“You ever go to a big party, go in the bathroom, flush the toilet and the water starts coming up? This is the most frightening moment in the life of a human being. You’ll do anything to stop this. You’ll lose your mind and start talking to the toilet. ‘No please, don’t do this to me!’ ” Jerry Seinfeld

 Yikes.. has that ever happened to you? Here is a tip if it ever does: if you flush once and the water rises dangerously high, DO NOT flush again! You should quickly remove the tank lid and push the tank ball down to close the flush valve.

Once that’s under control, lets explore the different drainage cases that could be happening:

Scenario 1:  If the bathroom sink does not back up but the toilet is backing up then the blockage is somewhere in the toilet or drain line.The clog may be the result of an object dropped into the toilet, such as a toy or a washcloth, then it is best to try to fish it out, rather than force it farther along. Other clogs resulting from normal flushed waste may be cleared with the use of a plunger or closet auger. First lets try to use a plunger to dislodge anything that may be trapped in the toilet bowl drain.

If the bowl is full, put on some gloves and bail out water until the bowl is only half full. 

If the bowl is empty, add water to fill it to half full. Make sure to have some towels around the area to avoid a mess !

 Place the plunger in the bowl and completely cover the drain opening. With the plunger completely under water, press and pull it rapidly for 15-20 seconds. If you see something stuck in the drain opening, you can use a stiff wire to drag it back into the bowl. If you dislodge the item, pour a gallon or so of water into the bowl before you flush.

The water should drain to its normal level and stay there.

Scenario 2: If the sink (or some other bathroom drain) is backing up, then the clog is farther along in the drain line. A cable/auger would need to be used in this case. You can try yourself by renting one from your local Home Depot or call PAPA to come in. We have cables of all sizes, and if need be a high pressure hydro jetting machine.

Scenario 3: If drains elsewhere in the house are backing up, then the problem is likely to be somewhere in the sewer line. The best thing to do in that case is to call PAPA ! 

 

I leave you with this plumbing song by Weird Al.. he is hilarious !!: 

“B-b-b-baby, I can tell you’ve got a big problem

When I flush the john, then your shower goes on

(Baby) Now watcha gonna do?

If Drano’s a joke and your plunger is broke

Baby, call the mensch with a monkey wrench

(Baby) He’ll be there for you”

 

“Got a problem with plumbing?

Gotta blame it on something

Blame it on the drain it was cloggin’, cloggin’

Blame it on the faucet that drips all night

If hairballs, grease and goo

Won’t let the water through

Blame it on the drain, yeah, yeah”

ENJOY YOUR SUNDAY VANCOUVER !!

 

 

 

In the Lower Mainland? You can basically use these coupons anywhere in the Lower Mainland, from Hope to Horseshoe Bay !!

Hope your Monday went well Vancouver !

This question is a fairly common one that comes through the call centre. Surprisingly, it involves a very simple answer using a common house hold item: Vinegar !

That pesky white substance is actually mineral deposits. To remove the mineral deposits from the shower head, pour a cup of vinegar into a plastic bag and then place the bag over the shower head fixture and leave it in place overnight. Make sure to secure the bag around the head with a rubber band, tape, or a twist tie. The next day, remove the bag and use an old toothbrush to scrub off the deposits.

That should clear it up, if your still having problems with your shower head, please call Papa 604-437-7272 and one of our certified Papa’s can surely help you !

Papa Plumbing has been loyal listeners of the Kid Carson show for several years now. Kid’s show is usually on during our morning commute to various job sites. Often in the morning’s the techs are racing to get to suppliers and then to the sites. If anyone lives in the Lower Mainland, you will know that every morning is usually chaos on the roads ! I came to realize how much Kid Carson actually meant to us when a few years ago I asked all the technicians to tune into “The Beat” for this frantic commuting time.. well once a somewhat grumpy technician became a happier one ! Kid’s occasional parodies and discussions kept everyone happy and upbeat. I work many long hours, especially when The Big P is out of town. There were many times I would be up so late working on paper work or invoices but I knew in the morning I would have to get up.. have to listen to Kid & laugh .. and have a happy start to the day. From here our company goal was set: one day Papa would be sponsoring the Kid Carson show ! So out came a Papa Van:

Every morning/evening I would visualize Kid saying our name on air and people smiling ! I sometimes wonder if Kid even realizes how many smiles he puts on every listener in the morning. How many people does he make laugh when they are facing stressful days ?

One day in particular Papa Dale’s van skidded off the road during winter. While he was waiting for his tow truck, he listened to the show..it sure kept him smiling through out !

March 11,2010 I decided to work up the courage and ask Kid to give a shout out for the first ever “World Plumbing Day“.

I knew it would be a neglected day, but I know how hard all the Papa’s work.. and how hard everyone in the service industry works, I just really wanted someone to acknowledge this day for us. Out of all the media outlets I contacted.. Kid Carson was the ONLY one who wished us a HAPPY WORLD PLUMBING DAY on air !! That alone meant the world to us ! I focused on our goal again, we knew the companies who advertised were pretty big companies. I just knew one day this goal would be reached !

I have always loved tweeting the hosts of the show, and during the Canucks season, we brought almost our whole fleet to the Canucks Playoff Payoff.. as Jasmina describes it in the attached clip, we all got out and met Kid.. but what is so amazing about Kid is that he actually wants to meet you, he genuinely wants to shake your hand and meet his fans. His team is also like this as well. – . they were all very welcoming towards us.

After we put up our vision board (which is called a “painted picture” taken from Cameron Herold’s book Double Double) in the office, I also put up the Papa van with our goal on it. One day, out the blue I emailed the show right away .. I thought I got nothing to lose, let me try..of course from there the universe took over.. everything fell into place. Jasmina responded to my e-mail within the hour, and she put us in contact with our rep Devon. I would e-mail her updates and even in the evening time.. when I knew she wasn’t working, she would still take that extra time to e-mail me back. Those e-mails meant so much to me, she actually cared !! We met with Devon (who was very honest and upfront with us which we really needed) and everything was arranged.

Aug 8th was our first ad on the show. I was so nervous and excited, I kept waking up every hour.. afraid I was going to sleep in and miss it (and I never sleep in !!.. up by 4:30 am). So our ad aired..I immediately tweeted Jasmina, and she replied that “we are going to give you a shout out in a bit”.. well what came for us was a dream come true. It was better then I could have ever imagined it.. Kid actually talked about Papa .. like talked about us  – our company that we all work hard everyday in ! No words I type will give it justice so I am uploading the audio clip for you all, which Devon kindly emailed without me even asking for it! Kid talked about small businesses and that really touched our hearts. A few of us were listening in the office, – I cried.. and the techs got emotional because you could feel in Kid’s voice how much it meant to him. An amazing feeling that I will never forget ! I know the Big P will never forget as well ! I didn’t even know that anyone was ever reading the tweets I would post.. but I would just always post them because this was someone who was making our days into happy days !

THANK YOU KID & YOUR MORNING TEAM: JASMINA, MANDY, NIRA, AMY, ANDREW THE INTERN & DEVON (who made this all possible) !

Papa does have one request. When the Big P started in 1996, his first PAPA van was stolen. He was pretty choked, he had earned that van by working many nights and many hours. His 2nd Papa Van is still in the company, it is kind of a clunker.. but every Papa drives it before they are promoted to a newer van. Our request is that if Kid could put a Beat sticker on the back of this very van that has been with Papa since the beginning. We hope he accepts our request !

Very Proud Papa’s we are:

TWITTER: Hey Kid – where’s the follow? How come no follow?? where’s the love for Papa?? hehehe

That’s okay a few other’s of the team aren’t following either.. hehehe

Even Andrew The Intern – shocking !!

But we still love you all !!

Wait a second.. we have A WINNER BABY !!! Yaaayy Jasmina

We look forward to an amazing journey with the Kid Carson show and Papa is going to cherish every moment of it !!

P.S. In case you dont know: My name is Joy and I have been the operations manager of Papa Plumbing for the last 4 years.  My boss, or the Big P (P for Papa) as we call him, is Kal. Kal started Papa Plumbing in 1996. His work ethic is profound and in our company we all respect how he built this business from scratch. Thank you Kid and Team for honoring that work ethic in your show !

Took a last minute trip this weekend up to Whistler. Its different to see it with no snow on the mountain. There is snow though up on the Peak. The ski runs have transformed into biking and hiking trails. There is definitely a different vibe here too then in the Winter. Of course it’s bustling with tourists. The Kid Zone is a must for kids. It’s just great to feel that mountain air!
We had lunch at Merlin’s Grill at the foot of BlackComb Mountain. There was this band there, called Ruckus Deluxe – very talented ! I wanted to post their rendition of Billie Jean – I thought it was pretty cool and it seemed to attract quite the crowd ! Here is a video of Billie Jean and a few other tunes as well.. Also some pictures of Whistler. Enjoy !

Despite the negative reviews for the ‘The Smurf’s’ movie, I actually found it enjoyable. Perhaps it was because I was re-living my childhood. Fond memories of waking up early Saturday mornings to run to the TV for “Saturday Morning cartoons” come to mind. I haven’t heard that optimistic “la la la” song since those times. Yes the storyline could used some help, there was a few plots in the movie that could have been developed further.. but I wasn’t expecting it to be like Harry Potter ! It would probably would have been more engaging in 3D but overall it was entertaining ! If you are thinking to see it, would be a good thing to read the reviews online so you can decide whether you should wait for the DVD or not.

As I was watching the movie, I found that Papa Smurf and his Smurfs reminded me of Papa and the technicians.

Here are the similarities I found:

1. We are there for you when you need us at anytime – 24/7.

2. Ability to solve complex problems and complete tasks in a timely manner.

3. Great teamwork.

4. Work hard and with enthusiasm.

5. Go the extra mile to make you happy.

Perhaps Papa Smurf could have secretly been a plumber? That could be a tool bag you know !

We could all use that “la la la” song in our lives at times. The song is available upon request when Papa visits your home (uh oh the techs are going to kill me haha !)

So who’s your Papa Vancouver?

Who can you rely on when your plumbing/heating/drainage is at its worst ?

PAPA Plumbing of course !!

The question is who would be our Gargamel??

Perhaps we all have those “gargamel’s” we have to overcome in life.  But with positive thinking and an optimistic attitude we can conquer those “gargamel’s” ! Cue the Smurf song: la la la sing a happy song !

If you got a problem, if you’re feeling lonely
everything is leaking around
Try looking on the bright side, Papa Plumbing is on your side
troubles will all soon be gone

la la la la sing a happy song, la la la la plumb the whole day long !

Enjoy your beautiful long weekend Vancouver !

Wishing everyone a Happy long weekend !! Whether your going away for a few days or more, here are some great plumbing tips for you:1. Your water heater is hard at work keeping your water warm even when you’re not using any. Change the setting on the tank to the lowest temperature possible or to the “vacation” setting.
2. You should probably shut off your water before leaving your home. This can be done through the main shut off valve, no one wants to come home from vacation to a flooded house and lengthy insurance claim.
3. If you have turned off your plumbing main shut off valve, this is still a good time to look at all your shut off valves and supply lines under your sinks and toilets to be sure none are wet or leaking before leaving.
4. Go outside and take off any garden hoses that may be attached to your outdoor spigots. Turn on your sprinkler system (if you have one) and drain outdoor faucets.
5. Walk around the outside of the home, make sure nothing is leaking before you leave the house.
6. If you have a drinking water system, make sure your drinking water system is newer, as older lines on these units crack and break and are often the culprit causing water damage in many homes. Some of these systems can be turned off indivdually at the valve under the sink to lessen the possibility water damage.

Hope some of these tips help !! Happy long weekend everyone ! Stay safe !! Remember to call Papa 604-437-7272 in case of any emergencies. We are open 24/7 !

We have had 2 online commercials produced for us by Canpages.

Here is the latest one:

Hope you all enjoy it !

Have a nice Sunday !