Tuckers Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

Why DIY Plumbing Is a Bad Idea

Monday, July 12th, 2021
wrenches

“Fix-it-yourself” is a popular modern philosophy, and we agree with it—for some parts of a house. Getting out the tools and going to the hardware store for supplies can help you save money with several repairs around your home, and some people even enjoy getting hands-on with solving issues on their own. 

When it comes to the plumbing in a home, however, DIY should be off the table except for some basic fixes such as cleaning out aerators in faucet heads. As tempted as you may feel to put on a belt filled with all the wrenches you can carry, residential plumbing jobs such as leak repair, toilet replacement, drain cleaning, and anything to do with water heaters are not for amateurs. Unless you’re a professional plumber yourself, leave your plumbing in Bethesda, MD in the hands of our licensed plumbers.

Below we’ll go over some reasons amateur plumbing is a mistake.

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Here’s 5 Things That May Be Clogging Your Drain

Monday, April 5th, 2021
drain-in-metal-sink-water

Drain clogs are one of the most common annoyances for residential plumbing, and we’re certain you’ve run into a few over the years. Sometimes a plunger can clear them, other times you need to call for professional plumbers to work their craft. We offer fantastic drain cleaning in Frederick, MD for when the plunger won’t solve the problem. (And please don’t try to use chemical drain cleaners as an alternative. These chemical concoctions can damage your pipes and aren’t that effective.)

We’re going to list five common sources of drain clogs to help you get a better idea of why calling professional plumbers is the best step when you’ve got clogged or slow drains.

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Is Your Toilet Overflowing? Here’s What to Do!

Monday, December 28th, 2020
toilet-plumbing-concerned-woman

The overflowing toilet is one of the big nuisances a household can run into. And sometimes it can feel like a real panic-inducing emergency. The toilet is about as crucial as plumbing fixtures get in a home, and the idea of one overflowing and causing flooding in the bathroom isn’t pleasant, so it’s understandable that people might suddenly feel at a loss about what to do when it happens.

No problem: we’re here to help! An overflowing toilet is a good reason to call our plumbers, and we’ll drive out as fast as we can to have the problem corrected. We can’t teleport, of course, but we can provide you advice on what to do before we arrive to help alleviate the issue and hold back that anxiety attack.

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How Long Will the Plumbing Pipes in My Home Last?

Monday, September 21st, 2020
pipe-decay

If you’re asking this question, you are already ahead of the game compared to many homeowners, who often assume the pipes in their plumbing system will last for as long as their house lasts. Since most plumbing is out of sight, it is often out of mind—and the pipes are made from metal, so nothing will happen to them.

It only takes a bit of consideration to realize this isn’t true. Metal decays and corrodes, and the daily strain on freshwater and wastewater pipes will wear them down. There are also chemicals in the water that can cause damage, as well as hard water minerals. You can expect many years of service from plumbing pipes, but eventually, they must be replaced.

So, how long will the pipes in your plumbing in Kensington, MD last?

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Why Do My Pipes Make a Loud Banging Sound?

Monday, August 24th, 2020
woman-listening-300x200

It’s a jarring noise—a sudden bang or clank from the pipes in the walls of your house. It sounds like someone struck a hammer against the pipe material. In fact, that’s where the name of this phenomenon comes from: water hammer. Also known as hydraulic shock, but that’s not as fun a name, is it?

But this isn’t a fun occurrence, and you may have reason to be worried aside from the startling sensation of sudden noises from the walls. Water hammer can indicate problems with your home’s plumbing that may require calling our professionals to examine your pipes and find out what, if anything, we need to do.

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Tips for Handling a Leak

Monday, July 13th, 2020
leaking-pipe

When you have a leak in your home you want to get it to stop no matter where it is. After all, leaks that are left alone for too long are going to create a variety of problems for your home and can even create problems for your health. To handle a leak properly, you need to have a reliable resource for your plumbing repairs in Frederick.

Our plumbing pros are great at identifying and fixing leaks in your home. The only thing you need to do is reach out for service. To do that though you need to know when to reach out. We can help with that too by telling you more about the warning signs that there is a leak in your home wreaking havoc.

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Why Are There Black Specks in My Water?

Monday, May 4th, 2020
faucet-kitchen-modern-running

Sometimes, water quality issues with the water supply in a house aren’t immediately obvious. But if you notice there are black specks floating around in the water coming from your taps, your internal alarms will go off. Where are these black specks coming from? Are they dangerous? What can be done about them?

You may need a plumber in Frederick, MD to help you with your water quality problems, starting with diagnosing why you’ve got black specks in the water in the first place. You can trust our plumbers to find out what’s affecting your water supply and find solutions to it. Below are some of the common causes of this problem, but you will want to turn to a professional to get an exact answer.

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Time to Check on Your Sump Pump for Spring

Monday, March 23rd, 2020
sump-pump

When the winter snow melts, it can mean flooding in homes. Spring can also bring with it more storms and an increased concern with floodwaters. You have a sump pump in your home’s basement or crawlspace to deal with these specific problems. That’s great—it’s one of the best precautions you can take against extensive water damage, building damage, mold growth, and all the rest that comes with water flooding into the lower parts of your house.

But a sump pump that won’t work when you need it to isn’t much good. So before we get any deeper into spring, we recommend you take some basic steps to check on your sump pump.

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My Pipes Have Frozen! What Do I Do?

Monday, January 27th, 2020
frozen-pipe

This is a winter nightmare so many homeowners have—water stops at one or more taps because of a frozen pipe. It often occurs in older homes with lower amounts of insulation, but even new homes aren’t immune to it.

Although frozen pipes are major plumbing problems, they don’t have to be a long-term one. Follow our advice and you should soon have water flowing again, as well as a plan for avoiding frozen pipes in the future.

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Water Saving Tips for Your Home—Easy Ones!

Monday, October 21st, 2019
leaky-faucet-water-loss

Conserving water is something every homeowner can do. And conserving water is far easier than many people believe. You don’t have to make huge sacrifices to cut back on water use. Instead, you just need to know the right tips and the right plumbing jobs to have done.

Most homes have plenty of good reasons to reduce water use. According to the WaterSense program of the US EPA, “40 out of 50 state water managers expect water shortages under average conditions in some portion of their states over the next decade.” Another WaterSense fact is that most homes can use 20% less water by following only the first tip on our list below.

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