What Every Homeowner Needs to Know about Slab Leaks

Sunday, March 29th, 2020

A slab leak isn’t a small plumbing problem. It’s something that needs your attention right away to make sure you avoid expensive home repairs. Any home is at risk of developing this type of leak whether it has a basement or a plain concrete slab.

Although slab leaks are quite common, we don’t want you to worry too much. The key to keeping repair costs low is early leak detection. Keep reading to learn more about slab leaks and how to spot a leak early.

Slab Leaks Start Small

The first step in preventing slab leaks is knowing how they start in the first place. These leaks start in the water pipes that run beneath the home under its foundation. Sometimes these leaks are shallow, other times they are several feet deep. One of the very first signs of a slab leak is a cracked foundation. This could be a crack on a concrete basement floor, fissures on a tile floor, or even soggy carpet.

Another obvious sign of a leak is the formation of hot spots underneath the flooring. Not all slab leaks create warmth. However, if a water pipe carrying hot water has burst, it’s likely you’ll feel the heat on this area of the floor.

Have you noticed an increase in your water bill, but you have no idea why? This is another huge indicator that you have a leak somewhere you can’t see. Call one of our Pomona plumbers to come out to your house for leak detection.

Don’t Ignore a Possible Hidden Leak

Hidden leaks aren’t plumbing problems you want to mess around with for long. The second you suspect a slab leak, pick up the phone and make an appointment with one of our licensed plumbers for electronic leak detection. The sooner you figure out what’s causing the leak and where it is coming from, the repair is likely to cost less and you won’t have as much water damage.

Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter is a top-rated, 24-hour emergency plumbing service specializing in leak detection, sewer line repair service, and drain cleaning service. We offer many plumbing repairs, installation, and maintenance services to make sure your home’s plumbing is always working well.

Allowing a slab leak or any plumbing problem to continue for days, weeks, or months will only create more problems. Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter offers affordable diagnostics and estimates. Call us today to learn more!

4 Tips for Maintaining Your Water Heater

Friday, March 6th, 2020

Without a working water heater, you can’t enjoy hot showers, sanitize dishes, and washing clothes can be difficult. Needless to say, when your water heater breaks down, you have a big problem. Most water heaters last at least 10 years, but if you don’t maintain it well, all bets are off.

At Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter, we want you to get as many years out of your water heater as possible. That’s why we’re put together this post. Check out our pros’ tips for maintaining your water heater.

Pay Attention to the Temperature

The recommended setting for residential water heaters is 120 F. Temperatures higher than this can cause accelerated mineral buildup. When this happens, water heaters can corrode and stop working sooner. Keeping the temperature setting to 120 F is also good for energy savings and lowers the risk of scalding.

Drain the Tank Once a Year

This simple maintenance task flushes mineral buildup from the tank and helps it last longer. Draining the tank is easy and only requires hooking up a garden hose to the valve to release the water. Plumbing companies in Pomona like ours offer water heater flushing as part of annual water heater maintenance programs.

Test the Pressure Relief Valve

A working pressure relief valve is important. If this valve isn’t working right, it might not notice that the pressure in the tank has risen. Too much pressure in the water heater is a serious problem that can turn dangerous.

To test the relief valve raise the lever and then lower it. When it’s raised, it should emit a short burst of air. Any time that this doesn’t happen, you need to call us. We’ll install a new pressure relief valve immediately.

Schedule Annual Water Heater Maintenance

We know that taking care of your water heater is important. We also know that you get busy and your water heater is tucked away out of sight making it easy to forget. That’s why we offer annual water heater services for homes and businesses. We send licensed and bonded plumber to your place to drain the tank, test the pressure relief valve, and inspect other parts of the water heater. Our experts also help homeowners maintain other water heaters including tankless water heaters and hybrid models.

To learn more about all of our plumbing system maintenance services, call Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter. We’re here for you 24 hours a day, seven days a week!

5 Trouble Makers for Your Residential Plumbing System

Thursday, February 6th, 2020

Are you consistently having problems with clogged drains? If you’re plunging toilets and sinks often, you might want to take a look at your habits. At Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter, we know that it’s easy to misuse drains. In fact, most of the time it’s unintentional. People just aren’t aware of what can and can’t go down the drain.

Keep reading to learn more about the five most common trouble makers for kitchen and bathroom plumbing.

Fat, Oils and Grease (FOG)

Most people know they shouldn’t pour a pan full of grease down the kitchen sink. What about the rinsing out pans after cooking that have trace amounts of grease? Could this cause problems for your drains?

The answer is 100% yes. Oil, grease, and cooking fat, even in small amounts, can accumulate and stick to pipes. To prevent these types of kitchen sink clogs, we suggest letting pots and pans cool. Then, wipe them down with a paper towel because rinsing and washing them.

Leftover Food

The garbage disposal is a great small kitchen appliance because it makes it easy to clean up after a meal. We have a confession to make though. Plumbers in Pomona don’t care for disposals. In fact, we would prefer our customers never used them.

The reason we dislike garbage disposals is because they’re used incorrectly. People tend to stuff as much food waste in their disposals as possible and this eventually causes jams. It’s better to use the disposal sparingly and throw away or compost most food waste.

Wet Wipes and Sanitary Pads

Though many of these products claim to be “flushable,” we urge you to throw them away. Wet wipes, sanitary pads, paper towels, and other cleansing materials are bulky and create shallow drain clogs. If they make it past the trap, they take too long to breakdown and will eventually block water flow.

The only non-organic item that should be flushed is toilet paper. It’s made to dissolve quickly. For homeowners who have septic systems, make sure you choose septic-safe toilet paper. Some cheaper brands aren’t septic-safe and can cause backups.

Hair

Everyone loses hair while showering. In fact, it’s normal to lose as much as a straws width of hair everyday. When you have several people taking showers each day, that’s a decent amount of hair going down the drain. Eventually, this hair knots up and gets caught in soap residue, creating tight clogs that can cause water to backup in your shower and bath drains.

Human hair isn’t the only culprit. Do you bathe your dog at your home? Pet fur can jam up drains too.

To make this less of a problem, we suggest installing hair catchers over your drains. Water gets through, but hair doesn’t. When you’re done taking a shower, remove the catcher and dispose of any hair in the trash can.

Cat Litter

We can’t stress enough how bad cat litter is for your plumbing system. Cat owners should never pour used cat litter down the toilet, clumping or non-clumping. Instead, put the litter in the trash can.

Following these tips will help you keep your drains clear and you’ll avoid serious drainage issues. In cases when you have a backup, don’t hesitate to call us. Our plumbers in Pomona are available 24/7 for drain cleaning, sewer cleaning, and more!

3 Reasons to Call a 24 Hour Plumber

Friday, January 6th, 2017

Plumbers in Pomona, CAAre you questioning whether you need a 24 hour plumber in Pomona? It’s easy to second guess a situation. You want your plumbing to work, but you don’t want to shell out extra money for after-hour plumbing service. Also, what is an emergency to one person may only be a slight inconvenience to another. Here are three types of situations that may require the help of an emergency plumber.

Emergency Drain Service for Obstructions

An obstructed drain can lead to flooding in laundry rooms, basements, and bathrooms. If you have standing water in your shower, call for help. Don’t wait! Hydro jetting can clear the blockage quickly and protect your home from the effects of standing and rising water.

Call Right Away When You Need Water Pipe Repair

A leaky pipe under your kitchen sink or a perforated pipe inside your home’s walls should both be treated as an important plumbing situation. While you can make a temporary repair to exposed pipes like those under sinks, you should still get professional water pipe repair as quickly as you can.

Gas Line Repair Is Always an Emergency

Don’t mess around with gas line problems. This can be a deadly situation at worst and severe property damage at best. There really isn’t a good outcome from ignoring gas leaks. The moment you smell that rotten egg smell in your home, call a gas line plumber.

The general rule of thumb when it comes to emergency repairs is do what feels right to you. If you feel the situation warrants immediate repair, then it does. A 24 hour plumber in Pomona won’t fault you for calling for something minor, and when you call us you’ll never be charged extra for after-hour plumbing service.

What Homeowners Should Know about Sewer Line Root Killers

Wednesday, October 26th, 2016

Affordable sewer line repair in Pomona by the best neighborhood plumbers near you.Many homeowners often forget about the importance of sewer pipes and the drains under their lawns and basements until they experience problems with the pipes and drains. Your homeowner’s insurance policy may not cover damages that invading roots cause on your sewer systems. Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter provides quality sewer line repair services to residents of Pomona and surrounding counties. We can help get rid of roots that invade your sewer systems causing breaks, leaks, and other damages using various root killing products.

Although some homeowners use root treatments to eliminate small “feeder” roots, the roots often eventually grow back. Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter can help get rid of roots that invade your sewer systems altogether so that you do not have to deal with this problem again. Some tree species have deep and far-reaching invasive roots that can interfere with drainpipes. Although some roots may be unable to break drainpipes, they can invade empty spaces of the pipes that are already broken or cracked.

Foaming Root Killers

Roots usually find their way into sewer pipes from above. It is advisable to use root-killing chemicals that dissolve in water including foaming root killers. You can find foaming root killers at our facilities in Pomona. Our root foaming killers contain dichobenil and are not toxic to humans. In addition, we have other root killing formulas for people who are concerned about introducing chemicals into their sewer systems.

Proceed with Caution

Most states permit the use of root killing products on sewer systems. However, it is important to understand the proper use of these chemicals to avoid potential health risks. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions to the latter when using root-killing products. In addition, be sure to wear appropriate safety gear such as gloves and goggles while handling these chemicals because they can be toxic. Sewage may be waste to you but it is a nutritious meal to the roots growing near and around your sewer line. They will take advantage of any small opening in the lines to invade your sewer system.

Eliminate roots in your sewer lines and prevent problems such as blockages in your sewer system. Call us today for an evaluation of your sewer system.

 

Why It’s Important to Find a Slab Leak Early

Monday, July 25th, 2016

Slab leak detection in Pomona, CA by your top-rated local plumbers.Your home is a major investment. For many people, their home is their most valuable asset and deserves to be treated as such. Homeowners install alarm systems to protect their homes from theft. They use building materials to protect the structure from earthquake damage. But what are homeowners doing to prevent water damage from slab leaks?

At Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter, we find that many homeowners are unaware of the destructive nature of slab leaks. A lack of knowledge about slab leaks and the importance of early detection is why many homeowners face this unexpected plumbing problem every year. Let us take a moment to explain how slab leaks occur and how we help homeowners find and repair this problem without delay.

What Is a Slab Leak?

Slab leaks happen below a home’s foundation. All homes are at risk of developing slab leaks. It doesn’t matter if the home has a basement or sits on a concrete slab. These leaks form when water pools or slowly leaks underneath the foundation base. Reasons for leakage include the following:

  • Busted water pipe
  • Corrosion of water pipes due to age
  • Incorrect installation
  • Inconsistent water pressure (too high or too low)
  • Quality of water (hard water tends to be rougher on pipes)
  • Material of piping

To treat a slab leak, the plumber must determine what caused it in the first place then find a solution to that problem. For example, if hard water caused the pipes to corrode and form a leak there are two problems that needed solving. The piping that failed needs to be replaced, but the quality of the water needs to be addressed to; otherwise, the problem will come back.

Early Detection Saves $$$

The sooner a slab leak is found, the less damage there is to fix. Foundation leaks that go undetected for months can soften the foundation and create structural problems. Fixing a problem of this magnitude can cost an obscene amount of money. At Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter, we prefer to save our customers this hassle. This is why we recommend that homeowners call a licensed plumber to perform electronic leak detection services once every couple of years. Using the best equipment in the industry, our plumbers are able to detect the smallest of leaks and make non-invasive, budget-friendly repairs right away before the situation gets out of hand.

Call Pomona Quick Plumbing and Rooter, to learn more about our slab leak detection services!