Is it Dangerous To Take A Shower During A Storm?

When I was a young kid I always heard it was dangerous to take a shower during a storm. I always thought it was a joke. How could someone get electrocuted taking a shower? As I got older I realized it’s true. We have several pipes running to our homes under ground and we have live wires attached to our homes. Here is what happened when Myth Busters tested the myth:

Explanation: Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to … shower in? The National Weather Service urges the public to avoid hopping in the shower during a lightning storm in the event that a bolt strikes one of your home’s water pipes and electrifies your bathroom.

MythBusters Jamie Hyneman and Adam Savage took that weather alert to task and constructed a makeshift house, complete with grounded plumbing. Then, they doused it with simulated lightning in an electricity testing facility to find out whether the voltage really could leap from the sky to the shower.

Since the MythBusters were shy about showering on camera, they hired a stand-in: a ballistics gel dummy that had roughly the same electrical conductivity as the human body. To screen for a fatal lightning strike, the dummy wore a heart monitor. The 700,000 volts of fake lightning indeed arced onto the water pipes and jumped to the shower, causing a fire.

source: http://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/mythbusters-database/shower-in-thunderstorm/

LIGHTNING SAFETY TIPS

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/os/lightning/resources/lightning-safety.pdf

Mother’s Day Gift

Mothers Day 2016 What does a son get their Mother for Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day is celebrated every year, the second Sunday of May. We dedicate one day out of the year to show how much we admire and respect them. We all love our Mothers. They love us when we are up, they love us when we are down. They encourage us to do good, and they tell us when we are steering away from the right path. My Mother has been there for me through everything. I always let her know how much I love her and appreciate her. I could buy her presents, send her flowers, but that wouldn’t be enough. I truly believe the best gift a son could give his Mother is to take care of all the things that need to be taken cared of in her house: Fixing, repairing, and installing the things that she has been asking you to come over and do for weeks. This Mother’s Day remember the woman who always loves you and shows you how incredible you are.

Hug A Plumber Day

Hug a Plumber on Plumber’s Day!!!!!

Simple Way To Brighten Your Room

Sun flower Vase We all love flowers. Flowers bring color and a smile to everyone’s faces. Adding a vase of flowers in your room will brighten up the room and will bring you serenity. The smallest things all ways make a difference. Below a is a simple way to add a little “extra” to your morning vase. You don’t have to follow the exact directions to brighten your vase. You could, slice oranges, grapefruit, or limes. The same goes with the flowers you choose. If you visit Trader Joe’s, they always have a variety of flowers for a great deal. I bet whatever you choose will come out beautiful.

Find a vase that fits inside another vase with half an inch of room between them. Fill the space between the two vase up most of the way with water before slipping in sliced lemons(arrangement pictured requires nine lemons). Pop you accent flowers(pictured are a dozen sunflowers) in the center vase, and voila!

source: http://www.countryliving.com/gardening/garden-ideas/how-to/a5791/flower-hacks/

Happy Earth Day 2016

When I became a Plumber I knew I was going to see good and bad. I always see my customers recycle, plant, and go the extra mile to conserve water, and I love it. A lot of people think that being a Plumber is just a job, it’s not. A Plumber’s number one duty is to “Protect the Health of the Nation”. It is my job to make sure we have Clean Water. Today, being Earth Day it is my responsibility to share with everyone simple ways to save and protect our Planet Earth.

Planet Earth gives us so much. We don’t have another Planet, so we need to protect the one we have. I want to make sure my son and hopefully grandchildren get to enjoy this gorgeous Planet that gives us everything that we need to survive. We all need to be a “little more green”. Below is a list I put together that should get you started.

**I was planning on planting a tree with my son today, since I won’t be home till late, we will go ahead and donate to www.EarthDay.org to plant a tree on his behalf. Follow the Link below to contribute and make a difference.

$1 = 1 TREE

WWW.EARTHDAY.ORG

Organization in the Bathroom

Small bathroom or big bathroom, everyone needs organization in their bathroom. I’m a big fan of clutter free bathrooms. Here is a small list of ideas to organize your bathroom and get rid of the clutter.

CABINET UNDER THE SINK

Containers to put under your sink.
Shelves- metal, wood, or plastic.
Storage baskets.
Drawer organizer.
Hooks for behind the cabinet door- for curling irons, flat irons, or any other type of hair iron.
Glass containers.

ABOVE THE TOILET

Install Shelves- glass, wood, metal.
Small Wicker Baskets mounted onto the wall.
Pretty Wood Crate mounted onto the wall.
Wall Cabinet mounted onto the wall.

ABOVE THE DOOR

Yes, look up. That whole area above the bathroom door is unused real estate.

Add a shelve- wood or metal.

TOILET PAPER

Baskets
Cabinets
Concealed and hidden from sight

Putting everything away and having it concealed will make you feel better.

Indoor Spring Cleaning and Maintenance Tips

We all clean our homes on a regular bases. After having all our windows closed through out most of Fall and Winter we have to go the extra mile to clean and maintain everything. All that dust that builds up from having everything closed. Certain stuff not being used over Winter, we have to make sure it’s working properly.

The first thing you have to do, is open every single window. Let that fresh air in. Now turn some music on and let’s go down the list.

Clean or replace your furnace filters
Test your air conditioning system(don’t wait till it gets too hot to see if it’s working).
Check caulking around all windows and doors. Improper caulking allows for moisture to get inside your walls and can cause mold.
Replace screens on your windows if they are torn or broken.
Clean your windows, inside and outside.
Test your smoke and fire detector, replace batteries if needed. Dust the inside and outside.
Check your fire extinguisher.
Clean your ceiling fan with a wet rag.
Rotate your ceiling fan so it’s spinning counter clock wise for Summer.
Clean out your fridge and freezer. Place a new box of baking soda in the back to maintain freshness.
Check for pest problems, you might look into calling someone to spray before the warmer months.
Organize your closets, put away Winter clothes and bring out the Spring and Summer clothes.
Clean your walls, sponge and water, or a wet rag. Dust builds up on your walls, especially during Fall and Winter.
Dust and reorganize your book shelves. Move your books around, place some vertically, and some horizontally.
Wipe down all your light bulbs.
Wash your shower curtain. Replace the inside liner. You can buy the inside liner for a buck or two. They tent to get moldy quickly.
Clean your bathroom walls, having your fan on during and after showers isn’t enough. Mold grows, you have to prevent it.
Soak your shower head in vinegar and lemon for half an hour or longer if you please. Minerals tend to build up in it.
Vacuum mattress and box spring.
Dust off all vents.
Clean out the dryer ducts.

If it seems like your in need of a Plumber, Electrician, Heating and AC Repairman, or a General Handyman give them a call. Don’t wait to the last second. Trust us, you’ll be glad that you took care of things before they got bad.

If you have any questions or concerns, email or call me.

Kevin Szabo Jr

Plumbing and Sewer

(708)845-7922

kevinszabojrplumbing@yahoo.com

PURIFIED WATER AT YOUR CONVENIENCE

Water is the number one natural resource in the world. We use it in our daily lives. We drink it, cook with it, bathe with it, and use it in our everyday function. We can’t live without water. Americans are fortunate enough to have potable water in our homes. The water purification plants do everything possible to bring clean water to our homes. They add chlorine to try to clean it up, but as much as they try to clean it, they could only do so much. Tap water is full of chlorine, lead, bacteria, hormones, and drug-by-products.The average person shouldn’t be consuming tap water without a filter.

American families have grown accustomed to drinking bottled water at home. It’s healthier, cleaner, taste better and not full of chemicals, which is the reason why nobody wants to drink tap water. But bottled water ends up costing a fortune and is harmful to the environment. Plastic bottles are polluting our planet. We have recycling centers all over, but unfortunately, not everyone recycles. Plastic bottles, end up every where. Most plastic bottles take 450 years to decompose. And not all plastic bottles are recyclable. Which makes you think!

Clean purified water at your convenience should be something to look into. Water purification systems will save your health, the environment, and of course money in the long run. Here at Kevin Szabo Jr Plumbing, we suggest a whole house water purification system. This way your entire house has clean, purified water. You will notice the difference right away. It’s understandable if you can’t make that purchase right now. At least invest in a under sink water filter. This way, your family has clean drinking and cooking water.

If you have any questions about water filtration systems for your home, please email or call me.

This is the Story of How I Ended Up Setting My Marshmallow Peeps On Fire

Local Orland Park Plumber Hates Marshmallow Peeps

MY HATE FOR MARSHMALLOW PEEPS

Once a upon a time, in a far far land called Orland Park, a local Plumber‘s son threw his Easter Marshmallow Peeps on the floor after deciding he didn’t want them anymore. The stickiness of the peeps completely aggravated him. They taste like crap, they don’t do anything, and his son doesn’t even want to play with them, “What does one do with a Peep?” asked the Plumber. After short research the Plumber realized that Peeps aren’t good for anything, he decided to get rid of them.

He first tried to throw them down the sink:

Since the sink drain was too small, he went for something bigger, the tub. “Surely, the tub drain will work” said, the Plumber.

The tubs drain failed the Peeps big time. The toilet always works for everything people flush down. “We get calls for kids toys all the time. Toys, keys, phones, clothing objects, chicken bones, and gold fish. Marshmallow Peeps should be a piece of cake.” said the Plumber. Without hesitating the Plumber threw the Peeps down the toilet.

What do I have to do to get these Peeps to just disappear? “I’m guessing they are ducks or bird like things, if I set them free they will go away” thought the Plumber. Frustrated with the Peeps, the Plumber packed the Peeps bags and took them for a little stroll down to the pond.

The Plumber threw the Peeps in the pond and wished them well. “Have a nice life” said the Plumber, as he walked away.

The Plumber happily went back to working, he had already wasted enough time trying to get rid of the Peeps, but was glad he finally set them where they belonged. Some time later, the Plumber walked past the pond and noticed the Peeps weren’t in the water. They were perched above the pond, soaking in all the sun. He didn’t understand, “How could the Peeps emerge from the water?” asked the Plumber.

The Plumber couldn’t take it anymore. He was angry. He didn’t want anything to do with these Peeps. The Plumber threw the Peeps in the fire pit and set it on fire.

“Yesss” yelled the Plumber. Finally, the Peeps gave up and melted away. The Plumber should have felt defeat over his victory, but all he felt was remorse. “What did the Peeps ever do to me?” said the Plumber. “It’s not their fault they taste bad, are sticky, and plain useless”. The Plumber ran to the store to purchase a box of Marshmallow Peeps, but they were sold out. Heartbroken, the Plumber promised to never take advantage of a Peep again.

**No one was hurt during the process of this article, besides a Plumbers heart**

www.kevinszabojrplumbing.net

Shop Local: Support Your Local Economy

It is our responsibility to support the community. We can’t wait for the government to come help us. When people spend their money locally, most of it stays in that community. I hear a lot of people talking about how businesses in their town are going out of business, or how there isn’t enough money in the town. It is your responsibility to spend your money in that town. The more you take care of your local businesses the more they take care of your town. Small business owners love to support the community they serve in. It is their duty to give back to the town they belong to.

I’m not going to lie, we do shop at big box stores here and there, because a good deal is hard to pass when you’re on a budget. But, no matter what deals we get at big box stores, we always make it a point to stop at locally owned businesses to purchase a few items. Take care of those small business so they could keep taking care of your community. Remember, it’s never to early to teach your children to support local businesses.