Carney All Seasons Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

3 Factors to Consider with Bathroom Remodeling

Monday, July 7th, 2014

The bathroom is a functional room in a house, not a social gathering place like a living room or a kitchen dining room. However, you still spend a good deal of time in this room, so enhancing a stale and lifeless old bathroom with a remodel will provide an enhancement to a part of your life. Remodeling a bathroom can add immensely to the ease of your daily routine, and with the right remodelers working with you, the new bathroom will help you save money as well with efficient appliances.

Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling is your one-stop contractor for comprehensive bathroom remodeling in Montgomery County, PA. We will handle the remodeling from top to bottom so you will end up with the ideal new bathroom to fit your needs and your personal style.

Here are 3 factors to consider for your upcoming remodel:

1. Have complete repiping done during the remodeling work

Remodeling a bathroom can go below the surface of redesigning the look and adding new appliances. It can also involve the more mundane—yet crucial—step of replacing the plumbing. Since the plumbing will be exposed during the remodeling anyway, this is the perfect time to remove any aging pipes (especially important if you have a pre-1970 home) and put in copper or PEX and CPVC pipes instead. Another advantage of repiping is that it gives the remodelers more freedom to design the new bathroom since the pipes will now work with them instead of something they must work around.

2. Install “green” appliances to save water and money

During a remodel is the best time to find ways to save water in your bathroom, so you will not only reduce your water bills, but also benefit the planet. Ask your remodelers about options for low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets. There are many energy-efficient enhancements available that will also provide you with extra comfort (like heated towel racks to keep your towels dry and remove excess moisture).

3. Indulge in a few luxury items

It’s your bathroom and your comfort: make the most of it! You can install a whirlpool spa tub or steam shower unit, multi-bowl sinks and vanities, showers with multiple shower heads and body sprays, and more. When you have the right remodeling contractor working on the job, you’ll have an easy way to combine functionality with an attractive design and luxury features.

You will be amazed at the possibilities we can provide for you when we enhance your home’s bathroom.

There are a lot of options for your remodeling project, so call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling and talk to our specialists in bathroom remodeling in Montgomery County, PA today.

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What Are Whole House Water Treatment Systems?

Friday, June 20th, 2014

People today are often concerned with the quality of the water entering their homes through the municipal system. Poor water can affect both the health of a household and the health of its plumbing, and also result in poor-tasting and poor-smelling water. To combat this, households resort to using bottled waters and/or store-bought filtration pitchers, but bottled water is expensive and has negative impact on the environment from clogging landfills, and neither bottled water nor filtered pitchers address issues in the pipes and appliances. Water filtration devices placed on individual sinks (point-of-use filters) do a better job of filtering than pitchers, but they still do not address concerns about the plumbing.

The best way to have clean, safe water in your home is through installation of a whole-house water treatment system. These come in a variety of models and types to address different problems in a home’s water supply, so contact plumbing professionals like those at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling to find out which water treatment systems in King of Prussia, PA will provide you with the clean water you desire.

The basics of whole-house water treatment systems

A whole-house water treatment system sits on the incoming water line to your home so that all the water you use must pass through it first. How the treatment system works depends on its type and the contamination it is designed to counteract.

A common type of treatment system is the water softener, which adds sodium ions into the water to replace magnesium and calcium ions. Eliminating the minerals that can lead to scale build-up inside pipes is important for maintaining healthy plumbing.

Standard filters are used to remove particles suspended in the water, typically with charcoal filters and anti-chlorine treatments. Reverse osmosis systems are a special type of filter that can more finely strain out particles by creating different areas of pressure inside the pipes to force the water through a semi-permeable membrane.

To destroy viruses and bacteria inside water, UV disinfecting systems are safe and effective: they bathe the incoming water with short-frequency radiation that kills dangerous microorganisms without leaving any chemical contamination in the water.

There are many other types of whole-house water treatment systems available—there’s one that is right for whatever troubles you are having with receiving quality water in your home. Once our plumbers know this information, they can select from among the many different water treatment systems in King of Prussia, PA to provide you with healthy water that will protect your family and your home.

To get started, call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling and arrange for water testing that will scientifically discover what problems are entering your water supply.

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What Is Video Pipe Inspection?

Friday, June 13th, 2014

The technology of professional plumbing continues to advance each year, and the plumbers who handle your repairs today come equipped with high-tech equipment to perform their jobs. One of the innovations in plumbing devices that has improved the speed and accuracy of repairs is video pipe inspection equipment. We’ll explain in this post how this works and the benefits that video pipe inspection can bring you as a homeowner.

If you need a plumbing company capable of handling video pipe inspections in New Hope, PA, then get in touch with Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling. We are “The Plumber That Other Plumbers Recommend,” and you can trust us to handle your needs for plumbing repair—whatever they are.

The basics of video pipe inspection

The technological developments that permitted video pipe inspection in the first place are miniaturization and fiber optics. A miniaturized video camera and powerful LED light are fixed onto the end of a long and flexible fiber optic cable. This cable is then pushed down into a drain and sent deep into the plumbing. The video camera sends back a feed of the illuminated interior of the pipe to a monitor where a plumber can observe clearly conditions inside the plumbing.

Video pipe inspection has a number of uses that makes the job of the plumber easier and faster. It is indispensable for leak detection, allowing plumbers to pinpoint exactly where a leak is occurring so they can perform the least amount of excavation necessary to reach the leak. The video imagery also permits them to grasp the extent and type of the leak so they will know ahead of time how best to repair it.

Plumbers also find video pipe inspection invaluable for clogging and sewer issues. For extremely tough clogs, it takes a video camera to inspect the clog and find how best to approach clearing it. This takes away from guesswork and trial-by-error that could end up damaging the pipe. It also helps the plumbers know how best to take care of providing the pipe with a thorough cleansing. When sewer lines develop leaking or blockage that threatens a home’s entire wastewater system, strategically uses video inspection will locate what the trouble is (root infestations, aging pipe, etc.) so the plumbers will know the least invasive way to approach repairs.

Look for plumbers with the best equipment

Never rely on amateurs for plumbing repairs. You only want skilled technicians who come with the highest quality equipment and the knowledge to use it.

Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling today for video pipe inspection in New Hope, PA that will cut right to the heart of your plumbing problems and apply the repair solutions you need.

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3 Methods of Drain Cleaning Used by Professionals

Friday, May 9th, 2014

The term “drain cleaning” has unfortunately developed a link to “drain cleaners,” those plastic bottles of toxic, acidic chemicals that sell for $8.99 on grocery store shelves between the laundry detergent and the insecticides. Using this sort of caustic agent is a bit like trying to clean the leaves off your driveway by blasting the drive with a flamethrower: sure, you’ll get rid of all the unwanted debris, but you can seriously damage the surface and may seriously injure yourself.

Drain cleaning requires professionals who use methods that not only effectively cleanse drains and pipes, but safely cleanse them, leaving behind zero toxic residue and protecting the interior of the plumbing. For this level of expert drain cleaning in North Wales, PA, call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

Here are some of the ways that professional drain cleaners handle their job:

I. Motorized drain snakes

Drain snakes, a.k.a. drain augers, are available commercially in manual models. But these cannot do the thorough job of a motorized, pro-grade drain snake. Drain snakes operate like long corkscrews: a coil of wire goes down into a drain pipe, bores into clogs and blockage, and then either draws the clogs up or breaks them apart. A motorized drain snake can handle almost any obstruction with the right technician operating it.

II. Hydro-jetting

A hydro-jetter is a motorized device that sends hot, high-pressure water through a hose and out a small nozzle. When the hose is fed down into a drain, the scalding blasts of water can break through clogs and clear away all contaminants like grease and oil from the interior of a pipe. This is one of the most thorough ways of cleaning drain pipes, and makes it harder for debris to return. Because of the dangers of high-pressure water (most hydro-jetters blast out water at 7,000 psi), only professional should do hydro-jetting.

III. Video Camera Pipe Inspection

Cleaning out pipes often requires plumbers to know exactly what they are up against, and the only way to find that out without the disruption of accessing buried and hidden pipes is with video pipe inspection. This equipment consists of miniaturized camera and LED light mounted on the end of a fiber-optic cable. Once sent down a drain pipe, the camera returns a video feed to a monitor so a plumber can pinpoint areas that need cleaning, and what sort of cleaning will do the job.

Leave the chemicals on the store shelf (the flamethrower as well) when it’s time for drain cleaning in North Wales, PA. Instead, contact Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

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Kitchen Plumbing Components: The P-Trap

Monday, April 7th, 2014

Most of the plumbing in a house remains hidden behind walls, in ceilings and floors, or in rooms people rarely enter. Ironically, a part of the plumbing that people often see, the U-shape in the drainpipes beneath the sinks, is one that few people understand. Perhaps because we are so used to seeing this shape, we don’t stop to think about what it actually does.

That U-shape is called the p-trap, and it serves a key function in your plumbing. Sometimes it will require repairs and unclogging; when that happens, call for experts in plumbing in Blue Bell, PA from Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling. We offer same day service, satisfaction guaranteed.

The Basics of the P-Trap

The p-trap (so-called because it resembles a capital P when viewed on its side) traps water after it runs through the drainpipe. Water comes to rest in the dip, and this forms a liquid plug against the escape of sewer gas. The decomposition of waste further down the pipe will rise to exit the drain, but the water in the p-trap is sufficient most of the time to block it.

A p-trap can dry up if a sink isn’t used for a long period of time, such as a sink in a guest room. When this happens, sewer gas will start to escape from the waste water lines and enter the room, creating an unpleasant odor. You can fix this problem easily by running water down the drain for a minute to fill up the trap once more.

The p-trap can also trap other items aside from water: hair, soap scum, grease, and small objects like toys that fall down the drain. This will eventually lead to clogging. Sometimes a plunger will do the job of clearing the clog, but if that doesn’t work, you’ll need to call a plumber to use a drain snake, hydro-jetter, or even dismantle the p-trap’s pipes to eliminate the blockage.

Problems with the p-trap are simple issues for plumbers to resolve, so don’t let mistakes from do-it-yourself solutions beyond a plunger make the issues worse. Call up professionals to handle your problems with your plumbing in Blue Bell, PA. Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling has 30 years of experience to bring to the job.

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Am I Responsible for the Sewer Line from My House?

Friday, April 4th, 2014

The wastewater collected from around your home’s drainpipes ends up entering a lateral sewer line (also called the sanitary sewer line) that tunnels beneath your property toward the municipal line that runs down the center of the street. People often assume that anything that connects to a city sewer line—or indeed, anything having to do with a sewer system—must be the responsibility of the utility company and not the homeowner. Is that the case with the sanitary sewer line?

This is an important issue to understand, because damage to a house’s sewer line can turn catastrophic if it isn’t remedied quickly and correctly. The work involved requires extensive digging, and only people experienced with sewer repair in Hatfield, PA should take on this job. Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling handles sewer line repairs and replacements when the responsibility lies with the homeowner…

…which it almost always does.

According to Hatfield Township, the sanitary sewer line that runs from a home to the public sewer system is the responsibility of the homeowner up to the point where it joins the sewer main, after which it is the responsibility of the Hatfield Township Sewer Division, which maintains the 100 miles of sanitary sewers and 7 pumping stations. When you have problems that emanate from breaks, or blockages in the sanitary sewer line, you must call up a plumbing repair contractor to handle the work.

You need to do this as soon as you notice problems: sewer smells coming from your drains, clogging/slow drains throughout the house, low toilet bowl levels, soggy front lawn, noxious odors from the grass, or wet spots around basement drains. Blockage or breaks in the sewer line can lead to enormous problems in your house. Not only will all your drains block up, but sewage leakage can start in the basement or foundations, leading to major damage to your home.

You cannot take care of sewer line repairs on your own: it takes precision excavation and labor-intensive work. Save yourself back-breaking and most likely ineffectual repairs and call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling. We specialize in sewer and water line installation, and we can restore your plumbing in Hatfield, PA with sewer repair as soon as possible.

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How Does a Reverse Osmosis System Benefit My Water?

Friday, March 28th, 2014

If you are looking to improve the quality of the water in your home, you have a number of different options for water filtration, such as water softeners to combat hard water and acid neutralizers to balance pH levels. To increase the quality of your drinking water, you can install filters to remove particles that can enter the municipal water system. However, one of the best ways to have cleaner drinking water in your home is to call in a professional to install a reverse osmosis system. We’ll explain how this works and how it can benefit you.

At Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling, we take the quality of water in the homes of our customers seriously. That’s why we offer installation of many different types of water treatment systems in New Hope, PA. To find out what water treatment system will work best for you, set up an appointment with us today.

Reverse Osmosis Systems

A reverse osmosis water treatment system is a water purification technology that removes much smaller particles than standard filters. The way it works is to create two areas of water under different pressure, with a semi-permeable membrane between them. The water in the high pressure area is forced through the small pores of the membrane to the low pressure area, and the membrane filters out contaminants.

Reverse osmosis can trap particles that would escape standard filters, resulting in healthier water that also tastes fresh… much fresher than you might get from store-bought bottled water, which is not only expensive but frequently is nothing more than regular municipal water run through a gravel filter.

Reverse osmosis can remove bacteria, pesticides, viruses, sulfates (no more smelly water!), sodium (helpful if you also have a water softener installed), chlorine, calcium, and all the other larger dirt particles that can enter drinking water.

Find the Right Purification System for Your Home

Although reverse osmosis systems are excellent for water filtration, they may not match your home’s specific needs. Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling to have water testing done. Our analysis will help us find out what problems need addressing in your water supply, and then we can match you with the ideal water treatment system that will take care of it.

Whether you have hard water or acidic water, Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling will find the water treatment system in New Hope, PA that will give you the freshest water supply possible.

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Ways to Prevent Drain Problems

Wednesday, March 19th, 2014

Slow drains and clogged drains are something that most homeowners accept as inevitable, unavoidable hassles. They keep a plunger on hand and maybe a bottle of acidic drain cleaner to fix the occasional plugged-up kitchen sink or shower drain, groan at the inconvenience, and then simply go on with their normal routine. Sometimes, they can’t fix the clog and have to call a plumber to take care of it.

It doesn’t have to be this way, however. Although there’s no way to completely avoid drain troubles, you can reduce them to rare occurrences with a few precautions. For drain cleaning in Blue Bell, PA to help you eliminate most clogs, call up Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

Methods that will reduce your drain troubles

  • Don’t pour F.O.G. down the drains: “F.O.G.” stands for “fat, oil, and grease,” three common products of cooking that people often pour down kitchen drains. Although liquid when hot, all three will transform in waxy solids when they cool down, leaving a coating inside drainpipes. This build-up will eventually cause clogging and slow drains. Deposit all F.O.G. into a separate container and remove it to the trash.
  • Don’t pour liquid cleaners down the drains: It sounds like a solution to the problem, but it actually creates more problems. Commercial liquid cleaners are acidic and will damage the interior lining of pipes and can cause drain problems worse than clogs. If you can’t clear a clogged drain with a plunger, call a plumber.
  • Use drain covers on bathroom drains: One of the common troubles that bathroom sinks and showers face is clogging from hair and soap scum. You can reduce this with drain covers that prevent unwanted debris from going down the drain.
  • Have regular professional drain cleaning: Drain cleaning services done either every one or two years, or as necessary, will keep your drains in excellent condition and free from the debris that can build up along the drainpipe walls. Professional plumbers use video inspection equipment to target cleaning and ecologically safe (and non-acidic) additives to help keep the pipes clean in the future. Special hydro-jetting safely washes out the insides of drain pipes with blasts of high pressure water.

You’ll need experts in drain cleaning in Blue Bell, PA to handle the drain cleaning because of the precision equipment required.  Call up Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling and talk to our plumbers about scheduling a drain cleaning visit to help you make clogs a “Once in a Blue Moon” hassle.

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What an Acid Neutralizer Water Treatment System Does

Friday, March 7th, 2014

The water our homes receive from the municipal supply can sometimes bring with it some problems. Although you can combat some of these issues with filters on faucets, the best way to deal with low quality water is to have professionals install a whole-house water treatment system that takes care of all the water that flows into your home.

There is no single type of water treatment system, because there are numerous types of problems that can afflict your water. With the help of professional plumbers who specialize in water treatment, you can find out what needs to address in your water supply. Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling has technicians who can help you determine the water treatment system in New Hope, PA that will give you the purest water possible.

One water treatment system we often install is the acid neutralizer.

The basics of an acid neutralizer water treatment system

High levels of acid entering your plumbing can turn into a serious problem. Although usually not dangerous to drink, high acid content water can cause corrosion in copper plumbing, a metal resistant to normal forms of corrosion, and pinhole leaks. Acidity will also cause ugly green and blue stains to form on your fixtures.

High levels of acid in your water can be detected with a pH test (ask your plumber to do this). A low pH number indicates too much acidity. To counteract this, a whole-house acid neutralizer can be installed. There are a number of different types of neutralizers. The most common is the calcite acid neutralizer tank. A calcite system injects reactive magnesium oxide into the water supply which dissolves into the water and neutralizes the acid. The calcite in the tank must be replaced routinely, although this is a simple task.

Using a calcite acid neutralizer may cause an increase in the hardness of your water (increased levels of calcium and magnesium), and some homeowners will also opt to have a water softener, which raises the sodium level of the water, installed to help balance the water.

Have professional water testing done

If you aren’t sure if you need an acid neutralizer, bring in plumbers with experience with water testing. Using samples of water taken from around the house, these water tests will tell you what sort of water treatment system will help you have the best water, whether it’s a water softener, an acid neutralizer, or some other system like a chemical feed pump.

Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling offers many different types of water treatment systems for New Hope, PA homes. Call us today to schedule an appointment.

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Signs of a Sewer Line Break

Monday, March 3rd, 2014

The wastewater in your home moves through various pipes to a central sewer line, which runs underneath your home and out to the center of the street to connect to the municipal sewer system. And for the most part, that’s all you really need to know about your sewer line—until a break occurs in it and threatens your home with sewer odors, numerous drain clogs, basement flooding, and foundation damage.

Sewer line breaks can occur because of corrosion (a problem for older homes with galvanized steel plumbing), shifting of the ground due to construction or natural disasters, and the pressure from growing tree roots. Whatever the cause, sewer line breaks require professionals to excavate the sewer trenches and replace the damages lines as soon as possible. Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling can deliver fast and dependable sewer repair in Lansdale, PA when you have problems with a broken sewer line.

Here are warning signs of sewer line break:

  • Sewage odors from drains: One of the earliest signs you’ll encounter if the sewer line breaks are foul smells coming from your drains. If the smells are accompanied by gurgling in your drains, it means that sewage gases are being forced up through the water plugs in the p-trap (the curved pipe below a sink) of your drainpipes.
  • Persistent clogs: Along with the sewer odor, you will start finding clogs in drains around the house, none of which react to a plunger or other kinds of clog removal.
  • Foul-smelling lawn: When the sewer line breaks, the sewage will seep into the ground and rise up into your lawn. If you lawn has a similar sewage smell to the drains, it almost definitely points toward a damaged sewer line.
  • Water stains in the basement: If you have a basement, water damage from sewage backflow will start to appear here first. If you notice water stains around drains in the basement, call for professional plumbers.
  • Rats and other pests: The sewer odors will begin to attract pests such as rats. If you begin to notice vermin in your basement or in your yard, look for other signs that you may have a broken sewer line.

You’ll need the best professional help you can find

Sewer line replacement requires extensive digging; it is something you should never delegate to amateurs. The potential for even greater damage to the sewer line is high unless you have professionals handle the task.

Carney Plumbing, Heating & Cooling has years of experience with sewer repair in Lansdale, PA. Our plumbers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help you with sewer line emergencies.

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