Plumbing Drain Cleaning & Water Heaters

Tips To Save Money on Plumbing Problems

Let’s face it, in today’s economy, we are all trying to save a little bit of money.

Below are some tips that could help you to save money on some of your household plumbing repairs.

1)      Prevention

Neglect is the major cause of plumbing problems happening and escalating. You can do minor plumbing repairs on your own so that these problems do not escalate. Example – if you have a dripping faucet, don’t let it go on for too long. First of all, it’s annoying, and secondly, it’s an easy fix.  By replacing the cartridge or washer yourself, you can have the problem solved in less than 30 minutes. AC Plumbing Construction

2)      Buy your own parts

Most plumbers will be happy to work just for labor if you supply the parts. But be prepared. Ask your  Clearwater Plumber before he comes down exactly what parts he will need.

3)      Always use a qualified plumber

Nothing is worse than paying twice for the same job.  Let’s face it, you know we’ve all done this. Uncle Max has a friend of a friend whose son does plumbing on the side.  He’ll do the job for $50. He comes down, replaces a broken faucet, but doesn’t use the correct epoxy on the pipes. Three days later the pipe comes apart and your kitchen is flooded. Can you get a hold of him? No. Now it’s time to call in the big guns, which will cost you a lot more than $50. Was it worth it?

4)      Try to save your plumber time

If you know your plumber will be working under your sink, clear it out. Remember, your plumber is working on an hourly basis.  Don’t let him waste time doing your job.

5)      Get your money’s worth

If your job only takes 40 minutes, but your plumber is charging you for an hour, have him check out all your other faucets, water heater, etc. There may be another minor problem that he can fix without having to come back and charge you again.

6)      Check for permits

If you are doing a large renovation, check with your city department to see if you need a plumbing permit. You could be fined or shut down until you get the necessary permission.

7)      Quotes, Quotes, Quotes

If you are having major plumbing repairs, always get at least 3 quotes. Compare each quote to see what is included. Remember, the lowest isn’t always the best.

8)      References

Always check references from your plumber. You may hear his name around town, but it might be for the wrong reasons.

Plumbing Tips For The Fall

With every season comes a to-do-list of chores that must be done in order to prepare your home for the change in weather. As fall arrives and the temperature begins to drop, you should prepare your plumbing in the home, as well. Spending a little time, in the beginning, can save you money in the end.

The Outside:

Make sure you check all of your faucets outside for any drips or leaks. If any repairs are needed, they should be done before the temperatures drop to freezing. When pipes become frozen, the pipes can crack and break due to build-up of water pressure. Over 200 gallons of water can be lost through the tiniest crack each day which will cost you an extra expense with your water bill.

Always make sure your water hoses are a disconnect from the faucets outside. Hoses can freeze up in cold weather and cause in connecting pipes to break, including the ones that lead to the inside of your home.

Keep all of your gutters cleaned so they can drain properly as any ice or snow begins to melt during the winter months.

Inside Your Home:

Close all shut-off valves inside your home the lead to any faucet outside and drain the lines of water. These valves are not something that is found in all home, but it is important to protect them in homes that do.

Remove any sediment, that may have built up in your water heater. This buildup can cause your heater to no longer work properly at heating water as it attempts to work harder in the winter months. Sediment can be removed by connecting a hose to the bottom of your tank and draining the old water.

Don’t Forget the Holiday Trips:

With the fall months, come the holidays. Many families get so wrapped up in planning trips for the holidays, that they often do not think to protect the pipes from the freezing temperatures while they are gone. Before heading out, make sure your main water valve is shut off to your home. Taking these steps will keep your home safe from broken pipes during your holiday vacations. If you have any question on how to prepare your plumbing for the fall or run into any problems, it is always a good idea to call your plumber. These skilled professionals will help get your homes ready for the cold months ahead.

Tips On Getting A Plumber At Your Door

Everybody at one point would definitely need the service of a plumber, regardless as to whether the work is inside their house or outside. Many people still do not know how to contact a plumber when it comes to emergency situations, such as pipe breakage, congested drainage and so on.

Calling to hire a plumber is in fact not so hard after all. Nowadays there are just so many plumbing companies offering this service, both to urban areas as well as suburban and rural in many places. You can simply call the number they commonly advertise around the city or town, or even in newspapers and on television.

Basically there are several things you should consider before you decide to call upon certain plumbing services. These things are simply some form of safeguards so that no fake plumbing services would be able to penetrate the market and cheat you and run away with. This would include the checking out of services and rates, the minimization of the plumbing need, saving the charge time and so on.

Checking Out The Services And Rates

You can find the advertisements for huge plumbing companies around the city, in the newspaper and in many places as said before. If you had no time around to look for all these, you should always keep a copy of the yellow pages every year. You can just browse through the yellow pages and call up the company.

Now, better still you have the internet. With the internet, you would be able to check the rates of the plumbing services they offer straightaway without even calling them up to check. You can compare several companies and make your own decision as to which one you should call and which one is the most worthy of calling.

Most of the rates are on per hour basis, so you can easily distinguish each from another.

Minimization Of Plumbing Needs

This is a different approach to calling a plumber or can be called an alternative. If you think that calling a plumber is going to cost you a lot of money, you can simply do this; reduce the need to call them at all. You need to take attention to your piping and drainage very often, and learn how to clean them yourself very often.

Reducing Charges

Of even if you really have to call the plumber, yet you do not want to pay a lot of money, you minimize the charging hours by doing whatever you can do and leave the rest for him.