Have you ever wondered what the inside of your plumbing looks like? Have you ever been curious about where all of your water goes or how your pipes get blocked?

With new technology, Zierman plumbing can now see inside your pipes.

New waterproof cameras, specially designed to be lowered through piping, can offer us never-before-seen visual inspections of plumbing systems.

These cameras, attached to flexible rods, can maneuver around corners and even through pipes as narrow as two inches across. These images are viewed in real-time, and can be saved for later examination or for insurance purposes.

The potential benefits of these new cameras are several. First, they have revolutionized the way that plumbers identify blockages.

Previously, there really wasn’t a way to be sure what the cause of your blockage might be. Plumbers like Zierman would be able to push out the blockage into the sewer lines but weren’t able to enter the pipes and positively identify the issue.

If the blockage was a one-time problem like a foreign object in the pipe, this wasn’t a problem.

But if the blockage was reoccurring, like pipe damage or roots entering the pipes, a plumber might not realize it until the third or fourth visit.

These cameras are also very beneficial when it comes to pipe examination. Before, if your pipe was damaged or old, we would have to excavate your entire pipeline in order to discover which areas needed to be replaced.

Now, you save huge amounts of time and money on sewer line repair through video inspections.

The camera can immediately identify which pipes truly need replacement and which don’t, meaning that we only have to excavate specific points instead of your whole front yard.

Further, a video sewer inspection can reveal problems that would otherwise take multiple visits to confirm.

For example, it’s very common for roots to go so deep into the ground that they start burrowing into your piping.

A video inspection will be able to distinguish a root blockage from a regular blockage, and can therefore help plumbers know which procedures are necessary.

Our video inspections are also very useful when it comes to finding lost items. Until now, there really wasn’t a way to look through pipes and see if a lost item was still in the pipe or if it had been washed away into the sewer mainline.

If you’ve dropped jewelry or an important item down the drain, a video inspection can travel through your pipes to see if it’s possible to retrieve it.

Finally, video inspections can save time and money. Instead of digging up your pipes, visiting again and again and working on your pipes with trial and error, or aimlessly fishing for a lost item—these video inspections can provide your answer right away, with zero guesswork.

They can eliminate the need for costly repairs by identifying exact problems, and are extremely useful when it comes to inspecting your entire sewer line.

Further, these inspections can be used before remodeling or buying a home to ensure that you won’t have a plumbing problem dropped in your lap down the line.

Just as your body develops wear and tear as it ages, so does the plumbing in your home. And as with your physical health, where seemingly minor symptoms sometimes indicate that there is a serious problem brewing, so too with plumbing, where what may seem insignificant or unrelated issues can actually reveal something more serious beneath the surface – a sewer pipe that’s ready for life support.

The sewer line has an important – but unsavory – job transporting water and waste from your toilets, sinks, and tubs to the city’s sewer main line, which is probably underneath the road in front of your home. Like any pipe, sewer lines are prone to corrosion, rust and slow leaks over time. And believe it or not, one of the most common causes of sewer pipe breakdown is invasive or crushing tree roots. After all, trees need water and your plumbing system is a handy source. Other causes are buildup of toilet paper, hair, feminine hygiene products, sludge, and grease inside the pipes. Finally, earthquakes or other ground movement, such as repeated freezes and thaws, can wreak havoc on your pipes. Whatever the cause, sewer pipe problems are especially common in older homes; chances are good that if your house was built prior to 1970, it’s ready for a sewer pipe redo.

Some of the most common “symptoms” of a sewer pipe in ill health include:

• Frequent clogs in the toilets.
• Slow draining tubs and sinks.
• Sewage or dirty water backing up into your tub or sink.
• Gurgling, clanking, or burbling sounds coming out of the toilet after it’s flushed.
• Sewage smells or bad odors inside or outside your home.
• Standing water or soggy patches in your front lawn or garden.
• Toilet water levels that change from flush to flush: sometimes normal, sometimes not.
• Any combination of multiple plumbing problems given above.

If it’s time for sewer pipe “surgery,” don’t assume you’re doomed to large trenches ruining the appearance of your lawn and front garden. Very often, a simple re-lining of the sewer pipe will fix your plumbing problems. In this procedure, the pipe is first cleaned and unclogged. Then, a resin-coated tube is threaded into the pipe and inflated, pressing the resin against the pipe walls. Within a few hours, the resin is hard and the tube is removed. Voila, clogs and leaks are a thing of the past, and your precious landscaping is still intact.

If you are seeing the symptoms of sewer pipe trouble in your home, give us a call today.

While it might not require the level of maintenance your lawn demands, for example, your home’s plumbing system DOES require a bit of attention throughout the year if you want to avoid a costly, destructive or potentially embarrassing situation – overflowing toilet in the middle of Thanksgiving dinner, anyone? While major plumbing issues call for a professional, the simple tips given here are a good way to prevent future trouble.

Watch Your Drains

One of the most common plumbing problems is a slow or completely clogged drain, and almost always, the cause is a pipe filled with food scraps, hair, grease or other grungies that shouldn’t have been going down the drain to begin with. Use a strainer over your kitchen sink drain, a hair trap in the shower, and collect cooking grease, fat and oil in a coffee can to be disposed of when full.

Look for Leaks

The last thing you want is a slow leak that’s undiscovered until it causes extensive water damage. Make it a weekly habit to check pipes underneath the sink, in the garage, at the hot water heater, behind the washing machine and dishwasher, and around the garden hose for any signs of leaks. Replace cracked or worn plumbing parts right away if you notice unusual moisture or leaking water.

Maintain Your Water Heater

If unnoticed, a leaky water heater can progress to a flood across your garage or closet floor. To help control the sediment that leads to water heater failure, drain out a gallon or two of water from the appliance each season.

Check the Water Pressure

The water pressure in your home should ideally be between 40 and 85 psi. Much above that range is like high blood pressure for your plumbing, creating too much strain on pipes, faucets and fittings, and greatly increasing the likelihood of a leak or a burst pipe. You’ll find inexpensive gauges for checking water pressure at home improvement centers.

Be Careful with Caustic Chemicals

It might be tempting to pour that bottle of caustic drain cleaner down your sink or toilet whenever things start running slowly, but watch out. Most such products slowly eat away at your pipes, and can eventually lead to a leak – a worse problem than the original clog. Instead, learn the correct use of a plunger to remove a simple clog, or call for a professional plumber if it’s a stubborn or recurring problem.

Toughen Up Appliance Hoses

The soft rubber hose that’s common to most dishwashers or washing machines is a leak – or even worse, complete explosion – waiting to happen. Replace such hoses with stainless steel braided hoses. You’ll find them at home improvement centers.

Where’s the Water Main?

In the unhappy event a plumbing problem strikes, you need to know how to turn off the water. That means being familiar not only with the valves serving each toilet and sink in your home, but also knowing where to find the water main serving the entire house. It’s a good idea to inspect this valve seasonally. Make sure it’s not rusted or frozen in position and there are no signs of leaks or excessive wear. And if you’re going away on an extended vacation, consider shutting the water off to prevent any unpleasant surprises upon your return.

Ugh. A clogged drain. Whether it’s your kitchen sink, your bathroom basin or the tub, facing an ugly brew of dirty water and drain contents is on nobody’s list of a good time.

Although it’s tempting to tackle the problem yourself, that can sometimes lead to even worse problems – even medical emergencies. While your best bet is to call a plumbing professional, if you do decide to give DIY a try, watch out for these five common mistakes.

1. Letting It Happen to Begin With

The easiest way to conquer a clogged drain is to prevent the problem from happening in the first place. Drains are designed to handle fluids – not hair, stringy vegetable peelings or oversize wads of tissue paper.

Spare yourself annoyance by using a hair catcher in the shower or tub when it’s time to shampoo, dumping vegetable peelings and similar kitchen materials into the trash (or even better, the compost pile) and teaching your kids not to go overboard on paper use.

2. Careless Use of Caustic Chemicals

If your first reaction when the tub or sink drains slowly is to reach for a chemical drain opener, watch out. These highly caustic chemicals can burn you severely, so a careless moment — or even worse, vigorous plunging after pouring in chemicals – can lead to an emergency room visit.

Not only that, chemical drain cleaners don’t work on solid clogs, such as hair, food or paper. Plus, overuse of these toxic products can actually erode or break down your pipes.

3. Sticking Things Down the Drain

Another common response to a clogged or slow drain is to grab the nearest broom handle, kitchen knife or coat hanger and stuff it down the drain to try and fish out the clog.

While this is occasionally effective if the drain is full of hair right near the surface, chances are, you won’t be able to reach the blockage.

If you do reach it, however, you risk pushing it even further down, or simply getting the tool stuck in the pipe. Now you have an even bigger problem to deal with.

4. Grabbing the Garden Hose

It seems reasonable; use water pressure from a garden hose to blast the clog away.

Unfortunately, what’s likeliest to happen in this scenario is either: 1. You damage the pipe, or 2. Water erupts out of the drain and into your face. Neither is a good outcome.

5. Using the Wrong Plunger

While proper use of the right plunger can be very effective, too many homeowners don’t know the right way to plunge. First off, use the right plunger: toilet plungers have a cup or bell-shaped bottom, while sink plungers are flat.

Once you have the plunger in place, make sure the drain is completely sealed, and then slowly and methodically work the plunger up and down, keeping the seal intact.

Don’t make the common mistake of quickly plunging up and down as if you’re doing an arm workout – this is ineffective at best and at worst, will blast dirty water all over you and the floor.

Your water heater works hard for your family every day, so don’t neglect to do your part and provide regular maintenance. Implementing our easy 5 step water heater maintenance checklist will go a long way in prolonging the life of your water heater and preventing problems that arise due to neglect.

Follow these simple tips to regularly maintain and protect your water heater.

But don’t forget: your water heater is full of extremely hot water and steam, and thus wearing gloves, eye protection, and other safety gear is extremely important. We highly recommend keeping in contact with a licensed water heater maintenance company or contractor.

Check the Pressure Valve

Your water heater (whether gas or electric) is equipped with a safety feature called the temperature pressure relief valve, sometimes called the TPR valve or the T&P valve. This valve will open if too much pressure or heat builds up, preventing damage to the unit or dangerous explosions.

A malfunctioning valve is generally caused by a buildup of residue or sediment which can block the valve’s opening. Check the valve several times a year for optimal performance. This task is easy: first turn off the gas or electricity on your unit and then open and close the valve a few times. Monitor the water flow from the drainpipe because a properly functioning valve will release water when open.

If no water is released, it’s time to purchase a new TPR valve. Water heater maintenance costs are much cheaper than having to purchase an entirely new unit – Make sure to keep up with your maintenance to save money in the long run!

Hot Water Heater Maintenance Flush

Over time, sediment will build up in your water heater’s tank, especially if you have hard water. A lot of damage can occur when these particles are left to sit in the bottom of the tank, as thick layers of sediment make your unit work extra hard to heat the water in the tank. The sediment will also corrode the tank walls over time, eventually causing leaks.

Doing a hot water heater maintenance flush once a year can keep your hot water heater’s tank sediment free. Just flush the sediment out by draining the water from the tank.

Start by shutting off the gas or electricity, a vitally important step for safety reasons. Attach a garden hose to the drain valve (located at the bottom of the tank). The sediment will drain through this hose, so direct it outside, into a floor drain, or into a bathtub. Be careful- the water will be hot! Use a colander to catch the sediment and prevent clogs.

Next, turn off the cold water supply to the tank and run one of the hot water faucets in your house. Open the drain valve and let the tank empty itself. The water that first emerges will most likely be gooey and discolored, but will slowly become clear as the sediment leaves.

If the sediment starts to clog the valve at any time, turn on the cold water in short spurts to blast the gunk away. Once the hot water has drained completely, close the drain valve, partially fill the tank with cold water, and drain it once more.

Repeat this process until the water is completely clear. At that point you can close the drain valve, remove the hose, and turn on the cold water supply. The tank will start to fill, and when water starts coming out of your hot water faucets you can be sure the job is done. Turn on the gas or electricity, and rest easy knowing your water tank is free from sediment.

Water Heater Maintenance: Anode Rod

Water heater tanks are equipped with a metal rod that attracts minerals like calcium. These minerals become the sediment that can corrode the lining of the water tank, so the rod protects the unit by attracting certain minerals and preventing them from depositing on the tank.

Once this rod wears out, so does your water heater preventative maintenance. Those minerals can cause your tank to rust and leak. Inspect the anode rod yearly and replace it every 3-5 years to extend the life of your water heater.

Always turn off the gas or electricity on the unit before attempting to inspect the rod. Draining a few gallons of water can help you check for rust within the tank as well. Loosen the hex nut on the top of your tank and the rod will be directly attached to it.

If large portions of the core wire are visible, or if there is a thick layer of deposit on the rod, it is time to replace it. Luckily a new anode rod can be purchased easily at any hardware story at an affordable rate.

Following a few simple steps will extend the life of your water heater, prevent any dangerous accidents, and keep hot water consistently flowing in your home.

As always, be sure to call in a professional water heater maintenance company if you feel overwhelmed or suspect damage has occurred within your unit.

Get Familiar With Your Water Heater Maintenance Schedule

Your water heater loves consistency. Following a routine water heater maintenance schedule will keep your unit working at its best for around 15-years, maybe more!

Your typical water heater maintenance schedule is as follows:

• Test the temperature relief valve at least once per year.
• Flush your water heater every 4 months.
• Clean your water heater tank once per year.
• Replace your anode rod every 2-5 years.
• For gas water heaters: check the burner every year.

For a more comprehensive water heater maintenance schedule, please refer to your water heater manufacturer’s website and look up the model number of your water heating unit.

Maintain a Relationship With Your Local Water Heater Maintenance Company

Sometimes, water heater maintenance is not a DIY project. If you are struggling to troubleshoot a major issue with your heating unit, or if you do not feel comfortable carrying out the tasks on our water heater maintenance checklist, please call your local water heater maintenance company.

Make sure to do your research and learn all about your local water heater contractor before hiring them. Keeping a contractor that you know and trust in your contact list can be a life saver, especially in a 24 hour emergency situation! Safety always comes first when it comes to maintaining any household appliance, especially your water heater.

The colder months of the year mean that homeowners must provide some extra TLC to their home’s plumbing equipment. Avoiding a winter disaster, such as flooding due to a burst pipe, is ideal for everyone and a few simple steps can go a long way in preventing an expensive or dangerous accident.

While some tasks should be handled by an experienced plumber, there are plenty of simple steps that the average homeowner can take to ensure smooth sailing during the winter season. The time it takes to complete the following tips are worth it in the long run.

Insulate your pipes

Proper insulation will go a long way in preventing frozen pipes, which could burst and flood your home or yard. Foam insulation designed specifically for pipes can be purchased at any major home-improvement store, and when wrapped around pipes this foam will keep everything warm and cozy even in the coldest months. Make sure to prioritize pipes that are located in less insulated locations, such as crawl spaces or exterior walls.

Keep your pipes flowing

The easiest way to keep your pipes from freezing may surprise you, because all you really need to do is use them! Running water through the faucets in your home at regular intervals throughout the winter will help to keep them free from ice blockages. If you have a rarely-used sink in your home and you worry about remembering to use it periodically, allow a slow drip to continue in that particular sink. The money spent on extra water will be negligible, especially compared with the cost of repairing a frozen pipe that has burst.

Pack away hoses and protect hose bibs

Leaving your outdoor hoses attached to the hose bib (the term for an outdoor spigot) is a recipe for disaster. As the temperature drops, the residual water in the hose can freeze and damage the bib. During winter, your garden hose should be drained, detached, and stored away until spring time. Additionally, covering the exposed hose bib and outdoor pipe with foam insulation will protect them from winter’s harsh weather. No one wants to begin spring with a hose bib repair, so protecting any outdoor spigots will ensure a smooth transition into the warmer months.

Drain your sprinkler system

Another important component of outdoor maintenance is your sprinkler system. Because this system is underground, it is often left forgotten as winter sets in. Make sure to drain any residual water from your sprinkler system in order to avoid frozen pipes or damaged sprinkler heads. If you are unsure of how to drain your system, contact your plumber for assistance.

Take care of your water heater

Regular maintenance on your water heater is essential to its longevity. Ideally, having your water heater inspected prior to the cold months is the best, as the unit will work extra hard for your family during the winter. However, if you, like many homeowners, found yourself too busy with the holidays to schedule your unit’s annual check-up, it’s not too late to call your plumber! After all, a malfunctioning water heater is especially inconvenient in the winter when hot water is a necessity.

Improve your water heater’s functionality

Aside from professional maintenance, you can improve the functionality of your water heater during the winter when it has to work extra hard to supply your home with hot water. If you notice that it has been harder to get your showers as steamy as they once were, you can easily increase the temperature on your water heater.

Be careful, however, not to heat it above 125°F to avoid an accidental burn. Another great way for larger families to optimize their water heater is by spacing out hot showers. A ten-minute interval between showers will provide steady water pressure and the perfect temperature every time.

Keep the house warm

While many people are tempted to save money by allocating the heat to certain rooms, it is actually best to let the warm temperature spread throughout your whole house. Isolating certain rooms from the warmth can lead to frozen or burst pipes. So, while it may seem like a waste of money to heat that room no one ever goes in, the alternative could be a plumbing disaster.

Following these simple tips will protect the plumbing in your house throughout the entire winter, providing the perfect recipe for a warm and happy family.

The beginning of the New Year comes with resolutions of all kinds: weight loss, eliminating bad habits, pursuing abandoned hobbies, and more.

While New Year’s resolutions come in many varieties, the most common tend to center around healthy living or personal finance. A new year is a chance to reinvent yourself physically, emotionally, or even financially.

These new goals often result in your kitchen receiving much more attention than before- from attempting to eat healthy foods for your physical well-being, to committing to stay home and cook more often, thus saving money that was previously spent in restaurants.

Regardless of the reason, extra time in the kitchen often means that your garbage disposal can receive quite a beating in the first few months of the year. While it may seem like an easy way to get rid of any and all waste in the kitchen after cooking dinner or making that morning smoothie, your garbage disposal isn’t meant to handle all types of waste.

Increase the life-span of your garbage disposal by keeping these things out of it:

Grease/Oil

Families who make a commitment to eat at home more often try to replicate the kid’s favorites, including fries and hamburgers. These fun meals all result in the same thing: grease. For the sake of your plumbing, pour grease or oil into an old can before tossing it in the trash. Once these substances cool down, they harden into sticky goo that can wreak havoc on your garbage disposal and pipes.

Fibrous foods

Eating healthy often results in lots of fibrous foods, such as kale, celery, carrots, asparagus, and artichokes. Putting fibrous foods like these into your garbage disposal is a mistake; the fibers can get wrapped the blades, damaging the appliance.

Egg shells

Many people believe that egg shells are good for the garbage disposal because they supposedly sharpen the blades. Don’t listen to this rumor; throw your egg shells in the garbage, because the slippery membrane inside the shell can get caught in the disposal, damaging the motor. Aside from this, once egg shells are crushed they tend to take on a sand-like consistency, which can clog pipes.

Starchy food

Starchy foods like pasta and rice tend to expand when wet. Not only this, but their texture can turn into a gelatinous, gooey mess that will easily stick to your pipes and garbage disposal blades. Throw leftover starches in the trash to avoid a damaged garbage disposal or a clogged sink.

Bones and pits

Chicken bones, fruits pits, and other hard materials are too tough for the blades of your garbage disposal and can easily damage the motor. Always throw these in the trash can.

Coffee grounds

While these may make your sink smell nice, the leftover sediment can clog the blades of your disposal as well as harden in your pipes. Orange or lemon peels are a great alternative for keeping the drain smelling fresh, so empty that French-press into the trash to avoid a plumbing mishap.

Non-edibles

The garbage disposal should be used solely for food items. Treating your disposal like a trash can will only shorten its life and increase your chances of needing a major repair. Items like cigarette butts, rubber bands, glass, string, paper, and more can easily damage the blades and motor of a garbage disposal. As a general rule, if you wouldn’t feed it to your kids, don’t put it down the disposal!

Cleaning supplies

Harsh chemicals like lye, bleach, and drain-opener should not be poured down the garbage disposal. The corrosive properties of these cleaners can greatly damage your garbage disposal. Should your kitchen sink become clogged, consult a professional plumber rather than resorting to a chemical cleaner.

Other helpful tips

Aside from disposing of the correct food items, there are some easy tips that can improve the functionality and extend the life of your garbage disposal. Never put large amounts of food into your disposal all at once, instead feed in a little at a time so the disposal has a chance to do its job without becoming overloaded.

Additionally, always run water through the disposal when putting food in it. The best way is to run water first, feed in the food, and then allow the water to continue running for fifteen seconds. This allows any remaining food particles to be flushed from the blades. Cold water is best!

As you settled into new habits and routines this New Year, treat your garbage disposal well to ensure a happy kitchen and a damage-free kitchen sink!

You have probably heard this statistic about water: it covers over 70% of the earth. Hearing this makes most people assume that there is plenty to go around, but this isn’t necessarily the case. You see, of that huge amount of water on earth, over 97% is salt water that cannot be consumed by people. This leaves us with just over 2% as fresh water, much of which exists as frozen icecaps or lies so far below the surface of the earth that humans cannot access it.

What does this mean for people?

When you get right down to it, less than 1% of the water on earth is available to be used by people. While water is a renewable resource, that small amount of available water is being used up faster than rain and snow can replenish it.

What can we do?

The EPA estimates that the average American family uses over 300 gallons of water each day, and this statistic only includes water used within the home. If every family in America made a pointed effort to conserve more water, we could save not only money, but a precious resource that may not always be readily available. Having low-flow appliances and fixtures installed in your home is a fantastic way to save water without having to change your daily habits. Consider these changes:

Faucets

If an average faucet in your home was run for 4 minutes each day, it would use roughly 4,000 gallons of water per year. On the other hand, a low-flow faucet would use 3,000 gallons in the same time span. A water-saving faucet could save over 1,000 gallons year, but that figure is probably even higher considering most homes use multiple faucets for more than a few minutes each day.

Toilets

A standard toilet that is flushed 15 times per day has an average water consumption of 33,000 gallons each year. That’s a lot of water! By switching to water-saving toilets, your home could conserve thousands of gallons of water annually, as low-flow toilets tend to use only 9,000 gallons a year. Think of what a great impact this change would make not only on the world’s resources, but also on your water bill.

Shower heads

A standard shower head, used for 15 minutes per day every other day, uses roughly 19,000 gallons of water in a year. That statistic, when put in the perspective of an average American household that will use the shower multiple times each day, is staggering. Consider a water-saving shower head, which cuts water consumption by more than 50%, at 9,000 gallons used per year.

Washing machines

Many people forget appliances like the washing machine when they are considering water conservation, but installing a water-saving washing machine can go a long way in protecting earth’s valuable resources. A standard machine, if used twice a week, will use roughly 5,000 gallons of water a year, whereas a water-saving machine will use only 3,000. Once again, consider these figures in the framework of the average American family, many of whom use their washing machine far more than twice a week.

Taking these steps to conserve the earth’s fresh water requires no change in your daily routine, but will have a huge impact on the environment. Using all of the water-saving fixtures outlined above, your home could save roughly 40,000 gallons of water each year! If not for the earth, then at least consider the money that will be saved on your family’s water bill each month.