Frequently Asked Plumbing Questions
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You need to call a plumber if you experience any of the following:
- “Knocking” in your pipes
- Low water pressure
- Continual dripping
- Slow drains
- Lack of hot water
- Discolored water
Plumbers must demonstrate their competence as installers of plumbing systems to an official executing board prior to being issued a license. A plumbing code which is technically perfect is valueless if its provisions are not observed and enforced. The issuance of a license by a community specifies that the holder is qualified both theoretically and practically and that their technical knowledge is sufficient to maintain the standards of the code.
Is licensing intended to prevent anyone but a plumber from doing sanitation work? NO… Licensing prohibits the irresponsible, incapable person from endangering the health of your family, neighbors, and community. Any person may do the work who has sufficient knowledge to do it in a safe manner, so long as the Rules and Regulations of the plumbing and sanitation code are observed. However, those wishing to do such work must demonstrate their ability by taking out a license and passing an examination.
Many states require that, like a doctor, nurse, dentist or pharmacist, anyone whose work affects the public health and safety shall have adequate knowledge and training. No one wants a “quack doctor” to treat his family or a “soda clerk” to fill his prescriptions. For precisely the same reasons, one does not want a “handyman” to do work in his home, office, or factory which can adversely affect the health of his family, his employees, or his neighbors.
Done improperly this work would probably need to be rectified at the time the property changed hands which means paying twice for the same work. Additionally, licensed plumbing professionals are held to a certain standard of accountability – meaning they must perform their work correctly or risk being liable for accidents, damages, illnesses, etc. caused by improperly performed jobs – and must often hold some form of bonding or insurance that can help to protect you in the event of something happening.
So, while that small bathroom remodel might seem like a great, inexpensive DIY project, it is probably wisest to spend a little more and make sure a licensed plumbing contractor performs the work.
This is a big one, and it doesn’t necessarily apply to only plumbing. You should never receive a price sight unseen. If a plumber is able to tell you how much something costs before they even look at the problem, I wouldn’t trust the price they gave you.
Your water heater (especially if it’s electric) definitely influences your electric bill. Electric water heaters are normally 30% of the electric bill. If the water heater is old or you have hardness/poor water quality, it can cause your bill to be much higher than necessary.
When most people ask for water pressure, they’re really asking for water volume. It could be caused by a number of factors. The street pressure that’s being provided to you might be low. You may be using a well that doesn’t have much water. Maybe you have old pipes that are like clogged arteries. The way to increase volume is to install booster pumps, fix the well situation, or replace the pipe to get rid of the clogged arteries in the plumbing system.
It could be because of your water heater. The first thing we do is look at your water heating needs. Then we look to see if the water heater is working properly and delivering the water that it’s supposed to. If it is, it may just not be sized properly.
It could be because of your water heater. The first thing we do is look at your water heating needs. Then we look to see if the water heater is working properly and delivering the water that it’s supposed to. If it is, it may just not be sized properly.
When most people ask for water pressure, they’re really asking for water volume. It could be caused by a number of factors. The street pressure that’s being provided to you might be low. You may be using a well that doesn’t have much water. Maybe you have old pipes that are like clogged arteries. The way to increase volume is to install booster pumps, fix the well situation, or replace the pipe to get rid of the clogged arteries in the plumbing system.
It could be because of your water heater. The first thing we do is look at your water heating needs. Then we look to see if the water heater is working properly and delivering the water that it’s supposed to. If it is, it may just not be sized properly.
You’re standing at the sink, waiting for hot water to come out but it takes practically forever. That’s because the hot water has to get from the heater to the faucet. If the water heater is physically located a long distance away from the faucet, it’s going to take a long time to get there. There are solutions to this problem. It would probably save you money in the long run to install a recirculation system to keep hot water at the faucet.
We do not recommend hot water to be any hotter than 120 degrees. Anything higher than that temperature could become dangerous for small children or elderly people.
This is something that’s definitely variable. It depends on many different factors. For example, water quality and how much the system is used will make a difference on how long it lasts. We typically say that a water heater installed today will last around 8-12 years. That’s very different from a water heater that was installed 25 years ago. Things just don’t last as long as they used to.
Depending on what kind of plumbing it is, the most effective way to winterize plumbing is to turn the water off, open the plumbing faucet/valve/etc., and use air to blow the water out of the line. If you don’t use air, then water will likely get stuck in the line, eventually freezing and bursting during the cold weather. That will invalidate all your work.
Yes. You should do something to grow bacteria in your septic system, because that’s what makes it work.
