Plumbers in Philadelphia, PA

With your ever-reliable water heater, you shower with hot water, wash your dishes and even do the laundry. This makes water heater an important part of our everyday life, so, when it develops an issue, it calls for immediate attention. Water heaters can be a gas or an electricity water heater. Irrespective of the type of water heater you have in your home, the following parts are common to the two types.

Parts of Water Heaters and their Purposes

• Anode Rod prevents water heater from rusting.
• Thermostat is used to adjust and maintain the temperature in the tank. For gas water heater, it part of the gas valve but the electric water heater has two thermostats, the upper and the lower thermostat.
• Temperature and pressure (T&P) relief valve relieves the pressure build-up by your water heater.
• Dip Tube directs cold water to the bottom of the water heater tank.
• Drain valve flushes the tank to drain the hot water heater.

Common Issues with Water Heaters

1. Water Leaks

Water leaking from your water heater might be due to loose drain valves or leaky pipes. Check if the drain valve is loose and tighten it. You can then check if your T&P valve is not damaged, if it is, it needs to be replaced. You may tighten the drain valve by yourself but contact a professional to replace a defective T&P valve.

2. Smelly or Discolored Water

Good water is said to be colorless and odorless but what happens when your hot water is smelly and/or colored. Bad odor might be coming directly from the water source or it could because the anode rod is rusty. Rusty anode rod can make water smell or discolor. The minerals in the water might also be the cause of the discoloring. Flush the hot water tank or call a plumber to replace a defective anode rod.

3. Temperature Issue

Issues with water heater temperature might be because your water heater is not hot at all, it is not hot enough or it is too hot. If the water from your gas water heater is not hot at all, adjust the pilot light setting. Check the electricity connection to the water heater for electric water heater. A broken dip tube might make the water not to heat properly and the thermostat issue might be the cause of a water heater producing scalding hot water. Call a professional to replace your dip tube.

4. Noisy Heater

The noise your water heater makes will determine what its problem is and how to tackle it. If your water heater is making a gurgling sound, the solution is to drain the tank and clean out the sludge or sediment. You can do this yourself. A water heater that makes a heating noise is dangerous and requires the attention of a professional immediately.

Carrying out a repair of hot water requires some levels of finesse and expertise, which only a professional plumber can deliver. Get in touch with us today and safe yourself precious time and money.

Your sanitary sewer serves as the link between your commercial building and the treatment or disposal system. You may not like to talk about your sewage issues but you’ll eventually have to deal with it. Usually, your sewage issues may be beyond just a repair. Don’t be hesitant in involving our professionals as it can be a nuisance and also lead to serious health risks. When it’s beyond a repair, you may have to think of replacements.

Sewage Parts Susceptible to Problems

When you notice issues with your sewage, it is likely to be caused by any or a combination of the following;

1. Broken Sewer Line:

Our experts will trace your sewer line for cracks and damages. This might lead to leakages that leads to a form of environmental pollution. There might be a need to reline the pipes to your sewage, or a hydraulic replacement when its too damaged beyond repair. Nonetheless, it may be a case of a simple maintenance.

2. Bathroom Not Draining

This can lead to a whole lot of mess for you indoor. This messy scenario which our experts don’t consider as dirty might have occurred as a result of numerous reasons. It’s the job of our plumbing experts to trace the problem to the root and ensure it doesn’t happen anytime soon.

3. Foul Odor Due to Sludge Build-Up

All these reasons leads to one point, unbearable smell in the environment. Let’s assume you run a factory or an office building, you’ll be exposing your visitors, employees and customers to health issues if the sewage problem is not fixed.

When Should You Call Our Professionals?

You should not wait until it has gotten to an unbearable point before getting across to our professionals. Waiting could be quite dangerous as it will be getting worse by the day. Just have it in mind that it takes our professionals 90 minutes to get to you!

Toilet is one of the most essential parts of a house the value of which is felt only when something is wrong with it. Imagine the inconvenience a leaky toilet could cause if not checked or the scare a ghost flush could give in the middle of the night. Some of these problems can be averted with a proper check and maintenance while some are inevitable. You can tackle some of these issues on your own but for others a professional plumber is your safest bet.

Some Parts of a toilet and their Uses

• Flapper/Tank Ball controls the amount of water released to the bowl.
• Float Ball signifies the supply when the tank is full.
• Flush Handle is the outer part of the toilet that you press and hold to flush.
• Ballcock/Fill Valve opens the toilet for water to fill the tank
• Toilet Tank is where most of the other parts are located. It holds water until you flush.
• Wax Ring serves as a seal for your toilet.

Common Problems Found in a Toilet

1. Clogging

This gives most toilet owners headaches. Clogging can be as simple as a shallow clog or as complicated as a deep clog. When you have a shallow clog, all you need is a plunger to clear the drain. If your toilet is still blocked, use a toilet auger. For a deep clog, contact a professional repairer.

2. Ghost or Phantom flush

A situation where your toilet occasionally flushes itself without you pressing the handle is a phantom flush. This may be due to a high water level, which could be because of a worn flapper. To adjust or replace a damaged flapper, drain the tank by holding the toilet handle or turning off the water supply to the tank.

3. Leaky Wax Seal

The water coming out from the bottom of your toilet bowl can create a puddle on your floor if not checked. It may be because of the wax rings seals located at the base of the toilet. You can replace the seals by removing the toilet or call an expert.

4. Loose flush handle

When your flush handle is loose, it can be caused by a problem with the mounting nut or chain in the tank. Clean the mounting nut in the tank and tightening any loose nut or replace a broken chain. Call a professional plumber if the problem persists.

There are varieties of issues that you may encounter with your toilet, most of which may seem daunting if you don’t know how to deal with them. This is why you need a plumber who is not only reliable, affordable and fast and but will also relate with you in a respectable manner.

Bathtubs and showers are made not only to keep you clean but also relaxing. Now imagine if you have to put up with a clogged bathtub or a shower that drips slowly. Drains and leaks are the two most common problems of showers and bathtubs, but other plumbing issues can be equally annoying.

Showers and Tubs parts

• Faucet- there are two forms of faucet, there is a cartridge faucet and a compression faucet. You should know the type of faucet you have to be able to troubleshoot it.
• Tub spout- this directs water into the tub.
• Drains- carry waste water out from the tub and keep the water from overflowing
• Diverter- takes the water from the pipe to the showerhead

Common Issues with Showers and Tubs

1. Drain Issues

Items like hair, soap and even mineral deposits from hard water could block the free flow of water down the drain. The solution to this can be as simple as pouring hot water into the drain, using vinegar or a plunger to unclog the drain. If your water still does not flow, contact a plumber.

2. Low water Pressure

Water running slowly from your showerhead could be as a result of lime scale buildup. The solution to this is to use a descaling solution or replace the showerhead. Contact a professional for a suitable showerhead replacement.

3. Leaky Showerheads and Tubs

If your showerheads and tubs are consistently wet even when you are not using them, then you have a problem common to most showers and tubs- leaking. A cracked or rusty gasket can bring about a leak with your tub while the water supply valve and the washers may need replacement in your showerheads. 

4. Leaky Faucet

A leaky faucet might be as a result of faulty rubber washers, seals or gaskets in the valve compartment. If any of this is defective, you can easily replace it on your own or call a plumber to replace the whole faucet.

Proper maintenance of the showers and tubs keep it in excellent condition but no matter how careful you are, some parts of these fixtures are going to develop faults at some point. Some of these you could simply rectify on your own but to prevent bigger problems, you need a plumber for others.