Which Immediate Plumbing Issues Could Come Up This Winter?

Winter is the busiest period of the year for many plumbing companies. The challenges that the season poses to plumbing systems usually lead to certain household plumbing emergencies. Below are the immediate plumbing issues that commonly come up in the winter, along with what you can do to avoid them.

Frozen Pipes

The cold temperatures outside can make unprotected pipes freeze easily, one of many troubling and immediate plumbing issues. Frozen pipes are one of the most serious plumbing issues. Frozen pipes can crack or burst and lead to thousands of dollars' worth of damage in just minutes. You can avoid this issue by adding insulation to your pipes, especially those in uninsulated areas and on exterior walls.

Water-Heater Failure

Your water heater works its hardest in the winter, which increases its likelihood of breaking down. If your unit fails to deliver hot water or struggles to meet demand, it may be necessary to repair or replace it.

Having your water heater serviced every year is essential to keeping it performing as expected. Nevertheless, water heaters function optimally for around 10 years. If your water heater is on its last legs, consider scheduling a replacement.

Clogged Kitchen Drains

With low temperatures, kitchens, and kitchen sinks get a workout as people cook more. More fat, grease, and bits of food are sent down the drain. Clogs occur more often, as the food waste clumps, congeals, and freezes in the cold.

You can prevent your kitchen drains from clogging — one of many immediate plumbing issues — by avoiding putting any grease or fat down the drains and not grinding fibrous, sticky, or extremely hard objects in the garbage disposal.

Frozen Septic or Sewer Lines

The waste inside sewer lines can freeze as the ground around the lines freezes. The waste expands gradually as it freezes and may eventually burst a line or the septic tank. Have your tank pumped before the cold winter months to remove waste and prevent this problem. Schedule a comprehensive plumbing inspection if your sewer system has had any issues during the year.

Proactive maintenance goes a long way toward preventing plumbing emergencies. For assistance with any immediate plumbing issues or maintenance in the Broken Arrow area, contact us at Air Assurance.

Do You Need a Specific Cold Weather Pipe in Winter?

The winter brings with it not only holiday cheer but also colder weather. Frozen pipes is a common plumbing issue during the colder parts of the year. If you have dealt with frozen pipes in the past, you may be wondering if cold weather pipes are a possible solution. Pipes can be made of many different materials, and each reacts to the cold differently. Here is a brief overview of three common pipe materials and how each performs as cold weather pipes.

Three Common Pipe Materials When Considering Cold Weather Pipes

1. Copper. A classic pipe material, copper offers some advantages and disadvantages in the winter. Copper pipes are the most vulnerable to bursts caused by freezing water due to a lack of flexibility and expandability. However, copper pipes can generate heat quickly if exposed to warm conditions.

1. PVC and CPVC. Similar in design, PVC and CPVC are very hard, rigid plastics that can be used as pipe material. In the cold, PVC/CPVC does not lose heat as fast as metal pipes. PVC/CPVC, while being sturdy materials, are also more flexible than metal, meaning they won’t burst as fast when freezing occurs. However, PVC/CPVC can become brittle and start to break if exposed to extreme cold for too long.

2. PEX. These types of pipes are made of cross-linked polyethylenes and are very flexible and long. Due to its high levels of flexibility, PEX pipes require a great deal of pressure from freezing water to burst. While extreme pressure can cause bursting, PEX offers higher levels of resistance compared to copper and PVC pipes.

When You Need HVAC and Plumbing Service This Winter

At Air Assurance, we help homeowners in Broken Arrow and all surrounding areas with their heating and cooling needs. If you need expert advice to keep your home safe and warm this winter, we can help. No matter if the problem is frozen pipes, drafty windows, or an aging HVAC unit, we can provide the information and service you need to correct these issues. Contact us today to learn more about cold weather pipes.

Keep Working Pipes in Your Home This Winter

One of the most stressful problems of winter is the possibility of frozen pipes. Are your pipes ready for the coming season? It's always worthwhile to review all your home's pipes every heating season to ensure that they can hold up to freezing temperatures when they occur. Let's have a look at some of the measures you may want to take to protect your pipes so you can ensure they remain working pipes during and beyond the cold spell.

Ensuring Working Pipes

The pipes most vulnerable to freezing are those located in a northern exterior wall. This could be bathroom or kitchen pipes or pipes that serve some other purpose. Pipes in basements, garages, the attic, and outside may also freeze. Here are ways to keep them from freezing.

1. When a hard freeze threatens, wrap exposed pipes in insulation. You can acquire insulation sleeves from the home store. Heat tape wrapped around the pipes is also effective. Place a protective cover on outdoor faucets.

2. Close up minute holes and cracks around pipes that travel through an exterior wall. Otherwise, cold air from even the tiniest cracks may cause pipes to freeze. Use caulk or insulation.

3. When a cold-weather event is imminent, leave open cabinet doors where pipes are located to be sure warm air gets inside.

4. Turn on faucets, allowing water to run at a slow drip. With water running through the pipes, they are less likely to freeze.

5. If you normally set the thermostat a few degrees lower overnight, it's best to change your routine and bump the thermostat setting upward to ensure the house stays warm.

6. For particularly vulnerable pipes — say, in the garage or basement — you might want to turn on a space heater.

7. Going away during the cold spell? Don't set your thermostat lower than 55 degrees. Have someone check on your home to make sure the heating is working and that no pipes have frozen.

For more on maintaining working pipes, contact Air Assurance. We serve Broken Arrow and the surrounding area to make sure homeowners have working pipes and everything else they need when it comes to their HVAC system.

What You Need to Know About HVAC vs. Plumbing

On the surface, your HVAC and plumbing systems seem very different. One deals in air, the other in water. However, they also function together in your home and are connected in ways you might not realize. Here's a look at HVAC vs. plumbing in your home.

Moisture and Humidity

Both your plumbing and HVAC systems have to handle a lot of moisture, and they're designed to keep it contained. A leaking pipe in your bathroom causes not just water damage but higher humidity. Your HVAC system reduces humidity as it heats or cools the air, but if you have plumbing problems, the system might not be able to get rid of all the excess moisture. This then leads to bacteria, mold, mildew, and other problems in your home.

Meanwhile, as your plumbing is dealing with humidity issues, your HVAC system may have to deal with clogged or leaking pipes. Your AC creates a significant amount of moisture as it cools the air. That moisture must then be drained.

Most AC condensate drain lines are separate from your plumbing system, but some are connected. Without proper maintenance, the drain line can become clogged over time, causing leaks and water damage, just like a plumbing leak. For this reason, you should clean your drain line periodically.

Service and Repair

When it comes to HVAC vs. plumbing, the other major similarity is in keeping them functioning properly. They're two very different jobs, which require very different learned skills. However, in looking for a skilled plumber or HVAC technician, the criteria are similar.

They should be certified in the specific work they're performing, particularly when it comes to installing new equipment. They should also be licensed, bonded, and insured, to protect you in case of any problems or damages. Finding someone you trust to do the work you need who ticks all these boxes is a difficult job. This is why many companies have technicians who will service both.

For help with both your HVAC and plumbing needs, contact us at Air Assurance. We keep Broken Arrow homes comfortable and efficient all year long.

What Common Plumbing Issues Might You Encounter This Summer?

Have you ever noticed that certain things always seem to go wrong with your plumbing in the summer? It's not your imagination. Summertime is when a number of common plumbing issues are most likely to occur. Here are a few common plumbing issues you might encounter and how you can prevent them.

Clogs

Since your kids are home from school during the day, your toilets will likely get flushed more often. More flushes means more chances for clogs. Most of these can be fixed with a plunger, but avoiding using too much toilet paper or flushing foreign objects to begin with will help reduce the risk of clogs in general.

Your disposal may become clogged, too, due to food prep for picnics, barbecues, pool parties, and other events. Things like watermelons, corn, cherries, and peaches are all great summer foods, but the rinds, cobs, and pits are bad for the disposal and will damage it. Instead of pouring these hard food scraps down the sink, try starting a compost pile.

You may notice your shower draining slowly, particularly after a day at the beach. After coming home covered in sand and dirt, the debris gets rinsed off and goes down the drain. If this happens, don't pour chemical drain cleaner down the shower drain. Instead, get a snake or call a plumber. To prevent this in the first place, be sure to rinse off thoroughly before coming home.

Other Common Plumbing Issues

Your laundry loads are also likely to be bigger in the summer months. Too much stress on your washing machine can make the hose spring a leak. To keep from overworking your machine, avoid putting too many clothes in a single load. Also, pull the washing machine a few inches from the wall to prevent kinks in the hose.

Finally, pay attention to your sprinklers, as they see more use in hotter weather. Call your plumber to inspect the sprinkler heads, give them a cleaning, and make sure they're leak-free and in good condition.

For help dealing with common plumbing issues this summer and throughout the year, contact us at Air Assurance. We provide quality home-comfort solutions to Broken Arrow.

Know What Causes a Toilet to Overflow in Your Home

Toilets rarely act up, but when they do, they can cause plenty of headaches. A toilet overflowing is one of the toilet problems that can turn into a huge plumbing disaster. Knowing what causes a toilet to overflow helps you prevent it and makes it easier for you or a professional to fix it. So what causes a toilet to overflow? Here are the possible reasons.

Clogged Pipes

A clog in the toilet or nearby pipes will prevent water from draining when you flush the toilet. When water can't leave your home due to a clog, it will overflow from the bowl. The use of excessive toilet paper is the most common cause of such clogs. You can fix simple clogs with a plunger. Call in a professional if you're unable to remove a clog.

Blocked Vent Pipe

If your toilet clogs up frequently, a blocked vent pipe may be the culprit. A plumbing vent allows external air into your plumbing system to replace the air pumped down the drain with every flush. When debris causes a clog in the vent pipe, your toilet won't flush properly and may overflow. You may also notice bad smells or bubbling sounds after flushing the toilet. Fixing this issue usually requires the expertise of a plumber.

Improperly Adjusted Float

A filler float that's too high will cause water to overflow from the toilet tank. You can adjust the mechanism in the tank to control the float's level, solving this problem.

Sewer Issues

If you shut off the main water supply and your toilet continues overflowing, you have a clogged sewer line, and that could be what causes a toilet to overflow. You'll need to call a plumber immediately. If you use a septic tank, you'll need to have a plumber flush out the system.

Now that you have a good idea of what causes a toilet to overflow, make sure you always call a plumbing professional in case of a complicated clog or a recurring overflow. For any plumbing problems in the Broken Arrow area, contact the certified and experienced plumbers at Air Assurance.

Does the Summer Make HVAC Plumbing Issues Worse?

HVAC plumbing issues can occur in both the heating and cooling seasons. In winter, high-efficiency, two-stage furnaces produce condensation in the heating process. During summer, however, it’s the central air conditioner that generates the most condensation and the greatest potential for HVAC plumbing issues. 

Condensation forms as warm, moist indoor air flows through the AC evaporator coil inside the indoor air handler. During hot summer weather, a typical air conditioner produces between 5 and 20 gallons of condensate daily. Water from the coil drips into the condensate drain pan that's installed beneath the air handler, then flows into a household drain line. In some installations, a condensate pump removes water from the drain pan.

Condensate-Drainage Issues

Plumbing issues caused by condensate may originate at several points in the air-conditioning process:

• A crack or hole in the condensate drain pan

• A clogged drain line, often caused by algae or mold growth originating in the drain pan, which causes the pan to overflow

• A defective condensate pump

Coil Icing

Icing forming in the AC evaporator coil reduces system airflow and may eventually trigger an automatic system shutdown. Ice accumulation often extends outside the coil. As melting occurs when the system shuts down, water may not be contained by the pan, causing water damage around the indoor air handler. 

Preventing HVAC Plumbing Issues

To minimize the potential for water damage due to plumbing issues, take these preventive measures:

• Schedule annual professional maintenance by a qualified HVAC contractor. This service includes checking proper function of the AC drain components, including the condensate drain pan and drain line. If mold or algae growth is causing clogs, the pan and drain line can be cleaned and treated with germicidal solutions to kill mold and algae, as well as prevent recurrence.

• Resolve causes of evaporator-coil icing. These include maintaining proper system airflow with regular monthly air-filter replacement. Because low refrigerant charge may also trigger coil ice, annual AC preventive maintenance, including checking and verifying the refrigerant level, is also recommended.

For more advice about HVAC plumbing issues, contact the professionals at Air Assurance.

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.

When Residential Plumbing Repair Might Be Necessary

Indoor plumbing could rank as one of the best inventions ever — until there's a problem with your plumbing. Whether it's no hot water, the toilet is clogged again, the garbage disposal stinks, or a drain is backed up, plumbing problems are no fun at all. What follows are some residential plumbing repair and troubleshooting tips for common plumbing problems you may encounter.

Residential Plumbing Repair: Intermittent Hot Water

It's happening again: You're taking a shower and the hot water goes off and on — or there's no hot water at all. Before you start to worry about a water heater repair bill, check the circuit breaker to see if a breaker has tripped.

Next, if you have a gas-burning water heater, make sure the gas is turned on to the water heater. For electric water heaters, you may have a broken dip tube or heating element. You'll need to call your plumber for those issues.

Residential Plumbing Repair: Clogged Shower Drain 

Shower drain clogs are a common plumbing issue. Many items and factors can contribute to shower drains getting clogged, such as soap scum, hair, mineral deposits, and small items (that missing shampoo cap!). Shower clogs are generally more difficult to remedy than a clogged toilet or kitchen sink. If you can't get rid of the clog with an plumbing auger or plunger, you may need to call a plumber.

Residential Plumbing Repair: Leaky Toilet

A leaky toilet is another common residential plumbing repair. If water is leaking from under the toilet, you have a worn out O-ring, which may be accompanied by sewage odors. Another common leak is at the gasket connection of the toilet tank and toilet. The bolts and gaskets holding the tank to the toilet could be leaking water.

If you are experiencing any of these plumbing problems, locate the water shut-off valve behind the toilet and turn it off. Then, call your trusted plumber, because all of these issues should be handled by a pro.

If you need a professional plumber for residential plumbing repair in your Broken Arrow home, contact us at Air Assurance.