plumbing Archives - Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating

Person using a wrench to tighten plumbing under a sink, illustrating plumbing maintenance and repair services relevant to Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc.

The Importance of Maintaining Plumbing for Peace of Mind

Why Homeowners Need Professional Plumbing Maintenance Services

Any household is occasionally going to have to hire a plumber at some point or other. There is no getting around the fact that any artificial building or system needs nearly constant attention to make sure it is running smoothly. A plumbing and drainage system is no different. The pipes that bring water in and take water out of the home are invisible, and most people would prefer to ignore them.

However, pipes are practically the blood vessels of the home, and neglecting them can lead to much bigger issues. That’s why homeowners should consider having annual plumbing maintenance done by a qualified professional. Three benefits of such maintenance are discussed in detail below.

Benefit #1: Maintenance Means No Unexpected Plumbing Emergencies

Many homeowners choose to simply use their plumbing until there is a problem. This can lead to very inconvenient plumbing emergencies that can actually cause major damage to the home and the plumbing system. Though some accidents cannot be anticipated, regular maintenance will prevent the majority of plumbing problems from even happening. Major issues like clogs, sewer backup,water heater issues, and broken pipes can be solved before they happen instead of waiting until plumbing repair is needed.

Drain Cleaning vs. Broken or Clogged Pipes: Having a plumber or plumbing technician regularly clean a home’s drainage pipes can keep buildup from causing clogs and pipe ruptures. This not only keeps the pipes in the best shape but prevents collateral damage to the home and yard.
Plumbing Inspections vs. Sewer Backup: A sewage backup is not only disgusting but can also be dangerous both to the home’s structural integrity and to the health of the household. Inspections and maintenance can stop these problems before they start.
Water Heater Maintenance vs. Water Heater Repair or Replacement: Having a home’s water heater inspected and maintained by a professional means a home will never run out of hot water.

Benefit #2: Maintenance Increases the Lifespan of Home’s Pipes

Though they may take years to breakdown, pipes do have an expiry date. Just like everything else, they will eventually need to be replaced. Drain cleaning can help delay some of this breakdown, and inspections can help find problems early to prevent interruption of water service.

Benefit #3: Maintenance Saves Money and Time

Since everyone has to see a doctor eventually, most people would prefer a scheduled visit as opposed to an unexpected trip to the emergency room. An office visit is also less expensive. The same is true for a home’s plumbing.

Repairs and replacements cost more than a maintenance visit
Maintenance gives both pipes and other plumbing structures and appliances a longer life, meaning the homeowner is putting off replacement costs
Maintenance keeps energy bills low by keeping water heaters working at peak efficiency
It also keeps water bills from ballooning from undiscovered leaks or broken piping

About Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc

For more than 20 years, Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc has served Seaside, CA, and all of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties. They are family-owned and operated and offer 24/7 emergency service. Call today for plumbing service.

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Plumber shaking hands with a customer, symbolizing trust and service in plumbing and heating repairs.

Reliable Ways To Find Trustworthy Plumbing Services for Holiday Mishaps

3 Ways to Double-Check Local Plumbers' Service Claims

Holidays are always a busy time of year for almost everyone. Whether a person celebrates traditional holidays or prefers not to, they will likely have some gatherings that require attendance and may even need to host some. So what if the home's plumbing suddenly fails? Whether it be a burst pipe, a broken water heater, or a clogged drain, it may be necessary to find an emergency plumber at short notice. Whether or not a person is in a rush, they should take the time to research the work of the plumber they are choosing to hire.

Checking High-Traffic Websites for Positive Reviews

Finding a plumber with today's technology is fairly easy. Ensuring that one is choosing a reliable plumber who knows what they are doing takes a little more work. Obviously, the plumbing company's website will highlight glowing reviews that make people want to call them. This is called advertising, which often does not allow the customer to see the full picture. To know whether or not the technicians were actually "prompt" or "fair" or "answered questions," a potential customer should investigate sites that won't hide negative reviews. These include websites like:

Angi
Better Business Bureau
Facebook
Google
Plumbing professional association websites

No company is perfect, and a bad review or two should not necessarily deter a person from hiring a certain company. The company will likely do the job well if the vast majority of the reviews are good.

Verify the Plumber is Licensed and Insured

Not everyone can claim to be a plumber. There is a great deal of training involved, and the licensure of the plumber or plumbing technician is very important for the customer to verify. If a person hires a handyman instead of a licensed and insured plumber, they may be in for an unpleasant surprise. Insurance is vital for a company if mistakes result in property damage or injury. Otherwise, the homeowner may end up footing the bill for any issues. Plumbers must have a license through the state and are typically required to have insurance to get their license. One should easily find the license number on the company's website or through a government webpage.

Not Just for Emergencies: Investigate Plumbing Maintenance Plans

It is one thing to find an emergency plumber, it is another to find a plumber that can provide a good working relationship. To prevent emergency plumbing events, it is always a good idea to have regular plumbing maintenance done. Many companies offer a membership or maintenance plan for a reasonable monthly or yearly fee. This usually covers maintenance visits once or twice a year and offers other benefits as well:

Discount Services: Members often receive discounted prices on repair services
Priority Service: Members can sometimes jump to the top of the queue for appointments
Peace of Mind: Homeowners know they are covered if something goes wrong

About Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc

Serving Monterey and Santa Cruz counties, Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc is a family-owned and operated business with 24/7 emergency service available. Call today for immediate plumbing services, upfront pricing, and respectful technicians.

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Plumber using a vacuum hose to clear outdoor pipe blockage in grassy area, emphasizing plumbing services by Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc.

Beware of Plumbing Blockages This Spring

Three Important Things To Know About Outdoor Clogged Pipes

Outdoor pipe blockages can happen anytime, any place. But what exactly are they? Like how indoor appliances can get clogged (such as kitchen drains, faucets, and toilets), outdoor appliances can also get clogged. For instance, a pool pump might get clogged if too many leaves and debris get stuck in the filter.

Thankfully, the best way to prevent underground pipe clogs is to know three basic things: what appliances these clogs affect, how these clogs happen, and how professionals clear clogs.

What Types of Appliances Do Outdoor Clogs Affect?

Long story short: if an appliance uses water outdoors, it can get clogged. Some examples of these fixtures include:

Sprinklers
Swimming pools
Hot tubs and jacuzzi
Fountains and other decorative fixtures
Outdoor showers
Hoses
Faucets
Spigots

One of the best ways to avoid outdoor clogs is to be vigilant. For instance, if a once-flowing fountain struggles to maintain a steady water supply, this could indicate a clog. Clogs do not fix themselves; they require immediate attention or risk causing further problems.

How Do Outdoor Fixtures Get Clogged?

Outdoor clogs happen the same way indoor clogs do. When blockages arise where they don’t belong, this can disrupt how water flows through a system. This can result in poor water pressure, higher-than-normal energy bills, and burst pipes in colder climates.

Outdoor clogs can happen when:

Animals (such as rodents) get stuck in a pipe and die, obstructing water flow
Mud gets inside a hose or faucet
A pipe develops a leak, causing dirt and mud to seep in
Water freezes inside of the pipe or water main

As noted, clogs don’t go away on their own. This makes it imperative for homeowners to know the signs of an outdoor clog. Signs include:

Mold growing around a faucet or drain
Poor water pressure
Odors coming from a drain or faucet
Wet spots forming on the floor or ceiling

Homeowners should avoid using drain cleaners to remove clogs. Using drain cleaner isn’t just unreliable; it could wear down the pipes’ metal over time, causing serious problems.

How Do Plumbers Remove Outdoor Clogs?

A trained plumber will never use over-the-counter drain cleaners to remove a clog. To clear a pipe clog, a professional may:

A drain snake: A drain snake is a long flexible pole with a coil. Plumbers can use the crank at the end of the pole to wrap around hard-to-get-to clogs.
Manual applications: A plumber might remove a section of pipe and remove the clog by hand. For instance, if there’s an easily accessible clog (like one under the kitchen sink), this might be a feasible fix.
Hydro-jetting: Imagine a water pressure washer and the jet of water that comes out of it. Now, imagine taking that stream and positioning it directly into a drain. The force of the water would break down the clog or push it deeper into the system where it can be dissolved.

About Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc

Homeowners in Seaside, California, know who to turn to for their home improvement needs. Whether one is dealing with an outdoor or indoor clog, these professionals have residents covered. Interested parties can call today for drain cleaning!

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Get Some Plumbing History With These Speed-Dating Style Facts

3 Historical Questions About Modern Plumbing

Modern plumbing is often taken for granted by those who use it. It has become so ubiquitous to society that people have forgotten that most of humanity hasn’t had access to it throughout history. Even the word “plumbing” is misunderstood by most people.

The word “plumbing” is derived from the Latin word “plumbum” or lead. The first indoor plumbing in the Roman Empire consisted of lead piping since lead was the easiest metal to melt and shape into pipes. Lead was used widely in plumbing until the 1900s, when scientists discovered that it was incredibly poisonous. This Valentine’s Day, take a moment to brush up on the history of plumbing with these fast facts.

Why Is a Toilet Called a “John?”

There is evidence that flushing toilets were in use in certain cultures as early as 2600 BC. However, for the British Empire under Queen Elizabeth and most of Europe, chamber pots were the only place to deposit waste. The pots were then emptied into the streets.

It wasn’t until John Harrington introduced his version of the toilet that flush toilets came into use in the Western world. John Harrington was a godson of Queen Elizabeth and members of her court. He was a poet by trade and routinely got himself kicked out of polite society for his “saucy” writings. He introduced his version of the toilet, which he called the “Ajax,” to the Queen’s court in 1596. After this, toilets and sewer systems become more common in public places and homes.

What Direction Do Drains Spin?

Thanks largely in part to an episode of The Simpsons, a popular misconception exists about the direction toilets and drains spin due to the Earth’s equator. Legend has it that toilets in the northern hemisphere spin counterclockwise while those in the southern hemisphere spin clockwise.

The truth is, it doesn’t matter. Toilet and drains spin in the direction of least resistance. Most toilets have washdown jets that clean the sides of the bowl. The direction that these jets face influences the direction of the flush.

While there is a noticeable effect of the Earth’s spin on hurricanes and ocean currents, drains and toilets are much too small to be influenced by such forces.

How Much Water Do Leaks Waste?

Small drips coming from a faucet may not seem like a big problem. But people often forget that a small leak continues every hour of every day until it is repaired. This can lead to big increases in water bills and high costs on bills.

Leaky chrome faucet dripping water, illustrating the impact of small leaks on water waste and plumbing maintenance.

The EPA estimates that around 1,000,000,000,000 gallons of water get wasted due to small leaks per year. That a trillion! That’s roughly equal to the total water usage of 11 million homes.

As a smaller example, a leak dripping at a rate of one drop every 6 seconds can waste 500 gallons of water in a year. Depending on the cost of water and sewer service, this can easily add up to the cost of having professionals repairs done within a month or so.

About Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc

Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc is a one-stop-shop for every home or business’s HVAC and plumbing needs. With 35 years of service to the Seaside, CA community, they know how to render customer service. They offer same-day service and emergency response, so their professional technicians are always available to help. Call now for plumbing service!

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Bathroom Plumbing Answers - Commercial vs Residential Toilets

Tips for Choosing the Right Toilet for Your Home

A recent trend in bathroom plumbing has led homeowners to consider installing commercial toilets in their homes instead of traditional, residential toilets. Whether it’s because of the low profile look or the stronger flushing mechanism, there are plenty of reasons why a homeowner might consider it.

But trends aren’t always everything they’re cracked up to be. This article will explain why commercial toilets aren’t a good option, although there are some tankless toilet options that may work in certain circumstances.

What Toilet Is Right for Your Home?

Image comparing residential and commercial toilets, emphasizing differences in design and functionality, relevant to tips for choosing the right toilet for home plumbing.

One of the major differences between commercial and residential toilets is that commercial toilets don’t have their tank on the back. This is often one of the selling points for homeowners, as they take up less physical space in the bathroom and require less cleaning.

The problem is that residential water supply lines don’t have the water volume that is needed to flush a commercial toilet. A traditional, residential toilet draws the water and waste from the bowl using a siphon (an upside-down U shaped tube), where it travels down the drain and out of the home. This only occurs when the water flows in from the tank fast enough to completely fill the tube.

Commercial bathroom plumbing gets the flushing power from either an electric pump or directly from the water supply. The problem with commercial toilets and the amount of water pressure needed to flush them is that, in an unequipped house, the potential for damage is much larger. They also require a much higher upfront purchase cost.

Toilets Are Limited By Underground Plumbing

Another issue with installing a commercial bathroom plumbing fixture instead of a residential one is the underground pipe situation. With residential toilets, the tank provides enough water pressure for a successful flush without any bathroom clogs. With a commercial toilet, the water needs to come from a larger diameter water supply line. A residential line simply does not have enough water pressure to flush a commercial toilet.

Construction worker inspecting large underground plumbing system with blue pipes, emphasizing the need for larger diameter lines for commercial toilets, relevant to residential plumbing challenges.

Larger pipe diameter is needed to flush commercial toilets as well. Residential toilets will work on pipes ½ - ¾ inch in diameter, while commercial toilets require at least an inch. Attempting to run a commercial toilet on a residential water supply line can rupture the pipes and cause significant damage to the home.

Upgrade With a Tankless Toilet Instead

Tankless toilet in modern bathroom setting, highlighting compact design and plumbing connections for residential use.

While commercial toilets aren’t a good idea for the home, that doesn’t mean that a tankless bathroom plumbing situation is off the table. There are tankless models available for residential plumbing that can safely be used, although they may require an additional pump to work.

There are some models that can help conserve water, which is an extra benefit to homeowners, and their smaller size allows them to fit in all sized bathrooms. Keep in mind that, in general, tankless toilets are much louder than residential models. This is something homeowners should take into account before purchasing.

However, for a lot of people, the sleek design more than makes up for the noisiness of the flush. One other issue with tankless bathroom plumbing fixtures is that they will not operate in the event of a power outage. Homeowners who live in areas with frequent strong storms or electrical issues may not want to choose this option for their home.

Your Local Plumber Can Help!

Since 1999, Chris Wilson Plumbing & Heating Repairs Inc has been surpassing customer expectations in plumbing, heating, and cooling maintenance and repair. Their highly trained technicians provide personalized solutions that fit every budget and need.