Water Heater Replacement Boca Raton, Fl

Written by hardenburghplumbing on May 31, 2016. Posted in boca raton plumber, plumbing, Water Heaters.

Water Heater Replacement Boca Raton, Fl

Water Heater Replacement and Installation Boca Raton, Fl

It’s a good idea, that you have your water heater check from a certified plumber to make sure there is no potential leaks. When a water heater becomes greater than 10 years old the chances of leaking are greater.

A water heater can leak and flood your house very easily. Flooding can cause mold damage if it’s not taking care of 24 hours after the flood.

Water heaters can be gas propane or electric. But as the years go by the tank can weaken depending on certain conditions. So it’s good idea to inspect the water heater before such a tragedy happens. When you’re uncertain of how to do the inspection please call a local plumbing contractor.

Water Heater Replacement and Installation

If the water heater has rust surrounding the bottom of the tank and the condition is rough it’s a good idea to replace the water heater. Sometimes you can actually see this rust leaking around the seams of the tank. This is another indication that replacement is necessary to avoid a flooding problem. Also when a tank is leaking it can have water flowing over an electrical connection which can activate electricity through the water leaking on the floor which could make a life threatening situation.

In some cases the outer skin of the water heater has no visual corrosion but the inside tank itself is leaking. The water has a tendency to leak from the very bottom. Keep in mind that when a water heater is as old as 10 years or more the energy efficient factor would be much greater with a new water heater.

Sometimes when you’re replacing a water heater the new law that has been passed about water heaters have to have a higher energy rating than the previous water heaters. The water heaters manufactured after 2015 of January need to have a higher energy rating. The energy rating is achieved by more insulation surrounding the tank.

The tank diameter could be larger than an inch and a half greater than the old tank which can make installation a nightmare. So what this means is that a person that had a 40 gallon water heater probably will need to settle for a 30 gallon water heater because the restrictions of the space needed to install the water heater.

Water heaters can be a virtual timebomb in condominium associations because the water heaters are located under the air handler in the apartment. The space under the air handler is so confined that being able to cut the water heater out is not a pleasant one, so the installation of water heater is prolonged for a longer period of time. Until the tank is in danger of bursting at any moment. The tank can bust open with any harsh movements.

Another nightmare of installing a water heater in a condominium association is if the shut off valve is holding correctly. A lot of the older condos have gate valves which are old and corroded and need to be replaced with a ball valve so that turning the water off is an easy operation.

If you have any questions about changing your water heater please call Hardenburgh plumbing at 561-968-0000.

Bathroom-Shower Remodeling Service Boca Raton, Fl

Written by hardenburghplumbing on December 23, 2015. Posted in Bathroom Plumbing, boca raton plumber, Palm Beach Plumber, plumbing.

Bathroom-Shower Remodeling Boca Raton

Many people who live in Boca Raton have come from other places in the country to retire. In Boca Raton there is a large majority of the people in the area that are retired, because of the beautiful weather that we have.

When senior citizens get older sometimes having a bathtub is not the best idea. Senior citizens have to get around the best way they can, but things can happen a slip in the fall the bathtub. The best idea is to have a plan before they are unable to get around so well. A lot of people who are seniors and they want to keep the house that they live in usually decide to make it accessible and easier to do daily functions.

Removing the Bathtub and Installing a Shower

The first thing that comes in mind is removing the bathtub and installing a shower. And the shower you can install a chair to set while taking a shower. Also you can install grab bars to maintain your balance. When the homeowner does the conversion it helps a lot to maintain their independence. A local plumbing contractor would be more than glad to give you an estimate on converting the bathtub to the shower.

The old bathtub needs to be removed and the shower drain must be installed. When removing the old bathtub about 10 inches of tile around the tub needs to be removed. The drain in the bathtub must be unscrewed and removed to remove the tub. If the bathtub is made of cast-iron the tub can be removed breaking with a sledgehammer.

The project of removing the tub and installing a shower is about a two day project with a plumber. The tile contractor usually takes another 2 to 3 days to finish the job. When the job is completed, the senior citizen will be able to not worry so much about falling in the top.

Now let’s get back to finishing the project. After removing the old bathtub the area must be cleaned of all the broken tiles and dirt. A curb needs to be constructed with pressure-treated wood so that rotting does not occur. The shower curb is about 4 inches high.

The neoprene shower pan material will be folded in all four corners and overlapped with the curb. Neoprene is a rubberized pan that goes under the shower tiles to protect the water from penetrating into the wall. Then new wonder board, which is the board that tile is placed on when it is installed. Before installing the pan, the shower drain needs to be installed.

The average shower drain is 2 inch but a bathtub drain is inch and a half. The contractor will have to install 2 inch piping so that a trap for the shower can be installed in the floor usually in the center of the shower. After the shower drain is installed the neoprene pan can be installed. It is very important to keep in mind that the shower and should be tested to make sure there are no leaks.

Bathroom-Shower Remodeling -Testing the Shower Pan

The method of testing the shower pan is with a 2 inch test ball to be inserted in the drain for a period of 24 hours before the tile can be installed. A project of this nature needs to be inspected by the Boca Raton plumbing department of the city. The inspector will require the contractor who is overseeing the project to get a permit from Boca Raton city. This is for the protection of our homeowner.

After the shower can have been installed then we raise the bathtub valve to the height for the shower to be usable. When selecting a shower valve that is simple to repair and durable, a plumbing contractor’s favorite choice of valve would be Moen.

For the senior citizens the Moen pos-temp valve would work much easier than to handles. The movement of the valve is much better because of little restriction. Senior citizens with arthritis in her hands would find this to be much easier to handle.

In the process if homeowner would like the plumbing contractor to install a handheld shower, so that the homeowner sits in a chair in the shower it’s much easier to wash with. When the tile contractor installs the tiles on the wall it is important to tell that you would like to have several grab bars around the shower area to support getting in and out of the shower safely.

Hardenburgh plumbing 561-968-0000.

Wells Pumps Installation Services Palm Beach Area

Written by hardenburghplumbing on December 9, 2015. Posted in plumbing, wells and pump services.

Wells Pumps Installation Services: Galvanized or PVC?

Wells Pumps Installation Services.

Over the years galvanized pipe tends to rust, but the PVC will keep the well intact for many years to come.

At the top of the wellhead which is a tee fitting, there is a stainless steel screen inserted in the tee to prevent debris from the well jams the check valve that holds the water in the plumbing system intact when the jet pump is not running.

A check valve is a brass or plastic valve; if debris gets into the check valve, then all the water will drain from the pump and tank back into the well.

The average jet pump average is from two horsepower to three-quarter horsepower depending on the demand; some water filtration systems can reduce the pressure in a house a larger jet pump handle this problem.

In a primary water filter system, there is a water softener that prevents the calcium and iron entering into your house and causing water stains on your glasses and damages the water heater and appliances in your kitchen.

A simple method to check and see if there are iron deposits in your water.

Take the lid of the toilet and look inside if the toilet tank has a rust color on the porcelain inside the tank. Then iron is coming into your house. The types of iron filters are green sand and prolix filters. If your house water as a rotten egg smell it has sulfur and bacteria in the well.

The only way to get rid of the bacteria is to injected with a slight solution of chlorine or peroxide with an injection pump and a neutralization tank. These water filter systems need to be understood by the homeowner and able to do simple maintenance to keep the units in operational condition.

Some companies provide salt and maintenance on the systems once a month so the homeowner would not need to worry about the upkeep.

Hardenburgh plumbing is a licensed, certified well contractor in the state of Florida and a licensed plumbing contractor as well if you need well pumps installation services to call us to schedule.

561-968-0000

Repipe Plumbing Service

Written by hardenburghplumbing on November 30, 2015. Posted in plumbing, Plumbing Inspections, repipe service.

Repipe Plumbing Service Boca Raton

Repipe plumbing service from polybutylene to Pex pipe is provide by Hardenburgh Plumbing; Polybutylene pipe has been around for over 40 years to replace copper which was very costly at the time.

In the 1970s new advances in plumbing were made available. PVC replaced cast-iron pipe used for sanitary systems and residential and commercial usage. Still today PVC is used for clean and irrigation systems for the home.

Polybutylene pipe came out about the same time. It was flexible, cheaper and labor costs were a lot less.

Polybutylene discontinued in the mid-90s because of manufacturing defects. The defects were identified as the rings got older they would tend to split causing massive leaks in homes which met flooding.

Repipe Plumbing Service with Pex Pipe

Pex pipe is something of the same order, but the materials have lasted a long time and presents no problems.

When a homeowner is getting ready to purchase a house, he must ask if the home has any polybutylene pipe anywhere.

How do you find out if you have polybutylene pipe in your house?

The first thing you can do is to check the water heater is the piping in the back wall seems to be loose, if your house built in the 1980s there’s a good chance it could be in your home.

The second way is to check in the attic to see if you can see great piping running in the ceiling polybutylene is gray in color and flexible so you can’t miss it. It is essential that you do try to remove the piping before the nightmare occurs.

Nowadays you can replace the pipe with Pex pipe or CPVC they work well, and there are no complaints because it has been used for many years. The homeowner must ask the insurance company if they can help with the cost of replacing the polybutylene pipe to eliminate future floods in the house.

Hardenburgh Plumbing will give you a free inspection to check for polybutylene pipe and to know if you need a repipe plumbing service, call us we are available 24/7 to help you, (561) 968-0000 😀

About Plumbing Cleanout

Written by hardenburghplumbing on September 29, 2015. Posted in drain cleaning, Palm Beach Plumber, plumbing.

GENERAL IDEA OF YOUR CLEANOUTS

When your drains are flooding in the toilet, the bathtub and the shower, you call a plumber to come to your house, he probably will ask you : Do you know where the cleanout is located in the house? And you will think : What is he talking about?. Well, a cleanout is located in the front side or back of the house on the main drain. The purpose of the cleanout is allow an entrance to the drainage system to snake out the main drain and remove clog problems.

Main drain stoppages can be the cause of many things, tree roots, broken pipes or just plain old rages the homeowners have a lot of beautiful landscaping surrounding their house and think, this big ugly pipe could be seen in their landscaped yard is completely unheard.

Keep in mind that if there is no cleanout the plumber would probably go to the top of the roof. When the plumber is at the top of the roof, the snake would be inserted into the vent stack. The vent stack is the opening in the drain system to let air in so the drain system will work properly. Anytime someone goes to the top of the roof there is a possibility of damaging the roof tiles or even falling off the roof. So when the plumber is there ask if it’s possible to install a cleanout in a way which is not noticeable.

The plumber would probably be able to install a cleanout by digging up sewer main cut the pipe and install the two-way cleanout with a valve box on the top. Many older houses has cast-iron pipe a lot of the newer houses have PVC. Many projects start in houses when installing a cleanout. Hardenburgh plumbing tries to inform the consumer with ideas to improve the plumbing at home.

Water Shut Off Valve. Plumbing Emergency

Written by hardenburghplumbing on September 24, 2015. Posted in boca raton plumber, Kinds of Pipes, Palm Beach Plumber, plumbing.

Plumbing Emergency Safeguards for Your Home

The purpose of this blog is to give to the homeowners some idea how to turn the water off to their house, If there was a plumbing emergency some of they would have no idea where to shut the water valve off. Houses in Palm Beach can vary in age from 100 years old to six months old. So, What happens if you have a pipe burst in the house? to prevent major flooding is better to know where the water shut off valve is located.

A broken pipe can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage. Water can spread within minutes throughout the house causing mold problems and water damage problems. Every home in Palm Beach County has a water meter.

If you have no idea of where your water meter is located then call Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department for the location, customer service telephone number ( 561)740-4600 option 3.

Once you know the location then you will need a meter water key that can be found at plumbing supply house in Palm Beach County. The cost of meter water key range from $25 to $80 depending on the material. Keep the meter water key in a location where you have quick access for a plumbing emergency. The meter box cover will open with the use of a screwdriver.

Every fixture in your house has a main shut off valve, it can be a gate valve or a ball valve.

Gates valves vs Ball Valves. Plumbing Emergency.

Over the years people have used gate valves but as time goes by they have a tendency to break. Many times the plumber will completely avoid turning the valve off to a house because valve will break. So if the plumber is there doing a minor repair ask him what will it cost to replace the gate valve. There is a lot of Chinese ball and gate valves on the market these days that are plain junk. When you’re installing valves in your house get good quality valves like Nibco. Most plumbing supply houses have in stock Nibco valves.

Water Heater Ball Valve Benefits

The water heater is another good location to have a ball valve that shuts the cold supply to the water heater. When the cold supply is turned off the homeowner must remember turn the power supply off as well. The power supply is located in the circuit breaker panel labeled water heater or WH. This will prevent the flow of hot water in your house.

Another plumbing emergency problem that can rise from nowhere is a leaky water heater. A leaky water heater can be a major problem for the homeowner. So if a good ball valve is installed the water can be closed from the water heater supply. Then the necessary repairs by the plumber can be done in a timely manner. But until he comes you will be able to flush the toilets in the house because of the ball valve on the water heater. But keep in mind, that single handle faucets if used can backflow into the hot side and leak back into the water heater so only use the toilets.

Many times people have plumbing emergency problems in their house. If there are any questions about plumbing issues please Call Us : ( 561) 968 – 0000 or email us at hardenburghplumbing@gmail.com .When finding plumbers in Internet use Boca plumber or Boca Raton plumber.