Plumbing problems can creep up on you suddenly. As it goes sometimes, with any household issues, some emergencies like, leaks, clogs and backups often occur at the very worst time possible.
Protect your plumbing with bluefrog Plumbing + Drain, your friendly neighborhood plumbers on call. We don’t just handle new installations, replacements and repairs. We also perform routine tests to make sure that all systems are functioning as intended and nothing appears to be sufficiently worn to the point of breakage.
This professional protection will save you money on unexpected emergencies and costly repairs avoiding a bigger mess and more stress.
Got a leaky toilet?
Leaky toilets are a very common and expensive problem. A single leaking toilet can waste almost enough water every year to fill four 20,000-gallon backyard swimming pools. If you hear the toilet refilling regularly when it hasn’t been used for a long time, it probably has a leak.
Thebest and cheapest way to check your water closet for a leak is by putting some food coloring in the tank when you go to bed at night. Check the water in the morning. If the dye has seeped into the bowl, then the toilet has a leak that’s probably being caused by the flapper ball flush valve assembly. We routinely replace these units for you during regular maintenance checkups.
A leaky toilet can waste quite a bit of water, money and time, but it won’t cause as much damage as a flooded sink or bathtub caused by a clogged drain.
Clogged Drains
A flooded drain can damage your floors, walls, appliances and even the foundation of your building. Usually, clogged drains take a long time to fully develop.
You may have noticed your water draining slowly. Then, one day, seemingly without any symptoms, your drain is plugged completely. Although, the the clog may have appeared suddenly; it’s been growing for a while, as most clogs take a bit of time to develop and cause a major issue If a good, strong plunging doesn’t loosen the clog, you might try a liquid drain cleaner, but once you do that, the standing water will be acidic, and you should not try plunging more.
bluefrog Plumbing + Drain deals with clogged drains so often that the word drain is part of our name. It’s easier to prevent clogs than to remove them, and we can help you keep your drains clean and the water flowing as it should.
Your Kitchen Sinks
Kitchen sinks are another area of concern. They see a lot of greasy, grimy action and can get plugged quickly. Using a drain strainer will prevent the largest, most harmful offenders from getting into your drain, but the smaller dirt still gets through and will eventually clog the drain completely if it isn’t cleaned regularly.
One of our professionals can remove the drain cap and scrape away whatever mess of nasty oils, food particles, hair and whatever else found its way into your sink. If it’s necessary, your main pipe can be snaked to completely remove any buildup that can cause sickness from mold or decay.
You can help prevent kitchen sink drain clogs by preventing your garbage disposal from working too hard. Avoid putting any debris and hard food particles down the drain. It’s not meant to handle things like artichokes, chicken bones, raw celery, corn cobs and stringy vegetables. Disposals do much better chopping softer fruits and cooked veggies and meat. But the safest thing is to dispose of your food in the garbage can, and keep your kitchen sink free of any food waste.
If your disposal gets rattled and stops working, don’t try to untangle it or remove it. Call bluefrog Plumbing + Drain right away, and we’ll send someone out to help you quickly leaving you from dealing with the mess yourself.
We’ll be happy to show you where your main shutoff valve is. If you are unfortunate enough to have an accident, you’ll be able to turn off the water before it enters your building, which will likely prevent you from having to repair or replace damaged floor, wall and foundation.
Keeping Washing Machines Working Properly
Washing machines can also break down and cause problems. They tend to last quite a long time, but the rubber hoses that connect them to the water supply dehydrate and get brittle. After years of service, a rubber hose could suddenly snap. The best way to deal with that is to replace the rubber hoses with steel models. And if you’re really thorough when checking the washer, you can probably just get away with watching the hoses for signs of wear.
Water Pressure
Some plumbing problems can take a long time to develop. For example, old metal pipes leading to the main water supply or through your crawl space can rust over the course of decades. However, the effect of the rusting is so slow that you’re more likely to get used to it than to one day think that the pressure suddenly was cut in half.
If you’ve been in your residence for a long while, you may not have noticed the gradual decline in your water pressure. In fact, it may be frustrating, but unless you have your pipes examined, you may not realize that they can only carry half as much water as they carried 20 years ago. You don’t need to replace all your pipes at one time. Ask one of our master plumbers which ones you should replace first.
The Best Solution
The simplest plan to prevent plumbing problems before they start is to allycontact bluefrog Plumbing + Drain. Keeping an eye on your plumbing and drains and our regular check-ups will ensure that you don’t have to deal with any plumbing surprises during this holiday season or any season for a long time.
