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Statistics indicate that 37% of U.S. homeowners have suffered losses from water damage due to plumbing problems. A plumbing emergency can be stressful for some homeowners.8-Signs-That-You-Need-to-Call-a-Plumber-_-Callahan,-FL

This is because most plumbing issues may compromise your regular life by affecting drainage or water supply. You may have some relevant tools to take care of the minor plumbing problems, but in most cases, it’s advisable to seek the help of a professional plumber.

Why a Do-It-Yourself fix isn’t the answer

Some minor plumbing problems can easily be handled without requesting the plumber’s services. However, some are best left to a plumbing expert who is updated with the industry’s coding standards and has hands-on experience. A professional will know the diagnosis and answer to your plumbing problem.

Trying to fix the plumbing problem yourself may make the problem worse and also expose you and your family to a safety risk.

You’ll not regret calling a plumber to handle your plumbing problem. It’s essential to keep a list of the professionals to call when you detect any of the signs below.

  1. Running toilet

Is your toilet still running after flushing hours ago? This is a common problem for most residential properties, and in most cases, it goes unnoticed since it doesn’t create a lot of noise.

A running toilet will increase your monthly water bill due to the loss of water every day. The moment you detect a running toilet, you should know that there is a severe problem with your plumbing system.

A running toilet occurs when the seal that links the toilet tank to the bowl is damaged. This results in the tank refilling repeatedly, hence the irritating noise that you’ll keep hearing. A plumber will rectify the problem

  1. Soggy basement

It’s estimated that 98% of basements in the US experiences some water damage in the course of their lifetime. Soggy basements are a nightmare to every homeowner.

Puddles, soggy boxes, wet furniture, and rugs are some of the problems caused by wet basements. Leaking pipes are the primary cause, but at times it may be due to heavy rains, and you happen to have a faulty waterproofing and insulation.

Fixing this issue should be your top concern. Overlooking it may lead to respiratory health issues because the moist environment is conducive for the growth of bacteria and mold.

A professional will help you to find where the leak originates and fix it.

  1. Slow drainage

Are you experiencing slow drainage in your bathroom or sink? This issue is an obvious sign that you need to contact a plumber. A slow or delayed drainage means that your drainage system is clogged up, hence preventing water from moving freely.

Some common particles that result in slow drainage in your kitchen sink include a mixture of insoluble items and grease. When such particles accumulate for a long time, they tend to block the normal flow of water.

Slow drainage in bathrooms means that particles such as gels and hairs have formed clogs in the pipes. In such situations, it’s advisable to call a who’ll fix the problem using a unique tool called an auger to remove the clogs.

  1. Serious back-flow issue

A backflow in your house is a sign that you have a severe plumbing issue. Plumbing systems have several connections that make the backflow phenomenon dangerous to you and your family.

The interconnections may result in the backflow polluting the clean water supply. The problem should be addressed promptly to avoid potentially hazardous outcomes.

The moment you notice a foul smell or slight color change in your water supply, then you reach out for a plumber in Callahan, FL, to solve the backflow problem in your plumbing system.

  1. Low or non-existent water pressure

Good water pressure allows you to enjoy your everyday life. When the water pressure drops, you’ll find it challenging to perform easy tasks such as washing hands, getting dishes done, and showering. This complication will not only waste your time but could hike your water bill.

Low pressure is a sign that there’s a clog in the faucet’s aerator, which is blocking water from flowing out, even when the handle is fully turned on. You may be tempted to DIY by using a sharp object to poke the tiny hole in the aerator to resolve the blockage.

However, this can end up causing severe damage in the faucet or even cause a leak if you keep poking around. Instead, you should call a technician to fix the hitch.

  1. Broken pipes

Burst pipes can put your home in chaos. They will not only damage your property but may also force you to relocate for days until the problem is fixed. Pipe failure is a common phenomenon during winter, where they rapture when the water inside freezes. But, they also occur due to misuse, old age, or physical damage due to intense pressure.

This problem results in massive water damage if not addressed promptly. Finding the pipes affected is like fumbling around in the dark for your flashlight. That’s why it’s advisable to reach for local plumbers to fix the burst pipes.

They’ll locate if the break is under your house, behind the wall, or in your yard. A plumber will save your home from expensive flooding and can quickly spot a bulging pipe, which is under unusual pressure and prevents a leak before it happens.

  1. Gurgling

When you note that your toilet is gurgling when not in use, then your system is trying to find air. This will strain the system to work extra hard. Hence, there’ll be a likelihood of the water spilling out. The primary cause of gurgling drains is obstructions in the venting system. The gurgling sound emanates because of air being forced through the water in the drain trap. The sound mostly comes from the shower, toilet, or vanity sink.

  1. There is no water available

It’s very discouraging to turn on the faucet at your kitchen sink, and nothing comes out, not because you didn’t pay your water bill, but because of a severe plumbing issue. Lack of water in the faucets is because of a leak or undiscovered blockage in the pipe.

Sometimes it’s easy to pinpoint to the source the problem, but most of the plumbing system for most homeowners is not visible, hence challenging to identify the source. A plumber will assist you in finding the source of the hitch and using diagnostic tools to fix it.

Your go-to plumbing partner in Callahan, FL

Whether you’re seeking drain cleaning, disposals, faucet and water heater replacement, or toilet repair, Bert Norman’s Plumbing is the company to consider.

We deliver smart plumbing solutions that save your money and time, and we always include a human touch in our services. Our customer care agents are available around the clock to help you. Give us a buzz today, and we’ll be happy to solve your plumbing headaches.

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Spring is the best season to give your home a little brush up. The cold weather slowly fades out. The sun, hot temperatures, a light breeze are some of the joys that come with this season of the year. Call-a-Plumber-for-a-Spring-Inspection-_-Jacksonville,-FLBefore you start planning out for the summer vacations, you should think what repairs are necessary for your property. The harsh weather of the winter and the elements of nature tend to wear out the exterior of the property. Leaves block the storm drains, pipes are stressed from icing, and waste tanks reach their capacity. By calling a plumber to run a check in your house’s plumbing system, you ensure that during the summer season you won’t have to deal with unexpected breakdowns and emergency plumbing. House owners are already preparing their house for the hot weather of the summer. As with every other household, you will notice that during the hotter seasons of the year you use more water. Pool pumps, garden sprinklers and water cooling systems are all connected to your house plumbing system. If your house is not in a proper shape, you may find yourself in the middle of a water outage, which can ruin your retreat plans during the summer. In this post, you will find out what are the top reasons to call for a plumber.

Valves and Hoses

A usual reason for having a flood or a severe leak is due to valves and hoses that are in poor operating shape and are malfunctioning. A lot of households call for emergency plumbing due to a fault with the drain hose of the washing machine, which can cause the facility room to flood with water. Plumbers also have to deal with serious leaks caused by a wrongly installed stopping valve. As the name suggests, the stopping valve is used to block a pipe that is no longer needed. If those valves are not regularly inspected by a qualified technician, you may end up with a leak. A deficiency in your house’s plumbing system can inflate your utility bills.

Pipe Replacement

Pipes are an essential part of the house’s plumbing as it allows water to flow in and out of your property. Pipes are usually hidden away below the floor and inside the walls in order to protect them from accidental damage. It is easy to miss a check in your property’s pipes as they will work normally until there is a problem. The catch with this is that when there is a problem, you may notice a disruption and some of your plumbing facilities may cease to work completely. If you suspect that one or more of the house pipes are wearing out or there is a leak, you should check with your local professional on what is the best way to sort the problem out. Once an initial inspection is completed, the technician will advise on whether the pipelines are in good condition or a repiping is required. Since the majority of the pipes are located in places that are difficult to access, your plumber will remove the defective pipe and install a brand-new one. Once this is completed, the technician will make a couple of leak checks to find out whether the pipe is correctly installed.

Drain Cleaning Service

Keeping the drains clean of obstructions is absolutely vital. Wastewater uses large sewage pipes to flow out of the house. If your house is using the sewage network, it is worth calling a plumber on a regular basis to unclog the pipes. Clogging can build up in every part of your plumbing network. From a plumber’s view, clogs are almost unavoidable as grease, hair, food, particles and foreign objects can enter the system and contaminate the network. A pro can easily clear those blockages by using specific tools. Although there are chemicals available for cleaning the drain, you may end up corroding your pipelines if you don’t use the right type of drain cleaner.

Septic Tank Cleaning

If your house is equipped with a septic tank, it is important to keep up with regular cleaning and inspection services. A septic tank offers great benefits as it is independent of the sewage network and helps you keep the utility bills in check. However, if the septic tank is not regularly cleaned, it may cause a sewage leak which can ruin your garden for weeks. The tank is buried in the outer part of the house’s garden in a place called drainfield. You should ensure that you don’t place any heavy objects directly above the field as it may stress the sewage system below which can rapture. It is also a good idea to regularly clean the drainfield from any foreign objects such as leaves, tree cloves and soil which can accidentally contaminate your septic tank. Should you notice a puddle of water inside the drainfield or any foul smell emanating from the drain pipes, seek the advice of your plumber.

Storm Drains

Next time you invite the plumber around for maintenance, make sure that you have the storm drains inspected. Despite being a passive part of the plumbing system, external drains are very important and ensure that any rain water is safely driven away from your property. Drains in Jacksonville, FL, can be difficult to spot on your own as they are located in inaccessible parts of the house. During a storm, it is essential to have working drains, otherwise, the rain water may form a puddle in an unwanted area.

Stay Dry This Season

The only place that needs to be flooded this summer is your pool. By planning your plumbing maintenance in advance, you make sure that all the problems caused during the winter will be repaired before the summer starts. If you need the advice of a qualified plumber about your house, get in touch today with Bert Norman’s Plumbing, Jacksonville, FL, and sort your maintenance out.

Photo By kurhan at Shutterstock

When it rains in Jacksonville, FL you probably look at the amount of rain coming down and wonder if you will have water come into your house. Plumbing-Service--Comparing-Floor-Drains-to-Sump-Pumps-_-Jacksonville,-FL-If you have water coming into your house you will need to call for plumbing service. There are differences to how floor drains and sump pumps work and the advantages and disadvantages to each. They’ll have different effects on your house and the drainage table in general. In fact there are many meteorological, climate, and neighborhood differences that will affect how rainwater will come into or go around your house, affecting your decision to call for services.

What causes the water coming into my house?

The most common answer here is storms and flooding, but just because you have a storm doesn’t mean you’ll get water every time. The higher the rate of rainfall per hour is the higher the likelihood that water will enter your house. If your neighborhood is on a hill and you’re on the bottom of it you’re going to increase the odds of your house becoming flooded. If you live near a drainage canal or creek you also increase the likelihood of water coming into your house. All of that damage can cause you to call for plumbing service.

As for your house itself you can get water in your house from not only rain but from broken and leaking pipes in your house. These issues will require a call for plumbing service and a wait to get your system repaired. But when a sump pump fails, or a drain pipe backs up there will be differing reasons for why each one fails or causes backups.

Houses with Drain Pipes

If you have a house with only drain pipes you may want a plumbing service to come check your drains. They are linked directly to your local sewer drain system and can back up if the drains are over taxed. These drains are extremely low maintenance and have a low cost. However they do have multiple drawbacks. If you aren’t near the end of a sewer drain run you will increase the likelihood that it will back up into your home. Also, if you live in an area developed along a hill having a house with a drain pipe along the bottom of the hill will also increase the chances of it backing up into the house.

In most newer homes or in most of the area locally you won’t have drain pipes because of the low elevation of Florida in general and the fact that we have the St. John’s River and the closely linked bodies and water will not be in many homes. With all the rain that falls, and the fact that we are so low to sea level there is a pretty good chance that they would back up on a normal basis. Every time they back up you will be calling for plumbing service to get your house back in working order. If you have a house with just a slab or a shallow depth like a crawlspace this will affect you less and your home will have some sort of slope or allowance for some water.

Houses with Sump Pumps

Sump Pumps are systems that are installed in the lowest part of your basement or crawlspace that help push moisture into the sewers or outside the house and keeps it from staying under your house. These are convenient and common to see in the area and help keep water, mold, and mildew, and plumbing service away. They have been something that has been required in many homes built after 1987 and have been retroactively added to many older homes as flooding issues have come up.

To install there is a pit hat has to be dug under your home, usually about two feet deep and about a foot and a half in diameter. In that pit you’ll notice ground water start to fill up. After a certain point the pump, which will be installed over the pit there is a sensor that will suck the water up from the pit that has been collected and push it up and out of the tank through a pipe that is connected to the outside of the house. In many neighborhoods that have direct water system drainage alongside wastewater treatment you can actually have a sump set up to drain directly into the sewer for water source discharge. However, if your sewer system is hooked up to a treatment plant you will likely have your pipe just buried in the back of your lot and it will discharge into your lawn.

Your plumbing service representative will tell you what is best for your house to keep your sump running. Sump pumps will last about a decade for your house and your plumbing service professional should be able to tell you if you need a replacement. Sump pumps are fairly inexpensive to replace but if you don’t do it quickly you will have water coming up into your basement or crawlspace. Many people who have sump pumps also have back ups installed so that when one fails another can keep running until you can buy a new main unit. Without that you will end up having water come into your house and damaging your belongings.

When you’re ready to call for plumbing service in the greater Jacksonville, FL area give a call to Bert Norman’s Plumbing out of Yulee. They have the experience and expertise to give you top quality service and will ensure your job is done right the first time. If you need service for your sump pumps or drainage pipes or have questions about how each option will affect your house during a storm give them a call. The experts at Bert Norman’s Plumbing can also help you with drain cleaning, water heater questions, new plumbing systems or toilet and faucet repair.

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You Have Influence Over Whether Your Drains Get Clogged Or Not

Fernandina, FL residents have a fair amount of influence over whether their drains get clogged or not. Plumber-Tips--Be-Careful-About-What-You-Put-Down-Your-Drains-_-Fernandina,-FL-Yes, there are some contributing factors that are beyond their control. However, there are plenty of other contributing factors that are not. For instance, local residents are the ones who control what they put down their drains, which can have a very real effect on whether they will need to call in a plumber or not in the future.

What Are Some Things That You Shouldn’t Put Down Your Drains?

Here are some examples of things that Fernandina, FL residents should avoid putting down their drains if they want to avoid having to call in the plumber:

Oil and Grease

Both oil and grease are substances that interested individuals should never put down their drains if they want to avoid having to call in a plumber as much as possible. This is because both oil and grease can congeal under colder temperatures, meaning that they can congeal on the inside of pipes. On their own, this would be bad enough. However, what is particularly unpleasant about congealed oil and grease is that they are sticky substances. Thanks to that, both of them can cause other flushed items to get stuck inside the pipes, with the result that what started out as a minor issue can turn into a serious blockage much sooner than what interested individuals might expect.

Rice and Noodles

Speaking of which, rice and noodles also shouldn’t be flushed down the drains. In their case, it is because they can swell up when they absorb water, thus causing them to take up a much bigger space in the pipes than what their initial appearance would indicate. Granted, both rice and noodles will break down with sufficient passage of time, but they will still be more than capable of creating a problem bad enough for a plumber to have to be called in before then.

Egg Shells

Food waste should never go down the drains. Yes, certain forms of food waste can break down on their own, but they are still big enough and solid enough to block the pipes. Having said that, there are some forms of food waste that are even worse, with an excellent example being egg shells. The main issue with egg shells and other hard substances is that they won’t be breaking down anytime soon. Thanks to that, if they get stuck in the pipes, they are going to be stuck there for a very long time to come.

Flushable Wipes

Flushable wipes can come as a surprise to a lot of interested individuals. After all, their very name says that they can be put down the drains, meaning that this comes as a challenge to that claim. However, the fact of the matter is that flushable wipes should be considered an edge case, meaning that people should be careful when flushing them.

In short, the issue is that while flushable wipes will break down, they won’t break down as fast as toilet paper. As a result, it is very much possible for flushable wipes to get stuck in the pipes where they will obstruct the free flow of water as well as other substances. Even worse, flushable wipes can get tangled up with other flushed items such as cotton swabs, sanitary pads, and paper towels to create what is called ragging, which can be even more frustrating to say the least.

Paper Products

On a related note, people shouldn’t be flushing most paper products. They can flush toilet paper without having to call in the plumber. However, that is because toilet paper is meant to be flushed down the drains. Unfortunately, other paper products are not, meaning that they can contribute to blockages as well. In particular, interested individuals should watch out for water-absorbent paper towels because those paper products can swell up by soaking up the water flowing through the pipes, thus making them even more threatening as potential causes of clogs.

Household Fluids

Household fluids shouldn’t be flushed down the drains. Generally speaking, they aren’t going to cause clogs and other plumbing-related issues that will need to be resolved by a professional. However, they can be hazardous, meaning that it is a bad idea to send them into the water supply. On top of that, while most household fluids won’t be causing plumbing-related issues bad enough to warrant a plumber’s attention, that is by no means a universal rule. There are some household fluids that can cause serious damage to the material of the pipes in the plumbing system,

Medications

The flushing of medications won’t force people to call for the plumber. However, it is nonetheless a serious problem, meaning that it should be avoided as much as possible. There was a point in time when people were recommended to flush their unused medications rather than leave them sitting around, but that turned out to be a serious mistake when that resulted in a wide range of undesirable chemicals being introduced to the water supply. Nowadays, people should know better, meaning that the flushing of medications is very much something to be avoided even if it won’t result in the need for a plumber.

Contact Us

Curious about how to minimize the need for plumbing services? The best solution is to speak with a skilled and experienced plumber who can put their expertise and experience at the disposal of interested individuals. Plumbing maintenance plus other plumbing services can do a great deal to minimize the chances of serious plumbing problems popping up, meaning that they can save people a lot of time, effort, and even money in the long run. To learn more about this as well as other plumbing-related issues, please contact us at Bert Norman’s Plumbing as soon as time permits. Our representatives are happy to help, meaning that interested individuals shouldn’t hesitate to consult them.

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