My Drain Company Blog : Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

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What Not to Put Down Your Garbage Disposal

Friday, October 17th, 2014

Without a working garbage disposal, cooking and cleanup would become far more difficult. Trash would accumulate quickly, and cleaning dishes would become quite the chore. The garbage disposal is a sturdy modern convenience you rely on nearly every day but it is certainly not indestructible. Like any mechanical fixture, a garbage disposal requires maintenance in order to continue working as it should. And one of the most important parts of garbage disposal maintenance involves knowing what can and cannot go into the drain.

Garbage disposals do not have sharp “blades” as you may expect. Garbage disposals break up food into smaller pieces, since large portions of food may become stuck in the drain and lead to backup in your sink. Take care of your unit and avoid frequent calls to plumbers as well as problems with your drainage system by disposing of the following items in a separate trash receptacle.

  • Non-Food Items: A garbage disposal can take on a lot of different food items, but materials such as paper, plastic, and glass simply do not belong in your drain. Similarly, avoid hard food items such as popcorn kernels and meat bones. Your system may become overworked attempting to process these, and they can severely damage your pipes.
  • Large Amounts of Food: Garbage disposals cannot process large amounts of food. You should break apart hefty chunks of food and scrape only a bit off of your plate at a time, running cold water while you do.
  • F.O.G.: Fats, oils, and grease seem fairly harmless, but these can cause major problems in your drain pipes and for your disposal unit. These substances solidify when they cool, clogging the drain pipes as other food items become attached as well. Furthermore, it can build up along the disposal, inhibiting performance. Running cold water may help somewhat with greasy foods, as the disposal may have an easier time processing F.O.G. when it is solid.
  • Fibrous Foods: Fibrous vegetables like celery will wrap around the blades of the disposal, keeping them from moving as they should and interfering with the operation of the motor.
  • Expandable Foods: Finally, foods such as pasta and rice can expand in the pipes, creating blockages that could allow food waste to back up through the drains.

For experienced, qualified plumbers in Glendale, call My Drain Company today!

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How to Tell You Need Sump Pump Repair

Friday, October 10th, 2014

Thankfully, flooding is fairly uncommon in Southern California, but if a sudden flood does occur, it could ruin your belongings or the foundation of your home. The sewer system that services your house may be unable to handle heavy rainfall, especially in the hilly areas of Glendale. This combined with the possibility of burst pipes is why a sump pump is sometimes necessary.

Calling a plumber to install a sump pump is the best way to protect your possessions from unexpected water damage. This system is usually installed in the basement or the lowest point of your home. As water flows into the basin—the “sump” portion of the sump pump—a motor sucks it out so it can move into the drain pipes instead.

But even if you don’t get a lot of use out of your sump pump, you may need repairs from time to time. Keep an eye out for the following problems, and call on professional plumbers at the first sign of trouble.

  • Sump Pump Does Not Turn On: Of course, if your sump pump does not appear to turn on at all, it’s time to call for repairs.
  • Strange Noises: Strange noises may indicate a problem with the motor. A professional can assess the problem and decide whether you need a new part or a new system.
  • Does Not Evacuate Water Quickly Enough: You should make sure that your unit is capable of draining large volumes of water at a time. If not, it may not have been installed properly, or it may have a faulty component.

Unfortunately, you may not notice these signs until it is too late. It is important that you test your sump pump from time to time to make sure that it can handle heavy volumes of water. One way to do this is by simply pouring water into the collection pit. However, it’s also important to make sure an expert inspects your sump pump as part of your annual plumbing maintenance.

The professional technicians at My Drain Company have experience inspecting, repairing, and maintaining both pedestal sump pumps and submersible models. Whether you need sump pump repair, plumbing maintenance, or sump pump installation, professional plumbers in Glendale are here to help. Give us a call today!

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What Causes Leaks in Gas Pipes?

Friday, October 3rd, 2014

If you suspect you may have a leak in your gas pipes, it’s important that you take action immediately. Natural gas is generally a safe way to fuel some of the appliances in your home as well as your heating system. Clothes dryers, water heaters, and gas furnaces and boilers all rely on a supply of gas in order to function. And depending on the cost of natural gas in your area, these gas appliances may save you money over time and could last longer than some electrical appliances.

But as soon as you believe a gas pipe leak threatens your home, you should evacuate immediately. You may notice the smell of rotten eggs or a hissing sound. Do not turn on any light switches or electronic devices or use matches and lighters, and call your utility company right away.

If you need gas piping installation or replacement, or for drain cleaning or plumbing repairs, be sure to call the experts at My Drain Company. We know the ins and outs of pipes, so you can be certain your gas piping is installed properly, preventing the need for repairs. So what causes leaks in the gas pipes?

  • Rust and Corrosion: One of the most common reasons for leaks has to do with faulty installation. If your gas line is near a water source or appliance that could have a leak, water may cause the pipe to rust and, eventually, to corrode.
  • Faulty Joints: As with your plumbing system, the pipes are connected with joints that may wear down over time, which is why it’s important to have the pipes inspected from time to time.
  • Loose Seals: The gas pipes are also sealed to your appliances, but these seals could also deteriorate someday.

Proper installation can keep your gas pipes from threatening your home in the future. The experts at My Drain Company also know what to look for to make sure your current system is not at risk for leaks. For anything from gas pipe installation to plumbing repairs in Glendale, give us a call today!

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Common Bathroom Plumbing Repairs for Toilets

Friday, September 26th, 2014

One of the most common reasons homeowners call for bathroom plumbing services in Glendale is due to problems with the toilet. Toilets are usually rather reliable, but there are still many reasons a toilet can stop working. And in this day and age, no home can be without a toilet for long, so repair needs are generally rather urgent. DIY repairs may be difficult and many problems simply require the service of a trained professional. When you need professionals to look at your bathroom plumbing, be sure to call My Drain Company right away. In order to help you learn more about some common repairs, we’ve made the following list.

  • Leaking: You may notice a leak from a couple of different areas of your toilet. Unfortunately, some leaks are beyond repair. When the leaking occurs at the tank due to cracks or other damages, it may mean you’ll need to replace your entire tank. A plumber can help you choose a new toilet and get it set up as quickly as possible. But leaks that come from behind the toilet tank, where your plumbing system connects to your tank, will likely only need to be sealed.
  • Clogs: If you have a toilet clog, your first line of defense is usually a plunger. But if a plunger does not effectively loosen a clog, it means you need to call for repairs quickly. There may be a major clog deep within your pipes that requires professional plumbing equipment to remove or dislodge from the sewer line.
  • Water Running Constantly: If water will not stop running, it can be due to a variety of factors with the float assembly and flush valve. A float in your tank makes the water shut off, but if the flapper cannot shut as the float rises, water will continue to run.

If you’re experiencing these problems or any others with your bathroom plumbing, it’s important that an experienced plumber check out the problem to decide on the right course of action. When you need the job done right, trust the dependable team of plumbers at My Drain Company. To schedule bathroom plumbing service in Glendale, contact us today!

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Drain Snakes: Why Plumbers Love Them

Friday, September 19th, 2014

If you have a drain clog, you need a plumber with the right tools to clear a potentially large obstruction. While some clogs may come loose with a household plunger, other clogs may be too large or too deep within the pipes for you to reach on your own. When you call for professional drain cleaning, a plumbing professional may use a variety of tools to clean and inspect your pipes, but the most popular of these may be the drain snake.

Most plumbers caution strongly against liquid drain cleaners because of potential dangers and because they simply do not work in many cases. Liquid drain cleaning agents, sold in many grocery and hardware stores, may be effective at removing some clogs and not others. For example, while most of these chemicals can dissolve hair, they often cannot do anything about most other solid obstructions. Besides, the harsh chemicals can be toxic, potentially injuring the skin or eyes and damaging the pipes.

This is why a plumber usually will not go near a chemical drain cleaner. Instead, plumbers come to your home equipped with an array of cleaning tools, perhaps most notable of which is the drain snake. Drain snakes, also known as drain augers, are either motorized or hand operated with a crank. A long wire with a coiled end is fed into the pipes, and the coiled end takes hold of clogs so that the plumber can pull the blockage back up through the drain. Some clogs, like tree roots, cannot latch on to this tool. This is why some drain snakes have multiple attachments to choose from, which may instead allow the plumber to break up a clog so it can flow down the drain with the wastewater.

In any case, drain snakes are one of the most effective ways to completely eliminate clogs without damaging your plumbing. When you call the plumbers at My Drain Company for professional drain cleaning in Glendale, CA, we’ll use drain augers and any other necessary means to clear your plumbing system, and we will check our work using the latest in video inspection technology. Talk to one of our plumbing experts today!

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How Plumbers Use Drains Snakes to Clean Drains

Friday, September 12th, 2014

If you have a tough clog, it can inconvenience many of your daily activities. So when water pools up at the bottom of your tub or won’t budge while you do the dishes, you may look for the quickest solutions to clear the drains. For some clogs, a plunger may do the trick. But if the clog is too far down the drain pipe, you’ll need something that can reach down much further.

That’s where the idea behind liquid drain cleaners comes from. This home remedy, often found in hardware stores and even most grocery stores, claims to have the ability to rid your drain of clogs. And while some cleaners may be effective at dissolving some common sources of blockage, usually hair, they fail at removing many other clogs and may instead push them further into the pipes. Besides, the chemicals in liquid drain cleaners and can severely damage your skin and eyes.

Plumbers do not rely on toxic liquid drain cleaners for professional drain cleaning. Instead, they are armed with the right equipment to get tough clogs cleared out completely. While they may have several tools available for drain cleaning, like powerful hydrojetting technology, perhaps the most commonly used is the drain snake.

Drain snakes reach deep into the pipes to break up clogs and bring them to the surface. A drain snake is basically a long, thick wire that often has a coiled end. The wire is rolled up, and may be operated with a manual crank, but more powerful units are motorized. When the wire is released into the pipe and wound back up, the coil catches small objects, hair, food, and some of the sludge that may line the pipes. Alternatively, a plumber may attach a fixture to the end of the drain snake that can break up particularly tough clogs into smaller pieces so they can flow down the drain with the wastewater.

At My Drain Company, we use drain snakes and other tools to rid your plumbing of the toughest clogs, and we use video pipe inspection to make sure that problems are cleared from your system entirely. When you need drain cleaning in Glendale, CA, give us a call!

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Why Schedule Storm Drainage Service

Friday, September 5th, 2014

Here in Glendale, CA, we haven’t seen much heavy rain in recent years. But when you’re entirely unprepared for rain, water may pool around your property, leak into your home, or flood your entire house. Water damage can seriously harm your foundation, while standing water means a buildup of mold and mildew which may cause problems with the indoor air quality, possibly triggering respiratory problems in some family members.

To keep water from leaking into your home, you need a storm drainage system to move this water into the sewer system instead. But if your storm drain hasn’t gotten a lot of attention lately, it may be clogged with dirt and debris. Scheduling drain cleaning services for your outdoor drains is the best way to ensure rainwater does not damage your property.

If you need storm drainage installation, you’ll need to call a professional plumber to find the best location for a new drain and ensure water flows without backing up onto your property. And if you’ve never had a professional examine your storm drains, now is the best time.

The Steps of Storm Drainage Service

During storm drainage service, the most important step a plumber takes is a thorough drain cleaning. Leaves, gravel, and dirt may build up in the drains over time if your drainage system does not get a lot of use, or heavy rainfall may carry these items into the drain. That’s why it’s important to schedule drain cleaning for your storm drains before a storm is predicted or after heavy rainfall.

During drain cleaning service, technicians use hydrojetting technology to essentially blast tough clogs into the sewer with high volumes of water. Then, a professional can examine your pipes to ensure the clogs are taken care of. A professional may also check to ensure your drain was installed properly so that water can flow down into the pipes.

You can help keep your storm drains relatively clear by disposing of yard waste properly and keeping your drains free of large blockages. But when you need professional drain cleaning in Glendale, call the experts at My Drain Company today!

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Common Causes of Drain Repairs

Friday, August 22nd, 2014

The drains in your sinks and showers rid your home of thousands of gallons of wastewater every year. Although you may not think of this seemingly minor part of your home too often, the drains deserve special attention as they may run into repair needs at some point. Drain repair is no small matter; problems with your drain can cause major issues throughout your plumbing system and your home, including damaged pipes and sewage backup. You may prevent these serious issues from occurring by taking simple steps such as purchasing drain covers, avoiding pouring grease down the sink, and scheduling regular plumbing maintenance. However, if you do run into the need for repairs, My Drain Company is here to help.

Here Are Some of the Reasons Our Customers Call for Drain Repair Service

  • Clogs: If a drain is slow or stopped, it may be due to clogs from food scraps, soap scum, hair, or fats and oils that solidify as they move down the drain.
  • Leaks: Water leaks may begin to form underneath your drain, indicating either a link from the sink basin or a more serious problem in your plumbing system. A plumber is qualified to locate and repair the exact source of the leak.
  • Age: Drains may also form problems due to old age, including corrosion and rust. In this case, you may have pipes that need replacement.
  • Hard Water: If you have “hard water,” it means that an excess of magnesium and calcium affect your water, causing mineral buildups to form along the insides of pipes. Hard water is a common problem that can be solved by installing a water softener.
  • Noises: Noises from your drain such as a gurgling may indicate that the pressure levels in your pipes are not balanced.
  • Odors: Finally, many homeowners call for repair when foul odors emit from the drain. This may simply indicate a problem with the P-trap underneath the drain, or it may indicate a problem with the home’s sewer line.

Whatever the problem is, you need a professional plumber to fix your drain as soon as possible. The dependable technicians at My Drain Company have years of plumbing experience, so if you need drain repair service in Glendale, CA, give us a call!

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Water Savings from Low-Flow Fixture Installation

Friday, August 15th, 2014

Southern California is currently experiencing a severe drought, and this has placed focus on the importance of water conservation in homes. There are many ways to save water on a daily basis, but one of the best long-term solutions that will benefit both the environment and your utility bills is to arrange for the installation of low-flow fixtures in your home: toilets, faucets, showerheads.

WaterSense, a partnership with the U.S. EPA, certifies fixtures that make major reductions in water use while still maintaining high performance levels. When you arrange for a plumber to replace your old fixtures with WaterSense or other low-flow models, you can significantly lower your water use without needing to make sacrifices in comfort. Call the plumbing specialists at My Drain Company today to learn more about the benefits of these low-flow fixtures and how you can have them installed.

How Much Water Do These Low-Flow Models Save?

The amount of water you conserve using a low-flow plumbing fixture depends on how much water your current fixtures use. For example, toilets build before 1980 wasted an enormous amount of water with each flush: 6 to 7 gallons. Current models have lowered this to 2.2 gallons, a huge improvement. But WaterSense pressure-assisted low-flow toilets use only 1.6 gallons per flush, a 20% reduction from current models and a 75% reduction from older models. Thanks to the air-pressure in these toilets, they do not lose any flushing power along with water reduction. Because toilets account for approximately a third of all indoor water use, replacing them with water-conserving models can mean around $2,000 off your yearly utility bills.

A standard bathroom sink faucets allow 2.2 gallons of water to flow through them a minute. A WaterSense faucet lowers that amount to 1.5 gallons per minute, and again there is no noticeable loss in performance. Using these low-flow faucets, and average family of 5 can conserve 700 gallons a water a year, which is equal to 40 showers. You can save water in the shower as well with WaterSense showerheads, which can save that same family of five 2,900 gallons of water a year.

There’s another way that you’ll save money with low-flow installations: less stress on your water heater. With less hot water used in showers and for washing, your hot water heater will need to work less, and you’ll receive savings on your power bills as well.

Low-flow installation costs more than standard plumbing fixtures, but as you can tell from the above information, you will soon make back the extra costs and can expect to keep saving money for many years. Call My Drain Company to talk about how we can set up your home with water-conserving and money-saving low-flow fixtures. If you need the services of a plumber in Glendale, CA, call us.

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3 Signs of a Quality Professional Plumbing Company

Friday, August 8th, 2014

Finding a professional plumbing company to handle your repairs, new installations, or maintenance is easier now than ever before. Instead of using a phone book directory, you can simply type in a few words on search engine or say a phrase into your smart phone and receive a long list of local plumbing companies. How do you choose the best plumber in Burbank, CA from these lists?

It helps to have a set list of criteria of what you most want from a plumbing company. Below, we’ve put together three points you should definitely have on your list of necessary qualities for any plumber you are thinking of hiring. Once you’ve given this list some thought, we are certain that you will place My Drain Company near the top of the companies you want to hire.

Look For These 3 Signs of Quality In A Plumbing Company

  1. 24-hour emergency service: Plumbing repair issues rarely happen at a time when it’s convenient for you. If the time is also inconvenient for your plumber, then you have a serious problem. Make sure that the plumber you choose to hire is ready whenever your plumbing breaks with round-the clock emergency service. Check to see if the company offers same-day service for standard jobs as well.
  2. Fully licensed and insured: To make sure that the plumbing company you hire is truly professional, check that it is licensed with the State Contractors Board (the company will produce proof upon request) and has insurance so that you will not be responsible for repairs should the plumbers cause any damage to your home. (You won’t need to worry much about accidental damage from a professional company, however.)
  3. Many years in the business: A plumbing company that has only been around for a few years could have experienced plumbers on its staff, but you won’t have any guarantee about this. The more years a company has been in business, the more assurance you have that it employs excellent plumbers who have delivered numerous quality jobs that have kept clients coming back. With a decade or more of experience behind it, a company shows that it has earned the community’s trust.

My Drain Company goes above and beyond these expectations. We have served homeowners with excellent service for more than 15 years, we are fully licensed and insured, and offer 24-hour emergency and same-day service. When we send a Burbank, CA plumber to your house, you can expect he or she will get right work and deliver you the best service possible.

 

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