Archive for January, 2012
Replacement of a Three Handle Tub Faucet
If you’re tired of dealing with your old three handle tub and shower faucet and have been longing for a modern new single handle faucet, you’ll be happy to know that your plumbing contractor can do the job without tearing up the tile or tub wall, even if there is no access to the back side of the shower wall.
Many homes built more than ten years ago were plumbed with a “builders grade” two or three handle tub or shower faucet. The left and right handles controlled the hot and cold water valves and on three handle units, the middle handle operated the diverter valve which controls whether the water comes out of the faucet or the showerhead.
After ten to 15 years of use, these faucets start to wear out and leak. Parts can be hard to find and frankly these faucets look a little dated. Many homeowners have continued to put up with these old faucets because replacing them is challenging, especially if there is no access to the plumbing from behind the shower or tub wall.
Well, you don’t have to put up with your old tub and shower faucet anymore. Your plumber can replace your three or two handled faucet with a modern new single handle faucet using a conversion plate designed to cover the holes where the old handles were. Your plumbing contractor can do the entire job from the tub or shower side – no access is needed to the back!
Talk to a reputable plumbing contractor in your area about converting your two or three handle tub and shower faucets to a beautiful new single handle faucet. Residents of Northern Virginia know that the expert plumbers at Kiddco Plumbing are the Northern Virginia plumbers they can depend on for faucet replacements and all their plumbing needs.
Updating Your Bathroom
If your bathroom is starting to look a little dated, talk to your plumbing contractor about refreshing the look of your bathroom with updated fixtures or a complete remodel. A good local plumbing contractor with experience in bathroom remodeling can help you design and choose fixtures for your dream bathroom. Alpharetta GA residents know the experienced professionals at CityWide Plumbing are the “go-to”
Alpharetta plumbers
A bathroom refresher can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. If your budget doesn’t allow for a complete remodeling, replacing tired fixtures with high quality new fixtures can give your bathroom a fresh new look at a fraction of the cost of a full remodeling. Ask your plumbing contractor for ideas that will maximize your budget.
A full bathroom remodel includes new flooring, cabinets, tubs, sinks, and showers that in many cases have different configurations than the existing fixtures. In addition, remodeling often involves relocating plumbing, electrical outlets, and lighting. These types of changes add tremendously to the expense of a bathroom remodeling.
On the other hand, if you don’t need to relocate the sinks, toilets, tub and other fixtures, you can save a lot while still giving your bathroom a great new look. If the replacement fixture fits in the same area as the old fixture you will get a much bigger bang for your buck. The same goes for faucets and the like. If the new faucets have the same configuration as the existing faucet, replacement is much less labor intensive and more cost effective. Throw in new flooring or new paint and your new bathroom will look great for years to come!
Top 10 Plumbing Tools
Top 10 Plumbing Tools
The drum auger, also known as sink auger, drum auger or canister auger comes in handy when dealing with clogged drain repairs. The cup plunger is a must have and a very common plumbing tool in any home. It is shaped in a rubber cup form with a wooden handle and helps with unclogging showers, tubs and sinks.
The faucet valve seat wrench for typical compression faucets are the oldest styled faucets and least expensive. The faucet valve seat wrench comes handy in grabbing a nylon or rubber washer opposite a valve seat in faucet bodies. Teflon tape technically known as PTFE (PolyTetraFluoroEthylene) is a silky textured, strong tensioned tape breaks in a stringy style preventing leakages at threaded water line links, plumbing links, sealing pipe threading and shower heads. Teflon tape is typically white in color. The closet auger consists of a hand crank, a lengthy sleeve grip, and a strong auger bit at the end. A flexible shaft connects the auger bit to the crank handle, reaching about 3 feet. This tool will help with any stubborn clogs in the toilet drain line.
The flange plunger is a special shaped ball plunger comes in real handy in clearing congested toilets by applying vacuum and water force. Unlike a standard goblet shaped plunger used in tubs and sinks, this tool’s unique silhouette shuts the gap at the floor of a toilet bowl. A faucet valve reseating tool, also called the valve seat grinder or dresser, aides in smoothing out the valve seat of the faucet. The tube cutter is an ideal tool when working with copper pipes for smooth, well fixed joints. The adjustable pipe wrench, a quintessential plumbing tool, this provides incredible force and grip. The wrench tightens around pipes by jabbing its spiky saw–like teeth into the pipe with the pressure increasing on turning the wrench. Faucet packing and washers/compression faucets are still old fashioned with nylon/rubber washers with sealed faucet stems. Newer models come with rubber washer or O–rings for the stem–retaining nut.
A homeowner will usually have most, if not all, of these tools in their arsenal. These plumbing tools will make dealing with plumbing problems much easier for either a homeowner or professional plumbing contractors.
CLEANING YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSAL
CLEANING YOUR GARBAGE DISPOSAL
Considering that you throw some pretty disgusting food articles into your garbage disposal, you probably aren’t surprised that it sometimes becomes smelly and clogged. Unless you have abused your garbage disposal by continuously disposing of items that it cannot handle, solving a garbage disposal problem is relatively simple.
THE BASICS
When you flip the switch on your garbage disposal, blades start to spin to pulverize the food and debris you have thrown into it. Once pulverized enough, these articles flow downstream through your plumbing system as liquidized waste. Since the blades of your garbage disposal are very fast and strong, an odor problem may arise when you try to grind up some item that gets stuck against the walls of the disposal. If allowed to remain in the disposal long enough (a few days), you’ll have quite an unpleasant odor on your hands.
CLEANING A STINKY GARBAGE DISPOSAL
Once odor has invaded, the simplest way to rid your garbage disposal of that odor is to fill the disposal with soap and water and flush it out. To accomplish this task, stop up the sink where your disposal is located, fill your sink with enough soapy water to fill up the disposal, and then release the stopper while turning on your garbage disposal to have the disposal’s submerged blades spin the mixture around and hopefully dislodge the odor-producing gunk in your disposal. If this is a successful procedure, you’ll notice an immediate improvement in the odor.
IF SOAP AND WATER DON’T WORK
If soap and water don’t clear the odor, try the same flushing procedure and use baking soda and vinegar (½ cup of baking soda plus ½ cup of vinegar added to water) to partially fill your sink. Immediately following the last gurgle of the water going down the disposal, follow the mixture with boiling water.
If the above measures are unsuccessful, contact experienced licensed plumber for a guaranteed solution to that garbage disposal clog or odor problem.
Blog Post provided by: Marietta Garbage Disposal Plumbing service
WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR BATHROOM ON A BUDGET
WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR BATHROOM ON A BUDGET
Many homeowners dream of a bathroom make-over. You need more space, more lighting, a larger bathtub or shower, or a new look. Bathroom improvements don’t have to be costly to be worthwhile.
Some ideas that may prove useful in transforming your old bathroom into a stylish new one that won’t break the bank include:
· Freshen up your bathroom with a new coat of paint on walls and ceiling. This is by far the least expensive bathroom make-over strategy.
· Remove old cracked, aged, and dirty caulking around your shower and/or tub with new caulk.
· Purchase and install a new toilet. With lots of toilet colors available, you’ll be able to coordinate your new toilet with other bathroom décor to create a new look. Get a dual flush toilet and you’ll also be contributing to the preservation of the environment. A licensed plumber can help with the purchase and installation.
· Replace your old vanity with a new one. Or, if that is too expensive, consider replacing the top of your vanity or sink.
· Add stylish new taps and a matching showerhead for a quick modernization of your old bathroom.
· Upgrade your light fixtures with some new, energy efficient and more stylish models. You may have a hard time deciding on this one if you haven’t looked at light fixtures lately as the variety is almost overwhelming.
· Replace your worn and probably dulled shower door with a new clean door. If you coordinate it with your new fixtures, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with the result.
· Replace towel bars, your toilet paper holder, and shower rod. These are available in multiple styles and materials so you’re sure to find one that will improve your bathroom’s appearance.
· Finish any upgrade or improvement with new towels, bathmats, and accessories to pull your room together.
Try some or all of these suggestions. You’ll enjoy the process and the new bathroom. Should you need the services of a qualified, licensed plumber during your bathroom make-over project, contact one of our plumbers at www.find-plumbers for an estimate.
Blog Post provided by: Atlanta Bathroom Plumbing Specialist
WASHERLESS FAUCETS
WASHERLESS FAUCETS
Washerless faucets are considered to be a type of faucet that usually lasts longer than compression faucets. However, washerless faucets are also more prone to leaks than compression ones. Consequently, when a washerless faucet is in need of repair, you will have to replace some or possibly all of the flow parts and the fixture. The type of washerless faucet you have will be the determining factor as to what parts must be replaced to alleviate a leak.
There are two styles of washerless faucets available (single lever or two-handled) and three types of washerless faucets (ball, disc, and cartridge).
BALL FAUCETS
Having a free-moving handle that attaches to a rotating ball inside the faucet body, a ball faucet works when the rotation of a ball stops at a position where the ball aligns with the water flow of your hot water or cold water inlets to dispense water. When the handle of one of these type faucets leaks, a tightening of the ring or replacement of the cam washer usually solves the problem.
DISC FAUCETS
Disc faucets have a ceramic disc assembly at their core. These handles rarely wear out but leaks do develop when any of the faucet’s rubber seals become corroded. With three rubber seals for hot, cold, and mixed water flow, you’ll need to remove and replace all three seals when leaks occur.
CARTRIDGE FAUCETS
Most cartridge faucets are of the single-handed variety and are easily identifiable by their narrow metal or plastic cartridge sitting inside its faucet body. Cartridge faucets develop leaks when their O-rings or cartridge assembly becomes worn. To alleviate these leaks, you’ll need to replace either or both of these parts. The main thing to remember with a cartridge faucet is to make sure you replace the O-ring or cartridge assembly with an exact duplicate part; otherwise, you’ll still have a leak when you finish your repair job.
If you have a more extensive leaky faucet problem that isn’t solved by the above suggestions, contact qualified plumber contractor to take care of that leak for you.
Blog Post provided by: Marietta Licensed Plumbers