Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

Common Problems Associated with Bathroom Plumbing

Friday, June 20th, 2014

Your bathroom is one of the most frequently used parts of your household, and you need the sinks, toilets and showers to perform without a hitch day in and day out. When problems arise, you need to take care of them as quickly as possible. Here in Laguna Hills, bathroom plumbing problems are a regular occurrence and can be handled by a number of qualified bathroom plumbing services. Here are some common problems associated with bathroom plumbing that you should keep an eye out for.

  • Clogs. Clogged drains are the scourge of many homeowners, and can get particularly bad in the bathroom. Human hair is surprisingly strong, and it can collect in your faucet or shower drain. There, it mixes with soap scum, toothpaste and similar materials to make a very strong clog. Store-bought cleansers can rarely dent such clogs, but a professional plumbing service can usually make short work of them.
  • Hard water. Hard water is water with an unusually high amount of mineral content (usually calcium and magnesium). It’s harmless, but it can create a crumbly white build-up on your faucet heads, and even clog up the faucet if left untreated. Hard water can also leave you skin feeling raw and red after bathing. A water filtration system can soften your water and a plumber can deal with egregious deposits left by hard water.
  • Leaky Toilets. A leaky toilet is usually caused by a breach in the line between the toilet tank and the rest of your plumbing system. The seal, valve or the line itself can usually be replaced fairly easily. A more substantial leak may be caused by a crack in the porcelain, in which case you will probably need to get the entire toilet replaced.

Whenever you’re faced with common problems associated with bathroom plumbing, the best solution is to call the experts at Saddleback Plumbing to help. Bathroom plumbing problems of all varieties are our specialty, and we won’t rest until you are completely happy with our work. We also provide a variety of other plumbing services in Laguna Hills, CA. Pick up the phone and give us a call today. You’ll be glad you did!

Continue Reading

3 Causes of Problems With My Kitchen Faucet

Thursday, June 12th, 2014

Your kitchen faucet is one of the most heavily used appliances in your home, and when it runs into trouble, you need to get it fixed immediately. Problems with your faucet can range from leaks to clogs to issues with water pressure, but here in Mission Viejo, CA, kitchen plumbing can always be fixed by trained experts. In most cases, you should always call in a plumber when you encounter an issue with your faucet, to ensure that it gets corrected efficiently. Here are 3 causes of problems with your kitchen faucet that you should look out for.

  • Food clogs. Not every piece of food should be rinsed away down the sink. Fibrous vegetable matter such as potato peelings can easily block the flow of water, as can chicken bones, peach pits and other hard materials. In particular, beware of hot grease or fat poured down the faucet. As it cools down in your metal pipes, it will solidify, and create a serious back-up. Plumbers can treat the problem with specialized equipment designed to correct the problem properly.
  • Leaks. Leaky faucets are a considerable nuisance, and while the causes can be simple, they need proper training to correct. The common cause of a leaky faucet is a faulty valve or washer in the faucet head, which means he head needs to be dismantled and then put back together with the replacement part in place. Leaks stemming from the pipes themselves – under the sink, for example, are more series and usually require the plumber to install a replacement length of pipe.
  • Backflow. Backflow in your kitchen faucet is usually caused by problems elsewhere in your plumbing, resulting in unbalanced pressure and contaminated water flowing back out of your faucet. It can be solved with the installation of safety valves to help equalize the pressure.

Here at Saddleback Plumbing, we can spot the causes of problems with your kitchen faucet, and make corrections with speed and efficiency. Kitchen plumbing needs to be handled by people in the know. Give us a call today; we’ll fix the problem right! We provide a wide array of professional plumbing services in Mission Viejo, CA.

Continue Reading

These Are Your Choices for a Sump Pump in Laguna Hills, CA

Friday, June 6th, 2014

Here in Laguna Hills, sump pump technology remains a reliable and effective way of preventing home flooding. We have our share of flooding problems during the rainy season, thanks to shallow sewer systems and our hilly terrain. A sump pump, which is placed in a pit in your basement, can swiftly pump floodwaters out of your home: keeping your property and possessions dry in the process. As always, it pays to consult with a professional when selecting a model for your home, but in general terms, these are your choices for a sump pump in Laguna Hills, CA.

  • Pedestal pumps. Pedestal pumps are less expensive and easier to install than other types of pump. They’re mounted on a stand above the pit, keeping the motor out of the water. They work best in areas that get a lot of flooding, though their position above the pit means that they can be fairly noisy.
  • Submersible pumps. These pumps are placed directly in the pit, and are designed to operate while under water. They cost more to install, but tend to be more efficient, and because they’re underwater, they don’t make as much noise.
  • Back-up pumps. Most pumps are run by electricity from your home. A back-up pump is battery powered and intended for use when the electricity goes out.
  • Sewage pumps. These pumps are specifically designed to remove sewage waste and semi-solid materials from you home. This is a significant consideration in Laguna Hills, were our flooding issues often entail overflowing sewers.
  • Combinations pumps. Combination pumps merge a primary pump and a battery-powered back-up pump into one system. It’s a solid choice if you want to cover all your bases without a lot of additional hassle.

A qualified expert plumbing service in Laguna Hills, CA can discuss your choices for a sump pump, then perform an installation once you’ve found the best model for your home and budget. The professionals at Saddleback Plumbing have the skills and expertise to help you out in all stages of sump pump installation. Give us a call today and let us show you what we can do!

Continue Reading

What to Expect from Professional Drain Cleaning Services

Friday, May 30th, 2014

Plumbers can often perform professional drain cleaning services on your pipes, dealing with tough, stubborn back-ups in ways that store-bought cleansers simply can’t. Here in Irvine, drain cleaning services are readily available, and can use professional tools like mechanized snakes and hydro jetting hoses to take care of the problem properly. While every case is unique, you have a right to expect certain things from the technician who arrives to solve the problem. Here’s what to expect from professional drain cleaning services.

  • Courtesy and consideration. The service should treat your home like they would their own. While some drains can be cleaned quickly and easily, others will require more effort. Regardless, the technician will bring his equipment in carefully and deploy it with utmost concern for your kitchen or bathroom’s well-being. When the operation is finished, he or she will clean up any standing water or other bits of mess, and leave your home in the exact shape he found it.
  • Up-front estimates. There shouldn’t be any hidden surprises with a drain cleaning operation. The plumber will perform a breakdown of all the costs involved and let the homeowner sign off on it before the cleaning begins. In addition, he or she will explain specific techniques such as hydro jetting so that the homeowner knows what to expect from a possibly unfamiliar process.
  • Results. A professional drain cleaning service offers guarantees on the quality of their work. In other words, once they clean the drain, it should stay cleaned for a reasonable amount of time and the home owner shouldn’t be charged if a repeat visit in necessary.

If you know what to expect from professional drain cleaning services, the next step is to contact the experts at Saddleback Plumbing. We have the skills and know-how to do the job right the first time, every time, and our trained staff of experts is on hand to explain every step of the process in clear detail. We treat your home with the courtesy you expect and all our work is backed by a guarantee. Give us a call today and ask us about our drain cleaning and other plumbing services in Irvine, CA.

Continue Reading

How Water Treatment Systems can Benefit My Home

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Here in Mission Viejo, CA, water treatment systems are fairly common for many households. Our civic water systems keep tap water fairly clean, but the composition of our local soil and proximity to the ocean can make things tough. Hard water, in particular, can be a significant issue. If you’ve ever noticed a crusty white material on your faucet or show head, you have a good idea of what we mean. A water treatment system for your home can reduce those kinds of deposits, as well as clearing out any other unwanted contaminants. More specifically, here’s how water treatment systems can benefit your home:

  • Cleaner drinking water. Filtration means crisper, cleaner drinking water and water used for cooking, which makes for a healthier overall environment. You can test this with a quick experiment. Fill an ice cube tray with tap water and another one with bottled (filtered) water from a store. When they freeze, take a look at them. The ice from the tap water should be much cloudier and less clear than the ice from the filtered water. You can taste the difference in any food you prepare with them.
  • Softer clothes. Hard water or water containing harsh chemicals can wear your clothes out after multiple trips through the laundry. Colors fade and the clothes don’t feel as soft as they once did. A good water filtration system will allow your clothes to feel much softer and look better. They’ll also last longer, helping you get more value out of your clothing dollar.
  • Cleaner bathing. Unfiltered water can sometimes leave an unpleasant film on your skin after you bathe, as well as leaving your skin feeling rawer and more irritated than you might like. A water filter can fix that, making your baths and showers a much more pleasant experience.

For more details on how water treatment systems can benefit your home, or to schedule an installation session, call Saddleback Plumbing for help. For residents of Mission Viejo CA, water treatment systems can make a huge difference in the quality of your life. We have the knowledge and expertise to ensure that the problem is resolved correctly!

Continue Reading

Ways to Detect Leaks in Underground Water Lines

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Underground water lines are a tricky proposition when it comes to plumbing repairs. You can’t usually spot signs of trouble until an actual leak has sprung up, at which time you often need to perform a full-bore excavation to get at the problem. Here in Lake Forest, CA water lines can also suffer damage from earthquakes, making excavation-based repairs more commonplace than they might be else. The good news is that technological advancements have made excavation must faster and more efficient, and there are new ways to detect leaks in underground water lines as well. We’ve broken down a few of them below.

The most obvious signs are usually the ones that will alert you to the problem. For example, if the water pressure in your home drops precipitously or puddles form in your yard without any apparent cause. Another quick way is to shut off water to the hose and then check the meter after 15 minutes or so. If water is still being used, you likely have an underground leak. In some cases, you may even be able to spot a leak if the grass in the vicinity of the leak is greener than the surrounding foliage.

Once you summon a plumber, he or she can take advantage of advanced tools to pinpoint the leak. Acoustic leak detectors can be used to spot the dripping sounds: a microphone is pointed at the ground and the plumber slowly moves along the length of the underground pipe until he pinpoints the spot where the leak is coming from. Similar tools use sonic vibrations, pressure sensors and other tricks to get to the heart of the issue.

Professional methods require professional training, which is why you should call the experts at Saddleback Plumbing the minute you realize that there’s an issue. We have ways to detect leaks in underground water lines that go above and beyond the standards, and we stand by our work from the start of the project to the end. Be sure to schedule plumbing service in Lake Forest, CA as water lines should be checked after every earthquake and any time you suspect there’s trouble. Give us a call today and let us take care of the problem for you!

Continue Reading

Drain Cleaning Solutions Used by Plumbers

Thursday, May 15th, 2014

Everyone is familiar with commercial chemical drain cleaners sold in any supermarket or hardware store, designed to get rid of stubborn clogs and backups. Those cleaners tend to be universal and adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, which actually doesn’t work very well for any but the mildest clogs. For plumbers here in Irvine, drain cleaning solutions can treat a wide variety of problems, and not all of those solutions involve chemical cleansers. Indeed, most plumbers prefer to use alternate methods of cleaning the drains that are less overtly caustic. Here’s a short list of the different types of drain cleaning solutions used by plumbers.

  • Snakes. Snakes are also available to the public, but as with chemical cleaners, the store-bought models tend to be one size fits all. Plumbers, on the other hand, often use mechanized snakes that bring power to the equation that hand-cranked snakes don’t. They also use snakes with rotating heads that can be adjusted to match the exact nature of the clog.
  • Hydro-jetting. Hydro-jetting is a method by which the plumber fires bursts of water under incredibly high pressure down the pipes. It’s a thorough and very efficient means of clearing up the clogs, and has the benefit of affecting the entire length of pipe, not just the spot that’s causing the back-up. Hydro-jetting requires professional training to use correctly, but it’s safe and effective.
  • Video inspection. This isn’t strictly a solution, but it definitely helps the plumber get a better sense of the problem. He or she sends a tiny video camera down the pipe, attached to a flexible rod. It allows him or her to ascertain the exact nature of the clog, and then choose the solution that fits it the best.

Here at Saddleback Plumbing, we’re well versed in drain cleaning solutions used by plumbers, and we know how to deploy them with skill and care.  If you live in Irvine, drain cleaning solutions need to do the job right, not just adopt a single tactic to what can be a surprisingly complex problem. Give us a call today to make an appointment with our plumbers in Irvine, CA and let us get rid of that clog for good!

Continue Reading

3 Upgrades for Your Kitchen Faucet

Friday, May 9th, 2014

Your kitchen is one of the busiest places in the house, and your plumbing needs to be ready for the task. Here in Lake Forest CA, kitchen plumbing needs to be ready for anything, from earthquakes to sudden dinner parties. But just because your faucet and other amenities have been working fine for years doesn’t mean you shouldn’t consider taking advantage of new advancements and features available on the market. If you’re remodeling your kitchen or even just want a little change of pace, here are 3 upgrades for your kitchen faucet that you should consider.

  • Pullout spouts. Pullout spouts use a detachable faucet head, attached to a hose that allows you to extend it and then retract it back into the main faucet thanks to a counterweight in the mechanism. It helps lower splashing and allows you to get at every corner of the sink without difficulty.
  • Alternating streams. New faucet types offer buttons on the sides or top, allowing you to switch from a spray to a steady stream at will. The spray setting helps you washing the dishes and performing other cleaning functions, while the stream setting gives you a steady flow of water for cooking or drinking.
  • A stronger finish. Most sink finishes are fairly durable, but you may wish to change the finish for something to stand the test of time a little better. Alternately, you may wish to change the finish on your sink in order to better match other changes in your kitchen, such as remodeled cabinets or even just the purchase of a new refrigerator.

If you’re thinking about adding upgrades to your kitchen faucet, then contact the experts at Saddleback Plumbing for help. We can help you find a new sink that matches your needs, and that stays within whatever budget you have in mind. Kitchen plumbing needs to be both functional and aesthetic: working day in and day out without problems while still making your kitchen a pleasant and enjoyable place to be. For professional plumbing service in Lake Forest, CA, our plumbing experts are on call to help make your visions a reality. Call us today and let us show you what we can do!

Continue Reading

3 Causes of Slab Leaks

Friday, April 18th, 2014

Slab leaks are plumbing leaks that take place in a decidedly inconvenient spot: underneath the concrete slabs of your porch or home foundation. In the old days, they required a great deal of time and effort to fix, though technological advancement has cut down on the time and expense of such repairs. When it comes to plumbing repairs in Tustin, CA, there are a number of companies that can repair slab leaks, but are you sure you have the ones that can do the job? Here are 3 causes of slab leaks: the sort of thing that a quality service can hunt down with confidence and assurance.

  • Old or inferior piping
    Most plumbing in California is made of sturdy copper materials which should last a long time. In some cases, however, they can be made of inferior materials, and even the solid piping can wear down over the course of several decades. In these cases, the bad piping will need to be replaced if you want any repair job to last.
  • Hard or corrosive water
    We often experience problems with hard water in Tustin, brought about by a combination of desert atmosphere and our proximity to the sea. Metals like calcium and magnesium (as well as salt from the sea water) can get into our water system and while the city does a comparatively good job of clearing them out, a certain amount of hard water invariably gets through. Over time, this can corrode your piping, leading to a breach or leak beneath the concrete.
  • Earthquakes
    We get earthquakes all the time in Southern California, and while mild temblors are usually nothing to get concerned about, they can shift the ground around your piping: increasing pressure and friction, and often causing breaches. If you detect a drop in water pressure of similar sings of trouble after an earthquake, you may have a slab leak.

Detecting the causes of slab leaks is the first step a good plumbing service takes. The next is to fix it as quickly as possible while causing as little damage as possible to the home itself. In matters of plumbing, Tustin has a proven expert in Saddleback Plumbing. Give us a call today and let us take care of that slab leak for you!

Continue Reading

Watch for Water Line Breaches after an Earthquake

Friday, April 11th, 2014

Earthquakes are a serious concern here in Southern California, and in Laguna Hills, water lines can often be breached following a significant temblor. As the ground shifts, rocks below ground might move, sinkholes could form, and other pressures may be placed on your pipe that weren’t there before. The good news is that there are plumbing services in Laguna Hills with experience repairing water line breaches. The bad news is that breached water lines are usually located below the ground, which means you need to look for subtle signs rather than expecting it to announce itself. Here are a few tips to help you watch for water line breaches after an earthquake.

  • No water
    This is the most obvious sign that something is wrong. If you turn on the faucet or flush the toilet and no water comes back, you likely have a serious breach with the line.
  • Puddles
    Another good sign that you have an underground breach is the appearance of mysterious puddles of water in your yard. Check your year and other parts of your property such as the basement after an earthquake to make sure those puddles aren’t forming.
  • Odors
    A bad odor can indicate a breach in the sewer line, but also a fracture or a back-up in the water line as well. If you small something strange emitting from your kitchen sink or other pipes, it’s time to take some action.
  • Sounds
    You may hear running water in a nearby storm drain or even in parts of your home, despite the fact that there’s no apparent source of the water. That’s usually a good sign that you’re looking at some serious problems.

If you spot water line breaches after an earthquake, call the experts at Saddleback Plumbing for help. We work in Laguna Hills, water lines are a part of our service, and we know how to move quickly when there’s an emergency. After an earthquake, the first thing you need to do is secure your family and your valuables.  We can be a major part of that, especially in the event of water line damage. Give us a call today and let us show you what we can do!

Continue Reading