Arlington, Texas Plumbing: 2012

Don't shoot until you catch sight of the whites of their eyeballs," is a popular military adage. In much the same way, a plumbing company can't began to correct a plumbing drip until it has located the source of the flow. at times this is not a problem. If a boiler has ruptured, or if water is flowing out from a leaky toilet, then at least the pipe repairman and householder perceive, in general, where the source is. on the other hand, often, determining the precise origin of a leak calls upon the expertise and perseverance of an experienced professional plumber.

If water begins leaking from the plaster, or if a wet locus comes into view on the wall, it may be a sign that one of the pipes, within the structure of the house has begun to leak. The plumber may need to cut through plaster or other wall component to locate the source of the leak. Sometimes, water that is oozing out from a particular area may flow along a pipe before it drops onto the inside of the wall. In this case, the source of the leakage will be far away from the sign of the drip, and that complicates the job of leak detection for the plumber.

Slab seepages are an additional leak discovery obsticle. When water collects in the cellar, or close to the side of the house, it may be flowing out from plumbing conduits that are sunk into the concrete base of the building. Or it may be flowing between concrete foundations, or under the concrete driveway. Both finding the leakage and repairing it can be a difficult plumbing challenges.

Even in instances when plumbers know, in general, where the water is coming out from, they still need to look more precisely to determine the exact cause of a leak. If water is seeping from a radiator, for example, is it coming out of the valve, or from a different part? In this case, the persistent plumber will dab at the water with an absorbent cloth the water, and then gently lay another absorbent tissue on the location of the leak to see which part of the tissue draws up the water first.

When needed, a modern plumber can rely on electric leak detection to locate the source of a plumbing leakage. This can be helpful when ichecking out an underground leakage, for example. The detection device records sonic waves that reflect back from underground and by examining the change in the frequencies the appropriately trained plumber can figure out where the leak is situated.

Wherever the origin of the drip or the complexity in detection, a domicile owner can be assured
that an experienced plumber, employing state of the art techniques for leak detection will locate the problem, and be able to provide relief.

The Dreadful Plumbing Nightmare

A water heater blowing up can be a very dangerous event . The Internet is full of fatal events in which explodeing water heaters literally wrecked dwellings, eating establishments and even schools. A particularly lethal explosion occurred in Texas in 1982 and sadly was responsible for the death of six school children and a schoolteacher. The explosion took place because the institution had failed to make the necessary amount of safety checkups, the heater needed repair and subsequently failed to function properly.

Only one small part, known as the temperature and safety pressure valve, protects the average householder from very dangerous event. nearly all the time, when the pressure inside a domestic heater hits 165 degrees, the T & P valve kicks in and starts to do its job. As the internal temperature rises,water inside the tank starts to extend in volume. The subsequent pressure is dissipated in the form of steam and water , which is released from the temperature and safety pressure valve. Sadly, in spite of the implicit precariousness in inproper use of this valve, many DIY homeowners mistakenly believe the steam and hot water flowing out of this valve is the result of a inconsequential plumbing problem. Thinking they can facilely fix the difficulty, the baffled homeowner will either try and shut the valve off or worse, plug the valve and thus stop the leak. The results can be fatal.
There are some precautionary measures that homeowners can follow and avoid this terrible plumbing emergency.
1. If you, a homeowner, notice the temperature and pressure relief valve Releasing hot water and steam, do not make an effort to plug it yourself. Call a professional plumber and allow him to take care of the repair.
2. Inspect the valve, or have a Plumbing company Inspect it at least once a year.
3. Do not make an effort to conserve money by employing a handyman to fix your temperature and pressure relief valve. this mistake has been the cause of more than one heater explosion. Rather, make certain to use a licensed plumber to repair the valve.
4. Should your home own an older heater, inspect it to make certain it is equipped with a T& P valve, as not all older heaters have one. If your heater tank does not have a valve, hire a plumber to put one in.

These four precautionary procedures are easy to carry out, but they can save life and money. Because keep in mind that under the most trying of events, your hot water heater could take off like a missile, travel into and past each story of your dwelling, blast a hole in the roof, and land blocks away causing extremely large damage to a neighbor's mansion.

Do not let this happen to you. According to Byron Graham, a Baltimore Plumber with A-1 Plumbing of Baltimore, water heater explosions are among the most preventable plumbing emergencies. If you have any question about the repair of your hot water heater or the patency of your T & P valve call a plumber today.

Snaging a Tough Clog With a Plumber's Snake

Most often when the toilet or sink is clogged, a plunger - either a regular-sized plunger (for toilets) or attenuated-sized plunger (for basins) can resolve any drain clog problem you are forced to deal with. There are cases, however, where the trusty plunger just won't do.

This is when a plumber's snake tool is the tool of choice. Also going by the appellations toilet jack or an auger - or additionally an electric eel - plumber's snakes remove clogs that are too impacted or sunk too deep in the drain pipe for plungers to reach. the snakes consist of an advancing wire wound around a metal reel attached to a rotating crank, which rotates and thereby unwinds the snake, advancing it and sending it forward . Its central portion turns in a corkscrew motion , which allows it to break down particles and grit that are causing the clog.

Most simple plumber's snakes are operated by hand (cranking), but the most powerful snakes are motor-operated. Some of the more high-tech plumber's snakes come with a small camera, which helps the plumbing professional analyze the problem causing the blockage. Plumber's snakes come in all lengths and thicknesses and are all designed with the goal of breaking apart excess substance that might slow down water flow in your sink, tub, or toilet drain.

Bottom line, if a conventional plunger can't clear the clog, try working with a plumber's snake. If you're unsuccessful at clearing the clog with a plumber's snake, than ask the plumber to come out and try breaking it up with a advanced auger tool, which is larger, and quicker than the augers most amateurs can purchase at the hardware store.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Drain Cleanouts and How Plumbers Use Them

Drain Cleanouts are temporarily sealed openings in plumbing drains, in various locations in the home, which allow plumbers to access the drains should a clog develop. A very good summary of plumbing drain cleanouts can be found in an article on the topic by Inspectapedia.

The article brings up some important points which is valuable for householders to know.

Building regulations require cleanouts on the drain piping in the first floor of a home. Clogs in pipes above that cleanout frequently can only be reached via access through drain traps in upper floors. If the clog is some distance from the drain, and located in a bend, elbow, or tee of the pipe, as clogs frequently are, then getting to it will probably require the skill, experience, and equipment of a professional plumber.
Building regulations for installation of cleanouts is very complex, which is why any installation involving or requiring cleanouts should include the services of a licensed plumber or plumbing contractor.
Problems plumbers and homeowners run into with regard to cleanouts include:

Cleanouts hidden behind walls
Cleanouts that are converted to connections to washing machines in the basement and therefore no longer available as an access to clogs.
Cleanouts that are left open, and therefore can potentially spew garbage into the home.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Drain Cleaning

How many times have you flushed a toilet only to have it backup onto the floor? You turn on your bathroom faucet only the water fails to drain but instead continued to rise in the sink. Have you ever been forced to take showers in standing water? When was the last time you had someone clean your drain? It's almost certain that you will have a clogged drain when you least expect it. Your sinks, bath tub, shower, toilet, and sewer are most often clogged. Drains experience a daily buildup of grease, hair, soap, detergents, plus other chemicals, ensuring the chance you will be challenged with an unexpected clog or backup such as can happen with most residential drains. Good News! A qualified plumber can clean up your drain problem with modern drain cleaning equipment to 100% open up your sink, toilet, bathtub, shower and any other drain, pipe or plumbing fixture. After they're done, your drain and pipes will be wide open Common Causes of Drain Backup Build Up of Grease and Grime Large or Bulky Items Being Flushed Down the Toilet or Drain Dislocation in the Line Tree Roots Growing Into Drains The Video Inspection Modern plumbers use state-of-the-art video camera probes to pinpoint your clog and backup problems (broken pipe, tree or plant root infiltration, location of the block, etc.). After eliminating the clog with a modern plumbing tool, such as a power water jetter and tested to make sure the drains in the home are flowing properly, they will perform a thorough clean-up of the work area. Professional plumbing drain cleaning and repair services include the following: Complete sewer and drain inspection, cleaning, and repair service Bathroom sinks, toilets, tub, and shower drain cleaning and repair Kitchen sinks and garbage disposal cleaning Sewer & main line cleaning Rooter services Local breaks and cracks repair on pipes and lines Repair of a burst pipe Unclogging of extreior and interior drains Drain maintenance contracts In case your drain backup can't be solved with normal procedures, most licensed plumbers possess professional drain cleaning equipmentto eliminate even the most difficult drain pipe problems: Mechanical drain snaking Water jetters to clean sewer lines