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.

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.

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

Leaking Pipes
Plumbing leaks come in a variety of sizes.  Some can flood your home, while others are not damaging at all.  How you approach stopping a leak depends on the type of leak you are dealing with.  If your leak problem occurs at a joint, tighten the joint.  If your leak is in a pipe, remove the section that is leaking and replace it with a new section.  Unfortunately, this is more easily said than done, so most water pipe replacement jobs are best left to a qualified plumber.  However, if you are an avid, do-it-yourselfer, you may want to consider using a patch kit, found at most any hardware store.  Unfortunately, while a patch kit is an easy fix it may not stop your leak on a permanent basis if your pipe is damaged to begin with.

Quieting Noisy Pipes
Banging pipes, sometimes called water hammer, is only one of several different noises that can come from your plumbing system.  If you hear a banging sound when you turn on water, your pipes are probably striking against something. Solving a banging pipe problem is easier if you can see the pipes in question, so if you can manage to see the moving pipe, even if it is between the walls, you may be able to silence it by padding the ends of the pipes as they emerge from behind your wall, eliminating the need to tear your house apart.

If the knocking sound occurs only when you turn on the hot water, your water heater is set too high.  Turning down the heat setting may silence the pipes.

While drainpipes rarely clatter, they do sometimes make a sucking noise as water leaves a sink or basin.  If you hear this sound, it means that a vent, such as the hole at the top edge of a bathroom sink, is restricted or your drain has no vent at all attached to it. In either case, a potentially serious plumbing problem exists when you hear this sound because a non-functioning or non-existent vent can eliminate the water seal and allow sewer gases to back up into your home.  Try eliminating the problem with a plumber’s snake.  If that doesn’t work, call a licensed qualified plumber to make sure your system is functioning properly.  Don’t risk your family’s health if you aren’t sure of how to fix a noisy pipe.

Blog post provided by:  Marietta Ga plumbers

No matter what area of your home you start with begin your water conservation campaign, always repair leaky faucets, both indoors and out.  If you live in an older home, consider replacing old toilets, dishwashers and clothes washers with newer, more water and energy efficient alternatives.

Kitchen Conservation Tips
Fill your sink or basin when washing and rinsing dishes to save on running water.  When cooking, peel and clean your vegetables in a large bowl instead of under running water.  Only run your dishwasher when it is full. Try not to use your garbage disposal unless absolutely necessary.  Install faucet aerators to cut down on water usage.

Bathroom Conservation Tips
Take showers instead of baths, and turn off the water to brush your teeth and shave.  Repair leaky toilets and install a toilet dam, low-flow showerheads, and faucet aerators.

Laundry Conservation Tips
Purchase a water saving model of clothes washer.  Chose one where you can adjust the load size to use only the amount of water you need.  Try to let delay washing a load of clothes until you have a full one.

Outdoor Conservation Tips
Only water your lawn when necessary, once per week should be sufficient even when there is no rainfall.  Avoid watering on windy and hot days.  Try to water your lawn in the late evening or morning to minimize evaporation of water.  Soaker hoses get the water down where you need it; sprinklers are sometimes wasteful because they water buildings as well as vegetation.  Mulch applied around flower beds and shrubs will also reduce evaporation (an added bonus is that mulch promotes plant growth and controls weeds).  Compost or organic matter added to your soil will improve soil conditions as well as aid in water retention.   When you mow, set your mower blades to two to three inches high since longer grass will shade your soil and improve its moisture retention capabilities.  Planting plants native to your area will reduce the need for watering as these plants have adapted to the weather of your location.  Besides lawn care conservation methods, you can also conserve outdoor usage by collecting rainfall for irrigation, wash your car sparingly and quickly, and use a broom to clean walkways, decks and porches instead of hosing them off.

Taking these simple steps to conserve water at your own home will go a long way towards not only helping the environment, but may save you a little money as well.

Post provided by: Marietta GA Licensed Plumbers

Pipe Wrench
Buy yourself a sturdy pipe wrench for when you need a wrench that is the appropriate size and with the appropriate grip to loosen pipes.  A medium-size, adjustable pipe wrench will suffice to tighten and loosen pipes and other plumbing connections.  Your local hardware or plumbing-supply store will have these in stock in a variety of styles and prices.

A basin wrench is a specialized tool that will enable you to reach tight spots under sinks and basins.  The jaws of a basin wrench are adjustable and accommodate nuts of different sizes.  In addition, a basin wrench, when flipped over, allows you to keep turning the wrench without removing it from the nut.

A socket wrench set is another useful plumbing tool to have around.  It is used for removing recessed packing nuts and on tub and shower fixtures.  You’ll also find it handy to have around to complete other do-it-yourself household repairs.

If you need to change a toilet seat, a deep socket wrench will do the trick.  And to remove a toilet for replacement or repair, you’ll most likely need a spud wrench.  Older toilets sometimes have a large pipe (called a spud) which connects the tank to the bowl.  An extra-large hexagonal slip nut holds the bowl to the tank.  Consequently, a spud wrench is required to remove these slip nuts. Purchase an adjustable type of spud wrench as it will be more versatile than the nonadjustable type, which has a fixed opening at each end.

Other Plumbing Tools to Have Around
Augers, plungers, and snakes are tools designed specifically for plumbing. You’ll find these useful in almost any home repair project as well as most plumbing repair tasks.  Plumbers’ snakes (or drain-and-trap augers) vary in length.  For general use, a short snake is all you’ll need for most plumbing repairs. Look for a closet auger, a version of the plumbers’ snake designed specifically for clearing clogs in toilets.  It will be a bit shorter than a regular snake, and comes encased in a plastic or metal housing with an easy-to-use crank.

Having some plumbing repair tools available to solve simple plumbing issues is paramount to being a responsible homeowner.  Investing in these tools is ultimately an investment in the longevity of your home.

Post provided by: Bathroom Repair Plumber Alpharetta GA

Basics Kitchen Faucet Repairs
Should you choose to try to fix a leaky kitchen faucet, first examine the faucet closely to determine where the dripping water is coming from.  Different repairs are required for leaks around the base of the spout as opposed to those around the end of the spout.  Once you determine where the leak originates, turn off the water supply to the faucet.  Usually you will find shutoff valves under your kitchen sink.  However, if you do not have a shutoff valve under your kitchen sink, you’ll have to close the main water valve to your house.  Once you have turned off the water, open the faucet in the center position to release water pressure.  Make sure the water is shut off, and then, cover your sink drain holes with strainer baskets or rags so as to avoid losing the smaller parts of the faucet down the drain as you disassemble the faucet. If you are not handy around the house you may also consider hiring a licensed plumber to repair your faucet.

As you remove the parts of the faucet, pay close attention to the order and orientation of those parts as you remove them.  A good idea is to use a digital camera or video camera to record each step of this process in case you forget as you go along.  For an easier reassembly, be conscientious to set the parts aside in the order you remove them.  When you have removed all the parts of the leaky faucet, inspect the interior areas of the valve for bits of deteriorated gaskets and/or mineral deposits.  Using a cloth or fine nylon abrasive pad, clean the surface.  You can loosen stubborn mineral deposits by soaking them in vinegar.  Slow water flow can be caused by plugged holes in the faucet body, so use a small screwdriver or penknife to clean the holes out. Before you replace the worn parts of your kitchen faucet and reassemble it, hold a washcloth over the faucet and open the water shutoff valve slightly as a way to flush out debris that you may have loosened during cleaning and inspection.

Once you have reassembled the faucet, open it to its middle position, gradually open the shutoff valves to turn on the water, and leave the faucet open until water flows freely, thus, removing all air out of the pipe.  If water flows at its normal rate, unhindered, you have successfully repaired your kitchen faucet.

Post provided by: Plumbers Marietta GA