It doesn’t take much to clog a pipe – overzealous use of toilet paper, a washcloth, tree roots, and misplaced Matchbox cars are common culprits.

Thanks to improvements in technology, today’s plumbing professionals are able to use tiny, waterproof cameras to venture into your pipes and spy the cause of the clog as well as potential trouble spots in an entire drainage system.

At Allied, we like to think of pipe cameras as a portable “ICU” (as in “I see you”) service that helps resolve drainage problems quickly and efficiently for homeowners and businesses.

It’s like having an eyeball mounted on a cable.
Sewer and pipe cameras enable plumbers to detect problems without resorting to costly demolition and guess work. By using a camera, pinpointing the location of a malfunction is a much more reliable task.

Camera capabilities vary, but the more sophisticated versions include 360-degree tilt, expandable cable, color video displays, recording and playback functions, and other features that help detect faults in sewage and drainage systems.

Real-time view = fast results
At a cost upwards of $5000 for a robust camera system, plumbers who invest in state-of-the art tools such as a sewer camera likely also have high-tech “next steps”: water jetting equipment and powerful augers that can quickly clear drainage issues.

Water You Waiting for? Call Allied Today!
For more information on Allied’s blockage-busting sewer camera service, high pressure water jetting capabilities, or to receive a free estimate, contact us at 513-396-5300.

Over 50% of insurance claims related to water damage are from broken water supply hoses. The average claim is more than $6,000.

The laundry room is one of your home’s most important work spaces, yet it typically receives the least attention…until it’s out of service.

This week, we’re taking a closer look at a simple home maintenance item: washing machine hoses. Did you know that in a typical home, water can spill out of a single hose at a rate of about 650 gallons per hour? At that rate, damage adds up quickly.

Reasons why hoses fail

• Age – Insurance industry studies show that 80% of these types of insurance claims are related to hoses 8-10 years old.

• Materials – Reinforced rubber is a popular option for hoses. It becomes brittle as it ages, making it subject to cracks, leaks, and bursting.

• Installation Errors – The most common installation error is lack of sufficient room to prevent kinks in the hose, especially near the valve connections.

Visual Inspections – A Good Habit

File this under “Things We Should Do, But Seldom Remember.” In most homes, laundry is a family affair – everyone’s doing it, but few think to look behind the washer and check the hoses. Sometimes, a sign next to the washer is a good reminder. Check for:

• Deterioration: blisters, bulges, or bubbles; cracks; unraveling (if using braided steel hoses); bends or kinks near the connections.

• Leaks: Moisture, drips, rust, discoloration, or leaks on or around hoses and connections or in the catch pan (if present).

Easy Precautions

• Don’t leave the washer unattended. When washer failures happen in an empty home, losses multiply by 150%.

• Turn off water between uses. Relieve water pressure in the hoses by turning off the water supply when the machine is not in use or when you will be away.

• Do not delay – Replace old hoses ASAP. A good practice is to replace hoses every 3-5 years; hose breakdown is happens from the inside-out, so it’s easy to miss the warning signs. For a few bucks, a hose maintenance plan can save you thousands of dollars in damage and lost time.

Water You Waiting For?
At Allied, proactive water supply line maintenance is at the top of our to-do list. Give us a call, or contact  for a free estimate and to learn more about the latest in washer hose technology. We’re here 24 hours a day: 513-396-5300.   We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.

Recently, an insurance salesman returned home from a business trip to find his first floor and basement flooded with water. The trouble? His water line burst, spewing thousands of gallons of water unnoticed. It took months of work and two contractors to repair the damage. “If you’re going to have a leaking supply line, it’s going to happen while you’re away,” says Ray Connaughton, president of Allied Reddi Rooter.

Even a minor leak can become a major disaster if no one is home to notice, especially in an area with laminate or hardwood flooring. Many times, hot water tanks or water lines fail in recently renovated living spaces.

By closing the main valve, you are minimizing the risk of damage. Once the initial pressure in the lines is depleted, the leak may stop. “Instead of thousands, literally thousands, of gallons of water, you might have 50 gallons from the hot-water tank leak,” Spaulding says. “There is no downside whatsoever (to turning off the main valve). It takes a few seconds and the peace of mind and potentially thousands of dollars in savings is worth it.

Water You Waiting For?
If you are not sure where your main water valve is located, give us a call,  or contact  us, and we’ll cheerfully explain how to locate it. We’re here 24 hours a day: 513-396-5300 We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.

A few weeks ago, we mentioned our sticker shock upon receiving our quarterly water bill. Since then, we’ve added another person to our household: Mother (and her dog) are staying with us for a couple of months.

When we freaked out at our $300 bill, Mom commented (in her mother-in-law way) “$100 a month for water for a family of 6 isn’t so bad. Other people pay more.” But mom’s not paying the bill. So, we’ve been doing a little home work on our water usage to figure out a way to save. A quick survey of our water usage found:

• Laundry: 15-20 loads per week.
• Dishwasher: 14 loads per week.
• Bathroom Flushes: About 100 per week.
• General water-running (brushing teeth, washing hands, drinking, cleaning, etc): Who knows?

On http://www.home-water-works.org/calculator, we found an interesting calculator designed to answer our question: After running water all day long, how much have we used? Our number: Over 360 gallons per day! That’s a lot of water.

The site provides a series of charts and graphs, illustrating usage. A couple of examples from our home:

Next Steps
• A family meeting to impress the importance of water conservation within our home.
• Replacing the shower heads and faucets with conservation/low-flow water-saver models.
• Considering replacing our older toilets with WaterSense-certified water efficient models. This step is a little harder – a sturdy flush is pretty satisfying. But,

American Standard (one of our favorite brands) recently was named an EPA WaterSense partner. http://www.americanstandard-us.com/innovations/watersense/

Water You Waiting For? Find Your Number (and then, call ours)
Try the water calculator. It’s fun and loaded with tips on ways to save water. If you’d like to learn more about replacing your old fixtures with new, efficient models (or if you’d like to re-arrange your plumbing pipes to accommodate new appliances) give us a call or contact  the team at Allied Reddi-Rooter for a free estimate.  We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.

A few years ago, we hosted our first Thanksgiving Dinner; a home-cooked affair for about 35 people, including all the in-laws.  Midway through cooking the meal, the garbage disposal failed in a big way: it didn’t have enough horsepower grind the celery waste.  Here’s an appetizing image (NOT): a watery backlog celery strings gurgling up from the kitchen sink just in time for dinner.  Ugh.

As every cook (residential or commercial) knows, when it comes to garbage disposals, horsepower and reliability are key.  We’re fond of many brands, but In-Sink-Erator (ISE) is among our top picks.  The new ISE Evolution Excel has a 1.0 hp motor  that will make mincemeat of nearly anything you throw at it, including chicken bones and potato peels.  View ‘real life’  demo > 

10 Tips for Garbage Disposal Care & Feeding

Having used garbage disposals for most of our lives, we’re often surprised that many homeowners find them intimidating. Below are few tips:
1. Run lots of cold water while the disposal is in operation and for a few seconds after it is finished.

2. Avoid putting fibrous food waste into the disposal (celery, pea pods, onion skins, cabbage, etc.)

3. Chicken bones are OK (bird bones are hollow), but ham, steak, and pork bones are not.

4. There is never a need to sharpen disposal blades, because they don’t have blades (in the technical sense).  Disposals use cams (a.k.a., hammers) to pound food to bits.

5. Disposal won’t turn on? Try pressing the red “reset” button on the bottom of the unit (under the sink).

6. If your disposal has a removable rubber drain gasket (where the food goes in), remove it weekly for cleaning – and get ready to hold your nose.  Gaskets get ooky from daily dishwater and food waste.  Happily, the gaskets are dishwasher safe.

7. It’s true – putting orange, lemon, and grapefruit peels in the disposer helps clean it and release  a pleasant, citrus scent.

8. Garbage disposals are generally ok for use with a septic tank.  See tip #1 – run cold water during the entire disposal process to ensure the ground food is suitably soupy for the septic system bacteria.

9. Never drop metal objects (twisties, plastic wrappers, utensils, etc.) into the disposal.  When that happens, power off the disposal immediately and carefully remove the objects.  A few weeks ago, we accidentally dropped BBs down the disposal. You know the movie quote “[BBs]…they go all over.”  It’s true.  Fishing the little devils out required a magnet-on-a-stick, a flashlight, and a lot of patience.

10. If using your disposal is an exercise in frustration,  it may time to consider upgrading to a new model.  Over the past few years, disposal technology has improved a great deal.  New models have more power, less noise, are a pleasure to use.  A new garbage disposal is one of the simplest and most affordable kitchen upgrades available.

Allied Reddi Rooter is a leading expert in garbage disposal installation and repair. Call or contact  the team at Allied Reddi-Rooter for a free estimate. We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.

In today’s busy world, unexpected hot water heater failure can rapidly create havoc in your home life. A broken water heater means time off work, finding a suitable replacement, working with a reputable plumber, and — worst of all — cold showers. The popular manufacturers (A. O. Smith, American, Whirlpool, Bradford White, and others), suggest the life of a water heater is 8-12 years. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to extend your water heater’s life and efficiency:

1. For older water heaters: Inspect and replace the anode rod ASAP. It is “sacrificial” and it self-corrodes so that your water heater tank does not.

2. Install an expansion tank and potentially double potentially double the life of your water heater. When water is heated from 50º to 120º, it expands. In a closed system (i.e., you have a valve that prevents water from back flowing into the water main), expansion causes rapid increases and decreases in water pressure. This pressure on your heater and plumbing which can cause early failure.

3. Clean and flush your tank annually, especially if your heater is older than 8 years. This prevent sediment buildup and maintains higher efficiency of your tank

4. Install a Pressure Regulating Valve (PRV). A PRV reduces system, as well as wear and tear on appliances.

5. Install a water softeners — this is less of an issue for people on city water, but if you have well water with high mineral content (iron and/or calcium), scaling can occure (a.k.a. your appliances and pipes get “limed up”. Scaling reduces the life of a water heater.

Today, there are many options for replacing an aging water heater – determining which type of water heater (gas, electric or tankless) is best suited to your needs and lifestyle is a good start. Your plumbing professionals at Allied Reddi-Rooter are available for a quick consultation.  Call or contact  the team at Allied Reddi-Rooter. We’ll make sure your home’s plumbing is ready for the new year. We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.

Ahhhh, spring! As our thoughts turn to warm weekends, flower beds, washing cars, and sprinklers, it’s time to turn on the outside faucets.

Thinking back to last Fall, the early cold snap caught a lot of people off guard – freezing temps set in before many thought to disconnect their garden hose and turn off the water to outside faucets. If that happened to you, now is a good time to check your outside water connections for leaks or bursts in the piping.

Understand burst faucets in less than 30 seconds

Woodford Manufacturing, a popular brand of exterior faucets (a.k.a. sill cocks and hose bibs, in plumber-speak), has an excellent video that illustrates the mechanics of frozen pipes. Watch video now

New exterior faucets – Add style and modern technology to your home

Now that you are thinking about your outside faucets, we should mention the many exciting options available. We’ve all seen the standard model – the classic “web” handle version that offers little comfort to your hand or interest to your home’s exterior architecture.

Exterior faucet technology has improved dramatically over the past few years. If you’re ready to spruce up your home’s look while also reducing your seasonal maintenance tasks, several easily affordable options are available.

Frost-proof faucets: Truly, one of our favorites. Installing a frost-proof exterior faucet means no more remembering to turn off the water in the Fall (followed by your spouse reminding you to turn the water back on again in the Spring). Frost-proof faucets are always ready-to-use, regardless of the outside temperature.

 Comfort-grip handles: An excellent choice, especially for older homeowners who have challenges gripping and turning handles. Comfort-grip handles are an attractive and ergonomic approach.

Theme handles: Show you love for nature with popular theme valves. Typically cast in brass, birds and turtles add a wild-life friendly look to your garden area.

Dual-outlet (with comfort grip) – for homes with limited exterior faucet options, the dual-outlet approach is an easy way to focus your water needs where you need them most.

Learn more, Call Allied Reddi-Rooter today!

Upgrading your exterior faucets to a better design can greatly improve your outdoor experience. Is it a DIY project? Probably, but your plumbing professional has access to professional-grade styles and innovations that are not available at the big-box stores. Plus, a quick consultation with a pro can help you choose a style and type that best fits your home’s “look” and your outdoor needs.  Call or contact  the team at Allied Reddi-Rooter. We’ll make sure your home’s plumbing is ready for the new year. We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.

If you live in a hilly region, like Cincinnati, Ohio, you may know first hand how it feels to find water flowing into or backing up into your basement. A very effective method of channeling this water away from the home is to dig a “Sump” or hole to in your basement floor. Then you place a pump within the hole that is connected to a drain pipe to channel the water outside.

Sump pumps assist not only with floods from heavy rains, but also with everyday problems like a high water table or water seepage because of construction. A sump pump, which pumps out standing water from a basement and into a drainage system, can help keep moisture out of the basement, so it will not cause structural damage or encourage the growth of mold and mildew.

Sounds easy enough… So is it something that a do-it-yourselfer can accomplish? First ask yourself this question: Are you able to locate both the highest point of the water table beneath your foundation floor and the lowest point within your basement? Can you create a precise 1.5′ wide x 2′ deep hole to collect water through your basement floor? Then can you excavate the proper drainage pipe to carry the water outside? Ouch! This is definitely not like putting in a garbage disposal. It is a job for a professional.

Allied Reddi Rooter has installed hundreds of sump pumps in Greater Cincinnati. Before you do anything, call, or contact us for a free estimate. That way you’ll know very quickly if a sump pump is the solution, or if you’d be better off just crossing “Over The Rhine” every time you go into the basement.  We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.

It’s not the most glamorous movie you’ve ever watched, but it is one of the most informational, when it comes to maintaining your home. Allied Reddi-Rooter can videotape external drains for blockage due to waste, objects accidentally placed in the plumbing and tree roots, to name a few of the culprits. Other issues can involve cracks in your pipes due to degrading material, soil movement, or bad connections. Because the pipes are underground, it’s impossible for homeowners to diagnose or even locate the problem on their own. Our Allied Reddi-Rooter team specializes in these situations. We can literally view the interior of your pipes and find the exact areas of blockage or damage. Once we’ve identified the problem, we can determine the best, and least intrusive method to fix it.

Video inspection is a cost-effective method for uncovering problems within your main sewer line. Allied Reddi-Rooter equipment can search up to 400 feet of pipe, working within pipe diameters as small as 2 inches. To locate underground pipes, we use a transmitter that sends a signal from the camera head to a device above ground that reads the signal and tells us where the line is, what direction it lies, and what depth it is. The benefit of using this service is we can determine exactly where your pipe is, and minimize the digging in your yard to get to the problem and repair it.

If you notice signs of abnormal flow in your sewer or drain line, call Allied Reddi-Rooter at 513-396-5300. For an urgent need, call our Emergency Service at 513-821-1141. We’ll act fast to prevent further damage, such as leaks or full blockage, that could cause waste to travel back up in the pipes into your home.    Call or contact  the team at Allied Reddi-Rooter.  We always come highly recommended and have earned an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for our expert quality of service. We’re here to help Cincinnati homeowners with all their plumbing needs.