Lake Mary

Reasons Why To Drain Your Water Heater

We get questions all the time about whether it is a good idea to drain your water heater. The answer is yes, but it also depends on how old the water heater is and if or when it was drained last. This matters because if your Orlando water heater is very old and has never been drained or it was drained a long time ago, it can cause more issues. The main issue is the drain at the bottom clogging and not being able to shut off. But, if you have a new water heater it is a very good idea to drain it once a year. Why is it a good idea to do this? Here are a few reasons:Draining your water heater yearly adds life to your water heater, removing sediment which prematurely rusts out water heaters.Next big thing is that it saves electric and/or gas, this is … Continued

Prevent Plumbing Disasters In Your Lake Mary home

We are in Spring and heading into summer months, where a lot of people start taking spring break vacations and summer vacations. Most people think nothing of their plumbing system when planning a vacation. They are thinking about packing arrangements and who’s gonna watch the pets, that is until they get back to a plumbing disaster. Coming home to a flooded house can be the worst experience. It is not only damage to your home but also the loss of irreplaceable family items such as pictures and antiques passed down through the family. But, there is some things you can do to prevent plumbing disasters in your home. The first thing that can be done is preventive maintenance. Keeping up on minor plumbing repairs can help prevent plumbing emergencies. If you have not had a plumbing contractor visit your home in a while have one come out and look at … Continued

Leaks Under A Kitchen Sink Things You Need To Know

Leaks under a kitchen sink: Things you need to know before you call your Lake Mary plumber. Plumbing leaks can be very frustrating, and leaks under your kitchen sink can be even more frustrating. Kitchen sinks can leak from multiple areas, which sometimes can be mistaken for a leaking drain pipe. Here are some things to look for to narrow down the cause of a leak so that you can tell your plumber so that he is able to give you a price range.Garbage disposal: A leaking disposal can sometimes be mistaken for a leaking P-trap. To determine if your disposal is bad, run water through the disposal side of the sink and turn it on. Check the bottom of the unit. If it drips through the bottom, the unit is shot and needs replacement.Faucet: Run the faucet while checking under the sink. If the water is coming from the … Continued

Why Do I Have To Install A Hybrid Water Heater?

Why do I have to install a Hybrid water heater? We get this question a lot, especially because the cost is so much higher than the standard water heaters for both the heater and the labor for your Orlando plumber to install it. Last year the government made some changes on how water heater manufacturers make water heaters, making them more efficient, so now heaters 55 gallons and down are required to have more insulation in them. Now, the heaters are much larger. A 55 gallon heater is now the same dimensions as the old 80 gallon heaters. This is a big deal because if you are limited for space, the new heater will not fit. Any water heater larger then 55 gallons has to be a hybrid or tankless hybrid heaters, they are way more efficient. For example, a standard 65 gallon water heater runs about 500 dollars a … Continued

Update Your Plumbing Fixtures To Improve The Look Of Your Home

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to improve the look of your bathrooms and kitchens. There are ways to improve the look of your homes plumbing without breaking the bank. The easiest and most cost effective way to accomplish this is by updating your fixtures. Nothing does more to give a fresh look than an updated kitchen sink and faucet or replacing the sinks and faucets in your bathroom. Also, replacing your shower valves will aesthetically enhance your bathroom as well. Another thing to consider; replacing your toilet adds a fresh look and it also saves water and money. Newer plumbing fixtures are engineered to require less water. This is both environmentally and fiscally responsible. If you are on a very tight budget, you can replace the shower valve trim instead of changing the whole shower valve. This is much less labor intensive … Continued

Polybutylene Piping And Repairs In The Lake Mary Area

Polybutylene piping has long given homeowners in the Lake Mary area many problems. Back in the early 2000’s, there was a class action lawsuit out where customers that had multiple leaks got their homes repiped for no cost. Since then, the class action lawsuit funds has ran out of money so now the homeowners are on their own when it comes to leaks on Polybutylene. Most insurance carriers will not cover Polybutylene, they will make you repipe or you will have to pay a higher insurance premium in order to cover the pipe. Polybutylene usually fails at the fittings, but the pipe it self also splits and can result in slab leaks which is a leak under the concrete slab. We have noticed that the pipe usually splits where it is bent coming through the slab because the pipe is very thin. The positive thing about poly is if your … Continued

Why Are There Roots In My Drain Line?

Many customers of ours do not understand why roots are in their drain line. Usually it starts with a clog in the line and everything backs up. The customer will call the Lake Mary plumber, who will snake the line, and in some cases, pull roots back. In this case, the line will need to be inspected with a camera and the area that is breached with roots will need to be located. So the question we get a lot is: “How do roots get in the drain?” Some customers think it is normal for roots to be in the line. This is not the case. Roots should never be in your drain line. If there are roots in the drain line, there is a problem. So how do roots get into the drain? Here are the main reasons. Old pipes are terrible as cast iron, terra cotta, or orange … Continued

Why Hose Spigot Replacement Is The Only Proper Way To Fix A Leaking Bib

We get the calls all the time: a customer has a leaking hose spigot and thinks its a simple plumbing repair. Well, not always. Sometimes it is just a packing nut that requires easily tightening a nut to stop, but if the hose spigot is leaking from the actual hose connection, most times the best fix is replacement. Most people think it’s just changing a washer. Most of the time the hose spigot is original to the house and the seat is shot. Changing a washer will only temporarily fix the problem, if you can even get the bib to come apart to replace the washer. The best way to fix the problem is replacement of the bib. This will require the Lake Mary plumber to chip a hole in the block wall to access the pipe and cut and replace the bib. Most customers think you can just unscrew … Continued

I Am Getting No Hot Water In My Home.

I am getting no hot water in my home. No hot water can be caused by many different things and it all depends on how it starts. Usually running out of hot water can be very aggravating and we will go over some of the reasons why you run out of hot water: 1. Water is hot then gets very cold quick is very common water heater problem if your water gets cold quickly chances are you have a blown heating element. This will affect the amount of hot water in the tank if only one element is working then your water heater will only heat half the tank. 2. Hot water gets extremely hot and then gets cold and does not heat up. This problem is usually caused by a bad thermostat. Thermostats control how hot the water gets and when the temputure is hot enough it shuts down … Continued

Dangers Of Hiring Unlicensed Plumbing Contractors

What are the dangers of hiring unlicensed plumbing contractors?  Well there are a lot of dangers and many people tend to look for the cheapest price for plumbing repairs and cheapest is not always best nor is being overcharged either but hiring unlicensed plumbers can cost you more in the long run. Some customers don’t even know they are hiring unlicensed handyman services and cannot make plumbing repairs. A lot of handymen service companies advertise for plumbing repairs and this can be confusing to the customer but any plumbing repair should be made by a Lake Mary licensed plumber because if you have a plumbing repair made by a unlicensed plumber and the work they do fails and floods your home your insurance company could deny you on your claim costing you thousands. Is that worth the savings? Would you just go to any doctor if you had a heath … Continued