A consistent build up of soap scum, grease, hair, nail clippings, and leftover food waste can create an un-plungeable nightmare of a clog in your home’s pipes. The appealing solution? Over the counter drain cleaning chemicals of course! They’re relatively inexpensive, fast acting, and can be purchased just about anywhere toilet paper is sold. But before you reach for that old trusty bottle of chemical compounds, let’s take a deeper dive into what exactly is in that bottle.

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When you consider the vital role a sewer line plays in your home’s plumbing system along with the high costs associated with repair/replacement services,  you’ll quickly see that the decision to have work performed should be taken lightly. Understanding some of the various details associated with your home’s plumbing can help make hiring the right plumbing contractor much easier.

While most sewer systems tend to be very similar if not the same, the overall layout of the pipes, the general care, maintenance, and usage makes them all unique. When you set out to have a broken sewer line repaired it is in your best interest to understand all of the options available to you. Being informed will allow you to reduce the accompanying stress of such a major project, save time, and money. This will give you peace of mind and allow you to make the appropriate decision for you, your home, and your budget.

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For many homeowners, having the skill to save some cash by performing minor repairs around home is a blessing. However, when dealing with plumbing issues that may arise, it is important to know exactly what is manageable and what should be turned over to the professionals. We’ve put together this post to help you better understand the difference between DIY plumbing repairs and jobs that only licensed plumbers should remedy.

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When looking to purchase a home in the DFW Metroplex it is not uncommon for future buyers to want an older home. It could be the style and architecture, value and price, or the home’s location & history that draws them. When old homes go on the market they are typically renovated and updated with modern appliances, cabinetry, flooring, and other details. These renovations do a great job at lifting the value of the property and giving the home a nice “face-lift.” One key component that is usually missing during these renovations or is simply overlooked by sellers and buyers alike is the home’s plumbing system. Typically the only plumbing related due diligence that occurs is a Hydrostatic Pressure Test to ensure no leaks are present in the homes pipes.

It is for precisely this reason that most older homes can become a time bomb ready to explode with unforeseen plumbing issues. In this post we will cover some of the things that can wrong related to the plumbing in older homes and ways you can protect yourself from them.

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All too often when we think about plumbing services we think about repairs & service. We rarely stop to consider what we can be doing to avoid service & repairs and prevent plumbing issues from arising in the first place. In this blog post we will focus on 4 best practices that you can implement right away to prevent plumbing problems from occuring in your home or business.

Be Mindful Of What You Put Down The Sink

The most common calls we recieve from customers in need of plumbing service include clogged or backed up drain lines. Sure, it is convenient and time saving to clear leftover food from plates directly into the sink before tossing them into the dishwasher. However convenient it may be, it is not worth the risk. Anytime you place solid foods, cooking grease, vegetable scraps and peels, or other foods down the drain you are increasing your chances of clogging the line and decreasing the flow and efficiency of your homes plumbing system. And perhaps the most damaging of all, you are also increasing the pressure inside the pipes which can lead to catastrophic plumbing leaks.

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It seems like a guarantee that if you own a home for long enough, there will come a time that your homes plumbing will spring a leak. Sometimes leaks are straightforward and can be quickly and easily fixed, and then there are the leaks that require immediate emergency action. For instance, water coming down to the first floor of your home through the ceiling, or a burst pipe that is causing serious and significant flooding. These are the types of leaks that require emergency action in order to neutralize damage. The first and most important step in dealing with an emergency plumbing leak is knowing how to shut off your home’s water supply.

Having an understanding of where your homes shut off valves are located will allow you to react calmly and with purpose in the event of an emergency plumbing leak. It will allow you to greatly minimize potential water damage instead of waiting for a plumber to arrive at your home to shut off the water for you. Simply understanding how to quickly access your homes main water shut off valve can help you avoid allowing hundreds if not thousands of gallons of water to flow into your home causing severe flooding and water damage.
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With as much as 18% of the average homeowners energy bill coming from heating water, it’s more important than ever to get the most out of your home’s hot water heater. However, even the most energy-effecient water heaters don’t work quite as well as they should so upgrading to a new unit can often times leave homeowners stuck in a catch 22. Below we have outlined some quick and easy ways any homeowner can increase the effeciency of their hot water heater while cutting down on energy costs at the same time!

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Lowering a home’s utility bills is never a bad thing. Neither is doing your part to conserve energy and protect the precious resource that our home’s plumbing provides. Below we will outline 6 tips you can take to cut down on daily water usage, and preserve the life of your homes plumbing system.

1) Drains need maintenance, never neglect them!

For most home and business owners alike, drains are rarely given a thought until they become backed up or clogged. If you wait for this to happen rather than being proactive in preventing it from occuring you will likely need a professional plumber to remedy the situation for you.

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In recent years the sales of disposable wet wipes for adults, have skyrocketed. Big box stores like Target and Sams Club have entire sections dedicated to them in the toilet paper aisles. To be completely honest, it makes sense. Wet wipes have an advantage in leaving one feeling more clean after using the restroom when compared to standard issue toilet paper. So, it comes as no surprise that they’ve soared in popularity in the last few years.

The issue with these disposable wipes is one word that consistently appears on their packaging, “flushable.” This is mislabeling at best and dishonest and misleading at worst. I mean, sure, if you attempt to flush them down your toilet they will in fact flush. I can think of a long list of items that can also be flushed down a toilet however, that doesn’t technically make them flushable. There are no shortage of horror stories online about massive clogs in drain pipes and home septic systems caused by the use of flushable wipes.

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