Russo Bros. & Co. Supports Susan G. Komen for the Cure North Jersey

During the month of October Russo Bros. & Co. will be donating a portion of their sales to Susan G. Komen for the Cure North Jersey.

Five Common Plumbing Myths

1. Putting lemons in your garbage disposal cleans it.
This process may help your drain to smell better but it won't actually clean it. The most effective way to clean your disposal is with soap and warm water. Disconnect the disposal from the electric source and spray the soap solution, wait a few minutes and then scrub with a brush.

2. Free flowing drains are clear drains.
This isn't necessarily true. To keep drains from backing up make sure to use them as intended. Avoid putting food, hair, oils and any other chemicals down your drains.

3. In tank toilet cleaners help keep toilets cleaner.
False. In tank cleaners do not eliminate build up, they just bleach over it. To help minimize build up you can pour vinegar down the overflow tube.

4. Chemical drain cleaners are best to avoid clogs.
These highly toxic chemical cleaners just corrode your pipes and cause long term damage to your plumbing system. Not only are they extremely harmful to your pipes but they are also harmful to the environment. If the clog isn't too deep you can try a plunger to manually remove the clog .

5. Hand soap is the best way to clean your plumbing fixtures.
Some soaps can be too harsh on your fixtures. For example brass fixtures should be cleaned only using lemons and baking soda. Toilets should be cleaned using a stronger disinfectant to kill harmful germs.

Summer Energy Saving Tips

With your air conditioning system running around the clock this summer you may be looking for ways to conserve energy and save on your electric bill without sacrificing your comfort.

- Cook with your microwave, it uses 2/3 less energy than your oven.
- Use your dishwasher, hand washing dishes allows the water to run non-stop. Newer dishwashers have modes to conserve water suck as a "Quick" cycle.
- Load up your refrigerator, having more food in your fridge actually helps your fridge stay cool.
- Program your thermostat to raise the temperature when you are out of the home.
- Avoid using your appliances during peak hours (4pm - 6pm).
- Air dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.
- Reduce the filter run time on your pool.
- Unplug electronic devices and chargers when they aren't being used.
- Replace your air conditioning filter once a month, a dirty filter can make your system work harder.
- Seal cracks in your doors and windows.
- Replace your old inefficient air conditioning unit.
- Install patio awnings or large trees to help shade your home
- Install an attic fan to draw cool air in.

Taken from http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/tips/summer.html

Happy 4th of July

Have a happy and healthy holiday at one of New Jersey's 4th of July celebrations!

Happy Father's Day!

Help take some items off your dad's "to do" list this Father's Day with $20 off your next service call!



Happy Father's Day!

Save Energy in Your Home

With your air conditioning system running around the clock this summer you may be looking for ways to conserve energy and save on your electric bill without sacrificing your comfort. Here are some ways you can save energy around your home:

- Cook with your microwave, it uses 2/3 less energy than your oven.
- Use your dishwasher; hand washing dishes allows the water to run non-stop. Newer dishwashers have modes to conserve water such as a "Quick" cycle.
- Load up your refrigerator, having more food in your fridge actually helps it to work less at staying cool.
- Program your thermostat to raise the temperature when you are out of the home.
- Avoid using your appliances during peak hours (4pm - 6pm).
- Air dry your clothes instead of using the dryer.
- Reduce the filter run time on your pool.
- Install an attic fan to draw cool air in.
- Unplug electronic devices and chargers when they aren't being used.
- Replace your air conditioning filter once a month, a dirty filter can make your system work harder.
- Seal cracks in your doors and windows.
- Replace your old inefficient air conditioning unit.
- Install patio awnings or large trees to help shade your home.

Call today for a quote on replacing your air conditioning system or schedule online.

Installing air conditioning in an old home is possible

Homeowners with old homes sometimes feel they are at a dead end when it comes to installing air conditioning in their home. Since old homes have thin walls there isn't much room to install ductwork or the price for installing central air can be very expensive for homeowners' on a budget. Russo Bros. has an option for these homeowners; the ductless unit. The ductless unit, also known as the mini-spilt system, allows for a "head" or air handler to be installed in a room and connect to an outdoor unit, similar to how a central air system works. The main difference is there is no invasive ductwork construction that needs to be done, the indoor unit simply hangs on the wall. There are options where several heads can be installed in different rooms and connect to one outdoor condenser. Since you can select the number of rooms you want to add air conditioning to you can control the costs.
Click here to learn how a mini spilt works.

Conserving Water

With sprinkler season in full swing we like to remind everyone that there are ways to conserve water by using a timer and a rain sensor or a combination of both. Utilizing a timer on your system gives you the flexibility to schedule the exact days and times you want your system to run and the areas you want to irrigate. With a rain sensor the device can measure the rainfall and deactivate the timer so it won't run while it is raining. Most rain sensors are wireless and can be placed in a hidden location at your home like on your roof towards the back of your home, or near your gutters.
For other ways to conserve water in your home please visit this helpful site.

Proper Flushing

Sometimes clogs occur even when you only flush toilet paper and waste down your drain. This is often caused by flushing too much of this material or by curious kids sneaking into the bathroom and dropping toys or other materials in. To prevent clogs, you should flush only as much toilet paper as is necessary. Do not flush large wads with one flush. These large amounts ball up so that only the outer portion dissolves, and waste and toilet paper that go down after this will build up and a clog will form. Kids must also be taught to leave the toilet alone. Not only does this prevent toys from getting flushed, but it keeps little hands from being contaminated by germs lurking on the toilet bowl.

Power Outage Tips

No one likes it when the power goes out, but the below tips can help you make the best of an unpleasant situation.

• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible. An unopened freezer should keep food frozen up to 48 hours. Food should remain cold in an unopened refrigerator for 24 hours. If power is out for a long period of time, use snowdrifts as a makeshift freezer for food.
• Unplug all equipment that will automatically turn on when power is restored or that may become damaged due to voltage irregularities.
• Use flashlights for emergency lighting. Do not use candles.
• Do not run a portable generator inside a home or garage. The carbon monoxide in enclosed spaces can be deadly.

Spring Ahead!

It's almost time to spring forward! Daylight Saving Time begins every year on the second Sunday in March. (So this year it is March 9th) Clocks are set forward by one hour in most of the United States, except Hawaii and most of Arizona. With Daylight Saving, we have more daylight in the evening and less in the mornings.

When you change your clocks, check the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Batteries in smoke detectors should be replaced yearly, and there should be smoke detectors on every floor of your home (including the basement) and outside bedrooms or sleeping areas.

Use Your Appliances Efficiently

Cutting back on unnecessary energy is easy and can help keep your hard earned money. Run your dishwasher only when it is full. The same is true for your clothes washer. Using the cold water setting when washing clothes when possible can also help you save as it can reduce your washer's energy by seventy five percent! Before you throw those clean clothes in the dryer, make sure that the lint trap is clean and use the moisture-sensing automatic drying setting if your dryer has one.

Winter's Not Over Yet!

Pipes, gas lines, and electrical cables that enter your house often have gaps around them that have been haphazardly filled with some kind of caulk. But that caulk eventually cracks, peels, and falls off. These gaps let in cold outside air, plus they are ideal entry points for mice and insects. Keep the pests out and your warm air in, seal the gaps with expanding foam.

Do You Know Where Your Emergency Shut Off Is?

Save Yourself a BIG Headache, take a few minutes over the weekend to make sure everybody in the house knows exactly where the main water emergency shut off valve is located. This should be tagged so it's easy to located in an emergency. You could be in BIG trouble if you get a burst pipe that starts spraying everywhere and you’ve got no way to turn it off quickly! Make sure you’re always prepared! Russo Bros.& Co. has waterproof tags if you need them. Please email and we would be happy to send you some.

Prevent Toilet Clogs

While a shelf over the toilet or the top of the tank itself may seem like a handy place to store items such as deodorizers, soaps, ornaments or brushes and combs, they actually increase the risk of clogs. These items can be easily knocked into the bowl and fall down the drain without you noticing until it’s too late. By keeping the area around the bowl clear of items that might fall in and slip down the drain, you decrease the risk of a major clog or damage to your toilet.

Appreciating Your Water

The Earth has somewhere in the neighborhood of 326,000,000,000,000,000,000 gallons of water on the planet! (Yes, that's 326 MILLION TRILLION!). Roughly 98% of our water’s in the oceans of the world, and therefore is unusable for drinking because of the salt content. So that leaves only around 2% of the planet’s water as fresh. But out of that 2% of water, 1.6% is locked up in ice caps and glaciers. Another 0.36% is found in very deep, underground sources. That means only about 0.036% of the planet’s total water supply is found in lakes and rivers (which are our main supplies of drinking water). Think about that the next time you pour yourself a tall glass of water!

Stay Warm This Winter

We had some brutally cold days last week and the last thing you want to do is lose heat in your home!

Keeping that in mind, did you know that worn and torn weatherstripping around doors and windows creates drafts and lets in cold air? Seven to 12 percent of a home's heat loss occurs around windows and doors.

Weatherstripping often needs to be replaced every few years because of wear. Replacing it is typically as simple as pulling off the old and tacking on the new. Remember, if you can see daylight under your front door, then you're losing the indoor air you've paid to heat.

It's COLD out there!

It's been brutally cold out there!

The Daily Record recently ran an article where they interviewed a wide variety of experts about the cold and how it effects many different aspects of our lives. Our very own Matt Russo was on hand to discuss cold weather and plumbing:



www.dailyrecord.com/article/20140106/NJNEWS/301060033/Time-chill-again-Morris-County