Plumbing Emergency Blog

The Reasons You May Be Facing a Plumbing Leak in the Home

A leak in the home can be a real headache for any homeowner, especially if they are unclear on the source of the leak. If you didn’t damage the pipes and you don’t see a reason for the leaks, then you may not address the problem as you should. Not addressing a potential leak, however, can lead to costly repairs and more significant damage in the future.

As a homeowner, it is important to understand a few of the reasons you may be facing a plumbing leak in the home, so you can call in emergency plumbers and other plumbing services to help fix the problem as soon as possible.

Common Causes

Some of the more common causes of plumbing leaks in the home include broken seals, clogs, and corrosion. The seals in your appliances can break and wear down over time and can cause a leak.

When you have a clog, the water begins to back up, and pressure begins to build up in the pipes, which can ultimately cause the pipe to burst and break.

Corrosion and rust are also issues that can develop in older homes with older piping over time as well, and the force from the corrosion and developing pressure can cause leaks in the corroded areas of the pipes.

Leak Prevention

One of the best ways to prevent leaks from happening is to follow through with proper maintenance and inspections. These inspections should be done by professional plumbers who know exactly what to look for.

In addition, you should also always avoid using any kind of chemical drain cleaners in the home because they can begin to eat away at the inside of the pipes when they are used frequently. Eating away at the inside of the pipes can ultimately cause leaks to develop.

Finally, be very careful about what you are putting down your drains. Flushing the wrong items can cause loose fittings, leaks, and other significant plumbing damage. Any clogs that result will need professional drain cleaning as well. When you cause a clog, then leaks are more likely to develop.

Call the Professionals

If you already suspect a leak, do not hesitate to get in touch with a licensed plumber. The longer you wait, the bigger of a disaster a small leak can turn out to be.

How to Fix Common Toilet Issues

Drain Cleaning clogged toilet

Drain unclogging service A clogged toilet is frustrating and potentially dangerous. In order for your toilet to work properly, you will need to clear the clog. The following toilet repair tips can help you out if you find yourself dealing with a clogged toilet.

Recurring Clogs

One of the most common problems with toilets is clogs. A toilet that is used and flushed often is at risk of developing a clog. If your toilet does not flush properly, it can be either partially or completely clogged.

When a toilet is completely clogged, it will fill to the brim or overflow. A partial clog can cause the toilet to slowly drain. With this type of clog waste cannot be flushed; however, the water in the bowl slowly decreases over time. There are several tools that can help to remove a clog. With practice, you can get a toilet unclogged.

Out of Toilet Paper? Here is What You Need to Avoid

Uncategorized

We have unfortunately experienced a decline in the availability of toilet paper in the last year due to the pandemic. Why is that? We may never truly know. However, we do know what we have to do and what to avoid when it comes to taking care of the home’s plumbing.

Here is what you should avoid throwing in the toilet if you have run out of toilet paper.

Alternative Toilet Paper

If you have run out of toilet paper and have been unable to locate any, then there are alternatives you can use. However, keep in mind, you should never toss any of these alternatives into the toilet. They are never meant to be flushed for any reason.

Wet wipes, tissues, toilet covers, napkins, and even newspapers have been decent alternatives for many during our toilet paper shortage. While they may not be ideal solutions, they are still solutions  as long as you remember to refrain from flushing these items.

Do Not Flush

Even if something claims to be flushable, it should still be avoided out of an abundance of caution. Toilet paper is specially designed for our plumbing systems. It breaks up and dissolved with no issues. Other items, even when they claim to be flushable, may end up causing clogs and damage to your pipes.

Flushing anything other than toilet paper can cause the materials to clump up and then become clogged in the drain. Over time, the build-up of this material can cause a serious clog in the pipe and can cause a backup.

Other Items to Avoid Flushing

In addition to the items we have already mentioned above, you should also refrain from throwing anything else in the toilet that can ultimately cause damage such as Q-tips, baby wipes, diapers, menstrual products, condoms, floss, paper towels, and cotton pads.

Bleach should also be avoided, especially if you have a septic system. While it may be used regularly as part of your weekly cleaning rotation, you should never throw bleach down a toilet because it is too harsh of a chemical and can cause issues with your septic system. Vinegar is a good alternative when it comes time to clean your toilets.
So, the next time you find yourself limited on toilet paper, consider the alternatives but make sure you do whatever you can to safeguard your plumbing and avoid clogs and costly repairs.

Keeping Your Toilet In Good Working Order: How To Prevent Clogs

Toilet Repair clogged toilet

a clogged toilet that is overflowing When your toilet is clogged the situation can become dire. You definitely want to make sure it is running seamlessly so you don’t have a nasty cleaning project on your hands. In addition, if you ignore a plumbing problem it can get quite expensive over time. While it is true that clogs can pop up without much warning, there is also a lot you can do to ensure that you don’t have to deal with one in the future.

1. Perform Random Inspections

Regular maintenance is essential if you want to keep your toilet in good working order. Look to see if it is filling and draining properly. Make sure there isn’t any rust or corrosion. In addition, examine your floating bar to make sure it is straight. Double check that your water connection is secure. Put the handle on “open” unless water starts to rise too high as a result of an overflow.

When Do You Have A Plumbing Emergency?

Emergency Plumber

There are times when a plumbing issue in the home is one that you don’t need to call a professional for. Putting in a bit of effort and using the right tools in the proper way can get you the results you want when it comes to common problems. A clogged toilet, for example, often only requires the correct usage of a plunger. If you call a plumber, they will use the exact same tool to do the job, only now you’re paying for it.

However, there are times when a plumbing situation is so difficult or complex that you can damage your home or even put other residents at risk if you attempt to fix a problem yourself without the right knowledge and expertise. Some plumbing issues need immediate professional attention due to their severity, but how do you determine this? Here are three scenarios that qualify as a plumbing emergency.

You Smell Sewage

Even if there are no blocked pipes and you do not see leaks anywhere, this is always a bad sign and should be responded to immediately. One of the most dangerous causes of this is breakage somewhere in your drainage pipe.
Under ordinary circumstances, your drainage pipe is a sealed system, carrying wastewater—including from the toilet—safely out of the home and into the sewer system. If you smell sewage, this could mean some of that sewage is now being deposited somewhere on the property, maybe even within the home itself.

Raw sewage is extremely dangerous. Simply touching it could lead to the transmission of a disease. This presents a serious health hazard that should be taken care of by professionals as quickly as possible.

Burst Or Leaking Pipes

Pipes are made out of either metal or, in more recent years, plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) for drainage purposes. In both cases, however, the pipes are meant to do one thing, and that is to remain watertight for decades. There are early 20th century homes with cast iron pipes that are over 100 years old but are still working today!
While they are durable, pipes don’t last forever. Time or excessive use can cause them to break eventually. If that happens with a water pipe, water will leak or spray out until the water supply is shut off and the pipe is repaired. Depending on where the problem is, this could also mean water damage for the walls and ceilings.

Flooding

This is another situation that should be addressed immediately. Flooding may be the result of a blockage, a severe burst of water mains somewhere, or natural events like excessive rainfall. Whatever the case is, finding the source of the flood and dealing with it is far from easy.

When facing a flood, there’s also a possible health risk due to contaminated water. This is especially true if the flooding has reached a sewer and sewage water is flowing back up drainage pipes and into homes.

If you have a plumbing emergency, we can help. Contact us today, and our team will put you in touch with seasoned providers of emergency plumbing services.

Why Drain Cleaning Is So Important And How Your Home Is Affected By It

Drain Cleaning professional drain cleaning, sewer line cleaning

A plumber snaking a drain to unclog it

There are water drain lines inside of every house that carry sewage and gray water out of our houses. It is critical for a healthy home to have drain cleaning done to keep the lines flowing and clear.

People too often completely ignore their drains until there is a problem. However by that time, bacteria filled, dirty water has completely soaked your floors, and maybe the walls too, and the damage has been done.

Check The Pipes In Your House

Like so many other aspects of home repair, the best way for residents to keep their families and homes healthy, and unexpected repairs under control, is through proper maintenance. Pipes throughout your house carry waste water out of your house, underneath the home, through your yard, and to the city sewer connection or your septic system eventually. It is very important these the plumbing lines be kept clean, and the drains continue to flow well.

Backwater Valves Are A Cost-Effective Precaution

Drain Cleaning backwater valve

One of the nightmares of any homeowner is the idea of sewage coming up from the pipes and surging through sink drain holes, tubs, and toilets, or even filling the basement.

Unfortunately, for some homeowners, this isn’t just a bad dream; it’s a reality that can happen with heavy rainfall that results in minor flooding within an area.

There is, however, a straightforward solution to help prevent that issue in many situations, and it’s not that expensive. It’s called a backwater valve.

How Do Backwater Valves Work?

A backwater valve is installed in your drain pipe at a point that’s close to where the wastewater from your home leaves the building and flows off the property and into the sewage system of your town or city. It’s a simple mechanism that works on the principle of water flow. The valve has a hatch that usually remains open. As water from the home flows out, the hatch stays open, allowing for normal drainage.

However, if heavy rainfall occurs and the sewage system becomes overwhelmed, this can often result in sewer water flowing back up through pipes and into homes, even if the street itself isn’t flooded. Once a backwater valve’s hatch detects water flowing into the house rather than out of it, this reverse flow closes the hatch, preventing sewer water from backing up into the home.

Get The Help Of Experts

This is a relatively inexpensive precaution to prevent sewage backup compared to more elaborate alternatives such as sump pumps and basement/foundation waterproofing, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars.

However, installing a backwater valve requires expertise. The area may have to be dug into in order to locate a suitable valve location. Once installed, however, this is an excellent first line of defense against low-level flooding from sewers. If this is something you’re interested in, contact us today, and we will find the plumbers who can protect your home against sewage backup.

Why You Should Call Your Local Plumber For All Your Water Heater Problems

Hot Water Heater water heater installation, water heater repair, water heater replacement

Few frustrating situations can be compared to you having a hot shower in the morning and then all of sudden the water becomes cold. This points to one thing; your water heater has broken down and needs repairs unless you are content with the long and uncomfortable cold morning showers.

Water heaters are complicated systems, and you should not try and showcase your DIY enthusiasm with a broken down heater.

You need to call the experts and let them diagnose the problem and then give you a way forward.

However, the role of these experts extends to more than the repairs as they are also needed to replace old systems and install new ones.

What To Do About Frozen Pipes

Frozen Pipes frozen pipes, pipe repair service

It’s an unpleasant surprise no homeowner wants to face. You’re ready to take a shower to jump-start your morning or treat yourself to a nice, hot bath at the end of a long winter’s day, but you can’t because when you turn the taps, water doesn’t come out. Your pipes have frozen.

Why It Happens

This isn’t something that occurs every winter, but for some homeowners, they already know that there are certain occasions when it’s a possibility. Some water pipes are not insulated or are positioned in such a way that they are closer to the exterior of a home and exposed to the colder temperatures during the winter months.

Why Chemical Drain Cleaners Are Harmful For Your Plumbing

DIY Plumbing Tips, Drain Cleaning DIY plumbing tips, unclogging a drain

Most chemical drain cleaners contain sulfuric acid or sodium hydroxide (also called lye or caustic soda). These are very corrosive chemicals to metals and organic materials. These chemicals are bases which means they give the clogging substance electrons and the hydroxide ions generate a reaction that clears up the clog. Heat is released by the alkaline chemicals which result in grease turning into a soap-like substance that is easier to dissolve.

Since drain cleaners are a lot heavier than water is, they sink through the standing water that is attached to the clog.

There are other cleaners that contain nitrates, peroxides, and household bleach. Those chemicals cause organic materials that are generating the clog to become oxidized and lose electrons.