Neptune Plumbing Blog

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

2011 Home Improvement Trends

50 experts were interviewed about home improvement trends in 2011 and their results were packaged nicely into this infographic. Use this as inspiration for your 2011 home improvement projects. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding a plumbing project or green plumbing fixtures. Do you have projects planned yet for this upcoming year? Share them below in the comments.

Source: eLocal.com

Friday, February 11, 2011

Plumbing Pipe Candlesticks

In anticipation of Valentine's Day on Monday, we though we'd share this relevant "how-to" guide. Stephen Antonson teaches how to turn spare plumbing parts into an array of industrial candlesticks that are guaranteed to set the mood for any occasion, especially Valentine's Day.

How-Tuesday: Plumbing Pipe Candlesticks from Etsy on Vimeo.

Materials

Plumbing parts can be found at most hardware stores or plumbing supply stores. Here’s a breakdown of all the plumbing parts you can use in this project:

Bushings — a threaded exterior on one side, and a threaded interior on the other
Couplings — each end of a coupling connects to other parts
Unions — two identical interior threadings on either side, unions “unite” two other parts together
Nipples — a short length of pipe that has two identical threaded ends on either side.

Plumbing parts come in either black or galvanized silver, both of which are quite striking. You have the option of leaving them bare or painting them (See Step 3).   You’ll also need:

Candles
Mineral spirits
Spray paint (optional)

Directions

Thoroughly wipe down the plumbing parts with mineral spirits and a clean rag. The parts come with grease and oils on them to prevent corrosion, so you want to make sure to give them a good once over. If you’re planning on painting your candlesticks, wait for the parts to fully dry before you break out the spray paint.
Now it's time to assemble your candlesticks. There are endless combinations of parts you can try, so let your creative candlestick vision guide you. If your union-bushing-coupling combination isn’t looking quite right, try a union and four bushings. Or maybe add a nipple. There’s no wrong way to make a candlestick, so have fun!
As we mentioned, if you prefer the original galvanized or black finish your plumbing parts, skip this step. If you do want to customize your candlesticks with paint, pick a color and start spraying. After ensuring that your candlesticks are completely dry and free of residue, apply your paint in short, even bursts until your surface area is fully covered.
Pick a candle that complements your creation and you’re ready to go. Now you’ve got a great piece to spruce up your kitchen table or a romantic evening you’ve been planning.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day!

For more information on this and other great DIY projects, check out Stephen’s book, Home From the Hardware Store, available on Amazon or from an independent bookseller near you.   About the filmmakers:   Soo Kim and Marcus Ricci are founding members of Brazen Angler Films. They live and work in Brooklyn, NY.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Super Bowl Party Tips

If you're hosting a Super Bowl party this year you’ll want to add these tips to your to-do list.

Super Bowl Sunday is the second-largest day of food consumption, according to the American Institute of Food Distribution. It’s behind only Thanksgiving Day. Just like the holidays, your family and friends cram into your home for the big game. And that means your garbage disposal and toilets will likely be working overtime.

Neptune Plumbing has some steps you can take before your guests arrive that will help keep your home’s plumbing in good working condition:

You should not overload your garbage disposal with leftovers. This can clog you kitchen sink. When in doubt – just throw it out.
Instead, you should throw scraps in the trash or put in the compost pile.
You should avoid pouring grease down the drain, because grease hardens when it’s in your pipes.
Wipe off greasy plates and pans with a paper towel before washing them.
Remove small objects from the top of your toilet tank that could fall in, causing it to clog.
Make sure your trash bin is easy to see, so guests won’t flush paper towels, napkins or facial tissue.
You may want to stock your bathroom with single-ply toilet paper, depending on the number of people attending your party. This can really help.
You really need to know how to use the water shut-off valve (this is behind the toilet tank).

These tips will help keep your plumbing in good working condition. However, if you have a plumbing emergency, Neptune Plumbing is open on Super Bowl Sunday; you can contact us here.

Have fun and enjoy the game!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Winter Plumbing Maintenance

When the mercury drops during winter, frozen or burst pipes and broken water heaters can cause water damage and costly repairs. Follow these steps to prevent plumbing disasters in your home:

Drain outdoor water supply lines
Disconnect garden hoses and drain water from water sprinkler supply lines, swimming
pools and spigots. Be sure to shut off the water supply.

Check your water heater
If you have an older water heater, replace it before winter hits. Gas heaters normally last 8 to 14 years, and electric ones last 10-18 years. You can find the installation date on the service plate or on the heater’s serial number.

Insulate exposed pipes
Water can freeze in both hot and cold water supply lines, so it’s important to insulate exposed pipes in areas that aren’t well-heated, like under your bathroom and kitchen cabinets and in your basement, attic and garage. To insulate pipes, wrap them with foam insulation and secure them with tape. For added protection, wrap heat tape (thermostatically-controlled electric cables) around pipes following the manufacturer’s instructions for installation.

Take precautions during extreme cold
Even if you’ve already insulated your pipes, leave doors open in crawl spaces and under cabinets to let warmer air circulate. If there are pipes in the garage, keep the doors closed. Allow water to drip from faucets to prevent pipes from freezing—even a dribble helps.

Prep your house before you go away
If you’re going to be away from your home for a month or more, keep the heat on and set the thermostat to no lower than 55°F. A plumber can drain your water system by shutting off faucets, opening the meter in the basement, and using an air compressor to force excess liquid from pipes. Shut off the water heater as well.

Be sure to contact us if you have any questions or needs any assistance with your winter maintenance.

Have any additional tips that you do to protect your plumbing in the winter? Share them in the comments below.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Pumpkins and Plumbing Don't Mix

Every Halloween season, plumbers across the country get the call to repair garbage disposers and kitchen sink drains clogged with sticky pumpkin pulp and seeds. The goopy by-product of jack-o-lantern enthusiasts is, unfortunately, ideal for clogging household drains. The pulp dries and hardens inside pipes and disposers causing all sorts of problems. Never put pumpkin guts down the kitchen sink or worse, attempt to flush them down your toilet! To guard against Halloween drain disasters, follow these tips:

Never put pumpkin pulp or seeds down the toilet, sink drain or in the garbage disposer. The stringy, sticky gunk hardens and clogs drains and disposers.
Carve pumpkins on a thick bed of newspaper. Wrap up pumpkin-related materials and throw away in the garbage can or compost pile.
Separate the seeds, then roast for a tasty treat. (See the recipe below.)

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

(Source: www.allrecipes.com)

Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. This is easiest just after you’ve removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.
Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat.
Sprinkle with salt (or try cayenne pepper or garlic salt) and bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit until toasted, about 25 minutes. Check and stir after 10 minutes.
Let cool and store in an air-tight container.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

BP Oil Spill: 'Mystery Plumber' May Be Brains Behind Containment Cap

There has been a lot of press recently concerning the BP oil spill, however, one specific article caught our attention.

This article

from ABC News is about a “mystery plumber” who sent in a sketch on how to solve the problem at the bottom of the Gulf. The articles states that they “received a late-night call from an apologetic mystery plumber... whose humble refusal to give his name at the time nearly brought [them] to tears.” The engineer said that, "You can kind of see how a plumber thinks this way. That's how they have to plumb homes for sewage."

We have a poster hanging in our office that reads “The Plumber Protects the Health of the Nation” and this story reminds us of this phrase. This is not just a cliche saying; it comes from the fact that potable water systems, as well as waste disposal systems, need to be designed and installed correctly to prevent a possible failure that could result in personal damage or health hazards. We believe that our industry is critical to the health and safety of the public. Plumbers protect the health of the nation every day and, as this story shows, in more ways than just in our homes and offices.

Read the full ABC News article here:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/bp-oil-spill-mystery-plumber-brains-containment-cap/story?id=11182225