Water heaters are one of the most important plumbing elements in any home, and with proper water heating service and repair like the kind you get from All Hours Plumbing, you’ll never have to worry about it. Our trained plumbers will keep your system in proper working order with prompt, expert service.

What happens when you don’t have this kind of quality service on your side? Here are a few of the worst possible results that can take place if your water heater is neglected.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Many water heaters use gas to heat water in the home, and if this system malfunctions and is left unchecked, it can leak carbon monoxide gas into the home. Carbon monoxide poisoning not linked to fires kills over 400 Americans every year, and water heaters are a common source. Make sure your home has a gas detector that’s properly hooked up, and make sure you call our technicians for annual maintenance to ensure there are no gas issues in the water heater.

Explosions

In some of the worst-case scenarios we’ve been exposed to in our history servicing plumbing needs, water heater explosions can take place. Within older systems, temperature and pressure valves may fail if neglected for long periods of time – when this happens, enough pressure building up in the tank over time will cause it to burst.

In most systems, there are safeguards to keep this from happening. But even in these situations, these safeguards can fail if the system isn’t properly maintained.

Flooding

One of the most common big issues with neglected water heaters is flooding, which often takes place due to rust and corrosion that aren’t addressed over a period of years. Water heaters have an element called the anode rod that’s meant to rust naturally and prevent the rest of the tank doing so, but without proper maintenance, the rod will rust away completely and the tank itself will begin to rust as well. This will eventually allow gallons upon gallons of water to flood into the home.

For more information on water heaters or any of our other plumbing services, contact the pros at All Hours Plumbing today.

The summer is here, and these are some of the best months of the year to have a good relationship with local plumbers like ours at All Hours Plumbing. The summer months come with a few areas that may require bits of extra attention or plumbing services, and our plumbers are here to help whenever this becomes the case.

What are some of these areas you should be paying specific attention to during the summer? Here’s a quick look.

Clogged Toilets

Toilets are used more often during the summer on average, particularly in homes with children who are not in school over the summer. Extra strain on the system means greater risk of clogs – teach children to only use moderate toilet paper amounts, and to never flush anything but this paper and bodily waste down that drain. Make sure you follow these same themes yourself, as well.

Washing Machines

Down similar lines, the washing machine will likely get more use during the summer, and this will put more strain on it. If possible, look to remain home while you run the machine in case of any issues. If you have hose issues, consider moving the machine a few inches away from the wall to prevent the hose from kinking.

Garbage Disposal

Summertime naturally leads to more cooking and use of the barbeque, and the garbage disposal often sees the brunt of the runoff here. Larger items like watermelon, corn and meat leftovers are not good for the disposal, but they often end up down there anyway. Try to avoid putting these items into the garbage disposal, and also avoid dumping down cooking oils that can harden and clog the system.

Sprinklers

Roughly once a month during the summer, you should be inspecting and cleaning all sprinkler heads in your system to make sure they aren’t clogged. Also, be careful about sprinklers while mowing the lawn – only do so while heads are lowered, to prevent damage to both the mower and the sprinklers.

For more information on common summer plumbing areas, or to find out about any of our other plumbing services, speak to the experts at All Hours Plumbing today

At All Hours Plumbing, our expert plumbers are here to provide any and all services you and your family are in need of. When our plumbers are in your home, they may use a few standard industry terms or phrases – are you commonly in the dark while this kind of conversation is taking place?

Never fear – our mission is to educate along with providing our top-notch services. Here are some of the most common plumbing terms you might hear from your plumber, and what they mean.

Aeration

Using an instrument called an aerator, this is a process of mixing water with air. It helps release dissolved gasses, and also can help eliminate foul odors and tastes in water systems.

Air Gap

“Air gap” refers to the space between a water outlet delivering water to a plumbing fixture and the flood rim level of the receptacle (commonly a dishwasher or a sink). The function of the air gap is to protect potable water from cross contamination while it enters your systems.

Backflow

When water within a pipeline or plumbing system is reversed in its flow, this is called backflow. Backflow can contaminate drinking water when combining it with undrinkable water.

Branch Drain

This refers to the drain that leads directly to the main drainage line in a plumbing system.

Check Valve

This is a method of backflow prevention that helps prevent water from reversing its direction by ensuring it always flows only one way.

Cleanout

This is an opening placed in a drainage line to easily allow for drain cleaning equipment to be used to clear out a blockage.

Closet Auger

A flexible rod with a curved end, commonly used to remove toilet clogs or obstructions in the built-in trap.

Hydro-Jetting

Hydro-jetting is another form of drain cleanout that uses blasts of high-pressure water to remove blockages from clogged or slow sewage lines.

Plumber’s Putty

A clay-like substance often used to seal joints, fixture bases and other areas that might be exposed to water.

Shutoff Valve

A valve used to shut off water supply to a sink or toilet – can also be called a supply stop or a straight stop.

Interested in learning more about different plumbing terms, or need information on any of our plumbing services? The pros at All Hours Plumbing are here to assist you.

We’re always here to help with any and all needed plumbing services at All Hours Plumbing, but as a homeowner, there are a few very basic areas of maintenance you can often perform on your own. This general plumbing maintenance can help keep your system free of any issues that will lead to larger, more expensive problems.

To perform the right kinds of plumbing maintenance around the home, you need a basic understanding of a few important fixtures. Here are five important components to be aware of in your plumbing system:

Water Main Valve

The water main valve is installed during home construction, and controls the flow of water in the entire house. In cases where a pipe leaks or busts, the water main valve is a vital area. It’s generally found in the basement or crawl space of your home – knowing exactly where this valve is can be vital during an emergency. It will allow you to shut off water quickly before major flooding or water loss takes place due to the leak.

Cut-Off Valves

In addition to the main valve, cut-off valves are beneficial for situations where you need to cut water supply to a single area, rather than to the entire home. If the toilet leaks, for instance, it can send unsanitary water to other areas of the home – but if you’re proficient with your cut-off valves, you can prevent this.

Water Meters

These give you an overall read on the system’s general health, and can detect leaks in the home and give water usage information as well. A water meter can help with everything from water bills to pinpointing and stopping leaks.

Water Pressure Regulators

Water pressure is very important for several plumbing areas, and these regulators allow you to track it. If pressure needs to be raised or lowered, they’re designed to alert you.

Gas, Electric and Hot Water Valves

These valves control these specific areas, and they can be shut off when needed. Say hot water from the heater has overheated and is scalding on the skin – you can turn this valve off until repairs are made.

For more information on common pluming areas, or for any of our other plumbing services, the experts at All Hours Plumbing are standing by.

Water conservation is an important plumbing element for many people in today’s day and age, and one of the primary technological advances that’s helped this along is the advent of the low-flow toilet. At All Hours Plumbing, our technicians have the expertise to service any issues you have with these toilets.

Low-flow toilets are great for saving water and money, but there are also a few usage recommendations you should take heed of to ensure you don’t deal with a clogged toilet or other plumbing issues. Here are a few tips for preventing any issues with low-flow toilets.

Running Water

If you have a low-flow toilet but your home’s main sewer line was never adjusted for the new flow levels, a precaution to take involves running other non-toilet water appliances for a bit of extra time initially. This will allow water levels throughout the plumbing system to even out – try running an empty load of laundry or running the house outside on the plants for an extra minute or two. This will raise the float level of toilet drains, and push any debris out of the system.

Large Flush

Down similar lines, a tactic called a “large flush” can have the same kind of effect on leveling water. Fill a bucket with water and add this to the toilet – this will cause it to manually flush itself, and push water through. This method should only be used if you’re sure there are no clogs in the system, however, as doing it with a clog present will cause an overflow.

Toilet Paper

If you’re typically a fan of fluffy, heavy toilet paper, it might be time to find a new favorite with a low-flow toilet. These kinds of paper absorb more than typical rolls, and combined with limited water, this can lead to sitting issues where absorbent tissue fails to move through the system as it was intended. If you notice these concerns, consider a lighter and less fluffy toilet paper.

Extra Items

Nothing but toilet paper should go in any toilet, including low-flow toilets. Anything absorbent could create a clog itself, or could create a debris collection area that leads directly to a clog. Keep a wastebasket for anything but toilet paper.

To find out more about maintaining low-flow toilets or any of our other plumbing services, speak to the pros at All Hours Plumbing today.