Caulking is used in every home. It is usually used where water is used. The caulk creates a water-tight seal which prevents water from getting behind or between things. Without caulk there would be all types of mold and pest activity between your cabinets and and behind your walls. Caulk is also used on windows, cabinets and just about anywhere there is a seam which needs to be sealed. Caulk not only prevents water exposure but it keeps out bugs. Caulk, like all things, wears down over time. The passage of time sees the substance degrade on a molecular ...
Read MoreThe weather has been crazy this past year for much of the country including Florida. There were more cold snaps this year than recent memory. And for places like Texas and even parts of Florida there was deep freezing, something which is rare. PEX is a type of plastic pipe that has been used in plumbing for years now. Plumbers have replaced the use of copper with PEX because it is more affordable, it is corrosion proof and, as it turns out, is more resistant to cracks from freezing. Copper pipes are more rigid and the freezing process causes the ...
Read MoreThis is Florida. We are very close to sea-level and would be wading around in marsh land most of the time if it weren't for elaborate canal systems and drainage ditches. Everything has to run smoothly as far as the canal system goes to keep flooding from occurring, especially after rainstorms. This holds true for your home plumbing system as well. Some people may experience their drains backing up after a heavy rainstorm. This is not normal. This means something is not working properly in your home plumbing system. Your sewer drain is allowing a backflow of water which it ...
Read MoreWe all know the disappointed feeling when the water is not draining as fast as usual. Its a clog and you have been down this road before. After you get the clog resolved you think to yourself "I will try harder to prevent that from happening." But what steps can you really take to prevent a clog from occurring in your shower drain? 90% of shower drain material is hair. This protective part of our skin keeps the sun from damaging us, it keeps us warm, and helps regulate body temperature. So, if it does all these things then it ...
Read MoreAs you may know, plumbers use small camera which stuck to the end of movable, prodding device in order to see what is going on within a pipe, behind a wall, or any other hard-to-reach area. The amount of money this can save the customer varies but it can be thousands of dollars. Before the advent of the tiny camera, plumbers would often need to knock a hole in your wall or floor to get to the pipes. And this was all just to have a look. As you can imagine this was a very costly undertaking. So, what exactly ...
Read MoreIf you live in Florida and have a house that has some age to it, you will run into a piping problem if you have not already. Our warm and humid climate aids the natural degradation and corrosion of pipes that were installed decades ago. If your home is decades old and has never been re-piped, this is something you may have to do in the near future. You can contact a professional plumber and have them look at your piping to tell you what kind of pipe you have, what kind of life it has left, what pipe they ...
Read MoreThis question is very common. You smell urine coming from your bathroom. So, you get in there and give it a good cleaning. The next day, the smell emanates from the bathroom again. Frustrating! So, what is going on in your bathroom that is causing it to smell like pee even though it is squeaky clean. The most common reason for this is that the seal which exists between your toilet and the bathroom floor has a leak. The seal goes bad over time and urine makes it way onto to the floor. But the gases from the drain also ...
Read MoreNobody likes funky smells which emanate from the rest room. This is why we have ventilation with fans pumping air out of them. But sometimes the smell is not from toilet use. Your bathtub drain may be producing a smell. This smell can be caused by one or multiple of several potential issues: Mold or Mildew Beneath Your Drain Cover. Malfunctioning p-trap which is allowing sewer gas to makes its way back into the bathroom. Grime, hair and other decomposing organic materials stuck in the drain. Smelly Drain Fixes If your strainer is clogged with organic material, simply remove ...
Read MoreBeing in this business for several decades, we have pretty much seen it all. Some of the problems people face with their household or residential plumbing is very common and we see it all the time. Other, more rare occurrences, do happen. But we are saving that topic for another blog. Today we want to list and discuss the most common calls we receive. As you can imagine, they have to do with plumbing wear and tear. Dripping Faucets - The dripping faucet has been a problem to most everyone who has ever lived on Earth. It starts as just ...
Read MoreFlushable wipes became popular on the market about 15 years ago or so. They offer "extra cleanliness" to the user. Many companies that make these products tout that they are just as safe as regular toilet paper to flush down your toilet. But are they? The bottom line is that regular toilet paper is made thin and is fully biodegradable. The flushable wipes are made thicker and have chemical additives that keep the wipes together and moist. They will eventually break down in the sewer or septic system but they do not break down right away. If there is a ...
Read More