Your Drain Health

How's Your Plumbing?

When people go to see a doctor, many times they will use a phrase like, "Hows the plumbing?" That's very important information to know, both physically and domestically.

How Often Do You Think About Your Drains?

You probably don't think about your drains until they disappoint you. If you think a clog is as bad as it can get, you're mistaken.

Clogged Drains Can Lead To:

Toilets not flushing Toilets overflowing Sinks backed up Poor dishwasher function Washing machine flooding

A worse case scenario is that your sewer line can completely back up and cause significant damage to your home interior.

What Can You Do To Prevent a Clogged Drain?

It may seem like common sense to most folk, but a surprising amount of homeowners and renters don't understand the importance of basic drain health. To save money down the line, here are a few things to remember NOT to do.

Never pour any type of grease down your drain. Even with the hot water running, and your sink still draining after doing so; you will end up with solidified grease farther down your line. Remember that you endanger your entire neighborhood's sewer line if it accumulates off your property. Never continue to flush an upstairs toilet when the downstairs toilet is clogged. Call your plumber immediately if a simple plunger won't do the trick. Water will naturally evacuate at its lowest point in the home, and if that's your downstairs toilet, you can be in for some serious sewer damage when the contents erupt through the downstairs toilet. Don't allow hair to visibly block your shower and bath drains. If you can see it, pull it out with a screwdriver or your fingers. Left ignored, it won't go away, just accumulate farther down the line.

Good drain health is just good home maintenance. Call your trusted plumber with any concerns you may have about your drains. Putting off that call can have unpleasant results.

To your drain health!

Prefabricated Shower Stalls - Tips For Installing

Installing a prefabricated shower stall often turns out to be a tricky and time-consuming job that takes great practical skill, yet with sensible pre-planning and the right tools for the job, a professional result can be obtained by the average home-handyman. Allow 3-4 days to complete the work and brush up on your carpentry, plumbing, wall-preparation and finishing skills because you're going to need them all!

To begin with, make sure you have the right equipment and tools before you begin the job. Importantly, purchase the shower stall before building the frame it will fit in in order to get accurate dimensions.

You will need: a prefabricated shower, electric drill, plumb level, tape measure, caulk, screws, hole saw, shower/tub adhesive, tape, pencil, leather work gloves, hammer, work boots and an adjustable wrench. Protective eye-wear is also highly advisable (wear when using power tools.)

Getting the prefab shower into position can be the tricky part. You will need to fit it through an existing doorway or an outside window. In some instances, part of an exterior wall may have to be removed in order to get the unit inside; seek professional advice first if required.

Because prefabricated shower stalls have watertight walls, cement-based backer boards are not needed.

It is advisable to install insulation between the studs in order to reduce plumbing noise.

When drilling holes in the unit's walls to fit the faucet and shower arm, measure carefully in advance and always wear protective eye-wear when drilling.

Position parts carefully and attach the unit to the framing. The drain piece, shower handle, escutcheon, and shower-head all need to be fitted correctly to prevent leakages and future problems. All seams need to be caulked efficiently and a thorough checking of any leaks needs careful attention; later corrections to any plumbing faults can be difficult to carry out.

Finally, finish the walls and fit a shower door or curtain bar. It is vital that you seal the joints between the bathroom walls and floor and shower enclosure with a good quality silicone! Installing water-resistant drywall around the top edge of the shower stall can be a wise, long-term investment; tiling the top edge is also a great idea as it will likely last a lot longer than wallpaper or paintwork.

If you aren't adept in skills like demolition, plumbing and drywalling, you may be best served by employing a qualified professional to carry out these tasks.

As a final reminder, installing prefabricated shower stalls can be quite fiddly and time-consuming. The plumbing especially has to be completed with some expertise in order to have a sound unit. Yet having said all this, a successful shower installation is achievable if you take your time, check well for any leaks and consult an expert for advice if the need arises.

Good luck!

How PEX Plumbing Can Reduce Your Bills

When it comes to plumbing, you not only need to ensure proper fittings and proper arrangement but also proper savings. Investing for plumbing can go high for the quality, but if the plumbing system can save your bills to some extent and yet come with quality, isn't it a good way to go? The PEX tubing, PEX plumbing and the PEX fittings are gaining more and more popularity among the homebuilders for being of high quality and also cost effective.

The PEX plumbing (cross linked polyethylene) is actually a flexible plastic piping system which is composed of different individual molecules permanently linked together. The cross linking of the molecules creates a very durable and stable plastic which doesn't melt or get reshaped. With the possibility of configuring the PEX as per the requirements, the performance and water savings can be increased with the PEX plumbing.

The short term and long term savings with the PEX fittings and PEX tubing are major and hence the qualities along with the savings attract many homebuilders towards this choice. The advantages of
the PEX tubing and PEX plumbing are many.

PEX system requires much fewer connections as compared to the other systems. The PEX tubing is available usually in long coils and is very flexible so that they bend around the obstructions and hence do not require connections is such areas. The fewer the connections, the fewer are the chances of leaking and water damages and hence the maintenance. The fewer the maintenance requirements, more you save money.

PEX fittings come with the feature of easy installation. With fewer fittings the labor charges decrease, saving you more money. Along with easy installation, the maintenance and repair costs are low. The PEX tubing being resistant to corrosion, the chances of requirements of services become lesser. The energy efficiency of the PEX systems is higher than the usual with the low heat loss from water. Hence the hot water remains hot while flowing through the PEX tubing and one will not require reheating the water and waste energy.

With so many different plumbing and tubing options in the market, the ultimate choice of the plumbing system demands a well thought plan. Along with the lookout about the quality of the tubing system, one will also need to consider the durability and cost effectiveness. These are all available with the PEX plumbing system as the plastic body becomes extremely durable and helps in saving post installation maintenance charges a lot.

So when you are thinking about arranging the plumbing system for your home, you can consider the popular PEX plumbing system as they are not only long lasting but are money savers too.

How PEX Fittings Are Used in PEX Plumbing Systems

PEX fittings are used to connect the flexible polyethylene pipes used in PEX water plumbing systems. Flexible PEX tubes are a low cost, problem free alternative to metal or plastic systems. You can avoid the problems of corrosion and scaling when you use a PEX system. Altogether PEX water plumbing systems are a vast improvement over older systems that use copper or rigid plastic pipes.

The flexible pipes are not made brittle by low temperatures. Polyethylene tubes are cheaper than metal pipes and are easier to install because they do not use as many fittings as metal or rigid plastic systems. Since soldering is not used with PEX systems there are no nasty fumes or the risks associated with using a torch.

PEX tubing is wrapped in spools. Because spools weigh less than cut metal or plastic pipes, they are easier to store and cost less to ship. Tubing can be unrolled from the spools with no need for coupling fittings. Installation is much quicker and cheaper when it does not involve the running of pipe.

Connecting the tubes is done by inserting a fitting into or over the tube and then crimping a ring placed over the tube or fitting. There are a few different connection methods. Some use copper crimp rings and others use crimp rings made of plastic. One system uses a stainless steel clamp. Most fittings are brass although some are made of other metals or plastic. Because PEX tubing is flexible and can be turned to a 90 degree angle elbow joints are not needed.

Tubes are cut using a special PEX pipe cutter and come in different sizes to accommodate 1/2" or 3/4" tubes. A main crimping tool is used to pinch the rings over the pipe or fitting. There is a de-crimping tool that is used to remove crimped rings. There are some specialized tools used for the stainless steel clamps and proprietary connection methods.

The most common material used to make fittings is brass. However, you can find fittings made from other metals and even plastic. Fittings have ridges that when crimped make a high-pressure seal.

Using the system of PEX fittings along with PEX tubing has definite advantages over metal and plastic piping. It is less expensive than rigid plastic and copper piping. It can be installed right from the spools. It requires less fittings. It last longer because it is not subject to corrosion.

Plumbing Pipes For Potable Water

There are many varieties of plumbing pipes available in the market. While going in for a kitchen remodeling project or building a new home you will have to choose which material would be best for you. A brief look at the most popular pipes:

Copper: pipes are very popular and are used for drain, vent and potable water supply. It is durable, easy and flexible to install, safer in natural disasters, resistant to intense weather and microbes and competitively priced. For many years contractors have preferred copper plumbing for its dependability and solid value. Homeowners also prefer copper plumbing because it generally increases the resale value of homes. It also ensures a clean, safe water supply. Lead has been removed from the manufacturing process so it no longer poses a health risk unlike with galvanized pipes

CPVC pipe (Polyvinyl chloride) is a rigid plastic pipe that is put together with solvent joints. They are perfect for areas of the country that have aggressive water that eats away at copper pipes. This aggressive water can sometimes eat through copper pipe within eight years. CPVC is unaffected by aggressive water, and its smooth inner surface won't collect mineral deposits. Though these pipes have many advantages they suffer from one major drawback. In case of fire or electric spark they omit poisonous gases. If this is an issue with you or your kitchen does not have a good exit point stick to copper.

PEX Pipe: is the newest entrant in the plumbing scenario. It is a flexible plastic pipe than can be installed much like electrical wiring. Suitable for use with both hot and cold water they can be used in conjunction with steel, copper, PVC and CPVC plumbing pipe. They are also highly resistant to bursting.

Plumbing For Your Kitchen

The quality of their kitchen is one thing that worries most of the women and they always crave for perfection as far as looks of their kitchen are concerned. And that's one reason why most of us prefer to update our plumbing every 8-10 months.

Water-supply lines are the main components of a kitchen's plumbing system and in many cases accompanied by the gas-supply pipe. The part of the sink's plumbing which is visible to the naked eye is mostly situated right below the sink, and within the sink's base cabinet. To serve this appliance we have a pliable gas-connector which in turn is controlled by a gas valve situated by the wall or near the floor underneath a gas range.

Usually the two small valves: one for hot-water and the other for cold are located beneath the sink. To stop the flow of water, you have to turn these valves clockwise. From the valves we can see the two separately running flexible supply tubes that render water to the faucet.

To control the gas supply, there is always a shut-off valve beneath the gas range. To deliver gas to the appliance, there is the flexible supply line which is like a small tube.

Sometimes you may observe some other water connections near the cold-water shut-off valve which may be in the form of a saddle valve. Connections fitted with elastic copper or plastic tubing are used to serve as a water treatment or as an instant-hot water dispenser.

Looking at the other aspects where plumbing is required we come across kitchen islands first. Just the thought of moving the sink away from the wall might scare you but in fact it is a simple task in itself. For installing a kitchen island, all the pipelines need to run through the floor. However, having a basement in your house can prove to be a boon. If you just have a little space underneath enough for someone to crawl beneath, you still have chance. But, if your house is situated on a concrete base, then you should let go of this idea completely.

For installing a dishwasher, you need to do a lot of work. To start with it is advisable to install the dishwasher next to the kitchen sink. The reason for it is that a dishwasher not only needs hot water supply but also necessitates drainage. If the dishwasher is not installed properly the results can prove to be calamitous. So you need to be careful while doing this job and as a safety measure have the habit of checking your dishwasher at least once before the final installation. To check if your dishwasher is working properly, run one full cycle of washing before fitting it in the allotted area.

Kitchen plumbing can in fact be done by any one with not much experience but good know how of how things are done keeping in mind the safety guidelines. The decisive factor in kitchen plumbing is the water supply lines that keep the kitchen running spic and span.

Plumbing Tips - Inspection

It is clearly important to be able to gain access to all parts of the underground drains. This is usually done by providing inspection chambers at various points. To meet the Building Regulations, chambers have to be provided: at junctions between drains; where the drain changes direction or gradient; at or near the beginning of the drain; and at intervals of not more than 45m on long, straight runs. In between the inspection chambers, the drains should be laid in straight lines.

The usual form of an inspection chamber has sides made of brick, often cement-rendered either on the inside or the outside. At the base of the hole are open channels to which the drains are connected and along which the water in the drains runs.

The inspection chamber is at a junction between three drains. The branch drain is connected to the main one with a specially shaped half-channel bend which is swept in the direction of the flow of water through the main channel.

The channels are built up with benching - smoothly finished concrete shaped to direct any splashes back into the channels. The top of an inspection chamber is covered with a manhole cover a heavy, cast-iron plate set in a cast-iron frame. If there is a manhole cover within a building it usually has to be screwed down to the frame and the joint sealed with grease.

With modern drain materials, it may not be necessary to have full-scale inspection chambers at all junctions and bends in the drain. Instead, rodding points may be used. Small circular inspection chambers may also be fitted.

A rodding point has a length of pipe with a gentle bend connected at an angle to the drain. The other end of the pipe leads to ground level and is covered with a suitable removable cover. If the drain needs unblocking, the cover is removed and drain rods passed down into the drain. Rodding points are small and neat - unlike large, ugly manhole covers - but some inspection chambers may still be needed.

In older properties, the inspection chamber at the boundary of the property may have an interceptor trap fitted at the outlet of the channel. To gain access to the length of drain between the trap and the main sewer, the trap has its own rodding arm which bypasses the U-bend. The rodding arm is fitted with a stopper (sometimes secured with a chain) to prevent the drain water from bypassing the U-bend, too.

This inspection chamber may also be ventilated by means of a short pipe projecting above ground from the side of the chamber. The pipe is usually fitted with a grilled ventilator, behind which is a flap. The theory is that the flap allows fresh air into the drain but prevents foul air from escaping. Ventilators are probably more of a hindrance than a help, and damaged ones can be removed completely rather than repaired. Interceptor traps also give problems the rodding arm stopper can fall out and cause a blockage in the trap if it is not suspended by a chain.