28 Nov 2011

Plumbing is like ?Football?

Everyone knows that Texas has four seasonsa ? winter, spring, summer and football. I?m sure you?ve heard countless people claim that ?the game of football is like the game of life.? Well, here are some ways in which the game of football is like the serious business of plumbing:

It?s all about the fundamentals. No matter how much razzle-dazzle you see on the field, none of those spectacular plays would be possible with a firm foundation in the basics. It?s the same in your home. You can have the shiniest kitchen sink or the most high-tech toilet in the world, but none of that matters if your pipes can?t deliver water. That?s why we push people to get their pipes and sewer lines inspected ? it?s not glamorous work, but without it you could have the nicest-looking useless fixtures on the block.

Players have to work together. Every member of the team must interact with precision to make a play come off as planned, just as every component in your plumbing system must do its part, from feed lines to fixtures, before you can have the water you want, when you want it.

Great coaching makes all the difference. The Dallas Cowboys were a bunch of rag-tag misfits until the legendary Tom Landry shaped them into champions back in the 1960s. The right leadership, based on a deep knowledge of what works and what needs fixing, can give a team the confidence and know-how they need to win. That?s what we do here at Steve?s Plumbing ? we provide our customers with expert advice and long-term strategies to keep their plumbing system at the top of its game. If you?d like to get lots of winning seasons out of your plumbing, contact us and let?s go get ?em!

The days are starting to heat up, and before long you?re probably going to be relying on your air conditioner to keep cool during business hours. Commercial air conditioners are built to last, especially with proper care and maintenance. No commercial AC can last indefinitely, though. If your system is not up to the task of keeping you, your employees, and your customers cool throughout the summer months, it?s a good idea to upgrade to a new one now. That way, you don?t have to go without air conditioning for a while when your old system suddenly dies on you in the middle of the hottest months of the year. Keep an eye out for the following indications that you really need a new commercial air conditioner.

Unexplained High Monthly Costs

There?s always going to be fluctuations here and there in your monthly electrical costs, as you use your climate control more or less often. If your monthly bills start rising steadily for no apparent reason, though, you should be a bit more worried. That kind of behavior might be because your commercial air conditioner is just wearing out. As the system accumulates wear and tear over many years of use, the parts inside it will gradually start to lose efficiency. This efficiency loss will force the commercial AC to stay on for longer and longer periods of time, which will of course lead to higher monthly bills.

Frequent Repair Requirements

All systems need repairs on occasion, whether as the result of wear and tear or a complete freak accident. However, there?s a big difference between needing to repair your air conditioner once every few years and once every few months. A commercial system that needs repairs multiple times a year is on its last legs. The various parts of the system are beginning to fail from simple overuse, and in cases like that the failures often come in clusters. It?s better to replace the system all at once, rather than one part at a time. You?ll save money and quite a bit of frustration that way.

Old Age

Commercial air conditioners, when placed in ideal conditions, will last between 10-15 years. That?s not to say you can?t keep an air conditioner operating for longer than that, but you probably won?t want to. As air conditioners get past that age, they develop all kinds of problems like those listed above. They quickly decline, becoming much less cost-effective to keep running than simply installing a new one. If you happen to know that your commercial air conditioner is older than 15 years, have a professional examine it for you. You may be able to squeeze a couple more years of service out of it, but chances are you?d be better off upgrading to a new system.

Magnolia Commercial Plumbing Heating Cooling offers commercial air conditioning replacement services in Alexandria, VA. If you need commercial AC services, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our experts. We?ll make sure your building has the right air conditioning system for your needs.

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Tags: Alexandria, commercial air conditioning, Commercial Air Conditioning Replacement
Monday, April 17th, 2017 at 11:00 am| Categories: Commercial HVAC |

There is an old saying that goes along the lines of if it aint broke, dont fix it. We see some logic in that saying, but equally, what if you dont know that its broken?

If youre old plumbing system has been installed for many years, just think of all the millions of liters and gallons that have passed through them in that time and what effects of just being a plumbing system has; pressurized, cold, hot, expansion, contraction and building movement are just some of the factors that can affect your pipework.
Over the years, even water can abrade your pipework think of a pebble in the surf on a beach; all smooth, rounded and no sharp corners.

An emergency call out to burst pipe can be expensive, not just from the plumbing point of view, but with the actual water damage; and thats a best case scenario of cold, clean water. You may be insured for such eventualities, but that insurance cant replace family treasures or even your time in having to deal with the problem.

Another thing to think about is contaminants; no matter how careful your utility supplier is, however many codes of practice that they subscribe to, it only takes one problem further along the line for contaminants to enter your water supply. And when they are in your supply, they can be difficult to flush out completely.
Even the natural process of heating and storing water in a tank can build up scale in the tank to the point where it starts affecting the quality of supply.

There are many reasons to consider upgrading your old pipework. Taking advice from a professional plumber can help you to decide on whether this is something that you want or need to do. Talk to the professionals at Ben Franklin. Call us or CONTACT US ONLINE.

A sewer camera is a valuable tool when it comes to determining if there is a problem with your home?s sewer system.

Maybe you noticed a nasty sewer gas odor.aOr maybe your water isn?t draining as fast as it use to. Or worse, you?ve got an overflowing toilet.

If you?re like most people, you?ll call a plumber for help. And when that plumber comes to your house, more than likely, he?ll perform a sewer camera inspection.

But it?s important for you, the homeowner, to know what a sewer camera inspection can find and what it can?t. Armed with this information, you will know if the plumbing company you hire to come out and inspect your pipes is ripping you off or not.

What is a Sewer Camera Inspection?

First, let?s cover what a sewer camera inspection is. Typically sewer lines are located under the foundation of your house. There?s the concrete slab which is about 4 or 5 five inches thick and then about 2 feet or so of dirt above the pipe.

To inspect the pipes and find possible problems, a special sewer video camera head connected to a flexible cable is inserted into the main sewer line cleanout, or in some cases, the vent stack and snaked through the pipes. Then the plumber watches on a monitor at ground level to see what?s going on in your pipes.

Here at In-House Plumbing, we use a sewer camera to help us determine what your problem is. However, unlike our competition, we know there are some problems a camera alone can?t find.

What a Sewer Camera Inspection Can?t Do

Despite what many in the plumbing industry think, there are limitations to what a sewer camera can be used for when testing your sewer lines. And there is one thing a sewer camera absolutely cannot be used to find.

Locate Leaks

A sewer camera alone cannot determine if you have a leak or to locate a leak or leaks in your sewer lines. In fact, this is so important, it bears repeating.

While it?s a useful as a secondary tool in a leak location test, a sewer camera by itself cannot be used to to determine if you have a leak or to find a leak.

5 Reasons Why a Sewer Camera Can?t Locate a Leak

We estimate about 95% of plumbing companies in the Dallas area are using a camera as their primary tool to locate a leak. They come in, run an inspection with just a sewer camera and then tell you you have a leak.

But keep in mind, what may look like a leak on camera may not actually be a leak. And vice versa.

Here?s an image of what one homeowner was told was two leaks.

This is cast iron pipe with a PVC repair. The homeowner was told there were two leaks based on the image alone. But when In-House Plumbing came out to perform our Free Second Opinion leak isolation test, we found there were no leaks at all.

Everything was working and draining properly, and inaour under slab leak test we found zero leaks.

What a Sewer Camera Inspection Can Do

While a sewer camera cannot find leaks, there are certain situations where the camera alone can be used.

Locate Lines

Sewer cameras have location devices that send out a signal. By using a special signal receiver above ground, our plumbers can pinpoint where the camera is under the slab and in your yard.

Drainage or Stoppage Issues

We call this your ?sewer is not working as it is designed to work.? Sewer pipes are installed to work with gravity. The pipes all flow downhill so when something goes into the pipe?waste, debris, water?it flows or drains down through your piping system and ultimately ends up at your city?s waste treatment center or septic tank, depending on your particular situation.

However, if something is causing your system to not work properly, in most cases we can use a sewer camera to determine what is causing it. Often in cases like these we find stoppages, blockages, roots, mud, broken pipe, etc.

PVC or Cast Iron Pipe

We can use a sewer camera inside the pipe to determine what type your system is made of.

Sewer System Connections

With a sewer camera, we can see fittings, tee?s, and other types of connection. We can also use it at the connections to run water and see where the water flows to or from and/or comes from one line to another.

Unnecessary Plumbing Repairs

Depending on your situation, an inspection performed with just a sewer camera may not be adequate in finding potential problems you?re experiencing with your sewer lines. And it will not if it?s leaks they are looking for.

The most important thing to know is if a plumbing company does a leak location test with a camera inspection as the only or primary tool, it?s very possible you?re being told there are leaks when there are none. If that?s the case, you may end up paying for repairs that don?t need to be done.

If you think you might have been told you need a leak repair when you don?t, please give us a call at 972-494-1750, and we are happy to come out and do the proper testing of your system.

And also share this post to help us debunk the widespread belief that leaks are located using a sewer camera.

And if you have any questions, comments or concerns please feel free to ask below, live chat here, or call our office at 972-494-1750.

When a plumbing company gave a customer in Dublin 15 a costly estimate on a toiletarepair, Dublin Area Plumbers was called in for a second opinion. Read more to learn about how our knowledge in the field can save you big on your next plumbing emergency.

The Story.

This is a common fault in close coupled toilets but one that?s hard to find if you don?t know where to look. This toilet in Blanchardstown Dublin 15 had been leaking for some time but the owner could not find where it was coming from. He called a well known plumbing company from north Dublin who came out and diagnosed the problem as a cracked cistern and priced the owner for a complete replacement toilet because he said that he could not get a cistern to match the existing pan. The owner did not feel that the plumber who called to his house areally knew his stuff and decided to get a second opinion. He saw our van parked on the road close by as we were working in Blanchardstown at the timeaand took our number off the side of the van. When we arrived we diagnosed the problem within minutes. There was no crack in the cistern and the toilet did not need to be replaced.

There are metal fixing bolts that fit through 2 holes at the bottom of the cistern. The cistern then sits on the back of the toilet pan and the bolts fit through another 2 holes at the back of the pan. The pan and cistern are then tightened together with wing nuts. These bolts can corrode and loosen over time allowing water to leak through the bolt holes and down onto the floor. Because these bolts were completely corroded they had to be cut off with a hacksaw. Replacement bolts are easy to get and we also keep some in the van because it?s a plumbing issue we get called out for quite often.

The plumber from north Dublin who called out before us simply did not have the experience required to diagnose the problem correctly. Dublin Area Plumbers have 25 years experience and come across these type of problems time and time again. Experience in the the plumbing and heating business is vital. Make sure the plumber you call is well established, because a simple fix like this if not diagnosed correctly could cost you a lot of money you didn?t have to spend.

Toilet Repair ? Fixing the Corroded Bolts.

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If you have any questions or comments on this post about our 24-hour service,aor any other post on the Dublin Plumber Blog, give us a call ona01 675 0941.