My Drain Company Blog : Archive for April, 2014

Common Causes of Plumbing Repairs in Northridge

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

No matter how well we maintain our home’s plumbing, eventually we will encounter a problem that needs the services of a professional plumber. Leaks, clogs, loss of water flow, dripping faucets… you’ve probably encountered all of these at one time or another. But remember: a good plumber has encountered them numerous times, and will have no trouble fixing whatever ails your pipes, drains, water heater, or faucets.

My Drain Company has 15 years of working with all types of plumbing repairs in Northridge, CA. We’ve put together a list of three common causes for the repairs we often perform. If any of these afflicts your plumbing, contact us right away (any time of the day or night) and we’ll rush out to help you.

3 Common Culprits Behind Plumbing Repairs

  • Pipe corrosion: If you live in a house built before 1970, chances are high that the plumbing consists of galvanized steel pipes. This is strong and durable material, but it has fallen out of favor among plumbing installers because it eventually corrodes. Corroded pipes will spring leaks, break, and develop blockages. If you encounter numerous problems because of older pipes, you may wish to consider a whole-house repiping to replace the outdated pipes with copper or plastic ones.
  • Fat, oil, and grease: Collectively known as F.O.G., these hot liquids often go down kitchen drains where they create numerous troubles from clogs and high water pressure. Although F.O.G. in liquid form seems innocuous enough, it changes into a waxy solid when it dries. This will start to coat the inside of pipes and choke off the space for water. Clogs will become frequent, and water pressure will spike as the room in the pipes shrinks, leading to leaks. Regular drain cleaning will help get rid of F.O.G., and you should also avoid pouring these substances down your drains and instead put them in a trash receptacle.
  • Hard water: This describes water with a high level of mineral content, principally magnesium and calcites. Hard water comes from the municipal water supply, and it is rarely unhealthy to drink. However, it can damage your plumbing. Hard water leaves calcite deposits inside pipes which will contribute to higher water pressure and clogs. It will also damage appliances like your water heater and promote corrosion.

Call for Professional Plumbers in Northridge, CA

Homeowners often try to go the DIY route with plumbing repairs, but simply owning a set of wrenches doesn’t mean you can effectively solve most plumbing issues. You might make the problems worse and end up flooding a room in your house. Let professionals take care of all your plumbing repairs in Northridge, CA. Call My Drain Company the next time you have clogs, leaks, or any other plumbing hassles.

Dangers of Poor Plumbing Installation

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

Cutting corners on almost any task can lead to poor outcomes. But for plumbing it can be especially disastrous. If you hire amateurs or an inexperienced plumbing contractor to handle your plumbing installation, you could end up with a horde of problems that will far overwhelm the meager upfront savings.

Let’s look at some of the big dangers of a bad plumbing installation. Make sure none of this happens to you: for your plumbing installation in Northridge, CA, use My Drain Company and our experienced team of professional plumbers.

Here is what’s at risk with poor and amateur plumbing installation

Almost anything could go wrong with plumbing because of inferior work. These are three of the issues that show up the most frequently.

  1. Constant leaking problems: This is the #1 most common problem you can encounter from a shoddy job installing in pipes. With inferior workmanship, incorrect gaskets, and poor quality material will come continual leaking at various connectors. Bad caulking or using cheap caulking on toilets and sinks will also lead to leaks. If the installers put in the incorrect pipe sizes, it will also lead to high pressure in the plumbing, and this will trigger leaks (as well as many additional troubles).
  2. Insufficient hot water: Here’s trouble that comes from poorly sizing the water heater, which is a difficult job that requires balancing a number of factors in a home: average water usage, time of usage, number of taps, number of people, etc. This is an easier fix for a professional to remedy, but it is expensive since the whole heater must be replaced, and often the pipes connecting to it as well.
  3. Clogging sinks: Piping in a home must create an easy flow for wastewater that collects at the sewer line out to the street. Poor plumbing management will interrupt this flow and make it easier for sinks, toilets, and various drains around the house to clog, and may lead to serious plumbing problems.

Start off your plumbing installation right: with skilled, experienced professionals handling the job. Your home’s plumbing is too vital a system for your health and comfort to risk with amateur work that may save a little at the front, but end up costing you enormously for many years afterwards.

For your plumbing installation in Northridge, CA, contact My Drain Company. We are a full-service plumbing, drain, sewer, and water heater company with over 15 years in the business. We are fully licensed and insured for your protection.

Why Install a Storm Drain on Your Property?

Friday, April 4th, 2014

It may sound odd to suggest that people who live in Southern California install storm drains on their property. Isn’t it too dry here and the rain too irregular for us to worry about storm drainage?

On the surface, the answer would seem to be “yes.” However, there’s more to storm drainage than the name implies, and there’s more to Southern California weather than the rest of the country knows about. A storm drain may be an ideal way to protect your home from water damage that might ruin its integrity and create safety issues.

My Drain Company offers storm drain installation from experts. We also do drain cleaning in Glendale, CA that will maintain your storm drain, no matter what disasters it may protect your home from.

The uses of a storm drain

Southern California doesn’t experience frequent rainstorm conditions, but the ones that have struck us have caused enormous amounts of damage… principally because our hills and streets do not have sufficient drainage to accommodate such a high level of water flow. Hillsides often wash away or turn into landslides because of heavy rainfall, and continuous rain—even moderate—will lead to street flooding because of poor drainage. If your property is in an area that has or could potentially have flooding issues during rainfall, the additional drainage ability of a storm drain will keep the excess water siphoned away from your home. A quality installer will know which type of storm drain installation will work best for your property: drain tile system, yard drain, or stairwell drain.

But flooding damage can come from sources other than harsh weather. A burst pipe in a water main can lead to massive amounts of water flooding onto your property that will continue until emergency repairs can shut off the water and fix the break. If you live on property that has a low water table, excess water can come up through the ground, and this will require a specific approach to storm drain installation in order to prevent it from damaging your home.

Maintenance and repair

After you have the proper storm drain put in, make sure that you keep it in good repair and well-maintained. Like any drain inside your home, a storm drain can develop clogging that will need cleaning. The extent of a storm drain requires that only professionals handle this task.

For professional drain cleaning in Glendale, CA and for all your needs for storm drain services, contact My Drain Company. If you are unsure about installing a storm drain, contact us for advice.

Signs You Need a New Water Heater

Tuesday, April 1st, 2014

Your water heater performs silent, selfless duty on behalf of your household, often operating for years tucked away in a forgotten corner. When problems arise, they tend to be fairly dramatic, and depending upon the circumstances, it may indicate that you need to replace your old water heater with a new one. Water heater installation in Glendale is a fairly common service offered by any qualified plumber, but before you pull the trigger on a replacement unit, you need to spot the signs that you need a new water heater to begin with. Specifics vary, but a few general guidelines can help no matter what the situation.

We handle water heater installation in Glendale with courtesy and professionalism, and we’re dedicated to helping you make the right decision for your circumstances. Give us a call today to make an appointment and  let us show you what we can do!

  • Heating bills are going up. The most obvious sign that something is wrong with your water heater is an unexpected increase in your monthly bills. If you notice a spike in costs, especially if you aren’t using hot water any more than normal, you may want to think about getting a new unit.
  • Performance is dropping. If it takes a long time for your heater to warm the water, if the water doesn’t stay warm for long, or if you detect signs of specific problems, such as strange noises or rust on the unit, it may be time to look for a new one. This is especially true if you’ve already sunk a lot of money in repairs to correct those issues.
  • The water heater is old. If you’ve kept your water heater well-maintained and it still functions properly, there’s no reason it can’t keep going for years after it should normally give up the ghost. But if your heater is more than a decade old and you’re experiencing repeated problems of the sort discussed above, that could be the step that requires a replacement.

If you spot the signs you need a new water heater, call on the experts at My Drain Company to help.