About Gahanna Plumbing & Drain

Depending on the type of water heater you have and the age of the unit, there are several reasons that usually cause a water heater to run out of hot water too quickly. Electric water heaters usually use two elements to heat the water. There’s an upper element and there’s a lower element. If you keep running out of hot water, however, and it happens in a time span, the lower element is probably the only one that’s functioning properly and only the top portion of the tank is being heated. If this upper element stops working — you’ll run out of hot water completely. Homeowners need to remember they have a reset button on electric water heaters. If the reset button trips, it could indicate a more serious problem. If this happens, you should have your friends at Gahanna Plumbing & Drain check it out for you. 

The most common cause of this with gas water heaters is the dip tube. The dip tube is a piece of pipe that directs the cold water to the bottom portion of the tank to get heated by the element.  After years of use, the dip tube shrinks and causes the cold water to mix with the hot.

Chemical solutions are very toxic and corrosive on drain pipes. Check the backs of these products. There are at least 3 warning labels usually, which serve as red flags. If you read these labels you’ll see these aren’t chemicals you want to leave lying around your home, especially if you have children or pets. They are so corrosive that they can cause your drain pipes to deteriorate from the inside out. If used enough, drain lines need to be replaced sooner than usual. 

In most situations, drains clog up easily because homeowners aren’t careful about what goes in the drain, especially when it comes to drains in kitchens. Other drains, like bathroom, drains, get clogged with residues from oils, soaps, and hairs.  We at Gahanna Plumbing & Drain advise homeowners to be mindful of what they allow to go down their drain and to use drain catchers where possible. It’s also important to treat drains in bathrooms with solutions that aren’t corrosive.

Garbage disposals are designed to break up soft debris and grind things that aren’t hard.  Mashed potatoes, egg yolks and whites, cooked carrots, vegetables, pasta, and certain foods are ok to put in residential garbage disposals. However, harder things like bones, eggshells, and even coffee grounds are hard on them and wear down the blades. They can also cause clogs and jams. Always remember to run water through the disposal to help break the foods down better and flush through the drain when using it. Give Gahanna Plumbing & Drain a call if you have any problems.