Plumbing Professional

What makes a plumber a plumbing professional and what do I look for to find them?  


A plumbing professional as a company will be licensed for the work they do in their State.  They will have insurance on their vehicles, employees and most likely their plumbing tools.  Larger cities will mandate a business to pay the city for a privilege license to provide service.  The same larger cities will also require the plumber pro to pay for a bond.  They will want their work inspected to protect themselves and the homeowner.  The plumbing pro as a technician should be well dressed with a clean uniform, well spoken, polite, and is mindful of your personal property.  The plumbing pro should use their own tools. 


Not every professional plumber will be able to tackle every job thrown their way.  They should however be willing to refer you to another professional with the skill-set needed to take care of you.  They should be open to working with others rather than spinning wheels trying to do it all.  The plumbing pro will want you as a customer for life as well as your families, this generation and the next.  A person more worried about losing a few dollars by referring you for your well being is not worried about you as a customer.  


Some smaller plumbing pro companies may not have a back hoe for digging up a sewer line but knows a contractor that has one that they work with and have a good re-pore.  Many plumbing companies do not own drain cleaning machines for kitchen sinks and bathtubs but may rent them.  If they do not own a smaller drain cleaning machine they will not own the larger machines needed for roots so they would refer you to a local drain cleaning company that specializes in this area.  Another is leak detection services;  most often plumbers say they offer this service because it may be obvious by seeing it.  Do not be confused, leak detection is a skill-set with special equipment and training meant to find those leaks that are not visible by the naked eye and found without destroying the property.  


A professional plumber knows their limitations.  Whether it is experience, tools, or the ability to know when a repair is warranted versus a new installation.  Here are a few questions to consider asking your plumber to find out if they are a plumbing pro:  

• Are you a licensed plumber? 
• Are your technicians licensed?
• Are all of your employees drug free?
• Do you hire convicted felons?
• Do you do a background check? 
• Are you insured/bonded?
• Do you offer 24-hour emergency service?
• Do you charge by the hour or by the job?
• What are your service rates?
• Do you charge for travel time or going to get parts?
• Do you charge overtime rates?
• Can I email you job requests?

Expect to pay more for a professional, after all they are a illegitimate company.  Some have more overhead than others so not every pro charges the same prices.  Some may even offer various pricing for the specialties they offer.  


Allure Plumbing

Finding a Leak

I had a leak detection call for this morning. I find out it was on the brand new PVC pipe that was inspected. Not only was it leaking it was a drain under the slab and not a leaky water main. The drain would hold water to within 2" of the floor and no higher. Trying to find a leaky drain pipe indoors under a slab is really next to impossible.  I did however manage to find the leak without jack-hammering the floor. 


They wanted further proof...ok. Now, the plumber that called me out for my services has a camera but couldn't go in many of the smaller drains. First we found a vent that was open in the wall...no "studor vent", it didn't even go through the top plate into the attic. Then we found an extra combination to nowhere?  This is where listening and talking to a homeowner pays off. Spoke to the homeowner and they have pictures. No pictures of the underground, just the pictures of the before and after of the "nasty" house. 


I noticed what appeared to be a floor drain..."ohhhh yeah"...Evidently things were not going to be too easy for the tile guy so he talked them into deleting the floor drain. The plumber didn't delete it, the tile guy did. That's why there was gravel and dirt in the new drains. That's why it wouldn't hold test for the above ground inspection. The floor drain was the same area that I found the leak noise emitting. The drain pipe was not cut and capped properly.  This, if done without the water testing, would have let the trap dry out and sewer gases would have permeated the ground into the living space. 

Clogged Sewer

A clogged drain, is there anything worse? Yes, a clogged sewer main is worse.  Especially if it will not stop coming out into your house or building.  From time to time we need to do a little extra work keeping our drains flowing properly.  Taking hair out of the tub drain is one small example.  How about grease from a kitchen sink drain?  Sometimes however the sewer main needs the attention.  If your drain lines are backed up, all of your appliances and fixtures in the business or residence will not drain, the first call should be to the city (if you are on sewer, not septic).  This usually means the main sewer line is stopped up.  Let us discuss some important information about sewer mains being clogged.  From here on out commercial or residential structure will be referred to as the building. 

Most municipalities respond within two hours. Have them determine where the stoppage is for free.  If you do not use the sewer and the water stops rising, relax and take a deep breath.  This means that the clogged drain should not continue to overflow.  Keep an eye on the water level as often as possible for precautionary measures. 

If the system continues to rise it means the city main sewer is backing up into your structure.  If this is the case you have no control over the course of events to follow but you can help yourself and your neighbors.  When you call the city make them aware that the city sewer is backing up into your building.  Do not wait for the city with this scenario.  Call your local plumber or drain cleaner, fill them in and get them headed towards you ASAP.  

When the city or plumber arrives they will open the clean out near the road to determine who will fix the problem.  If it is full of water it is on the city side and they will send someone out to jet the line or cable it.  The end result is usually the same, it will be unstopped.  If there is no water then you need a plumber because it is stopped up before the city clean out.  If there is no clean out your responsible to clean the entire length of pipe from your building to the sewer in the road. 

Some municipalities may vary with their proto calls.  Many times the clean out is just buried. If this is the case many cities have a special locator that finds them in the yard.  If there is no clean out and the problem was on the city side a cleanout should be installed.  After reading this article you now know how to tell which side the blockage is on if there is a city cleanout at the road.  This will save you money, time and frustration should the drain stop up again.   

I am hoping with everything going on you haven't had the time to try a drain cleaner.  DO NOT USE DRAIN CLEANERS.  The safety of the person working with your problem is at stake.  If you have please be sure to tell the professional.

If you are on a septic tank, stop running water.  Crisis averted!  Do you know where the lid is to the septic tank?  I do not recommend taking the tank lids off by anyone other than a licensed professional.  If you haven't gotten your tank pumped in a long time...over seven years, call out the septic tank company.  They can pump out the tank and check on its condition.  They will also be able to tell you what is the primary cause of the sewer line being clogged. 

It could be a problem with the leech fields, the tank, or the drain to the tank.  If you are fortunate your septic tank company has a drain cleaning machine in the event it is the sewer coming towards the tank from the building that is causing the problem.  If it is the main drain and they don't have a drain machine, call a plumber.  You have not wasted a single dime with the septic tank company up to this point.  Knowing exactly where the tank is will also aid the plumber or drain cleaning company in cleaning your drain.     

 http://www.allureplumbing.com 

Locating Utilities

Allure plumbing can find buried private electric wires.  You know the ones from the house down, around, and forgotten heading through an area you are about to dig!  Allure plumbing can locate buried gas lines.  Allure plumbing can also find your plumbing (water/sewer).

Water meter Key

Every one should have one.  Any hardware store or plumbing supply will have the key to shut the water off at the street.  If you have one in the house, ask a plumber how to turn it off and back on properly.  If you have a water meter in a box at the road and the lid is locked, there is another key for that as well.  It would be best to ask your plumber to sell you the correct key.  Some of the keys to the lids may also turn the water on and off.  The proper name for these keys may differ a little with respect to the area you live in.  They include meter key and cock key as the two most often used.

Closing a meter and opening a meter should be done with care.  The next time that there is a plumber at your house ask them the proper way to turn it off and more importantly how to turn them on with an emphasis on the speed in which it is turned.  If turned on to quickly you can/will blow apart fittings causing leaks.  I turn mine off anytime I leave for a trip away from home, even for the weekend.  There will be no swimming pools in/under my house.

Allure Plumbing: Leak Detection Woes

Allure Plumbing: Leak Detection Woes: "You have a leak somewhere, so you call a plumber. They tell you they cannot find the leak because it is under _____ so you need to call in ..."

Leak Detection Woes

You have a leak somewhere, so you call a plumber. They tell you they cannot find the leak because it is under _____ so you need to call in a third party to find it for them/you. You are about to call another person with a separate invoice for the same job. What if they cannot find it because _____? They still charge you for their services! Now what!?!

1. Why did you call a plumber that doesn't have leak detection equipment?
2. Why did you call someone out that only does leak detection?
3. Why do you now have two bills, nothing accomplished, and a plumber about to install a new water line that you may not need or afford?
4. What if I would have just called the leak detection company first?

Leak detection is somewhat of an art. If the pipe is metal, you can trace it. If it is plastic, you cannot. If it is plastic you usually need a trace gas to find the leak and most leak detection companies do not own that device. If you had called the leak detection company out first, you would still have to call a plumber to run a new line. The best answer I have...call a plumber that can trace the line, do leak detection with or without trace gas, then fix the problem when it has been found.

http://allureplumbing.com

Plumbing

Stop neglecting your equipment servicing needs! Stop stepping over the dollar to pick up the penny. Start realizing that if you take shortcuts, you will pay more for them in the long run. A moment of care is worth the lifetime of your equipment.