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Plumbing is an essential system in a rental property because it affects its habitability. As a landlord, you are responsible for maintaining the plumbing system. It can be worrisome to receive frequent calls from your tenants complaining about plumbing issues in the house. There are several reasons you should take your plumbing maintenance seriously in your rental property. Regular maintenance helps you to handle the issues early before they become widespread and expensive. Plumbing maintenance will help you to conserve water and your tenants will spend less on energy bills. According to epa.gov., if a faucet is leaking at the rate of one drop every second, you will waste 3,000 gallons of water in a year. This amounts 180 showers. Regular maintenance also prevents the occurrence of frequent plumbing emergencies or water damage to the property. We recommend taking advantage of routine inspections of your rental and focus your maintenance

When it comes to helping those in our communities, A-1 is always trying to go the extra mile – or in this case, the extra-kitty!! We received a somewhat frantic call from our friends at The Pet Connection, and they explained that 2 kittens had crawled into a cavity under a driveway a few days ago, and the Momma cat has been wandering back and forth by the opening, whining and wanting to get them out. They weren’t sure what to do, or even if the kittens were still in there – so how could they possibly figure it out, to even know how to proceed?? This is where A-1 comes into this dramatic story!! We brought our RIDGID Tools SeeSnake camera and mini camera to see what was happening under the driveway. As we ran our camera, we found the Momma cat decided to climb underneath there with the

Bathroom odor, by any other name, is just as off putting, and possibly dangerous. When there’s a buildup of bathroom smells and your basic air freshener is not knocking out the bad odors then it may be time for either a deep clean, where every crack and crevice has been touched; this is one way to address that foul smell. There could also be a deeper plumbing problem that is causing the toilet odor and you’ll need more than a DIY solution like baking soda, bleach, lemon juice, essential oils, white vinegar or a cup of vinegar and hot water, and will need to be addressed by a professional. The odors could be from mildew  on the grout that you clean . What’s Causing the Foul Odor?  Unfortunately, we don’t have a definitive answer because there can be a number of causes and without being there, it can be difficult

Why Does My Sink Smell? It is not uncommon for homeowners to encounter unpleasant odors in their household sinks or water, and when they do, they want to go to the source of the problem and find out what is causing their water or sinks to smell unpleasant. If you are experiencing an unpleasant odor in all of your water faucets, then you most likely have a problem with the main water supply. On the other hand, if the smell is only coming from certain faucets, the problem is probably located in the fixtures or pipes involved in those specific faucets.   Does Your Sink Smell Like Rotten Eggs or Sewage? If you are experiencing a rotten egg (sulfurous) or sewage-like odor in certain sinks, it is likely a result of bacterial activity, which can be caused by bacteria growth inside the drain: This is the most common cause behind

When it comes to strange noises in homes, few things can make the types of sounds that your water pipes can make when things are not as they should be, and for young or first-time homeowners, it can be downright freaky when pipes make noise. What kind of noises could you hear? Loud banging Gurgling Squeaking Humming noise Squealing Hammering Buzzing Whistling Let’s look at some of the possible causes of these noisy pipes and see what may need professional help and may be a DIY project you can take on as a homeowner. Common Causes of Noisy Pipes Water Pressure Water pressure, typically high water pressure, is often to blame for buzzing sounds, due to the vibration of the pipes as the water flows through. Water pressure regulators are an option to fix this issue, or sometimes called pressure reducers. Many modern homes already have these installed, but they

When you go outside, do you notice a foul odor in your yard? Maybe you don’t have a dog, so the odor problems must be something else. Those offensive odors may be coming from your plumbing vent, or sewer vent/vent stack, which is a vent pipe for your septic system or plumbing system, to help divert wastewater and septic tank odors. Plumbing vents are important; these plumbing vent stacks and plumbing vent pipes (often PVC pipe, but can be other materials) allow sewer gases to slowly escape from the septic system of a home, so these sewer gases from solids and liquids, hydrogen sulfide, or other septic/unpleasant odors can vent up through your septic vent pipe; allowing those sewer gas odors to be released into the atmosphere and taken away by the wind currents. This process ensures that a home’s pipes aren’t under too much pressure – the effects of

As a homeowner, it’s inevitable that you’re going to deal with plumbing issues every now and then. If you’re like most people, you have a pretty good idea what’s wrong when the bathroom sink clogs (likely culprits hair and soap scum), or when the kitchen sink clogs (grease, debris, food scum). However, there’s a lesser-known cause of some plumbing problems, and it’s sitting on top of your house right now: it’s called a “plumbing vent.” Plumbing vents are situated on the roof of homes, with the 2 to 3-inch pipe extending upwards. The purpose of this pipe is to allow air into the drainage system. The problem is that when this vent gets blocked, the blockage can cause the flow of water to slow down, or stop, and then foul smelling sewer gasses can enter the home. Blockages Create ‘Negative’ Pressure When this vent gets blocked, the flow of water

Have you noticed that occasionally when you run the faucet you have brown water, where your cold or hot water is dirty, or discolored? If so, you’re probably wondering if it’s safe to drink the water and if you have a major plumbing issue on your hands that needs tackling. Your water is brown, what should you do? Occasionally, tap water can appear slightly brown because sediment, contaminants and corrosion in the water main have been stirred up. You see, some water mains are made out of iron, and as time passes, rust deposits can settle inside the pipes, causing that “dirty” water discoloration that can cause health concerns for homeowners. This can lead to the point where they contact plumbing services to address the home’s water supply, water quality and the corroding iron pipes. Common Causes of Brown Water Essentially, the rust settlement can be disturbed if there is

Clogged drains are a common problem, but they can often be resolved without calling in a professional. What’s more, you don’t need to use toxic chemicals to clear out your clog. With a little patience and some tried and true methods, you can often unclog your drain by yourself, in a reasonably short amount of time.  If you are a homeowner with a septic tank, there may be other considerations you need to look at when removing blockages in your septic system, so that back up doesn’t negatively affect your septic tank, or cause issues with septic tank pumping or solid wastes in the septic tank. First, try to physically remove what’s causing the problem. One common cause of clogs is hair collected around a pop-up stopper or strainer. You may be able to perform drain cleaning and remove the hair and clear the drain clog, or you might be

Do you know how to maintain your septic system? With septic tank repairs & replacement starting in the $1,000’s, it’s important to keep your septic system in the best possible condition. Fortunately, it’s not hard to take care of it, if you follow a few simple tips. First, though, let’s quickly review the basics of a septic system. Two parts comprise a septic system: the tank and the drain field. The septic tank is an underground container responsible for holding solids and scum that comes from your household wastewater. With the proper maintenance, it should last thirty years or so. Once in the septic tank, heavy solids sink to the bottom, and bacteria reduce them to sludge and gasses (this is the sludge layer). Grease and other lighter solids rise to the top to form a scum layer (maintaining proper scum levels is part of a well-running system); solid waste