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

Sewage Pump vs. Sump Pump: What’s the Difference?

Monday, February 26th, 2024
birds-eye-view-of-sump-pump-system

You probably have heard about sump pumps and sewage pumps. In fact, your home may have one or the other or both. We’ve discovered that there’s often confusion in people’s minds when it comes to sewage pump vs. sump pump. Are they really the same thing, and if they’re different, what jobs do they do? The most important question: Do you need them? 

We’ll look into these questions in this blog post. However, the best way to get an answer to the last question is to talk to our professional plumbers. We have extensive experience with all types of plumbing installations for both homes and businesses.

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The Effects of Water Hammer on Your Plumbing

Monday, February 12th, 2024
hammer-house-wrench

You hear a sudden clang coming from the walls of your home, like a hammer striking metal. It’s not a ghost… it’s the plumbing. The sound you’re hearing is the result of water hammer, which occurs when there are no air cushions in the pipes to absorb the shock wave that occurs when water suddenly stops moving because a tap is shut off.

The name “water hammer” sounds intimidating. Is water hammer dangerous in Glenview? Is it bad for your pipes? We can ease your mind about the “dangerous” part: water hammer isn’t something that poses a physical threat to you or your family’s health. As for whether it’s bad for the pipes—that’s a definite yes. In fact, water hammer has several deleterious effects on plumbing, which is why we encourage you to call for our professional plumbers to look into water hammer in your home as soon as you begin to notice it.

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Sewer Line Materials: Knowing When You’ve Got an Outdated Line

Monday, January 1st, 2024
sewer-tunnel

Sewer systems go back to ancient times: they’re a necessary improvement that allowed cities to thrive in the first place. Today, most of us take the sewer systems that serve our communities for granted, as well as the sewer lines that connect our homes to the sewer system. But if you’ve got an old sewer line made of outdated material, you may find yourself in a bad situation where you need either sewer line repair or replacement right away.

You can depend on us for these services in the Northshore and Northwest Chicagoland area. To help you know when it’s time to schedule an inspection of your sewer line, we’re going to look at the recent history of sewer line materials so you know what “outdated” means in this case.

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The Impact That Hard Water Has on Your Plumbing

Monday, December 4th, 2023
pipes-corroded

You’ve probably heard about hard water and know that it’s not something you want flowing through your home’s plumbing. Hard water refers to water that contains a high volume of dissolved minerals, mostly magnesium, calcium, and gypsum. Hard water is common in cities: the minerals seep into the water through the ground and enter the pipes so water treatment plants can’t counteract it. 

The best way to eliminate hard water in your home is to have a special water softener installed. You can call on our plumbers in Glenview, IL to install one of these devices, which uses sodium ions to replace the hard water ions. 

But why bother at all? Since hard water isn’t harmful to drink, why make the effort to put in a softener? The answer is that hard water is often ruinous for plumbing and appliances. It comes with several other side effects that can make life in your house a bigger hassle. We’ll look at what hard water does to your plumbing so you’ll know why a water softener is a good idea.

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The Common Causes of Plumbing Emergencies

Monday, November 20th, 2023
flooded-home

The words plumbing emergency aren’t ones any homeowner wants to hear. They usually conjure up images of water flooding throughout a house, causing furniture to float on currents like flotsam after a ship has accidentally run aground. Most emergency plumbing issues you’ll run into won’t be so drastic, but they’ll still feel urgent.

You have a great ally for your emergency plumbing needs: Reliance Plumbing Sewer & Drainage. We have 24/7 emergency service available. We know how serious major plumbing mishaps can be and how much our customers need us as soon as possible!

We’re going to take a look at the most common causes that will cause you to call us for fast plumbing repair, any time of the day or night.

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Winter Seasoning for Your Plumbing: Preparing for Cold Weather

Monday, October 9th, 2023
icicles-hanging-off-pipe

It’s not winter yet, but you never want to be caught unprepared for the first serious cold snap. Your plumbing is extremely vulnerable to cold weather, specifically frozen pipes that can lead to severe damage from pipes bursting. Take some time during the fall lull to properly winterize your plumbing as well as take other steps that will make it easier for your home to make it through the coming cold.

Below we’ve listed some key preparations to make. You can contact a great plumber in Glenview, IL at Reliance to provide assistance with several of these jobs. We can conduct an inspection of your plumbing if you want to locate any weaknesses where pipe freeze can take hold. 

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Ways You Can Avoid Big Plumbing Emergencies

Monday, September 25th, 2023
plumber-under-sink

Plumbing emergencies are among the worst types of household emergencies you can run into. Nobody wants to be caught with a burst appliance that’s sending water all over the place or unusable toilets. But we have some good news for you. Two pieces of good news, actually.

First, you have a reliable 24-hour plumber ready to help you—Reliance Plumbing! No matter the date or the time, you can reach us for emergency plumbing service.

Second, you can take preventive steps to lower the chance of running into big plumbing emergencies. Below are some ways you can keep emergency calls to a minimum.

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Do Water Heaters Need Annual Maintenance?

Monday, August 28th, 2023

Short answer: Yes!

Longer answer: Yes, absolutely!

We hope this is enough for you to reach out to us to schedule water heater maintenance—especially if it’s something you have never had done before. But if you want to hang around for a bit longer, we’ll give you a more in-depth explanation about the importance of water heater maintenance.

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Why You’re Hearing Weird Noises From Your Plumbing

Monday, July 17th, 2023
showerhead-hand-reaching-out

You shut off a faucet in your house one day, and instead of hearing quiet right afterwards, there’s instead a strange clang or bang noise. It might even be loud enough to cause you to jump.

This isn’t a one-time occurrence, either. You start to hear this banging sound from the plumbing more and more often. Everything else about your plumbing seems to be working fine—so what’s happening, and is it something you need to worry about?

What you’re experiencing with your plumbing is common enough that it has its own name: water hammer. As plumbers, we’ve often dealt with water hammer in Glenview, IL and our other service areas, so we can tell you what’s going on.

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Choosing a New Shower for Your Bathroom

Monday, June 5th, 2023
showerhead-ceiling-running

Any plumber will work extensively with bathroom plumbing, since this is the room of a house that has the highest concentration of pipes, drains, and fixtures. Along with the many bathroom plumbing repairs and drain cleaning that our professional plumbers perform, we also handle new shower installation in Glenview, IL.

You may be in a situation where you’ve got an older shower that’s an eyesore or isn’t working effectively anymore and you want to upgrade it. You might have someone in your home with mobility issues who would benefit from a different type of shower. Whatever the reason, you’re looking to have a new shower installed. There are several choices of shower types to consider. We’ll go over the most common shower types and look at their benefits.

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