Why You’re Hearing Weird Noises From Your Plumbing

July 17th, 2023
showerhead-hand-reaching-out

You shut off a faucet in your house one day, and instead of hearing quiet right afterwards, there’s instead a strange clang or bang noise. It might even be loud enough to cause you to jump.

This isn’t a one-time occurrence, either. You start to hear this banging sound from the plumbing more and more often. Everything else about your plumbing seems to be working fine—so what’s happening, and is it something you need to worry about?

What you’re experiencing with your plumbing is common enough that it has its own name: water hammer. As plumbers, we’ve often dealt with water hammer in Glenview, IL and our other service areas, so we can tell you what’s going on.

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Can I Handle Many Plumbing Jobs on My Own?

July 3rd, 2023
tools-sitting-on-kitchen-sink

It’s great to be handy around the house, isn’t it? If you’ve got the right tools, a little know-how, and dedication, you can take care of small troubles in your house without the need to call for a professional service.

Does this apply to plumbing? We won’t lie to you and say there aren’t plumbing tasks you can do as DIY projects. It’s easy to replace the aerators on faucets for example, some of which you don’t even need a wrench to remove. But when it comes to most plumbing jobs, a belt of tools and an online tutorial won’t cut it. You need licensed plumbers in Wilmette, IL to take care of the job. We’ll explain why.

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Maintenance Tips for Your Kitchen Sink

June 19th, 2023
kitchen-sink-woman-washing-fruit

The kitchen sink does more work than any other sink in your house, since it takes care of food preparation as well as food disposal. Many different materials can go down a sink drain, and the faucet for it is far more powerful with more water flow capacity than any bathroom sink. Taking good care of it is important to avoid the need for plumbing repair.

We’re local experts when it comes to sink plumbing in Evanston, IL, and we’d like to share our best tips for maintaining your kitchen sink so it works best for you for many years. When you do run into troubles, we’re always here to help, and we offer 24/7 service. 

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Choosing a New Shower for Your Bathroom

June 5th, 2023
showerhead-ceiling-running

Any plumber will work extensively with bathroom plumbing, since this is the room of a house that has the highest concentration of pipes, drains, and fixtures. Along with the many bathroom plumbing repairs and drain cleaning that our professional plumbers perform, we also handle new shower installation in Glenview, IL.

You may be in a situation where you’ve got an older shower that’s an eyesore or isn’t working effectively anymore and you want to upgrade it. You might have someone in your home with mobility issues who would benefit from a different type of shower. Whatever the reason, you’re looking to have a new shower installed. There are several choices of shower types to consider. We’ll go over the most common shower types and look at their benefits.

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Stairwell Drains: Why Your Home May Need Them

May 22nd, 2023
clogged-sewer-drain
Clogged Sewer Drain

In recent posts, we’ve addressed an important issue for home plumbing that many people don’t often think about: storm drainage. We’ve looked at flood control systems and window wells to help our customers know more about their importance and why they need to have them installed, repaired, maintained, and eventually replaced.

Today we’re looking at another important part of water drainage in a house: stairwell drains.

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Window Wells: What They Are, Why You May Need Them

May 8th, 2023
humidity-on-window

An important service that we offer our customers that many other plumbing contractors don’t is storm drainage, flood control, and rainwater damage control installations and repairs. Any home in Chicagoland has to deal with large amounts of rainfall during the year, and without proper drainage and flood control, the house can accumulate large amounts of damage. 

Today we’re going to address an important defense when it comes to flood control for your home: window well drains. We’ll give you an overview here, and if you need any more information or wish to schedule service to install or repair window well drains in Glenview, IL, please reach out to us.

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What You Need to Know About Home Flood Control Systems

April 24th, 2023
heavy-rain-causing-flooding

Spring is when Illinois experiences heavy rainfalls and even flooding. It’s not pleasant to think about flooding for your home, but if you have good flood control systems in Wilmette, IL, you’ll have much better peace of mind. (And remember, even when it’s not the rainy season, a major plumbing disaster in your home can also result in flooding.)

But do you have a good flood control system? Unfortunately, homeowners often don’t think about this until flooding happens, either in their home or across their outside property. There are various components of flood control systems to help homes deal with yard drainage, basement drainage, and rain harvesting.

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Is a Sump Pump a Worthwhile Investment?

April 10th, 2023
backup-sump-pump

If you live in a house that doesn’t already have a sump pump installed in the basement or the lowest section of the building (such as a crawl space), you may have thought if it’s something you need to purchase. That many homes already have sump pumps in them is a pretty good indication of the answer: although sump pumps aren’t necessary in all climates and areas, Chicagoland is definitely a place where they are semi-essential.

In other words, if you don’t have a sump pump, get in touch with our plumbing professionals and find out more about getting one put in soon.

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Changes a Tankless Water Heater May Require in Your House

March 27th, 2023
tankless-water-heater

We are big advocates for tankless water heaters at Reliance. Installing a tankless unit in a house is a great way to cut down on energy costs—keep in mind that a home’s water heater consumes more power than almost any other appliance. Tankless water heaters also save space, last for years longer, and have the benefit of never running out of hot water.

There are downsides to tankless water heaters compared to more traditional water heaters, however. One is the initial cost of installation. A tankless water heater can pay back that initial cost in a few years, but it can present a barrier for some homes. In addition to the price tag, tankless water heaters can’t always be simply snapped into place after taking out the home’s older water heater. The home may need several plumbing and electrical upgrades to accommodate the new water heater. We’ll look at several below.

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How Tree Roots Can Damage Your Plumbing

March 13th, 2023
tree-root-cutaway

If you look out the window of your house, do you have a pleasant view of trees and bushes around a well-kept yard? It’s a relaxing sight to look at—but you might not be aware that those trees and other plants can present a danger to a part of your house. The growth of plant roots can wreak havoc on the plumbing for your house, potentially creating sewage back-ups. 

Tree-roof infestation is a major problem for residential plumbing in Evanston, IL and elsewhere in the Chicago suburbs. Our climate is conducive to the growth of trees with aggressive root systems: silver maples, poplars, and willows. As these trees grow, their roots can spread far and wide, seeking sources of water and nutrients, including your plumbing system. 

So although you may love having a tree-filled yard in the suburbs, you need to be aware of the ways tree roots can damage plumbing and what you can do to prevent it. 

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