Is a Slab Leak Really as Bad as It Seems?

March 30th, 2020

cracked-concrete-foundationThe short answer to this is, “yes.”

Sure, you don’t want to deal with any type of leak in your home, but this is a particularly ominous one.

A slab leak is any leak that occurs in the hot or cold water lines that run beneath the concrete foundation of your home. Not only do slab leaks cause significant water waste, but they also can cause damage to your property, leading to mildew and mold growth and adding extra strain on your water heater if the leak is happening in the hot water pipes (which the majority of the time, it is).

Fortunately, you have our professional and highly trained plumbers on your side, equipped with the right tools to locate this type of problem and fix it as unobtrusively as possible—though it does bear mentioning that these slab leaks are pretty obtrusive in their own right, which is why we never downplay their severity. Wondering what causes a slab leak? Read on!

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Could Your Hygiene Practices Lead to a Plumbing Emergency?

March 16th, 2020

hand-on-bathroom-sink-faucetLet’s put it this way—those hygiene practices can certainly lead to problems with your bathroom plumbing! Due to this, a common service we recommend is routine drain cleaning as part of your overall plumbing maintenance plan.

Of course, regardless of maintenance, if you do have an urgent plumbing problem you needn’t look too far for an emergency plumber in Des Plaines IL!

But with maintenance, our plumbers can successfully keep your drainpipes clear and free with advanced tools like drain snakes and hydro-jets. This helps remove buildup that can lead to frequently clogged drains, and prevents your plumbing system from suffering damage. When you’re ready to schedule drain cleaning, give our team a call. In the meantime, read on as we uncover a couple hygiene practices that could lead to plumbing issues.

Brushing and Washing Your Hair

No, we don’t want you to stop doing this, nor do we want you to start attempting to do it over your kitchen sink. But, your bathroom sink and shower drains are pretty susceptible to clogs from hair. Hair catches easily in the curved piped section below the bathroom sink—a component called the p-trap. When this happens, it starts to catch other hair follicles until a clog builds up.

Drain covers are your remedy to this! You’ll be able to find mesh, metal, or even rubber drain covers at any hardware or bathroom supply store, and even online.

Using Oil-Based Cleansers and Beauty Products

More and more individuals are using things like coconut oil for teeth whitening and facial masks, and bath bombs for softer and healthier skin. These are all great products, but they can do a number on your sink and bathtub drains!

This is especially true if you experience hard water in your home. This is water with a high level of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These minerals make it hard for even basic soap to break down as it goes down your drains, let alone oil-based products.

Soap scum, by the way, is another common threat to your bathroom sink and bathtub drains, by the way! Ask us about the installation of a whole-house water softener to combat this!

But what happens is that unless you’re able to get the water very hot, soap scum and oil residue doesn’t get fully flushed down your drainpipes. Rather, they go partially down, stick to the walls of the drainpipes, and then harden and start building up a clog the more that goes down the drain.

Just like with hair, the best way to combat this is with a drain cover. Simply wait until that drain cover dries off and wipe it off to dispose of the residue left behind by your product in the trashcan.

“What About Store-Bought Drain Cleaner?”

We understand how tempting it is to reach for a bottle of store-bought, chemical based drain cleaner. It’s affordable and convenient after all, right? Unfortunately, the ingredients used in these products are caustic, and actually eat away at the lining of your pipes. So the more you use them, the more likely it is that you’ll be paying for repiping sooner rather than later!

For expert plumbing service, installations, or maintenance contact Reliance Plumbing Sewer & Drainage, Inc. Our knowledgeable plumbers serve the North Shore and Northwest Chicago suburbs. Rely on Reliance!

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Don’t Fall Victim to These 4 Plumbing Emergencies!

March 2nd, 2020

plumber-fixing-plumbing-emergencyHere’s the thing about plumbing emergencies, or even just a minor plumbing problem—they never happen at convenient times! And sometimes, you simply can’t wait for a contractor’s regular office hours to begin before you manage the problem. Fortunately, our team offers 24-hour plumbing in Palatine, IL and beyond.

But what actually constitutes an emergency?

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Tips for Your Bathroom Remodel

February 17th, 2020

beautiful-bathroomIf you clicked on this blog post, there’s a good chance that your bathroom doesn’t look the way you’d like it to. Perhaps it is not as functional as it could be, or you are having trouble moving around the space with ease.

Depending on your specific situation, a bathroom remodel can absolutely be the answer. After all, aside from the kitchen bathrooms are the most used rooms in a home. Remodeling can give you a whole new space!

But have you considered how your bathroom plumbing in Evanston, IL plays a role in all this? Planning and preparing properly for all parts of your remodel job will make a drastic different in the results you’ll achieve with the project. There may be things you haven’t considered about your bathroom plumbing, such as:

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How to Detect a Damaged Sewer Line

February 3rd, 2020

split-sewer-line-pipeYour sewer line is a part of your plumbing system that you’d probably prefer to never deal with it. We get it! We wish you never had to think about it at all—which is pretty easy to do since it’s out of sight (and out of mind).

Like any plumbing pipe though, a sewer line wears down, and it can suffer damage from clogs or leaks. There are a number of solutions available for sewer line damage so long as you contact a professional plumber in Des Plaines, IL, but first, you’d have to know that you even have a sewer line problem, right?

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The Problem with Scaling in Your Water Heater

January 20th, 2020

water-heater-tankIf you’ve never heard the term “hard water” before, we’d be surprised. If you told us you don’t know what hard water is or why it’s a problem, we’d be less surprised. The truth is, even though hard water is a very common thing, not a lot of people know what it actually is.

Hard water is water with a large presence of minerals in it—namely calcium, magnesium, and sometimes iron. These minerals are harmless to ingest, which is probably why not too many people worry about hard water. Unfortunately though, this complacency can lead to plumbing problems.

As harmless as hard water is for us, it’s actually harmful to your pipes. What happens is scaling—scaling is when deposits are left behind from hard water. In your drain openings and on your shower head, this shows up as limescale. But in your water heater, it settles right down in there, where you can’t reach it. And there’s your problem!

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“Should I be Concerned about Water Hammer?”

January 6th, 2020

woman-covering-her-earsFirst, it’d probably be helpful for you to know what water hammer is, so we can appropriately answer this question. It sounds ominous, but it describes a sound—a sound that resembles knocking, coming from inside your pipes. You may have heard it before and had no idea what the cause of the noise was.

Water hammer isn’t an emergency, but it is something to be concerned about in the sense that you want to have it addressed by a professional ASAP. To find out why it’s occurring and the problems it presents, keep reading!

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Beware the Insidious Slab Leak!

December 23rd, 2019

insidious-slab-leaks There is no plumbing system anywhere that is 100% flawless. At some point or another, you’ll need a clog cleared out or a pinhole leak repaired. You may even need a sewer line cleared out of tree roots or a leaky faucet replaced. There is one plumbing problem in particular though that is especially insidious, and that’s a slab leak.

What is it that makes a slab leak so bad? After all, aren’t all leaks created equal? Well, that’s something we’re going to explore below—and we will also provide some tips for helping you spot the signs of a slab leak so you can take quick action if and when you encounter one in your home. Give us a call if you have any questions or concerns!

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Do You Need Water Heater Repair?

December 9th, 2019

technician-servicing-water-heaterYour plumbing is something that’s easy to take for granted—after all most of this system is hidden from view and “out of sight, out of mind,” right? If there is any portion of your plumbing in Des Plaines, IL where this is most true, it’s your water heater. Though tank water heaters are pretty large, they’re usually tucked away in the corner of a garage or behind a door in a storage closet.

So, it’s easy to miss when it needs repair. Unfortunately, neglecting repair needs can lead to a complete water heater failure, and if there’s anything you don’t want to be without this winter—or really any part of the year—it’s hot water, right?

What is it, exactly, that you should watch out for with your water heater? Are there clear signs that a water heater is, in fact, in need of professional repairs? Certainly! Read on.

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How to Spot a Plumbing Leak

November 25th, 2019

water-running-down-a-drainIf you’re lucky, you’ll never need an emergency plumber in Evanston, IL. Of course, nobody can guarantee this—but we can certainly lower your risk! How so? By detecting and repairing leaks quickly and accurately.

Here’s the thing—plumbing leaks are notoriously hard to locate and even tougher to fix for the average homeowner. Most of your plumbing system, after all, is hidden from sight, and the problems that usually impact this system are subtle to start. This is why we recommend you scheduling yearly preventive maintenance with our team.

But in addition to that, we think you should familiarize yourself with the warning signs that your plumbing system is having some type of problem. On the rare chance that a problem occurs between maintenance sessions, you’ll be able to detect it quickly and have it repaired. Keep reading to learn about common symptoms and what they may mean.

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