Edmond Air Conditioning, Heating and Plumbing

My garbage disposal is locked up. What can I do to free it?

First, UNPLUG the unit. Often, you'll find a wrench underneath your sink, attached to your garbage disposal. If your unit came with one, you can insert it into the base of the unit and give it a jiggle to dislodge whatever has blocked the unit from operating correctly. Once you can freely turn the unit with the wrench, flush the unit with water from the faucet and plug it back in. Check for proper operation. If it is still not functioning, contact us to send a service tech out to your location.

My garbage disposal is starting to smell. What can I do?

There are a couple of things you can try. First, grind some ice cubes in your disposal followed by a sliced lemon. If that doesn't do the trick, you can follow up with a pouch of garbage disposal cleaner from the store. Most times, you'll never need to spend money on the over the counter solution.

My water pipes rattle. Is there anything that I can do about it?

There are many reasons that pipes rattle. If the rattling seems to be localized to a specific faucet, loose washers are the most likely culprit. If the rattling seems to be in the wall and not in the faucet, the pipe in the wall most likely needs braced. Unfortunately the pipe can often only be accessed with invasive work to the wall itself. If the rattling seems to be an issue throughout the home, you may need to have a professional inject foam insulation at certain key points to deaden the vibrating pipes. In some cases, if corners are cut in installation of a hot water tank, lack of an air chamber can lead to noisy pipes.

What can I do about a slow shower drain?

If your drain is partially clogged, first try using a good non-caustic enzyme-based drain cleaner. It will attack the scum (hair, soap, body oils, etc.) and dissolve it, rather than flowing past it with little to no effect like a caustic drain cleaner. If the drain is totally clogged, a caustic drain cleaner will usually work best. Be sure and choose one that's safe for the tub finish and pipes. Just run warm water down the drain, pour in the the drain cleaner and let it sit overnight, and then flush it down with very hot water. Start with a boiling water followed by the hottest water from the faucet until it flows clear.

If you have no luck contact us to send out a service tech as we may have to snake the drain.