Top Plumbing Tools Every Home Needs To Have on Hand

If you are a homeowner, chances are you have had to deal with your share of plumbing problems. While you can always call Diamondback Plumbing to take care of your plumbing needs read on for a few handy tools that every home should have on hand in case of plumbing emergencies.

Plunger

A plunger is the most basic plumbing tool you can keep in your arsenal. Pretty much everyone has used one of these before. Plungers consist of a rod with a rubber cup-like device on the end. The cup is designed to create a seal on a drain, most commonly in a toilet.

The plunger is used to create a pushing and pulling action in a clogged pipe. In most cases, this is a quick and easy fix for general debris buildup in a pipe that is preventing water flow. Most clogs are simply caused by detritus that has caught on the side of the drain and cannot be pushed down. The plunger's sucking action can usually pull the obstruction off of whatever is catching it, giving it another chance to flow freely down the drain. The plunger presents an easy fix for the most common plumbing issue.

Complete Set Of Wrenches

Wrenches are used in almost every aspect of plumbing. Whether you are fixing a leaky faucet, taking apart pipes under your house, or anywhere in between, chances are there will be a bolt that needs a wrench to be loosened or tightened. A set of wrenches is an essential aspect of any toolbox, but is especially important for plumbing. (Channelocks)

Drain Snake

While a plunger provides a quick and easy fix for most clogs, some clogs are too extreme for a simple plunger to handle. If your drain is seriously stuck, and neither a plunger nor a bottle of drain cleaner can make it drain properly, a snake is required for the next step.

A snake is a flexible but strong metal device designed to be wound out into a drain and dig through obstructions. While these machines will take care of your problem they will also damage your piping and make you problem much worse if you are not experienced.  Too many times we have seen where the customer has went to Home Depot to rent a machine pay upwards of 50.00 only to damage the piping and make an extreme mess of black sludge inside their cabinetry. These machines can cause injury if not properly used and furthermore if you damage or kink the inner core cable which is very easy to do you will get charged additional cost from the rental facility.

Do not waste your time and money attempting to rent equipment and do it yourself – in most cases the cost is only an additional $40-50 dollars more to have a professional handle it.

If you need emergency plumbing assistance, get in touch with Diamondback Plumbing today.

For over 20 years, Diamondback Plumbing has been the local leading plumbing service company that has established themselves as the most trusted plumber in Phoenix. We are well known for providing our residential and commercial customers great service and reasonable pricing.

DiamondBack Plumbing
17423 N 25th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 674-3255
https://goo.gl/maps/ZvavNnXN5nv
https://goo.gl/FnxR85
https://goo.gl/GJ5dZr

 

The following post Top Plumbing Tools Every Home Needs To Have on Hand was first published on owner of Diamondback Plumbing Steve Herzog

Top Plumbing Tools Every Home Needs To Have on Hand first appeared on:

Diamondback Plumbing

17423 N 25th Ave

Phoenix, AZ 85023

(602) 674-3255

Google Maps

Removing Rust Stains and Calcium Buildup

Been doing your best to keep your house in pristine condition, but can’t seem to get rid of those reddish and yellowish stains on your sink and toilet? The former is most likely rust stains while the latter is calcium build-up. They can’t just be scraped or washed away like normal stains. Luckily, there are more than enough ways to remove them.

Rust (also known as iron oxide) forms when iron is exposed to oxygen through water and calcium buildup and it occurs when the water has a high pH level, high calcium concentration, or high alkalinity. Thus,areas that are constantly exposed to water are prone to rust stains and calcium buildup. Your faucets, sinks, and toilets are the most vulnerable to rust and calcium buildup since they almost always have water running through them.

Beyond harming your house’s appearance, rust stains and calcium buildup can cause health issues — especially to sinks and faucets since you use them to wash dishes, your hands and your body.

While having rust stains and calcium buildup is highly annoying and unsanitary, there are multiple ways to clean and restore them. Most rust and calcium buildups occur in the bathroom and kitchen fixtures.

 

Rust Stains

Rust is known to be easily removed by vinegar alone. This is because acids like vinegar takes the rust off metals while minimally “harming” the metal itself. Other acids that can also safely remove rust from metallic objects include lemon or lime juice and apple cider. Soaking things in cleansers with high acidic content will remove rust after a few hours. Acids have different pH levels though, so the stronger an acid is, the more efficient it is in removing rust.

For sinks, you can easily fill it with any acid — vinegar is the most common and most recommended — to a level where it reaches the rust stains. You can leave the acid-filled sink for a few hours or overnight and return to a rust-free sink. If your sink is too large or you don’t want to leave it full of acid for a long period of time, you can rinse as soon as you’re done scrubbing and cleaning.

Unlike sinks, toilets and faucets cannot be exposed to acid. Instead, one should use hydrochloride acid (also known as HCL or muriatic acid) which is a stronger cleansing agent than any of the aforementioned acids. You will have to pour hydrochloride acid over the rust stains and scrub the area to rid it of any stains. Make sure the water isn’t running while cleaning as this may cause the acid to splash and damage your surroundings or even yourself if unprotected. Once done, rinse immediately and thoroughly to remove any traces of hydrochloric acid. (It is best to use rubber gloves and old clothes to help prevent injury to yourself or damage good clothes).

Using baking powder is another popular method of removing rust. However, this only works for dry objects. Removing rust stains on faucets, toilets, and sinks with baking powder is less than ideal since they are almost always in contact with water. You will have to dry them up completely before spreading baking powder on the surface and scrubbing with steel wool. Electrolysis — using battery power — can also be conducted to remove oxidation (i.e. rust), but this is usually done on smaller objects such as tools and not recommended for newbie or amateur DIY’ers since it’s quite a complicated process.

 

Calcium Buildup

Like rust stains, calcium buildup on different surfaces can be treated with different acids (e.g. vinegar, hydrochloric acid). There are also other practical solutions for removing calcium buildup. Other than using acids and acid-based products, you can use a pumice stone. Pumice stones work great on porcelain stains just make sure there is constant water on the area you are scrubbing. A pumice stone is used to remove the calcium buildup and then smoothen out the surface. Using a pumice stone is a little more risky than the other two as it involves manual labor and its effectively and efficiency are dependent on the cleaner’s skills.

Commercial calcium deposit removers are products made specifically to remove calcium deposits on different surfaces such as toilets, sinks, swimming pools, and the like.They come in different forms such as sprays or foaming cleansers as well.

While rust is inevitable, calcium buildup is highly avoidable. Calcium buildup occurs when there is an irregularity with your water such as alkalinity, pH level, or calcium content. Fixing these factors will result to lesser calcium buildup or may prevent calcium buildup at all. Using a water softener will lessen the calcium content in your household’s water, reducing the potential for calcium buildup significantly.

While there are a few ways to combat rust stains and calcium buildup, it’s always best to leave household problems like these to experts and professionals,especially for harder-to-reach regions of your house. Diamondback Plumbing can help you with rust & calcium build-ups amongst many other plumbing services we provide. (Read more about our services)

We have a well known reputation as professional plumbers in Arizona and have had great success due to our return customers that keep using and coming back to Diamondback Plumbing. They know they can trust us due to having a solid reputation and a well known name in the plumbing industry serving Phoenix for over 20 years.

 

Removing Rust Stains and Calcium Buildup is courtesy of home page Diamondback Plumbing

Removing Rust Stains and Calcium Buildup first appeared on:

Diamondback Plumbing

17423 N 25th Ave

Phoenix, AZ 85023

(602) 674-3255

Google Maps

3 Basic Plumbing Tips New Homeowners Should Know About

Owning a home requires a lot of work. Whether it’s maintaining your plumbing, cleaning your floors, or inspecting your roof. You don’t want to have to rely on a professional for every small problem that you encounter. That’s why it’s a good idea to understand the basics of some of these tasks. Here are three simple plumbing tips that new homeowners need to learn.
We have built a solid reputation providing all of our customers with the best possible plumbing service at competitive prices. This reputation has been built on customers having a great experience with Diamondback Plumbing and they keep coming back for any plumbing needs and concerns they have.

1. How To Shut Off The Water To The Home

The first plumbing tip that every homeowner needs to understand is the location of the main shut-off valve for the home. Turning this valve will prevent any more water from entering the home’s plumbing system from the outside supply feed. Each house in the country is required to have one of these valves. It’s important to know where the valve is and how to use it.
The exact location of the valve is going to vary based on the size, location, and age of your home. The best way to find it is to walk outside and look at where the outside hose spigot is – usually the shut off valve is directly under the spigot. The service riser that houses this shut off valve is usually on the street side of the residence for reference if you are looking for your valve. By turning the handle you can completely shut off all incoming water. There is either a round handle that you would rotate clockwise or counterclockwise or a lever valve that you would pull up or down.
Closing off this valve is one of the first steps when you encounter a plumbing problem. If there are leaking pipes in the walls, then the only way to stop water from entering those pipes is by shutting off the water at this location.

2. How To Shut Off Water To Certain fixture locations

If a sink or dishwasher is leaking, then you don’t necessarily need to shut off the water at the home’s main valve. Sinks, dishwashers, washing machines, toilets, and most appliances that use water have their own independent valves. The turn off valves are called angle stops these valves let you control the on off isolation of the particular fixture it serves.
These valves are often located very near to the appliance they are used for. The shut-off valve for a toilet is often against the wall near the bottom of the toilet. For the sink, the valve is often in the cabinet beneath the sink. A washing machine valve is most likely behind or beside the washing machine.
These valves make it possible to make repairs, replacements, or modifications to the appliances without turning off the water at the main valve. For example, if the sink the bathroom is leaking, but can’t be fixed for several days, then you can shut off the valve at the sink and the rest of the house will still have water. Please note that if these valves do not turn freely do not force them as they will snap causing a much more larger flood problem than as if you left it alone. If they do not turn freely or leak behind the handle when turned you should call a plumber to schedule a replacement usually replace both the hot and cold at the same time.

3. Know What Goes Where

It’s easy to view sinks, toilets, and garbage disposals as drains that will carry away whatever you put in them. In reality, a lot of things can get stuck in the piping and lead to serious problems. Clogs can result in toilets or sinks that no longer work. In worst case scenarios, the pipes can break and serious flooding can occur.
The power of the garbage disposal is often overestimated.  There are some items that you should never put into a garbage disposal even if its food leftover on a plate. Some of those items include bones, pasta, egg shells, coffee grounds, and grease.
Many homes across the country have dealt with clogged pipes because of grease. Grease should never be poured into any sink, toilet, or garbage disposal. Grease is best disposed of in a closed container and thrown into the trash.

Remember The Basics

These plumbing basics are enough to reduce the risk of any serious damage to your home due to plumbing failures and errors. Be careful of what you place in your drains or disposals. If a leak does occur, then use the nearby shut off valve or the home’s main shut off valve. And remember not to block these areas so that you will have easy access if an emergency occurs.

DiamondBack Plumbing The Plumbing Professional
The blog post 3 Basic Plumbing Tips New Homeowners Should Know About was first published on Dback Plumbing

Diamondback Plumbing
17423 N 25th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 674-3255
Google Maps

Tips to Prevent Clogged Drains

If you take action early, you can avoid the inconvenience caused by clogged drains. Your plumbing system must work properly, and this means keeping the pipes and drains clear of any blockage. Here are some of the most common causes of blocked drains and how to prevent them.

Garden Debris

Garden debris such as dead leaves and twigs are one of the main causes of clogs in drains and gutters. Always make sure no yard waste goes into a sanitary sewer system – do not wash dirt material of any sort down your drain into your sewer system.

Tree Roots

Leaky pipes and drains provide the moisture that tree roots love. As such, roots often extend their growth within pipes and drains and cause blockages. If there are already tree roots inside the pipes and drains, cutting them would be a temporary solution as the roots will just grow back. The best solution is to hire a licensed professional to properly camera detect the sewer line and locate exact root penetration location to provide a proper estimate to excavate and repair/ replace the bad section of piping.

Greasy Substances

Greasy substances can clog up pipes and drains, too. Don’t throw greasy substances like excess cooking oil down the drain. You can put greasy substances in a container or bottle and throw it in the trash can instead. If you fear that too much grease and or lard has made its way down the drain you will need to have a professional like Diamondback Plumbing provide a jetting service to properly scour flush your lines.

Hair Strands

Hair strands can become tangled and create a large ball of hair that works like a net. It traps other debris and can cause a blockage. To prevent hair from clogging the drain, always pick up your hair strands after bathing or showering. You can also use a strainer in the bathroom sink and bathtub.

Toilet Rubbish

Soap bits, cotton balls, toilet paper, Q-tips, and other toilet trash can also block your drain. So, don’t flush away your rubbish in the toilet. Put a trash can inside the bathroom, so you don’t have to throw your garbage into the toilet bowl.

Disregarding Blockages

Don’t ignore blocked drains. A minor issue can become a bigger problem if left neglected. This means spending a large amount of money on repairs. When the damage is serious, you may have to replace the pipes.

Here are other tips to prevent clogged drains.

• For kitchen sinks with garbage disposals, you should use a drain strainer to keep food scraps out. You can also pour boiling water down the sink drain once a week to remove any grease or fat that may have accumulated inside the pipes. Pour the boiling water slowly and gradually.
• For sinks with garbage disposals, running a stream of cold water will carry waste materials completely through your drainage system. Don’t put eggshells, potato skin, banana peels, and coffee grounds in the garbage disposal as these waste materials are sticky and thick and can cause blockages.
• If you have a septic tank, you should have it inspected every 2 to 3 years. Ask your local health board about the rules on septic tank inspection in your area. Septic tanks must be pumped by experts on a regular basis. Doing it once a month can prevent septic backups.
• Observe proper utility drain maintenance. Floor drains, pool drains, and laundry drains should be properly assembled. Open drains must be covered with strainers to prevent soap scraps and other solid items from falling in. Meanwhile, when floor drains are neglected or damaged, they may not work properly, thus preventing water from flowing down and causing flooding. Floor drains should be equipped with backflow prevention devices and protective straining plates.
• Disposal drains are vulnerable to fats, greases, grits, oils, and other common causes of blockage. Fatty substances will solidify on the interiors of drains and when grits such as eggshells and coffee grounds stick to the grease, the pipes will get clogged. If you are using an older model of dishwasher, you should pre-rinse and scrape dishes from plates to prevent the kitchen drains from being clogged. Newer models of dishwashing machines are often attached to garbage disposals, so they can handle larger waste particles. However, to be safe, you should still scrape the plates of any leftover food before placing them in the dishwasher.

These are some of the most important things that you should keep in mind when it comes to preventing clogged drains. Properly working drains can save you from so much inconvenience and costly repairs. If you want to have your pipes and drains fixed, just call Diamondback Plumbing and let our team do the job for you. Our company has a team of expert plumbers that can fix your plumbing concerns quickly and efficiently. Diamondback Plumbing uses state-of-the-art tools for drain cleaning and we have experienced technicians that have dealt with these situations you can be assured the job will be done right the first time.

DiamondBack Plumbing
17423 N 25th Ave
Phoenix, AZ 85023
(602) 674-3255

The following article Tips to Prevent Clogged Drains was originally published on website

Tips to Prevent Clogged Drains first appeared on:

Diamondback Plumbing

17423 N 25th Ave

Phoenix, AZ 85023

(602) 674-3255

Google Maps

Plumbing Leaks: 8 Smart Tips to Stop Them

Plumbing leaks can be prevented with a few simple measures. Plus, learn what to do when leaks occur

Plumbing leaks and the resulting water damage repairs or mold cleanup can be costly. Avoid the inconvenience with some good habits and modest investments in time and money.

1. Locate Your Home’s Main Water Shut-Off Valve

If there’s ever a plumbing leak, you can go straight there and quickly turn off the water to the entire house.

2. Install Shut-Off Valves at Individual Appliances and Fixtures

This allows you to keep water flowing in other areas of the house while making site-specific repairs. You can find quater-turn, ball-type shut-off valves for less than $10; you’ll pay around $50 to $150 per hour for plumber, often with a minimum two-hour charge.

3. Install a Flow Sensor

Install a flow sensor that detects plumbing leaksand automatically shuts off water to the entire house or a specific appliance. Those devoted to a specific appliance start around $75. Whole-house flow sensors can reach into the thousands. Plus, factor in the cost of a plumber.

4. Remove Hoses from Outdoor Spigots

Remove hoses from outdoor spigots in winter to prevent frozen water from cracking the pipes and causing plumbing leaks, or worse, a flood. Install frost-free hose bibs at exerior spigots.

5. Add Pipe Insulation

Add pipe insulation to the plumbing in cold parts of your house—such as garages, basements, and crawl spaces—to avoid frozen pipes (and to shorten the wait for hot water). Pipe insulation tubes cost as little as 35 cents per foot.

6. Don’t Overload Vanities and Sink Cabinets

When you crowd stuff into your cabinets, you can jostle water supply pipes and drains, loosening connections and causing plumbing leaks. If drips occur, they’re tough to spot amid piles of cleaners and spare TP.

Read Full Article Here: Plumbing Leaks: 8 Smart Tips to Stop Them