Category: Emergency Plumber

If you have ever experienced a plumbing emergency, you probably never want to go through it again. Unfortunately, most homeowners have to deal with it at least once. The good news is, there are some simple steps that you can take to limit the damage to your home, possibly save some money, and fix the problem.

Ready to fix your plumbing problem before it leaves you wet and angry? Here are three steps to take ASAP.

Shut Off the Water Supply before the Plumbing Emergency Gets Worse

It is easy to panic when water is flowing into your home at an enormous rate, but stay calm—the only way out of this is through. If your emergency is some sort of major leak or burst pipe, the first step you need to take is to turn off the water supply.

Depending on where the leak is taking place, you have a few options to prevent further damage from happening. If the leak is happening in a water fixture like a toilet or a sink, you may be able to shut down the nearby emergency valve. Check behind the toilet or under the sink and turn the knobs until the water stops.

Your burst pipe may have occurred at a place where there is no nearby shut off valve. In an instance like this, you will need to shut of the main water supply. For this reason, it is critical to know where the main water supply valve is located. If you don’t know where it is and you are in the middle of an emergency water leak, try looking near the meter on the inside of your home.

Talk to Your Utility Company

As soon as you get the water turned off, you might be wondering how much all the water that leaked is going to cost you. If your basement is now a swimming pool, it could be quite a bit.

Fortunately, many utility companies will work with you in a plumbing emergency. Call to find out if there is anything they can do about the charges. They may cancel them altogether.

Contact an Expert Plumber

Now that you’ve got that taken care of, it’s time to actually fix the problem that is causing the leak. No matter what your specific situation is, you need to deal with any plumbing problems right away before they cause serious damage to your home. Water damage to flooring, walls, furniture, and belongings can cost thousands and thousands of dollars if left unchecked. The sooner you take care of the problem, the better.

Are you in the midst of a plumbing emergency? Want to make sure you know who to call in case you need help? Get in touch with an expert plumber at Custom Plumbing of Arizona. No matter when your emergency happens, we’ll be there because we don’t close! Contact or call us 24/7 at 602-883-2761.

Posted on Author Vince VinceCategories Blog, Emergency Plumber, Residential Plumbing ServicesTags

If your home was built before the 70s and you have not done significant work on the plumbing since then, it might be time to consider repiping your house. When should repiping a house top your home improvement list? That’s a question for an expert plumber, but to get you started, here are seven signs that you need new plumbing.

7 Signs Your Home Needs Repiping

Pipes have changed a lot over the years, from the materials manufacturers use to make them to their durability and even safety. For instance, before the 1920s, many homes’ pipes were made of lead, which we know today to be extremely harmful to our health if it leeches into the water supply. Even if your home’s plumbing is not made of lead, however, it could be time to replace it before major problems develop.

Repiping a house is a fairly straightforward process. When a plumber replaces your plumbing they will bypass the original pipes with new pipes. If you notice any of these seven signs, you should consider contacting a plumber to discuss your options:

  • Rusty water
  • Water or drains that have an unusual odor
  • Frequent leaks
  • A drop in temperature from hot to cold when the toilet is flushed
  • Unreliable water temperature
  • Unreliable water pressure
  • Water takes a long time to heat up

To keep your home’s plumbing in good shape, it’s important to keep an eye out for any of these symptoms. Be sure to record the first sign you see and let your plumber know during their next visit.

When Repiping a House, What Materials Should You Use?

When you repipe your home, you will have a few different options for materials. Most modern homes use copper, PVC, or both for their plumbing.

Copper is a good option because it is a versatile material and it is durable. In addition to these benefits, it is also recyclable and naturally bacteria resistant. However, there is a tradeoff—because of its versatility, durability, and other benefits, it is also an expensive option. When many homeowners see the price they will need to pay to install copper pipes exclusively, they decide to go a different route.

The alternative is polyvinyl chloride pipes, or PVC. Because of their affordability, PVC pipes are an extremely attractive option for many homeowners. PVC pipes are durable like copper, but they also do not corrode. One important note to mention, however, is that PVC pipes do not do well with hot water. In fact, PVC becomes toxic when heated, so be sure that any water lines that carry hot water use chlorinated polyvinyl chloride pipes, also known as CPVC.

Is Repiping a House on Your To-Do List? Call Custom Plumbing of Arizona Today

Get in touch with the expert plumbers at Custom Plumbing now to learn what your options are for repiping your home. Contact us, or call 602-883-2761.

Posted on Author Vince VinceCategories Blog, Emergency Plumber, Plumbing Service & Repair Phoenix AZ, Repiping, Residential Plumbing ServicesTags

When you have a well-functioning sewer system, it’s easy to forget about it. It’s so crucial to daily life that only when the sewer in your home breaks down do you notice that it’s even there. When that happens, sewer repair won’t be far behind.

A damaged sewer can be expensive to fix, but it’s critical to take care of it as soon as possible. Why? A faulty sewer system can lead to backed-up sewage, burst pipes, and a flooded home.

Of course, if you don’t know what signs to watch for, it might be too late. Here are four weird signs that you probably need a sewer repair.

A Healthy Lawn (in Certain Spots)

Practically every homeowner wants to have a yard full of lush grass, paying thousands of dollars for sod, lawn treatments, and landscaping services every year. But if your grass seems exceptionally full and thriving in certain areas, you might be spending thousands on something else.

Sewer repair.

Why? Because patches of grass that seem to be flourishing more than the rest of the lawn can be a sign of a leaking sewer pipe. Think about what goes through your sewer system. That’s right: sewage. If you want your lawn to grow, you couldn’t find a better fertilizer.

Strange Sounds

Every house has pipes that make noise, but not all sounds are the same. The sound of running water is normal, but only if you’ve got a faucet going or the toilet just flushed. If you hear running water but all the taps in your house are off, that’s a problem. You’ve probably got a leak.

Furthermore, if you hear any gurgling or bubbling coming from your pipes, that could indicate that you have a clog somewhere.

Funky Odors

Sewers are designed to keep the nasty smelling odors that they are supposed to take away out of the home. But that’s not always the case. If you smell something funky coming from any of your drains, that could be a sign of a crack in the sewer line or a bad seal. Gases from the sewer may sometimes leak into your home if you let the traps dry out, so before calling a plumber, try running some water down any open drains in your home.

Pools of Septic Water Inside and Outside the House

One of the biggest signs that you need sewer repair is also one of the most obvious. If you notice any water pooling in your yard or in your basement, you could have a problem that needs fixing fast. Check to see if you can find where the water is coming from, then call a plumber if you need help.

Not Sure If Your Home Needs Sewer Repair?

We are here to help you if you need it. Get in touch with us today so that we can send you an expert to fix what needs fixing.

Posted on Author Vince VinceCategories Plumbing Service & Repair Phoenix AZ, Blog, Emergency Plumber, Residential Plumbing ServicesTags

If there’s one thing that all homeowners should fear, it’s a water leak. Not only can leaky pipes and fixtures cause thousands of dollars in damage if they go undetected, but they can also damage irreplaceable family memories like photos, heirlooms, and other priceless objects. And if the water doesn’t cause damage, the moisture will—rot and mold are especially insidious problems many homeowners have to deal with every year.

Since we are all staying at home as much as possible, I thought I’d do a post on how to find leaks around the house. Why not learn how to detect a problem before it becomes a problem so that you can actually, I don’t know, enjoy living in your home while you’re stuck there?

I’m game, are you? All right! So, sit back and take a quick peek at how to detect a water leak in three common situations.

Hot Water Heater

Hot water heaters can be deceptive. Just because there is a puddle of H2O near your heater doesn’t mean it’s leaking. Condensation commonly accumulates on the pipes and surfaces in the surrounding area. If your hot water tank is in the basement, it’s even more likely that condensation is the culprit.

To determine whether your puddle is the result of a leak or condensation, first dry the area and any wet fixtures and pipes. Then, check all the pipes periodically to determine if the moisture has reappeared. If it is a leak, you should be able to locate the source.

Sink

If you notice moisture below your sink, you probably have a water leak in the supply line, the shutoff valves, or the slip joints in the waste line. For the first two, you must first look for wetness on the lines themselves. Run a dry paper towel along the supply lines and shutoff valves to see if they are wet. For the slip joint, fill the sink with water and then check all the joints along the waste line while the water drains. If any major leaks exist, you’ll see them.

Toilet

Toilets can leak just like any other plumbing fixture in the house, and when they do, they can cause a lot of damage. There are two primary sources of toilet leaks—the supply lines and the flange. To detect leakages in the supply lines, check them with a dry paper towel as in the example with the sink above.

Flange leaks can be especially damaging. If you notice any of the following signs in your bathroom, you probably have a flange leak:

  • Water seeping out around the base of the toilet
  • Stained flooring or carpet near the toilet
  • Stained or damaged ceiling in the room below the toilet

Unless you know how to fix these types of water leaks, it’s best to call a professional plumber.

Bonus: 3 More Place to Check for Water Leaks

If none of the examples above is the source of the unexplained water, try checking these three places as well:

  • Water spigots on the outside of the house
  • The meter line
  • Shower heads

Not able to figure out where the water is coming from? That’s OK! Give us a call today and we’ll send one of our expert plumbers to find the source.

Posted on Author Vince VinceCategories Commercial Plumbing Service, Emergency Plumber, Residential Plumbing ServicesTags

A clogged drain can happen for many reasons. It can start as a minor annoyance, but in a little time, it can balloon into a serious problem that causes major damage and requires costly repairs. That’s probably the last thing that you need right now, right?

So why not learn more about why clogged drains happen and how to prevent them?

If that sounds good to you, keep reading below about six possible reasons for your clogged drain.

Toilet Paper

Let’s start in the bathroom. We all use the toilet pretty much every day, so it should come as no surprise that one of the most common reasons clogs happen is because of a blockage in the toilet. And it’s not always the fault of No. 2. In fact, clogged toilets usually occur because we use too much toilet paper. One way to prevent that from happening is to limit the amount of TP that goes into the toilet in the first place.

Soap

Isn’t soap supposed to clean things and not make them dirty? It turns out, when it comes to your pipes, soap can actually make things less clean. That’s because many soaps are made from fat, which can turn into soap scum when combined with minerals in hard water. Not only does soap scum stain bathroom fixtures, but also it can build up in pipes, causing a clogged drain. To prevent soap scum from building up in your drain, be sure to clear out any deposits with hot water regularly.

Hair

In the shower, one of the primary reasons that drains get clogged is because of hair buildup. While hair clogs can be difficult to remove if they are left for too long, the prevention is pretty simple: get a catch guard for your shower drain and make sure that they are clear.

Mineral Deposits

In areas that rely on hard water, mineral deposits can get so bad that they completely block the pipes. If you don’t want a clogged drain to get in your way, you might want to consider installing a water softener.

Dirt

Whether in the shower, in the kitchen sink, or in the pipes that drain the washing machine, dirt buildup is another common reason people experience a clogged drain. Don’t want a drain clog from excess dirt? Prevention is as simple as shaking as much off outside as possible before washing.

Food

Some people think that food waste is okay to put down the sink if you have a garbage disposal. These people are wrong. While it is perfectly fine to allow a small piece or two to go down, you shouldn’t ever put chunks of food down the sink, even with a disposal. Put your food waste in the garbage, or better yet, start composting.

Got a Clogged Drain? Contact the Experts at Custom Plumbing

Need help with a particularly tricky clog? Get in touch with us today! We’ll get your pipes running smoothly again.

Posted on Author Vince VinceCategories Residential Plumbing Services, Commercial Plumbing Service, Emergency PlumberTags