Plumbing Tips & Advice
Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless Water Heaters
Tankless water heaters are today’s most popular “green” hot water solution, with the added benefit of actually enhancing the clients’ experiences in a luxury bathroom. No matter how many body sprays and showerheads, no matter how deep the whirlpool, your clients will not run out of hot water with a properly sized tankless water heating system.
Tankless water heaters are more energy-efficient than conventional tank heaters, because they eliminate the need to maintain a large supply of pre-heated water. Tankless units provide hot water on demand at a precise temperature needed, so there is no storage and therefore no need to expend energy heating that stored water.
About the size of a medicine cabinet, tankless water heaters can easily be wall-mounted indoors and even outdoors, depending on the climate. The ability to place a tankless water heater closer to the point of use solves the problem of a long wait for hot water. That problem is not solved by simply replacing a tank water heater with a tankless water heater in the same place. Delays in hot water delivery have to do with where the water heater is located, not the type of water heater.
Tankless water heaters have convenient digital wall-mounted controls and even waterproof remote controls that make it easy for clients to adjust the temperature as often as they wish for convenience as well as safety. Clients might want exactly 120°F for the dishwasher, but only 106°F for the baby’s bath time, and back up to 110°F to fill the tub to precisely the preferred temperature for a relaxing soak.
Be sure to call your Portland Tankless Water Heaters expert at (503)579-5555.
Merry Christmas plumbing tip reminder
Portland Plumbing Tip
Remember to protect your home from freeze damage. Always pay extra attention to your hose bibs. Hose bib lines are the most common to suffer from freeze damage. Taking these necessary steps will help prevent expense plumbing repairs latter.
1. Disconnect and drain your garden hoses and store them indoors. Never leave garden hoses connected to hose bibs. The results could be very costly. Most freeze breaks occur with in walls costing home owner lots of hard earned money.
2. Shut off the valves inside your home that supply water to your outside faucets These valves are usually located under sinks in cabinet’s and sometimes above water heaters. Once that is done, you should drain those valves by unscrewing the little cap on the side of the valve and turning hose bib in open position. Be careful when draining shut off valves you may need to catch some water. Also monitor valves after each use for continues leakage. If water does not stop shortly after be sure to call a Portland Plumbing contractor.
3. Be sure to wrap pipes and valves in unheated areas of your home with heat tape or cover with pipe insulation.
4.Turn off your irrigation system and drain water from the lines. Water left in the system have the potential of freezing and causing damage to occur.
following these important Portland Plumbing steps can help prevent costly repairs later and save you from calling a Plumbing contractor.
Always take precaution when turning on or off hose bib shut off valves, some valves maybe located in difficult to reach area’s. If you are have problems locating these shut off valve, give extra attention to under sinks and above or near water heaters. If you still can not locate theses shut off valves call your Portland Plumbing contractor. Good luck and best wishes from All Plumbing Services – your local Portland Plumbing contractor.
Merry Christmas Portland and have a Happy New year. Hope you’ve enjoyed our Portland Plumbing Tips.
For Help with your Frozen Pipes, Call All Pro Plumbing – your Portland Plumbing specialist
Fall Portland Plumbing Tips
Fall Portland Plumbing Tips
- Check outside faucet for leaks or drips and make the needed repairs before the freezing months occur. Disconnect all hoses from outside faucets as they could freeze and expand causing damage to your home’s interior. If you have any internal shut-off valves be sure to turn them off. If you have an existing shut-off valve, be sure to use it.
- If the home has interior shutoff valves for the outside faucets, shut them off.
- Try covering the outside faucets with a faucet insulation kit.
- Apply heat tape or heat cables around pipes that are in places where there’s no heat to prevent them from freezing. Look for pipping that’s exposed to the cold.
- Check around your house for air infiltration from unsealed door and windows or open crawl space vents . Pipes that are not insulated and are subject to freezing temperatures can cause big problems. Attics, crawlspace’s and garages commonly have exposed piping. Inexpensive pipe insulation can be purchased from your plumber or at a local home improvement store. In some cases heat tape can be used to keep the pipes from freezing.
- Investing some time now save you a bunch later.
-
Portland Plumbing Tips
-
Portland Plumbing Tips
For advise or to schedule a service call All Pro Plumbing Services at (503)579-5555. For more Portland Plumbing Tips visit us at www.allproplumbingpdx.com.
Portland sewer repair
Portland sewer repair
Common Sewer Problems
Portland sewer repair is necessary to remedy certain common problems in older lines. Generally speaking, unless there is some kind of accident, sewer line damage happens over time. One of the main causes of sewer line damage is roots that grow through cracked lines. One small crack in an old sewer line will make it the target for a root system to take hold and block or destroy the pipe. You can use sewer line cleaning to remove roots, but this is only a temporary solution if you have older pipes. If you do have older pipes, sewer line cleaning may actually destroy them. In this case, you will be looking at a new sewer.
How Do I Know I Need Sewer Repair?
Portland sewer repair is needed when your sewer is backed up or starts leaking. This is probably one of the most unpleasant plumbing situations you can encounter, and since this is a much more complicated problem to solve than something like faucet repair, you really need qualified technicians who know what they are doing. This is because, depending on the condition of your sewer pipe, a section of sewer may have to be replaced. To determine if you need to replace a section of sewer pipe or the entire sewer pipe, a video inspection is performed to assess the condition of your sewer.
The Benefits of Trenchless Portland Sewer Repair
- Prevents future root intrusion and stops leaks
- Increases flow capacity
- No Digging or Destruction to your property
- Offers the same strength as new pipes
- Cost effective alternative to total replacement
Video Inspection
Sewer repair performed correctly requires a video inspection. This is when a camera is inserted into the interior of the sewer pipe and sends back live video of the condition and the blockage in your sewer line. Our video inspection equipment is also equipped with locators to determine the location and depth of the sewer line damage from above ground. This allows for spot repairs if possible. Video inspections can tell if you have root intrusion, separated pipes, offset pipe joints, or a broken pipe. The pipe must be draining to be able to see within it, so that may be part of the sewer repair we will have to perform.
Portland sewer repair
Sewer repair might not work for some old pipes, so sewer installation is the next step. We offer complete solutions for your sewer needs, and this includes the entire sewer installation. As always, we promise fast and dependable service, minimal disruption of your residence or commercial business, and flat rate, honest pricing. At All Pro Plumbing Services, we are your Portland sewer repair expert. There is no need to call anyone else because we can do it all. We perform root removal, spot sewer repair, sewer line cleaning, as well as complete sewer installation. We also fix under slab water leaks and in home sewer lines.
Call All Pro Plumbing for your Portland sewer repair needs at (503)579-5555.
Sewer and Drain Cleaning: Simple Tips to Ensure Healthy Drains
Portland Sewer and Drain Cleaning Tip
As is their nature, drains occasionally stop up leading many homeowners to frantically search for a quick and effective solution. Some of the more common drains, including kitchen sinks, bathtubs, washing machine drains, and the main line to city sewers, undergo such great usage that they inevitably will clog. Occasionally, a remedy can be found in various gels and solutions that one can purchase; in a number of instances, however, this only leads to a temporary resolution. To truly clear your drain of all debris, it’s best to go ahead and hire a professional Portland Sewer and Drain expert so that you don’t waste money on constantly buying products.
In addition to having a professional plumber regularly perform a comprehensive flush of your drains, there are a number of tips one can follow to ensure optimal drain performance. With kitchen sink drains, one should use common sense with some knowledgeable advice. For example, sink drains cannot handle most sticky or gummy liquids. Even sinks with garbage disposals have their limits in terms of what can be thrown down the drain. Most starchy foods (potatoes, pasta, rice, etc.) tend to build-up over time and can lead to some nasty clogs.
Portland Sewer and Drain Bathtub tip
For bathtub drains, the most notorious culprit for clogs is naturally hair. It’s always recommended to use hair strainers and to regularly throw-out what collects. Regularly doing this will prevent the bulk of hair from ever going down the drain and creating a clog.
Portland Sewer and Drain Toilet tip
Toilets are particularly sensitive to what you can and cannot flush down the drain. A good rule of thumb is that anything that is not biodegradable should not go down your toilet drain. If anything gives you pause, err on the side of caution and dispose of that object in the trash rather than potentially compromising your plumbing system.
Portland Sewer and Drain tip
Sewer drains are vastly important as they connect your home’s plumbing with your city’s sewer system. Some simple tips to follow include knowing where the sewer lines exist in your yard as well as ensuring that you don’t park/drive over the line nor should you ever plant a tree or build anything over the line.
Of course your home as other drains which need additional care and regular cleaning. It’s always recommended to have a professional plumbing specialist to regularly inspect and clean your plumbing. By following just some common sense and controlling what goes down your pipes, in addition to having a plumber regularly clean your drains, you can ensure your plumbing properly functions for years to come.
Portland Sewer and Drain
Portland Sewer and Drain
Water Heater Issues
Portland Water Heater
Let the experts at All Pro Plumbing address your Portland Water Heater issues
In today’s economy it’s important to have some basic trouble shooting skills or at least have someone that does. Everyone I know owns a water heater and predictable will some day have a water heating issue. Sometimes simple repairs can be made to get hot water flowing again. Other times you may need a Licensed plumber to give you a hand. Before calling a professional here’s several trouble shooting tips that may help you save a buck.
Check the following area’s of your Water Heater
Tank
Water heaters have limited life spans, it’s possible that your tank has become corroded. If that’s the case, the water heater must be replaced and you’ll probably need to contact a qualified Portland water heater installer.
Vent
On gas water heaters, check for obstructions in the vent. If you find any, shut off the water heater and clean out the flue. If the problem persists, find a Portland water heater expert.
temperature Relief Valve
Water may be coming from the temperature pressure relief valve, which releases water when it senses excess pressure or temperatures. temperature relief valve leaks can be caused by the temperature being set too high, or by the excessive water pressure to your home. A failed pressure reducing valve allowing high city water pressure into you home may also be the culprit. Even defective thermostats can cause excessive temperature changes causing the temperature relief to release.
Heating Elements
On electric water heaters, leaks can occur from heating element gaskets and even from damage or rusted out elements. Be sure to turn off power to the heater before attempting any repairs. It would be recommended that you replace the element. Make sure to drain water heater before removing element and after installing new element be sure that tank is completely filled. Verify solid stream of water is coming from tub valve for several minutes before turning electrical back on.
Drain valve
If water leaks out of the fitting at the bottom of unit, simply tightening the drain valve. If the valve itself is defective, you may need need to replace it.
Water valves
Inspect the water pipes connected to your water heater. If you find a leak at the water heater flex this can be easily remedied by tightening the flex nuts. . If tightening does not work, you will have to replace the flex line.
If none of the above helps or solves your water heater issue call a licensed, insured Portland Water Heater company.
To contact a Portland Water Heater specialist you can call us at (503)579-5555
Flat rate versus Hourly
Portland Plumbing Flat rate versus Hourly
Where plumbing is concerned, there are two different methods of pricing. One is flat rate and the other is time and material, also known as hourly. Flat rate is an agreed upon price between the customer and the plumber be fore a project starts. Flat rate can be beneficial for some customers. If a customer is worried that a certain job will take longer than expected and is unsure of what the final cost would be with an hourly rate, a flat rate would put their mind at ease. Many customers prefer flat rate pricing when it comes to something like the installation of water heaters. Water heaters can go smoothly and take little time to install or they can be more complicated and take several hours. With flat rate pricing it wouldn’t matter how long it took. The price would be the same and the homeowner can comfortably go into the project knowing exactly what the bill will be when it’s all done.
Time and material, or hourly, is pricing preferred by many home owners and Portland plumbing contractors. When performing a plumbing repair the total cost of the job would be tallied up after the repair was accomplished. The final price would be what the plumbing contractor hourly rate was plus material. After all is said and done the homeowner pays the Portland plumbing contractor for his time and material. The benefit of hourly is the homeowner only pays for the time it took to do a particular project. With a knowledgeable technician jobs can be completed in a very professional, timely manner. Down side to this is the project cost can be affected by a technician inexperience or work ethics.
With the flat rate system, the price is agreed on before the project starts. The homeowner knows exactly what out of pocket expenses are involved before committing. The pricing, cost can be on the higher side. This is to protect the plumber from working for free because of unforeseen issues or worst case scenarios. These problems would have to be planned into the flat rate pricing. The benefit is the homeowner knows what to expect when the job is finished. On the down side the homeowner pays for worst scenario regardless if the job goes quick with out expected issues. Also the Portland plumbing contractor can charge more for hourly profits.
Beware of high rates masked by the flat rate Portland Plumbing contractors.
After looking at both pricing techniques I’ve come to the conclusion that both have they’re place in the Portland plumbing industry. Both can be affected by poor trades man performances. With flat rate one can feel they are getting a sales person over a plumber. Sometime companies focus lots of there training on sales rather than good plumbing technique. With time and material a homeowner relies on the technician to be experienced and aggressive, using his time to complete a task in a timely manner.
Portland plumbing contractor use both billing systems.
Plumbing Safety Tip
Portland safety tip
In seconds, a child can suffer third degree burns. Scalding tap water injures many children each year. Plumbing precautions can be taken to prevent your child from being scalded. By lowering your water heater thermostats to 120 degrees you can prevent these accidents and save energy. Homeowners can read their owner’s manual to assist them in adjusting the temperature safely or can call a plumber. Another option is to have a plumber install an anti-scald faucet. This faucet prevents the user from, adjusting the temperature to a setting that would cause scalding. There’s also anti scalding devices that can be installed on existing plumbing to offer anti scalding protection. These devices can be installed by homeowners with good mechanical abilities or by a licensed plumber. All being said these safety measure can insure the safety of elderly and young children. Portland safety tip can prevent the unthinkable. Setting aside a few minutes can save you expensive medical bills and a ton of sorrow. At All Pro Plumbing your safety is a concern and our Portland safety tip is are way of showing we care.
All Pro Plumbing Portland safety tip
For more Portland safety tip information come visit us again
All Pro Plumbing Services invites you to leave a reply to all post. We thank you for taking time to read our Portland safety tip.
Plumbing Remodeling: Repiping and Remodeling your Plumbing Fixtures
Portland Remodel
Adding a room, redoing a kitchen or a bathroom, remodeling or finishing a basement – among these are the most common home remodeling endeavors, and they may also include dividends in property value.
Ultimately the common denominator in all of these projects is plumbing. Of course, kitchens revolve around new counter tops and cabinetry and bathrooms utilize storage and vanities whereas game basements focus on entertainment space and game rooms. But each of these home amenities revolves around the water resources: a wet bar and bathroom in the basement, the toilet, sink, tub and shower in the bathroom, and the sink, disposer, ice maker and dishwasher in the kitchen.
Whether the home owner is the classic DIYer (do-it-yourself-er) or is hiring a Portland remodel contractor and designer to handle the job, it is not only wise but often required by code to contract with a licensed plumber to handle the lion’s share of the plumbing.
There are many reasons for this, of course, but chief among them is to ensure that the plumbing systems not only perform to expectations, but also don’t compromise the existing plumbing in the remainder of the home. All too often a remodeling project compromises the home’s water pressure or puts too much stress and strain on the hot water heater. Also, many plumbing projects in remodeling, particularly those done by the DIYer and involving home additions, place piping in outside walls or crawl spaces, putting the system at risk to unintended freezing which can compromise existing plumbing throughout the home. An experienced, licensed plumber doesn’t “hook up” the new faucets, basins and plumbing appliances, but implores the home’s entire pluming system when expansions and upgrades need to be planned.
A comprehensive overview of the plumbing can avoid any major potential problems. In plumbing fixtures, for example, basements (especially the formerly unfinished) require a sump pump to aid in below-grade drainage, and it must be considered that drains require specific expertise to guarantee appropriate drainage without risk of expensive, and need we mention, smelly, backups. Proper hookup to the home’s ventilation access and home’s sewage systems are required in bathroom and kitchen projects. Especially in older homes, but even in new homes not designed for increased capacity, adding more plumbing appliances with greater capacities may require larger water lines or redirecting water lines to assure the system will operate worry-free.
And there is also the consideration of building permits: government inspectors from the city or the county will pay particular attention to intricate systems like electrical and plumbing, and it will go a long way to completing the remodeling project to involve a licensed professional right from the start.
Licensed Portland remodel plumbing contractors also bring other benefits to the table for homeowners contemplating a remodeling project. Most top residential plumbers are very experienced in remodeling projects and employ designers who can be of assistance to make the project more cost beautiful functional, water-conscious and cost-effective. Plus, most of these plumbing contractors also have long-standing relationships with building supply companies and fixture manufacturers, and can offer homeowners a wide array of choices at significant savings over even the warehouse appliance and fixture outlets.
Remodeling a whole home or even just a room can add up to a significant value-added project – if done properly. Even construction remodeling pros know there is more to plumbing than the basics, and their bids to re-do a room or a house most often involve a subcontracting fee to a licensed and experienced plumber. Also, in most cases these remodeling firms will work with a homeowner’s preferred plumber; in fact they advise it because the plumber in question probably already knows the home’s plumbing and can make expert recommendations in advance of building.
Portland remodel contractor
All Pro Plumbing Services are your Portland remodel expert.
For a free estimate on your Portland remodel please call All Pro Plumbing Services at (503)579-5555.
Water Heater Problems: A Simple Repair or a New Installation
Portland Water Heater Problems: A Simple Repair or a New Installation
No one enjoys the moment when, during a shower or other water usage, the hot water stops flowing. Yet water heaters, like any other plumbing component, will naturally endure wear and tear eventually leading to the point where water is no longer heated. For simple malfunctions, many component pieces can be replaced. If there is, however, any damage or rust on the water tank, the only viable solution is to go ahead and replace the tank. When one’s water heater fails, many homeowners do not fully know what has malfunctioned and, consequently, it is recommended you call a Portland Water Heater specialist to diagnose and quickly correct the problem.
The worst case scenario in these situations is that the water heater tank becomes damaged or rusts. When this happens, typically the only solution is to replace the tank and have a water heater tank installation service. One of the easiest ways to determine if your water heater tank is rusting is the presence of actual rust in your water. Additional signs include moisture appearing on and around your water heater. Tanks tend to last 10-15 years and towards the end of their lifespan you will undoubtedly notice these conditions which indicate the need for a new water heater installation. The good news, however, is that you could always install a more energy-efficient and water-efficient water heater system.
Some other water heater problems can be corrected without a new installation service. A professional plumber can replace thermostats, heating elements in an electric heater, and a gas burner in a gas heater. Some homeowners will think that they can perform these repairs but, unless you have some considerable experience in such matters, it is highly recommended to simply refer to a plumbing specialist in order to ensure the quality of the repair and comply with any warranty that may still apply with the water heater.
Of course, there are some simple tips one can follow in order to maximize the life of their water heater. One of the simplest tips is to dial down the temperature. Less heat means less wear and tear and an increased lifespan. One can additionally test the T&P (temperature and pressure) relief valve. Furthermore, it is recommended to perform a yearly tank flush in order to remove any buildup within the tank itself.
Water heaters are undoubtedly one of most important components to any home as it provides one of the most taken-for-granted comforts: hot water. Some problems can be easily corrected with repairs whereas rusting or damage to the tank, more often than not, can only be fixed with a new water heater installation. In any event, contact a professional Portland Water Heater contractor or plumbing specialist when a problem with your water heater arises for a full diagnosis.
Portland Water Heater
All Pro Plumbing Services your Portland Water Heater expert
For Portland Water Heater please call us at(503)579-55555.