All Ways Drains Blog Posts

You May Need a Residential Plumber

Posted by & filed under Plumbing Repair.

If you find yourself dealing with a plumbing problem, trying to fix the issue on your own is sometimes a risky choice. Some situations call for immediate attention from a plumber. At All Ways Drains, we have a residential plumber for your Coon Rapids area home always at the ready for the worst your system can dole out.

One of the more popular types of issues that call for the assistance of a residential plumber is a broken pipe. Often causing a lot of damage and costing a good bit of your hard earned money, below lie ten signs to watch for that may be indicative of a broken pipe. You may just have to call in a residential plumber:

Backups– If you have any drains that frequently are backed up, then you either have a broken pipe or blocked sewer line.

Bad Water Quality– Contaminated water, a funky odor to the water or if it is no longer clear visually shows that your pipes may be deteriorating. The pipes may not have broken or burst yet, but that may be right around the corner.

Banging Sounds–Keep an ear open for banging or clanking sounds emanating from your pipes. If you hear such, your problem could be that there are loose parts in and around or involving the pipes.

Bubbling Water–Sometimes a visual experience, this is more one to look out for with your ears. Bubbling noises when using the faucet or after you flush your toilet is often indicative of a broken pipe.

Clogging– If those drains and toilets clog a lot more often than they should (or ever did before), you may have a broken pipe. Sometimes it could point to a bigger problem, to the sewer line itself, which, depending on the location of the issue is either yours or your municipality’s to fix. A residential plumber can help solve the mystery.

Increasing Water Bill– If your water using habits have not changed but your water bill becomes consistently higher than normal, you may have a broken pipe.

No or Low Water Pressure– No water at all, no brainer, this is a broken pipe. If your water pressure is generally of a pleasant amount of pressure and you turn it on one day only to find a drastic difference to the negative, call in a residential plumber to diagnose the problem. This could be a broken pipe.

Sink Holes and/or Soggy Spots– If you consistently find that certain parts of your yard are soggier than others, even the existence or emergence of what appears to be a sink hole—this may indicate that a broken pipe lies underneath. If it is on (or under) your property, it will be your responsibility and not that of your municipality.

If you would like more information on a residential plumber in Coon Rapids or any of the surrounding areas, call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.

Plumbing Contractor Misperceptions

Posted by & filed under Plumbing Repair.

If you own a home or business near Edina or neighboring quadrants, it is quite likely you have had to hire a plumbing contractor to take care of any of a myriad of potential plumbing issues. While those who have not had to hire a plumber likely operate under certain opinions or misperceptions on plumbers, those who have hired them in the past know them not to be. So, if you have never hired a plumber, take a look at the common misperceptions they face below. We at All Ways Drains would like to change your thinking to the positive.

General misperceptions of the Plumbing Contractor:

  1. Not a Professional

Your plumbing contractor is indeed a professional. Plumbing contractors put a lot of money into their tools and vehicles. They have spent years and years learning their trade. A building’s plumbing consists of a complicated and extensive network of incoming pipes and outgoing drains. A small error can lead to huge and high-priced damage. This is, in part, why good plumbing contractors are so valued.

  1. Messy

Your plumbing contractor deals in messy work. They encounter filthy water and rusty pipes as part of their daily vocation. They must work through damp, potentially moldy or decaying drywall and wood. The tools of their trade and their clothes are impossible to keep or ever make truly clean. All of the aforementioned helps create the false belief that your plumbing contractor is messy. On the contrary, these professionals are generally highly organized and “clean” individuals.

  1. Is Out to Rip You Off

It is far more likely your plumbing contractor wants to do his best to keep you as a client. It is much more difficult for a plumber to enter new situations constantly, rather than building his return business and getting referrals.

  1. Charges Too Much

Your plumbing contractor comes to you. If you consider further that they haul the tools and equipment they need along with them, it further demonstrates the value of the overall services they provide. Frequently, more than one plumbing contractor is involved in the work being conducted in your home or business. Pipes, connectors, and other hardware that often needs to be replaced (the bulk of which are made of “costly” materials), do add up, dependent upon the problem(s). Then you may be hiring your plumbing contractor in an emergency situation at 3 a.m.

Would you like more information about a plumbing contractor in Edina or any of the surrounding areas? Call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.

Old House Often Means Old Pipes and Possible Plumbing Repair

Posted by & filed under Plumbing Repair, Plumbing Tips.

Many functioning homes in city and suburbia alike were built many decades ago. These homes were often supplied with piping that has worn out its welcome through the rigors of time, poor material for the purpose it was meant to serve and so on. The likelihood that substantial plumbing repair has been conducted on these homes is very real. For those fortunate enough to not have had to deal with such headaches, it may just be a matter of time. All Ways Drains has been serving the greater Maplewood area for over 15 years, providing reliable service and efficient repair.

Common age-related plumbing pipe issues in older homes that call for frequent plumbing repair:

Outdated pipes—Using galvanized pipes as an example, turn on your hot water. If you experience low pressure, it is likely that you have corroded, with at least partially blocked galvanized pipes. Your options include replacing all galvanized piping or partial replacement. Being that the bulk of your piping lies behind walls, it is often difficult to determine the extent to which galvanized piping exists within your home, without an extensive plumbing repair.

Sewer line—what is considered “your plumbing” runs all the way from your house out to the street. Should your home be on a sewer line, it also runs house to street. Tree roots or simple weight of earth above it may have broken or crack the pipes outside of your home running to the street. Your water meter should have a gauge that illustrates flow. If you turn off all of the water in your home and this gauge still illustrates movement, you may have a leak.

Life expectancy of plumbing pipe types:

Water Supply piping—

  • Copper – 60 to 80 years
  • Galvanized Steel – 40 to 50 years
  • CPVC and PVC – 40 to 50 years
  • PEX – 40 years

Drain piping—

  • Cast Iron – 50 to 65 years
  • Galvanized Steel – 40 to 60 years
  • Copper – 60 to 80 years
  • PVC – 50 to 70 years

Plumbing fixtures—

  • Water Heaters – 10 to 20 years
  • Faucets – 15 to 25 years
  • Sinks, Tubs, Toilets – 40 to 80 years
  • Shut-off Valves – 20 years

Old pipes are a very common problem in homes across the country. This type of plumbing repair is costly and may well involve a large portion of your yard having to be dug up to have sewer or water piping replaced. Before you buy an older home, be sure to investigate the plumbing pipes.

Would you like more information on plumbing repair in Maplewood or any of the surrounding areas? Call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.

Symptoms and Cures for the Clogged Drain

Posted by & filed under Drain Cleaning.

The clogged drain is a nuisance no one in the home should have to put up with. Whether you are enjoying a nice, hot morning shower that is ruined daily by having to stand in two inches of water or your kitchen sink gurgles and hangs on to your dirty dishwater long after the plates and bowls have all been put away, your Roseville area clogged drain may need the help of a professional.

There are most certainly some things you can try yourself to alleviate a clogged drain in your home. Check out these symptoms and cures:

Symptom: Powerful odor near clogged sink, shower, toilet, tub
Cure(s):
• Look at venting for blocks.
• Sinks not in use could be allowing water in trap to evaporate, add more water.
• Clear the clog harboring likely bacteria, kill bacteria by adding bleach to the drain.
• Your toilet may be gapped between it and its wax ring, replace wax ring.
• Vent line deterioration or separation ‘piping’ sewer gas into house.

Symptom: One toilet, sink or shower/ tub is clogged
Cure(s):
• Likely a clog near that item. Use basic drain cleaning techniques to clear it.

Symptom: More than one toilet, sink or shower/tub is clogged, same area of house, remaining drains fully functional
Cure(s):
• Possibly a branch drain or vent line is clogged, needs clearing. Try a drain snake or pressure device as chemicals typically are not effective in these cases.

Symptom: More than one toilet, sink or shower/tub is clogged, different areas of the house
Cure(s):
• Presuming two different clogs are not mere coincidence, the main sewer drain running from house may have a blockage. Try a drain snake or pressure device.
• Tree roots or a damaged sewer pipe are a distinct possibility, a plumbing professional may need to be called upon.
• Should you possess a septic system, it may need to be pumped out.

Symptom: Sewage is backing up into your home, way beyond just an overflowing toilet
Cure(s):
• The city sewer probably has a major blockage and you are downhill from other people’s homes. Their sewage is backing up through your main sewer drain. Contact the city.

Would you like more information on repairing a clogged drain in Roseville or any of the surrounding areas? Call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.

How to Get Your Plumbing Ready for Spring

Posted by & filed under Plumbing Tips.

Believe it or not, spring will be here in just a few short months. So we thought we would take the time to give tips on how to get the plumbing at your Edina home ready for the warm, rainy spring months.

First of all, take some time to inspect any pipes that run along the inside walls of your house. Keep a close eye on them and look for signs of leaks or damage. If your pipes are wrapped in insulation, remove that so you can look underneath. Make sure to re-wrap your pipes if it’s still cold outside or temperatures are expected to drop below freezing again.

Then check underneath the sinks in your home and look for signs of pooling water. These are leaks that should be fixed as soon as possible so they don’t cause further damage. You should also look up the wall by the sinks as well, in case the leak is coming from somewhere around there.

Go to your water heater and take a look at that as well. During the winter months, your water heater is working harder than ever, so sometimes it can need some TLC when the weather starts to warm up again. Now is also a good time to have your water heater drained and cleaned as well.

You should then go outside and check your outdoor plumbing. Take a look at your hoses to make sure they are in good shape and that they don’t have any cracks. If you have an irrigation system, now is also a good time to start looking that over. You might need to call in professionals for help with getting the system spring-ready, but you should at least be able to tell if any of the pipes or sprinkler heads are damaged.

Turn on your outdoor faucets and, again, keep an eye on them and check for leaks and other problems. If the weather is expected to get cold again, make sure you turn the faucets off after you’re done checking them so they don’t freeze.

If you have any problems with your plumbing system, call us so we can come out and take a look and repair it.

Would you like more information on plumbing in Edina or any of the surrounding areas? Call All Ways Drains at 612-922-9422, or you can contact us and get a Free Estimate.