Turn Up the Heat on Frozen Pipes

Colorado winters have a whimsical way of making our plumbing systems resemble the frozen caverns of the Ice Planet Hoth (yea, your plumber just referenced Star Wars, we’re cool like that).

See what I mean?

Anyways, as we all know prevention is better than reaction. So with that in mind we give you the number one way to prevent your pipes from freezing:

KEEP YOUR HEAT SET TO AT LEAST 65°F AT ALL TIMES!
(when it’s below freezing outside, of course)

Yep, that easy. Fight the freeze with heat!

Is it 100% effective? No, it certainly isn’t. Winter in Colorado can be brutal and when it hits 10 below outside there’s a good chance a pipe in your garage or along an exterior wall will freeze, but this will prevent the other, easy to avoid problems.

Now, you may ask, “Chris, why do I care if a pipe freezes, won’t it just thaw?”

Great question!

The answer is yes, over time it will thaw. But when the weather is consistently below freezing this can take a VERY long time; days even. It’s best to just prevent the pipe from freezing than worrying about thawing it.

“But can’t plumbing companies come out and thaw my pipe?”

Sure, some can, if they can find it. Because of the amount of and complexity of the waterlines in your home it may be difficult or impossible to locate the freeze, and even worse it may involve making several holes in your drywall and ceiling before successfully located. There’s also a higher than 50% chance that the thawing machine used to warm the freeze will cause the copper line to split, forcing you to repair the line at an additional cost. That’s why McAdams Plumbing doesn’t recommend this practice.

“But I have PEX piping, not copper, what about that?”

Great! Pex handles frozen pipes much better than copper. It can expand and contract to its original form dramatically. This protects your home from freeze breaks. If you can locate the freeze in your PEX pipe you can easily fix it by slowly warming the spot with a hair dryer. PEX is fracture resistant, so there’s lower chance of it splitting, but it’s still possible. If you can’t locate the freeze, however, you’re still in the same boat of having to wait for the freeze to thaw.

I hope that helps give you a plan for protecting your home from frozen and broken pipes. You can find more tips on how to prevent frozen and broken pipes below in the “More Prevention Tactics” section.

Happy Monday and stay warm everyone!

-Chris

 More Prevention Tactics:

In order to make keeping your heat above 65°F more effective you can also open up all your cabinets, closets, and access panels in the house to allow the warm air to move around freely. The more “cold pockets” you have in your home the more likely it is you will have to deal with a frozen pipe.

Also ensure that any pipes you have running along an exterior wall or exposed to the atmosphere in anyway (outside of home, crawlspace, garage) are heavily insulated. Standard fiberglass insulation and foam pipe insulation are good options for this.

Finally, but most effectively, simply turn off your whole house water and open your faucets before you go to bed. By doing this you remove all water and pressure from your plumbing system while you are sleeping, and when the weather is the coldest, and make it close to impossible for your pipes to freeze. No water, no ice!

*Image courtesy of Starwarsreport.com.

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Garbage Disposal Dont’s

As the holidays get closer many of us find ourselves spending more and more time in the kitchen. Whether you are preparing the turkey for Thanksgiving dinner or baking cookies for Christmas, your garbage disposal can prove to be a very handy companion. However, you want to make sure that you are keeping your handy companion healthy through all the holiday hustle and bustle. That’s where we come in!

Below we have compiled a list of objects that will surely decrease your disposal’s life span. Remember, it’s a garbage disposal, not an in-sink trash bin.

• Rice, Pasta, Potatoes, and Beans- The main issue with these substances is swelling. Even the smallest particles of these items will swell when in contact with water. This will eventually gather, swell, and clog your trap.

• Animal Bones- Your disposal is not as strong as you may think. It can not break the bones down small enough to fit through which will ultimately cause a jam.

• Grease- This one is simple, the grease will solidify and end up clogging a portion, if not all, of your drain.

• Egg Shells- A common misconception about egg shells is that they help to sharpen your disposal’s blades. However, they ultimately do more harm than good. They do not sharpen your disposal’s blades but they will gladly clog the line.

• Fibrous Foods- This means celery, asparagus, lettuce, corn husks, carrots, onion skins, potato peels, etc. The strings of these items have been known to wrap around the blades and cause an issue with motor function. Your disposal can probably handle these substances in small doses but it is always better to be safe than sorry.

• Non-Food Items- As I stated before, this is a garbage disposal, not a trash bin. This means that things like cigarette butts, twist ties, rubber bands, plant clippings, etc. should not be what you are sending down the drain. As is the common theme of many of the substances previously listed, non-food items are another sure way to clog you drain.

We hope that this list will help to ensure a wonderful holiday season for you and your family. Be sure to follow this advice so you can save money for Christmas gifts rather than garbage disposal repairs!

If you have any further questions do not hesitate to give us a call at 303-465-1900.

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Beware of FOG

Happy Monday everyone!

This week we are going to talk about avoiding FOG.

Not fog, rather FOG: Fats, oils, and grease.

These buggers are what cause the majority of drain cleaning issues in your kitchen sink.

We’re highlighting a great blog produced by The Trusted Plumber, out of Phoenix, AZ. To read the original article in it’s entirety please click here.

Hope you enjoy!

*Beware of FOG! Fats, Oils, and Grease vs. Your Kitchen Plumbing

December 10th, 2014 

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Locate Your Main Water Shut Off

As a homeowner, and even a renter, it is extremely important to know how to locate your main water shut off valve.

Why?

Because if you live in a home long enough you are bound to spring a leak somewhere, at some time. Often, that leak will appear behind a wall, in a ceiling, or on your water heater, and you may not have any choice but to shut down all your water to prevent flood damage until you can get a plumber out to help.

So in this week’s blog I’m going to show you how to recognize, find, and use your main water shut off valve so you can rest easy knowing what to do in case of an emergency.

Step One: Recognize Your Valve

There are 2 very common types of shut off valve you will find in not only Colorado homes, but most homes across the United States. They are ball valves and gate valves. They can range in size, but the most common are 3/4″ and 1″ for residential purposes. Handle colors may also vary, so don’t necessarily expect yours to be red or yellow. They could be blue, black, pink, or any other color of the rainbow.

Ball valves are very trustworthy and shut off with a simple quarter turn of the handle. When the handle is parallel to the body (as seen above) it is in the open position. When the handle is perpendicular to the body, it is in the closed position.

Gate valves take a little more effort to close and can become stiff with age. They are, however, very reliable and have a very long life. To shut off a gate valve simply turn the handle clockwise until it will not allow you to turn anymore. Make sure the handle is snug. Some gate valves require a little extra effort on the final quarter turn, but if you find yourself exhausted, hurting, or needing tools to fully close the valve it would be a good idea to have it replaced before an emergency.

Step Two: Find Your Valve

You main water shut off valve is usually in a basement or utility room of your home. In Colorado it is also common for the valve to be located in a crawl space if one exists. Due to the cold temperatures in Colorado it is rare to find a water shut off outside the home or in a garage and it is not recommended that you relocate your shut off to such a place.

Start by following the wall that faces the city street side of your home at the lowest point. If your home does not face city streets (i.e. rural properties) look toward the side of the home that faces your well. The shut off may be behind an access panel, coming off of a copper pipe that pokes through your concrete foundation, in the furthest corner of your crawlspace, near a water heater/furnace, or right in plain view. Less often the shut off is located in an upstairs mechanical room. This happens more in apartments, condo units, and multi-home complexes.

Step 3: Test Your Valve!

Once you have located your valve it is recommended that you test it to ensure it is operating properly. As with all metals in contact with water it will wear down and eventually become non-functional. If this has happened, you want to know before an emergency, not after.

In order to test your valve turn it’s handle following the directions in step one based on your type of valve. Once you have fully closed the valve go to your nearest faucet and turn both the hot and cold water handles to the “on” position. You should have a steady flow of water for a few moments which will become lesser and lesser until the water completely stops flowing. The more faucets you open the faster this process will occur.

If you have the main water valve turned off and you are still seeing water drip out of fixtures after a few minutes of waiting your valve may not be fully closing. Contact your plumber to have them come test the valve and properly replace it if necessary.

If you have a small leak coming from the packing nut (see picture below) on your shut off valve simply use a small crescent wrench first remove the handle stem nut and handle, then lightly tighten the nut and replace handle. Gate valves normally require a Phillips head screwdriver to remove the handle, however the packing nut is in the same location. Tighten only enough to stop the leak, starting a quarter turn a time time. Check after each quarter turn. If you over tighten two things may happen: 1) the handle may become too tight to turn, or 2) you may break the packing nut which will mean you must replace the whole valve.

If you are not comfortable performing the previous task contact your plumber to tighten the bolt for you. Sometimes it’s better safe than sorry, especially on older devices.

Residential homes often also have a water shut off located in a pit at the city street. You’ll recognize this by the round iron lid that is marked with your municipalities insignia. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS! This shut off is for licensed professionals and city workers only. Because this valve is city property, not property of the homeowner, you could face a fine ($500 – $5,000) from your city for using this device.

For Licensed Professional and City Use Only

When you are ready to turn your water back on, do so slowly and purge the air from your waterlines starting with bath tub spouts first. There will be a lot of bubbling and gurgling as your system regains water pressure.

I hope that’s a helpful walk though. If you have any tips or ideas to help your neighbors find their valves, post them below. Also feel free to send pictures or messages with crazy places you’ve found your main water shut off valves.

Extra tip: Occasionally when you shut down your water system small pieces of debris can come loose. This is nothing to worry about, it causes no damage, however this debris can clog the aerators in your faucets. You can avoid this in one of two ways:

1. Simply unscrew and remove your faucet aerators prior to turning you water back on to allow the debris to pass. Then re-install the aerator after purging water.

2. Open a bathtub faucet on the top floor first. They allow for unrestricted flow, therefore if you let this run for a couple minutes it should remove the debris from your system without you needing to remove faucet aerators.

All the best!

-Chris

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At McAdams Plumbing, we get quite a few questions about pulling permits. Some of the most common questions include “what is a permit,” “what does a permit do,” and “why is it important?”

So we thought it might be a good time to address some of those questions in a blog.

With the help of a few other websites, I’ve compiled a list of great answers to those ever elusive permit questions. Let’s discuss!

What Is A Permit?

“A building permit gives you legal permission to start construction of a building project,” says iccsafe.org.

Basically, a permit is the city’s way of recognizing you are changing or adding a structure or system in your home and assuring that this work complies with all city and state codes.

You pay a small percentage fee of the overall cost of the job to have a professional inspector come out (multiple times if needed) to ensure all the work is done as it should be.

When Do You Need A Permit?

Permits are required when major alterations are going to be undertaken or when mechanical systems (plumbing, electrical) will be modified.

Most cities have their own list of home changes that will require inspections. Inquire with you city’s Building Department for more information.

Common projects requiring permit include:

• Water heater installation
• New roof
• Structural additions
• Blocking or adding a door or window
• Adding/relocating plumbing systems
• Adding/relocating electrical systems
• Installing or replacing an air conditioning unit
• Converting an unoccupied space (garage, storage) into a conditioned occupied space

What Does A Permit Do?

A permit helps you save time and money by helping to avoid potential problems with your project.

By working closely with an expert code official you can ensure your project is accomplished correctly, is safe, and will last. Their knowledge of building codes help to ensure your project goes off without a hitch!

Permitting protects you from potential lawsuits as well. If something were to happen with your project causing damage or injury, having a permit proves that you took all necessary precautions.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a permit helps protect the population by reducing the potential hazards cause by unsafe construction practices.

Why Is A Permit Important?

Your home is likely one of the largest investments you’ll make in your life. It’s very important to protect this investment to ensure you benefit from it long term.

If you choose to modify your investment (your home), you can lower its value by not pulling permit.

Future buyers will want proof that modifications were done to code. If you can’t prove this you’ll bet they will want it inspected and you’ll be responsible for the changes required to bring it to code.

In extreme circumstances the city may require you to remove the project, leave it vacant (in cases of a full room remodel), or make costly repairs.

Many property insurers or warranters may not cover work done without proper permitting.

Lastly, city Building Officials also have the authority to require owners of new homes to bring projects performed by previous owners up to code or otherwise face penalties. This is why it is so important to have your home inspected by licensed professionals before you buy it.

Hopefully that caught you up and what permits are and why they are important for your home, your family, and your community.

Thanks for reading along!

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

References

CPM Real Estate Inspections. Building Permits are Very important to Buyers. Web. 2014. Accessed 9 June, 2014.

ecitygov.net. Why Get Permits and Inspections. Web. 2008. Accessed 9 June, 2014.

International Code Council. Benefits of Building Permits. Web. ND. Accessed 9 June, 2014. 

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Frozen Pipes: 7 Easy Precautions to Take

Well I’m sure all of our friends and neighbors noticed the snow over the weekend. That’s Colorado’s way of saying Happy Mother’s Day!

Many folks (myself included)  got a head start on their lawns thinking we were in the Spring free and clear. Not the case apparently.

I’ve posted blogs on how to deal with frozen pipes before, so this will be a refresher. The difference is this time we’ll hear from the great people over at Sobieski Plumbing.

To see the complete blog in it’s origin, click here, otherwise read below to hear their 7 tips for avoiding frozen pipes.

Frozen Yard Faucet

Frozen Pipes: 7 Easy Precautions to Take

Nothing can make a winter more memorable – in a bad way – than frozen pipes. Besides the inconvenience of scheduling repairs and going without water till they’ve been completed, frozen pipes can result in pipes rupturing and potential flooding, resulting in costly damages to home and property. The good news is that with the right preparation and professional assistance, the risk of damage from frozen pipes can be minimized.

1. Drain water from outside basins, pools and water sprinkler lines.

If you use an external well pump, turn it off and open the water valves to reduce the pressure in the lines. Keep the valves open until the pressure drops and water no longer exits from the faucet.

2. Insulate exposed pipes…

…especially in crawl spaces, garages and attics with products designed for water pipes such as “pipe sleeves,” or install thermostatically controlled heat cables. Enlisting the help of a plumbing professional can help save time and effort.

3.Seal air leaks around the home.

Drafts are a source for freezing temperature. Depending on the type of leak, use caulk, weatherstripping or spray foam around window and door frames, dryer vents, electrical wiring, and wherever air leaks are found near exposed pipes.

4. Monitor your thermostat

Keep your home thermostat set no lower than 55 (McAdams Plumbing recommends 62* due to the harsh nature of Colorado winters) degrees F, even when you’re on away from home for a long period. The warmer it is inside, the less chance the pipes will freeze.

5. Open cabinet doors

Keep cabinet doors open in critical areas such as kitchens and bathrooms to allow warmer air to circulate around exposed pipes.

6. Allow your faucets to drip

Have a faucet open just enough to drip. If it’s tied to a hot and cold line, open both lines enough to drip together. Water movement reduces the likelihood of water becoming frozen.

7. Schedule a seasonal plumbing inspection

Finally, having an expert plumbing service perform a system review to identify potential risks can go a long way towards preventing future damage from frozen pipes.

Sobieski Services. "Frozen Pipe: 7 Easy Precautions to Take." Weblog Post. Sobieski Services' Home Comfort Blog. 20 Jan. 2014. 12 May 2014. 

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We’ve Got All the Right Tools!

One of the characteristics that separates professional plumbers from the rest of the wrenchers out there is the tools we use in our daily work. As you can imagine, there are a lot of different types of plumbing fixtures. Different producers, different parts, and different applications. All these different items require different tools.

It would be really nice if every producer and supplier of plumbing items used the same parts, but unfortunately that’s not the case. Because of this, plumbers have to be prepared for all the different styles of plumbing parts by having a wide array of tools for the job.

Most plumbers collect these tools over their lifetime in the industry. When new parts come out, they get the tool that’s made for that part. This is how we can repair and replace the fixtures in your home without causing additional damage.

Many times do it yourselfers and handymen will assume that they can use a standard wrench for just about anything, not realizing how delicate the part may be. We had a great customer recently decide to try and replace his own shower cartridge. He’s a handy guy with a good head on his shoulders, but unfortunately he just didn’t have the right tool for the job. What he ended up with was a completely broken shower valve that needed to be replaced.

You can see how the copper pipes twisted and crimped while he was trying to remove the cartridge. Below, you’ll see how the wrench dug into the body of the shower valve, tearing up the metal and exposing the new unsealed metal to corrosion and oxidation.

Now, McAdams Plumbing believes in self-sustainability and we completely understand folks wanting to do their own plumbing work. Heck, we support this! That’s why we host the do-it-yourself page. We just always ask you know your limitations.

When you get into a situation that feels uncomfortable, give us a call and talk about what you have going on. You may be able to save yourself a lot of money in repairs with a simple phone call.

As always, thanks for reading along. Hope everyone has a great week out there!

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

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Looks Like Colorado Found the Winter

Happy Monday Colorado, and it looks like we finally found the winter!

So we know what winter means: Slick roads, early darkness, and temperatures dropping well below zero, especially at night. The most important thing to remember when the weather starts changing like this is to drive safe, keep your headlights or running lights on, even during the day, and be patient. Allow yourself extra time to get to and from work. Be forgiving to other people on the road and don’t let all the darkness get you down.

Also, from the plumbing angle, make sure to take a few steps to keep your home protected from potential freeze breaks and other weather-related issues. Try the following steps:

• Make sure to keep your heat on and set to no less than 64° F
• Keep the doors, closets, and cabinets open to ensure that warm air circulates
• Keep you garage door shut
• Don’t be fooled by random warm days; if you get a warm day and decide to do some gardening, make sure you disconnect your hose and fully shut the valve off
• If you’re leaving for more than 24 hours, shut your main water off and open a kitchen faucet to allow warm air in

These are just a few easy steps you can take to protect your home from the dangers of freeze breaks. If you do run into any frozen pipes, check out our Do-It-Yourself pipe thawing section. If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call, email, or leave a comment below. We’re here to help.

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

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Think Twice Before Shopping Online

It is a digital age we are in, there’s no arguing that fact. Shopping online has become one of the most convenient services of the internet. It allows you to search for the product you want, compare prices amongst competitors, and have the best option shipped directly to you without ever having to leave your home! You may not get it right away, but still it beats fighting traffic to go to a storefront just to pay a marked up price doesn’t it?

There are some things, however, that are not always best ordered online. Plumbing fixtures tend to be one of these things. In our years of service to Broomfield and Denver we have run into quite a few good intentioned folks who ordered a toilet, faucet, or sink online just to have it arrive and find out it’s basically useless for them. Some of the most common issues we have seen with products ordered from third party websites (i.e. Amazon, Ebay, O.co) are:

• Fixtures don’t match the application (incompatible)
• Missing hardware
• No brand names (makes part matching/replacement impossible)
• Incorrect or non-standard sizing
• Do not follow standard plumbing code requirements
• No warranty

When these errors occur, most of these online shopping websites do their best to right any wrong, but they don’t always have control over the company that develops and ships the product. And let’s be honest, it’s quite the hassle to have to re-box a toilet and ship it back to the place it came from.

This is why McAdams Plumbing recommends that you always purchase your plumbing fixtures from either a plumbing industry supplier (i.e. Ferguson Enterprises, Park Supply, George T. Sanders), a national hardware store (i.e. Lowe’s, Home Depot), or directly from the website of a plumbing fixture producer (i.e. Kohler, Delta, Moen). If you do plan on ordering online, make sure the part you order matches the application EXACTLY. If you have any questions or are hesitating on what you should order, give McAdams Plumbing a call and we’ll help walk you through finding the right product for what you need.

Following these practices will ensure that you receive the part you are looking for, can easily return the product if something is wrong, and also ensures what you are getting will be under some sort of warranty. If you choose to purchase your product from a discount website, please make sure the product you are getting matches the application EXACTLY. Also it doesn’t hurt to call the company that is shipping the product to inquire about their return policy.

Alright, hope that offers some helpful information. If you have any questions at all regarding this post please leave a comment below or give us a call at 303-465-1900, we’re here to help!

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

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All About Whirlpool Water Heaters

So recently we ran into a situation with a customer dealing with their Whirlpool water heater. The quick and easy is that it was less than 2 years old, still under manufacturer’s warranty, but was malfunctioning and needed a new part. These folks weren’t sure what to do so they called MP. We gladly went out, diagnosed the problem, and let the owners know what was going on. Here’s where it got sticky. The parts for Whirlpool water heaters aren’t readily available. They sell some at Lowe’s, but not the big ticket items, meaning we had to go through Whirlpool direct. Well Whirlpool does not sell their parts to service companies, only to the owners of the purchased unit. So after our plumber re-diagnosed the problem on the phone with the agent, they came to the same conclusion we did and said they would overnight the part to the customer. At this point the customers have had no hot water for 2 days.

Next day. Part came to the customer as promised by Whirlpool. We were able to fit them back in the schedule and get the part replaced. But guess what? Same problem. Now back on the phone with Whirlpool our plumber re-diagnosed the problem with the customers present and were told that they sent a malfunctioning part. Another would be over-nighted. Now 3 nights for the customer without hot water.

Next day. Repeat the previous paragraph, only this time, Whirlpool decided to just send out a whole new water heater. So now, these folks are on their 4th day without hot water, needed to wait at least 7 days for the new unit to be delivered, and extremely frustrated with the Whirlpool water heater they purchased. The customer, based on this experience, decided to cut their losses and purchase and install a brand new Bradford White water heater from MP. So now they have all the hot water they could hope for, but it came at a cost of time, hassle, and money.

After MP heard the story of what happened over the course of this job we decided to do a little investigating around about Whirlpool water heaters. Boy were we shocked at what we learned.

Apparently what happened to these folks is not an isolated incident. On the Consumer Affairs website alone there are over 1,400 negative reviews about Whirlpool water heaters. Apparently there was even a class-action lawsuit filed. Here were the top trending complaints according to what was read:

• Poor customer service
• Defective pilot ignition systems
• Premature failure
• Thermocouple failure
• Inability to get anyone to service the water heater

So we tell you this not to take shots at Whirlpool, who actually make some of the best dishwashers and refrigerators we’ve encountered, but to inform you, the customer, of what you are purchasing. While the low cost Whirlpool water heater may seem like a deal, the cost of maintenance and the headache that comes along with ownership may not be worth it. While we’re sure there are many Whirlpool water heaters out there performing just fine, it looks like it may just be a bit of a gamble on what you’ll receive. If you ask us, just stick with Bradford White.

Hope this helps answer some questions and shows you why many plumbing companies are unable to assist in the repair of Whirlpool water heaters. Feel free to reply with any questions or comments. We’re here to help. Thanks!

The Proof is in the Plumbing!

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