Boston Plumbing and Heating Blog

Autumn marks the transition from summer into winter. Autumn is a friendly reminder that when winter arrives, it can be sudden and usually leave homeowners unprepared for plumbing troubles caused by the extremely cold temperature.

When you think of potential problems for homeowners during autumn, plumbing issues may not readily come across your mind. Before the chilly nights of fall set in, you need to make an appointment with professional plumbers in Boston, MA for your plumbing system maintenance checkup. This way, all potential plumbing problems can be accurately diagnosed and quickly fixed before it is too late.

Pipes that run along exterior walls inside your home can still freeze when extreme temperatures occur. Ask a professional plumber to ensure that the pipes are well insulated. It is also important to schedule a water heater inspection. Your water heater will have to work harder than usual during the fall and winter to heat water for your home. Make sure your plumber also cleans and checks all of the water heater's crucial components and replace any worn parts.

There are some common plumbing and drain issues that can be avoided with a plumbing inspection, especially in older or poorly insulated homes. As for the chilly fall temperatures, winterize your outdoor shower, faucets, sinks and sprinklers prior to that first freeze. Doing so can avoid burst pipes and flooding.

If you have questions about how you can improve your home's plumbing this fall, do not hesitate to contact the professional plumbers from Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

Summer can be the perfect time to consider bathroom remodeling in Boston MA or it may be time to upgrade a particular item in it. There are a lot of ways to spice up the bathroom by adding a little something extra. But wouldn't it be best to start by taking care of any plumbing issues at home first.

A showerhead is a relatively inexpensive item but replacing a clogged or inefficient one before summer strikes can significantly reduce the summer water bill. Replacing the shower head, or other bathroom plumbing fixtures, can help save up to 7 gallons of water/minute without needing to reduce the water pressure. If you are looking for inexpensive ways to save water, then replacing the showerhead is a good bet. In fact, it can help you save on your energy bill as well.

This is the season when we use water the most, there is no better way to start off the summer than by reducing water usage. We can help you plan and execute any replacement, repair, and remodeling that you've been planning for your bathroom.

Summer is here and now that the nice weather is here, this is the perfect time to take care of any plumbing issues at home. Often, plumbing issues occur in the bathroom. For a more creative and convenient means to improve your bathroom and its plumbing system contact a professional plumber in Boston, MA now.

As a homeowner, you have to pay attention to all of your home utility bills. You know what you usually pay for water, but have you received a water bill that is unusually high?  Usually, the reason for a dramatic increase in the water bill is because you have a water leak somewhere in your home.  

Unfortunately, the time you think of plumbing is when you have a problem, when something goes wrong.  A water leak, if left untreated or undetected, can lead to serious damage and costly repairs.

Water can be your home's worst enemy.  Leaving leaks unattended can lead to serious damage to your home. For example, a water leak behind a wall could require drywall repair. A small drywall repair job can cost as much as $400, not to mention if you end up with mold. And a mold remediation job can be anywhere from hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars.

It is best to find and tackle plumbing leaks, no matter how small, immediately.

An easy sign of a leak in your house could be a stain on the wall or on the floor and it might smell musty.

There are a couple of simple ways to check if your toilet is leaking.  Place a few drops of food coloring in the toilet tank and wait several minutes. If the food coloring has entered the toilet bowl without the toilet being flushed you know you have a leak. Another thing you can do, lay toilet paper along the base of the toilet and flush the toilet.  If there's a leak, the tissue paper will be wet.

To find out if you have a leaking sink, place a few paper towels below the sink drain pipes. Run the water, if the paper towels are wet, you could have a sink pipe leak.

Some additional sources for water loss include dripping faucets within the house and a garden hose mistakenly being left open for days.

For more information on plumbers in Boston and Worcester, contact Greater Boston Plumbing and Heating.

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Homeowners need plumbing that works. Unfortunately the drains get clogged and the toilet backs up. Regularly, we come across plumbing problems that are caused by homeowners. Here are some things that ruin your plumbing.

Pouring grease down the kitchen drain.

If you’re in the habit of pouring bacon grease down the kitchen-sink drain, you might as well call the plumber now. Grease is one of the best things for clogging drains.

Putting everything down the kitchen drain.
 
Don’t put everything down the garbage disposal.  You should especially avoid putting flour, rice, potato peels (and some other peels) and many fibrous foods such as asparagus and chard down the garbage disposal.

Using the toilet as a trash can.  

If it isn’t waste or toilet paper, don’t flush it. The toilet should not be used as a trash can. The toilet has a 3-inch drain pipe that leads into another drain pipe, which is THE drain pipe to your entire house. In other words, flushing one improper item down the toilet ultimately can stop up everything in the house.

Leaving hoses connected during winter.

This is a classic plumbing error. Hoses can cause damage when left out all year: they can lead to freezing of the outdoor faucet or its water supply pipe. It’s also very bad for your hose.

Using too much drain cleaner.

When used judiciously and on the right kind of clog, drain cleaners can be effective and relatively safe for drains. When used with abandon, they can corrode some drain materials, and they can actually make clogged drains worse.

Pouring chemicals into a septic system.

If you’re used to living with private septic, you probably know how to take care of it. But if you just bought a house with septic, you might not think twice about using chemicals like drain cleaner, chlorine bleach, paint and even anti-bacterial soaps. These chemicals kill the essential waste-eating bacteria in the septic tank.

Nailing or cutting into a wall with hidden plumbing pipes.

Know where you are nailing, screwing or sawing into a wall. You don’t want to hit the pipes.  

Joining two different metals in piping.

When you hire a plumber, make sure they know what they are doing. When dissimilar metals, such as copper and steel, are touching, a process called galvanic action leads to corrosion. Corrosion leads to leaks. Such joints must be made with a dielectric union or other approved fitting. Be sure you plumber is using the right type of metal pipes.

For your plumbing problems in Wellesley, contact Greater Boston Plumbing.

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