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Plumber and Sewer Cleaner: At The Movies

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dreamstime_xl_4846173No, this isn’t a blog about plumbers who go to the movies. (Not to say that we don’t go to movies; we’re humans living in America, of course we go to movies.) This is a blog about plumbers who are in movies. It was inspired by a recent blog we wrote about the Mario brothers, those fictional characters made popular in more than 250 Nintendo games. As much as we wrote about them (over 500 words), we never got around to their biggest flop, the 1993 movie. It got us thinking about other movies out there containing plumbers and sewer cleaners

Brooklyn (2015)

Brooklyn is a movie set in 1951 about a young Irish woman who moves to the United States when her prospects in Ireland dry up. When she gets to Brooklyn she meets a young Italian plumber (woo hoo!), Tony Fiorello, and they fall in love before events conspire to draw her back to Ireland.

Can you imagine what plumbing was like in 1951 New York? Sure, it’s crazy now, but think about what it would have been in the years after World War II, having to accommodate for thousands more people flooding into the city instead of heading back to the family farm.

Brooklyn was nominated for three of last year’s Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Adapted Screenplay. The lead actress, Saoirse Ronan was also honored by the Golden Globes, BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, and SAG. Unfortunately, there’s no Oscar for “best plumber.” Still, if you’re looking for Denver’s best plumber of 2015, we’re pretty sure who you should call.

Joy (2015)

Wow, 2015 was a good year for movies with plumbers!

Jennifer Lawrence plays Joy Mangano, a real-life person and inventor of the Miracle Mop seen on QVC and Home Shopping Network. So, we’re off to a good start, because this is a story about getting water off the floor and down the drain, something that an emergency plumber knows well! But that’s not technically plumbing, so where does that come in? In the movie, Joy’s mom falls for a plumber named Toussaint, played by Jimmy Jean-Louis. Go plumbers!

Super Mario Bros. (1993)

We mentioned it up above, and now it’s time to talk about it. Video games have been big business since around 1975, but there wasn’t a movie made with video game characters until 1993’s Super Mario Bros. The movie had a fine pedigree of actors, including Bob Hoskins (Mario), John Leguizamo as (Luigi), and Dennis Hopper (King Koopa). Still, it was absolutely horrible and made back only half its budget.

plumbers-1Super Mario Bros. is about two New York City plumbers (natch) who are being driven out of business by the mafia, because…the mafia cares about plumbing? Anyway, they meet a woman named Daisy who’s digging for dinosaur bones at the Brooklyn Bridge (what is it about plumbers in Brooklyn that filmmakers love?) and the mafia is trying to destroy the bridge by leaving water pipes open, which allows the Mario brothers to heroically become the bridges emergency plumbing contractors. Oh, and did we mention that a meteor struck the Earth 65 million years ago and created a dimensional rift that split the world in dinosaur world and mammal world and that the dinosaurs of that world evolved into humanoids and want to take over our world and blau blau blau yep it’s a bad movie.

Remember, people, this movie came out the same year as Jurassic Park. Hard to believe.

So, three Hollywood movies where the plumbers are the heros, which we have absolutely no problem with. After all, if you have leaky pipes and you call an emergency plumber, they’re sure to be your hero too!

4 Most Common Reasons the Front Range is Calling Their Local Plumber

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dreamstime_xxl_28259605When you think of drain cleaning and plumbing services, you probably associate sewer cleaners and plumbers with the last task that they performed for you. Did they replace a toilet for you? Were they plumbing contractors who installed all the pipes in your new home? Or was it 3:00 am and you needed an emergency plumber?

The fact is, as plumbers and sewer cleaning experts, the technicians at Garvin’s Sewer Service handles all of the above and more. Here are the most common reasons that we are called to homes and businesses all across the Front Range.

Plumbing

Drain Cleaning: Drain cleaning might be the most common reason that people in Northern Colorado contact Garvin’s. After all, everyone suffers from a clogged drain at some time or another, and when the “sinks only” plunger doesn’t work and the chemical drain cleaner fails (as they almost always do), people pick up the phone and call 303-571-5114.

The necessity for drain cleaning has many causes, depending on the fixture at hand. Kitchen sinks are the main culprit, as people try to wash down grease, and that starts to accumulate mere feet below the sink. Showers clog because of the all the hair that goes down the drain, as well as soaps and shampoos that don’t disintegrate as thoroughly as you might expect. Toilets are far too often thought of as an “immediate trashcan,” in that people want what’s in them out of their lives immediately. Unfortunately, sometimes those things come back! That’s when they call Garvin’s Sewer Service.garvins 1

Pipe Repair: Something is always going wrong with pipes. They might have been installed improperly, or unforeseen damage can cause them to break, sag, or come apart at the seams. When this happens, leaks can occur that can allow freshwater to ruin your flooring or sewer water to leak into your walls, neither of which is particularly appealing. At the first sign of trouble — yellow spots on the ceiling or walls, bad smells under the sink, or visual drips — contact Garvin’s and we’ll be there to get your pipes back in order.

Sewer Service

Sewer Cleaning: If it doesn’t have to do with freshwater pipes and plumbing problems, were usually involved in the cleaning of wastewater pipes. If drain cleaning doesn’t clear everything out, the problem might be in the house lateral line, where all of your wastewater heads after it leaves the sinks, showers, and toilets. That’s when it’s time to send down the sewer snake, which is also known as  rooter service.

Depending on the situation, sometimes we send down whirling blades that dig into clogs. Other times we might use a sewer jet, which sprays high-pressure water all along the pipe. Most often we’re fighting roots that have gotten into the sewer line looking for water, and other times it’s a grease clog that has grabbed “stuff” that people have flushed down the toilet. Either way, the clog is gone when we’re done, flushed away in the city sewer system.

Sewer Scope: Sometimes sending down the sewer scope, also called the sewer camera, is the best thing to do. This often occurs when rooter service has failed and a broken sewer pipe is suspected. Garvin’s performs this add-on service at the request of homeowners buying a pre-existing home or to offer a second opinion as to the state of the sewer line.

Whenever you’re looking for the best in plumbing services and sewer cleaning, contact your local plumber. Garvin’s will take care of your problems!

Leaky Faucets: Why You Need to Fix Them Today!

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dreamstime_xxl_3613533Do you have a leaky faucet active in your household that you keep forgetting about?  Perhaps you’ve even attempted to fix the faucet yourself to no avail. Either way, our local plumbers are here to take on that leaky faucet for you and call it a day.  Remember that the longer you wait to fix a leaky faucet, the more damage the leaks can cause.

Leaky Faucets Can Cause Structural Damage

Water leaking from faucets can damage wood and carpet, resulting in a mold infestation. At this point, you will be dealing with mold cleanup and removal in addition to simple a leaky faucet. Mold infestations create an entirely different set of problems for your household, which can be bad for your health as well as costly to repair.

Leaky Faucets Waste Water

One leaking faucet can waste hundreds of gallons of water a year when left unfixed, and it can waste even more water depending upon how bad the leak really is. Here in Colorado, we love our environment, and we want to use our resources wisely.

Leaky Faucets Wreak Havoc on Your Water Bill

Have you ever read your water bill when you’ve had an unfixed leaky faucet?  It’s not pretty, and it costs you big time. Not only is all that wasted water bad for the environment, it’s bad for your finances as well.

Leaky Faucets are Annoying

Have you ever been sitting in the kitchen, quietly reading the newspaper, only to be interrupted by the constant dripping noise of the faucet? You might attempt to start reading the paper again, but suddenly, the only thing you can focus on is that irritating noise! Your precious morning time of peace and solitude is ruined!  

Why wait any longer? Contact our plumbing contractors today so that we can fix that leaky faucet for you!  We offer the highest quality plumbing services in the greater Denver area.

Putting Pumpkin Parts Down The Drain Will Have You Calling an Emergency Plumber

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Don't put pumpkin parts down the drain!Don’t Put Pumpkin Parts Down the Drain

We’ve written on this subject before, but now that we’re a month out from Halloween we figured it would be a good idea to revisit it. As you local plumber, we consider it a public service to help you take care of your drains and your sewer system. If we didn’t revisit this topic, there’s no doubt that some of you would have to call an emergency plumber.

So, what is this foul destroyer of pipes and garbage disposals that only arises when the moon looms high over the misty graveyard?

Pumpkins.

That’s right, pumpkins. That staple of Halloween and Thanksgiving that seems so innocent but can wreak havoc on both your sinks and garbage disposals. Let’s take a look at this fall fiend.

Protect Your Sink Pipes

You cut open the top of your pumpkin to make a jack-o-lantern. You reach in and, if you’re like most people, kind of enjoy / are kind of grossed out by the slimy gooeyness of the pumpkin innards. So you pull them out and drop them onto the newspapers you’ve laid down to protect your table. They’re all so slick and drippy; they’re sure to just slide right down the sink, especially if you remove the seeds first, right?

Garvin 4Wrong! When they harden, pumpkin guts are some of the strongest naturals adhesives you’ll ever find in your kitchen. You’ll find that any part of the table not covered during the jack-o-lantern carving will have a hard-to-remove coating the next morning. Plates, knives, and anything else you used will be covered in hard pumpkin guts. It’s nature’s glue, and if you put a measurable amount down your sink it’s going to harden in the pipes and you’re going to have to call an emergency plumber before you know it.

Spare Your Garbage Disposal

When the pumpkin parts harden in your sink, you’ll probably need drain cleaning. But when they harden in the garbage disposal, you might just need a new one. Not only do you now have this natural glue in your disposal, but the stringy nature of the pumpkin guts also wraps around your disposal blades and can damage them. Think about it: when you’re pulling those guts out of the pumpkin it can be impossible to grab hold and pull them from the pumpkin wall, and once they’re out those strands are incredibly difficult to break. The same thing is happening in your disposal.

Seeds also become a problem for garbage disposals. While you might enjoy cooked seeds, try one straight out of the pumpkin and you’ll quickly realize that they’re too tough to chew. Your garbage disposal will have the same problem.

So What Are You Supposed to Do With All The Innards?

Here’s the good thing: everything you take out of a pumpkin is usable. The most obvious use is to cook the pumpkin seeds. They’re easy to make, tasty, and filled with vitamins and minerals. While many people will simply compost the rest of the guts, it’s much cooler to eat them, cook with them, and make them into soap and other useful household items. Here are 28 great uses for those pumpkin guts.

Pumpkins are great fun during Halloween and incredibly tasty around Thanksgiving. Just make sure you’re using the pumpkin to its full potential and not sending anything down the drain. If you do, you’ll be calling your local plumber to bring the sewer snake. Avoid that and you can have a great fall!

The Two Most Famous Plumbers of All Time Don’t Really Exist

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Legally we can't show you a picture of a "Donkey Kong," so...

Legally we can’t show you a picture of a “Donkey Kong,” so…

Because of humanity’s interest in getting fresh drinking water and getting as far away from waste as quickly as possible, it’s not surprising that the idea of sewer cleaners and plumbing contractors are in the public consciousness.

When that happens, it’s not surprising that these characters will seep into the popular culture, or, to use a more pretentious word, the zeitgeist. And as much as people might not think of plumbers as being something aspire to, subconsciously they view them as heroes. Don’t believe us? There are two plumbers that are the heroes of a multi-billion dollar industry…and you probably have some incarnation of them in your house right now.

Mario and Luigi Arrive!

Mario and Luigi are two plumbing brothers who first appeared in a stand-up arcade game in 1983 called Mario Bros., created by Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto. In the game the plumbing brothers are trying to defeat creatures such as turtles and crabs in a sewer system by punching the ground underneath them, flipping the animals onto their backs and kicking them off the screen. Unlike nearly every subsequent Mario game, you’re not allowed to jump on top of the creatures.

(Some of you will be saying to yourselves, “wait a second, wasn’t that Mario in Donkey Kong?” While Mario originally appeared in Donkey Kong, there’s no mention of him being a plumber at all. Think of the situation: he’s climbing a building to defeat a huge gorilla, and the only thing he ever holds is a giant hammer. While that was certainly Mario, he didn’t exhibit any characteristics of a plumber or sewer worker.)

Then The Big One Hit

From there came Super Mario Bros., released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. This is the one that people remember most, because it came pre-packaged with most every NES system (and sometimes included Duck Hunt on the same cartridge.) If you played a single-player game, Mario was the only one you’d ever see. Luigi (in the green outfit) only appeared if you were the second player. This 31-year-old game is still being played today as people attempt “speed runs,” trying to beat the game in as short a time as possible. The current world record is 4:57 seconds. (The writer of this article could do it in 8 minutes back in the day, not bad for the time.)

Just How Popular Are They?

plumbing 1From there Mario and Luigi have gone on to appear in over 250 (!) video games since their first game together in 1983. They’ve appeared on consoles, stand-up machines, desktop computers, and handheld devices.

So you might not think of those who offer plumbing services as heroes, but a certain video game series has certainly made these two plumbers two of the most recognizable fictional characters ever. We’re pretty sure that when your pipes have burst and you you need emergency plumbers, the technicians at Garvin’s will look like heroes to you! Contact us at the first sign of trouble!

Sticking a Scope in Unmentionable Places

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And Why it’s Good

Get those pipes cleaned out with drain cleaning service with our sewer snake.Nobody really wants to spend their time thinking about their sewer line. And, even as plumbers, we don’t blame them. What’s found underground is not for the squeamish and really shouldn’t be mentioned in from of certain company. But come on now. We’re all adults. We need to get real about taking a good look at your sewer line and why using a scope to do so is always a good idea.

A Precautionary Plumbing Tale

Take Tammy and Mark for example. When buying their new home, they decided to forego adding a sewer scope to their home inspection, thinking that the house wasn’t all that old, so why pay that additional expense. Unfortunately for Tammy and Mark, the next buyers of that home weren’t so trusting or lackadaisical. During the negotiation processes of transferring the house, the prospective owners DID decide to have their sewer scoped and lo and behold: the plumbing company found an eight foot crack in the main sewer line. The prospective buyers made the contract contingent on Tammy and Mark fixing the problem before the close of escrow, costing them more than $5,200. Had Tammy and Mark hired a plumber to scope the line before buying the property, they could have had the previous owner pay to have the crack fixed. Their oversight ended up costing them big time.

As Denver’s local plumbing experts, we pride ourselves on professional plumbing services that exceed expectations. By offering to take a real good look at your sewer lines, we help you avoid both nasty messes and blunders that are both regrettable and financially painful.

Give us a call for sewer scoping services if you are looking to buy or sell a house or suspect that something amiss is going on with your pipes.

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What Does Your Local Plumber Know About Low Flow Toilets?

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You're not the only game in town, buddy...If you’re young — let’s say under the age of 25 — you might not remember a time before the low flow toilets. The way toilets in new homes work is the way they’ve always worked in your lifetime. Stuff has always gone down the drain in the same way, right?

But many of you remember a time when toilets were using considerably more water per flush. While this was worse for the environment, they were more beloved by homeowners who actually liked seeing their waste go away. So why did the regular-flow toilets go away, and where did the low-flow toilets come from? Let’s take a look at what your local plumber knows about low flow toilets.

What Makes a Low-Flow Toilet a Low-Flow Toilet?

Low-flow toilets, also called low-flush toilets or high-efficiency toilets, were created in an attempt to save water. Typically, low flush toilets use about one-third to one-half as much as their predecessors.

Where Did The Low-Flow Toilets Come From?

Customers weren’t exactly the ones who were calling out for low flow toilets, but water conservation was on everyone’s mind during the late 1980’s. Massachusetts was the first state to require low-flow toilets in new construction in 1988. Four years later President George Bush signed the Energy Policy Act which prevented toilets from using more than 1.6 gallons per flush. That 1992 law went into effect in 1994 for residential toilets and 1997 for commercial buildings.

It’s Not Just New Buildings That Require Them

Let’s say your house is from the 1960’s and still has the original toilets. Everything about your toilet is just falling apart, or it’s pink and you’re really not that into pink. So you call your local plumber and have them replace your current toilet…which has to be a low-flush toilet. Not only have water-hogging toilets been off the market for decades, but it would actually be illegal to install one that uses more than 1.6 gallons per flush! (If you want a funny representation of this, check out the May 2000 episode of the animated series King of the Hill called “Flush With Power.”)

They Started Off Pretty Bad


Garvin’s Sewer Service has been around for more than 75 years, so we were around when all of this started happening. Those early low flow toilets certainly used less water, but they had an incredibly poor design. While they had no problems with liquid waste, anything solid usually had a hiccup going down. You’d almost always have to flushGarvin's 1 solid waste twice, which, as you might guess, completely defeated the idea of the low flow toilet.

Customers hated them. After all, you usually stand up, hit the trip lever (aka flush handle), and head to the sink to wash your hands. What you don’t want to do is stick around to find out that nothing went down and have to flush again…and maybe again and again.

Plumbing Contactors Hated Them

Why did plumbing contractors hate low flow toilets? Imagine putting a toilet into a brand new home in 1992, only to have customers tell you that the toilets are broken. They had to explain to the unhappy customers that the toilets were working fine but there was nothing to be done about it. It’s the law!

They Can Actually Cause Huge Problems With Sewage

When you flush less water with less power, things don’t move along as well as they used to. Solid waste and sludge tends to build up in pipes and just sit there, where before it would have been washed down the pipes much more efficiently. San Francisco had a huge problem a few years back when this sludge was backing up in city sewer pipes. Newer houses today are being built with smaller sewer pipes so that there’s more pressure behind each flush to keep things moving.

Living in an arid climate like Colorado, we’re glad for the water saving we see with low-flow toilets. More than that, we truly do appreciate the fact that low-flow toilets have gotten much more efficient and flush so much better than the toilets of 1994. If you’ve got one of those early low-flush toilets and need it replaced — or any emergency plumbing or sewer problem — be sure to contact us and we’ll get things taken care of!

Toilet Paper Hanging Direction: Your Local Plumber Weighs In

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Two Rolls! There's the answer!

Two Rolls! There’s the answer!

When it comes to sewer cleaning, the only thing we deal with more than roots is toilet paper. In fact, as we deal more and more with newer homes that have PVC sewer pipes, we’re seeing fewer root problems and more toilet paper problems, because people keep buying stronger and stronger toilet paper that just doesn’t disintegrate. So yeah, your local plumbers at Garvin’s Sewer Service think about toilet paper a lot.

In a recent post, we went over the orientation of the toilet seat: what determines if it should be up or down? Boy, did we hear about it! Apparently we’re not the only ones who have strong opinions on toilet seats. So let’s tackle one of the other most contentious aspects of bathroom etiquette. Does the toilet paper go over or under?

First of all, a question. Do people really care about this subject all that much? Of course they do! After all, the toilet is one of the few things that all Americans have to deal with on a daily basis, so it’s no surprise that there would be some contention when it comes to etiquette. In fact, there’s an entire Wikipedia page on the subject called Toilet Paper Orientation.

First, let’s take a look at a few reasons why people (and some plumbers) advocate for the over direction:

  • The over position allows for more easily finding the end of the toilet paper. When using under, the end of the roll is more likely to be hidden behind the roll.
  • In the hospitality industry, the overhand orientation is preferred because it highlights the folded point they make in the toilet paper to show that the room has been cleaned.
  • Toilet papers with quilting or text is always printed so that it looks better when in the overhand position. Apparently the manufacturers believe in the overhand orientation
  • From a germ standpoint, over is the winner. For one thing, the overhang is less likely to brush the wall than the underhang. Also, there’s less risk of your knuckles bumping against the bathroom wall when you grab for a few sheets.

But not everyone agrees (including a few plumbers). Here are some arguments for the under orientation.

  • In direct opposition to the first point above, some people don’t care about how easy it is to find the end of the roll as long as it looks tidy. It’s easier to hide the end of the roll with the under position.
  • Under works better in RVs, because it’s less likely to unravel as the big vehicle is moving.
  • Here’s the big one: cats. Cats can sit on the toilet and bat an over roll until the entire thing is unraveled. It’s much more difficult (and much less fun) to waste a roll when it’s in the under position.

So who’s right? We’ll, here’s one last argument. We mentioned earlier that the toilet paper manufacturers tend to favor the over orientation. Well, so did the inventor! The original patent for toilet paper, which is more than 100 years old, seems to have answered the question before it was even asked. You can see pictures and read more about it right here.

What toilet paper orientation will Garvin’s professional plumbers see when they come to your home? Either way, we promise not to change it, even if that particular plumber has strong feelings on the matter! We’re there to take care of your pre-planned sewer cleaning and emergency plumbing needs, not correct you on toilet paper etiquette. Give us a call and we’ll leave your toilet paper alone!

garvins 1

What’s The Difference Between Hard Water and Soft Water? Your Local Plumber Knows

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dreamstime_xxl_29867637Throughout your life you’ve probably heard about soft and hard water, and maybe you even know which one makes a better lather and which one just kind of sits there on the soap. But we bet you could you a refresher on the differences between hard and soft water and how they affect your life.

Soft water has fewer minerals in it; rainwater, which is naturally soft, tends to have more sodium and almost no minerals. Hard water is water that has more minerals in it, specifically more calcium and magnesium. It picks up these minerals as it works it way through our ecosystem, even during its short time flowing down the mountains and into Denver’s reservoirs. Groundwater will have most minerals because it has worked its way through many layers of earth.

Here are the advantages and disadvantages you can find between the two.

Hard Water

Advantages

Hard water tastes better because of the minerals in it. If you have ever looked at the ingredients of bottled water, it usually has minerals put back in even if they’ve been removed by the filtration process. This makes it taste more pleasing, and the minerals found in hard water are also essential for the human body.

Disadvantages

Hard water forms scale as the mineral deposits build up. This often takes years, but can be difficult to remove from toilets and pipes. (Interestingly, this scale can be an advantage with lead plumbing, as it prevents the water from corroding and coming in contact with the lead.) Hard water is also responsible for the film that can build up in bathtubs and sinks, and is infamous for reducing the amount of lather that you’ll get from your soap. Hard water isn’t as good for washing dishes or clothes, though most detergents contain water softeners to help with this process.

Soft Water

Advantages

Soft water lathers. Because of this ability, it’s great for washing clothes and dishes, as well as washing yourself in the shower. Soft water isn’t as likely to lead to soap scum problems, and scale isn’t a problem because it lacks calcium.

Disadvantages

Soft water does not taste good. The human tastes buds are accustomed to the tastes associated with the minerals naturally found in water. Soft water contains more sodium (due to a scientific process too complicated to get into here) so it not only tastes saltier and “flatter” but also is not recommended for people on a sodium-restricted diet. You can get a water softener for your appliances, but you’ll probably want to keep drinking hard water.

What About Denver?

garvins 3The hardness or softness of a water changes throughout the world and across the seasons. According to www.denverwater.com, Denver’s water gets harder in winter when the lakes freeze. When the water is coming directly from snow melt, the water gets softer, but it still collects minerals from the rocks as it flows down the mountains.

As local plumbers, we’ve seen our share of scale in the Denver area. But we’re also very happy to happy to have the fresh water from the mountains before anyone else gets their hands on it! If you think you might have a problem with an excessive amount of scale in your pipes, our sewer scope can take a look and let you know. No matter the problem, Garvin’s Sewer Service can take care of your plumbing!

 

 

 

Ask Your Local Plumber: What Do You Think About…

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Now for sitting on in private, apparently...

Now for sitting on in private, apparently…

Most people like to talk about what they do, if only to break the ice when meeting someone new. Of course, we often get questions about the plumbing services we perform, such as “what’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever pulled out with a sewer snake.” (Answer: we try to send the problem on its way, not pull it out!) Sometimes people ask us a practical question, such as “how do you know if it’s safe to step in the standing water in a basement?” (Answer: it’s probably best if you don’t and instead contact an emergency plumber to prevent contamination and electric shock.)

Then there are the questions we wish people would ask. Those questions that we’re just hoping will come up, because we’re ready. Question like…

“So, is it true about Australia?”

That it’s a cool place to visit? Yep! But you’re probably asking about the direction of the toilet flow, aren’t you? There’s a long-held misconception that the Coriolis Effect causes toilets in the northern hemisphere to swirl in a counterclockwise direction and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. It’s even propagated by Lisa Simpson (the kid who’s usually right about science stuff) in The Simpsons episode “Bart Vs. Australia.”

The fact is, the Coriolis Effect is much too weak to affect bodies of water as small as you’ll find in a toilet. The direction toilet water swirls is determined by the direction of the rim jets, which all fire in the same directions in order to create a more effective flush.

“Have you heard about the solid gold bathroom?”

We most certainly have. It’s part of a showroom for Hong Kong’s Hang Fung Gold Technology, who used it to create everything in the bathroom (including the doors) from solid gold. It functions as a showroom to prove what they can do with gold, and the items showcased can be purchased by customers. The entire display costs $29 million. (Before you ask, yes, the toilet is a functioning toilet. However, we doubt anyone has ever used it. As plumbing contractors, we’d be afraid of working on such a toilet!)

“Have you seen the luxury Porta Potty?”

garvins 2We’ve got to be honest…here’s where the conversation turns sour. Yes, we’ve seen the luxury portable toilets, the ones that are so nice that, if you woke up in one (scary thought) you wouldn’t even know that you weren’t in a permanently-located structure.

But we might bristle if you ask us this question at a party. Why? The plumbing services that a plumber engages in are considerably different from those that someone who manages a portable toilet handles. Yes, they’re both managing waste, but a portable service is about collecting it and disposing of it elsewhere. On the other hand, your local plumber is about getting your fixtures to get that water into and out of your house, into the local plumbing system and out of your life. So while we can understand the confusion, those luxury toilets are about transportation and will likely call a local plumber when things go wrong to handle problems with their plumbing.

Of course, we also get asked who’s the best plumber in the Denver area. Chances are we’ll just point our thumbs at our chests and give you a quick “right here!” While we like to humble, we also like to be truthful, and we truly believe that Garvin’s is the plumbing company that hires the best plumbers around. When you need preventive drain cleaning or emergency plumbing services, give us a call!