Category: Plumbing Tips

How to Tell if your Hot Water Tank Needs Repairing

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Your hot water tank works around the clock and day in and day out, and when you step into an unexpectedly cold shower, you truly get to appreciate this even more. Water heaters are an important part of your home and typically need to be replaced every 8-12 years. However, you can prolong the lifespan of your water heater by scheduling regular maintenance. Here are some signs your heater could be due.

Unpredictable or Low Temperature

If you start noticing fluctuating water temperatures, this could be your water heater sending you a message that it’s time to start thinking about replacing it. A common reason why the temperature fluctuates is the accumulation of minerals in the tank, especially in areas with hard water, like Texas.

Using a water softener and scheduling regular maintenance of your unit can help to extend the lifespan. Contact us to schedule an appointment.

Running Out of Hot Water Quickly

A water heater is designed to keep gallons of water hot inside, ensuring you have hot water when you want it. If you are running out of hot water faster than usual, or if the water is taking longer to heat up, that is often a telltale sign that your tank should be inspected or it is nearing the end of its life.

Discolored Water

When your water is no longer clear, this is typically a sign of mineral deposits in the system. But if you see rust deposits or notice a metallic odor, this could mean rusty pipes or rust is eating away inside your pipes. This can pose a serious health hazard and should be addressed immediately.

Give us a Call (713) 494-5504

Unusual Sounds

Most water heaters make sounds, usually a hum or buzz sound, especially as they age, which is perfectly normal. If your heater is making louder sounds like banging or popping, this should be a cause for concern. Typically loud noises are caused by mineral deposits collecting inside the tank and heating elements. Too much noise can wear on the structure and eventually lead to your heater leaking.

Leaks

It’s no surprise that if your water heater is leaking, it’s most likely time to get it repaired or replaced. When your heater starts to leak, this causes water to pool beneath it and weakens the unit’s structural integrity. Leaks should be addressed as soon as they are found to avoid long-term damage to your home or tank.

Looking for reliable plumbers? We are family-owned and experienced in water heater repair and replacement. Give us a call at (713) 547-4597 or fill out our contact form to get a quote or request service.

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How to Remove (and Prevent) Limescale Buildup

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Wondering how to deal with pesky limescale buildup? Follow these simple steps that make it easy.

What is Limescale?

Limescale is the hard, white buildup you often see on household taps and showerheads that can be chalky, chunky, or flakey in texture. It is made up of calcium carbonate, which is the residue left behind by hard water, or water with a high mineral content. The residue builds up over time and becomes limescale. In addition to being an eyesore, limescale can block things up and cause low water pressure.

How Do You Get Rid of Limescale?

So, what’s the best way to get rid of limescale? Luckily, it’s something that you probably already have in your pantry: white vinegar. Add vinegar to a spray bottle and spritz the affected area and let the vinegar sit for about an hour, then use a damp cloth to wipe it off–the limescale should come right off with it. If you have especially tough limescale buildup, try soaking in vinegar for a few hours. The best way to do this is to submerge the affected area in a bowl of vinegar, but if that is not possible, for example, you have limescale on the mouth of a faucet, soak a cloth in vinegar, wrap it around the faucet or showerhead, and secure it with a rubber band. This will allow you to soak these fixtures in vinegar without having to remove the fixtures and place them in a bowl.

How Do You Prevent Limescale?

To prevent limescale, use vinegar regularly to clean your bathroom and kitchen fixtures in order to stop it from building up too much. If you still find that you are getting a lot of noticeable limescale, consider installing a water softener.

It is relatively easy to get rid of visible mineral buildup on your showerheads, faucets, and taps, but sometimes limescale also builds up inside your pipes, causing blockages and other damage. In this case, hire a reputable plumber to clean the limescale out of your pipes and get your plumbing running smoothly again.

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What’s That Smell? 3 Common Causes of Plumbing Odors

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Is something smelling a little off in your kitchen or bathroom? It could very well be one of these 3 common causes of plumbing odors. Read on to find out how to stop the stink!

Product Buildup

If your shower has been smelling funky, it may be that the products you use in the shower have created a buildup of biofilm that is causing the odor. Biofilm caused by shampoo, body wash, and other shower products creates an environment that natural bacteria cling to and feed on, and those bacteria cause the odor you’re smelling. To clean away the biofilm (and the bacteria with it), flush your drain with hot water, then pour 1 cup of white vinegar into it. Wait a couple of hours, then flush the drain with hot water again. This should get rid of any product buildup and leave your shower smelling fresh again.

Dry P-Trap

The P-trap is the P or U-shaped pipe located underneath plumbing fixtures like sinks and showers. If you notice an unpleasant smell coming from a fixture that you don’t use frequently, a dry P-trap may very well be the culprit. If P-traps don’t have enough water flowing through them on a regular basis, sewer gasses can rise up and cause odours. Simply run water through your sink or shower a few times to wet the P-trap and see if that fixes your problem. If it doesn’t, call a plumber.

Food scraps and other debris get stuck to the mechanism of your garbage disposal over time. Those food scraps will rot and smell. Not very appetizing, huh? When you start to notice a bad smell emanating from your garbage disposal, it’s time to give it a good scrub. Before cleaning your garbage disposal, always disconnect the power first. Cleaning a garbage disposal with the power on is very unsafe because if it were to unexpectedly turn on you could badly injure your hand. Once the power is disconnected, use a sponge and some gentle dish soap to scrub out the garbage disposal. You can also use a little vinegar to neutralize the smell. After you’ve finished cleaning the disposal, flush it with water and turn the power back on.

If none of these solutions gets rid of the odor coming from your plumbing, there is probably a more severe problem that requires professional repairs. At Santana Bros, our plumbers have extensive experience with plumbing problems of all kinds and are dedicated to providing high quality service.

 

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Home Drain Care Tips

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Use Drain Strainers

Hair is the main culprit in stubborn shower and bathtub drain blockages. The solution is simple, just use drain strainers. You can buy these inexpensively at your local hardware store. Just pop them in your drain and they’ll collect hair and other debris, preventing it from washing down the drain and clogging things up.

Don’t Pour Oils or Fats Down the Drain

Many people figure that since cooking oils and fats are liquid, it’s okay to pour them down the kitchen sink. However, oils and fats can cause major plumbing issues. This is because, although they may be liquid when you pour them down the drain, oils and fats will solidify as they cool, so once they are in your pipes they will become solid and create blockages. Instead of pouring fats and oils down the drain after cooking, pour them into a jar or can, allow the container to cool fully, then toss the whole thing in the trash.

Avoid Liquid Drain Cleaners

If you’re first thought when you have a slow drain is to reach for a bottle of liquid drain cleaner, you’re not alone. However, most people aren’t aware that these products actually do more harm than good. Store-bought liquid drain cleaners contain corrosive chemicals that eat away at clogs, but unfortunately these chemicals also eat away at your pipes! Repeated exposure to these chemicals will result in leaky pipes and bigger, more expensive problems than a simple clog. Next time you have a clogged drain, grab a plunger instead.

Don’t Treat Your Garbage Disposal Like a Trash Can

Garbage disposals are not built to handle large kitchen scraps like melon rinds or coffee grounds. Garbage disposals are meant to be used to dispose of the small food scraps that inevitably get washed down the drain, nothing bigger. Large food scraps will dull your garbage disposal’s blades and can jam up the mechanism. Toss larger kitchen scraps in the compost instead and your garbage disposal will stay functional for longer and require fewer repairs.

Get Your Drains Professionally Cleaned

The best preventative maintenance you can do for your drains is to have them professionally cleaned once a year or so. This gets rid of any debris that may be hiding in your pipes just waiting to cause major blockages and keeps your plumbing running smoothly and efficiently.
Trust Santana Bros Plumbing for all of your drain care needs. Got a different plumbing problem? We take care of that, too! Get in touch today for a free quote.

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