Blog - Craig Johnson Plumbing - Plumber & Rooter Service in Grass Valley, CA / Nevada County / Auburn, CA

March 11 2025

Food Waste / Garbage Disposal

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Food waste occurs when edible food is discarded which often happens during cooking or can even be due to overbuying, improper storage or expiration.

Garbage disposals are very convenient for several reasons:

Convivence: It makes cleaning up after meals quicker by allowing you to easily dispose of minimal food scraps
Reduces Trash: Using a garbage disposal helps reduce the amount of waste going into landfills, as organic food scraps are ground up and sent to sewage systems
Prevents clogging: In some cases, using a garbage disposal helps keep drains clear by breaking down food particles before they can clog pipes

Just remember don’t add any grease or stringy food materials into your garbage disposal such as celery and potato skins. You want to keep your food waste going into your disposal at a minimum to keep everything flowing properly. Instead of putting all your food waste into the garbage disposal or the trash, put the majority of your big food waste into your waste bin for waste management or keep them to feed your animals!

February 19 2025

Sump Pump

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A sump pump is a plumbing device installed in a basement or crawl space to help prevent flooding by removing excess water. It works by pumping water that accumulates in a sump put, typically located at the lowest point of the area, to a safe location outside of the home.

Sump pump activates when water levels in the sump put rise, usually due to heavy rain, ground water seepage and snow melt

With all of this rain, it’s important to make sure that your sump pump is doing it’s job!

It’s important to ensure the discharge pipe is directed far enough away from the foundation to prevent water from flowing back towards the house. Regular maintenance such as cleaning the sump pit and testing the pump is key to keeping it functioning properly.

If you’re having any issues with water flooding or need help ensuring that your sump is working properly, give us a call!

February 5 2025

Tankless Water Heater Service / Annual Flush

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Are you having problems with your tankless water heater?

Does your tankless water heater need service? Did you know that its recommend that you service / flush your tankless water heater annually?

Here is a breakdown of the service that we recently did to get this tankless water heater working properly:

Unit tear down: A full tear down was required for this unit to inspect internal components for wear, corrosion or building and ensuring nothing is overlooked.
Burner replacement: The burners on this unit were worn out or damaged which is why it was necessary to replace them to restore proper heating functionality. If the burners in your unit are in good condition we would then do a burner cleaning. Over time, burners get clogged with soot, mineral build up or debris. Cleaning them will improve efficiency and performance.
Secondary burner chamber flushing: This chamber can collect sediment, especially in areas with hard water. Flushing it will help prevent blockages and keep the unit running smoothing.
Flushing unit: The filters can also cause a build up of sediment and debris which is why it’s important to keep them clear and flowing by using our approved descale solution.

It’s important to get your tankless water heater serviced annually to avoid any damages and to keep it functionally efficiently. If you haven’t scheduled your annual service please give Craig Johnson Plumbing a call to make sure your water heater is working properly.

January 24 2025

Water Heater Upgrade

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Upgrading your water heater to a tankless is a great move, especially if you’re looking to save on energy and space.

We recently just upgraded a 50 gallon traditional water heater to a more efficient, tankless water heater. The demand on this home required 2 Rinnai tankless water heaters to keep up with 5 bathrooms. Rinnai tankless water heaters are known for their efficiency and ability to provide endless hot water, which is a huge plus especially for a larger home. The 2 tankless are linked together and run simultaneously without running out of hot water.

I mean look at all of this extra space! If you’re interested in upgrading your water heater, please call Craig Johnson Plumbing!

January 8 2025

Flame Color Matters

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For those of you who have a gas stove weather its natural gas or liquid propane, it’s important to know the correct flame color.

A gas flame should burn blue. This means that the combustion process is working as it should and oxygen is reacting with the gas in a safe way. Occasionally, there may be a little yellow in the flame tip, but as long as it’s mainly blue, we are good!

Have you ever heard a popping sound when lighting your stove? This could indicate that there is some debris present in combustion process, and this can cause the flame to have some yellow and orange color. Once the debris has burned off, your flame should return back to blue.

When the flame is continuously burning yellow and orange it means there is an issue, and the combustion is not safe. If this is happening with your stove, make sure to call Craig Johnson Plumbing and we will come help before a serious issue occurs.

December 30 2024

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

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We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and got to spend time with their loved ones. With the new year coming up we are back to voting for Nevada County’s “Best Of” which starts on January 7th. You are able to vote once per day until they close the registration on January 25th. We are encouraging you all to vote for your favorites of Nevada County!

https://www.theunion.com/magazines/best_of_nevada_county/

Craig Johnson Plumbing would also like to thank you all for another great year and always trusting in us to fix your plumbing needs! Remember, no job is too big, and no job is too small!

November 14 2024

Water Heaters during the cold weather

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Did you realize that with the colder weather water heaters generally work harder because of the incoming water being colder which requires the water heater to use more energy to reach desired temperature.

To make sure you maintain hot water through the winter and the holidays it’s important to stay up to date on maintenance.

Flushing and maintaining your water heater are recommended to be done every year. This is done on both, tankless and traditional tank water heaters. While we are flushing the water heater, we are also making sure that everything is working properly.

Insulating your water heater could help minimize heat loss.

Water heaters last on average 10-12 years. If your water heater is on the older side, has started leaking either at the top or the bottom, or is no longer providing hot water it may indicate that it’s time for a replacement. Tankless water heaters are more efficient as they are on demand heaters.

If you are experiencing any issues, please give us a call and we will troubleshoot any issues that you are having. There is nothing more inconvenient than running out of hot water on a cold day, so don’t wait!

October 30 2024

What does a gas leak smell like and what to do if you have one

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There are millions and millions of people who have natural gas or liquid propane in either residential or commercial buildings. It sounds crazy, but did you know the best indication of a gas leak is when you smell “rotten eggs”. Often times the utility providers will add a rotten egg smell to the gas to make it easier for the homeowner to detect a gas leak. However, sometimes gas leaks could have no smell at all.

If you can’t smell a gas leak, another way to determine that something is wrong with your gas is if:

There is an odor or strange noises coming from your oven or even if your food isn’t turning out the way it should.

If there is an outdoor gas leak there will potentially be gas bubbles forming puddles onto the ground.

If you suspect that you may have a gas leak:

Don’t use or open any type of flame / burner, evacuate from your home or commercial building and do not smoke.

Gas leaks are very serious and cause significant damage. Once you are in a safe place, call us! We are able to locate and repair gas leaks.

August 29 2024

Maintaining Storm Drains

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Can you believe it – It’s going to be winter before we know it which means we need to be prepared!

Storm drains are one of those things we tend to forget about until it’s too late. Storm drains are large, grated drains that you see on the streets controlling and collecting the water. Did you know that these get clogged too?!

During fall and winter, they often get clogged with leaves, trash, debris and the heavy rain fall causes these to pool and get clogged with all the debris. You will notice that your storm drain is clogged with the indication of:

slow drainage
pooling of water
visible debris
odor

When you see that a clog is forming call Craig Johnson Plumbing to resolve your issue by either using our Hydro Jetter or snake to clear the clog. The Hydro Jetter is the best way to clear these clogs due to their high-pressure water to dislodge any debris.

It’s also important to prevent this type of a situation by clearing it before winter and the heavy rain fall so that you don’t end up with a clogged and overflowing storm drain!

June 20 2024

Excavation

Taylor Site updates

Guess what – Craig Johnson Plumbing has a new excavator which brings our sewer lines, water lines, gas lines and even backflow prevention devices to a new level! With the excavator we are able to dig any kind of trench needed whether it’s 30 feet, 300 feet through dirt or even concrete – we got you! The next time you need a trench dug, make sure to give us a call!