When you are dealing with an older home that has an aged plumbing system preventative maintenance is the best policy. Updating and replacing old plumbing, before a disaster strikes, can be done in line with your own time table and budget. Remember, emergency calls are more expensive! Additionally, it can be difficult to get a plumber when you really need one.

Warning Signs of Failing or Bad Plumbing

If you are particularly handy and have basic plumbing tools leaky faucets may be easy for you to fix. However, that is not the case for every homeowner. It can be hard to know why a tap is dripping or leaking, to identify the faucet design, to know which replacement parts are needed and to know how to take apart, fix and reassemble a faucet.

There are a variety of faucet designs, including: cartridge faucets, disc faucets, ball-type faucets and compression faucets.

Each faucet design has very different components and there are specific parts or repair kits for each. They may include cartridges, O-rings, washers, stem screws, valve seats and cylinders.

If a faucet continues to leak after repairs have been made it may simply be worn out and need to be replaced.

Our plumbing contractors can help you with your dripping or leaking taps. Make a list of all of your plumbing needs, both big and small. That way you can get the most out of a single plumbing call.

One symptom of bad plumbing is low water pressure from your faucets. This low pressure could be because your supply pipes are extremely clogged from mineral deposits and rust. Another possibility is that your household plumbing system has undersized supply pipes.

Have a licensed plumber evaluate your water supply capacity for your main supply and for each of your fixtures in your plumbing system. This contractor can determine the proper pipe sizes for your water supply and replace all old supply pipes.

Another warning sign that your plumbing system requires some attention is when rust stains appear on the surface of sink basins, tubs and toilet bowls.

Serious corrosion inside iron supply pipes could be the culprit. If so, your supply system is in danger of failing or springing a major leak. Should this happen it would cause even more in repairs because of water damage.

Other causes include a high mineral content in your water and a water heater problem. Check these two possibilities out first. If these latter two causes are not creating the stains you will need to replace any bad supply pipes.

Ignoring symptoms that your plumbing system is beginning to fail could cause you more work, money and grief in the future. Have a skilled plumber diagnose any bad plumbing problems before they warrant an emergency call.

DWV (Drainage, Waste and Venting) pipes can also become badly clogged. A slow drain in one sink could signify a localized clog. Whereas, slow drains throughout your home could point to your drain pipes being badly clogged with mineral deposits and rust.

Your sinks and tubs should drain faster than the water comes out of your fixtures, even when your faucets are fully opened. When the drains are unstopped by plugs water should not collect in basins or tubs.

Another cause for slow drains is inadequate venting. Your drain system requires air to allow waste water to freely flow down the drain pipes. In the past, some homes were plumbed with lead or copper pipes. Today drain pipes are generally plastic or cast iron.

A professional plumbing contractor can locate any clogs, clear your pipes, check your venting and replace DWV pipes as required.

Do you have a water hammer problem in your home? This is caused be vibrating pipes. These pipes pulsate when fast-acting valves from an appliance, such as a washing machine, trap air. The solution? Have a plumber install a water hammer arrester close to the appliance to absorb the shock.

If the water pressure is too low (less than 40 psi) after the water service enters your home you can have a booster pump installed. On the other hand, if the water pressure entering your home is too high, more than 80 psi (pounds per square inch a pressure reducing valve is what is needed.

If you have plumbing concerns that you would like to have professionally evaluated, our plumbers can help! An thorough inspection and proper evaluation of your household plumbing will help you to isolate and replace aged, decrepit materials and prognosticate potentially costly or damaging problems.