All Ways Drains Blog Posts

Your Local Plumbing Contractors Will Fix Those Leaky Faucets

Posted by & filed under Plumbing Repair.

Drip…drip…drip…your leaking faucet in the bathroom gets in the way of your meditation. Maybe it is the kitchen faucet, contributing to the ruination of your otherwise peaceful family dinner, every single night? Leaking faucets falling into the category of highly annoying, maybe it is time you placed a call to some respected plumbing contractors serving Edina and nearby towns to address the drip…drip…drip currently calling the shots on peace and quiet within your home.

This inconvenience, if you let go on over time, increases your water bill as gallons and gallons of accumulated water (over time) go down the drain—not unlike the extra dollars you will be shelling out to the water company every month—simply by not addressing the problem. Dripping water will be hitting the same spot countless times as long as the phenomenon continues. These drops will gradually erode your porcelain, even steel! This is something you will want to address and not let go!

The water that works its way into your home is under constant pressure, allowing it to more easily move about your piping. When you turn your tap off, washers create a water-tight seal to stop water from continuing its flow in via the pipes through your faucet. With the passage of time, these washers stiffen, rip or altogether extricate. The result is trickles of water beginning to drip out. Feel free to swap out washers on your own. Dependent upon the set-up of your faucet, specialized tools of the trade may be required to pull it off. If your leak has been going on for a long time, plumbing contractors may be required to remedy the situation. A damaged or rotten valve seat would be a simple example of a job that could require outside help. If all of this reads a little daunting (being that issues relating to a leaky faucet often go a bit beyond the faucet itself), any worthy  plumbing contractors will swing by to pinpoint where the issues lie and plot a best solution to remedy it.

This is not something to let go of, let sit idle. The EPA estimates that up to 10,000 gallons of water are wasted yearly by the average household. That is a lot of money given to the water company that otherwise would stay in your accounts.

Do you need more information about plumbing contractors in Edina and surrounding areas? Call All Ways Drains, your local Veteran/Family owned plumbing and drain cleaning company at 612-922-9422 or contact us for a Free Estimate.

Inspection as Means of Prevention Against Plumbing Repair

Posted by & filed under Plumbing Repair.

Your plumbing is surprisingly delicate. It is amazing that more issues do not arise within one’s home over time. Your plumbing set-up could run for years without a single issue and then, out of nowhere, a pipe bursts and you flood an entire floor. To make absolutely sure that your plumbing is still in good shape is to schedule regular plumbing inspections. Should your plumbing network go without occasional observation from a professional plumber, your run the risk of being in need of a plumbing repair in your Shoreview or otherwise local home, with any of the semi-complex tangled web of piping and drainage that make up your plumbing network.

You go through your daily life and observe that there have been zero issues with your plumbing recently. Even though this may actually be the case, it is within your very best interests to call on a plumber that will provide a thorough inspection of your overall plumbing system. Having this done once a year is a good way to keep an eye on anything that may be occurring, to be proactive in the event that issues are emerging, allowing you to prepare for a potential plumbing repair cost-wise. Most plumbing problems do not visibly display any symptoms until they are most likely beyond preventable. Once you become aware of plumbing issues it is probably too late to actually prevent the bulk of the damage that will occur. In order to be on top of would-be problems in advance, make sure you have a professional plumber examine your network annually.

If your plumbing system suddenly begins to act out of its ordinary, strangely perhaps, call on a plumber like All Ways Drains to take a look. Do not dare ignore what may be a big problem down the road by not having your plumbing looked at. Schedule an inspection just in case something is amiss that needs to be addressed. Preventive maintenance is the key to keeping your system in the best possible shape. As long as you do it at least once a year, your plumbing system should last quite a bit longer than it otherwise would. In order to be aware of the potential monster looming within your pipes, somebody has to be taking a regular look!

Do you need more information about plumbing repair in Shoreview and surrounding areas? Call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422 or contact us for a Free Estimate.

Products to Band-Aid Your Plumbing

Posted by & filed under Plumbing Repair, Plumbing Tips.

When it comes to your home’s plumbing, you never can be too careful. So many different products exist on the market it is hard to know which—after solving the initial problem you bought it for—will do its own damage to your sensitive plumbing in its aftermath. Sometimes, it is hard to know which product to reach for and when to use it. If you are having issues with plumbing in your Roseville home, look no further than All Ways Drains. We would like to share with you some products that will assist in putting a band-aid on perhaps a larger problem with your plumbing.

One common product in use is thread paste or pipe dope. This is one of the most frequently used products on a plumber’s truck and serves to seal threaded connections between pipes and other plumbing wares. The paste also acts as a lubricant, allowing for a tighter seal once fit. Be wary of thread pastes found in the marketplace. Some contain chemicals that could be harmful to your plumbing—this, to a degree, will be specified on the packaging.

Thread or PTFE (polytetraflouroethylene) tape, another common tool in the plumbing repertoire,
is used on threaded connections and often in combination with thread paste. The combination unfolds after the usage of thread paste, thread tape working as an adhesive and outer seal (of sorts). Some plumbing devices will call for tape specifically—instead of and without thread paste—as it can be harmful if paste is introduced with water turned on.  Be careful of not overwrapping the threads with the tape. It could result in excessive stress being put on the female fitting.

Plumber’s putty is often misused in place of paste or tape, which tends to allowing for leaks to occur. Putty should only be implemented on the underside of a piece that will be tightened or compressed down, like the underside of bathtub, shower and sink drains. Many  plumbers will use putty beneath stainless steel sinks, sealing them to a countertop.

Latex and/or silicone caulk should never be applied to the sealing of any piping. Use caulk only when trying to seal fixtures down, or seal around areas that should not allow water in.  You can caulk down sinks, tub spouts, outside penetrations and faucets.

Do you need more information about plumbing in Roseville? Call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422 or contact us for a Free Estimate.

Occasional Sewer Cleaning Helps Prevent Disaster

Posted by & filed under Sewer Repair.

A backed-up sewer is a stinky, nasty mess. All Ways Drains are experts at sewer cleaning for your Maplewood and neighboring area’s home. We have run into many backed up sewers that became so due to a lack of even the occasional cleaning, over the years. Encountering raw sewage in your home is amongst the last issues you want to run into. Call on us to have a sewer cleaning set up to prevent such messes from occurring in the first place.

A “clean” sewer line is a vital part of a well-functioning sewer system. If you find that the sewer line leading from your home to a municipal sewer system (or a septic tank) is becoming clogged, you may just end up with a serious mess. Call on the professional at All Ways Drains to perform a sewer cleaning at your home.

Check out these signs that you may be need in need of a sewer cleaning:

Here are 3 signs that it’s time to make that call to our sewer cleaning team:

Clogged drains:

One lone backed-up drain is a possible indicator that you may have a clog in your drainpipe. A plunger may fix this issue on occasion, but is a worthwhile to pursuit to call in a professional plumber to take a look and—if needed—perform a sewer cleaning. If your clogged or slow drains are happening throughout your home, you should take it as a warning that there is a looming disaster from the sewer line. Pay attention to drain clogs that start on the first floor of your home or in the basement, they can be looked upon as sewer line issues more so than clogs or slowness occurring in drains on second or higher floors.

Foul Odors:

A stinky drain can is often fixed by simply running water down it or restoring the water plug in the trap. Should this not solve the odor issues—and especially if the problem begins to emerge over multiple drains, sewage is quite likely backing up in your pipes. A sewer cleaning will prevent disaster.

Water spots:

Sewage back-up evidence will emerge from the lowest levels of your home first. If you begin to see water spots appearing around drains in the basement, or nasty odors, call in a professional for a sewer cleaning.

Have your sewer line looked at today. If build-up is occurring, you will most certainly want to consider a sewer cleaning. All Ways Drains offers 24/7–365 emergency services, so we can come to your home quickly to check the problem and figure out what is causing your sewer issues.

Do you need more information about sewer cleaning in Maplewood? Call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422 or contact us for a Free Estimate.

Call on a Plumber For Sump Pump Issues

Posted by & filed under Plumbing Tips.

Ground water often finds its way into a house’s lower level, requiring the need for a sump pump. It is far beyond aggravating and destructive, it is an absolute nuisance. Many homeowners face this dilemma. Back-ups involving the mucky stuff that one never really wants to encounter are very real. The plumbers at All Ways Drains can help you with any and all sump pump problems, providing repair or replacement services. We offer the following tips to help you in your effort to make sump pump issues a thing of the past:

Inside of your house:

  • Be sure to have a back-up battery for your sump pump
  • Implement a sewer backflow check valve, especially if sewage has ever backed up through your floor drain
  • Perform annual maintenance checks to make sure your sump pump is working by following these steps:
    • Remove cover from sump pump pit
    • Ensure drain hose is properly connected
    • Pour water into the pit, slowly
    • Fill the pit until float rises high enough for pump to be activated
    • If these steps do not get the sump pump working, call in a plumber

Outside of your house:

  • Place covers over window wells
  • Ensure proper drainage occurs moving flow away from the foundation of the home
  • If trees are growing anywhere near the foundation of your home, remove them as roots can crack the foundation walls allowing water to enter
  • Install and ensure gutters and downspouts – keep them clean, fully functional
  • If not properly working, install downspout extensions if water from the downspout collects near the foundation

You may have some very valid concerns regarding the potential failure of your sump pump, whether you are home or away. Look into municipal water powered back-up sump pump options as well as back-up sump pumps attached to batteries. The battery option can be worrisome as batteries do lose their juice.

Should water be collecting in your lower level, in lower lying areas of your property, or if you need to force away sewage water, we will be happy to help you with sump pump repairs or installation. This is a specialized field that requires knowledge of pump ratings and the requirements of proper installation. Call us with your questions, and we’ll be happy to provide you with more information.

Need a plumber for your Twin Cities home? Contact All Ways Drains today at 612-922-9422 or Contact Us.