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Banging Pipes in Grass Valley, CA.

Andrew Twidwell — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 01:58:09 +0000

Here’s a question that came to me from a client in Grass Valley Ca;

For a few months now, the water pipes in our house have been making this terrible noise like someone is beating on them with a hammer. It only happens when we use the sink in the guest bathroom. It’s driving my wife and I crazy, my wife is ready to sell the house and move

Banging Pipes,

Grass Valley, Ca.

Dear Banging Pipes in Grass Valley,

This can be tricky. There are a couple things that can cause the water pipes to hammer. First I would check to see if the house has a pressure reducing valve on the water main. It would be installed somewhere along the main line either outside or just inside where the pipe enters the house. A pressure reducing valve uses a rubber diaphragm to regulate the incoming water pressure. Sometimes this diaphragm can become loose or worn and when water runs along it, it will vibrate like a reed on a wind instrument. The easiest way to solve the problem is to replace the pressure regulator with a new one. If this doesn’t solve the problem or if you don’t have a regulator you’ll want to install what’s called a pneumatic hammer arrester into the plumbing system. A hammer arrestor is a little shock absorber for your plumbing. You’ll want to install it as close as possible to the fixture that’s causing the problem. If the fixture is on the second floor you may need to open the drywall to get access to the piping. You’ll also want to take a look at the piping in the area around the problem fixture. There may be some loose pipes that will need to be strapped down. Hopefully this will help; water hammer can be a difficult and frustrating problem to solve. A lot of times I will start with the easiest thing and work my way through to the more difficult and expensive things. Sometimes solving difficult plumbing problems is just a process of elimination.

Water Hammering Pipes in Grass Valley, CA.

Andrew Twidwell — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 04:35:10 +0000

Dear ABT,

Banging Pipes,

Grass Valley, Ca.

Dear Banging Pipes in Grass Valley, CA.

How to Install Heat Tape on the Pipes of your Grass Valley Home.

Andrew Twidwell — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:17:43 +0000

Installing heat tape on your pipes during the winter months can save you hundreds of dollars from burst water lines to flooded homes in Grass Valley. These simple steps will help protect your exposed pipes during winter and help prevent a pipe from bursting in your Grass Valley home.

Step 1. Purchase more heat tape than you think you need. The last thing you want to realize is that you don’t have enough tape when you are almost finished with the job. Measure your exposed pipes and make sure to buy a little bit extra. You can find heat tape at all your local Grass Valley hardware stores.

Step 2. Place the heat tape around the pipes. You can either lay it in a straight line ( my personal recomendation) or you can wrap it like the handle on a baseball bat. If you plan to wrap it, make sure to calculate in enough length to accommodate the wrapping.

Step 3. Protect the heat tape. Even though the tape will protect your pipes form bursting, nothing is protecting the tape itself. It is generally a good idea to protect it with insulation this will help keep the heat around the pipe.

Step 4. Plug in the tape and set the thermostat if installed. Make sure to use the heat tape only when you need to. If the temperature is above freezing then you can unplug your heat tape.

That’s all there is to it. This is a great way to keep all those exposed pipes in your Grass Valley home from bursting. If you have any comments, please leave them here. If you need any help or would like us to come out and install it for you, give us a call at 530-272-9120.

How to Clear a Slow Bathroom Sink Drain in Your Grass Valley Home

Andrew Twidwell — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 01:17:29 +0000

How to Clear a Slow Bathroom Sink Drain in Your Grass Valley Home
So, it’s too late … the drain is completely clogged, your kid left the faucet running and water is cascading down the stairs from one floor to the next. What to do now?

Well, for starters, try not to let the drain get to that point to in the first place. Keep a sharp eye out for signs of a sluggish drain. It’s easier to unclog a slow drain than it is to open a drain that has completely stopped. When the drain is slow, pour scalding water down the pipe to loosen any buildup of grease or soap scum. You’ll need to clean the stopper, pop-up or drain screen. This not for the faint of heart, my wife gags whenever I clean the stopper, get some good rubber glove to stay clean. If this doesn’t locate the problem, then check the other household drains to determine if the clog is only in one sink fixture. If more than one drain is clogged, then there is a clog in the main drain pipe. At which point you may just want to call out a professional plumber, and yeah that would be us at ABT Plumbing, Electric, Heat & Air. 530-272-9120

The first tool most people grab to fight a sink clog is a simple bathroom plunger, and it’s a good tool to have around. Pick a plunger with a large enough suction cup to completely cover the drain and create an airtight seal against the surrounding sink. It should also have a cone on the bottom which can be folded up when you use it for sinks or tubs. Fill the fixture with water to completely cover the suction cup (it may help to coat the rim of the cup with petroleum jelly). Seal off the overflow with a wet sponge help to create a vacuum. Push out any trapped air beneath the cup, then give the plunger 15 to 20 vigorous up-and-down pumping strokes to jolt loose the clog. This may take 3 to 5 times to do the job. Remember that plungers work with both the down and up stroke, so really tug up on it.

If none of this works you could try using a hand snake, but let me tell you form my experience they suck. They take a lot of effort with very little affect. You really need an expensive electric snake to do the job right, so yes once again, call in a professional plumber, ABT Plumbing, Electric, Heat & Air 530-272-9120. Or you may be able to rent one from the rental yard, but it helps if you know how to use it, they can be very dangerous to use, like broken limbs dangerous.

One other thing you can do before the drain gets clogged is use an enzyme drain cleaning product like Pro-Clean. The enzymes digest the organic material and break it down to it basic element. It’s a great environmentally safe product. And if you are on a septic system the enzyme will work their way down into the tank and digest all of the gunk in the septic tank as well.