Winter Plumber Woes to Prepare for Now

October 1st, 2018

Icicles hanging from a brown pipe. Frozen water and metal surface, winter time concept. selective focus shallow depth of field photoTemperatures are mild for the time being, but soon enough, they’ll drop to unbearably cold levels. As such, you’ve probably already start preparing by winterizing your air conditioner and getting maintenance done for your heating system, right? But what about your plumbing system? As fall progresses and we inch closer toward winter, the time to prep your plumbing is now.

There are three winter plumbing problems in particular you should prep for to avoid. Of course, if you do run into any of the following issues, you can contact a professional plumber in Palatine, IL from our team. In the meantime though, we’d like to help you avoid this issue if possible.

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Factors That Can Lead to Premature Drain Repair

September 17th, 2018

Water running down the drain - shallow DOFThe plumbing system of your home is massive, and the smallest of problems can easily go undetected for months or longer. Something like a pinhole leak or the use of corrosive chemicals may seem really minor now, but give it time to build up and eventually you’ll have a plumbing emergency on your hands. Unfortunately, not many homeowners know how to properly take care of their plumbing pipes—in particular their drains.

Keep reading to discover just how to do so, and how you can avoid premature drain repair in the meantime.

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Need Help with Your Bathroom Plumbing?

September 3rd, 2018

Bathroom Interior Home Design Photo

When you set out on a bathroom remodeling project, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that you’ll have to think a lot about your plumbing. Perhaps you’re just doing a fairly “simple” job of removing old fixtures and attaching new ones, or maybe you want to move some stuff around. Either way, we recommend contacting a professional Skokie, IL plumber, especially if it involves repiping.

If you have a bit of experience here and there handling some plumbing work, like patching up a pinhole leak or tightening a connection, you may feel confident that you can handle a bigger project with ease. But you will likely end up being unpleasantly surprised. Aside from this, there are factors you probably haven’t thought about that professionals deal with every day! Read on to learn more.

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Signs of a Slab Leak

August 19th, 2018

cracked concrete foundationFor any homeowner who’s already had to deal with one, the term “slab leak” can strike fear in their heart—and for good reason. But, what is it that makes a slab leak so formidable when it comes to plumbing problems? Isn’t a leak a leak? Well, there are factors that set slab leaks apart, which we’ll be exploring in today’s post.

We’ll also inform you on how to spot the signs of a slab leak so you’ll be well prepared and can hopefully take quick action if and when you encounter one in your home. Contact a professional Winnetka plumber on our team with any concerns you might have in the meantime.

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What Your Company Needs to Know about Preventing Backflow

August 6th, 2018

RPZ backflow prevention deviceFirst, let’s start with what backflow is. Whether we’re talking about a residential building or a business, backflow is the undesirable reversal of flow in a potable water distribution through a cross-connection. Essentially, an outgoing faucet like a sprinkler head or drinking fountain can suck water back up and into the public potable water supply. It’s easy to understand how this can be a problem, as it can be very unhygienic and can make people ill.

Backflow prevention is a service that is sometimes helpful for homeowners—for instance, if you have an irrigation system in place—but is particularly necessary for businesses and commercial buildings. In fact, in most jurisdictions, it is legally required that commercial buildings have a backflow prevention system in place. According to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA), our area is no exception.

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Yes, Tankless Water Heaters Need Tune-Ups Too

July 23rd, 2018

Tankless water heaterThe traditional water heater—the storage tank model—is pretty big, usually very noticeable, and often a bit noisy. As such, many homeowners realize a system such as this needs occasional maintenance, and are likely to schedule that service on a regular basis.

After all, scaling can have a major impact on a water heater, enabling a mineral build up that clangs around noisily inside the tank, causing issues with pressure, temperature, and potentially even corrosion. They also may need flushing on occasion to offset this issue.

What many homeowners don’t realize, however, is that if they have a tankless water heater, it also needs maintenance. And you may be surprised to learn that much of the maintenance performed on tankless systems is similar to that of storage tank water heaters. Keep reading to learn more, and be sure to call our team for your next water heater maintenance appointment.

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Just How Important Is It That You Have a Sump Pump?

July 9th, 2018

A sump pump installed in a basement of a home with a water powered backup system.When it comes to weather in Evanston, there are two conditions we’re pretty well known for—snowstorms in the wintertime, and rainstorms pretty much any time of the year. While we don’t have to worry about snow for the time being, it’s important to be aware of the risks that come along with the heavy rainfall we’re bound to experience from time to time. In particular, it’s important to be aware of your home’s risk of flooding, especially your basement area.

If there are areas of your home that are vulnerable to this type of flooding, then you would do well to have a sump pump system installed by a professional plumber in Evanston, IL. Otherwise, you could find yourself spending a significant amount of money on water damage repair.

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Toilet Plumbing Problems to Avoid

June 25th, 2018

top view of a toilet with an open lidWe get it—your toilet isn’t something you think about a whole lot. Sure, it’s a plumbing fixture you rely on daily, and we probably all take it for granted when it works flawlessly. But when something goes wrong with your toilet, it’s usually not a problem that can wait.

You can contact our team for reliable Glenview, IL toilet repair and other services. But in the meantime we’d like to help you avoid problems to begin with. Whether you’re having a low-flow toilet installed or you need drain cleaning, we have tips and tricks that can help you avoid costly repairs later on. Keep reading to learn more!

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Plumbing Repairs: DIY vs. Professional Service

June 11th, 2018

hand man opening silver faucet or water tap with white washing sink in public toilet.Should plumbing repairs ever be a Do-It-Yourself project? Well, it some cases it might be alright. For instance, perhaps you have a clog that is close to the surface of your sink drain and you can just relieve it on your own with nothing more than a sink plunger and a little bit of elbow grease.

So sure, we do encourage “DIYers” in some cases, but definitely not all. When it comes you’re your plumbing, it may be unsafe to try to handle things on your own, as you can wind up doing more harm than good to your plumbing system and possibly even leave yourself susceptible to more problems in the future. We advise that for trickier problems, you contact a professional Palatine, IL plumber.

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Does Your Water Heater Need Maintenance?

May 28th, 2018

tankless water heater on groundOne of the most common questions we get about Glenview, IL water heater installation or replacement is whether or not these systems need regular maintenance, like other components of one’s plumbing system and home.

The short answer is “yes.”

Take the traditional storage tank water heater, for instance. Maintenance is required to check for scaling, which is essentially a mineral buildup that can cause problems with pressure, temperature, and possibly even corrosion. Tank water heaters may often need flushing, which we can do during maintenance. These systems also have a component called the anode rod, to absorb rust—this needs to be replaced every few years.

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