Plumbing problems are never fun to deal with, but some are quite a bit worse than others. A leaky faucet, for example, might be annoying but not urgent. A ruptured pipe rapidly turning your second floor into a marsh, on the other hand, is something that requires a bit quicker of a response. It’s relatively easy to contact a plumbing contractor if a plumbing emergency occurs during normal business hours. What do you do if it happens in the middle of the night, though? Read on to find out.
Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Plumbing’
What to Do In-Case of Plumbing Emergency
Monday, January 29th, 2018Careful of These Plumbing Problems
Monday, January 1st, 2018
There are a wide range of different plumbing problems that you need to know about if you want to keep your system safe. We don’t have enough space to address them all here, but we can certainly go over a few of the more common ones that you’re likely to encounter while using your plumbing system. If you know what to look for, you can call for repairs faster and maybe prevent some of the damage the issue would have done to your system.
Why Trenchless Pipe Replacement is Preferable to Other Options
Monday, August 28th, 2017
There are a number of pipes that run under your property to your home, where they connect to the rest of the plumbing system. Of these pipes, the two most important are your water and sewer lines. Without these, your plumbing system would not be able to function. If you use natural gas in your home, the gas line is another pipe that falls into this category. All of these pipes present a rather unique problem. They’re important to the operation of your home, but they’re quite difficult to get to under normal circumstances. This means if they break and need replacement, they can cause major headaches for everyone involved. Fortunately, there is an easy way to replace damaged water, sewer, and gas pipes. Let’s take a look at the advantages of trenchless pipe replacement.
Prepare Your Water Line for the Next Earthquake with These Steps!
Monday, April 24th, 2017It’s been a while since we’ve had an earthquake of truly catastrophic proportions, though rest assured that’ll happen at some point. It doesn’t take a shaker strong enough to topple buildings to damage your home’s plumbing system, though. Even if the rest of your home is in fairly good condition after a moderate earthquake, it could suffer not-insignificant damage to its plumbing system.
The Problem of Pinhole Leaks
Monday, September 28th, 2015Leaks have always been a problem for plumbing systems, and can never be fully prevented. However, the advent of copper pipes in the 1960’s was a huge step towards lessening the amount of leaks the average homeowner had to deal with. Copper pipes are highly resistant to rust, which was the number-one cause of leaks in the older iron pipes. However, copper pipes are not invincible. Let’s take a look at one of the biggest problems to afflict copper pipes: pinhole leaks.
Signs that You Might Have a Slab Leak
Monday, September 7th, 2015Slab leaks are one of the most damaging problems that can afflict a home’s plumbing. Unfortunately, they’re also one of the most difficult problems to detect and fix. The best way to protect against slab leaks is to keep an eye out for the signs that accompany them. The faster you can identify a warning sign that you have a slab leak, the faster you can have it repaired and the more damage you can prevent. Let’s take a look at some of the signs that you might have a slab leak.
Why You Should Install an Earthquake Emergency Shutoff Valve
Tuesday, August 11th, 2015Natural gas is a very big part of our society, far more than you probably realize. Every time you turn on a furnace, or a gas stove, or an oven, you’re making use of natural gas. Natural gas is so popular as a fuel type because it has a pretty high ratio of energy produced to the amount of gas burned. While this makes the highly combustible gas great for heating, it also makes it very dangerous under the wrong circumstances. That’s why you should install an earthquake emergency shutoff valve. Read on for more information on why earthquake emergency shutoff valves are necessary in Orange County, CA.
Why You Should Schedule Video Pipe Inspection at Least Once a Year
Monday, June 1st, 2015When your furnace or your air conditioner breaks down, you know it. The air stops flowing, or if it keeps flowing it’s the wrong temperature. Sometimes, the whole system may just refuse to start. With plumbing problems, however, it can be a lot harder to detect any symptoms. Sure, sometimes you may have a clogged drain or a burst pipe, but there are plenty of other common plumbing issues that can only be detected by actually examining the pipes. By the time these more subtle issues grow large enough to give off more identifiable symptoms, it is often too late to mitigate most of the damage. That’s why video pipe inspection is so important. Let’s take a look at what video pipe inspection is, and why you should schedule it at least once a year.
Plumbing FAQ: What Is Water Hammer?
Wednesday, January 14th, 2015If you notice a loud knocking noise in your pipes whenever you use a sink or after you take a shower, don’t write it off as a usual household noise. Water hammer is a plumbing term used to describe a specific circumstance that could be hazardous to the pipes. If the noises seem to occur whenever you shut off a tap in the home, you should seek an Irvine plumbing specialist immediately.
The Problem with Water Hammer
Water hammer occurs when water is forced suddenly to stop or reverse, creating pressure waves that can vibrate against the pipes. Not only is this sound somewhat obnoxious; it can also cause problems for your pipes. The pressure can cause your water line to collapse or burst, which can mean flooding in your home or a damaged foundation. Generally, plumbing systems contain air chambers that help to prevent water hammer from occurring, but there may not be enough chambers, or these may become clogged or waterlogged over time.
Correcting Water Hammer
There are a few different ways you may be able to stop water hammer from occurring, but in any case it will require the expertise of a professional. You may be able to have a plumber install a pressure-reducing valve at the water supply, but this can cause the pressure from our sink or shower to feel too low. A plumber may instead recommend additional air chambers to properly trap water using a pocket of air as a cushion, or you may only need to clear out an existing air chamber that is clogged.
Some plumbers actually recommend against air chambers as they may need to be quite large and can occasionally become waterlogged. You may be able to simply install a water hammer arrester at the source which also provides a reliable source of air cushioning. Depending on the state of your plumbing system, an expert may instead decide to install valves that shut slowly, or they may need to redesign some of the pipes that lead to that faucet only.
There may be any number of solutions for water hammer, but a plumber must assess the state of your pipes to determine the proper course of action. Call Saddleback Plumbing to let a trained professional evaluate and repair your plumbing in Irvine.
Is a Standard Tank Water Heater Sometimes the Better Option?
Friday, August 8th, 2014Tankless water heaters have existed for many years now, but it was not until recently that they expanded their popularity from Europe to the U.S. Now many homeowners on this side of the Atlantic are enjoying the benefits of going tankless, which include never running out of hot water, saving space, lowering energy costs, and getting more years of service from their water heater.
But not everyone has switched from the old “tank” water heaters (storage water heaters) to the tankless models. There are some good reasons for this, and it isn’t just resistance to change. In certain situations, a storage water heater is a superior choice over a tankless one.
It will be hard to determine on your own which of these choices is best for you. You should also seek a professional opinion from a water heater installer and Laguna Hills, CA plumbing company. The team at Saddleback Plumbing is here to help answer your questions and then install the right system for you.
Why might a storage water heater work better for me?
The first consideration is cost: tankless systems cost more to install than standard tank water heaters. In some situations, the potential savings from a tankless system are insufficient to make them worth the upfront investment. How much water you use regularly and your immediate budget plans will affect how useful a tankless heater can be. If your use of water is moderate (usually because you have a small household) and your budget is currently tight, a storage water heater makes a perfectly acceptable option for hot water.
Tankless water heaters can sometimes lose efficiency if multiple taps turn on at once; if this is something that occurs regularly in your home, then you should also consider staying with a storage model.
However, in most homes there is very little to restrict you from choosing a tankless water heater. Considering their long lifespan (usually 5 years more than a storage water heater) they have a lengthy period to return your initial investment. Most owners will see the installation costs paid off in only a few years. Consult with an experienced plumber about installing a new water heater to find out which of the available models will bring you the amount of hot water you need at price that matches your budget.
Since 1981, Saddleback Plumbing has served Orange County with water heater installation. When you need expert work for you plumbing in Laguna Hills, CA, make us your first choice.