Reliance Plumbing Sewer & Drainage, Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Emergency Plumber’

Do You Know How to Shut Off Water to Your Home During a Plumbing Emergency?

Monday, March 14th, 2022

plumbing-valves-and-tubesNobody wants to deal with a huge plumbing emergency, but you have a great source for help when one does happen: you can call our team for 24-hour plumbing in Des Plaines, IL or anywhere else in our service area in the Northshore and Northwest Chicagoland. But before you call us, you may want to shut off the water to your house to stop potential flooding problems. This will help you get a handle on the situation and avoid excess damage and expensive remediation costs later.

But wait … do you know how to shut off your home’s water supply? If the answer is no, then we’re glad you stopped by our blog today. We can help you find out how so you’ll be prepared in case of a big plumbing emergency.

Continue Reading

Beware These Plumbing Emergencies

Monday, December 7th, 2020

man-catching-water-from-ceiling-in-bucketWe don’t exactly “look forward” to you having a plumbing emergency, but we certainly look forward to being able to help when one happens! That is quite literally what we are here for—taking care of plumbing mishaps is our specialty, no matter what it is and no matter when it is.

Of course, we understand that you would rather never have an emergency. The best way to avoid a plumbing emergency is with routine maintenance including video pipe inspection and drain cleaning. Still though, it’s a good idea to be aware of some of the most common plumbing emergencies to underscore the importance of maintenance. Read on as we uncover these emergencies.

Continue Reading

How to Avoid This #1 Winter Plumbing Emergency

Monday, September 14th, 2020

It may seem really odd to already be talking about winter. After all, summer hasn’t even officially ended, and cooler temperatures haven’t quite steadied out yet. Still though, even if you’ve lived in our area for only a year, you know just how chilly, and unpredictable, lower temperatures and associated weather can be. So it’s important that your home is ready!
How do we propose you do that? Well, start by looking at your plumbing. Burst pipes are among the most common reasons we get Winnetka, IL emergency plumbing calls. And they’re caused by frozen pipes. Fortunately, this can be prevented. Read on to learn more.

Continue Reading

How Not to Treat Your Bathroom Plumbing

Monday, June 22nd, 2020

water-running-down-a-drainDrain clogs are pretty much an inevitable and unfortunate part of homeownership. They’re even worse when they happen in one of the most used spaces in your home—the bathroom. Managing backed-up drains tends to be a fairly basic job for professional plumbers, but that doesn’t mean you should attempt it on your own.

In fact, trying to remove drain clogs on your own with the most “affordable” option there is—store-bought chemical drain cleaner—can lead to more problems than good. Unfortunately, these “solutions” are very caustic, eating away at your pipes and never actually effectively removing the clog. It may just move it around a bit for water to get through before it just clogs up again a few months later. This isn’t how you should treat your bathroom plumbing! So how should you treat it?

Continue Reading

Could Your Hygiene Practices Lead to a Plumbing Emergency?

Monday, March 16th, 2020

hand-on-bathroom-sink-faucetLet’s put it this way—those hygiene practices can certainly lead to problems with your bathroom plumbing! Due to this, a common service we recommend is routine drain cleaning as part of your overall plumbing maintenance plan.

Of course, regardless of maintenance, if you do have an urgent plumbing problem you needn’t look too far for an emergency plumber in Des Plaines IL!

But with maintenance, our plumbers can successfully keep your drainpipes clear and free with advanced tools like drain snakes and hydro-jets. This helps remove buildup that can lead to frequently clogged drains, and prevents your plumbing system from suffering damage. When you’re ready to schedule drain cleaning, give our team a call. In the meantime, read on as we uncover a couple hygiene practices that could lead to plumbing issues.

Brushing and Washing Your Hair

No, we don’t want you to stop doing this, nor do we want you to start attempting to do it over your kitchen sink. But, your bathroom sink and shower drains are pretty susceptible to clogs from hair. Hair catches easily in the curved piped section below the bathroom sink—a component called the p-trap. When this happens, it starts to catch other hair follicles until a clog builds up.

Drain covers are your remedy to this! You’ll be able to find mesh, metal, or even rubber drain covers at any hardware or bathroom supply store, and even online.

Using Oil-Based Cleansers and Beauty Products

More and more individuals are using things like coconut oil for teeth whitening and facial masks, and bath bombs for softer and healthier skin. These are all great products, but they can do a number on your sink and bathtub drains!

This is especially true if you experience hard water in your home. This is water with a high level of minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These minerals make it hard for even basic soap to break down as it goes down your drains, let alone oil-based products.

Soap scum, by the way, is another common threat to your bathroom sink and bathtub drains, by the way! Ask us about the installation of a whole-house water softener to combat this!

But what happens is that unless you’re able to get the water very hot, soap scum and oil residue doesn’t get fully flushed down your drainpipes. Rather, they go partially down, stick to the walls of the drainpipes, and then harden and start building up a clog the more that goes down the drain.

Just like with hair, the best way to combat this is with a drain cover. Simply wait until that drain cover dries off and wipe it off to dispose of the residue left behind by your product in the trashcan.

“What About Store-Bought Drain Cleaner?”

We understand how tempting it is to reach for a bottle of store-bought, chemical based drain cleaner. It’s affordable and convenient after all, right? Unfortunately, the ingredients used in these products are caustic, and actually eat away at the lining of your pipes. So the more you use them, the more likely it is that you’ll be paying for repiping sooner rather than later!

For expert plumbing service, installations, or maintenance contact Reliance Plumbing Sewer & Drainage, Inc. Our knowledgeable plumbers serve the North Shore and Northwest Chicago suburbs. Rely on Reliance!

Continue Reading

How to Spot a Plumbing Leak

Monday, November 25th, 2019

water-running-down-a-drainIf you’re lucky, you’ll never need an emergency plumber in Evanston, IL. Of course, nobody can guarantee this—but we can certainly lower your risk! How so? By detecting and repairing leaks quickly and accurately.

Here’s the thing—plumbing leaks are notoriously hard to locate and even tougher to fix for the average homeowner. Most of your plumbing system, after all, is hidden from sight, and the problems that usually impact this system are subtle to start. This is why we recommend you scheduling yearly preventive maintenance with our team.

But in addition to that, we think you should familiarize yourself with the warning signs that your plumbing system is having some type of problem. On the rare chance that a problem occurs between maintenance sessions, you’ll be able to detect it quickly and have it repaired. Keep reading to learn about common symptoms and what they may mean.

Continue Reading

How to Detect Subtle Leaks Before They Become Emergencies

Monday, July 22nd, 2019

pipe-with-blue-cloth-tied-around-leakIn an ideal world, you’d never need an emergency plumber in Evanston, IL. Unfortunately, however, the occasional plumbing emergency is almost a rite of passage for any homeowner. In fact, it’s one of the most common home problems we deal with around here.

Even a minor leak such as a dripping faucet can waste gallons of water over the course of a year—as much as they trick you into thinking they’re not a big deal. The good news is, there are signs you can watch out for that indicate you have a leak, before that leak becomes a huge, costly and home damaging emergency.

Continue Reading

Common Plumbing Emergencies to Avoid

Monday, February 4th, 2019

old-pipe-that-burstOne of the best things you can do to protect your home is to have a good emergency plumber to call when you need them. This will give you the peace of mind of knowing that any time you encounter a sudden plumbing problem, you’ll have someone on hand to help you right away. After all, we don’t recommend attempting any major plumbing repairs on your own—instead trust in pros who will act fast and get the job done right.

Our team has handled plenty of plumbing emergencies over the years, and you can trust that we have the experience necessary to deal with anything that comes our way. That being said, we’d love to help you prevent the damage that can occur from said plumbing emergencies, while you wait for a professional to come.

Continue Reading