Plumbing Leak

Tell-tale Signs of Foundation Problems in Texas

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A crack between bricks is one tell-tale sign of foundation problems in Texas.The weather is heating up and we’ve had lots of rain. This can cause our soil to shift and cause foundation problems in Texas. If the soil is too wet or too dry, keep a close eye on your home’s foundation.

A shift in foundation can cause serious problems including gas, sewer, and water leaks. If pipes are not properly protected during installation they can be in weakened state from being exposed to the elements. Over time the metal of the pipe will be eaten away by rust and corrosion causing the pipe to snap when the foundation shifts. [Read more…] about Tell-tale Signs of Foundation Problems in Texas

Don’t Water Down The Facts

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Bathroom fixtures.Plumbers see a lot of water use, and a lot of waste. We hear toilets leaking and cycling water on and off, we get asked to remove the flow restrictors out of shower heads so people stop complaining about inadequate water spray. We recognize when irrigation systems or water hoses spew run-off onto sidewalks, alleys and streets.

We see water wastefulness all the time because most of the population is still unconcerned with the value of our water and why we need to be good stewards with our resources.  [Read more…] about Don’t Water Down The Facts

Be Kind to Your Faucet Washer

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Most faucets work by turning a handle, which compresses a flat rubber washer up against a piece of metal. This closes off the circulation of water. It is a round washer that pushes up against a round seat. Most of the time when washers are damaged, it is not due to age or bad rubber. It’s caused by user mishandling.

Faucets that require washers periodically need them changed for maintenance purposes. In most cases when we see severely damaged washers it’s due to over tightening. When a homeowner sees a drop of water come out of their faucet it’s their natural inclination to crank the faucet harder. This can destroy the washer, rendering it useless. It can even break it into several pieces that end up in the aerator.  [Read more…] about Be Kind to Your Faucet Washer

Sewer Leaks are Not Your Friend

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We talked about slab leaks in last week’s post. The only thing that I can think of that could rival the frustration of sewer pipedealing with a slab leak, would be a sewer leak.

Sewer leaks are smelly, potentially dangerous, and somewhat difficult to detect and repair due to the nature of a sewer itself.

How do we know if the sewer is leaking?

When you call us out for a sewer clean-out because your plumbing is backing up into your home from a clogged sewer, we’ll use a rod to clean that line. If we draw mud back on the line from the sewer, we can be reasonably sure that there is a break in the sewer pipe somewhere.

At that point we don’t know how long it has actually been leaking! Sometimes it is one spot and one bad piece of pipe and sometimes it can be several sections of pipe that might be rotted out and leaking.

The plumber will put a sound down the sewer to the point of stoppage. The sound puts out a signal that we can track above the concrete or soil. That’s  where we break the floor or dig the soil to repair. We then test…and check for any other breaks in the sewer.

If you have any questions about possible sewer leaks on your property, don’t let the fear of the costs associated with the leak repair stop you from calling us to get the urgent help that you need.  It is far more costly to wait. What most people don’t realize is that the sewer in your home connects to the sewer in the street and when that break occurs in your home, you are connected to everything that gets flushed down that drain in the street. The possibility exists that any back up of the city sewer could back up into your home too!  In addition, any uncontrolled water leaking into the soil beneath your home can cause foundation problems, especially with our N. Texas soils.

Contact us today for more information.

Photo Credit:  ilovebutter on Flickr

You Have a Slab Leak, Now What?

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Maybe you’ve noticed a ridiculously high water bill or heard water running that you can’t find, maybe you’ve noticed warmth on a particular part of the flooring; when it comes to unusual predicaments like these, you need to know whether or not you’re dealing with a slab leak. What to do if you might have a slab leak?

  1. Call your reputable Plano plumber
  2. Ascertain the approximate location of leak

Don’t worry, we won’t just start busting! Our men are trained to locate the leak first.

  1. Is it outside – a yard line?
  2. Is it inside?

These are some of the easy things we do to find out where your leak is:

  • Turn shut off valve in box by house. Check your meter. Is it still running? Your leak is outside.
  • Turn shut off valve in box by house. Check your meter. Did it stop? Your leak is inside the house

Is it on the hot or cold water side?

  • Turn off water to water heater.
  • Turn valve for yard back on.

Did the meter stop? If it did, you have a hot water slab leak.

There may be more detective work involved:

  • Any hot spots on the floor when you are walking barefoot in the house?

We hook a signal generator on the water pipe and follow it with our pipe locating device. Once we know where the pipe is we take our infrared heat sensor and find the hot spots along that line.

Then we must determine the depth of the leak with our pipe locating device. We use our geodesic headset and listen for the leak. If it is difficult to hear we will pressurize the system as the harder flow of water will make the leak easier to hear.

Not until this point will we break your floor and repair. We silver solder all joints below floor.  We backfill with sand and pour back floor after testing. We do not put back finished flooring.

I hope this takes some of the anxiety out of your slab leak problem. Things never really are as bad as they seem. Hire the right plumber and you’ll be put at ease through the whole thing.