Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

How a Video Pipe Inspection Can Help Your Home Plumbing

Monday, January 25th, 2021
long-blue-pipe

The tools used for plumbing work have changed dramatically over the last few decades. One of the big leaps forward came about because of miniaturization, digital, and fiber-optic technology. Where once it was impossible to see inside the pipes of a house, tools such as video pipe inspection equipment allowed for technicians to get a close-up view of water mains, sewer lines, and other pipes.

Video pipe inspection can help with many jobs in residential plumbing. We’ll explain why this piece of equipment can make a difference in the service we offer for your home.

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I Have Hot Water in My Home—But Not in the Shower!

Tuesday, December 15th, 2020
shower

Waking up to a cold shower in the morning: that’s one of the day-to-day nightmares we’re all afraid of. And even during a mild Southern California winter, the idea of having to get through the morning after you face a surprise cold shower, or even a lukewarm one, is a pretty unpleasant one.

Usually, when people think of their shower losing its hot water, they connect it with a loss of hot water to the entire house. If you have a shower that isn’t warming up or won’t warm up at all, you’ll probably first make the assumption that something has gone wrong with the household water heater. Often, this is the problem and you’ll need to call technicians to fix it. 

But what if only one shower has lost hot water? If you find that you’re still getting enough hot water at other taps, what has happened to the shower?

There are several possibilities, and you’ll probably need to call for professional plumbing in Irvine, CA, not to fix the water heater but to fix the shower’s plumbing.

The Broken/Worn Down Mixing Valve

What’s most likely happening is a problem with the shower’s mixing valve. The mixing valve is a control valve that creates the balance in the flow of water from the hot water line and the cold water line and blends the two together for your desired shower temperature. This valve can wear down over time or even break, and no fiddling around with the shower handles will be able to provide the right hot-cold mix.

You can’t see the mixing valve because it’s set behind the shower wall among the pipes, and we don’t recommend you try to access it by dismantling the faucet handle or anything else that requires you to take out wrenches and other tools. This repair requires professionals, who may need to replace the entire mixing valve. 

Failed Anti-Scald Device

You may have a device inside installed into your showerhead designed to prevent a surge of extremely hot water from creating a scalding hazard. This anti-scald device, also called a “hot limit stop” or “rotational limit stop,” is found in many modern faucets, and if it is set too high or it breaks, it may prevent almost any hot water from coming through the showerhead. The showerhead will need to be dismantled to fix or reset it. We recommend calling a plumbing technician to do this, since making an error with this device can create a scalding hazard, and not all showerheads come with this device.

There are a few other, less common possibilities, such as a broken cartridge in a point-of-use filtration system or cross-connected pipes. It’s best not to guess at what could be wrong, however. If you want your hot shower back as fast as possible, the quickest route is to call us and schedule plumbing service. Going DIY with your plumbing in general, and any plumbing connected to your hot water supply specifically, is a bad idea!

Saddleback Plumbing Heating & Air has served Orange County since 1981. Schedule plumbing service with our technicians today.

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How Do I Know I Have Hidden Leaks When They’re Hidden?

Monday, November 30th, 2020
pipe-rupture

This is a good question, and it’s one people often ask when confronted with the idea of “hidden leaks.” The truth is that most leaks in a home’s plumbing are not in easy sight, since much of the plumbing is disguised in the walls or in the ceilings. Only a few pipes are easy to see, such as the drainpipe directly underneath a sink (and even then leaks can go unnoticed if there’s too much stored there). 

Finding and repairing hidden leaks is a job for professional plumbing in Laguna Niguel, CA. Our technicians can locate hidden leaks, even those buried down in a concrete foundation, using the best available technology. But in this post, we’re going to help you notice when you have hidden leaks. They do leave a number of indicators they’re around.

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“Where Is the Water Going?” Reasons for Those High Bills

Monday, August 10th, 2020
pipe-rupture

Nobody wants to waste water, because it shows up as high water bills. But it’s easy to slip into patterns of water use that are wasteful, such as luxuriating too long in the shower, or leaving the water in the sink running as you do some other cooking task.

But when you see water bills that are abnormally high, and you feel certain you’re observing at least decent water-conserving measures, it can be concerning. If the rise in cost isn’t because of a general rise in water prices, you may have a problem that will require the help of plumbing professionals in San Juan Capistrano, CA to fix. We’ll take a look at where the water waste is occurring, and where that water is going.

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Safe Drain Unclogging Methods to Try Before You Call a Professional

Tuesday, June 16th, 2020
drain-and-spoon

Is there any regular plumbing problem more irritating than a clogged drain? True, there are plenty of worse plumbing problems you can think of (or don’t want to think of), but the drain clog is a nuisance everybody has encountered at some point, and they happen too often for most of us. There are ways you can prevent drain clogs with tools like drain strainers and regular professional drain cleaning services—but today we’re going to talk about what you can do when you’ve got a drain clog.

Calling our plumbing technicians is a sure way to see that you have any clog removed. In some situations, the clog may be a deeper issue down in the sewer line, and this absolutely calls for experts who know their plumbing in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. But we know you’d like to exhaust all the safe unclogging methods you have at home first before you call, so we’re going to go through the steps.

(And we want to emphasize safe—because there are methods you might try that can seriously damage your plumbing or you!)

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High Water Pressure in Your Home Is Bad for the Plumbing

Tuesday, March 10th, 2020
shower

You probably know that low water pressure is a problem in your home’s plumbing. It’s hard to shower, difficult to clean, and generally an annoyance.

But water pressure can also be too high. The water pressure in a plumbing system should be between 45 and 55 psi (pounds per square inch). If the pressure rises above 60 psi, it can create problems for the plumbing, including damage to the pipes. In most cases of high water pressure, a professional must analyze the problem and find a solution.

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Why You’re Seeing Black Specks in Your Water

Monday, February 24th, 2020
water-and-tap

The water that comes from your taps is supposed to be clear. As crystal clear as possible. Although you may still have unseen contaminants inside clear water (which is why recommend scheduling regular water testing every few years), when the water turns muddy, discolored, or cloudy, you’ll know there’s something wrong.

A common visual issue you may see in your water is black specks. What causes this, and is it a reason to call a plumber in Newport Beach, CA to fix it? We’ll answer these questions below.

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Know Where the Water Main Shut-Off Valve Is

Monday, September 23rd, 2019

plumbing-valves-and-tubesNobody wants to have a major plumbing emergency. At least you have a reliable plumber in the area who can help when you’ve got major trouble from the plumbing. Never hesitate to call us when you think you’ve got a plumbing emergency—if you wait, you’ll likely end up with a worse problem.

However, before you call us for help, there’s something essential to know in case of a plumbing mishap that’s threatening to flood your home. You must know where the water main shut-off valve for the house is and how to activate it. Share this knowledge with the other adults in the house so they also know how to stop the water flow into the house in case of emergency.

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Plumbing and Earthquakes: A Few Things to Know

Monday, August 26th, 2019

slab-leak-crack-in-foundationSouthern California recently experienced a number of powerful earthquakes, the most powerful in many years. Although we were fortunate to have experience minor damage here in Orange County, these quakes are an important reminder of how we need to be vigilant about earthquake safety and preparedness. There are many resources online to help you prepare your household for emergency situations from quakes. In this post, we want to talk specifically about earthquakes and your plumbing, since the plumbing system is one of the parts of a house most vulnerable to quake damage.

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The Myth of the “Small Leak” (No Such Thing!)

Monday, June 17th, 2019

Lpipe-copper-leakingeaks are what most people think of when they hear about “plumbing problems.” (Well, that and clogged drains.) Leaking faucets are wastes of water that often go without repairs for far too long. But the truly harmful leaks are pipe leaks that occur out of sight around a home, behind walls, in the ceilings, etc.

All pipe leaks need to have the professional attention of a plumber in Irvine, CA as soon as a homeowner starts to notice the signs of leaking—water spots on the walls, higher water bills, changes in water pressure, higher humidity indoors, mold and mildew growth. Because there is no such thing as a “small” leak that can be ignored. A leak may not be large and send out geysers of water that can be immediately seen, but it can still create significant damage.

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