Spring Plumbing Tips

March 13th, 2013 Posted in Water Line Repair
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Spring is just around the corner, which means that the season for deep house cleaning and warm-weather preparation is quickly approaching. While you’re caught up in the rush of organizing closets and scrubbing every surface until it gleams, it’s a a good idea to keep in mind that your plumbing system needs a bit of attention this time of year, too.

While you’re giving a seldom-used guest bathroom a bit of extra cleaning attention this spring, it’s smart to pour a gallon of water into the sink and shower drains. This will fill the trap to prevent odors from coming into the house through the drains. You should also examine the pipes under the sink for any signs of a leak that could go unnoticed otherwise, since the fixtures aren’t often used.

Before the heavy rains start, you’ll need to make sure that the drains, gutters and downspouts around your home are free of debris, birds’ nests and leaves. Birds can also build nests in the vent pipes, so take a look at them to ensure that they’re clear. While you’re outside, look at all of the hose bibs and faucets to see if they’re flowing freely. Drips from and outdoor faucet or leakage into your home can be a sign that a pipe froze over winter, cracked and you may need a water line repair or replacement.

It’s a good idea to install a backflow valve into the floor drain if the sewers have been known to back up into homes in your area to prevent future back-ups and potential damage. Make sure that, if you have a sump pump in your home, it’s operating properly by pouring water into the sump pit.

If you encounter any problems or are unsure of how to proceed in terms of spring plumbing maintenance, make sure that you contact a licensed, professional plumber in your area for service and advice.

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How to Handle Soggy Areas in Your Yard

March 11th, 2013 Posted in Water Line Repair
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Is there a soggy or mushy area in your yard, one that isn’t caused by heavy rain or some other obvious source of moisture? You can’t just hope that it’ll go away, and the longer you let it stay, the worse the problem will get.  Wet or soggy yards is often caused by leaking pipes or problems with your septic system.

Soggy yard areas are often caused by leaking service pipes, usually by those bringing water to your home or carrying it away.  In order to test for a leaking water line, first write down the number on the water meter servicing your home and then shut off all of the water in the house. Check at a later time of day, and if the meter has continued to run, it’s a good sign that you may have a leaky pipe that needs to be repaired or replaced. Another easy way to check for any leaks  is your water bill – if the amount is unusually high, you should contact your local plumbing professional as soon as possible.

If you have a built in or irrigation-style sprinkler system for your yard, soggy areas can be caused by a cracked or broken water line. Plumbing from an in-ground swimming pool can also make mushy areas in your yard. If your home uses its own septic system, mushy areas can be a warning sign that the pipes leading to the septic tank, or even the tank itself, is failing.

Make sure that these problems are checked immediately, in order to save yourself the headache of handling them, and a potentially huge bill that comes due when it’s time for repairs.

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Outdoor Drinking Fountains

January 14th, 2013 Posted in Water Line Repair
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You have a swimming pool. You have kids and your kids have friends. Kids get thirsty and need to stay hydrated.

You don’t want them to drink the pool water. You don’t want them drinking from the garden hose. You don’t want them constantly tracking through the house to get a drink and you don’t want to be a busperson, delivering drinks all day long.

Solution? Install an outdoor drinking fountain. This can be a job you do yourself, contract out or it can be a combination of the two. If you are well-versed in all areas of outdoor installations and plumbing, then have at it. The average homeowner, however, is likely to benefit by utilizing a professional plumber.

Whether-or-not you do all the work yourself you should be familiar with the overall process. Following is a list of the basic steps involved with putting in an outdoor drinking fountain.

  • Location and trenching – You want the fountain in a convenient spot and you need to be able to access your cold-water supply. This is a good time to test-fit your water lines and identify any obstacles (fencing, masonry, etc.) that need to be worked around or through.
  • Set the water line – In most instances you will want to sleeve the water line, that is, run the water line through a larger diameter pipe.
  • Tap into cold-water line – This portion of the project will involve some basic pipe-cutting and soldering skills.
  • Set Fountain – When you place your fixture make sure you have allowed room for control valves and supply lines before permanently affixing the fountain and burying your water line.
  • Final steps – Be certain that all connections are secure, finalize the securing of the fountain and turn on your water supply.

Now you can you can close the patio doors and point to the fountain when the kids want to come traipsing into the house.

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Fixing Dishwasher Leaks

January 1st, 2013 Posted in Water Line Repair
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If water is discovered on the floor under or in front of your dishwasher, the first question that needs to be asked is: Where is the water coming from – inside the appliance or from the plumbing attached to the appliance?

If water is leaking out of the dishwasher door seal while the appliance is in operation, then you may have a problem with the appliance. It may be that the door isn’t latching properly or that the seal has been compromised in some way. Liquid dish soap intended for use in a sink can affect the seal of a dishwasher if it somehow gets inside. Dish soap should not be used when rinsing dishes to place them into your dishwasher, for this reason. An appliance repairman may be needed to determine if the dishwasher is repairable or should be replaced.

If the water is coming from underneath your dishwasher, it is likely to be coming from hoses attached to your dishwasher or the water supply line or water inlet valve for your dishwasher. The seals or connections may have become corrupted and in need of repair or replacement. To determine the source of the problem, the dishwasher will need to be pulled out of its placement underneath the countertop to examine these water connections. This needs to be done carefully so as not to damage the plumbing or wiring connections for your dishwasher.

When the water appears to be coming from underneath the dishwasher, a call to a professional plumber would be in order. If repairs are needed to the connecting hoses, they will be able to handle these with ease and ensure that the leak will not be reappearing the next time you run the dishwasher.

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Plumbing a Waterline to Your Refrigerator

January 1st, 2013 Posted in Water Line Repair
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If you intend to replace your previous refrigerator with one that includes an icemaker and/or water dispenser in the door, you will require some plumbing work in order to attach your water system to the refrigerator’s water supply connection. A separate water line can be run directly to refrigerator’s location. Often times, however, running a water line from the under the kitchen sink over to the refrigerator is sufficient. As with any plumbing within a residence, there will be local building codes which must be adhered to.

Tapping into an existing water supply system to add a new line and shutoff valves is not something recommended for a do-it-yourselfer. A licensed plumber will know the requirements of local building codes for the installation. A professional plumber will also know the proper means of routing the water supply line through the home’s construction without compromising its integrity.

A plumber’s knowledge of the materials required and proper installation methods will make for a much quicker installation than that of a homeowner who has never performed the task before. Tapping into a water supply system is not an easy task. Making mistakes in the plumbing may require more work and frustration to remedy the situation than was budgeted for the project in dollars and time.

For a professional plumber, a waterline installation to a new refrigerator is a common task. Hiring a professional for this task assures you that the installation will be done correctly and quickly. If you already have the water supply hookup for the new refrigerator, you may still want to have a plumber inspect the connections to be sure they are in good repair before installing the new refrigerator.

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Proper Plumbing Is Essential for a Washing Machine Hookup

January 1st, 2013 Posted in Water Line Repair
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Installation of water hookups and a drain for a washing machine may seem simple enough, but if done improperly the problems can be ongoing. There are several aspects of the installation which need to be taken into consideration to ensure that that the water hookup and drain works properly.

Rather than having a solid connection to a drain pipe, washing machines have a drain hose that is meant to simply be inserted into a standpipe. This is to allow for the movement of the washing machine when it vibrates due to a heavy or unbalanced load during the spin cycle. One of the issues involved in the plumbing installation is the height of the standpipe which the washer drains into. If the standpipe is not the proper height the washer will not drain properly.

The washing machine will require both hot and cold water supply lines. The lines will have shutoff valves in the washing machine box where the hoses from the washing machine connect to the water supplies. The shutoff valves used for washing machines generally include water hammer arresters to prevent the hammering noise that can result from the sudden shutoff of the water when the washer has finished filling. A dual shutoff that shuts off both hot and cold at the same time is also a frequent option for washing machine shutoff valves.

Hiring a licensed plumber to install your washing machine hookups and drain will assure you that the installation meets local code and that you will be protected from the problems that can arise from improper installation.

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Tips For Preventing Your Pipes from Freezing This Winter

December 20th, 2012 Posted in Water Line Repair
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Frozen water pipes are not only a great inconvenience but also are expensive to repair when they burst. The situation can go from bad to a disaster if it happens when you are out of the house and the water damage will quickly multiply. In order to avoid the hassle and expense of water line repairs due to burst or frozen water pipes this winter, consider applying some of these simple techniques in your home.

Letting the water drip slowly from a faucet one method that that will help prevent your water pipes from freezing.  Moving water does not freeze as quickly as still water and even a trickle of water from an inside faucet can help to prevent your water pipes from freezing and bursting.

The most effective way to prevent pipes from freezing is by limiting the amount of piping that is exposed to the cold outside air. Vulnerable pipes can and should be fitted with insulation sleeves, which will provide them with some protection.

There is also heating tape that can be wrapped around pipes, some with a built in thermostat that turns on automatically and others that must be turned on manually. To prevent freezing when you are going away for a few days and probably don’t have the heating on full, it is a good idea to drain your system and turn of the water at the mains until you return.

Remember one of the first signs that you have a frozen pipe is when you turn the taps on and nothing comes out. When this occurs and especially when you don’t know the exact location of the frozen section it is best to call a plumber out immediately before the pipes have time to burst.

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Locating and Repairing a Leaky Water Line

December 20th, 2012 Posted in Water Line Repair
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Repairing a leaky water line is not a task that anyone enjoys doing but it is also one that should not be put off. You may have realised you have a leak in your water supply pipe when you noticed your water bills were suddenly unusually high. Getting your water bills back in line is just one reason for getting a leaky water supply line fixed promptly.   In addition, a leaky water line will continue to get worse and can cause underground erosion, foundation damage, and other issues.

Once you suspect you have a leak somewhere along your water line, the next step is to confirm it. Check in your yard for any random wet spots around the area where the water supply pipe is buried. Any unexplainable damp patches are a strong indication that you have discovered the site of the leak. Another way to be sure is to turn of the water inside your home and check the meter reading. If it changes over the next hour or so, you have a leak and you need to think about contacting your plumber.

A leak underground involves digging up a section of your yard to gain access to the pipe. This is a job for a plumber rather that a DIY issue as the proper tools as well as knowledge and experience in water line repairs is required to do the job properly and professionally.

Once the plumber has been in and assessed the situation he may ask whether you would prefer to repair or replace the affected pipe. Your plumber will be able to explain in full the advantages and disadvantage of both and advise you on the best course of action based on your situation.

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Thawing a Frozen Water Pipe

December 20th, 2012 Posted in Water Line Repair
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If you live in an area that experiences particularly cold winters, your water pipes could be vulnerable to freezing. Turning your faucet on and finding that nothing is coming out suggest that a section of the pipe has frozen and action should be taken as quickly as possible to thaw the pipe and prevent it from bursting. Whether you do it yourself or call out a plumber to fix the problem for you, thawing a frozen pipe will significantly cheaper than water line repairs due to a burst water pipe.

Whether you are able to effectively thaw the pipe yourself will usually depend on your ability to identify the frozen section and the accessibility of that section of pipe. One of the simplest and most effective DIY methods is through the use of a hairdryer. Remember to leave the faucet connected to the frozen pipe open and heat the pipe from the faucet slowly moving back towards the blockage. This way as the ice begins to melt it is able to run freely out of the pipe.

A heat lamp or portable heater work in a similar way to the hairdryer and work particularly well for thawing pipes running through small spaces. This is another safe and effective DIY method.

Electric heating tape is another technique that should be considered. You wrap it around the frozen pipe and plug it in and the electrical elements inside will heat the pipe. This is also an effective preventative measure and can be left on the pipe and simply turned on whenever you feel the pipe is at risk of freezing again.

If the pipe is not easy to reach or you are unsure of the exact location of the freeze, your best option is to call out for the services of a reputable plumber. They will do the job properly and professionally and be able to give you tips on how to prevent it from freezing over again in the future.

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How to Protect Your Water Pipes from Freezing in Cold Weather

December 20th, 2012 Posted in Water Line Repair
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If you live in an older home or poorly insulated one, you may find that you have problems keeping your water lines from freezing.  This is especially true for any pipes near an outside wall or doors.  When water freezes, it expands and can cause the pipes to separate at the joints and crack.  When it thaws out, the result can be major water damage in the home.

You can use thermostatic heating tape around the pipes to keep the water inside from freezing.  Plug the tape into a receptacle and it will keep a constant temperature for the pipes.  You can also wrap the pipes in foam insulation and tape it to keep it in place.  Another option is to add insulation to the wall near the pipes and keep the area warmer.

If it is safe to do so, you can keep a space heater in the room that gets cold enough to freeze the pipes.  Sometimes just leaving the doors to the cabinets open will prevent the air from getting cold enough to reach freezing.  You can also keep the faucet running at just a steady drip to prevent freezing.  Moving water does not freeze as easily and that is often a resolution for bathrooms and kitchens where water freezes.  Another more expensive option is to turn the temperature up in the house to warm the area where the freezing pipes are located.

If you have problems with freezing pipes in the winter, you may want to get help from your plumber to determine the best fix for the situation and prevent costly repairs.

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