a 32.Now,if you have 5 to 6 people,you're gonna go 40 grain.Now,remember these will go up once your grains per gallon are higher.So let's let's do it.Uh let's say 20 20 grains per gallon.So now the 3 to 4 people from 32 went to 40 and the 5 to 6 people went from 40 to 48.Now,if you go to the 40 you know,40 grains per gallon,now you're 1 to 2 people is 48,000 grains,Your 3-4 people,about 64,000 grains.So and then up and then and up.So you need to know what your hardness is coming into your house and how many people live in there?That's a good rule of thumb.That'll kind of get you where you,you,you need to be.So definitely get a hardness test,see what you want,you know what your hardness is.You can buy those at any,any store.But you know,for hardness and then then you how many people live in your home and then you kind of have an idea of what,what I need or you can visit my website too.We are softeners will tell you which ones you actually need,you know,per family based.Sure,it's purely mathematical.It's based on your hardness and how much volume you're gonna need,which is usually based on how many people Bobby we're assuming that those people are bathing.So,right,when you say people,we're talking about clean people who are bathing,who are using the toilets,who are using the sinks and so forth.All of Bobby's information is located in the description of this podcast and he said you can find out more about this on his website and that is listed in the description of this podcast.Thank you,Bobby Crowder.Our little expert here on plumbing.Thank you.It's been a pleasure.Thanks Joe.

"There's a good rule of thumb, they say 1 to 3 people a 40 gallon gas, 40 gallon,electric,40 gallons is all right. When you go to 3 to 5 people in the home, it's usually about a 50 gallon."
- Bobby Crowder, Plumbing Expert
 
Check A Pro Joe (Jim Klauck) has asked plumbing expert, Bobby Crowder from The Family Plumber, to join him on this segment of the show.
The question today - "Does the size of your water heater matter?"  How to size a water heater for your home?
Check out this episode of The Plumber Podcast to find out more...
For more information about The Family Plumber in Surprise, Arizona log on to www.callthefamilyplumber.com or check them out at www.checkapro.com.
 
Visit Us At -  TheFamilyPlumber.com 
You Can Call Anytime:  (623) 738-6171
Podcast Episode Transcript: 
Size may matter.Well,I'm talking water heaters here.I've asked my good friend Bobby Crowder,the family plumber in surprise Arizona to join me here on the program today to talk about the size of your water heater.What is the best size?What is the size you need?And it's interesting because Bobby,I think a lot of people aren't sure what size they have.Welcome.Hey,thanks for having me on Joe.Yeah,they don't,the thing is,is they don't care.They just see a tank out there and like,ok,it's just gonna provide but when they replace it or they get,you know,more people in the home or less people in the home,it's,you know,it's adequate to see what size you should actually have.So,there's a good rule of thumb,you know,they say uh 1 to 3 people is,you know,40 gallon gas,40 gallon,electric,40 gallons is all right.When you go to 3 to 5 people in the home,it's usually about a 50 gallon.So keep in mind,you know,people,you know,running out of water or hot water,blah,blah,blah,you gotta remember.It also depends on your fixtures in your home,your showerheads,if you took out the aerators or,or,or flow restrictor,you're gonna be pushing out 23 gallons per minute.So,yeah,you're gonna drain that water heater down quickly.So I won't,I don't recommend that.You also got to remember the first hour of a water heater is much more than the continuous use of it.So,say like a 40 gallon you're gonna get,uh,like,I think it's 60 58 or 60 gallons for the first hour.So you will gain more that first hour.But if it's continuous,you know,shower after shower,shower.Yeah,then you're going to deplete it pretty,pretty quickly.So it has to be sized for your home and your family and a great way to tell if it's sized,right is by using it.So,if it's relatively new,let's say it's six months old to three years old.It,it still should be in great shape regardless if it's gas or electric,if you're constantly running out of hot water,regardless of why you need a bigger water heater.Because you're drawing you,you,I mean,like if you like,take 30 minute showers and so does your spouse and so do the kids then get a bigger water heater?That's correct.Yeah,it,you gotta to size it properly.Yep,it's important.Now some people in their homes will have two and it's great because it'll be split on both sides of the house.So,maybe the kids have their own and,uh,mom and dad have their own and then of course one of the sides is going to have the kitchen,which is important and,and the laundry,but you can actually split it.So you could have two forties and you really got 80.Correct?Yeah,I've seen that quite a bit.It's,it's,you know,a split system in their home or a holding tank,you know,vice versa.Yeah.Yeah.And I'm kind of greedy.My wife,my wife and I are empty nested and we have two fifties.Oh,nice.It's just about endless.We never run out of hot water.It's great.Hey,Bobby,this has been great.If you want to get a hold of Bobby and his team over at the family plumber.It's right in the description.All his information is right in the description of this podcast,his phone number and his website,Bobby once again.Thank you so much.It's been a pleasure.Thanks,Joe.