Reliance Plumbing Sewer & Drainage, Inc. Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

Pinhole Leaks: A Sneaky Plumbing Problem

Monday, January 3rd, 2022

bursted copper pipe with water leaking out, 3d illustrationLocating hidden leaks in homes is an important part of our job as professional plumbers. Because so much of the piping in a house is hidden in walls and ceilings, leaks often escape detection for long stretches—sometimes until they start to cause damage to parts of the house. 

And no type of hidden leak is harder to notice at first than pinhole leaks. The name can give you an idea why these are tricky to find: they’re extremely small. But small leaks are still major problems, especially if they escape notice for long enough. 

There’s more to pinhole leaks, and we’ll go over the details below. If you suspect any type of plumbing leak in your house, call us for pipe repair in Winnetka, IL.

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How to Resolve (And Prevent) Frozen Pipes

Monday, December 20th, 2021

icicles-hanging-off-pipeWhen you live in a place with icy winters, you’ll face the same concern every year with your plumbing: the fear of frozen pipes. Handling frozen pipes is an important job for anyone who does professional plumbing in Wilmette, IL for a living. We’ve certainly handled our fair share of frozen pipe repairs in the years we’ve been in business.

What can you do about frozen pipes? The simple answer is to call us. There are various “home remedies” you can uncover online, but attempting to thaw a frozen pipe often leads to the pipe bursting because of the increase in internal pressure. We’re ready to help when you have frozen pipes, and we have 24/7 service available. We are here for you!

For the rest of this post, we’ll go into some important tips on how you can avoid frozen pipes in the first place. 

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How to Stop a Running Toilet

Monday, November 22nd, 2021

top view of a toilet with an open lidAfter a toilet flushes, you’ll hear it running as it fills up the tank. This takes less than a minute in most cases, and then it shuts off. If you hear the toilet continuing to run for longer, something is wrong. Sometimes you can jiggle the flush handle to stop it, but if it continues each time the toilet flushes or it doesn’t respond to moving the handle, you’ll have to look into other methods. In some cases, it will take a professional plumber in skokie, IL to fix the problem.

And we want you to know that this is a problem. If you choose to just “live with” the toilet making the refilling noise, you’ll end up wasting enormous amounts of water that will raise your bills. Let’s see what you (or we) can do to stop a running toilet.

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The Holiday Season and Your Plumbing System: What You Should Know

Monday, November 8th, 2021

family-sitting-around-table-for-holiday-mealBefore you shove those potato skins or eggshells down the kitchen sink drain and assume that your garbage disposal system will take care of it, we urge you to read this blog post. Although it’s very convenient and simple to use, your garbage disposal system does have it’s limits, and those limits are quite often found during the holiday season. In fact, this is the time of year that our plumbers get the most plumbing repair calls–and they’re usually in regards to a clogged kitchen sink drain that’s causing a backup, and/or a jammed up and damaged garbage disposal system.

So before you cook that holiday meal, let’s talk about some prep work that doesn’t get a lot of attention–taking care of your plumbing system. Read on as we uncover what shouldn’t go down your kitchen sink drain this holiday season.

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Knocking Pipes: What This Symptom Means for Your Plumbing System

Monday, October 25th, 2021

woman-holding-hand-to-ear-to-listenLet’s say you’re sleeping, or at least relaxing comfortably, in your home, and all of the sudden you’re aware of a perhaps soft but persistent knocking coming from your walls…

It can be quite alarming! Fortunately, it’s not a plumbing emergency, but it’s still a plumbing problem you’ll want to pay attention to. Ignore it and you’ll only notice the sound getting louder and louder.

So what is it that you’re hearing? Knocking pipes!

There are solutions to this nuisance, which we will get into below. In the meantime, if you need reliable plumbing services, emergency or not, don’t hesitate to dial our number!

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What Types of Leaks Are Most Popular?

Monday, October 11th, 2021

woman-on-phone-viewing-leak-under-sinkWhoever said that being “popular” was a good thing had it all wrong. Just like you don’t want those popular mean girls in your home, you also don’t want popular leaks in your plumbing system.

The good news is, however, since they’re popular, we know what to look for, and we’re prepared to share some wisdom with you! From leaky pipe joints from aging plumbing to slab leaks, there are some common leaks that if you know what to look for, you can mitigate damage before they turn into huge emergencies. Of course, our team is here to help whether you only suspect a plumbing problem and need leak detection, or you need us for emergency repairs after finding a burst pipe has water gushing into your property.

Without further ado, the most “popular” leaks include:

  • Pipe leaks under sinks due to loose joints.
  • Slab leaks, a.k.a foundational leaks.
  • Leaks in pipes behind drywall.
  • Toilet leaks.
  • Water heater leaks.

So, what are the signs a leak like this is occurring? Read on!

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These Items Should Never Go Down Your Kitchen Sink Drain!

Monday, September 27th, 2021

kitchen-sink-drainBefore you decide to throw that banana peel or stray stalk of celery down the garbage disposal to get rid of it, stop and read this blog post!

Garbage disposal systems are incredibly convenient and easy to use. However, homeowners and household members often don’t realize that their garbage disposal wasn’t created to pass everything down the kitchen sink drain. In fact, there are quite a few items that people put down their kitchen sink drain that just doesn’t belong there.

So, we thought it would be beneficial to provide homeowners with a guide about what can, and what should not, go down their kitchen sink drains, even if they have a garbage disposal in place. Reading this blog post can go a long way in preventing messy and annoying plumbing problems. 

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What to Know about Drain Cleaning Solutions

Monday, September 13th, 2021

water-running-down-a-drainThe #1 thing you should know about drain cleaning solutions is that if using them is your method to clean your drains on a regular basis, then you’re actually doing more harm than good to your plumbing system.

Let us elaborate!

First off, we understand. One of the most irritating plumbing issues a homeowner deals with is clogged or backed-up drains. You may be doing something as seemingly benign as brushing your teeth when all of the sudden you have a backed-up and overflowing sink. It’s only natural that you want a quick and simple fix. And nothing is faster and easier than using a bottle of store-bought drain cleaning solution, right?

Unfortunately, fast or even affordable does not necessarily mean effective. Read on to learn more!

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What Is Water Hammer and Why Is It a Problem?

Monday, August 16th, 2021

woman-covering-her-earsLet’s say you find yourself alone in your house at night… everything is quiet and peaceful, until.. a sudden metallic clang coming from the walls, startling you from your rest. Don’t worry, it’s probably not ghosts or intruders that you’ve heard. Instead, it could be something coming from your plumbing system called water hammer. 

A term like water hammer can sound intimidating all on its own, but it’s actually a pretty common occurrence in plumbing systems, and it doesn’t have to lead to any big plumbing problems. In fact, it’s something that can be relatively easily fixed, by calling our plumbers. Read on as we dive into what water hammer actually is, as well as what it can do and what you can do about it.

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Why Your Tankless Water Heater Needs Maintenance

Monday, August 2nd, 2021

tankless-system-on-green-bathroom-wallWhen you look at a standard, conventional tank water heater, it’s probably clear why it would need regular maintenance. It’s large, it has a number of components to it in order for it to work, and it’s metal full of water–two things that don’t typically go together without rust and corrosion. Tankless systems are so different though, right? They don’t hold water in them–instead, they heat water on demand when a tap or a plumbing appliance requires it. So you don’t have to worry about rust or corrosion as much. They don’t have as many components either, so their repair needs are limited.

So, why does your tankless water heater need maintenance? Well, it’s due to a little something called scaling, which actually impacts all types of water heaters, not just conventional tank systems.

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