AEM Blog - Archive

Recently one of our clients was experiencing water on the basement floor that was backing up through the floor drain.The issue was limited to the Kitchen and Laundry rooms backing up onto the floor only when the dishwasher or clothes washer was run. The water would drain slowly back through the floor drain indicating a partial blockage. It had been a problem over the years requiring professional services to drill out the drain pipes with a power drain auger every couple of years. Over time the issue became more serious, until this year clay came out with the auger indicating the drain line had...

Often Last On Your Mind Is First On Your Customer's Mind If you own a commercial property your plumbing is likely used to the extreme. If you think about the volume of people that go through your restaurant, gas station, department store, hotel or other high traffic businesses you can imagine the strain on your plumbing. People tend to treat public restrooms differently than they would their own, which helps to explain some common issues. How you maintain your restroom reflects a great deal upon your business. I have had many people tell me they refuse to eat at certain restaurants because of ...

Cold Minnesota winters can damage your home in many ways. One particular issue that can cause a great deal of damage is frozen pipes. If this tragic incident occurs along with a power outage or furnace failure particularly when you are away on vacation or south for the winter, water and ice damage can ruin your home.  The good news is that there are steps you can take to prevent your pipes from freezing.  Identify Your Risk Factors Some of your home's pipes are more prone to freezing than others because of where they are located within your home. Problem areas to be aware of are: Pip...

Guest Post by Tim Haas | President of Mid Minnesota Marketing. I just have to share this! Over the years I have done do-it-yourself plumbing repairs and I have had professional plumbers take care of plumbing issues that were beyond my skill set. At first I thought plumbers were always trying to sell me comparable plumbing fixtures to those found in stores, at a premium price. Time has proven to me that I could not have been more wrong. That is right, I was wrong. Go ahead and tell my wife if you know her, but be prepared to catch her as she falls over. Not that she couldn't believe I could be ...

Hard water vs. Soft water The term hard-water relates to the residue left behind when water evaporates. Calcium and magnesium leave behind a hard residue that is difficult to wipe away, while sodium leaves behind a soft residue that is easily wiped away. Your water softener simply removes the hard minerals and replaces them with the soft minerals giving you noticeably softer water. Hard water is costly as well as an irritant to your skin. Have you ever taken a shower with hard water and noticed that your skin feels "sticky". If you wipe your hand across your skin it sticks and grabs a bit. Aft...

Burst pipes in a Minnesota winter are just plain nasty! We hope you never call us for help with burst pipes, and to help you accomplish that goal we are going to share with you information on how to keep your pipes from freezing and how to thaw your pipes if they manage to freeze anyway. It isn't that we don't want your business, we would rather not see you suffer through the mess and damage caused by burst water pipes. Why are frozen pipes such a problem? Water expands as it freezes. This puts huge amounts of pressure on the material that is containing it. If you put a plastic glass of water ...

Common problems that cause your toilet to flush improperly. Now here is a topic people don't often talk about in public. Imagine yourself the next time you greet a friend, " Hi Sam, Good to see you. How is your toilet working today?" None-the-less people to have problems with their toilets. Slow or incomplete flushing Frequent clogs Leaking Continuous recharging Slow or incomplete flushing and frequent clogs. This may be caused by several different things each requiring different solutions. Improper Venting: Improperly installed venting through the roof of your home or improperly installed plu...