The Plumbers Wives Club

Posted by stimsonm on December 12, 2012 with 0 Comment

… every year you rush through opening the Christmas presents, hoping to finish before the first clogged toilet or over-loaded disposal call comes in.

… you don’t get jealous when he says he is going out for some nipples.

… you run your hand down his back, and his spine feels like a relief map of the Rocky Mountains. The wife of a plumber has a husband with a compromised back.

… a broken anything is never cause for worry, because he can fix anything. Even if he says he can’t, what he really means is that he doesn’t want to. Because he really can fix anything.

… you’ve allowed your newborn to go on a service call in a Snuglie.

… he knows deep, dark secrets about everyone in town – from the mayor to the movie star. After all, he’s been in their basement.

… he never tells.

… you leave him alone for an hour, and return to find a 2-ton boiler fully installed and mounted from the ceiling. When you ask how he did it, he responds, “You can learn a lot from the Egyptians.”

… he wasn’t the slightest bit grossed out at the worst of your kids’ diapers.

… he has never been to a family function without being asked to 1) look at the furnace; 2) look down the drain; or 3) smell the smell coming from the shower.

… the hostess at the neighborhood open house hugs your husband long and hard. With tears in her eyes, she thanks him for his help. You see, last week her husband was recovering from surgery. It snowed and snowed and she was trapped in her house. And your husband took a few passes with the snowplow and made sure the wood furnace was stocked up with wood. And you never knew about it until the open house

… he travels with his own showerhead and a crescent wrench.

… you’ve pretended not to be insulted when he is presented with yet another plunger-wielding-butt-crack-showing-plumber-on-a-birthday card from a well-meaning friend

… he always knows where the bathrooms are in any building because he noticed the placement of the vent stacks on the way in.

… you’ve seen your child sporting duct tape where a bandage should be.

…you’ve ever been awarded a free nights stay in a hotel room because he fixed the toilet

… at least once a week, he gets a call from Mrs. Fernwicky. She is old, and cares for her disabled son all by herself. And there is nothing really wrong with her boiler, but she calls once a week to report some symptom or another. You know she’s just lonely. But your husband always takes the call, and sometimes stops by to make her feel better. And this has been going on for years.

… you’ve learned that few mistakes are as serious as improperly uncoiling a roll of PEX pipe.

… it hurts when someone complains about what your husband charges for his services. You know it’s a bargain because you know how much it costs to know what he knows and be able to do what he does.

… you know you’re going to get lucky if he’s been welding.

… you’ve watched him dismantle a perfectly good toaster because it wasn’t working as well as he thought it should.

… he put the toaster back together again, only now it’s activated by a tekmar outdoor reset control.

…he has ever replaced a perfectly good water heater in your home because he “sensed” it was about to go. Of course he also cut it in half to see if he was right.

…he has ever made enormous “mouse-trap” games out of pvc and marbles

…your sons favorite presents are pretend tools

…you have a hot spigot on the outside of your house………….all four sides

…you are not allowed to use your own garbage disposal

…Cheap import fixtures are as repulsive to him as a hooker with a handgun

Take a chance on me

Posted by stimsonm on October 30, 2012 with 0 Comment

Yesterday we received a phone call from a homeowner that had multiple plumbing tasks that he needed done. His list included removing his shower valve and stubbing the hot and cold water line out of the wall to install his shower “tower” that he purchased at Costco. It also included installing a specialty toilet that needs to be mounted flush against the back wall. Since the toilet sits flush against the back wall, the water line must be moved over and the baseboard will also need to be cut (which apparently we are doing). I was told that “everything was very simple to do, and it won’t take long at all.” After listening to his list of “simple” plumbing projects that he wanted done, I explained to him our hourly rates, and gave him an estimate based on how long I thought it MAY take me. Keep in mind, plumbing is vastly different from tiling a floor, or painting a wall; there are NUMEROUS variables that present themselves on EVERY job. The homeowner did not like the fact that we were going to bill him on an hourly basis, and requested a “fixed” quote. I told him that we do not bill our smaller jobs this way, and that I could only give him an estimate. This still was not sufficient for him, and he insisted that it was a very simple job and that I should be able to give him a price. I kindly explained to him that IF it was as easy as he says, he will be happy because it will fall on the lower end of my estimate. Not good enough, he still wanted a flat rate. By this point, I realized we were not making any progress so I obliged. I gave him a flat rate that was 75% higher than the high end of my estimate. Of course, this was no good either, and he was becoming upset. I told him this was most likely what the “flat rate” companies would charge him, and that is what I needed to charge him as well to cover myself in case of unforeseen problems. We ultimately could not agree on the terms, and I thanked him for his call and asked that if he change his mind, please call us back.

The point to the story is that we are not a flat rate plumbing company as most companies in the area are. While we do have fixed rates on the most common items, such as water heaters and garbage disposals, the majority of our service work is on an hourly basis. We still believe that charging for our time is the most fair and beneficial business practice to our customers as well as ourselves. We do not feel it is necessary to charge for the “worst case scenario” on every job, as the flat rate companies do. While it is true that in theory, we could take our time and “milk” out each job, this is never the case, and does not benefit us even if we did. The reason is that we charge for the first half hour at a higher rate. This is what pays us to come to your house. This means that we would be much further ahead by completing multiple jobs in a day that took LESS time as opposed to one job that took longer. Besides, as all of our very loyal and repeat customers will, and have attested to, that is simply not how we operate. We are, and always will be, thorough, efficient, honest, and neat. 9 times out of 10, we will be MUCH less expensive than the flat rate guys. See what others have said for yourself: All Area Plumbing reviews on Kudzu.com

Flat rate company motto: We just need to get into every house once.

Our Motto: We would like to build a trusting relationship with customers for life.

Water Backup Sump Pump

Posted by stimsonm on September 11, 2012 with 0 Comment

Ground water in homes is one of the most aggravating and destructive problems many home owners will have to deal with at some time or another. If your home has been built in the clay, and not in the sand, it may have a solid foundation, but chances are, it is also going to be wet. If you have ever worried about your sump pump failing, or the power going out in the middle of the night or the middle of a vacation, there is hope! While there are a few different options available to help protect your basement, we strongly encourage the municipal water powered backup sump pump option. The other option would be a backup sump pump attached to a battery. What we don’t like about the battery option is that it will require regular checking to ensure adequate power, and there really is no telling how long it will run your pump for. There is also a larger threat of an electrical malfunction. We have installed dozens of water driven backup sump pumps and we truly believe they are the better choice to prevent a basement catastrophe. These units have their own float, just as your main sump pump does, except it will be situated slightly higher than the main pump. If the main pump does not activate, the float switch on the backup unit will engage, opening the water valve inside. As the incoming water pressure spins the impeller, it discharges water at approximately a 2:1 ratio. This means for every 1 gallon of incoming water used, it will pump out 2 gallons. The advantages are that it requires very little maintenance, and it will be able to run continuously for as long as necessary (as long as you have paid your water bill of course).

A proper installation should always include a potable water back-flow preventer, a shut off valve, and a discharge check valve. Call your local plumbing professional for more information.

Exploding Toilets!!

Posted by stimsonm on June 25, 2012 with 0 Comment

Sloan pressure assist toilet kit

Every now and then we are asked about installing a pressure assisted toilet. After explaining the benefits of a pressure assisted flush, we explain to the customer what we used to think was the ONLY downside, which was the noise. A pressure assisted toilet will flush AND sound like a commercial toilet you will find when you are out at a restaurant or the store. This is usually enough of a deterant to steer most people away from installing one of these units. Now, we have found out there is another reason you most definitely will NOT want something like this in your house, IT MAY EXPLODE! To know why this happens, you must first understand how these devises work. Unlike a normal toilet, where the water simply fills up the tank and then is released by gravity to the bowl upon the flush, a pressure assisted unit becomes pressurized with the incoming water. The water fills up the black holding tank you see in the photo, and at the same time, compresses and pressurizes the available “free air” inside. When the toilet is flushed, it now has a great deal of stored energy to be released. The problem is that the tank has now been known to rupture in over 300 units, releasing all of the stored energy and actually blowing the lid off the tank. This has lead to injuries to at least 14 people the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced last week. More than 2.3 million units have recently been recalled.

This gives new meaning to the phrase- “you don’t want to go in there!”

If you have one of these units installed in your home, check the attached link to see if your’s is included in the recall and to receive repair parts. http://flushmate.com/recall/

If you would like to remove the unit from your toilet, have your toilet replaced or have the new parts installed, you should contact a licensed plumber.

Salvaging scrap metal

Posted by stimsonm on April 9, 2012 with 0 Comment

Many times on a remodel, there comes a point where old piping must be cut out and removed, in order to install the new. Sometimes this old piping is not very valuable, such as galvanized steel, cpvc, or pex. Other times, the cut out sections of pipe hold more scrap value, such as copper or brass. Typically, when a plumber is hired to do a job, such as a remodel for instance, everything is cleaned up and left in a tidy manner. This includes the cut out and removed brass and copper water and drain lines. Most of the time, this happens with no issue at all. Other times, we are confronted about the “scrap” metal and asked to leave it behind. Since we are always more concerned with leaving behind a happy customer, we almost always oblige, although we do not necessarily agree. The way we see it, if we cut it out as part of our scope of work, we have the right to salvage the precious metals in the same regard that we have the obligation to clean up our mess. It should be understood, if any homeowner would like to keep the cut out copper or brass, they should probably do the demo and remove it themselves, or clearly define their intentions before the work begins.

Does it really make much sense to put in the time and effort for a few dollars worth of scrap metal when gas is hovering around $4/gallon anyway? Save yourself the hassle and just figure it into the cost of the job.

Best Wishes!

You’ve got a dirty probe

Posted by stimsonm on March 19, 2012 with 0 Comment

Waking up in the morning to a nice hot shower is a luxury most of us really appreciate. If you have an older water heater, it may not always be as hot as you’d like, and at other times may be scalding. If you are like most people, you probably just assume the water heater is shot, and it’s time for a new one. The good news is, that this is not always the case. The bad news is, you will have to assume a certain level of risk to correct the problem. There are two things that can contribute to the temperature and amount of hot water you have, and they both show different symptoms. If you have hot water, but it only lasts for a few minutes, the problem is with you dip tube. As the cold water comes in, it travels down a tube to the bottom of the heater. This way, the cold incoming water goes straight to the burner, and the hot water comes off the top. Sometimes the dip tube will completely disintegrate, and this will cause the incoming cold water to stay at the top, and go right back out of the hot water outlet. While the tank is full of hot water, none (or not much) of it is being used because of the incoming cold water mixing with it right away. The other problem that you may have is a fluctuation of hot water temperatures. The water will usually be much cooler after long periods of non-use. This is do to a heavily mineral and scale coated thermostat probe. On the gas valve of the water heater is a probe that protrudes into the tank. This probe is what senses the temperature changes and when the water cools down far enough, it will activate the gas valve to kick on. When this probe gets a heavy coating of mineral and scale buildup on it, it does not detect the temperature changes as quickly and accurately. When the water heater is sitting idle, the water slowly cools but the probe does not detect this soon enough and usually the first shower of the morning is luke warm. The same can be true after being away from the house all day. When the hot water is turned on, cold water is sent straight to the bottom, and is enough to trigger the probe to call for heat. This is why the first shower is never good, but the problem is corrected with the second shower. That is only the annoying half of this problem. Once the tank calls for heat, the probe does not pick up the heat increase fast enough and the water can become excessively hot and scalding. Sometimes the T&P valve will open and dispense some water to prevent excessive pressure in the tank. If you are experiencing fluctuating water temps, do NOT turn the water heater up higher. This will only compound the problem and make it more dangerous. You should call a licensed plumber. The fix for this would be to change the gas valve. The problem is, depending on the age of your water heater, you would be taking a risk as to how much life is left on the tank. It would be unfortunate if you paid to have the gas valve replaced and the tank failed shortly after. If the tank is old enough, it may be worthwhile to just replace the whole thing. Since you know it is going to go at some point, you might as well do it before it gives you an indoor swimming pool!

Going green is mean!

Posted by stimsonm on February 22, 2012 with 0 Comment

We have all heard the expression “too much of a good thing.” In January of 2012, a school district in Florida experienced exactly the opposite, too little of a good thing, as in- water. In an effort to save money, and water, the district decided to replace all of the urinals in the men’s rooms with the newly popular, waterless urinals. While this seemed like a can’t-miss idea at the time, has proved to be a financial nightmare. Like most new ideas before much thought is given, it seemed like a no-brainer, but ultimately is never as good as the time tested method of the present. The lack of fresh water that was no longer being flushed down the drain lines, led to a very corrosive, acidic condition inside of the pipes, causing most of them to develop leaks. To be fair, it was not necessarily JUST the fault of the waterless urinal, but the waterless urinal combined with the copper drain lines. Unlike PVC or cast iron drain lines, copper drain lines are prone to failure from one thing, high acidity. The school district is now faced with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damages and repairs to the walls and drain lines. Waterless urinals are now not permitted to be installed anywhere where copper drains are serving them. The very thing they were trying to save is what ultimately came back to bite them.

While I do support some of the efforts to “go green”, I also think that just like anything else, we need to use caution, use our heads, and not be so quick to dismiss time tested practices.

Ball valve or gate valve?

Posted by stimsonm on January 24, 2012 with 0 Comment

One problem that plumbers deal with on a regular basis is the replacement of old shutoff valves. When installing or replacing a shutoff valve, you are faced with a choice: ball valve or gate valve?

Since water inherently wreaks havoc on every aspect of your plumbing system, having the proper valve in place will help “delay” problems down the road. I use the term “delay” instead of “prevent”, simply because when it comes to plumbing, problems will ALWAYS arise, it’s just a matter of how soon. The gate valve has been around longer, and is slowly becoming obsolete. The design of the ball valve makes it vastly superior to the gate valve, and is proven to last longer and cause less problems. A ball valve utilizes a sphere with a hole in it to control flow. When the handle is turned parallel with the valve, the hole is open to flow. When the handle is turned a 1/4 turn, the sphere is also turned and the hole is now perpendicular to the valve and flow is stopped. Ball valves can almost always be operated after years of disuse and do not typically “freeze” in position. A gate valve utilizes an internal gate that moves up and down on the stem. The stem is connected to the handle which screws the gate up or down, opening and closing the gate. The gate valve has a few disadvantages. The biggest problem is that over the course of time, the stem which controls the gate may, and usually will break. This means the gate is stuck in place, and the water will either be stuck on or stuck off. Another problem is that gate valves are notorious for seizing shut after a long period of non-use. If they are able to be freed up, they will usually start to leak. One thing you should keep in mind though, there are some areas that actually still require the use of gate valves before and after the water meter. The reason being that a ball valve is able to be shut off very fast with just a quarter turn, whereas a gate valve is not. In the VERY unlikely event that all the water is running in a house, and the ball valve is shut off quickly, it will cause a water hammer condition, and MAY cause a problem elsewhere. This is extremely unlikely and should not be a factor unless required by your local authority.

Another thing to keep in mind is that like all things, there are different grades of each type of valve. Unfortunately, the box stores typically only sell on price, and not quality. We have seen a great deal of defects and leaks with “economy” grade valves. A reputable plumber will always supply you with a better valve, and will also be able to install the best valve for you upon request. It is advised that if you are in an area requiring a gate valve, a good quality gate valve is a very worthwhile investment.

It always seems a little backwards to me that most people will put much more money into the label on their clothes, than the label on their plumbing fixtures and materials. Hey, you might as well look good while fixing that leak!

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Year: 2012