My Drain Company Blog : Archive for July, 2014

How to Tell You Need Water Line Repair

Thursday, July 31st, 2014

The water line is perhaps the most important part of your home’s plumbing. It is, after all, what brings you the running water that is the foundation of all indoor plumbing. However, the water line remains hidden from your sight, running quietly under your property from the municipal water supply, doing its job unobtrusively.

A threat to your water line is a threat to all your daily routines. If you detect anything amiss with the water line into your home, you need to contact professional plumbers right away. (Note that it is not the responsibility of the utility company to repair the water line after it crosses into your property.) We will provide you with some signs to watch for that will tell you to contact professional plumbers for water line repair or replacement.

For a company that can handle all your needs for plumbing services in Glendale, CA, look to My Drain Company. We are ready to help you, any time of the day or night.

Signs of Water Line Troubles the Need Repair Work

  • Discolored water: When the water from all your taps starts to come out with reddish or brownish tint, it could indicate that there is a break in the water main, or corrosion has set in. The latter is likely for older homes. You might also notice discoloration on the clothing that comes out of the washing machine. Although it is possible that this is a municipal supply issue, you should not take a chance on it: call for professional plumbers.
  • Low water pressure: This is one of the first signs that your water line is on the way to failing completely. It could mean there are leaks along the line, or that tree roots have started to push into the pipe and block it. A drop in water pressure should always receive the attention of professionals, no matter the cause.
  • Water pools on your yard: If you lawn or yard starts to develop pools of water and soggy spots that don’t come from sprinklers or rain, it’s possible a broken water line is at fault. In extreme situations, water will start to geyser up from between the sidewalk slabs. Don’t hesitate over this kind of emergency! Bring in plumbers right away.
  • Overgrown vegetation: If plants in a certain section of your yard begin to grow faster than others, it might be due to water leaking from beneath from a damaged water line.

Only trained and fully-licensed plumbers should work on repairs or replacements to main water lines. These jobs can be extensive, so make sure that you bring in an experienced team. Call My Drain Company for your Glendale, CA plumbing needs. We can handle water line repairs and replacements to make sure that you won’t suddenly lose your vital water supply.

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Some Ideas for Bathroom Plumbing Installations

Monday, July 21st, 2014

When you want to improve an old bathroom with new installations, you have a variety of options from which to choose. Bathroom plumbing can include everything from full new plumbing installation (useful for older homes that may have aging and outdated piping) to small tasks like adding aerators onto faucets.

For bathroom plumbing services in Glendale, you can turn to My Drain Company for the assistance you need for new installation. We offer full service for bathroom plumbing, and our skilled plumbers can help you find out what new installation will improve this important room that plays a large part in your daily life.

Here Are Some Possibilities for Bathroom Plumbing Installation

  • Low-flow fixtures: If you want to save money on water bills and contribute to water conservation efforts (currently a serious issue in Southern California), you should consider installing low-flow faucets and toilets for your bathrooms. These installations will make significant cuts in the amount of water the fixtures use, but without a sacrifice in quality. According to the U.S. EPA, an effective low-flow faucet reduces water flow by 30%.
  • New style of sink: Having a new sink installed can improve on the use of space inside a bathroom. You can have an old pedestal sink taken out and replaced with a cabinet sink for more storage areas. You can remove a cabinet sink and replace it with a wall-mount sink for more floor space. There are numerous options for sinks that meld form and function to improve a bathroom.
  • New piping: If you live in an older home (pre-1970, and especially pre-World War II), your probably have galvanized steel pipes for plumbing. Although strong, this material is prone to corrosion over time, leading to leaks and blockage. If you have encountered numerous leaks and inefficient plumbing in your bathroom, you can arrange for complete replacement with newer materials, like copper, CPVC, and PEX. You might also consider repiping for the whole house.

Whether you want new plumbing installation in your bathroom for decorative and luxury purposes, or to solve serious plumbing problems, you can rely on the services of My Drain Company. We offer Glendale, CA quality plumbing work that goes beyond expectations. We’re also here whenever you need us with 24/7 emergency repair work for whatever ails your plumbing.

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The Best Way to Treat Drain Clogs

Friday, July 18th, 2014

The title of this post is a bit misleading, since there is no single “best” way to treat a clog that has blocked up a sink, shower, tub, or other drain. There is a “worst” way, as we’ll explain. However, the “best” way will depend on the kind of clog you have. If you leave this job to experienced, professional plumbers, they will discover the best way to handle the specific clog, and will have your drain cleaned out quickly and without damage to the plumbing.

For any drain clogs you have afflicting your plumbing, call up the drain experts at My Drain Company. Our experienced plumbers will bring a variety of the best tools to clear out your drain, no matter what has blocked it up.

The Worst Way to Treat Drain Clogs

The one way you do not want to treat drain clogs—and a way that professional plumbers will never use either—is with chemical drain cleaners. Found in plastic bottles on the shelves of grocery and convenience stores, these acidic chemicals are too harsh to use on drainpipes. They may eat through blockages (although they are ineffective against many types of clogs), but the caustic action can cause damage to the pipe interior. They also leave toxic residue and dangerous fumes behind. Avoid using them at all costs.

Some of the Best Ways Professional Plumbers Will Treat Clogs

  • Video pipe inspection equipment: This won’t eliminate a clog, but it is the best way to find out what method will. Using miniaturized cameras mounted on the end on long fiber-optic cables, plumbers can observe the interior of your plumbing on a video monitor and learn exactly where blockages are located and what they consist of. This allows them to determine the speediest and most effective way of clearing the clog.
  • Drain augers: Also known by the more evocative name drain snakes, motorized drain augers are one of the essential tools of any professional plumber. These coils of metal can reach down far into drains and drill into clogs like corkscrews, then pull out the clog or break it up to clear out the pipe. Manual augers are available in many stores, but you should only entrust the work to a plumber who uses a motorized drain auger.
  • Hydro-jetting: This is one of the most thorough and comprehensive ways of clearing out drain clogs and cleaning the inside of plumbing in general. Hydro-jetters are devices that put water under high pressure and then blast it out at scalding temperatures through a line inserted down into the pipes. The scouring action of the pressurized water stream can blast through almost any clog and remove build-up from the interior of the drainpipe to help prevent more clogs in the future.

The Northridge plumbing team at My Drain Company is ready 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to assist you with clogged and slow drains. We will find the true “best” way to clean your drainpipe and keep the clogs away.

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3 Signs of Leaky Pipes

Friday, July 11th, 2014

After drainage clogs, leaking pipes are the most common problem that home plumbing can encounter. And unlike clogs, which are almost immediately obvious when they happen, leaks often remain hidden from sight. The majority of residential pipes are concealed in flooring, walls, and seldom-visited sections of the house. Often a leak—even a large one—can go without detection until it has already caused serious, expensive damage.

Professional plumbers have special training and equipment to assist them in locating leaks, even through heavy concrete flooring (“slab leaks”). However, you need to know to call the plumbers in the first place, so pay attention to the signs below that will warn you that you may have pipes leaking in hidden spots of the house.

In Glendale, CA, call My Drain Company for 24-hour emergency service that can handle any size leak in your home. With more the 15 years of experience, we can solve your plumbing issues fast and right the first time.

Watch For These 3 Signs That You May Have Plumbing Leaks

  • Elevated water bills: Even the smallest leak in pipes can cause a tremendous waste of water that will show up on your monthly water bills. It only takes a single leak letting out three drips of water per minute to waste 70 gallons of water in a month—and that’s a difference you will recognize on your bills. Unexplained price increases require that you call a plumber to search for leaks… or whatever has caused the loss of water.
  • Decrease in water pressure: If you have a large number of smaller leaks, or one large leak, it will affect the pressure of the water throughout the plumbing. Although a change in water pressure can indicate a problem in the municipal system, it often points toward a serious issue inside your home’s plumbing that needs investigation.
  • Warped floorboards and other building material damage: A small leak will build up a pool of standing water, which will cause tremendous damage to building material over time. Wood rot will start to destroy floorboards, warping and weakening them. Mildew will begin to eat through drywall. If you notice lumps in the floor, spot discoloration on the walls, or notice the growth of mold and mildew inside your home, call for plumbers right away to perform leak detection and repairs.

Keep this in mind: there is no such thing as a “small” leak. No matter the size of the damage in the pipe, whether pinhole leaking or a major breach, water damage will accumulate that can endanger your home, waste water, and threaten your plumbing. At the first warning sign that you may have leaks in your plumbing, make the call to My Drain Company to schedule plumbing service in Glendale, CA. We can handle all your concerns for your home’s plumbing.

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Leading the Way with Independence Days!

Thursday, July 3rd, 2014

The term “Fourth of July” is the popular name for the U.S. federal holiday officially known as Independence Day. It isn’t surprising that we would come up with a different name from the official one, since “Independence Day” is one of the most common holiday names across the globe. Most of the nations in existence today won their independence from another power, whether through wars, treaties, or long transitions.

What might surprise many people is how old U.S. Independence Day actually is compared to the similar holidays of other nations. Although the U.S. is still considered a young nation, it was one of the first to make a full break for its colonial master with a new constitution. Most countries that celebrate a national Independence Day are commemorating events that occurred in the second half of the 20th century, when many older empires at last relinquished control over their colonies.

How substantial is the difference in time for the U.S.A. and the rest of the world? U.S. Independence Day celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776, making our country unusual in that almost no existing nations celebrate an independence event from the eighteenth century.

In terms of age, there is only a tiny handful current countries that celebrate an independence day that occurred earlier than the United States. Switzerland celebrates its independence from the Holy Roman Empire of the Germans in 1291 with “Swiss National Day,” held every August 1—although this only gained status as a national holiday in 1994. Sweden Celebrates “National Day of Sweden” to commemorate events in 1523 and the election of King Gustav I during the War of Liberation against Christian II of Denmark and Norway. Romania comes almost a hundred years after U.S. Independence, with its 1877 freedom from Turkish rule.

The most recent Independence Days to come into existence are for Montenegro, which gained independence from Serbia in 2006 and celebrates the day on May 21, and South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011 and celebrates the day only a day after the U.S., on July 5.

Does anyone else celebrate a literal “Fourth of July,” an Independence Day that also falls on the fourth day of the seventh month? Yes: Abkhazia, a small Central Asian country that declared its independence from the Republic of Georgia in 1999 (although not all countries recognize it). Coming a day (like South Sudan) on July 5 is the independence of the small Atlantic island nation of Cape Verde, which became free from Portugal through signed agreement in 1975.

Everyone at My Drain Company hopes you and your family enjoy a vibrant Independence Day/Fourth of July this year!

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