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Congratulations! If you’re a new homeowner in this day and age, we’d first like to tell you just how impressive that is. With such a crazy and volatile housing market, we’re constantly impressed by new homeowners who managed to snag great property that fits their lifestyle. Sure, you might have made some concessions with the plumbing system, but you still love the house so it’s worth the price, right?

Sure! Unless you’ve got some serious problems in your plumbing system that need to be addressed. As a new homeowner, it can be stressful to be confronted with a pretty serious plumbing concern that took years or decades to develop. Today, we’d like to talk to you about when you might want to consult with a plumber in Caldwell, NJ for the plumbing system of your new home. We’ll also focus on 3 tips that can help you figure out where to go with your plumbing woes.

The Material and Age of Your Pipes

This is an important factor that you’ll most likely learn during a home inspection. The problem is that not every inspector will be well-versed in the intricacies of plumbing systems and pipe materials like we are. At best, they’ll be able to give you a home recommendation, but they won’t be able to do more than that.

Are your pipes made out of lead? Are they galvanized steel? Are these pipes older than 20 years? Are your sewer pipes corroded and look like they’re weakened?

These are the kinds of questions you should ask a plumber, and the answers will likely point you in the right direction when it comes to keeping your home running well. Lead pipes, for instance, can be dangerous if they transport water through your home, so you’ll want to get these replaced. Old galvanized steel pipes can signal an old and outdated pipe system as well.

Are There Any Leaks?

Check the valves of your home with either a licensed plumber or an inspector. These are usually the weakest part of a plumbing system. Are there any leaking droplets of water when you touch the valve? Or are there any damp spots around your plumbing system?

These can signify that there’s a leak and it needs to be addressed. Since you’ve just bought this house, you might not know how long it’s been leaking or how old the pipes are, so getting them replaced or patched by a professional plumber is the first best step to take.

How Is the Water Pressure?

Water pressure has to meet certain standards in order for your home to be sanitary and safe. Luckily, the water pressure of a home is usually mentioned in the inspection and contract of your new home, so you’ll know if there are any problems. Go ahead and test the water pressure for yourself to make sure.

Does the water sputter as it an appliance turns on? Or is the water pressure great in some areas but poor in others? This could signal the need for some serious overhaul in your plumbing system that only a licensed professional can accomplish. This type of problem can get even worse over time.

Call MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc. to have your plumbing system inspected by a professional.

The post 3 Things to Consider About New Home Plumbing first appeared on MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc..

This post first appeared on https://margoplumbing.com

Now that fall has arrived, the temperatures have descended, and the fuzzy blankets have made their way back onto your beds and couches, you might want to be thinking about your home’s water heater service in Sun City, AZ. Of course, water heater services are different from home to home. This is why our professionals are here to help you discover what your individual home needs. We know that service isn’t one size fits all so we always take a direct and specific approach. 

If you’d like to improve your home’s water heater efficiency, then you’ve come to the right blog. We can help you make sure your water heater stays in top shape so you get quality performance from it all winter long. 

Tips to Improve Your Water Heater Efficiency This Winter

These are a few tips you can try to improve your water heater’s efficiency. 

Flush or Maintain Your Water Heater

The first step you need to take is flushing or maintaining your home’s water heater. If you have a traditional tank water heater, then you need to flush the system. Most water heater systems build up sediment, and it affects the way your water heater runs. Flushing this system regularly will give your system the foundation to run in the most efficient manner. If you have a tankless water heater, you’re also going to need maintenance. Tankless water heaters don’t need to be flushed, but they do need to be looked at by a professional.

Choose an Appropriate Temperature

Is your water heater set to the appropriate temperature? It’s important that you check in and make sure this is the case. Sometimes your water heater’s default setting can be too low. Other times, you or a service provider might have turned up the temperature too higher. In reality, your water heater’s thermostat setting doesn’t need to be above 130°F. If yours is above this, we’d consider turning it down.

Consider an Upgrade When Necessary

If you have an older water heater, improving your water heater efficiency might be a matter of replacement rather than repair. This doesn’t have to be a chore, nor does it have to be a burden on your wallet. What you pay initially can be recouped in how much money you’ll save in energy costs with a new, efficient system. Don’t count this out. We’re prepared to make the transition easy. 

Put Your Water Heater in an Appropriate Place

It’s important to put your water heater in the most appropriate spot to perform. Is the area around your water heater clear? Correct water heater placement is more important than anything else. You need to give your water heater a little space so that it can work. If it’s cramped up in a spot in your home surrounded by boxes and other things that you want to keep out of your main living area, then you should move these things away. It’s a subtle difference but it can actually help your water heater perform better.

Contact The Trusted Plumber to schedule an appointment with our professionals. 

This post first appeared on https://www.thetrustedplumber.com

When it comes to fixing your home’s clogged pipes, sometimes the problem is deeper beneath the surface than it appears! Know the difference between whether your clogged drain requires a simple fix or whether your blocked drain is a symptom of a larger plumbing issue.

Does my clogged drain require a drain clearing or a drain cleaning?

A clogged drain is easy to spot. Your sink is backing up and you panic! Your toilet or kitchen sink seems to drain slowly. Sometimes that clog is fairly easy to get to and a simple plumbing snake or auger can do the trick to clearing that clog. But, there are other times when a clog is the symptom of a larger problem.

Put simply, drain clearing removes the immediate offender causing a clog in your home’s drain. Drain cleaning works on the greater symptomatic issues of your plumbing system including gunk, hair, and other materials that can accumulate over time in your home’s pipes causing poor performance and eventually habitual clogging.

How are drains cleared?

In the case of your plumbing, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Limiting what you put down your drains including household waste, hair, grease and other items can help keep your drains functioning properly.

But, if you find yourself with a clogged drain, clearing it is a short-term solution to getting it up and running again. Some clogs can be cleared with a simple mix of hot water and a 1:1 solution of baking soda and vinegar. Other clogs close to the surface of the drain, can be removed using a plumber’s snake or auger. It’s best to leave deeper clogs in the hands of a professional plumber who has the expertise and the tools to clear your home’s clogged pipes without risking damage to your plumbing infrastructure.

Multiple clogged drains in your home or drains that back up in one part of your home when you run water in another, point to a larger issue. A clogged sewer line can affect the entire plumbing system of your home. Plumbing professionals using sewer line cameras can identify the cause of the blocked sewer line and either repair or, in some cases, recommend replacement. Know the signs of a broken sewer pipe and contact an expert immediately to avoid further costly damage.

How are drains cleaned?

If your plumbing snake has a permanent spot next to your toothbrush, then you are experiencing too many clogged drains and it may be time to have your drains cleaned. The process begins with a history of your home’s drain issues to get a better idea of the root of the problem. Your professional plumber should then test each drain to discover the location of any backups. Experts using a camera, inspect the system to assess any major clogs in your drains that are the cause of your home’s drain issues. After the clog is removed with professional-grade motorized augers, the drains are treated with pressurized water to clean the pipe walls. The work should include a final camera inspection to assess the status of the pipes post-cleaning. The camera inspection is an important component to assess whether broken or damaged plumbing pipes or a compromised sewer line is to blame.

If you’re concerned your home’s clogged drains may be part of a larger issue or if you need help clearing a stubborn clog, call the experts at Len The Plumber. Our professionals have the innovative tools and techniques to get rid of your clog in its entirety, remove the gunk and dirt building up in your pipes and provide the preventative maintenance to extend the service of life of your home’s plumbing system.

Contact our team to schedule your drain clearing or drain cleaning today!

This post first appeared on https://lentheplumber.com

Step 1: Turn off the Main Water Supply

Having a washing machine installed in your home or building can be one of the greatest joys; however, the washing machine is only as good as its plumbing and installation. This means if it is installed or plumbed improperly, it can hinder your enjoyment.

To plumb-in a washing machine and install it can be done on your own in just 8 steps. These are explained in the following instructions on how to plumb-in a washing machine.

If the space in your laundry or basement area does not include a wood structure to attach the water lines to, then you will need to build one. This can be done simply by creating a box with a plate at the bottom and two studs at each side, and then secure it with some screws.

First, tie-in the cold water line to the main water line.

Next, if using copper pipes, screw the bell hangers into position, which are bell shaped screws with a clip that holds the pipe in place; otherwise, use clamps for PEX piping, and then run one line for the hot water and another line for the cold water, so they run across the beams and downwards towards the washing machine valve that will be installed.

If you are using copper pipes, then cut the end of the pipes, and then clean the exterior of the pipes and inside the fittings with a cleaning brush.

Apply flux, and then solder the fittings to the ends of the pipes. Be careful not to use too much solder because it can damage the fitting below it. Screw the fittings to the wall.

Once the fittings have cooled, apply the washers.

Attach the washing machine valve by screwing it to the pipe fittings.

For PEX pipes, simply attach valve fittings to the ends of the pipes using a crimping tool. Screw the fittings to the wall before attaching the washing machine valve to the fittings.

Using the washing machine?s tee as a guide, position the tee against the section of pipe that you wish to remove. Then mark both the top and the bottom of the pipe with a pencil, indicating where you want to cut.

Step 2: Build a Wall

Clean the section of the pipe to be removed with an abrasive. Using a hacksaw or a hose cutter, remove the marked section of the pipe. Be sure to position a pan or bowl underneath the pipe to catch any water that may have remained in the pipe.

Remove the section of the pipe, and then apply flux to each end of the cut pipe. You should also apply flux to the fittings. Position the tee over the ends of the pipes. Align the tee to the desired position, and then solder the pipes together.

Step 3: Mount the Hot and Cold Water Pipes

If the fitting is a tight fit, simply maneuver the tee into place to complete the assembly.

This post first appeared on http://www.theplumbinginfo.com

Now that the temperatures are starting to cool off, you might have started to notice the faults in your home’s water heater. If something is going wrong with your water heater, we’re the team that can fix this for you.

The thing about your water heater is that it’s one of the most important appliances in your home. You need to make sure that your water heater is prepared to handle heating for the rest of fall and this upcoming winter season. We’re the professionals that you want to turn to when you’re looking for work to improve this vital home system. We specialize in water heater services in Orlando, FL. Just make sure you get in contact with us as soon as possible for the work you need. 

What Your Water Heater Could Be Missing

Here are the signs that your water heater might need a little help.

Clean Water

Your water heater could be missing out on clean or pristine water. If it’s missing out on this, the first thing that you might notice is some odd occurrences with your water’s color or smell. What you’re typically battling against is hard water. Hard water is full of calcium and magnesium. Calcium and magnesium aren’t harmful to your personal health, but they are harmful to the health of your this system. Don’t wait for your water to clear up. It’s going to reduce its capacity to provide the hot water you need.

Capacity 

When you have hard water plaguing your home’s water heater, then you might have a problem with your home’s water heater capacity. When there’s build-up in your water heater system, you’re also going to notice reduced capacity with your home’s water supply. This might manifest as a lack of hot water in your home or a lack of water in general. Either way, it’s important that you address the issue as soon as possible.

Proper Thermostat Settings

Is your water too hot? If this is the case, then it typically means that your water heater’s thermostat is set far too high. The U.S. Department of Energy recommends that you set your home’s thermostat to 120° Fahrenheit. Anything above this is not only excessive, but it can also hurt your home in the process.

A Pristine Tank

Make sure that your tank is as pristine as possible. If it isn’t, it could be due to one of the following problems.

• Leaks: Water leaks might be attributed to something like stuck valves, a leak from a nearby plumbing connection, overheating, or improper water pressure.
• Odd Noises: Have you noticed that there are many odd noises coming from your home’s water heater? The most common ones are sounds like rumbling or banging. These noises can lead to bigger problems. We’ll help you with this. 
• Discolored Water: Sediment build-up is often the cause of discolored water in your home. The discolored water comes with the build-up starts to break off of the walls of your tank and make its way into your water. 

Contact Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. today to schedule an appointment with our professionals. 

This post first appeared on https://www.modernpi.com

We’d like to start this blog post by stating the obvious. There are a lot of different types of problems that a heater can run into. Depending on the type of heater you have, from a furnace to a heat pump, they can both have issues that require professional support. If you think you’re dealing with a problem, then we advise you to call our team to have an evaluation done by our pros.

However, there’s one single problem that rises above the rest of them during this season and it’s anything that has to do with a safety concern. Gas furnaces are popular in our area, and some of them are in dire need of heating repair in Wayne, NJ. If your furnace is suffering to the point where it could be leaking gas, smoke, or carbon monoxide, then you need to deal with it as soon as possible.

A Cracked Heat Exchanger

We’d like to start off by telling homeowners that gas furnaces are not dangerous. We’d consider a gas-powered furnace as dangerous as a suburban car or an electrical outlet. The vast majority of people in the world who use them, do so safely without a safety concern at all. The problem with gas furnaces comes when they’re neglected, just like with cars and electrical appliances.

If your gas furnace is neglected, makes strange noises, or starts having issues that are left unattended to, then your system’s heat exchanger can crack. This is the small, clam-shaped component that keeps the ignition fumes in the system while the heat gets transferred into your home’s air. If this component cracks, you’ll have a major safety concern to address.

How Your Heat Exchanger Cracks

Constant rumbling, booming, or shaking can cause metal on metal components to collide with one another in the furnace. This constant friction, heat, and movement can eventually weaken some of the materials and cause these parts to crack and break. This is why furnace maintenance and repairs are so important, problems need to be addressed and fixed quickly so that this never occurs.

Why a Cracked Heat Exchanger Is a Problem

When a heat exchanger cracks, it can start to leech fumes like flammable gas, carbon monoxide, and smoke into your home’s air. These harmful fumes will get circulated through your HVAC system and deposited into the rooms of your house where they can be breathed in.

While a cracked heat exchanger is a rare occurrence, it’s never something you should gamble with. Homeowners get injured every year from the inhalation of carbon monoxide and other dangerous fumes, so we recommend you get your furnace repaired if it’s starting to show signs of struggle.

Get Your Furnace Repaired Today

Are you starting to think more about the rumbling noise your furnace made the other day? Or perhaps that foul odor that reeks of smoke or gas is starting to weigh heavily on your mind? Don’t worry, our team can help.

The good news is that you’ve recognized that your furnace might need help, and you have access to a team that can give it to you. Don’t hesitate to shut your system off and call us today!

Call MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc. to have your furnace professionally fixed.

The post One Problem You DON’T Want Your Heater to Have first appeared on MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc..

This post first appeared on https://margoplumbing.com

When we’re talking about plumbing services in Sun City, AZ, we often get questions surrounding video pipe inspections. This is quite the conversation starter for many homeowners because it’s new technology to many. We understand how this process can be intriguing and we have the right experts to help you learn all about these services.

If you need a great video pipe inspection this fall or winter, we’re the team who can help you with it. We know that your plumbing system as a whole is sort of out of sight and out of mind. In addition to this, there are many areas of your plumbing system that are especially remote and difficult to access if you need repair work. Video pipe inspections get through lots of inaccessibility problems and help eliminate guesswork. 

Understanding the Basics of a Video Pipe Inspection

First things first, let’s start with the basics of a video pipe inspection. It’s really just what it sounds like. Video pipe inspections involve placing a small video camera inside your plumbing system. The camera is mounted on the end of a base that can be manipulated from the video screen. One of our technicians can move the screen around to see what’s going on inside your pipe. 

The technology that backs video pipe inspections is great for things like:

• Damage to seals
• Issues with pipe joins
• Cracks
• Breaks
• Clogs
• Tree roots that have grown into the pipe and caused damage

If you need plumbing care, our professionals want to be by your side to handle everything that’s going on. We’re prepared to help you with what you need.

The Benefits of a Video Pipe Inspection

Here are a few of the benefits of a video pipe inspection for your home:

Everything Is Accessible

This is a perk that we touched upon above. When you get a video pipe inspection for your home, suddenly everything becomes accessible to you. You can get around even in the remote areas of your pipes and drains so that these things can be visually inspected. If you want to make sure that everything is accessible to you so that things can be properly taken care of, then this is probably the service you need.

Less Time Spent During Service Calls

We know that we have some of the most knowledgeable and friendly professionals in the area, but we’re sure that you don’t always want a service professional working in your home. It’s not always the most convenient or comfortable thing that you can have going on it your home. Video pipe inspections can help your technician see and get right to the root of the issue. This means less time spent on service calls. 

Efficiency and Precision

Video pipe inspections are both efficient and precise. There’s no amount of guesswork that happens here because your technician can see everything that’s going on within your pipe. This service is worthwhile. Make sure that you have a qualified technician perform the work for you.

Contact The Trusted Plumber for the plumbing services you’re looking for this fall and winter.

This post first appeared on https://www.thetrustedplumber.com

Prevention is everything when you’re talking about your plumbing care. This is because your plumbing system isn’t something that you can lay your eyes on often. That means there’s a bigger opportunity for your plumbing system to develop issues while you’re not keeping an eye on it. Because of this, it’s a good idea for you to always be on your best behavior when it comes to caring for your drains.

If you’re looking for a plumber in Melbourne, FL, we want to help you. Our professionals are the ones who can help you with your plumbing whenever you need the proper care. Today, we’d like to focus on your kitchen since it’s often regarding as the heart of the home. It’s a great place to start caring for your plumbing system.

Tips to Take Care of Your Kitchen

Here are a few things that you can try to help your kitchen perform better.

1. Keep the Wrong Things Out of Your Drains

Make sure that you’re keeping things out of your drains that aren’t good for them. The first step in doing this is making sure that you know what can and cannot go down your home’s drain system. It’s important to avoid things like the following:

• Fibrous or starchy vegetables like celery, potatoes, pasta, and rice, 
• Eggshells
• Coffee grounds
• F.O.G. (fat, oil, and grease)

It’s important for you to remember that not everything can go down your drain. We understand that you might not remember everything that’s supposed to go down your drain. If you ever feel like you need a reminder, it’s a great idea to put a list up near your sink so you can reference it when you need it most.

2. Clean Your Sink

Make sure that you’re cleaning your sink when it’s necessary. Cleaning your sink helps you keep problems at bay. Make sure that after you clean dishes or use your sink that you’re wiping it down and keeping harmful debris away from your home’s garbage disposal. This is one of the simplest things you can do to keep your home in top shape.

3. Don’t Be Tempted By Chemical Drain Cleaners

We know that chemical drain cleaners seem to be the quick fix when you encounter a drain clog, but this isn’t something that you should be tempted with. These drain cleaners will hurt your drain over time. The chemicals used in them are caustic and harmful to your home’s plumbing system.

4. Keep Roots Away for Your Sewer Line

Having roots grow toward your sewer line is one of the worst things that can happen to your plumbing system. Make sure that you’re landscaping with this in mind. Don’t plant large trees or bushes too close to your sewer line because it’s highly likely for this to backfire.

5. Schedule Maintenance Appointments

Make sure that you’re scheduling maintenance appointments for your home’s plumbing system. Your plumbing system needs maintenance as well. This is something that’s important for your home because it keeps your plumbing system in the best shape possible. We’re available to help you keep your plumbing in proper shape.

Contact Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. for the care you need from our professionals.

This post first appeared on https://www.modernpi.com

It’s furnace maintenance season! If you’re unsure as to what that is, or why we call fall maintenance season, then we’ll explain it to you. Your furnace requires maintenance every year, and fall is the time of year when we pull them out of hibernation and dust them off to start working again. Fall is the most convenient time to get maintenance performed on your system, and we’re here to remind homeowners of that.

Not only will maintenance be your fastest and most reliable route to avoiding furnace repair in Wayne, NJ, but it will also improve efficiency levels and keep your home more comfortable. While a professional performs this necessary service, there are even more things you can do to help prepare for the cold months ahead.

Let’s get your home ready for fall, winter, and spring with professional maintenance and our handy homeowner checklist.

Taking Your Furnace Out of Hibernation

Firstly, it’s important that you do a few best practices when taking your furnace out of hibernation. We know that this blog is about professional maintenance, but we’d like to be honest and tell you that there are a few things you might still want to do yourself. Down below, we’ve listed a checklist you can follow when maintenance season returns, so you can get your furnace up to speed.

• Replace the air filter. First and foremost, you’re going to need to replace the air filter in your heater’s return air duct. This component is not designed to help improve your indoor air quality (although it does this by default), it’s meant to protect the sensitive components of your furnace’s interior. Changing it out will start it off on a good foot this season.
• Clean around your system. Keep around two feet of cleaned, dusted space around your furnace system. This should ensure that it has plenty of airflow and doesn’t start overheating.
• Insulate your home. The more you insulate your windows and doors, the less hot air you’ll be leaking out when winter weather does arrive. This is the perfect time to start protecting your home from the cold.
• Get your furnace repaired. If you know your furnace has an issue that needs to be fixed, get it repaired before it’s too late!

Investing in Professional Maintenance

Professional maintenance is vital for furnace systems. There are two huge reasons we insist homeowners get their furnaces maintained in the fall.

1. A well maintained furnace will run more efficiently and effectively, providing warm temperatures for your home at a low cost per month.
2. Gas furnaces aren’t inherently dangerous, but they can become dangerous over time through neglect and disrepair. Maintenance ensures your furnace is running safely.

Now Is the Perfect Time for Maintenance!

Once you’ve completed our fall checklist and you’ve decided to invest in maintenance, we urge you to call our team and schedule an appointment. October is the perfect month for maintenance, and you’ll be thanking us down the road for the reminder!

Call MarGo Plumbing Heating Coolinc Inc. to schedule a furnace maintenance appointment today.

The post Our Guide to Maintenance Season first appeared on MarGo Plumbing Heating Cooling Inc..

This post first appeared on https://margoplumbing.com

The world’s most common fears include heights, clowns, enclosed spaces, and needing to unclog a toilet when there isn’t a plunger nearby. It always happens at the most inconvenient time — at your in-laws’ house, during a work meeting, during a holiday, on a date…

We wouldn’t wish the panic of rising water with no solution on anyone. That’s why we’ve detailed the best ways to unclog a toilet without a plunger below.

Water That’s Hot, but Not Boiling

It’s really important to differentiate between the two here. Hot water will unclog the toilet by melting away the blockage. Boiling water can cause toilet bowl ceramic to crack, which is a much more irritating issue to deal with.

Get as big a bucket you can handle and fill it with not-quite-boiling water. The movement of the water combined with the heat will help remove and flush the clog.

Dish Soap

Dish soap is designed to break down grease and other food waste it comes into contact with. Because of this, it’s almost just as effective at breaking down toilet clogs. If you have the time to let it sit and wait, dish soap can help to unclog a toilet.

Squeeze at least a cup of dish soap into the toilet bowl and let it sit for 30 to 40 minutes. After that, check to see if the water has started to lower in the bowl, which is a sign that the soap is working. If the water is lowering, then you can feel comfortable trying to flush!

Epsom Salt

Epsom salt isn’t something that everyone has on hand, but if you do have it lying around, it can work in a pinch. When poured into a bowl, it creates a fizzy chemical reaction that can help unclog and clear drains. Give it about 15 minutes to do its thing before you attempt to flush again.

A Toilet Brush

This is for desperate, last-ditch efforts only. Hold the handle, push the brush into the drain hole, and start to pull your arm back and forth. Don’t get too over-exuberant to the point of harming the toilet, but do get vigorous. This can be kind of gross, so we recommend wearing gloves or old clothes in case of splashing.

Call the Pros at Len The Plumber

If nothing else works, it might just be time to call on the plumbing professionals employed at Len The Plumber. We’re always standing by to answer your call!

This post first appeared on https://lentheplumber.com