Home Plumbing Service

Most people may not know, but your home plumbing system is as important as any other system in the house. It makes up about 15% of the total value of your house. This is why you need to do everything you possibly can, to ensure it functions properly. A fully functional and effective plumbing system provides you with clean water. Other benefits of efficient plumbing service include;

• It increases water efficiency and home energy through water saving devices
• It provides access to good and clean water that is important for well being and good health
• It adds convenience to modern standard living
• It can also help communities during a shortage of water and drought

It is important for homeowners to pay attention to the running, maintenance and protection of your plumbing service. This is because they help you in your day to day tasks and household chores.

Why worry about plumbing maintenance

It is quite unfortunate that a lot of people do not worry about their house plumbing until there is a problem. At that point, the situation would probably have gotten out of hand. From time to time, one should take the time to check in on your house plumbing, so you can notice any problems before it becomes a major issue.

It is important to take care of your house plumbing, so that water flows freely without obstruction and also water from the toilet is flushed, and this helps yo avoid leaks from any of the pipes, not to mention conservation of water and energy bills.

Some people might not notice, but effective plumbing reduces expenses which can be caused by the waste of water from leaking pipes, or damage caused by water. For instance, a leaking pipe, it goes undetected, can lead to mould growth, rotting of wood and corrosion of pipes.

This adds up to a huge expense that would have been prevented if the leak was noticed earlier. We always encourage our clients to check on their pipes from time to time so that leaks will be noticed and we will be notified to fix them as quickly as possible. Leaks do not only affect the house by tampering with the air quality and properties, but it also affects the water pressure by reducing it.

Plumbing maintenance involves inspecting your pipes more often for leaks. It also entails seasonal maintenance and servicing of basic household appliances that use water like the dishwasher, water heater and the washing machine. Regular inspection of these appliances makes it easy for defects and faults to be noticed on time, and as a result, handled properly.

The best and possibly the only way to avoid plumbing problems is to inspect your plumbing regularly and fix any problem that comes up as quickly as possible. However, you can contact us at Emergency Plumber London to help in inspecting your pipes if you are too busy to do so yourself, or you do not know how to.

We have taken the time to provide you with tips on how to maintain and inspect your house plumbing on a daily, weekly and seasonal basis to conserve water and energy costs. You can always contact us whenever anything goes wrong, our team of highly skilled engineers will be there to help out.

Tips for Daily Maintenance

It is common knowledge that blockages are every homeowner's nightmare. It is because they reduce the durability of the pipes by placing them under pressure and stress. Every day, we receive calls from clients, complaining about a blocked drain either in the bathroom or in the kitchen.

Preventing blockage is one of the things you should do daily in your home because your pipes are used daily. Furthermore, blockages are disturbing and should be fixed as they slow down the daily running of the house. Even slow draining pipes are equally a problem because they develop into a full-blown problem if not fixed. Daily maintenance is paramount in two important places in the house; the bathroom and the kitchen. These two places are at a higher risk of developing plumbing problems because water runs through these pipes all the time.

In the bathroom

Blockages are most likely to form here. The blockages can be controlled by following the instructions below;

• Do not flush wipes and female sanitary products down the toilet bowl. Only human waste and tissue paper should be flushed down to avoid blocked toilets.
• Do not use chemicals to try to unblock pipes, as they can cause corrosion to the pipes.
• Reduce the use of bath oils when showering and also use drain screens to prevent hair from going down the drain, so the drains flow freely
• Maintain water pressure and prevent unwanted stress on the house plumbing.

Watch what goes down the drain by keeping track of the products you use. They can be oily and greasy and end up clinging to pipes and causing blocked pipes.

In the kitchen

We at Emergency Plumber London has discovered that the kitchen drain is one place that experiences higher blockages. Blockage in the kitchen drains is caused by food wastes and debris going down the drain. They are caused by two major factors. The first is caused by washing down grease or oil from food like fats, butter and cooking oil. When they cool down, they become hard and block the pipes

The second is caused when the garbage disposal is not properly used. Follow up the following tips to keep your kitchen drains free from blockage;

• After using the waste disposal, allow the cold water to run for at least 10 -15 seconds. This pushes down any remaining food particle
• The waste disposal should be turned on together with the water before food is added
• Food with fibres and strings should not be added to the disposal. They can get tangled up and damage the disposal
• The dishwasher can be allowed to run at night so that water pressure is maintained and hot water conserved.

Tips for Weekly Maintenance

Although daily maintenance is important, weekly checkup on your house pipe is equally important. This ensures that small problems are not aggravated. This is why we at Emergency Plumber London are always available to carry out weekly maintenance in your homes.

Weekly plumbing maintenance tips include;

• The lint traps on the washing machine should be cleaned weekly
• The drains in the shower and sink should be checked for slow drainage. A full swirl indicates complete drainage while bubbles appearing indicates a slow drain
• Look out for leaks and water puddle in not so significant places like under the sink and also look out for mould growth, watermarks and stagnant water smells
• Check that water isn't coming out of the handles when all the taps are turned on.

Leaks are commonly caused when there is loose-fitting of the pipes or holes in them. They are the major culprits of water waste. Sometimes leaks are easily noticed by people who would know the likely places for these leaks to occur in a plumbing system. These places are;

• Showerheads
• Valves of pipes
• Faucets
• Loose pipe fittings
• Worn out flappers of toilets

Tips for Seasonal Maintenance

Certain steps for maintenance of pipes need to be taken at different times of the year. This is because different seasons affect plumbing differently. The measures you take during the summer for maintenance is different from the ones you take during the winter period. The same applies for the remaining seasons; spring and fall.

Plumbing maintenance during the Winter

Winter periods are synonymous with cold temperatures and freezing points. Pipes usually get frozen during the winter periods and is a huge concern for homeowners. When pipes freeze, they affect the water flow inside the pipes, putting the pipes under pressure and causing it to expand. The continuous expansion will make pipes to burst. Every house owner's concern during winter is to prevent pipes from freezing. We advise our clients to follow the tips below to prevent your pipes from freezing during the winter periods;

• Let the water flow from each valve in the house at intervals. This prevents the pipes from freezing
• Insulate all pipes, especially ones more prone to freezing due to their location, like basements and attics
• Do not make room for drafts in areas like kitchen and bathroom cabinets

These tips apply to both outdoor and indoor pipes, but outdoor mostly. However, sometimes indoor pipes can freeze as well due to extremely cold temperatures. Take the following steps below to prevent the pipe indoors from freezing.

• When the temperature is freezing, try to let the water trickle from the taps in the house. This prevents them from freezing
• Open up cabinet doors in the kitchen to warm up the pipes by allowing warm air to come in
• Make provisions for warm air to come in and circulate inside the house all the time, especially at night when the temperature is much lower.

Preventing your pipes from freezing during the winter periods is highly important. You can choose to do this by using a working heating system to keep the house warm. Make sure the heating system is in perfect condition to work even when you are not around. Maintaining the plumbing condition of your house is as important as maintaining the entire house. But, sometimes even with the most careful of acts, pipes can still freeze. What do you do when they freeze?

What happens when pipes freeze?

Pipes freezing does not necessarily mean it is damaged. The extent of the damage can be reduced and controlled. There are certain steps you can take when this occurs;

• Refrain from using an open flame to attempt to thaw a frozen pipe
• Slowly thaw frozen pipes by using a hairdryer on low heat or a heat gun
• When pipes freeze, turn off the valve for incoming water. The water inlet valve should be shut off
• The faucet should be left on for pressure to be relieved on the pipes as they thaw out.
• Call a plumber immediately your frozen pipes burst.

Call us at Emergency Plumber London once you have frozen pipes and don't know what to do. You wouldn't want to complicate matters by taking a wrong step. It is important that everyone in your house knows how to shut off the water valve and where they are located. This is to save the house from flooding even when only one person is around.

Plumbing maintenance during the Summer

Summer periods are great. The temperature is nice and warm and the days are bright. It is the time when you use your outdoor sprinkler systems. It is also the time you need to get your septic system checked. You would not want to experience the problem of a blockage in the main sewer or the problem of a sewer backup.

Plumbing maintenance during the summer period is much easier for the plumber because the ground is soft and warm, so is the temperature. It is so easy for backups to occur because heavy storms can cause water to seep into the sewers through cracks. You can ensure all your pipes are working perfectly at all times, maintain them with the following tips

• The main sewer should be snaked regularly, most especially if they encounter problems like tree roots
• Your septic system should be inspected on a regular basis
• Embedded sprinkler system heads should be cleaned regularly, so they don't end up ruined when the lawn is mowed.
• Make plans to remove trees with huge roots or trees with problem roots, so they do not affect future plumbing
• Pump septic systems as often as necessary, most especially after an inspection
• Keep track of stoppages and the times between them

Lawn irrigation systems ought to be inspected regularly for possible signs of impending damage. The garden hoses should equally be checked before they are used because they tend to crack or experience dry rot during winter, which can make them leak. If it is damaged, you can patch it up or better still, call us to replace them.

There are also a few tips on landscaping that can be helpful when you want to carry out maintenance on your pipes. They include;

• Try to hold soil moisture by placing or replacing mulch under trees and around plants
• Try weeding around plants because they compete with the plants for water
• Fertilisers should be used sparsely, if at all. They encourage growth, and these need water.
• Mower cutting height should be raised, so the grass blades shade the ground with their height so that less water is used.

When conserving water, bear in mind that it covers both indoor and outdoor plumbing activities. This means your home plumbing system provides water for what goes inside the house and outside as well. To this effect, it is important to include outdoor maintenance when it comes to energy and water conservation.

Plumbing maintenance during the fall

Fall comes just before winter. This is when leaves from trees begin to fall as well as the temperature. It is usually the best idea to begin to prepare against pipes freezing in the coming days of winter. Preparation for winter by taking measures during the fall includes both indoor measures and outdoor measures. The indoor maintenance is concerned mainly with your water heater, while outdoor covers your spigots, gutter, and sump pump.

Indoor maintenance

Water heater

As the temperature drops during the fall, in preparation for winter, your water heater begins work to keep the water running hot. The last thing you would want to happen is for it to break down during this period. You can ensure this by;

• Testing for the pressure on the release valve on the water heater by lifting the lever and letting it snap back. If the water heater is in perfect condition, a burst of hot water should flow into the drain pipe. Note that this should not be done on a unit that has been in use for more than five years
• The optimum temperature for the performance of the water heater should be at 120° Fahrenheit.
• The water heater should be flushed to get rid of possible sedimentation, as they can cause corrosion and also reduce the life span of the water heater, not to mention its efficiency.

Outdoor maintenance

Gutter maintenance and sump pump maintenance

Maintenance of these are part of important outdoor plumbing maintenance and should be carried out before winter comes.

The sump pumps are always exposed to cold temperatures and as such, can freeze and stop working. The sump pump should be cleaned during the fall in preparation for winter.

Gutters are equally needed to be free of sediments and debris so that water can flow easily during the fall and winter. They should also be cleaned free of anything that might cause a blockage.

Spigots

Spigots and other outdoor water hoses also need to be prepared for cold days. Check out these steps to help you during the fall.

• Start by shutting off water valves for outdoor spigots and drain the water lines outdoors
• The water hose must be disconnected from the spigots outdoors as the connection can cause expansion, freezing and which ultimately affects indoor pipes too.
• Cover the disconnected outdoor spigots with styrofoam insulation cover
• In areas of the house that is unheated like the garage and crawl spaces, try to insulate the pipes thereby wrapping them in heat tapes, mostly those prone to freezing
• Check for leaks and drips and inform a plumber if you notice one

Plumbing maintenance during the Spring

With Emergency Plumber London for your plumbing maintenance, the spring is not an exception as our experts are readily available to ensure your plumbing systems are functioning properly.

Spring comes just after winter when the temperature starts to rise, and it starts getting warm again. This period encourages spring cleaning for most people, both indoor and outdoor. Plumbing maintenance should also be carried out at this point to avoid future problems.

Indoor maintenance

Indoor spring plumbing maintenance mostly involves the drains. All the drains in your home need to be working perfectly at all times. If you notice any blockage you can't handle, call Emergency Plumber London, and we will send our expert engineers right away.

Some people make the mistake of ignoring any form of inspection, and this is potentially dangerous. A problem as small as a leak can cause waste in water, and can further develop into more serious problems that can cost a lot of money for repairs.

You can prevent all this by replacing worn-out instruments like hoses on a washing machine, dripping faucets, etc that won't cost much. These practices will end up saving you a lot of money and future problems. Below are some tips we would recommend indoor maintenance for spring;

• Check for signs of leaks in your pipes like water puddles or watermarks. You can call us to help in doing so.
• Also, check for slow leaks by using a water meter reading. If the reading changes or do not correspond after some hours, it means you have a leak
• Check for cracks in your water, using appliances like the dishwasher and washing machine. The cracks should be in the hose. If you find any, contact us to replace them immediately.
• There could be drains that are not often in use in your house. Test them often by pouring water down them.
• Check the toilet bowl and tanks for leaks. You can test this by dropping food colouring in the toilet tank. If this colour ends up in the toilet bowl after some time, then there is a leak.

Outdoor maintenance

Warm temperature springing up leads to outdoor activities like birds building their nests in several places. The risk of flood increases as it gets warmer. Outdoor plumbing maintenance at this point is important, and some tips include;

• Check hidden areas like plumbing vents for bird nests
• Clear out bird nests in different positions like gutters
• Test the outdoor spigots for leaks. If detected, repair them as quickly as possible.

When do I know when to contact a plumber

It is highly beneficial to know some basic tips when it comes to home plumbing. It is especially helpful in terms of emergencies as you can apply these basic principles to save your house. However, some issues require the professional services of a plumber. It could be to clarify some doubts, answer a few questions, help locate some important plumbing positions like the main water valve, or to repair broken or leaking pipes.

At Emergency Plumber London, we perform the following professional functions;

• Fix broken toilets
• Repair bathtubs and showers
• Unclog drains or slow drains
• Repair broke or faulty sinks and faucets
• Repair broke or corroded or leaking pipes
• Repair and install water heaters
• Inspect pipes for damage
• Service, repair, inspect and pump septic tanks

All these and more require the services of a professional plumber. Emergency Plumber London has one of the most efficient teams of plumbers to help you with any plumbing problems you might have.

Other situations go beyond your abilities as a homeowner and calls for our attention as plumbers. They include;

Complex jobs

Everyone believes they can do anything themselves, especially when it comes to fixing things in the house. But what happens when you discover you cannot do it. It wouldn't hurt at this point to call a plumber to help you out. How to know when you need professional plumbing help.

This happens when;

• You don't know where to start: If you find yourself in this situation, don't attempt to do anything with the slogan "start from somewhere," in mind. You might know what the problem is, but do not know how to go about it. It is best to call us because our plumbers have been trained to evaluate the situation and take necessary steps.
• You do not have the required tools: You can borrow if you want to, but finding yourself in a situation that requires the need for tools beyond your reach means you need professional assistance. Call Emergency Plumber London today!
• You create other problems when working on one; This calls for the services of a professional as they would be able to control the situation and prevent it from getting out of hand
• You are not aware of hidden dangers; This happens most especially when working on plumbing inside walls. There could be pipes hidden you might not be aware of, and there could also be areas you're not expected to touch. Our plumbers at Emergency Plumber London have been trained to know the location of these pipes and how to avoid them when working.
• You are not completely sure of the success of your work. The only way to guarantee a professional service is by contacting us at Emergency Plumber London.

Too busy for plumbing maintenance

This is for those who are too busy to engage in plumbing maintenance activities in their homes or those who can't do it themselves. You can reach out to our team of professional plumbers and work up some sort of schedule to have your plumbing system checked from time to time to prevent damage. The worn-out pipes and broken ones can be replaced or fixed at this point as well. We will help you decide on whatever installations and upgrades you might need.