Carney All Seasons Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Plumbing’

Signs of a Pinhole Leak

Monday, December 9th, 2019

A pinhole leak is a small problem when we’re talking about literal size. Though, bigger isn’t necessarily worse when it comes to plumbing issues. A leak the size of a pinhole can often cause immense amounts of damage over time, and that damage should be mitigated as soon as possible.

If you’re wondering about what kind of damage a pinhole leak can cause, we’ll get to that. However, more importantly, we’d like to discuss in this blog post ways to notice a pinhole leak and how to address it accordingly with a plumber in Doylestown, PA. We’d rather you not have to worry about the effects of a leak like this if it never happens.

So don’t be caught off guard when you think your home is being affected by a pinhole leak. Let’s get down to the nitty-gritty about what these leaks are, how they occur, ways for you to notice them, and who to call when they’re found.

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The Benefits of Video Pipe Inspection

Monday, November 11th, 2019

When you’re dealing with a broken rib, do you stick your hands down your throat and start fiddling around with your bones? Do you head directly into surgery without knowing which bone is broken? Absolutely not! That’s why we have X-Ray machines, so you can see precisely what’s going on inside your body without having to do something invasive.

Plumbers in North Wales, PA should treat your pipes with the same amount of care as a doctor treats you. Anything that’s invasive can likely lead to the destruction of your lawn or property, while also costing you a fortune in labor, parts, and equipment.

Introducing the plumber’s version of the X-Ray Machine! Video pipe inspection is all the rage these days for good reason. It’s a way to check the exact condition of your plumbing system without the invasive procedure of opening your pipes up or digging up your lawn.

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FAQ: Do You Need a Backflow Preventer?

Monday, October 14th, 2019

Backflow is a word that we rarely like to hear in the plumbing industry. “Backflow” is anything that has to do with contaminated water flowing backwards into the main water line or into a water supply. A problem with backflow can be anywhere from a minor inconvenience to a catastrophic contamination problem that costs a ton of money to fix. Backflow preventers and other plumbing equipment can help you ensure that you never have to deal with a backflow problem.

Chances are, you’ve already got a backflow preventer hooked up to your main water line that connects to the municipality’s water supply. If there’s a massive flood or some plumbing problem that immediately reduces water pressure, you’ve got to make sure that you don’t contaminate your clean water with waste-water. So, take a gander at our breakdown of a backflow preventer and make sure you ask your Ambler, PA plumber if your plumbing is ready to stop backflow.

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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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What You Need to Know About Maintaining Drain Health

Monday, May 15th, 2017

waterThe plumbing system in the average home gets a pretty raw deal, in terms of how much care it gets. Plumbing systems are responsible for all kinds of vital functions, including providing people with fresh drinking water on-demand. Yet, they are all-too-often neglected when it comes to professional services. The drain and sewer portion of a home plumbing system has it even worse, mainly because most of us tend to treat that area with an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. If you want to keep your drains in good health, though, you should have a look at our tips below.

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Be Sure to Schedule Annual Video Pipe Inspection

Monday, October 17th, 2016

Have you ever thought about how difficult it is to find a plumbing problem when you can’t see the majority of the system? Prior to the invention of modern techniques, the only way to actually isolate and solve an issue in the plumbing or sewer system was to exhume the pipes. That meant tearing up floors and walls in the general area the problem was thought to be. Fortunately, now we can find pipe issues without demolishing parts of your house. Read on to find out why you should schedule annual video pipe inspection.

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What Is a Sump Pump?

Thursday, February 5th, 2015

In your home, you may have never experienced a single problem with flooding before. But when a sudden flood does catch you off-guard, you may wish you had taken preventive action sooner. A flood can force you to spend thousands of dollars on repairs, mold remediation, seeking alternative shelter, and replacing lost items. But installing a sump pump keeps you from worrying about the unexpected costs of a flood, whether you’re no stranger to flooding or you’re just trying to protect yourself from future trouble.

For sump pumps or any other installations for your plumbing in Oreland, call on the professionals at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling.

Two types of sump pumps

A sump pump is a component that is typically installed in a basement or the lowest point in your home. These are recommended for homes in areas with low water tables, but they’re useful additions to nearly any home. If your basement begins to fill up with water, your sump pump should turn on and begin draining this water to the outdoors. And flooding may occur due to a storm or even if a neighbor’s pipe were to burst.

There are basically three major parts to a sump pump. There’s the pump that uses an impeller to pull in water. There’s the drainage system that allows it to drain to the outside. And then there’s the “sump” portion, the pit in which the pump is set. Sump pump installation should always involve a professional plumber to properly install the system, size it for your home, and to choose from the two types of sump pumps: submersible and pedestal.

The difference between the two is in how the pump is set up. A submersible unit is set into the pump in a waterproof encasing. A pedestal pump perches above the sump instead. Your technician will select the sump pump based on the size and shape of the sump, but there are a couple of other considerations that may come into play as well. For example, while a submersible pump is usually safer for children and pets, a pedestal pump won’t need as many repairs.

Calling the experts at Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling is a great way to ensure your new sump pump works properly, especially when you include sump pump maintenance as part of yearly maintenance for your plumbing in Oreland. Contact our team today!

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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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