As reviewed with Pat McMahon recently, thousands of Valentines will be taking their romance to the bathroom this year. With soft music and candle lite baths, but before homeowners turn down the lights they should make sure their shower and bathtub are safe from clogs, mineral deposits, and life-threatening bacteria.

The bathroom can quickly become a safe haven for germs and even life-threatening bacteria. This is one of the major reason it is essential to maintain a regular cleaning schedule with a home’s drains and pipes.

When Texas A&M University microbiologist Rita Moyes, PhD tested 43 water samples from whirlpools, she found that all 43 had mild to dangerous bacterial growth.  Almost all showed bacteria from fecal matter; 81% had fungi, and 34% contained staph bacteria.  According to Moyes, the main reason whirlpool tubs are so dirty has to do with the lining of the pipes.  Water tends to get trapped in the pipes, providing a breeding ground for bacteria.  When the jets are turned on, the germy water spouts out into the tub where homeowners will be soaking.

1. Flush the drains, toilets and grease traps at least once a month with BioBen. This will keep the pipes clear and issues resulting from clogged plumbing at bay. It also doesn’t contain any hazardous chemicals, so homeowners never have to worry about sacrificing the safety of the environment for the sake of a clean and functioning drain.
2. Fill each sink to the brim, and then pull up the stopper. The volume and weight of the water will completely fill the drain pipe and flush the drain line. Once every three months, fill every sink and tub in the house with water. With the help of friends or family members simultaneously pull all of the drain stoppers up and flush all toilets in the house. This large volume of water will help flush out the larger sized drain stacks and underground building drains.
3. Soak each showerhead in vinegar overnightand scrub off excess mineral deposits in the morning. This will help maximize water pressure. Simply tie a plastic bag filled with a cup of vinegar around the showerhead before bed and remove in the morning.

Pipes should be given a cleaning every six months by a professional plumbing service. In addition the cleaning of pipes and drains, look closely at pipes for cracks and breaks.  Cracks in the pipes can cause leaks, both slow and fast, which can ultimately lead to damaged cabinetry, ceilings and flooring, mold and even termites.

Regular cleaning of drains and pipes can prevent clogging, flooding, breeding of bacteria and ultimately preserves the condition of fixtures and the health of the occupants of the home.  Scheduling time to do a check-up on the piping in your home may be the best and most important choice to make this Valentine season.

If you’d like to schedule an appointment with us, feel free to visit us online at http://www.benfranklinplumbingaz.com/ or call 480-485-1111.

Looking for a little pop of glam in your accessories for the holidays? Try something unexpected like this…

You may have seen the hints of gold and copper accessories hitting the runways this fall and we’re here to tell you theres a very simple and affordable way to do it yourself.

Did we mention it was actually pieces of piping? Not all plumbing pieces are used for plumbing repair only

You can head to your local home improvement store and pick piping pieces in all shapes, sizes and metals. Once you pick out your pipe ask for a piece cut between one and three inches – depending on the size you’re looking for.

Then all you have to decide is whether or not you’re going to go for a sleek or casual pony tail, a cute braid, or experiment with different updo’s.

To insert the clip into your hair, just twist the hair style and slip the clip up to the spot you would like it in. If you’re worried about it staying put just wrap a small elastic hair band under the clip.

Whichever way you decide to incorporate the DIY hair cuff you can be guaranteed the cuff itself will be the easiest part. We would love to see your styles. Check out our facebook page: and send us pictures that we can feature on our next DIY Blog!

Thanks to our friends at glitterandpearls.com for sharing DIY Plumbing inspired fashion tips!

If you’re looking for a centerpiece that you can use well past the holidays then we suggest this DIY project. These earthy tones can be used all year long depending on the color themes in your house. You can even take the basic concept and switch out the color themes to give the center piece a more festive feel when wanted.

In this example wooden spools were used so that we could cut them down to different height ranges in the center piece. But you can also use one of our favorite pieces of supplies… plumbing hardware! Both have the perfect opening when using them vertically to slide in candles, an essential element to any center piece.

If you’re using wood, you can use a glue gun to fasten them to your base. In this example the spools were glued to the lid of a large round box. You can find similar items at your local craft store, or mix it up by going with a unique shape. Maybe you even have something lying around your house that you could recycle?

After it’s glued together slide in the candles. For this one we chose tea lights. But you can play around with colors, scents, sizes and even battery operated ones.

Next, start choosing what you would like to fill the center piece with. This example uses a mixture of spools, ornaments and decorative balls (dig into those christmas storage bins and i’m sure you’ll find something. If not take off to your local craft store or Ikea)

Throw in some big pine cones to be reminded of the holiday season, weave in a string of battery operarted lights and it’s as simple as that!

Enjoy this easy project and if you have any tough plumbing projects, save time call the punctual plumber Benjamin Franklin Plumbing 602-485-1111.

A special thanks to ‘Something from Nothing’

The leaves are changing, the temperatures are breaking, haunted houses are dotting the landscape and it’s beginning to look a lot like fall.

Carving, baking and painting pumpkins is an age-old Halloween Tradition. However, it can turn into a plumbing disaster  if the excess pulp and seeds go anywhere near the homes plumbing.

With the increase calls to local plumbers due to clogged garbage disposals and backed up sinks Linda Stanfield with Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber is here to share tips and tricks to avoid potential plumbing problems this holiday season.

“We stay busy during Halloween, people don’t realize how stringy, slimy substances from the pumpkin will harden and can stick to the pipes,” said Linda Stanfield, owner of Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber. “Our service professionals are available 24/7, 365, we can repair plumbing emergencies and get our customers back to their Halloween activities and guests with little delay.”

The challenge to keeping pumpkin pulp and seeds from causing plumbing problems is being cautious when removing and disposing of the pumpkin’s remains.

Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber has this advice to offer:

• Carve pumpkins away from the kitchen sink, on newspapers, magazines or plastic.
• Throw all pumpkin-related material and newspaper directly in the garbage or into a compost bin.
• Do not put pulp and seeds into the garbage disposal or toilet.

For the bakers Linda has the following recommendation –use the pulp and seeds for Halloween sweet treats including desserts, breads and muffins. Recipes that use both pulp and seeds are available on several popular cooking websites. Some of our favorites come from www.pumpkinrecipes.org

For more information about Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber please visit: http://www.benfranklinplumbingaz.com/ or call 602-485-1111.

There are many reasons to install a water filter. The two most common reasons are to remove odor and improve taste. However, a reason that usually goes unnoticed and yet is one of the most important is a filter that has the capabilities to remove contaminants that resist the city water treatments. Almost all drinking water filters remove the chemical chlorine that is the main cleansing component that our cities choose to filter our tap water with. However, other contaminants may still be present.

Scientists and researchers have stated that prolonged exposure to even a low level of chemical contaminants, which normally passes through EPA standards, can increase the risk of cancer.

Have you read the EPA report of cities in Maricopa County? If not click here to see what the EPA says about what is in our water.

A recent release from President Obama states that a water filter is one of the easiest and most inexpensive steps a family can take towards preventing cancer.  The President’s Cancer Panel, made up of scientist and physicians, has released a report on reducing environmental cancer risks. “Filtering home tap or well water can decrease exposure to numerous known or suspected carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting chemicals,” states the report.

The panel also suggests switching over to stainless steel or glass bottles because of the contaminants that can leak into the water from a plastic water bottles, whether that bottle is reusable or not. The exposure to these chemicals is also increased by heat so for Phoenicians the best option is a filtered system because of our already hard water, water supply. Then for transporting water around in these last few hot months consider the ease of a reusable bottle in the form that will be sure to last and give you the best health results.

Surpised by all these reports??  Don’t worry, you can protect yourself and your family.

• Have you tested your home water lately? Protect your family and yourself, test your water every six months to be sure your showering and protecting your plumbing system with better water.
• Our team has many years of qualified water treatment training and experience to be able to test your water and advise you how your current system is performing or not.

Thank you for reading this post, I would like to offer you a free home water test in our service area, contact us today and mention this blog post for your free water test.  

Water, whether you drink from your faucet, your fridge or a pre-packaged bottle is not what it used to be. We as consumers can tell by key factors like taste, smell and even appearance.

We have talked about what’s in your water. We have talked about how cities are trying to decontaminate it and what those decontaminates are like chlorine. We have talked about how they are affecting your plumbing and even a few ways to prevent that water from entering your home like with a whole house filter system.

What we haven’t talked about is exactly what contaminates are in your water, let alone what household items are flowing with that water around in your pipes.

A recent article by Readers Digest released what is truly in our tap water. “60,000 chemicals are used across the country—and can get into our drinking water—though the EPA enforces limits on fewer than 100.” Out of what was found, some could be expected like animal waste and pesticides especially around smaller, rural towns. Others, like medical waste, arsenic and rocket fuel were a bit more of a shock. The largest shock was how much was slipping through the checks and straight into our homes.

We’ll tell you here, exactly whats in our water and floating around with it in the sewers…

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPFjP9H63zw[/youtube]

Have any questions about whats in your water? Call us at Benjamin Franklin, The Punctual Plumber today at 602-485-1111. Mention this Blog post, and we’ll even come out and check the quality of your water for FREE!

Did you know:

The average person spends three whole years

of their life sitting on the toilet?

But the real question is: What would you do if you didn’t have a toilet…

The reality is that billions around the world don’t have access.

Flush toilets are unavailable to a majority of the developing world and over 3 billion people worldwide do not have access to any form of toilet or latrine system. Therefore, these people must result to urinating or defecating in public. Numerous health issues come from the lack of suitable toilets along with safety concerns especially involving women using a public form of bathroom.

Did you know lack of toilets and sanitation kills approximately 2 million people a year most of whom are children?

In order to bring safe, clean toilets to the developing nations the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation along with UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, African Development Bank African Water Facility, Water Services Trust Fund and German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) and WASH for Life are teaming together for a water and sanitation challenge to reinvent the toilet.

Over 8 different universities worldwide are currently underway to create technology that will reinvent the toilet as “a stand-alone unit without piped-in water, a sewer connection, or outside electricity—all for less than 5 cents a day” according to PRNewswire.

To learn more about the sanitation goals and the reinvention challenge click here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gates-foundation-launches-effort-to-reinvent-the-toilet-125802933.html

We are here to help you and your family be sure your toilet is safe while keeping you healthy, if you have any concerns please contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing or call us at 602-903-1672, to help you stay healthy.

As we discuss bathroom renovations one of the leading renovations that comes to mind is with the shower or bathtub.  However, even though the shower is one of the leading bathroom renovations, it is usually only a simple renovation of the showerhead fixture.

But if you are looking for a new showerhead consider one that gives you options… even if it is just two options between a rainfall or a waterfall

When it comes to renovations, most people are unaware how a shower, bathtub or even the combination of the two can be the definition of your bathroom and just how much you can actually do to renovate it.

First you must decide:

Are you renovating a shower or a bathtub?

If you a renovating a bathtub consider what material you would like to have your tub made out of. With customized homes come more options of a customized bathroom in which homeowners usually have more flexibility with design options.

However, you still have plenty of bathtub options that only vary depending on the size of the room you are fitting the tub in.

Your bathtub has the ability to fully define the room. Whether your bathtub is customized by you, or a designer the options for patterns and material are endless.

Technology has given us the ability to put a modern take on the shower bathtub duo.

But if you are looking for just a Shower Renovation…

Start with something like this..

and finish with something like this…

You can also try going green by installing a shower that is water conscious.

The Shower Brake is a water controller that designates an amount of water (when pushed up) that is sufficient for most showers. The controller descends while you shower to let you know how much water you’ve used.

Then there are also the shower options that are without plumbing…

The pocket shower easily folds up so you can take it on the go!

If your ready for a change in your Bathroom shower or tub area, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing can help you come up with just the right update for you!

Contact us today for a free estimate when mentioning this blog, call 602-485-111 or click www.benfranklinplumbingaz.com to make an online appointment.

Summer is a perfect time for home renovations. Whether you simply come up with the ideas and hire a trusted professional to install the renovations, or decide to make it a do it yourself project, either way, there are endless possibilities.

Over the next few days we will be discussing bathroom renovations from showers, sinks and even toilets, highlighting the top and over the top trends to make your bathroom one of a kind.

Whether you decide to fully renovate your sink, including what the sink dish resides in or just decide to switch the faucets there are several options for any bathroom theme.

A bathroom sink renovation could involve fully replacing the sink bowl or in the form of a do it yourself project you re-design the outside shell of the sink by painting it or using a graphic sticker.

The most popular form of sinks in bathroom design is a vessel sink. Offered in many materials, shapes and colors your vessel sink can either be the key accent piece or a complementary and charming accent to whatever theme you may decide.

If you would like to go fully modern, try an unusual shape for your vessel sink. For a list of the different materials offered in the form of a vessel sink look here.

If you want to start renovations with a small change to your bathroom, start by renovating your faucet. Switching to a sleek and modern silver design like the one above will make a noticeable difference in how you feel about your bathroom, whether it be a master bathroom or a hallway half bath.

If you want to try something fun and unusual when it comes to accent colors, try colors in an LED light. These one of a kind sinks are sure to be an eye-catcher for any guest and will be sure to keep your kids entertained.

Then of course there are also the bathroom renovations that to some are considered over the top

but can truly bring your bathroom theme to the next level.

So whether you choose to begin with bold…

…or subtle differences to your bathroom…

Or decide to take on an entire renovation be sure to contact Benjamin Franklin Plumbing, your guide to a flawless installation.

A leading problem when it comes to water flow actually occurs outside of the home. Although it’s hard to believe, tree roots are actually one of the leading causes behind clogged or broken sewer lines.

Tree roots usually navigate towards nutrients, which the pipes carrying sewage out of your home are full of.

Although most homes nowadays are built with plastic PVC or ABS pipes with glued joints for sewer drains, older homes in the Phoenix, Tempe, Mesa or Scottsdale area were built with sewer drains made of clay or orangeburg, a cardboard type pipe. The PVC or ABS pipes are more industrious and can tolerate the outside pressures that a tree root may exert.

With clay or orangeburg pipes, over time the clay or cardboard type pipe ages or the ground shifts and settles degrading the pipes in the process. If the older pipes even have a slight crack the roots of the tree can find their way in. Once inside the tree roots will grow thick and spread out eventually clogging your drain by their mass or the debris that is caught in the roots disposed from the home.  A complete blockage of the pipes will occur if it goes unchecked and eventually the pipes will completely break apart.

This current photo from a home here in Tempe that had continued problems with their drains backing up, until one day, the pipe just could not drain anymore, the roots took over completely.

So as we move into the hottest months of the year we urge homeowners to contact their local plumber as each homeowner is responsible for maintaining their sewer pipes. Remember even though the pipe is buried and out of sight, does not mean there is not a problem so make sure you schedule a regular cleaning and catch any problem before it’s too late.

• SAVE TODAY-MENTION THIS DRAIN BLOG WHEN BOOKING AN APPOINTMENT AND RECIEVE A FREE DRAIN CAMERA AND LOCATE WITH ANY OTHER PLUMBING SERVICE COMPLETED, A $200.00 value, not to be combined with any other discounts or specials, expires 09/30/11.