HVAC Business Blog: Heating and Cooling Tips, Service Advice, & Local HVAC Information

First things first, what is a drain system? A drain system consists of a line that runs through the building and connects to the sewer system. The drain also connects to each sink, toilet or washing machine in a home of business. The sink connects with a trap and a pipeline that leads to the drain line and sewer system. It’s pretty simple. But there are multiple places where clogs can cause problems (like in the pipes themselves, or the traps connecting the sink or toilet to the plumbing system for example). Blockage can be food from a kitchen sink, or hair and soap buildup from a bathtub or bathroom sink. When it comes to a toilet, an abundance of toilet paper or things not meant to be flushed can cause clogs in the drain. Keep reading to find or 5 signs of a blocked drain. Signs of a Plumbing Blockage 1. A Slowly Draining Sink or Bathtub This is usually the first sign of a problem. This is caused by a thickening layer of grime and soap constricting the flow of water. 2. A Stinky Smell The smell can come from rotten food in a kitchen sink or drain, even a small rodent in another area of the drain and sewer system connections. This smell coming from a slow drain can be the sign of a problem. 3. Toilets that Back-Up Instead of Flush This typically happens when too much toilet paper or the wrong items are being flushed down the toilet. If a plunger doesn’t help, you should probably call a professional to examine the pipes and drain system. 4. Drains that Gurgle A gurgling noise means that air is trapped somewhere in the plumbing. Damage to the sewer line could be another reason for gurgling in a drain. Another reason for gurgling noises in a drain is a blockage in the vent pipe that attaches to the drainpipe and goes to the roof to let sewer gas escape the system. If these are not taken care of, you could find that sewer backs up into the drain system. 5. Water on Your Lawn, or Plants Growing Near Your Sewer Line This is a little different from the other signs, as those occur inside the home and these are obvious outside. If you have found a puddle in your lawn, you’ll want to have a professional come in to evaluate the drain and take action to remove the clog or damage from the sewer line. Foliage and trees growing near the sewer and water lines underground. If you discover any of these issues, schedule an appointment to have a technician come out and solve your drain issues!

While it’s an unfortunate truth to accept, toilets don’t last forever. Whether it’s because of time, use, or catastrophe, sometimes they need to be replaced. Unless your toilet explodes, it’s hard to tell when it’s time for a new one. We’ve gathered the five most obvious signs that it’s time to replace your toilet below. They’ll help you be more aware of when it’s time to call the professionals in for a swap out. It’s constantly clogged. Toilet clogs are stressful and headache-inducing. Plus, who has time to constantly plunge the bowl? Random clogs aren’t uncommon and one or two happenings shouldn’t be alarming. When they start happening regularly, though, it’s a sign of something bigger. Older low-flush toilets tend to have frequent stoppages when they age and their interiors get worn out. It Wobbles. A toilet wobbles when you sit on it for a few different reasons. One of them is that the screws at the base of the bowl have gotten loose. If that’s all the problem is, it can be solved quickly just by tightening them. Unfortunately, that’s not the only reason toilets wobble. A more serious cause is water damage to the floor underneath causing the screws to not be able to hold as tightly. While the wobble doesn’t always mean your toilet itself needs to be replaced, it does mean that there are bigger problems at play. It’s Constantly Running. If your toilet keeps running no matter how hard you try, there are a few potential causes. Sometimes it means that the rubber flapper at the bottom of the tank is damaged. It can also mean that the fill valve in the tank has been broken in some way. Either way, while sometimes fixable, these problems can be a grade-A sign that it’s time for a new toilet. It’s Cracked. Porcelain is a sturdy material, but like with all things, it can still wear down. Cracks in the porcelain base of your toilet can lead to frequent puddling and leaking. This constant flow of water can damage flooring and lead to water bill increases over time, wasting hundreds of dollars yearly. It’s old and inefficient. The four other signs on this list are signs that it is necessary to replace your toilet. This last point is more about efficiency. The Environmental Protection Agency created the Energy Policy Act in 192 when they noticed how much water conventional toilets wasted. This act requires residential toilets to use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. These days, many low flow options use half that much water or less. If you’re environmentally-conscious or just want to lower your long term water bill, it might be time for a change. If you think it’s time to replace the toilet in your home, call the experts at NDI Plumbing and we can send someone over the same day for a professional analysis.

If you’re experiencing fluctuation in shower water pressure, don’t brush the issue off. The problem could be more severe than you imagine, potentially involving serious problems like leaking or cracked water pipes and may require professional intervention before snowballing into a home plumbing disaster. The first step should be to test how much pressure you’re actually getting from the showerhead. A typical home’s water pressure should be somewhere between 45 to 55 psi (pounds per square inch). You can test the pressure by hooking up a simple pressure gauge to an outside spigot close to the main water supply line. The washing machine’s cold-water line is another good place to test household water pressure. Anything below 40 psi is considered low and generally indicates a problem with the water pressure coming into the house. Sometimes, however, the problem is somewhere inside the house. If your shower head pressure is abruptly dropped for no discernible reason, there’s a decent chance that your home’s water pressure regulator, which is typically set to maintain water pressure between 45-60 psi, may be malfunctioning. If this is the case, you may want to contact a trained technician. Sudden decreases in shower head water pressure could also be attributed to accidental shutoff of your home water valves, which are the main control valves of water into your home, typically located in a home’s water meter box. To resolve this relatively minor issue, locate your home water valve and make sure it is completely set on the “ON” position. Even slight or accidental “OFF” positioning can significantly alter home water pressure. The best thing about offset home water valves is that the issue is extremely simple to fix. Sometimes, low water pressure from the shower heads is due to something entirely outside of your home and home’s plumbing system. If you frequently use your shower during peak periods, such as early in the morning or at night, there’s a chance the performance issue is due to high water use within your neighborhood or building. If you believe this is the case, test your water pressure at other low-use periods. This is when local water consumption would be lower than it is immediately before work hours or when residents in your community return home from work. In older homes or those with outdated plumbing systems that heavily feature galvanized pipe, mineral accumulation (which develops over time) is a common cause of low shower pressure. Despite your best efforts, there’s little you can do on your own to avoid mineral deposits and accumulation over time. It’s also quite difficult to remove the mineral deposits within pipes on your own. In these cases, you should contact us right away to repair or replace your pipes. Worst case scenario, you cannot identify the cause of your low shower water pressure with any other means, there’s a chance your low pressure is the direct result of pipe leaking or fracturing. As water escapes through these leaks, less and less of it will be able to reach your showerheads and other drain fixtures. If this is the case with your home plumbing system, there’s little you can do to resolve the issue other than contacting a trained professional. Our specialist will be able to fully evaluate the integrity of your pipes and use this knowledge to suggest the best possible repair solutions for your damaged plumbing.

According to the American Pet Product Association, approximately 68% of US households have a pet. Nearly one hundred million households must account for the potential problems that come with having pets. Pets tend to put a special strain on all kinds of household fixtures-especially plumbing. Keeping up with each one of these best practices, and you should never have to worry about pet plumbing problems again. Cover up Exposed Pipes It’s the same idea as childproofing a home. Just like children love to open cabinet doors, pets love to chew on things. Avoid an unnecessary trip to the vet by covering up exposed pipes and wires. If a pet bites through a pipe, fixing the resulting burst could be a pricey problem. It might also damage the surrounding home or, worst of all, hurt your pet! Turn to conceal your home’s piping into a fun creative project. You’ll protect your home, your plumbing, and your pet all at once. Keep Plenty of Water Out Pets drink out of the toilet because they’re thirsty. If you make sure they always have something to drink. They generally stay out of toilet water. As a general rule, check on and top off your pet’s water bowl at least twice a day. Make sure they always have a non-toilet drinking option, and they’ll use it. Rinse Dirty Pets Off Outside Rolling around in the mud and muck is every dog’s dream, but it can also be a plumbing nightmare. When you wash a muddy dog off in the bath, it’s guaranteed to lose tons of muddy, matted fur. Unfortunately, that muddy, matted fur clumps together just as stubbornly in a drain as it does on your dog. Nothing can create a clog quite as quickly or reliably as a muddy dog bath. To counteract the worst of the drain-clogging potential, we recommend stages of dog bathing. Pre-rinse your dog while you’re still outside to remove the worst of the grime. Once you’ve removed enough mud to see the dog underneath, take them inside to finish the job. If you rinse your dog outside, at least your pipes won’t have to contend with a deadly mud-fur combo. Keep Cleaning Chemicals Out of Reach If pets get into your bathroom cleaning supplies, they could make themselves seriously sick. Make sure your bathroom cleaners are either up out of reach or behind locked cabinet doors. Avoid having chemical drain cleaners in the first place. Not only are chemical drain cleaners poisonous to pets, but they’re also actually damaging to the pipes, too. If your beloved family pet has caused a plumbing problem, don’t worry. Just call the professionals at NDI Plumbing. No matter how stubborn the clog or bad the burst, we have just what you need to fix it.

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