My Drain Company Blog : Archive for December, 2013

New Year’s Eve: The Tournament of Roses Parade

Tuesday, December 31st, 2013

The East Coast has their own traditions for New Year’s Eve, notably the dropping of the ball in Times Square to signal the beginning of the New Year. We have our own traditions here on the West Coast, and with 2014 almost upon us, we thought we’d take a closer look at one of the biggest: the Tournament of Roses Parade.

The Parade is held every year on New Year’s Day, save when January 1 falls on a Sunday (in which case it is held on the 2nd). Tradition holds that they don’t host it on a Sunday in exchange for God preventing rain on the parade, though it has actually rained ten times since the first parade. It all began in 1890, when members of the Pasadena Valley Hunt club organized and staged it on Colorado Boulevard. Their parade consisted of horse carts covered with flowers, followed by a series of athletic events (including races and polo matches). Football was first added in 1902, when Michigan beat Stanford by a score of 49-0. The football tradition was dropped for a few years, but came back in 1916 for good. The game has traditionally featured the champions of the Big 10 and Pac 10 Conferences, though teams from different conferences have appeared from time to time.

As for the parade itself, it soon added motorized floats, marching bands and equestrian units to its array of features. A “Rose Queen” is chosen every year from the ranks of Pasadena girls ages 17 through 21, along with six princesses to serve as her court. 2014’s Rose Queen is high school student Ana Marie Acosta. A Grand Marshall is chosen every year as well, and has previously included such varied luminaries as Walt Disney, John Wayne, Dwight Eisenhower, Hank Aaron, George Lucas, Charles M. Schulz, Kermit the Frog, and Fred Rogers. The Grand Marshall for 2014 will be legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully.

Wherever you are and however you choose to celebrate New Year’s Day, we here at My Drain Company wish you nothing but the very best. May 2014 bring you all good things, and may your New Year’s celebrations – in whatever form they take – be happy, safe and fun for your entire family. Happy New Year!

Longer Days Ahead: Why Winter Solstice Is a Reason to Celebrate

Tuesday, December 24th, 2013

Holiday greetings from all of us at My Drain Company!

December is a time of celebrations across the globe, despite the cold weather that affects much of the countries in the Northern Hemisphere. In fact, the cold weather is one of the reasons that it is so important for people to embrace celebrations of light, color, food, and warm drinks—what better way to cheer up during a time of short days and low temperatures?

There is another reason to feel joy at the end of December, regardless of your religion or culture: an astronomical event called winter solstice.

Four astronomical markers divide the seasons on planet Earth: two solstices and two equinoxes. Equinox (a combination of the Latin words for “equal” and for “night”) is the point in Earth’s orbit when its axis is parallel to the Sun. Solstice (from the Latin words for “sun” and “to stand still”) is the point in orbit where the Earth’s axial tilt points toward the Sun. During the equinoxes, which occur at the start of spring (vernal equinox) and fall (autumnal equinox), the periods of day and night are the same length. During the solstices, which occur at the start of summer (June solstice) and winter (winter solstice), either day or night is at its longest period. June solstice is the longest day of the year; winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year.

Occurring on the 20th or the 21st of the month (this year it falls on the 21st), winter solstice marks the official beginning of winter, but also the point at which the days start to grow longer once more. The sun, which has dropped lower in the sky since the June solstice (June 20-21) and reaches its lowest point above the horizon on noon on winter solstice, once again begins to rise.

From the earliest human prehistory, people have recognized the winter solstice as an important event in their lives. When winter survival was difficult for early human societies, the sight of the sun beginning to rise in the sky once more was a symbol of hope and a reason to celebrate.

(All of the above applies to the Northern Hemisphere of Earth. The equinoxes and solstices flip in the Southern Hemisphere. For example, in Australia, Christmas is a summer holiday.)

However you commemorate and observe this time of year, we hope you and your family have a joyful and safe season!

Common Plumbing Repairs

Thursday, December 19th, 2013

Are your drains slow? Do you have leaks? Both of these are two of the most common calls for service that we get here at My Drain Company Inc. We wanted to share some of these common problems so that our customers can know when they need to call for plumbing repair in Glendale, CA. Take a look below and then give us a call here and one of our professional plumbers can help you with any needs that you have.

Plumbing Repair in Glendale, CA

Your plumbing system gets a lot of sue throughout the year which can lead to a variety of problems developing with the components. Here are some of the most common plumbing problems that we see.

  • Clogs – Your plumbing system is designed to bring in fresh water and then dispose of your waste water. That job naturally leads to the development of clogs as solid waste can slowly build up inside your drains and pipes. While some clogs can be removed with a plunger or a hot pot of water, others need professional plumbing equipment like hydro jetting equipment to remove the clog.
  • Leaks – It’s simply unavoidable that your plumbing system will eventually start to leak. Water is a destructive force and over time it can cause your plumbing components to start to leak. If you notice puddles of water, an increase in your water bill, a decrease in water pressure, or the sound of running water, it could mean that you have a leak somewhere in your home. Call My Drain Company Inc for plumbing repair in Glendale, CA.
  • Low water pressure – If you’ve noticed that you don’t have enough water pressure in your home anymore, call My Drain Company Inc immediately. This usually is a good indication that you have a leak somewhere in your home. We offer leak detection services that will allow us to quickly find the leak in your home. It could be coming from your water main as well.

When you need any plumbing repair services in Glendale, CA call My Drain Company Inc. We know that you can’t plan for your plumbing system to break down which is why we offer 24/7 emergency plumbing repair.

Common Drain Problems in Glendale

Tuesday, December 10th, 2013

When it comes to the plumbing in your home, your drains really got the short end of the bargain. They have to deal with many tens of thousands of gallons of waste water each year. All this hard work causes them to develop a number of common problems. Here at My Drain Company Inc, we provide total drain repair in Glendale, CA and we wanted to alert our customers to some of the common problems to watch for.

Drain Repair in Glendale, CA

Take a look below and make sure that you call a professional plumber for drain repair service in Glendale, CA.

  • Clogs – By far the most common problem that drains have is clogs. They have to deal with so much waste water every single day that small clogs and blockages will start to form over time. Eventually, those small problems will develop into larger, more frustrating blockages.
  • Leaks – Any fixture that deals with a lot of water is going to eventually start to leak. Leaks in your drains are usually caused by old age or from damage to the pipe from the appliance or fixture shifting. If your drains are the original from when your home was built, then you may start experiencing more problems with your drains.
  • Slow drains – Clogs usually don’t develop overnight. Instead, they tend to develop slowly over time as your drains operate. Before the clog actually forms, you will likely notice that your drains start to slow and they won’t be able to dispose of all the water running into them fast enough. If this is the case, then a good drain cleaning will likely be able to remove those small clogs so that your drains can start operating better.

Call My Drain Company Inc for all your drain repair in Glendale, CA. We’re available 24/7 for emergency plumbing services so call us today.

Common Commercial Plumbing Problems

Monday, December 2nd, 2013

As a business owner, you know that your success depends heavily on the comfort of your customers, clients, and employees while they’re in your business. Your plumbing system is a huge part of that comfort so if you start to have any problems, call My Drain Company Inc for commercial plumbing repair services in Glendale, CA. We’ve been in business for over 15 years and our expert plumbers have worked with businesses of all types. We wanted to share some of the most common calls for service that we get from our commercial customers so that you can know when it’s time to give us a call.

Commercial Plumbing Repair in Glendale, CA

Read on below for some common plumbing repairs and then give us a call. One of our expert plumbers will be at your business the same day that you call.

  • Leaking faucets – The bathroom in your business has to service many more people than a typical home bathroom. This means that the faucets get a ton of use every day as people use them to wash their hands. Don’t let leaking faucets make a bad impression: call for commercial plumbing repair in Glendale, CA.
  • Clogged drains – Likewise, the toilet and sink drains in your business also receive a lot more use than is common for residential plumbing systems. Clogs in your drains can cause your toilets to back up or your sink drains to slow down.
  • Toilet leaks – This is a harder problem to spot because the leak doesn’t occur outside the toilet where you would be able to easily detect it. Instead, water slowly leaks down the toilet drain and is wasted. In order to find these problems, you’ll have to use dye and drop it in your toilet bowl. If the color starts to dissipate, then you have a leak and a plumber will usually be required to fix the problem.
  • Odors – Finally, if you start to smell odors in your business from your drains, it likely means that you have a pressure problem in your pipes. This causes the U-bend under your drains to dry out and allow foul sewer odors to creep out into your business.

When you need any commercial plumbing repair services in Glendale, CA don’t let an amateur or non-professional do the work. Call My Drain Company Inc today.