What Advantages Are There to a Home Plumbing Diagram?

For most homeowners, your pipes tend to be a bit of a mystery. You know they're there, but if your plumber asked you to show them the locations of specific pipes and what they do, would you be able to do it? This is important information, especially when having extensive work done on them. That's why it's essential to have a home plumbing diagram. Here's what you need to know about them.

What Is a Home Plumbing Diagram?

A home plumbing diagram is a rough blueprint of your home, showing exactly where all of the pipes are and what they do. If you're doing work on your home, such as adding an extra bathroom, the plumbers will need to have that diagram to know how and where to connect the new pipes to the old. Likewise, if your plumbing needs major repairs, your plumbers may need to know where to access which pipes.

You can usually obtain your home plumbing diagram from your local county clerk or registrar for a nominal fee. Once you have it, keep it in a safe place with your other important documents so you're ready to show it in a plumbing emergency.

Types of Pipes on Your Home Plumbing Diagram

What will your diagram show? There are four basic types of pipes, which, on your home plumbing diagram, will be color-coded for differentiation. First is the fresh water supply. This denotes the pipes that carry water from the municipal water supply to your faucets, spigots, etc. There are also hot-water lines, which bring water from your water heater to most of the same places.

Then there are the waste pipes. They carry the water which flows down your drains and into the sewer. Finally, the venting pipe takes the sewer gases that build up in your pipes and vents them out through the roof. If your venting pipe is poorly installed, it may cause your home to smell like sewage.

For help with these and other home-plumbing needs, contact us at Air Assurance. We provide quality repair and renovation solutions to Broken Arrow.

All About Backflow Prevention & Installation

Backflow prevention helps prevent contamination if the municipal water supply flows in the wrong direction. We’re all accustomed to expecting fresh water to flow in one direction only: into the home. However, certain events can actually reverse that flow. These include a system water main break, fire hydrants suddenly opened, or another occurrence that causes the municipal water pressure to plunge rapidly. This effect may reverse proper normal water flow, pulling water from various undesirable sources back into the system. Polluted or otherwise unsanitary water may therefore potentially contaminate the home water supply.

Safeguarding Your Water

A single device to prevent backflow installed at the water meter is often required by municipal codes. However, this may not adequately protect your individual home if the house includes cross-connections where tainted water can be siphoned backward into household water-supply pipes. Common home cross-connections that could potentially threaten your fresh water include: home sprinkler systems, swimming pools, boilers, fire sprinklers, outdoor fountains, or even something as simple as a handheld shower spray or a garden hose that might be immersed in tainted water.

Home backflow-prevention devices are essentially one-way valves that do not allow water to flow backward and enter the home supply lines. In typical residential applications, these devices may be installed at:

• Each outdoor hose bib or connection

• Lawn-sprinkler supply pipe

• Fire sprinkler supply pipe

• Heating system boiler

• Individual devices such as handheld shower sprayers

Getting The Job Done

An inspection by a qualified professional plumber is required to identify any parts of your plumbing system that may require backflow prevention. Devices are available in several different types, which are designed to adapt to a particular installation or requirement. Because events that trigger backflow generally occur without notice and may happen at any time, backflow devices function automatically.

For more about the benefits of home backflow prevention devices, contact the plumbing pros at Air Assurance.

It's Almost Winter: Time for Your Plumbing Checkup

Air Assurance Plumbing - Tulsa, OK

With fall approaching, there's always plenty to do before the really cold weather hits. There's raking leaves, maybe covering up the HVAC condenser and calling for fall maintenance on the furnace. But do you also plan for a fall plumbing checkup? Here's why you should.

Why Your Plumbing Needs a Checkup

In our region, pipes can freeze. When water in pipes freezes, it expands, then thaws with warmer temperatures. Once thawed, the water may leak, flooding your home, damaging floors, walls, ceilings and furnishings. The key to preventing frozen pipes in your home and outside is installing sufficient insulation, and maintaining a temperature of between 50-60 degrees at minimum.

Fall Maintenance Checklist

You as a homeowner can do some tasks to prepare plumbing for fall, while some things may require a plumber.

1. Undo hoses from spigots and check faucets for leaks. Have them fixed before freezing weather arrives. Water trapped in hoses can expand in pipes and burst them. When you've drained the hoses and faucets, cover faucets with an insulated cover to prevent freezing.

2. If you have older sewer lines that tree roots have grown into, have them snaked to ensure water is flowing throughout the winter. If you have newer sewer lines, more than likely you have no cracks and tree roots aren't a problem.

3. Going on vacation? If no one is going to be visiting your home to feed pets or water plants, you may want to turn the water off at the street and drain faucets. Do leave the thermostat between 50-60 degrees. If you don't have a smart thermostat to monitor conditions, ask a neighbor to drop by to make sure the HVAC is working while you're gone.

4. Wrap uninsulated pipes in the attic, in cabinets built into exterior walls or in the basement with extra insulation or heat tape.

5. Have your water heater serviced. Sediment should be flushed out and the thermostat and other elements checked. Water heaters work overtime in the winter.

Need a plumbing checkup? Contact Air Assurance. We serve Broken Arrow and the surrounding community.