Category: Plumbing

 
Chances are, if you have ever been a survivor of a gas leak in your home or witnessed a gas explosion on the news, a gas line leak is not something you wish to encounter. A gas leak can be a downright scary situation to individuals involved, and sometimes even lead to a catastrophe. To prevent a catastrophic gas leak in your home, follow these expert tips.
How Do I Know If I Have Gas Line Leak?
Though natural gas is odorless, tasteless and colorless, there are 4 common ways to detect a gas leak: foul odor, sounds coming from your gas line or appliances, open flames and a carbon monoxide detector.
Foul Odor
The most common sign of a gas leak is a sulfur or rotten egg-like odor. Since natural gas is undetected by the senses, utility companies add mercaptan-a harmless, sulfur smelling additive, so it is easily detectable.
Hissing Sounds Coming From Your Gas Line Or Appliances
Natural gas is pressurized, so a cracked pipe, ill fitting seal or loose connection allows gas to escape, which causes a blowing or hissing sound.
Open Flames
If a leak from an appliance or gas line has encountered a source of ignition such as an electrical spark of pilot light, it will create an open flame.
Carbon Monoxide Detector
Abnormally high amounts of gas in your home is usually detected by a carbon monoxide detector.
Blowing Dirt Or Bubbles Coming From the Ground
An underground gas leak is especially dangerous, because heavy dirt and soil can drown out the sulfur smell. However, blowing dirt, dust and bubbles in the ground can signal a leak in an underground gas line.
Discolored or Dead Vegetation Surrounding an Outside Gas Line
Discolored or dead vegetation surrounding a usually green patch of land can be a sign of an underground gas leak.
Why Is It Important to Handle This Issue Immediately?
Each year, people die unexpectedly, as a result of unrecognized or undetected gas leaks. The largest cause of death is a lack of oxygen, or asphyxiation. However, sometimes a gas filled area will erupt into a frenzy of fire that quickly fills the entire structure.
Natural gas, or methane, is the most widely used energy source for households. When a leak occurs, methane gas, a normally harmless gas, replaces oxygen in an enclosed environment. When this happens, individuals in the home will become dizzy and disoriented, followed by a lack of coordination and concentration. As oxygen levels continue to drop, they will begin to feel exhausted and tired. Their heart rate and breathing will increase, and eventually they will become nauseous, lose consciousness and stop breathing.
Methane, or natural gas, is highly flammable. In fact, it only takes a small amount to produce heat. The right combination of oxygen and methane gas will create an explosion in enclosed areas.
If you detect a leak in or around your dwelling, do not attempt to pinpoint the leak, turn on electrical appliances, use open flames or smoke. If the leak is coming from outside the home, do not attempt to repair the gas line yourself. Contact a trained professional to repair the leak.
Because most leaks occur in the lower area of the home, if you begin to smell gas on the second level, it means a large amount has already filled the first floor, at which point, according to experts, individuals should evacuate the premises immediately, and contact a professional plumber to assess the leak.
Does your Salt Lake City home need urgent Gas Line Leak repair? Dial (801) 341-4222 now to contact Valley Plumbing's top notch services.

 
Every single winter we seem to forget how much damage the cold can do to the systems that basically keep our homes in the modern age. That's right when it starts to get cold outside our plumbing systems start to pay the price. Frozen pipes are a major problem for old and new homes alike and the damage that they can cause can be enormous both in quantity and in terms of financial setback. Let's take a look at why pipes tend to freeze and how you can go about avoiding the problem in the future.
Why does a plumbing system freeze?
The reason that your plumbing system has frozen is pretty simple: there was water in the pipe when the temperature dipped below freezing. As a result, the water inside of your pipe froze and the results ended up getting pretty messy. When these pipes end up frozen they can sometimes also explode. This explosion is caused by frozen water molecules expanding in a tight space. As these molecules push outward they end up rupturing the pipe which causes a stream of water to continually flood your home. The results could end causing tens of thousands of dollars. No fun, right? So what can you do to prevent this sort of mess from ruining your home and checkbook?
How to prevent freezing pipes
The first thing that you need to do as a homeowner is to strap on a pair of old jeans and start crawling around to find all of your exposed piping. Look in attics, basements, and around the outside of your home. You want to see which pipes will be facing outside walls or which ones will be exposed to the freezing air. As soon as you've done this you can start winter-proofing them. Seal off any gaps around the area that would allow cold air to leak in. Check for vents, windows, and cable entries as likely culprits. Even a little bit of leaking wind can lead to a frozen pipe. Now that you have 'proofed' the areas as much as possible you can prepare for particularly cold nights. If you know the weather is going to dip well below freezing then make sure to keep your house warm. Aside from that, you should make sure that you drain any and all exterior hoses and pipes. Now that you have that done you can run a slow drip of hot and cold water running for pipes that are outside of your walls.
Dealing with the effects of a frozen plumbing system is no fun. Frozen pipes can explode and cause a ton of damage to your home. Practicing these simple tips will help keep you from having to experience the problem firsthand.
Is the cold Salt Lake City winter making you think about the security of your plumbing system? Call Valley Plumbing today at (801) 341-4222 for top-quality frozen pipe services.

 
In this day of conservation, it is helpful to understand what in your house is using the most water. Understanding this allows you to upgrade to energy efficient plumbing, low flow devices in the most important places first.
What Uses The Most Water In My Home?
Believe it or not, almost 30% of your entire water consumption is being flushed down the toilet. While low flow toilets save quite a bit of water, an older model toilet can flush 7 gallons of water down the drain in just one flush. A low flow toilet can reduce your water consumption by about 70-80%. This can add up to big savings.
Getting A Low Flow Toilet Installed
Professional installation should always be performed by a professional. Many people think that they can install a low flow toilet themselves. Correct installation is crucial if you want to reduce your footprint and get the most for your money. Having this system correctly installed by a plumber will ensure that you get the most savings from this system change.
What If Your Water Bill Is Unusually High?
An unusually high water bill can indicate other problems. Since many pipes are out of sight, you might have a slow leak that is getting worse. A good way to circumvent problems is to have a plumber come out and regularly check out your pipes and water heater. Doing so can help avoid a crisis. People think that this is a waste of time and money. However, there is nothing more frustrating or costly then a plumbing emergency. Getting things checked out regularly can be very cost effective in the long term.
The Benefits Of Regular Service
Getting your system regularly serviced can help you avoid costly leaks, water damage, and other problems down the line. Many people find that the regular service saves both money and time.
Who To Call
Call a plumbing professional if you wish to have your system evaluated for efficiency or if you notice a spike in your water consumption. A plumber can help you with both these issues and can help you address the problems in your system head on. Avoiding this process will likely result in bigger and more costly problems in the end.
Are you looking for plumbing services in the Salt Lake City area? Look no further than Valley Plumbing, call us today at (801) 341-4222.

 
When you notice that your water bills are going up for no reason, you need to consider what might be happening. You may have had another person move in. You may have had another child, or you may be doing things that use more water. You do not want to be alarmed about your water bill if it is easy to explain. However, you need some assistance from a professional plumber when you know that your water bill is rising due to some unseen problem.
The Leaky Pipes
There are many pipes in your home that can leak without giving you any sign of a leak. The leak could happen in a place where you will not notice, and these leaks will evaporate fast enough that they never show any signs of a leak. The only way to know if you have a leak is to request a leak detection appointment. Our service technicians are able to check all the pipes in the house for leaks. You will not be able to reach these pipes, but we can get to them easily.
Bad Appliances
There are many appliances in the house that will use more water than you like. The water usage for the unit may start well, but the unit may began to use more water as it begins to break down. You need to have a plumber check each appliance to see how much water it is using. Also, these appliances could leak within themselves. You never notice because the leaks are hidden or covered, but the leaks are there. Finding these leaks could help reduce your water bill.
Outdoor Leaks
There are many people with outdoor water features, fountains or ponds. There are still other people who have irrigation systems in the yard. When these systems leak, they waste water all day. You never notice that you are using water all day, but you could lose thousands of gallons a day without ever noticing until you get your water bill.
When you see those uncharacteristically high water bills, you need to make sure that you have one of our plumbers come check on your home. You do not need to go looking for these leaks on your own, and we have the expertise required to fix these leaks the moment we find them.
Are you spending far too much on your water bill? Take action and call Valley Plumbing today at (801) 341-4222. Your Salt Lake City home will thank you. 

 
Do you have a preventative maintenance plumbing agreement for your home? Then you can be watching your money go down the drain as you're forced to pay for preventable repairs for water leaks and other types of plumbing problems. These plumbing problems can be avoided with routine plumbing maintenance. It's important to have your home's plumbing system thoroughly checked by an experienced, licensed plumber on a regular basis. It's simpler and less expensive to catch the plumbing problems early rather than have to pay for emergency plumbing service.
Save Money And Eliminate Stress
Unexpected plumbing problems not only cost lots of money, they can also be a major disruption to your daily schedule. When you have plumbing issues, whether it is broken or clogged pipes or water heater issues, it can be hard to focus on your personal and professional life. But with regular plumbing maintenance, you can easily fit it into your budget and your schedule. You will know exactly when the plumber is coming and what their services will cost. This can give you the peace of mind you need to continue to be productive at work and enjoy your personal life.
Protect Your Water Heater
Your water heater works hard every day of the year. It provides hot water for taking showers, washing the dishes, doing the laundry, and myriad other things. Water heaters are designed to last between 10 and 15 years. But if they are not properly maintained they can rust, develop leaks, and fall apart a lot sooner and cost you hundreds of dollars to replace them. A good preventative maintenance program can extend the life of your water heater and keep it from wasting water and energy. This will allow you to keep your hard-earned money in the bank.
Keep Energy Costs Down
Preventive maintenance programs help to ensure your plumbing systems are operating at peak efficiency. This keeps your water and energy bills low and allows you to keep more of your money in your pocket. Having your plumbing serviced regularly also extends its life. This is true whether you are having your water heater, boilers, sewers, grease traps, sump pumps, or any other types of plumbing. Don't trust your plumbing to do it yourself effort or industrial strength drain cleaners. If you want to protect your plumbing and save money arrange for a preventative plumbing maintenance program with a reputable company.
Looking to save money in the long run? Call Valley Plumbing today at (801) 341-4222 for plumbing maintenance services in the Salt Lake City area.