5 Tips for Maintaining Clear Drains over Thanksgiving

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for plumbers. In fact, it might be the busiest - with calls to clear stopped drains by far the most common problem.

Lots of cooking and extra house guests can take a toll on your plumbing system - but they don't have to. Here are just a few tips to help keep your drains running and your system functioning for the holiday:

1. Don't put fats, grease or cooking oils down the kitchen drain. When rinsing anything down the drain, flush with plenty of water.
   
2. Avoid putting stringy or fibrous materials like celery and potato skins through the garbage disposal. (For more tips on using your garbage disposal, see our previous post Friends will be envious...Dogs will be sorry)
3. Never put turkey skins in the disposal
4. Remind your guests not to flush cotton swabs, cotton balls or similar materials down the toilet. The waste basket is the best place for those things.
5. Allow 15 minutes between showers so the drains can empty and the water heater can catch up.

Don't worry - we'll be open on Friday for business as usual, but just a few simple things can help you avoid hassles altogether.

And while we have your attention, all of us here at Boden Plumbing would like to wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving. We know we're very thankful to be doing business here in beautiful Sonoma Valley with so many loyal customers. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

How Many Drips Does it Take to Waste a Gallon?

Drops of water are not like snow flakes. They don't come in an infinite variety of shapes and sizes. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, they are somewhat variable, but basically the drops dripping from our kitchen and bathroom sink faucets are betwen 1/5th and 1/3rd of a milliliter (mL).

That doesn't seem like much, but it can sure add up.

Consider the average drop -- about 1/4 mL of water. If your faucet is dripping once every other second, it takes just eight hours to fill a gallon bucket. By the end of the week, over twenty-one gallons have gone down the drain unused.

Maybe that still doesn't seem like much? What if that's not your only dripping faucet? What if your next-door neighbor, and their next-door neighbor on down the street, each have a couple of drippers as well?

Think about it. It's a simple thing to stop a dripping faucet. Gallons and gallons will be saved - gallons of fresh, clean finite water. Drips do add up, one gallon at a time.

Remember:
One gallon = 15,140 drips
One liter: = 4,000 drips

Calculate your drip quotient at ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/sc4.html

Then call us - with questions, advice or to get those drips fixed pronto.

BBB Welcomes Boden Plumbing

Boden Plumbing recently took the step to make our commitment to good customer service official and joined with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in promoting ethical business practices.

Just so you know what being accredited by the BBB really means and what we signed up for, we've laid it all out below. For the record.

If a business has been accredited, it means the BBB has determined that the business meets the its Standards of Trust, which include a commitment to make a good faith effort to resolve any consumer complaints. BBB accredited businesses pay a fee for accreditation review, monitoring and for support of BBB services to the public.

BBB accreditation does not mean that the business’ products or services have been evaluated or endorsed by the BBB, or that the BBB has made a determination as to the business’ product quality or competency in performing services.













To be an accredited business with BBB, an applicant must, at a minimum -

1. Be in business in the BBB’s service area for not less than six months, unless:

• The principals are well known to BBB because of other businesses in which they have been involved.
• The firm is a branch of an already accepted member company that has met these standards.
• The firm has moved from, or is an expansion of, a firm in another BBB’s service area where it was a member in good standing.

To participate in BBB Seal Programs, a company must be in business for a minimum of 12 months.

2. Supply accurate background information about its principals and employees, as well as other information deemed essential to BBB’s responsibility to provide inquirers with factual reports on its reliability. In addition, companies must promptly comply with requests by BBB for information concerning the location, nature and management of its business.

3. Agree to and sign a Membership Agreement and pay membership dues within the time specified by the By-Laws or by the Board of Directors.

4. Support BBB principles, which include:

• Promote high standards of business integrity
• Support the free enterprise system
• Support the self-regulation of business
• Cooperate with BBB’s activities and efforts to promote voluntary self-regulation within the business industry
• Avoid any activity that reflects unfavorably on the BBB or its members.

5. Give reasonable response to any customer complaint brought to its attention by BBB and promptly inform BBB of such response.

• Make good faith efforts to resolve all such complaints in accordance with generally accepted good business practices
• Cooperate with BBB in efforts to eliminate the underlying causes of patterns of customer complaints that BBB may call to the company’s attention.

So that's our pledge to you - our customer, our potential customers and the people of our community - for the record.

Call Boden Plumbing with confidence. We're here to help.