Are you familiar with the term “slab leak”? If not, you’re not alone. Slab leaks are a lesser-known but potentially serious issue affecting homes, especially those with concrete slab foundations. In this blog post, we’ll delve into slab leaks, their causes, how common they are, signs to watch out for, and what steps to take if you suspect a slab leak in your Evanston home.
We can’t stress enough how important it is that you turn to licensed plumbers, and licensed plumbers only, when you need plumbing work in your home. Too many people like to attempt to tackle plumbing problems as DIY projects, and far too many others will turn to an unlicensed “handyman” when they’ve got plumbing woes. Neither is a good idea—especially when it’s easy to reach out to us and hire our licensed plumbers in Evanston, IL, or elsewhere in the Northshore and Northwest Chicagoland Area.
Why licensed plumbers? There are many reasons, but here are the five main ones…
The kitchen sink does more work than any other sink in your house, since it takes care of food preparation as well as food disposal. Many different materials can go down a sink drain, and the faucet for it is far more powerful with more water flow capacity than any bathroom sink. Taking good care of it is important to avoid the need for plumbing repair.
We’re local experts when it comes to sink plumbing in Evanston, IL, and we’d like to share our best tips for maintaining your kitchen sink so it works best for you for many years. When you do run into troubles, we’re always here to help, and we offer 24/7 service.
If you live in a house that doesn’t already have a sump pump installed in the basement or the lowest section of the building (such as a crawl space), you may have thought if it’s something you need to purchase. That many homes already have sump pumps in them is a pretty good indication of the answer: although sump pumps aren’t necessary in all climates and areas, Chicagoland is definitely a place where they are semi-essential.
In other words, if you don’t have a sump pump, get in touch with our plumbing professionals and find out more about getting one put in soon.
If you look out the window of your house, do you have a pleasant view of trees and bushes around a well-kept yard? It’s a relaxing sight to look at—but you might not be aware that those trees and other plants can present a danger to a part of your house. The growth of plant roots can wreak havoc on the plumbing for your house, potentially creating sewage back-ups.
Tree-roof infestation is a major problem for residential plumbing in Evanston, IL and elsewhere in the Chicago suburbs. Our climate is conducive to the growth of trees with aggressive root systems: silver maples, poplars, and willows. As these trees grow, their roots can spread far and wide, seeking sources of water and nutrients, including your plumbing system.
So although you may love having a tree-filled yard in the suburbs, you need to be aware of the ways tree roots can damage plumbing and what you can do to prevent it.
It’s December, and we think that’s a great time to make our own “Naughty and Nice” list. We’re not Santa Claus, so we can’t make any judgments about people’s behavior. But we are exceptional plumbing professionals, so we can make judgments about the tools and methods used to clean drains. We’ve got a list with three “nice” ways to clean your drains and one extremely “naughty” one that might as well be a lump of coal jammed down a drain.
Okay, let’s make that list, check it twice, and help you make the best decision when it comes to drain cleaning in Evanston, IL.
October marks the start of the “Big Three Holiday” months: three months in a row with significant holidays that combine food and feasting and merriment. It’s a terrific time of the year, although people do get exhausted from all of it.
If you want to make the season less tiring and more fun, then take some steps to keep your garbage disposal in good shape. Trust us, garbage disposals are at a high risk of breaking down during the season of big meals and plenty of cooking.
What can you do to keep your garbage disposal in top shape through the holiday barrage? We have some advice.
Last week we looked at some of the reasons other than clogs that you’ll discover slow or stopped drains in your home. In that post, we mentioned that tree roots can create blockages in your sewer line. This is a big enough topic that we want to look into it closer. Tree roots, and roots in general, can turn into major catastrophes for the sewer line from your house—and that can mean major catastrophes for your house!
One of the key services we offer our clients is professional drain cleaning in Evanston, IL, and throughout our wide service area. We recommend drain cleaning as part of regular annual maintenance for your plumbing.
But drain cleaning is most often deployed as a way to thoroughly remove drain clogs and get rid of slow drains. If you’ve got a stopped drain that you can’t open with a plunger or a simple drain snake, don’t reach for chemical drain cleaners! Instead, reach for your phone and give us a call for drain cleaning, any time of the day or night.
Let’s look a bit closer into what’s clogged your drain in the first place. You may already know the problem, like an object that accidentally rolled down the drain like a children’s toy or the cap of a bottle near the bathroom sink. But other types of clogging can sneak up on you, like…
We often talk about the problem of hidden leaks in residential plumbing. It’s easy for these leaks to go unnoticed for weeks or months while they raise water bills and inflict damage on building materials. But today we’re going to look at when a hidden leak becomes an obvious leak. Unfortunately, it’s an obvious leak that people often still overlook or delay at getting fixed. We’re looking at the water stain on the ceiling!
You’ve probably come across this phenomenon at some point; if not in your own home than in another building. A brownish-red discoloration spreading through the drywall or other material of the ceiling. Unsightly, but maybe you only need a bit of paint to touch it up…
No, don’t do this! That stain is the sign of a leak, and it means you need fast service to have it fixed. You can worry about painting over the stain later.