If you think about water damaging your home, you might conjure up an image of a hurricane, torrential rain or other natural catastrophe. The unfortunate reality is that damage that is caused when ordinary household appliances fail can be just as destructive as an extreme weather event. According to the Insurance Industry Institute, water damage accounts […]
A constantly running toilet can waste thousands of gallons a water a year and drive up your utility bills. Check your toilets regularly, and replace any parts that are no longer functioning as they should. Most toilet repair jobs are fairly easy to do yourself. To Check & Repair a Toilet Adjust Water Level in […]
In our last part of our Plumbing Issues Series, we’ve included a photo showing water damage to a living room ceiling due to leaky pipes under a sink. The customer placed a bucket and a couple of rags to catch the slow drip from the water line under the bathroom sink. When he wasn’t home, […]
Running Toilet This is a very common and annoying plumbing problem that can quickly cost you money. Luckily a running toilet is also easy to fix on your own. Toilets typically run when the flapper valve that lets water pass from the tank to the bowl no longer fits properly, the float is imbalanced or the […]
Pictured here is a photo of a bathroom where the floor, toilet and portion of the wall was removed due to water damage. The plumber didn’t properly secure the toilet which leaked each time it was flushed. The leak caused damage to the bathroom as well as the basement ceiling and two walls. Be sure […]
Water has a unique property in that it expands as it freezes. This expansion puts tremendous pressure on whatever is containing it, including metal or plastic pipes. No matter the “strength” of a container, expanding water can cause pipes to break. Pipes that freeze most frequently are those that are exposed to severe cold, like […]
Many people overlook the importance of plumbing maintenance in the summer because most of their focus is on pipes not freezing in the winter. But water use is higher in the summer with outdoor activities, increased shower use, watering of plants, etc. So here’s an important checklist of maintaining your plumbing in the summer months. […]
Here’s a photo of a category 3 water loss. This is probably the least offensive photo we can show, but it is a sewer back up. Category 3 is when water intrusion results from a grossly unsanitary source, or carries pathogenic agents. Examples of Category 3 water sources include discharge from toilets that originate from […]
This photo shows a plumbing job done to a home which failed at the connection points and caused several thousand dollars of damage to the ceiling, walls and floors. You can see multiple couplings used instead of cutting the PVC at the right length, or because the contractor used whatever scrap pieces they had left, […]
The water inside pipes can freeze when outdoor temperatures drop below freezing. As freezing water expands, it causes the pressure inside the pipes to increase, possibly leading to bursting pipes. Preventing Frozen Pipes Insulate pipes, especially those close to outside walls, attics or crawl spaces where the chance of freezing is greatest Seal air leaks […]