Posts Tagged ‘Plumbing’

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Spring Valley Plumbing Tip: Parts of a Toilet

Friday, January 13th, 2012

The majority of Spring Valley homeowners are not aware that they can repair most minor toilet problems on their own. Whether it’s overflowing or running more than it should, toilets can be repaired often without calling a plumber; however, it is important to know the basic parts of a toilet before trying to troubleshoot toilet issues.

Here’s a guide to learning the parts of a toilet:



Tank: Pictured above (inspectapedia.com) is the tank on the back of the toilet, which holds the water supply for the bowl and the components that you need to know to fix most problems.

Bowl: Holds wastewater and uses the water from the tank to flush the waste.

Flush Handle:  The flush handle is the part that everyone knows, but it’s important to know what happens when you flush: the flush handle is connected to the trip lever, which lifts the flapper and allows the water for the tank to enter the bowl.

Trip Lever: The trip lever is the part that you need to know for a running toilet. It attaches the flush handle to the flapper, and when you flush the toilet, this lever lifts the flapper (sometimes called a flapper valve) and releases the water from the tank into the bowl to force the wastewater in the bowl down the sewer drain. When a toilet is running, you can simply lift the trip lever to lower the water level in the tank.

Float Ball: The float ball basically measures the water in the tank. After you flush, the ball will fall as the water level lowers, and the ball will rise again as the tank fills from the toilet main water supply. When the tank has enough water, the toilet will stop running.

Overflow Tube: This is the tube that will stop the tank from overflowing if the toilet is running. It leads into the drain and pushes out all the excess water. Sometimes you can remove the rubber water supply tube from the overflow tube to keep a toilet from overflowing if you are not able to shut off the main water valve behind the toilet.

Flapper Valve: This is the part to know whenever you have an overflowing toilet or a backup. The flapper is attached to the flush handle by a chain and the trip lever. Whenever the flapper is pushed down, the water cannot leave the tank, so when you flush, it creates a suction to pressurize the water entering the bowl so that it has enough force to flush the waste. If your toilet is overflowing, push the flapper down with your hand so that it stops the water from entering the bowl. Most people are afraid to put their hands in the tank because they associate the tank water with the water in the bowl. The water in the toilet tank is clean because it comes from the main water supply line, which is attached to the stop valve.

Stop Valve: This is also called the toilet supply valve because it controls the fresh water supply going into the tank. It is usually located behind the toilet near the floor, and turning it off is another way to stop an overflowing toilet because the tank cannot fill once it is turned off.  It is attached to the supply tube, which attaches to the refill tube.

Supply Tube: Although the supply tube and refill tube are connected, they are two different parts. People often use their names interchangeable, but what’s most important to know is that the supply tube supplies the water from the main line and into the refill tube, which refills the bowl.

Refill Tube: When the float ball is down, the refill tube fills the bowl with the water from the supply tube. After a flush, the ball rises, and when it reaches a certain level, the refill tube stops the flow of water into the bowl.

Trap: The trap is a seal that prevents backflow and strong odors from the main sewage line. If you smell sewage in your bathroom, particularly near the toilet, you could have a bad seal or faulty trap. Troubleshooting a trap usually requires a plumber, unless you are familiar with toilet installation.

Wax Ring: Another cause for bad odors is the wax ring, which is a seal between the toilet and the sewage line. A faulty wax ring could also cause leaking at the bottom of the toilet. Call a plumber whenever you aren’t sure about leaking toilets or strong sewer odors; there could be a problem in the main sewer line.

Call Yes! Air Conditioning & Plumbing if you have any questions about these components, or if you want to trouble shoot with one of our qualified Spring Valley plumbers.

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Anthem Plumber’s Guide: How to Replace a Bathroom Vanity

Wednesday, January 11th, 2012

Because it looks something like a dresser combined with a kitchen counter, you may think of your Anthem home’s bathroom vanity as being a piece of furniture, and therefore that it is simple to replace. Well, there’s good news and bad news there.

The bad news is that because of the sinks and pipes involved, your vanity is part of your plumbing system, so it’s a little trickier than getting a new sofa.

The good news is that it is still something you can do on your own – or at least with a friend – in a few hours or so. After you have measured the space and purchased the new vanity, here is how you can go about replacing the old one:

  1. Shut off the water supply. This is always the first step when undertaking any sort of plumbing work. Put a bucket beneath the sink to catch any water that drips from the supply lines after you disconnect them.
  2. Using a putty or utility knife, loosen the caulk that is sealing the countertop. Gently remove the countertop.
  3. Detach the vanity from the wall. Most vanity units are screwed in place to the wall, so just spot and remove all the screws.
  4. Mark the studs in preparation for positioning the new vanity. Hint: the old one was already drilled into the studs, if it was done properly.
  5. Put the new vanity in place, making sure it is flush to the wall.
  6. Attach the new vanity to the wall, taking care to screw into the wall studs that you marked in step #4.
  7. Put a bead of caulk along the top of the vanity base to hold the countertop in place. Carefully set in the new countertop.
  8. Reconnect the plumbing that you disconnected as part of step #1.
  9. Put down a thin bead of caulk along the edges of the countertop below the lip. Smooth the caulk in place with a damp rag.

Now your new vanity is all set. Allow the caulk to dry before getting moisture near it, and don’t forget to turn the water supply back on! If you have any questions or need any help, talk to your Anthem plumber.

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Mountains Edge Plumbing Tip: Wackiest Bathroom Products You Can Buy

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

Your Mountains Edge bathroom and kitchen have little in common. Mostly, they are only similar in that they are rooms with running water. But they are also alike in at least one other way: people like to acquire bizarre and fantastic products for both rooms.

In the kitchen, this means weird, singularly-oriented gadgets like cherry pitters, banana peelers or containers made specifically for saving tomatoes. In the bathroom, things get a little weirder. Have a look at some of these weird, wacky, strange, and extravagant bathroom products.

For a little mood lighting in the shower, how about a heat-sensitive shower head with LED lighting? The lights change from blue to red depending on the temperature of the water, which is reportedly supposed to save you from jumping into a cold shower.

If that’s not flashy enough for you, how about icing out your commode? No, I don’t mean freezing your toilet. I mean getting it covered in sparkling stones. For about $75,000, you can do just that, with a toilet fully decked in 50,000 rocks worth of shimmer. Unfortunately, they’re not real diamonds.

Or maybe you just want your commode to have a little more character without the gaudiness of all that bling. For about $300, you can get a real aquarium – with real fish! – that mounts on the back of the toilet. It doesn’t use the same water supply as the tank, so the fish are fine in there.

There are plenty of ways to customize your Mountains Edge bathroom, no matter what your taste, style or budget. You may as well get as wacky or expensive as you want with it – it’s your private room, after all.

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What Size Water Heater Do I Need for My Green Valley Home?

Friday, December 16th, 2011

When installing a new water heater in your Green Valley home, it is important to get one that is the appropriate size. Of course, one that is too small will not handle the capacity you need, so you will be stuck with water that is not quite hot enough.

You may think to just buy one that you are sure can more than handle the capacity you need, but there are drawbacks to this strategy. A water heater that is “too big” will also draw more power, resulting in waste and unnecessarily high bills. Plus, it will cost more up front than you really need to spend.

The trick is to get a water heater that is the correct size for your needs. For a conventional water heater with a tank, the metric you will need to refer to is the unit’s first hour rating, or FHR. To determine the necessary FHR, you first need to determine during which hour of the day your home uses the most water. Typically, this is either first thing in the morning or later in the evening, when most people are bathing. Once you know this, determine what the water usage is during that hour based on average usage for each task. For example, let’s say a typical morning in your home consists of:

  • 3 showers (average of 12 gallons each)
  • 1 food preparation (5 gallons)
  • 1 hand dishwashing (4 gallons)

That’s about 45 gallons of hot water needed during that hour, so you need a unit with an FHR somewhere in that ballpark. The U.S. Department of Energy has a good worksheet to use for these measurements, which includes average usage rates for common household hot water tasks.

If you are looking at getting a tankless water heater system, the process is a little more complicated. The important figure to know in that situation is the maximum temperature increase possible for a particular flow rate. That means adding up the flow rates for all the various appliances you may use at once, then figuring out how much you need to increase the temperature.

If you find any of this confusing, consider a professional consultation during the selection process. That will ensure you get the water heater that is right for you.

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Boulder City Plumber’s Tip: Common Plumbing Tools and Their Uses

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

Every Boulder City contractor has his tool chest, and a plumber is no different. To the novice eye, some of these tools may seem alien and complicated, but in fact the most common tools are quite simple to use. They are specialized to the job they perform, but they are all in all pretty simple.

Below are some descriptions of the most common plumbing tools and their uses, so you can build your own DIY plumbing toolkit.

When many people think of plumbing tools, they think of that big orange iron wrench that plumbers on TV and in cartoons always carry around. That is a pipe wrench, which is a powerful adjustable wrench specifically designed to loosen and tighten plumbing fixtures like pipes. (Hence the name.)

Perhaps the most common plumber tool that people already have on hand is the versatile plunger, which is a lifesaver for clearing up most simple clogs. For stubborn clogs, a pipe snake can come in handy. Essentially a snake is just a length of sturdy but flexible metal or plastic with a spring on the end for snaring clogs, like bundles of hair or debris.

For tighter spaces, there is a basin wrench, which is specially designed to loosen and tighten connections under sinks and basins. A pipe wrench usually cannot reach these spots, so a basin wrench is called for in these situations.

For the tricky nuts, or spots where neither a pipe wrench nor basin wrench will do, a pair of slip-joint pliers is a necessity for plumbers. These pliers are adjustable and have sturdy teeth for gripping hexagonal nuts, such as those attaching a toilet to the flange in your bathroom.

While a professional plumber will have a much more comprehensive selection available to him, these pieces make a good starting toolkit for tackling most common DIY plumbing repairs and other jobs around the house.

Generally speaking, if you have a plumbing need that can’t be met with these tools and your know-how, it’s probably time to call a real plumber and avoid any mounting headaches or damage.

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Summerlin Plumbing Guide: How to Change a Drain Trap

Monday, December 12th, 2011

Have you ever noticed that U-shaped length of pipe below your Summerlin home’s bathroom or kitchen sink? Does it ever seem to you like it doesn’t make sense to have that in there? It seems counterintuitive to have the water run any direction other than straight down.

Well, that little bend is the drain trap, and it keeps nasty odors and gases from wafting their way up through the plumbing and into your home. The U shape of the trap precludes the normal upward drift of the gases, so they don’t make it up through your drain.

After a while, these traps can become corroded, choked with debris or entirely clogged to such a degree that it needs to be replaced. When this happens, it is important to take care of this right away.

As with any plumbing project, the first step is to turn off the main water supply. Don’t worry about the inconvenience; the whole process will take less than an hour.

Next, remove all the pieces of the existing drain trap. Use a pipe wrench and/or slip-joint pliers to remove the nuts and pull the trap free. Attach a tailpiece washer to your new tailpiece, and then attach the tailpiece to the sink strainer. You may need to cut the tailpiece to length with a hacksaw.

With a slip nut and washer, affix the trap arm to the drain stub. Again, you may need to cut the trap arm to length.

Finally, attach the trap bend to the trap arm, making sure the beveled face of the washer faces the trap bend. Tighten all the nuts and turn the water back on. Run a little water down the drain and check for leaks before using it. You may need to tighten some joints or apply Teflon tape in some places.

Once everything is all sealed up, you’re good to go! Your new drain trap is in place and ready to use. And if you run into any problems, talk to your local contractor.

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A Las Vegas Plumber’s Guide: What Is a Slab Leak and What Damage Can It Cause?

Wednesday, December 7th, 2011

Also known as a foundation leak, slab leaks can cause a serious problem in your Las Vegas home. A typical cause of a slab leak occurs when the foundation for the home is poured. While the cement is still wet and setting, copper pipe is laid in to run wherever it needs to go for the plumbing system of the home. This is a fairly common practice.

The problem occurs when the copper piping is soft. As the cement hardens, any kinks, bends, nicks or other imperfections in the pipe are exacerbated. Over time, these problems can become more and more magnified, eventually resulting in one or more tiny leaks in the pipe. This causes water to leak directly into the concrete foundation.

This causes a number of problems for homeowners, both short-term and long-term. In the short-term, it reduces water pressure and increases water consumption, resulting in higher monthly bills for poorer water delivery. These are inconveniences and annoyances, but nothing compared to the long-term damage that a slab leak can cause.

The moisture in the foundation becomes a breeding ground for mold. This mold can spread throughout the foundation and the house, which is a serious health risk for you and your family. Mold and mildew spores negatively impact air quality and can lead to illness. Plus, the moisture weakens the foundation gradually over time. Eventually, you have a home that is less structurally sound and may succumb to mold, which can cause thousands of dollars to eradicate and repair.

Slab leaks can be repaired, but sometimes after repairing one, another will crop up shortly thereafter. However, they still must be repaired immediately before the problem spreads and becomes too big to handle.

There are a few different methods for repair, including breaking up the foundation with a jackhammer and laying new pipe or lining the existing pipe with epoxy. Consulting with a professional is the best way to figure out which method is right for you.

Common symptoms to detect slab leaks early are reduced water pressure or inexplicably high water bills. If you notice either of these occurring in your home, you may have a slab leak, so call a professional to get it checked out right away before it leads to much bigger problems.

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Sewer and Water Line Repairs: A Tip from Spanish Trails Plumber

Wednesday, November 30th, 2011

Your sewer and water line are the most important pipes in your Spanish Trails home. They bring in fresh water to your fixtures and remove waste water from your drains. So, a problem with either of these lines will put a serious kink in your daily routine. That’s why you should keep a close eye out for these potential problems.

Clogging

The most common problem you are likely to see in your pipe lines is clogging. This happens more often in the sewer line and is usually due to things being put down drains that don’t belong there. For example, toilet paper is designed to be flushed because it disintegrates when wet. Paper towels, however, absorb water and take a very long time to disintegrate. The same goes for most napkins and tissues. Use those instead of toilet paper or flush them when cleaning and you create a potential clog.

Only flush items that specifically say “flushable” on the packaging. Anything else should be thrown in the trash.

Root Infiltration

Because your water line and sewer line are located underneath your property, there is always a chance that a nearby tree or shrub’s roots will grow toward it, attempting to absorb water from the line. If this happens, the roots can eventually break through the pipe and create a leak. And if there is already a small leak or crack in the line, roots will rip it open like a tin can.

Mineral Build Up

Water is filled with various minerals that can have a negative impact on your pipes if not properly removed. Hard water in particular can damage pipes and create blockages that will eventually stop water flow completely.

Fortunately, hard water and other mineral problems are easy to solve with modern filtration devices. The key is to recognize that there might be a problem and move to fix it before it gets too bad.

Things to Watch For

If you suspect a problem in your water line or sewer line, watch for spikes in your water meter or a sudden increase in your bill – both sure signs that there is a leak. Additionally, check slow drains to make sure they are localized. If all the drains in your home are suddenly slower it may be in the sewer line.

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Common Water Line Problems: A Guide from Boulder City

Wednesday, November 23rd, 2011

Everyone needs water. It keeps us clean, provides us with a clean drinking source and helps us cook food and wash clothes in our Boulder City homes. So, when a problem occurs with the water line, it can be disruptive to every aspect of everyday life. Here are some common water line problems and solutions you can implement to solve them as fast as possible:

  • Burst Pipe – The biggest problem you can have is a burst pipe. This is a major problem and one that needs to be solved immediately. If your pipe bursts or starts to leak, turn off the main water supply immediately and call an emergency plumber. You’ll want to have it patched as soon as possible to return normal water service to your home.
  • Noisy Pipes – Noise in the pipes is a slightly less disastrous problem but it can lead to bigger problems down the road if not dealt with. Usually, it is due to air in the pipes which can create a loud banging sound. If your pipes are vibrating or banging, the easiest solution is to turn off the water supply and drain your pipes completely, then fill them back up to remove the air build up.
  • Water Pressure – Low water pressure can be due to a number of problems, from a small leak somewhere to an issue in the incoming water supply. If you notice water pressure dropping in your home, call a professional to inspect the problem and offer potential solutions.
  • Sediment in the Pipes – If suddenly you are seeing excess sediment, rust, or other debris in your water it is probably from an aging pipe. While this doesn’t necessarily signal that your pipe is about to burst, it can be a sign of potential problems in the future. Build up from hard water or erosion can both be major problems if not fixed right away.

Water line problems can range from small nuisances to major disasters that threaten your entire home, but they should all be treated with equal import. If something happens to your water line, don’t waste time trying to track down a solution. Turn off the water supply and call a professional right away.

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What is the Difference Between Water Filtration and Water Softening? A Question from Las Vegas

Monday, November 21st, 2011

If you’ve ever considered installing a water filtration system for your Las Vegas home, you probably ran across water softening and wondered how this is different than normal filtration. The two are similar in that they improve the quality of your water, protecting both you and your home’s plumbing system. However, filtration and softening are two very different things and you may not need both of them.

Water Softening

Water softening is a process designed to minimize the impact of hard water on your home’s plumbing. Hard water occurs when certain minerals like iron and magnesium are present in high levels in your water supply. The problem occurs when those mineral settle on your fixtures and pipes, leaving behind a residue that builds over time and can block the pipes or ruin the fixtures.

Hard water isn’t generally dangerous to your health, but if it is bad enough, it can result in poor tasting water and will cost you money as it does an increasing volume of damage to the system. To fix the problem, you soften the water with a chemical treatment that keeps the minerals from settling on their way through. They simply go straight through the pipes and fixtures and no damage is done.

Water Filtration

Filtration on the other hand is designed to remove key contaminants from your water – things like sediment, bacteria, mold, nitrates, and arsenic – things that can actually cause harm to you and your family if not properly treated.

While water filtration is not the same as water softening, the two often go hand in hand. Not only does water softening have the potential to add unsafe levels of sodium to your water (which then needs to be removed through filtration), but usually when water is hard, there are other contaminants as well that can cause harm if left unchecked.

The only way to be truly sure of which problem you have and which solutions are best is to have a full test of your water supply done. This will help you determine which of the many water cleaning solutions on the market will be best for your home.

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