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perfectplumbingsystem

Boost Plumbing Performance

Our plumbing system is intricately designed to keep water flowing throughout the home. Without a second thought, we flush our toilets, shower, and wash our dishes with ease. Every avenue we get water from has a series of pipes and gadgets attached to it. Sometimes we can take for granted how hard this system works for us. It's easy to care for your plumbing system and boost its performance. Just follow these tips to find out how.

Make Sure Local Requirements are Being Met

“localrequirements”Before doing any renovations to your home, be sure to inquire about local city requirements. Plumbing codes are put in place in each city to prevent any plumbing disasters. If you have decided to tear down and rebuild your kitchen, research the guidelines that will need to be met first.

Your plumbing system is an essential feature of your house and will need to be properly installed to function optimally. Get the right permits and when in doubt, contact a local plumber for advice.

Balance Out Your Water Pressure

“balancedwaterpressure”Water pressure plays a significant role in the performance of your plumbing system. When the pressure gets too high, it can cause damage to your pipes.

This strain will impact performance and longevity. You can check your psi with a hose bibb gauge. It attaches to the outside of your home and monitors pressure.

If you notice your pressure is high, you can install a pressure regulator. Contact your local plumber if you would like to learn more about pressure regulators and how to install them.

Buy Premium Hair Blockers

“haircleaner”An incredibly inexpensive way to boost your plumbing performance is to use hair blockers for your drains. Most homeowners don't even notice the amount of hair that gets lost down the pipes, usually until there is a blockage.

Clogged drains are problematic and annoying to deal with. With a hair trap, you can catch the hair at the drain before it enters the pipeline. When it gets full, you can just empty it into the trash and place the hair blocker back over your drain.

Clean Your Drains

“cleandrains”Getting your drains cleaned about once every two years will maintain the integrity of your plumbing system.

Hard water build up can lead to rust and corrosion in your pipes, most of which you won't notice until it's too late. Cleaning your drains can reduce mineral buildup and also prevent clogs.

Well, there you have it Tyler, TX! Boosting your plumbing performance is easier than you thought. Just follow these simple guidelines and keep your plumbing system in good standing for years to come.

toiletwontflush

Expert Tips For Fixing a Toilet that Won't Flush

On the list of things that can go wrong with your bathroom plumbing, a toilet that won’t flush is high up on the priority list. Unlike a leaky faucet that you may be comfortable waiting a day or two to address, a broken toilet can become problematic sooner rather than later.

The good news is that most flushing issues can be fixed on the spot, usually without help from a plumber. However, there are occasions when you maybe have a clog that needs a professional hand. Discover these expert tips for fixing a toilet that won't flush and sleep easier tonight knowing you’re prepared for the worst.

Fix the Toilet Flapper

“tankflapper”Sometimes all you need to get a toilet flushing again is a little jostle to the flapper.

Sometimes it can get tangled in the lift chain, or just not sit properly on the hole at the bottom of your tank. Inspect the flapper for signs of cracks or if it has been warped in any way.

This bathroom plumbing fixture won’t cost much to replace, only about $10.00 or so. They can be found at any hardware store in Taylor, TX, and are fairly easy to replace.

Pour Water from a Bowl into the Toilet

“waterinsidetoilet”Usually, we don’t find out a toilet isn’t flushing until after we have used it. This can be an embarrassing moment for any person. There is, however, a way to solve the problem immediately before anyone finds out.

Fill a bowl of water, or a bucket, or anything you can find. Lift the toilet seat and lid, and dump the water into the toilet bowl. At the same time, flush the toilet.

Adding water will help the toilet flush, and the force from dumping the water will make the contents go down into the pipes, avoiding any unnecessarily awkward conversations.

Call a Professional to Resolve the Issue

“callaprofessional”If your problem isn't the flapper or lift chain, and pouring water down the drain didn't fix the overall issue, then it’s time to call in the big guns. No one wants to have to spend money on calling a plumber to come to your home.

However, it’s better to have a knowledgeable, trained professional look at your bathroom plumbing that can get the job done right. Additionally, a plumber can spot any future issues that may soon to arise that you were not aware of.

The best way to ensure long-lasting peace of mind is to take proper care of your plumbing system. Have regular maintenance done, and keep track of the lifespan of your appliances and fixtures. Keeping on top of these small things can save you huge in the future.

plumbingpermit

Important Info to Help with Your Next Plumbing Permit

There's nothing quite like starting a home renovation project. By the end of it, you will have boosted your quality of life and gained a sense of fulfillment. But before you can get started on giving your home's plumbing a facelift, you should learn more about the permit process and what it takes to get permission for a job from the city.

Ready to dive in? Here's some pertinent information that should help you if you apply for a plumbing career as well.

Permits for Big Projects

“whenpermit”What's most important in determining whether or not you need a permit to work is the scale of the project. If all you want to do is conduct a relatively simple task, such as installing a new faucet, you likely don't need to seek permission.

But if you're proposing a more serious job that will directly affect your home's plumbing system, chances are you will need a permit. The following projects commonly require a permit: repiping, drain line replacements, sewer line replacements, water heater installations and anything to do with relocating plumbing.

Remember permit requirements may change in different cities. Some ask for permits to conduct specific tasks while others may not. We suggest you check with Tyler, TX municipal regulations before starting.

Permits Offer Protection

“permitprotection”The purpose of applying for permits is actually to protect any would-be amateur home renovation stars. Obtaining the correct permits grants you access to municipal reviewers and inspectors from whom you need to gain approval to get started with different parts of your project.

It's their job to ensure you comply with local plumbing codes and zoning laws. In addition, plumbing permits can be displayed as evidence you're being compliant with sanitary and safety concerns. This may include potential issues with neighbors and nearby structures.

If you're caught without the right permits, you may be issued a fine by the city. There might also be complications if you try to sell your home. But perhaps most importantly, without these permits you may inadvertently embark on a project without any assurance it meets code and minimum safety requirements.

Price of Getting Permits

“howmuchcost”Different cities can have different rates for permits depending on what the project involves and type of building you're working on. Generally, each permit costs between tens and hundreds of dollars.

Cities may also add a charge for each fixture you want to install or offer packages, which charge more for installing items beyond a certain threshold. In some cases, you might have to pay an application fee.

If you find yourself lost in the process and need a hand acquiring permits, we suggest asking a local Tyler plumber for advice.

waterleaks

Issues That Most Commonly Cause Water Leaks

There are different types of leaks that can occur in your plumbing. Some, like leaks that appear on water fixtures such as taps, mean there’s an issue with your fixture that’s not serious but could lead to issues later down the line.

Others, like leaks on your pipes, mean that you may have much bigger problems later that could get very expensive, or even require you to stop using your water.

So why are leaks that you find on pipes so much more serious than those on a tap or a showerhead? And what is it that causes water leaks in pipes? Let’s take a look at the common causes and see what they mean.

Aging Plumbing Systems: Common Culprits of Water Leaks

Older PipesThis leak is, in some ways, unavoidable since no one can stop time. All pipes are built with quality and durability in mind, but that still doesn’t mean that pipes can last forever, even though some may last the entire lifetime of two or even three or more families living in a home generation after generation.

Time can eventually cause structural defects even in the best built pipes, such as the cast iron drainage pipes used in early 20th century homes. If your home is over 50 years in age, do you know how old the drainage pipes are?

If they’ve been in use for close to a century, think about getting them replaced with modern PVC drainage pipes if you’re going to renovate your home, before they break and leak raw sewage into your home.

Rust/Corrosion

corrosionrustTime is not the only threat to pipes breaking and requiring water leak repair. Chemical interactions can also play a role. When it comes to metal pipes, rust can make pipes vulnerable.

The right combination of moisture, either through liquid, or humidity, and oxygen on metal can weaken a pipe through rusting. This type of corrosion can even happen to plastic pipes made with modern PVC.

Drain pipe cleaning products, for example, are essentially high powered acid mixes. If you go beyond the recommended amounts, or use them more than the recommended times, you can dissolve your plastic pipe, eventually leading to leaks, and needing water leak repair later.

Check Your Water Pressure

Water PressureThere’s nothing wrong with wanting to feel refreshed thanks to a high-pressure shower, but turning up the water pressure on all your plumbing is not the way to do it.

This means that you’re now forcing the rest of the plumbing in your home to endure higher than necessary stress, every day, all day, without a break, for the sake or one or two water outlets. This can, unsurprisingly, lead to a break in pipes, which may spring a leak.

The better, more efficient solution is to get a showerhead that pressurizes the water as it hits the “exit point.” This way, only you receive a high-pressure jet of water, as opposed to your entire home’s plumbing system, which doesn’t need or want it.

Quality Of Water

Water QualityThe final factor that can affect whether your pipes require water leak repair is the water quality itself. Certain characteristics such as high pH levels raise the acidic quality of water.

While this means it’s safe to drink, over a period of years of constant exposure to high pH, or even minerals in the water, can lead to structural damage.

Any home in Tyler, TX may spring a leak, but good water leak detection, and prompt water leak repair can stop these small problems from turning into a big, expensive crisis.

Plumbing Emergency

Preventing Common Plumbing Emergency Issues Is Easy With This Helpful Guide

There are plenty of things to keep a homeowner busy, from family to career, so a problem in the home itself is never, ever welcome. If you want to keep one of the biggest headaches, a plumbing emergency, from grinding your home life to a halt, we’ve got some tips to help with prevention.

Stop Leaking Fixtures

Leaking FixturesThe constant drip of a leaking fixture doesn’t necessarily threaten your home, but it gets annoying fast.

The most common cause of this is a tap simply not being turned to “off” tightly enough, but if you do this and there’s still a leak, you have other fixes.

There are some parts of a fixture that are a bit like light bulbs, in that, over time, they can wear out and stop working.

The O-ring and the washer are two such small, easily replaceable parts, but they also cause leaks when they break down. Switching out these parts usually solves leaky fixture issues.

Prevent a Blocked Drain

Blocked DrainsIf you fill your sink with water, then pull the plug to let that water drain away, but the water just stays there, you have a blocked drain.

This means there’s an obstruction in the pipe somewhere that no longer lets the water flow through the rest of the drainage pipe and into the sewer.

This type of blockage is usually gradual and first manifests as a “slow drain,” indicating that you have a blockage building up.

A mechanical solution to this is a plunger or a plumbing snake to keep the pipe clear. You can also use off-the-shelf drain cleaners, but be careful with this method. Too much drain cleaner in a pipe can damage older pipes, and even newer, PVC pipes may warp or melt due to too high an amount of corrosive cleaning chemicals.

Prevent Toilet Overflows

Overflowing ToiletYou don’t want to flush your toilet one day and have the waste inside it flow up, and out of the toilet and onto your floor.

This is a particular type of blocked drain but with added health risks thanks to the contagions carried by human waste.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to not use your toilet into a garbage disposal. If children play with the toilet by flushing things down, like toys, break them of this habit.

If you’ve been using the toilet to get rid of things like paper towels from the kitchen, this can jam your pipes.

It may be a paper towel, but unlike toilet paper, it is not designed to break upon contact with water so that it can jam a pipe in time.

Burst Pipe Prevention

Burst PipeThe circumstances behind a pipe bursting are extreme. Very old pipes—especially if they’re cast iron—will break due to metal fatigue eventually.

This is especially true if they’re 75 years old or more, so replacement is the best measure.

Water pipes, on the other hand, may burst if you do things like keep your water pressure too high.

Over the years this can also weaken them, so keep water pressure within the tolerance levels of your plumbing.

The plumbing in the typical Tyler, TX home has been built to last. But you can add to that lifespan by following some of these preventive measures.