Know Your Plumbing

What is an Emergency Plumbing Repair?

The question of what constitutes emergency plumbing is an interesting one. It is also important for a number of reasons. Let’s start with the most broad definition, and its application.

Here in California we have a law that states that any time someone comes to your home to sell you a good or service that is valued at over $300, you have the right to cancel that transaction within 3 working days after signing the contract. That means that if someone comes to your home and you buy a vacuum cleaner from them (for more than $300), you can notify the seller in writing that you wish to cancel the sale up to 3 full working days after you bought it. The seller, by law, must accept the vacuum back and issue a full refund of the purchase price (without penalty). The same is true for a plumber that performs more than $300 in service.

Unfortunately for the plumber, if you should cancel that transaction, you cannot “return” the service. In this case the company must still provide you with a full refund. In some cases, such as water heater replacements, the company can opt to uninstall the new unit, but only if they reinstall your old unit. Most companies will not do that, so you will usually wind up with a free service, and the company eats the costs.

Plumbing 101a | Flow vs Pressure

As a service plumber, one of the most common plumbing problems that I have been asked to diagnose is low “water pressure”. The reason that I put “water pressure” in quotes is because what a customer thinks is low water pressure is quite often actually low flow. There is a difference, and that difference is very important when trying to figure out the best remedy for the problem.

So what’s the difference? Pressure is the amount of force behind the water, pushing it through your pipes. It is measured in pounds per square inch (psi). Flow is the amount of water that “flows” out of an open outlet, like an open hose bib or faucet. Flow is usually measured (in the US) in gallons per minute (gpm). The symptoms for low pressure and low flow can sometimes look similar, but it is usually pretty easy to diagnose.

Plumbing 101|Residentail Drain Plumbing

Quite often a home owner’s first experience with a plumbing problem is when a drain in their home backs up. Knowing how your drainage system works and the most common causes of back-up problems with different drain lines can really help you when it comes time to get your drains serviced. This information will make it easier for you to get the right solution to your problem, and make life easier for the plumber who is trying to explain it all to you.

Let’s begin with a little plumbing theory. Please keep in mind, that depending on your area, your lay-out may be different. I will give you a simple layout to give you an idea of how drains tie together. Your plumbing may be a bit different, but the theory will be the same.

We will start with a 1 bathroom home, for the sake of simplicity. Let’s say that the toilet is at the back of the house. That is the end of your house sewer line. Your toilet will connect straight into that main line (3 or 4 inch), go towards the front of your house, and continue through your front yard and into the street where it ties into the public sewer. Maybe you have a septic system, and the line runs straight to the back of your house where it ties into the septic tank. Either way, the thing to remember here is that your main will usually run from the furthest toilet, as straight as possible, until it reaches whatever it ties into (public sewer, septic tank, etc.).

All of your other plumbing fixtures will drain into smaller drainage lines (1 ½”- 2” lines called secondary lines) that tie into the main at different points. Your bathroom sink may tie into your shower line before it goes to the main, or your laundry line tie into your kitchen line, but they all tie into the main. The only plumbing fixture with direct access to the main is the toilet. A 2 bath house is the same, but with more tie-ins.