The Most Effective Methods to Clear Your Clogged Drains

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Without proper prevention, your drains will clog over time. You’ll know an obstruction is building when your sink or tub takes longer to drain. If you don’t act quickly, the obstruction can become significant enough to require a professional rooter service.

For plumbing that stays functional and doesn’t upend your daily routine, use the following methods before contacting a residential plumber.

Use boiling water or a mix of baking soda and vinegar

If your sink or tub drain is clogged, you can directly attack the clog by dissolving the obstruction. The easiest method is slowly pouring boiling water down the drain. If this doesn’t completely clear out the obstruction, repeat a few more times. If the obstruction won’t dissolve, you can try using baking soda and vinegar.

Pour ¼ cup of baking soda into the drain, then follow up with 1 ¼ cup of white vinegar. Plug the drain with a stopper and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes. Next, slowly pour boiling water down the drain. You can repeat this a few more times. If this doesn’t work either, you can try chemical drain cleaners.

Using the appropriate plunger

Not all plungers function the same. If you’re a homeowner or business owner, you should have a plunger for the sink and toilet. Sink plungers are also called cup plungers. They have a round cup with a handle attached to the center. It only works on flat surfaces, such as a sink or tub drain. 

The curve of a toilet bowl requires a flange plunger, which has a fold-out flap attached to a larger cup. The fold-out flap seals around the toilet’s curve drain. While the flap can fold inwards to make it suitable for sink and tub drains, it’s unhygienic to use it on all drains. To avoid cross contamination, have a cup plunger for your sinks and tubs, and a flange plunger for your toilets.

There are several other types of plungers, but the cup and flange plungers are traditional fix-it-all tools for common clogs. As a general rule, if traditional plungers don’t work on your clog, you should call a residential plumber. The clog could be too deep or wedged in too tightly, requiring hydro jetting.

Pouring an professional drain cleaner overnight

Walk down the plumbing aisle of a home improvement store and you’ll find a variety of chemical drain cleaners. Some are best for tub and sink drains, some are specialized for dissolving hair, and others are for clog prevention. Look for a cleaner that’s well-reviewed by homeowners and plumbers alike. For best results, get one that clears clogs and prevents future ones.

For grease and oil clogs, try the Green Gobbler Drain Clog Dissolver, which is odorless and uses biodegradable ingredients. For hair clogs, try Instant Power Hair and Grease Drain Cleaner. Some cleaners can work in toilets, but if your toilet clog wasn’t solved with plunging, you should contact a plumber for rooter services.

24/7 Rooter Service with Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

For professional help with your clogged drains, reach out to Ehret. Co Plumbing & Heating through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292. We offer quality rooter services, including water heater repair & replacement and trenchless sewer replacement.

When You Should Consider a New Water Heater

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Your water heater always runs in the background. It fills your appliances with hot water, keeps your running showers hot, and is so efficient you forget it exists. Then it stops working or starts misbehaving. You can troubleshoot, but if your heater problems are too troublesome, you’ll need to schedule water heater repair & replacement.

Here are three other times you should consider installing a new water heater:

1. Your water heater is over 10 years old

Most tankless water heaters last up to 20 years, while tank water heaters last between 10 and 15 years. Some last beyond that, but 15 years is when you definitely should consider replacement before the heater completely breaks down or deteriorates.

Deterioration shows when hot water turns a rusty shade. If only your cold water is rusty, your water heater could be fine, but you still have a plumbing problem. Contact a residential plumber to investigate. Deterioration also shows when your water heater leaks. While some leaks can be sealed, others can’t. Check with your plumber to learn if repair is possible.

2. Your water heater makes noise

If your tank makes clanging, knocking, or whining noises, it’s a sign that sediment has built up. Sediment forms over time and hardens at the bottom of your tank. If you haven’t flushed your tank within the last year, the sediment likely built up between now and the last flush.

You can flush the heater now by emptying the tank, filling the tank halfway with cold water, then flushing the water through the drain valve. Fill the tank and flush it until all the sediment is gone. If the noise continues, the sediment might be too hardened to flush out.

3. Your hot water doesn’t last as long

One of the surest signs that you need a new water heater is when it stops working. Your hot showers become cold in the middle of a wash, your hot water tap is lukewarm or cold, and your household has to wait in between showers. 

If you’ve had your tank water heater for upward of 8 years, it’s likely at the end of its occupational lifespan. However, if your water heater is newer, it might only need its heating element fixed. For tankless water heaters, there’s a possibility that the heater itself is fine, but your household is using too much hot water at once. In that case, you might consider adding an additional heater unit. 

Water Heater Repair & Replacement in the Bay Area

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating services all water heater types, including tankless water heaters. We can troubleshoot your water heater and guide you through the best solution. Contact us through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 for quick, safe, and quality water heater repair & replacement services.

What to Look For in a Professional Plumber

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When your plumbing troubles are too complicated for DIY fixes, you need the assistance of an experienced plumber. Finding quality residential plumbing services in a sea of companies and contractors is easy when you look for these key qualities:

Valid Credentials and Licensing

California plumbers are required by law to be licensed to prove they have the minimum training and experience for proper service. This specifically means they’ve spent at least four years as a foreman, supervisor, or journeyman, have at least one year of practical experience, and have passed the California Plumbing License Exam. This license has to be renewed every two years by the California Contractors State Licensing Board (CSLB). Make sure your plumber’s license isn’t expired.

Your plumber should also carry full insurance so if something goes wrong during service you won’t be charged. You especially want to be protected if a major plumbing appliance, like a water heater or sewer line, gets further damaged during repairs.

Good Reviews and References

The easiest way to verify a plumber’s work is by visiting review sites and online directories of pre-screened plumbers. Though it’s impossible for a business to have all positive reviews as they serve more clients, you should look for plumbers with consistently high reviews. An unsatisfied customer here and there shouldn’t be worrisome.

Another approach is asking your neighbors, friends, and family for recommendations. They can help you narrow your choices to local plumbers who’ve had great results in the specific projects you’re looking for, like trenchless sewer replacement. You can trust their referrals because their motivation is to help you, not make profit. Other recommendation sources include magazines, newspapers, and other publications that have “Best of” awards for local businesses.

Experienced and Regularly Training

Look for a plumber who has years of experience and still trains themselves. There is always something new to learn, especially when plumbing technology and techniques are constantly evolving. The best plumbers are humble enough to recognize this, and are dedicated to training their assistants and co-plumbers the same.

Experience is the top priority if you need work on major projects like tankless water heaters, trenchless sewer replacement, and pipe repairs. Though every plumber starts with zero experience, you don’t want to trade safe plumbing for a possibly cheaper job. If you choose to work with a newer plumber, they should still be licensed and accompanied by somebody with plenty more experience.

Family-Owned Residential Plumbing Services in the Bay Area

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating has provided quality plumbing services across the Bay Area since 1910. Contact us today to discuss our residential plumbing services. As a fully licensed and insured company, we are open 365 days a year to work on everything from major emergency repairs to simple fixes.

What You Need to Know About Trenchless Sewer Replacement

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Trenchless sewer replacement has many advantages over traditional sewer excavation. It requires less construction, reduces traffic detours, and reduces disruption to people around the construction zone. It also minimizes disturbance to landscapes and outdoor structures, making it a frequent choice of sewer replacement contractors and homeowners.

Two common methods of trenchless sewer replacement are sliplining and pipe bursting

Both methods involve slipping a new pipe into the original pipe. The key difference is whether the old pipe is dismantled or used as an outer shell for the new pipe. In some cases, both methods are ideal choices, but a household plumbing inspection might find one more beneficial to certain situations.

Sliplining

Sliplining requires the new pipe to be narrower than the original pipe. The new pipe is pulled or pushed into the original pipe, and then grouted into place. Sliplining doesn’t dismantle the original pipe, which has become an outer shell for the new pipe, so the new pipe can’t be upsized. Upsizing the pipe’s capacity would require dismantling the original pipe, as is done with pipe bursting.

Pipe bursting

Pipe bursting is exactly as it sounds. The sewer replacement plumber pulls a bursting tool through the old pipe, forcing it open as the new pipe is dragged into place. Pipe bursting can replace pipes of similar or larger size, typically made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). It’s also more environmentally-friendly than sliplining, which requires chemicals to grout the new pipe into place.

Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) Lining is another common method

CIPP lining is ideal for repairing sewer pipes that don’t need to be upsized or be entirely replaced. It creates a new lining within the old pipe. A resin-saturated felt tube is inserted into the old pipe and turned inside-out with air or water pressure. This puts the resin in contact with the old pipe so it can be cured and hardened into a new lining. 

Trenchless sewer replacement can’t fix pipe bellies

Despite the benefits of trenchless sewer replacement, sewer lines that sag due to shifting soil and improper bedding can’t be replaced with trenchless methods. This is because a new pipe can’t be led through a misshapen pipe. Sewer replacement contractors also won’t cure a new lining into a pipe belly, as solid waste could remain stagnant in the belly and form a clog. The only option is to dig out the entire pipe.

Trenchless Sewer Replacement with Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating

To learn more about trenchless sewer replacement, reach out to Ehret. Co Plumbing & Heating through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292. We’ll help you determine if your sewer line needs to be repaired or replaced, and if it will benefit from a trenchless method.

Small Leak, Big Problem – When You Should Call a Plumber

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Small leaks can quickly become big problems if they aren’t addressed. They can build up to require substantial repairs, including replacement of pipes and the repair of your ceiling, floor, and drywall. A household plumbing inspection will tell you about all the small leaks and other problem areas in your plumbing that could lead to larger problems in the future.

Here are three signs that you have a leak and should call a residential plumber for a household inspection ASAP:

Brown spots appear on the ceiling

If brown spots are starting to form on the ceiling, you likely have a water leak directly above. The leak could be new, but it could be an old opening that has grown large enough to impact your ceiling. Take the brown spots as a sign that your pipes are signaling for immediate help. The longer the leak is unattended, the more likely your pipes will break down from corrosion around the leak area.

Your water bill is increasing despite unchanged usage

If your water bill is gradually increasing and you can’t justify why, that’s a sign of a water leak. If a faucet even dribbles a few drops of water, your bills can increase. No matter how infrequent the dribbling, it will drain at your savings.

To be sure this is a water leak, check your home for loose or running faucets. If you have a sprinkler or water system for your garden, check those water lines for breaks. If everything appears to be in shape, contact a residential plumber to check for unspotted leaks and problems.

In cases where you can’t locate the leak yourself, the leak might be in the sewer line that runs underneath your home and yard. This would most likely require trenchless sewer replacement, a minimally invasive procedure that disrupts as little as possible of your landscape.

Peeling paint or mold growth in the bathroom

Bathrooms are frequent sources of excess moisture, but not all moisture problems are caused by the humidity of hot showers. Sometimes blistering or peeling paint is caused by water leaks behind the wall. Mold growth can also be caused by water leaking down the walls.

Moisture problems should be immediately treated, especially if they’re in the bathroom, because they can progress to cause the floor or ceiling to collapse. Not all mold is toxic to your health, but if stachybotrys chartarum (also called “black mold”) grows on your walls, it can severely affect your respiratory and immune systems.

Clear any mold immediately, then have a residential plumber determine if there’s a leak or if your bathroom merely has poor ventilation. You want the leak fixed before the damage can spread to your drywall and cause a need for major repairs.

Ehret Co. Plumbing & Heating provides local household plumbing inspections

You can stretch out time between repairs by applying plumbers tape to the problem areas of small leaks. Keep track of the leaks you find so your plumber can get to work faster.

Small leaks can be indicative of larger problems. Reach out to Ehret. Co Plumbing & Heating through our online contact form or call us at 510-528-4292 to schedule a household plumbing inspection.