Preparing Your Plumbing for a Storm

Emergency
Aug 252011

Photo Credit: NASA/Ron Garan

In light of Irene’s projected path over our coast this weekend we thought that it’s a good time to remind everyone the important part your plumbing plays during a storm. The middle of a hurricane isn’t really the best time to find out that your gutters are full of leaves or that your floor drain in the basement is backing up. So below is a listing of a few quick checks and reminders of things you can do to help ensure your plumbing works correctly during a storm.

Drains in a Storm (floor, tub/shower, sinks)

  • Free flowing – pour water down the drain to make sure it doesn’t drain slowly or is clogged
  • Traps – again by pouring water down the drains it ensures the traps aren’t dry keeping harmful sewage gases from entering your home
  • Grates/Covers – make sure these are easily removed in case repair work needs to be done after the storm

Toilets in a Storm

  • Flush your toilets to ensure they aren’t flushing slowly or backing up.
  • Leaks – Look for any signs of water damage in the area around your toilet as this is a sign the wax seal is leaking. Also use dye in the tank water and wait 30 minutes. If it shows up in the bowl within that time there’s a leak which could cause trouble during a storm.
  • Water Supply – Make sure you can turn on/off the water supply to your toilets.

Faucets in a Storm

  • Check for leaking faucets around the handles and any slow or fast drips.
  • Make sure the faucets can be turned off/on correctly – ie. they don’t take a long time to turn off or are hard to shut off.
  • Again make sure you can shut off the water supply to all your sink faucets.

Gutters/Downspouts in a Storm

  • Ensure your gutters are clear of debris
  • Make sure there’s nothing obstructing the areas where downspouts let their water out.
  • Pour water into your gutters to make sure they and the downspouts allow a free flow of water

During the Storm

  • Try to use your plumbing as little as possible. Even if everything was working properly before doesn’t guarantee it will during or after the storm.
  • Keep emergency numbers nearby.
  • Keep tools to turn off gas/power to your home. If you are evacuating turn it off before you leave.

For more tips on hurricane preparedness visit NOAA’s website. If you find your plumbing needs repair after the storm please don’t delay in calling a plumber to make those repairs especially if you notice a sewer smell. PipeTechs is an experienced provider of disaster recovery plumbing aide. Call us at (919)-293-1221 day or night. Also keep our plumbing service agreement in mind as we will annually come inspect your home’s plumbing to ensure it works properly for times like these.

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Help! I Have a Water Leak and I Don't Know Where!!

Services
Jul 282011

Most of us know the signs of a leak in our home or business. Water pressure drops, the meter spins faster, you have water damage or your water bill goes up. The hard part is finding the leak if it isn’t in an obvious location like a faucet, under a sink, or near the toilet. In a situation like that you need someone that can find your leak and repair it. The problem then becomes finding someone who can find and repair with minimal side damage (like cutting a wall or ceiling open). Leaking water pipe undergroundSo how do you find a leak you can’t see without tearing your home apart?

Leak Detection

There are different ways to aid you in finding your leak. If you have a sewer leak (you can smell them) then smoke testing is one way to find that leak. Another way is to use a camera in the line to visually inspect it. However with water leaks a different testing method is needed and used.

In order to find a water leak your home’s plumbing system is pressurized with helium or hydrogen gas. Once that is done a plumber uses a detection tool to look for places that the gas has escaped. This allows us to find the leak without damaging your home looking for it. This method allows us to find leaks in walls, under concrete or under asphalt in a non-destructive manner. Once the leak is found it can be repaired by the plumber.

PipeTechs offers leak detection, smoke testing, and camera inspections to assist in finding and fixing water and sewer leaks. Our plumbers are specially trained to use our up-to-date leak detection technology. Not only will they find your leak but they will be able to provide an estimate or go ahead and repair it right then. If you suspect you have a leak but you can’t find it please call us at 919-293-1221.

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Why does my backflow need certification every year??

Services
Jul 212011

If you’ve received a letter from the city reminding you it’s time for you to get your backflow tested you may be wondering why you have to do it every year. It’s actually a question we get asked often so we thought we’d write about it. Don’t worry, you won’t have to be a plumber to understand, but you will need a certified tester to test your backflow for you.

Large backflow prevention deviceOverview of Backflows
Backflow prevention devices come in many different sizes ranging from under 1 inch to over several inches large. Generally speaking the larger the size of the backflow the more it will cost to get tested. Backflow preventers are devices that allow water to flow one way and not the other. For example water can flow to your home from the city but not from your home to the city in the same pipe. What this does is help keep out contaminants from the city’s water supply. This keeps you and your family as well as your neighbors and other residents safe from such water.

Backflow preventerA bit more about backflows
If you have a crack, hole, or other damage to your water line water from outside the system can enter through the damaged area. The water brings with it any contaminates like fertilizers, oils, detergents, etc. that soaked into the ground nearby. If the water main is also damaged in some way the pressure of your water is greater and meaning the contaminated water can enter the city’s water supply. A backflow prevention device is installed somewhere in the water line between your home and the main line (usually by the meter) to keep contaminated water from moving into the water supply. It does this by closing the pipe off and/or redirecting the water elsewhere. This keeps the contaminants out of the water supply ensuring the safety of you and your neighbors.

Because the proper functioning of backflow prevention devices directly impacts the health of city residents they are required to be tested and certified to be working properly each year. At PipeTechs we have several certified and experienced backflow testers and we take care of sending the results to your city for you. If your backflow needs to be replaced or rebuilt we can do that as well. If you decide to use our plumbing service agreement you can add backflow testing for $75 ($10 off our normal pricing!).

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Smoke Testing - The Fast Way to Find Leaks

Services, Smoke Testing
Jul 142011

Did you know that if you smoke it can be good for you? Smoke testing that is, and it is good for you because it can help you find problems in your home’s plumbing system. Whether you’ve noticed a strange smell, a slow flushing toilet, or a sluggish septic when it rains you can find the source of the issue by smoke testing. It is the fast, efficient, and cost effective way to find hidden problems.

A picture explaining how smoke testing works.How Smoke Testing Works

A harmless, nontoxic smoke is pushed through the plumbing system with just enough force to overcome atmospheric pressure. This allows the smoke to then escape from any crack, break, or other opening in your system. The test doesn’t take long to conduct and is less labor intensive than other available methods. Plumbers look for smoke exiting in unexpected locations to identify the source of your problem.

What Smoke Testing Can Detect

This testing method can detect:

  • cracked sewer pipes
  • abandoned floor drains
  • a poor seal on a toilet’s wax ring
  • the source of mysterious odors which can cause health issues
  • dry, defective, improperly or missing traps

If you suspect water is entering your septic system from the drain field or other locations smoke testing can determine that as well. In fact smoke testing is a very versatile test and can detect many different problems in your home’s plumbing and septic systems.

PipeTechs offers smoke testing. Our experienced plumbers can offer a free estimate to fix any problems they detected and correct the problem while onsite. If you have any questions or would like to find out more information about smoke testing or any of the other services we offer please feel free to call us at 919-293-1221 or contact us via email.

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