Carney All Seasons Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Plumbing Maintenance’

The Problems of Household Drain Cleaners

Monday, September 2nd, 2019

Unclogging your drain with a household drain cleaner is an easy solution. However, as I’m sure your parents have told you plenty of times in your life, the easiest solution isn’t always the best. If using household drain cleaners means a detriment to your health and home, it doesn’t matter how easy of a solution it is.

Store-bought drain cleaners can be an extremely hazardous mixture of chemicals that will disintegrate practically anything sometimes. These chemicals often leech fumes that you wouldn’t want your kids anywhere near, and those fumes tend to linger for days on end. What’s easier than pouring a store-bought cleaner down your drain? Why, calling your local plumbing company (that’s us) for a Lansdale, PA plumber!

Still not convinced? Let’s get into it.

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How to Tell if You Have a Plumbing Problem

Monday, September 18th, 2017

floodingOne of the biggest issues with plumbing systems is their tendency to develop problems without any warning. Not that plumbing issues tend to suddenly jump out and ruin the system (though sometimes that does happen). It’s more that plumbing issues develop slowly, subtly, without being noticed by homeowners.

Without professional training and equipment, most of these issues will go unnoticed until they develop far enough to cause serious issues. By the time you notice them, they will cost a lot more to repair than if they had been caught earlier. There are ways to detect plumbing issues a bit earlier, though, if you know what to look for. Let’s go over some of the ways you can identify whether or not you need professional plumbing services quickly.

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Why Annual Plumbing Maintenance Is Important

Monday, July 6th, 2015

Odds are, you schedule your heating and cooling system for maintenance, as well as your car and other household appliances. So why wouldn’t you also schedule maintenance for your home’s plumbing system? A professional maintenance appointment for your plumbing system isn’t a quick visual review of the outside of your plumbing; it is a full inspection of your entire system, including all fixtures, to ensure your system is optimal shape. Some of the items checked are:

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Why Schedule Water Heater Maintenance?

Monday, February 18th, 2013

If your water heater is no longer operating like it once did, or if you have any other concerns about its performance, you may want to think about scheduling a routine water heater maintenance visit. Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling offers comprehensive and affordable maintenance that help Bucks County homeowners to upkeep their existing water heaters, as well as other components of their heating and cooling systems.  Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling today for more information.

The main reason why you should consider scheduling a water heater maintenance is because it can save you money. A nominal upfront cost today not only gives you peace of mind for the entire year, it also gives the expert technicians at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling an opportunity to prevent major problems in your water heater before they start. Whether you have a tanked or tankless water heater, our team will inspect and perform any necessary repairs.

If your water heater is old, has rust on its exterior, leaks, or if your water is no longer hot enough, there can be a variety of problems with your system. Scheduling maintenance helps make your water heater more efficient by having a technician inspect your equipment, and carry out any repairs that are needed, from sealing leaks to replacing parts. Indeed, if you feel that your water heater is too old and repairs are becoming too costly, the professional water heater team at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling will be able to give you reliable and honest advice on the best way to proceed. We can determine your water heating needs, as well as offer some tips for how to improve your home’s water efficiency. As one of the leading water heating experts in Bucks County, Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling is committed to helping you extend the life of your water heater. It’s as simple as giving us a call.

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Signs that You Have Hard Water in Your Plumbing

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Hard water is fairly common, even in a place like Blue Bell. It is called hard water because of the minerals in it, such as calcium, iron and lime. Depending on how “hard” the water is, it’s usually perfectly healthy, but can cause some other problems throughout the home.

Hard water can negatively affect the durability of household appliances like dishwashers and washing machines, as well as pipes and fixtures throughout the home. How do you know if you have hard water? Here are some common signs and symptoms to be on the lookout for:

  1. A white, scaly, filmy residue left behind on plumbing fixtures. In particular, you may notice these on showerheads, on stainless fixtures like the basin of your kitchen sink, on your silverware or in the coffee pot.
  2. Clothes that are not getting as clean as they should in the laundry. This is because hard water is less effective at washing away dirt. Likewise, you may notice soap scum residue in your tub or shower.
  3. Little or no lather from shampoo or soap while showering.
  4. A reddish tinge to hair over time. This is due to iron in the water that can temporarily change hair color in the shower.
  5. Water takes a long time to heat, or heating costs that are higher than usual. This is because hard water requires more heat than water with fewer minerals in it.
  6. A foul odor emanating from your water.

If you notice any of these signs, or a combination of them, you may have hard water. There are certain things you can do to control the effects of hard water, such as using a commercial mineral remover to dissolve deposits left on showerheads and other fixtures. Vinegar also works well.

However, the best thing to do is to treat hard water so that it does not damage your plumbing system. A licensed plumber can help you do this by adding water softener to your water supply, among other treatments. These are things that need to be done on an ongoing basis, but will help extend the life of your expensive appliances and plumbing system.

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Plumbing Noises: Determining What They Mean

Friday, September 30th, 2011

Under ideal conditions, you would hear nothing from your Lansdale home’s plumbing system except the sound of running water when you turn on the tap. Unfortunately, that is not always what actually happens. In fact, your plumbing can make all types of funny and sometimes alarming noises for no reason that you can easily discern.

For instance, one common plumbing noise sounds like a hard knock or hammer blow. This usually occurs when you turn off a tap and can be rather alarming. Sometimes you can even feel the reverberation of the impact that caused the sound. But why is this happening? Usually, this “water hammer” noise is the result of the dramatic shift in pressure in the system when you suddenly stop the flow of water from a faucet.

This sudden stop creates a kind of shock wave, which then travels back through the pipes and causes the loud knocking sound that you hear. This is easily fixed with a device that is known as a water hammer arrester. These devices help to dissipate the force of the pressure shift and can keep the noise from occurring at all.

There are also all kinds of whistling, squealing and squeaking noises that your plumbing can make under certain circumstances. These types of sounds are often caused by a worn out washer somewhere along the line that is having trouble regulating the flow of water. It can be a little difficult to pin down the source of these noises sometimes, especially if they occur no matter which faucet is turned on. But with a little hunting and trial and error you or your plumber can usually track down the source.

Rattling sounds are also common and generally occur when your water pipes are not well secured to a rigid surface. If this is the case, the force of the water running through the pipes can cause the pipe to vibrate, creating the sound you hear as it bangs against whatever solid surface is nearby. For problems like this, simply securing the pipes in place better can put an end to all of your rattling issues.

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Pipe Inspection Camera: When to Use One

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011

For plumbers today, anywhere from Maple Glen to Willow Grove, pipe inspection cameras are a huge aide. In the past, it was often very difficult to determine the location of a blockage or a leak, or indeed if one even existed at all. But now with this great modern equipment, it is much easier to get a thorough picture of the exact state of a pipe system and the nature of a potential problem.

These types of inspection cameras are especially useful when a clog is located underground or when an underground leak is suspected. Many types of plumbing problems can have multiple possible causes. But with pipeline inspection cameras, you can know for sure quickly exactly what type of problem you are dealing with.

For instance, even if you know that an underground pipe is leaking, it can be next to impossible to figure out exactly where the leak is. But to fix the leak you will have to unearth the damaged section of pipe and repair it. If you cannot pinpoint the leak precisely, you will be forced to unearth a large section of pipe. This takes a long time and causes unnecessary, although hopefully temporary damage to your yard as well.

However, if you can determine exactly where the leak is, you can dig up only the affected portion of pipe. This saves a lot of time and labor and it also means that you can limit the disruption the work causes in your yard. And the best way to find a leak like this is to use a pipe inspection camera to get a look at the inside of the pipe before you ever begin digging.

You do not need to wait for an emergency situation to develop to make use of a pipe inspection camera either. This technology is also extremely useful during annual drainage and sewer maintenance visits to help ensure that there are no unnoticed problems lurking below the surface. It is perfectly possible that one of your pipes is getting close to cracking but has not done so yet. The repairs can be a lot simpler if you catch this type of problem early, and that is exactly what a pipe inspection camera makes possible.

Pipe inspection cameras are also useful during maintenance visits because they allow technicians to determine which parts of your system need the most work. They can see where the larger buildups are and get the job done quicker overall than they could if they were operating blind.

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Things You CAN Do Yourself around the House: A Guide From Abington

Monday, September 19th, 2011

If you own a home in Abington, there are a lot of fun ways you can stay on top of regular maintenance without spending hundreds of dollars to hire a contractor. Sure, there are some tasks only a contractor should perform, but there are plenty of others you can take care of with a little spare time on the weekend.

  • Fixing Leaks – Unless it’s in a main line or in your sewer, you can usually fix a leak or clog in your pipes by yourself. Replacing a faucet, snaking a line, or taking apart a fixture should still be done with the help of manufacturer’s guidelines, but as long as you turn the water supply off correctly, you should be okay taking things apart and making quick repairs.
  • Yard Installations – Short of digging it up (always have it checked for gas and electricity lines), you can do pretty much anything on your own in the yard. This includes composting, landscaping, adding a barbeque pit or upgrading your back porch.
  • Painting – Feel free to paint anything in or around your home without the help of a pro. Just make sure to use proper ventilation and to ensure that you remove any old paint carefully. If you’re not sure about the age of your paint, it should be tested for lead before you chip it clean, especially if you have children.
  • Replace Appliances – Old appliances can be removed and replaced relatively easily as long as you have someone to help you get rid of the old ones. Also, if you have a gas stove or other appliances that run on gas, always have them checked by a professional. Never unplug gas lines without someone there to ensure the gas supply to your home is off.
  • Tiling – Tiling is something anyone can do, but make sure you’re ready for the time commitment. Especially if you plan on putting tiles on a wall, it’s easy to make a mistake and ruin good tiles or good walls. Also, proper sealing around water fixtures like a bathtub or sink is vital. If you’re not sure, call a plumber to help.

There are a lot of ways you can have fun and fix up your house without paying for a professional’s help. But, remember not to take on jobs that are too much for you. If you aren’t sure how to complete a task or you want a second opinion, never be afraid to call a professional in for some help. Even if they just check your work, it will save you money and you get the satisfaction of having done the work yourself.

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