If you’ve never shut off the water to your home, you probably don’t know where to locate your main water shut-off valve. This piece of information is important to have, since you may need to shut off your water in a hurry during an emergency.

If you experience a burst pipe or need to make repairs to a leak, shutting off the water to the house may be the first logical step. If you are going to be out of town, it’s also a good idea to shut off the water to ensure your home is flood-free when you return. Call us today for a Courtesy Plumbing Inspection and we will show you the location and tag it for you.

In order to maximize the life span of your water heater, you should always follow proper maintenance scheduling and fix any problems immediately. Drain your water heater at least once a year for the best results. A water heater could last you anywhere between 5-12 years depending on usage and maintenance.

Usually, drains are clogged because people are not careful of what they put in them, especially in the kitchen. Other drains, like in the bathroom, get clogged because of the oil residue from soaps, shampoos and hair. It is recommended that you are conscious of what you put down your drains and treat them regularly with a professional grade drain cleaner.

On rare occasions, your toilet will begin to bubble when you drain the bathtub. This happens when your septic tank is full or when roots have punctured plumbing pipes underground. Call us and we can camera the line to see what is causing this.

Drain cleaners are usually very toxic, not a good thing to keep around the home, especially if you have children or pets. These toxic chemicals also have a negative effect on your pipes, causing deterioration from the inside out. When this happens, the drains lines will need to be replaced. There are various products on the market that contain “friendly” bacteria and enzymes. These work great for keeping drain sludge and grease from building up on the pipes. For serious clogs give us a call.

Have you noticed an unpleasant odor drifting through your home? You didn’t burn dinner. You just cleaned the house. Still, for some reason, your home smells like the sewer. You can try to cover up the stench with scented candles, but this probably isn’t the best solution. This smell is typically caused by one of three reasons:

Sewer trap plugs. Missing or loose sewer trap plugs are the most common cause of indoor sewer smell. Your sewer access pit contains a house trap. This is a U-shaped piece that traps water to serve as a barrier between the city sewer and your home. If the plug on this trap is poorly fitted or gone entirely, public sewer odor can travel into your home. 

Dried trap. If the water in the U-trap has dried up, it no longer acts as a barrier to the sewer odor. Run some water into the trap to recreate the barrier. This should eliminate the odor.

City sewer. Is the odor coming from outside? A sewer smell outdoors can indicate the city sewer is experiencing major plumbing problems, not your home. However, if the smell persists, it may be due to the drains from your house. Give us a call and we can determine your sewer smell.

Often, walls and flooring hide small leaks, making them undetectable. The first detectable sign might be when the water finds its way through the floor into the light fixture. If this happens, you have a leak somewhere nearby. This is a common plumbing emergency. Take the following steps to correct it.

Don’t touch it. Do not touch the light fixture or try to drain the water from it. Avoid using the fixture’s switch, too. Remember, water and electricity are not friends.

Cut the power. Instead of turning off the light, go directly to your home’s breaker box and shut off the power.

Cut the water. If you find the source of the water, such as an overflowing sink or washing machine, shut off the water supply there. If you aren’t sure where the source is, turn off the water supply at your home’s main shut-off valve and call us.

Is laundry day starting to sound like a percussion band? Modern appliances often work so quickly they cause pipes to jerk as the water pressure changes. If the pipes are not fastened tightly, they may move around and cause banging noises. If this banging continues, it can wear out the pipes and cause damage. It’s also very annoying to listen to.

To prevent the pipes from banging, you can do one of three things:

Locate the pipes making the noise and add pipe straps to hold them in place. You can find these at any store that sells plumbing supplies.

If you are unable to access the pipes, you can install water hammer arrestors. These shock absorbers cushion the change in water pressure, so the pipes don’t jerk and bang.

You can call us to investigate the problem and find a solution for you.

High water pressure—that is, pressure over 65 psi, or pounds per square inch—is too hard on your home’s internal pipes and fittings. If your home has high water pressure, there will be signs indicating the pressure is too high. It is important to pay attention to these signs so you can remedy the problem before the high-water pressure ends up damaging your home’s pipes, water heater, toilets or shutoff valve. Symptoms of high-water pressure in a house include:

A knocking, banging or hammering noise coming from the pipes when you turn on a faucet in the house (this is known as a “water hammer”).

Leaky faucets.

Irregular water pressure in your showers and sinks, or water that comes out in spurts.

Water-using appliances that fail prematurely, such as a water heater, clothes washing machine or a dishwasher with an unusually short lifespan.

Toilets that run constantly or in cycles, even when they aren’t in use.

If you suspect you have symptoms of high-water pressure in your house give us a call today to test your pressure and give you a solution.

If your water heater is making a strange noise, it’s worth looking into. Noise from a water heater usually means sediment buildup, which indicates that it’s time to get it looked at, or it may mean you need need to replace your water heater.