Frozen Pipes

Common Plumbing Mistakes

5 Common Plumbing Mistakes made by Home Owners

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There are a few common plumbing problems that our plumbers have noticed in the greater Knoxville area. We don’t want to pick on the homeowners in Knoxville, we are just calling the attention regarding such issues as we are representing similar problems in the whole city. Here are the common mistakes in plumbing that many Knoxville residents are making.

Common Plumbing MistakesMaking their Toilet as a Trash Can

Some homeowners don’t really know how to look for the right trashcan and making their toilet as the trash can is their option. This is a common mistake that can make costly operations when clogging occurs. Plastic wraps of different products, toilet papers and even a simple shred of towel can be the reason of clogging. Because of these things, there can be a serious need for professional help.

Hiring the Cheapest Plumbers

The need of plumbing services requires professional plumbers. But the truth is that majority of homeowners consider hiring the cheapest option for a plumber and plumbing services. This is one mistake that most customers are getting to keep properly their budget with them. There is nothing wrong in selecting the cheapest option though. They are known as providers who have less experience that is needed in addressing your plumber issues. There are many options like Knoxville Plumbing that can provide plumbing services in Knoxville at a very reasonable price. Their technicians are who you should call to correct the plumbing job done.

Hazard Caused by Renovations

Home Renovation is really exciting. However, you must be sure about your plans before starting with the renovation. Whether you are planning to swap out the bathroom sink, replace the faucet or fully tear out the shower, you have to know exactly the steps involved, if the work of a contractor is needed and how much it would probably cost. Proper planning will guarantee the avoidance of hazards caused by renovations.

Ignoring the Small Leaks

Small leaks are not actually a big deal for most of homeowners. If the small leaks are just ignored, major problem can arises. These small leaks usually happen in plumbing pipes as well as a small hole of the roof. Any of these situations must immediately be addressed. If you cannot repair it by your own, then call for the professionals.

Failure of Freeze Proofing for your Home

Most people don’t consider the essence of freeze proofing of their home. We have really cold weather that drops well below freezing at times. If you forget to freezeproof your hosebibs you might have a floodout. Sometimes you will not know that there is a problem until the pipes are defrosted, and the water is flowing freely.

Avoid these common mistakes for plumbing when you want to feel at ease inside your home at all times. Hire the expert plumbing service contractors to avoid these common plumbing mistakes.

 

Protect Your Plumbing During Cold Snaps

Protect Your Plumbing During Cold Snaps

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Protect Your Plumbing During Cold Snaps

As Knoxville heads into the winter months, family gatherings and holiday celebrations are just around the corner. Knoxville Plumbing would like to offer you some tips to protect your home from cold snaps and freezing temperatures so that you can enjoy the season’s festivities without worrying about plumbing emergencies.

Here are a few tips for Knoxville residents to consider as we head into the winter months.

Update Fixtures

Family gatherings and holiday parties mean extra guests and extra use of faucets and toilets that can put a strain on your home’s plumbing. This also means more water consumption overall, but you don’t have to waste valuable money and water over the holiday seasons. Consider replacing old fixtures with high efficiency options. Newer fixtures work exactly the same as your old ones did but will be more effective at saving water because they actually consume less when used.

Protect Your Plumbing During Cold SnapsWater Heater Inspection

Whether your home has a newer tankless water heater or you use a standard model it’s important that you get your water heater checked every couple of years. Most traditional tanks are meant to last a few years, but without a good flushing of the system, sediment can build up within the tank over time and decrease performance. Everyone should have their water heater inspected otherwise, you could be left without a working system when you need it to work the most.

For an inspection, call the best plumber Knoxville has to offer. Knoxville Plumbing can check your tank and make sure it is functioning at its best possible performance level. Knoxville Plumbing has a team of trained technicians that can flush out your tank and have it running smoothly without debris so that the increased use of hot water during the holidays won’t wear out your tank.

Circulate warm air

It can be tempting to bundle up during the cold season and not turn on your home’s thermostat unless you absolutely have to. However, if your home’s internal temperature reaches 55 degrees or less your pipes could easily freeze. It is important to keep circulating warm air throughout the house every now and again to keep pipes from freezing. It is also important to open cabinets under sinks and faucets and near exterior walls so that pipes have a better chance of staying warm all winter long and preventing costly water damage from pipes rupturing.

 

For a Full Winter Guide, click here to download.

Knoxville tn repipe

Signs That Your Home Needs to be Repiped

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Signs That Your Home Needs to be Repiped

Knoxville tn repipeIt might not be as easy to spot, but an old rusty pipe in your home can act in much the same manner as thief in the night. This is due to the fact that they burst when you least expect it and cause extensive damage that ravishes your home. You won’t be able to believe your eyes when you see the amount of damage and destruction that a bursting old pipe can do to your home. However, we are a plumbing company that can help you avoid this type of damage and destruction by taking advantage of our repiping services. Repiping projects are quite complex and are best left in the hands of experienced and qualified plumbers that you can count on.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

The fact is that your day is pretty jam-packed with important tasks. This means that you have little free time to waste and hardly have a minute to give your pipes an extra thought. However, it is essential that you give your plumbing the attention that it deserves to ensure that you never have to deal with the damage left behind by bursting pipes. Plumbing is a convenience that you likely take for granted and just expect to be at your beckon call. Having a repipe in Knoxville is in the back of your mind.

When you turn on your shower faucet or flush your toilet, you hardly give your plumbing a second thought. However, when your pipes burst in your home you will have to pay attention and act fast. The best way to avoid bursting pipes is to be proactive and look for early warning signs that can help you avoid damage. Paying a little now for plumbing services is preferred to paying a lot later when your pipes actually burst.

Keep A Close Eye On Water Pressure

Water pressure is one of the main warning signs that you should be on the lookout for. If your water pressure becomes low or you notice that the actual color of your water is changing, you need to call on a plumber. If your water starts to look like the color of rust, chances are that your pipes are close to bursting and require immediate attention. If you notice leaky pipes this should also be a red flag. If you simply pay attention and look out for signs of aging pipes, you should be able to catch the problem before they burst.

 

 

Why Is It Taking So Long For The Water In My Home To Heat Up

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Why Is It Taking So Long For The Water In My Home To Heat Up

Water heaters can have various types of problems from time to time. You may have no hot water, inadequately heated water, leaky pipes, leaky water storage tanks, rust colored or metallic water, foul odors including that of rotten egg, popping or rumbling noises, whining and even a completely dead water heater that would respond to nothing that you do.

Cupped Hands Under Shower

Cupped Hands Under Shower

If you don’t have any hot water or it is taking too long for the water in your home to heat up, then there can be many causes for the same. It may so happen that there is a combination of different causes at play.

The first possible causes can be a tripped circuit breaker which will obstruct the power to run the water heater, a faulty thermostat or malfunctioning electric heating element. You may also have a blown fuse but that would not heat the water at all, instead of delaying or taking too long to heat the water. These problems can be easily attended to. You need to call in an expert and he can repair the water heater. Replacing the fuse or resetting the circuit breaker, ensuring the thermostat is working fine and attending to the heating element, including replacing it if required, will solve the problem. If any of the parts are not working and are beyond repair, then replacing them is the only remedy.

Water heaters can take too long to heat the water sufficiently in your home if you have a heater that doesn’t have the capacity to heat and deliver hot water to the number of outlets you have. Water heaters have capacity and it must be apt for your home. Another very common reason for this problem is too many cold water connections or faulty plumbing installations interfere with the flow of the hot water from the heater. Such installations need to be checked and attended to. These issues can be easily attended to by an expert. But if you have purchased a water heater that doesn’t have the capacity for your home, then you either have to let go off a few connections or outlets so the water can be heated quickly enough for certain connections. That would reduce the volume of water needed to be heated and naturally increase the speed of heating.

Low voltage or disruptions in the supply of power can make the process of heating the water much longer than usual.

 

Knoxville Repipe

Some Homes In Knoxville Needs to be Repiped… Is Your Home One?

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Some Homes In Knoxville Needs to be Repiped… Is Your Home One?

They say nothing lasts forever, and the pipes in your home won’t either. Sooner, or later, you may be faced with the question of whether or not to have the pipes, the plumbing, in your house, replaced.

Leaking-galvanized-pipe | Knoxville RepipeIn very old Knoxville homes

The galvanized iron pipes came in nominal lengths and every joint, connection, elbow, or tee, had threads in all the outlets and may very well begin to leak. In addition, iron rusts and often clogs the pipe so you have very little flow.

In newer Knoxville homes

Copper pipe replaced the galvanized iron pipe, and used soldered joints to replace the threaded ones. When properly installed, they should last for the life of the house. However, due to ground settling, earthquakes, remodeling and other unseen happenings, copper pipe and fittings may  crack, or a solder joint fail.

When Copper is in Short Supply in Knoxville

Which happens from time to time, various replacement materials, usually plastic have been used. Plastic is also commonly used in mobile homes and RVs.

So, How Do You Know If You Need To Repipe your Home?

Before you face the situation, and have your whole house repiped, do some checking. Are you having more leaks, and have your plumber on speed-dial? Does the water flow slowly and have a weak stream at your faucets? Do your pipes bang when the faucets are shut off? Is there rust in the water? If any, or all, these things are happening to your water system, you may need to have your home repiped.

A Major Job

Repiping a home is a major proposition,  so think carefully about the plumber you have do the job. Be sure they are licensed, bonded, and insured. Check with the Better Business Bureau, to see if any complaints have been filed. Ask if you can contact any of their customers.

If the repiping will require walls, ceilings, or floors be removed, or opened up for access, you might want to consider doing a remodeling and rewiring during the same period. That way there is no need for each profession to close up and finish the openings. In addition, a permit will likely be required to do any of the jobs and a contractor can manage the job and coordinate the sub-contractors

When undertaking such a job, we would recommend looking on line to see what Knoxville Plumbing LLC has to offer. http://knowvilleplumbingllc.com

Knoxville frozen pipes, burst repair prevention

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What to do if your pipe’s Freeze:

If you have frozen pipes, before thawing, you are going to have to take some precautions.

First… turn off the water supply. Second…call a professional plumber, to assess the situation and determine the extent of the damage.
The plumber will be able to determine the cause of the frozen pipes and then devise a plan to thaw the pipes.frozen-pipes

It’s important that frozen pipes be thawed slowly and carefully to prevent bursting of the pipes.
If you already have a broken pipe, the plumber will need to make the necessary repairs.
As the plumber thaws or repairs your frozen pipes, he can address the lack of insulation that caused the problem in the first place. He may recommend foam pipe wraps or heating tape if the area is subject to severe cold.

While at your home, ask the plumber to inspect all of your pipes and other areas of your house so that future problems can be avoided.

Frozen pipes require a slow thawing process. It will be necessary to open a few faucets in order to allow the melting water to escape. It is very important not to heat the pipe until it is hot.
In order to prevent pipes from freezing during the cold winter months, you should shut-off the water specifically to the pipes that supply water to the outside faucets. The faucets and pipes that are closest to the outside elements have the best chance of freezing.

Also, if you allow a slow drip from some of your inside faucets, it will help keep water flowing through the pipes making it harder to freeze during the extremely cold weather.
And most important disconnect all hoses that are attached to your outside hose bibs. This will prevent freeze damage from inside the wall.