While the winters in Texas tend to be mild, we still get our fair share of freezing weather. When cold weather approaches the DFW area, we need to prepare our homes. Frozen pipes are one thing to watch out for. By not taking preventative action, frozen pipes can wreck havoc on our homes, costing money and frustration. Knowing the proper winter plumbing maintenance will ensure your pipes are intact all season. Here are four tips to protect your home from Frozen pipes.

Let Your Faucet Drip

This is a pretty common one, but it is still important. Letting your kitchen and bathroom faucets drip will move water along the pipes, making it harder for frozen pipes to happen.

Open Up Your Cupboards

It seems a little bit odd, but opening up the cupboards where there is pipe can prevent frozen pipes. The warm air that circulates through your home will be able to reach the pipes under the sink.

Disconnect Outside Water Hoses

We tend to forget about our outside hoses in the winter, but if there is leftover water in the hose, it can travel into the pipes and freeze. Shut off water lines and disconnect the hoses to prevent unnecessary damage.

Keep Your House Warm At All Times

When you’re not home you should always keep your temperature warm. Saving on your electric bill is important, but preventing frozen pipes is also crucial. If you’re out of town, you don’t want to come home to a burst pipe.

If your pipes freeze even after all proper precautions are taken, call Laister Plumbing at [nw_data field=phone] for leaks and repairs in Fort Worth, TX.

The last thing you want to deal with during the holidays is a leaking pipe or a clogged drain. Make sure the plumbing in your home is well maintained so your holiday plans don’t get interrupted by plumbing issues.

The kitchen sink drain and garbage disposal is the most susceptible to plumbing troubles during the holidays. When you are cooking meals or hosting parties, you’ll want to make sure you and your guests take extra care when tossing things down the kitchen drain. Bones, hard vegetables, cooking oil, and eating utensils are some of the top reasons that the drain becomes clogged or the disposal burns out.

If a cold front is coming through, you’ll want to ensure that your outdoor plumbing is covered to prevent the pipes from freezing and causing a burst pipe. No one wants to put their holiday plans on hold to deal with leaks or flooding due to a busted water pipe.

Having preventative maintenance done is a great way to ensure there are no clogs or leaks already present that could worsen during the holiday season. A plumber can do a thorough inspection of the plumbing in your home, clean out clogs, and repair any leaks, to ensure the plumbing equipment is all up to par.

Looking for quality plumbing services in Fort Worth, TX? Contact the plumbing professionals at Lasiter & Lasiter for maintenance and repair work that you can trust. Whether you need a drain cleared or routine maintenance, we do it all. Call us today at [nw_data field=phone] for information on which services are right for you.

If you have a sink or bathtub that drains slower and slower, the drain needs cleaning. Sometimes, the clog is mild enough that you can fix it without ever calling a specialist. We have a few DIY drain cleaning methods for homeowners who want to try their hand at fixing a clog before calling a plumber.

Snaking

One way of getting a clog out of a drain is with an auger (sometimes known as a snake). You can buy an inexpensive drain snake at most grocery and home improvement stores. Or, alternately, a metal hanger that you untwist can work just as well as an auger as long as you use it carefully. All you have to do is push the auger down the drain and then pull it out, along with whatever is clogging your drain. If this doesn’t take care of the problem, there is one more thing you can try.

DIY Liquid Drain Cleaning

If you have a persistent clogged drain that doesn’t respond well to the auger method, you can also use a chemical drain cleaner. There are different brands and types, and most are available at retail stores. These substances contain harsh chemicals that break down drain clogs. A word of warning, though: Use chemical drain cleaners very carefully! These substances can splash your skin and cause severe irritation. If you want a less dangerous liquid drain cleaner, you can simply make your own. Simply pour a little baking soda down the drain. Then, chase it with vinegar.

However, if your clogged drain persists after attempting these DIY drain cleaning methods, or the idea of pulling a ball of hair out of your drain makes you queasy, call our pros at [nw_data field=phone]. We are happy to professionally clean your drains at an affordable cost!

You’ve probably heard the terms ‘soft water’ and ‘hard water’ but do you actually know what each means and how it affects your plumbing? Look no further — we can help you understand the difference between the two and make sure you’re doing all you can for your plumbing based on the water in your area.

Hard Water

Hard water, which is found in Fort Worth, TX, has high levels of dissolved minerals in it. While it is perfectly safe to drink and bathe in, it does come with some downsides. If you’ve noticed a white buildup on your shower head, for example, this is a sign of some of the minerals left behind from the hard water. Certain household cleaners are made for removing this residue from faucets and shower heads. The mineral residue can also affect appliances, such as dishwashers, and keep them from performing the way they’re supposed to.

Soft Water

Soft water is water with few or no added minerals. (The purest of water does not contain minerals.) It is sometimes naturally occurring and sometimes not. Some people choose to treat their hard water with water filtration systems to remove the minerals from the water. There are a few reasons people may opt to treat their water for minerals.

• It helps plumbing last longer. Hard water causes a buildup of scale (minerals, etc) in the pipes, which deteriorates them faster and could cause appliances to not work effectively.
• It is easier to clean with. In general, soft water will not leave mineral stains on dishes after washing or buildup on your shower head.
• Some people prefer the taste. Some people prefer the taste of soft water over the taste of hard water, while for others, the opposite is true.

Should I Treat My Water?

If you are considering water treatment, you will need to determine the price of treating your water and other maintenance involved. Hard water might not be the easiest on pipes, but it is by no means bad for your health or your home. Call the plumbing experts with the best services at [nw_data field=phone] for more information on water filtration!

Who doesn’t like getting the VIP treatment? Red carpet rolled out, luxurious details, and the sense that you’re kind of a big deal…it’s a treat to be spoiled a bit now and then. But you don’t have to wait for a milestone birthday or special achievement to feel like a million bucks! When you’re in need of contractors and services for home repairs, imagine making a quick call and feeling like you’re a priority to the company on the other end. You’re moved to the front of the line, your needs matter, and the issue is resolved and behind you as quickly as it came on. 

Friends, these are just a few of the perks of joining a Loyalty Plan. 

Loyal Plans for home service providers may also be referred to as a maintenance plan or service plans, but they’re all essentially the same concept. Different contractors will offer different terms and pricing for what they’ll promise their top tier clients, and there are often varying levels of plans depending on what level of service you want to lock in. 

Benefits of a Maintenance Plan

The benefits of maintenance plans are numerous, but among the top perks are the fact that you have a guarantee of regular check-ins on your home equipment. For plumbing services, for example, you can have the peace of mind that all the major and minor plumbing components — from your toilets to the main sewer and water lines — have been reviewed and are functioning as expected. This can prevent bigger, more costly issues down the line. You’ll also receive priority scheduling, and generally a discount of some sort on services or equipment as needed.

At the end of the day, your home is your largest investment, and it’s where you spend time with your family. We can’t think of a better reason to look into valuable loyalty programs for all your go-to home service contractors.

If you’re looking to lock in a professional plumber that you can trust in Fort Worth, TX, call Lasiter & Lasiter at [nw_data field=phone]. Our Lasiter Loyalty Plan awaits you!

Plumbing emergencies don’t often happen at convenient times, but if you know what to look out for, you might be able to head off a catastrophe before it occurs. Here are four things that should convince you to call a plumber ASAP:

Discolored or Smelly Water

If your tap water has developed discoloration or an odd odor, it could be a sign of backflow problems. Backflow happens when a drinkable water supply gets polluted by water from the sewer or another tainted source. If you notice this, don’t put off your call for professional help.

Water Pressure Changes

Water pressure that quickly gets stronger or weaker can be a sign of clogged pipes or even breaks in your water line. Your best option is to call a plumber out to snake to drain or do a camera inspection.

Bumps in the Floor

If you can see or feel areas of your flooring that seem risen or sunken in, there could be a potential slab leak to blame. Or the soil around your home could be shifting due to extended periods of drought or heavy rainfall. Either way, stay on the safe side and get a professional opinion.

When you’re looking for a professional to come and inspect your plumbing in Haltom City, TX or the surrounding areas, give us a call! We’ve been in the business since 1974, and we will get your plumbing fixed quickly, and fixed well! [nw_data field=phone]

Professional plumbers act like professionals. That’s why they are trusted by so many people who need the necessary service they provide. Sometimes, though, a plumber will come along who just wants to make an easy dollar, no matter what. Here are three cautionary tales of plumbers who will probably never get paid to snake a drain, ever again.

The Scheme That Didn’t Pay

Most scammers target their customers, but Joshua Veach decided to go straight to the source for his alleged theft: his own employer! It seems foolish to try and steal from the very person who pays your salary, but maybe Veach had a plan to make some fast cash. Whatever the case, he is accused of stealing $6,000 of tools and equipment. However, his bail is set at $25,000. That doesn’t sound like a winning plan, does it?

Horrible Boss

Australian authorities are investigating plumber Jason Cooper for fraud. Cooper has been accused of forcing an employee to pass fake documents to the Trade Union Royal Commission, which oversees plumbing and other professional trades. The woman who passed off the documents under duress claims that the whole traumatic event has left her disabled. She claims that Cooper didn’t follow protocol when firing employees, but made her forge documents that made it seem that he did. The incident is still being investigated.

All Pay, No Work

Rodney Morales of Georgia is accused of taking money for plumbing services, then failing to return to ever perform those services. His company had positive online reviews, but they proved to be false; the company had an F rating from the Better Business Bureau. It’s unfortunate that more customers didn’t dig deeper into the company’s web presence before hiring Morales.

If you need plumbing services in the DFW Metroplex or surrounding areas, give us a call today!

The US Environmental Protection Agency has announced National Fix-a-Leak Week from March 14th through the 18th. What does this mean for you? It means it’s a great time to have your plumbing checked, and fix any leaks you’ve noticed. Even minor leaks waste an astonishing amount of water, which isn’t good for the environment — or your wallet!

Help Spread the Word

Minor plumbing leaks in the US waste 1 trillion gallons of water every year. This is a huge problem, since the world’s population keeps quickly growing, and we have drinking access to only 1% of the water on Earth. Luckily, the EPA has made it easy to spread the word with the widgets and videos located on their web site.

Teach Kids About Water Conservation

As they say, the children are our future. They will be the ones that inherit the planet and its possible water shortages. Teach them at an early age to conserve water whenever possible. The EPA has made this task easier by creating a kid-friendly, informative website called “Thirsty for Knowledge“.

Upgrade Your Plumbing

Do you have leaks in your own home? If so, call a professional plumber to take a look. They will repair your plumbing, or make recommendations for upgrades that help save water. Look for the EPA-approved Water Sense seal, and ask your plumber for more tips on cutting your water bills and conserving water.

Most homes have a garbage disposal installed in their kitchen. These machines help homeowners grind up food waste and debris so that it can be effectively removed by your home’s plumbing systems and drains. While most people know how to use their disposal, you may not be as familiar with how to keep your disposal clean. Luckily, Lasiter Plumbing has provided these disposal cleaning tips to help you maintain your disposal.

Clean the Disposal Guard

Turn off your disposal before attempting to clean the rubber guard. The purpose of the guard is to block food debris from coming back out of the disposal during grinding as well as protect you from accidentally cutting up your hand. The backside of the guard can become dirty with debris that should be cleaned regularly to prevent an unpleasant odor from developing. Wipe down the guard with a paper towel to remove any build-ups.

Add Ice Cubes

Grinding ice cubes will help clean the blades of your disposal and remove accumulated debris. You can even make ice cubes with lemon juice or vinegar to add some extra cleaning power.

Add Citrus Peels

Placing cut up lemon, orange and lime peels in your disposal and grinding them will produce a refreshing odor.

1. Install a low flow shower head. Standard shower heads release numerous gallons of fresh water every minute. Low flow shower heads cut back on the quantity used while still allowing consistent and continuous hot water to rain down.

2. Take shorter showers. Be the efficiency you want to see. Time how long it takes to complete your shower, then make sensible decisions to speed up that process without sacrificing enjoyment. The luxury of saving starts with you.

3. Replace toilet parts that cause leakage. It only sounds like a trickle, but leaky toilets waste vast amounts of clean water daily, resulting in high water bills and unexpected headaches. Simply replace a toilet tank’s inner parts so your money isn’t flushed away.

These are several easy methods you can adopt to boost water conservation and tread a greener path ahead with a lighter carbon footprint, provided by our good friends at Rinnai!