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It started with a small, rusty stain on my garage floor. It kind of looked like someone had dripped some coffee there - although, thinking back now, that was a self-deceiving analysis. Coffee would never look like that. But I went with it, for a while, until I found the stain freshly wet one day. Then I looked up to the white-painted wallboard on the ceiling and saw the rusty wet spot. D'oh!
That's right, I had a plumbing leak. And, when I got done digging away the soggy ceiling I realized I had several leaks in the galvanized pipe bringing water into my home.
Can you say "re-pipe?"
A few weeks and a few grand later, all was back to normal - well, except for the debt. And, actually, I had gotten off fairly easily. No water had leaked inside the house and there was no insurance-worthy water damage anywhere.
Others are not so lucky, especially when their leak comes from a washing machine hose and goes unseen for a day or longer because those folks were out of the house.
"The washing machine is the number one cause of insurance claims for floods in the home," said Dale Heys, who co-owns Heys Plumbing of Valencia with his father, John Heys. And, more specifically, it's those rubber hoses that bring water to the washing machine that cause the problem. "The hose is, like $10, but when it leaks the flooding can result in a $20,000 insurance claim," Dale Heys said.
Heys, who has been curing plumbing problems in the SCV for 18 years (his father for 24) explained how this happens. "An upstairs washing machine (hose) leaking from the time you leave for work in the morning until the time you return can easily flood three rooms downstairs," he said. When this happens you might have to call a "water restoration" company. You might have to get the carpet outside to dry, and wooden floors and baseboard and drywall have to be repaired (and painted).
And there can be a whole set of procedures to test for and prevent the growth of toxic mold.
Beyond the hassle and cost of the repairs, your family may have to move out of the house during the process. All of this is "chaos for your lives," Heys said.
So, with this nightmare as the worst-case scenario, we'll offer some of Heys' insights into caring for your plumbing and, especially preventing floods.
With impeccable sense of timing, The Signal brings you our plumbing primer just ahead of the EPA's official "Fix a Leak Week" (www.epa.gov/watersense/water_efficiency/fix_a_leak.html ). Yes, we're that good. Leak detection/flood prevention
Heys explained that there are now some excellent devices available to detect leaks and warn you about them - and even devices to automatically stop the water flow when the leaks are detected.
On the simpler, cheaper end, you can purchase a basic water alarm (by Gizmode Innovations - you've got to love that!). At about $20, these battery-operated sensors can be placed anywhere in the house, such as under the kitchen or bathroom sink or behind the washing machine. Their little "feet" have wires in them and, when water touches two of the feet, it makes an electrical connection and sets off the alarm. In this way you are warned early-on when a puddle starts forming.
Of course, that warning will only work if you are home. If you are out of the house for the day, or off on vacation, you won't be aware of the leak and can't stop the water flow.
But, to the rescue, comes Floodstop! Floodstop offers systems for washing machine spigots, icemakers/water filters, dishwashers, water heaters and more.
Heys showed me the system his company can install on your water heater. A valve is installed in the pipe where cold water comes into your water heater. A control unit is mounted to the wall and plugged into a power supply and a water sensor is placed under the water heater.
Basically, when the system senses water under the water heater, the valve is automatically closed to stop the water flow.
Picture a leak forming near the top of the water heater. If the water shuts off when the leak starts, the water heater will drain down to that leak-hole and then the leakage will stop. If the water continues to flow into the water heater, it continues to leak. It's a difference of, maybe, 20 gallons versus hundreds. Think of the damage this will prevent. And all for the cost of $300 to $400, installed.
Heys said that the current system is wired, but newer systems are becoming available that are wireless. You can place the shutoff valve on the main inlet pipe to your home and place the wireless sensors throughout your home. That way, when water is detected anywhere, the water flow stops. Pipe dreams
Beyond detecting leaks and preventing floods, what sort of leak prevention or maintenance can you undertake with your water pipes?
Heys said the most important thing you can do is to "make sure your water pressure into the house remains between 55 and 70 psi." He said that's the working range of your faucets and supply lines. "It's like a balloon. The more air inside, the easier it is to pop it," he said.
With the water supply line to your home having a street pressure of up to 125 psi, you rely on your pressure regulator to bring the pressure down for the inside of your home. And, since most pressure regulators do not have gauges on them, you need to test your in-home water pressure periodically. You purchase a gauge at a hardware store and check the pressure at the washing machine hose bibs or at the hose bib that comes out of your home beyond the kitchen.
Pipes are not eternal, especially in the hard-water SCV. Heys said galvanized pipes should last 10 to 30 years, and Type L (medium-thick walled) copper pipes 30 to 50 years. The new "plastic" pipes "are also a 30- to 50-year material." But he noted that copper pipes that run under slabs "tend to fault within a 10 to 30-year period." That's because minute movements in the pipes cause them to rub against pebbles in the soil, which can wear through the walls, eventually.
So how do you know when your pipes are getting weak? With galvanized you usually see a lot of rust in the water, and with copper you might see a lot of flakes of green patina caught in the faucet aerators. "But it could just be a lot of minerals," Heys said.
When galvanized pipes get old they can start to develop pinhole leaks. Heys said that, in single-story homes, you can go up in the attic and look at the pipes. "If you see rust spots, those are examples of where the pipe failed, but sealed itself," he said. Unfortunately, in two-story homes you really can't look at the pipes.
Now, if your home has been around awhile, and you think your pipes might be getting old, you can get some "informed advice." Heys said you need to find a plumber who is familiar with the SCV. For instance, he and his father know all about the various housing tracts in the valley.
They know what kind of pipes were put into those tracts originally and how many of your neighbors have had to re-pipe. One tract he mentioned has copper pipes built into the slab. "If they have a warm spot on the floor, I pretty much know they have a leak," he said.
Heys said other signs of pipe leaks could be wet or crumbling drywall, baseboards that are lifting, or musty smells. Under pressure
If the water pressure into your home is correct, and yet the water pressure out of any or all faucets or shower heads is weak, you may have pipe problems. However, you may only have clogged aerators or shower heads. Take off the aerators and clean them. This may cure the problem. If still in doubt you can remove the shower head completely, for example. You might find you have good pressure behind it. Then just replace the shower head with a new one. Draining thoughts
The pipes carrying the water away from your home can also develop problems, from sink odors to clogs. Heys said you can use a little bleach to help get rid of drain odors and, of course, use drain cleaners when necessary. The bleach should be rinsed out completely afterward and the drain cleaners should be used sparingly and only according to the manufacturer's recommendations. These materials are caustic and have the potential to damage your pipes if used improperly.
When it comes to tough clogs, Heys said you should use a cable-rooter or a jetter. While the cable will only poke holes in the junk inside the pipe, the jetter is a hose that is inserted into the pipes. It sprays high-pressure water and will move everything out.
When it comes to roots clogging up sewer pipes, Heys said you can use Root Destroyer crystals, washed down the drain. "It's basically a weed killer for roots," he said. The roots eventually die, break down, and are washed out of the pipe. However, he said you should not use this if you have a septic tank.
For severe root problems in sewer lines, you may have to eventually replace the sewer line. And if your sewer line runs under a slab or driveway, the process to break or cut the slab, dig the pipe out, replace the pipe and replace the slab can be very costly. However, he said there is a new process called "trenchless sewer repair." In this process a new pipe is pulled through the existing one, "bursting it" and pushing it aside. This requires no trenching and, thusly, no slab repair. Water saving
Leaks are a major source of wasted water, Heys noted. He said toilet leaks are the largest water wasters in the home and are most often caused by the flapper valve ($8) going bad. These can be easily replaced.
When it comes to dripping faucets, Heys noted that newer faucets are washerless. When they start to leak you need to replace the whole cartridge. The problem is that each faucet manufacturer uses its own type of cartridge and they are not interchangeable. If you don't know the make and model of your faucet it is very hard to find the right replacement cartridge.
(Heys said that you can actually calculate how much water you are wasting through dripping faucets at www.theplumber.com/drip_calculator.html.)
With regard to "low-flow" toilets, Heys said the industry standard is now low-flow, at 1.6 gallons per flush. But there are "high efficiency" toilets that use only 1.28 gallons of water per flush. For "flushing issues" there are air-assisted toilets that use the same amount of water per flush (1.6 gallons) but are very hard to clog.
Heys Plumbing is located at 24730 Avenue Tibbitts, #120, Valencia, CA 91355. (661) 294-9393, www.heysplumbing.com.
Mar. 12, 2010 10:41p.m. EST
How to avoid a plumbing nightmare
Jim Walker
The Signal
It started with a small, rusty stain on my garage floor. It kind of looked like someone had dripped some coffee there - although, thinking back now, that was a self-deceiving analysis. Coffee would never look like that. But I went with it, for a while, until I found the stain freshly wet one day. Then I looked up to the white-painted wallboard on the ceiling and saw the rusty wet spot. D'oh! That's right, I had a plumbing leak. And, when I got done digging away the soggy ceiling I realized I had several leaks in the galvanized pipe bringing water into my home. Can you say "re-pipe?" A few weeks and a few grand later, all was back to normal - well, except for the debt. And, actually, I had gotten off fairly easily. No water had leaked inside the house and there was no insurance-worthy water damage anywhere. Others are not so lucky, especially when their leak comes from a washing machine hose and goes unseen for a day or longer because those folks were out of the house. "The washing machine is the number one cause of insurance claims for floods in the home," said Dale Heys, who co-owns Heys Plumbing of Valencia with his father, John Heys. And, more specifically, it's those rubber hoses that bring water to the washing machine that cause the problem. "The hose is, like $10, but when it leaks the flooding can result in a $20,000 insurance claim," Dale Heys said. Heys, who has been curing plumbing problems in the SCV for 18 years (his father for 24) explained how this happens. "An upstairs washing machine (hose) leaking from the time you leave for work in the morning until the time you return can easily flood three rooms downstairs," he said. When this happens you might have to call a "water restoration" company. You might have to get the carpet outside to dry, and wooden floors and baseboard and drywall have to be repaired (and painted). And there can be a whole set of procedures to test for and prevent the growth of toxic mold. Beyond the hassle and cost of the repairs, your family may have to move out of the house during the process. All of this is "chaos for your lives," Heys said. So, with this nightmare as the worst-case scenario, we'll offer some of Heys' insights into caring for your plumbing and, especially preventing floods. With impeccable sense of timing, The Signal brings you our plumbing primer just ahead of the EPA's official "Fix a Leak Week" ( www.epa.gov/watersense/water_efficiency/fix_a_leak.html ). Yes, we're that good. Leak detection/flood prevention
Heys explained that there are now some excellent devices available to detect leaks and warn you about them - and even devices to automatically stop the water flow when the leaks are detected.
On the simpler, cheaper end, you can purchase a basic water alarm (by Gizmode Innovations - you've got to love that!). At about $20, these battery-operated sensors can be placed anywhere in the house, such as under the kitchen or bathroom sink or behind the washing machine. Their little "feet" have wires in them and, when water touches two of the feet, it makes an electrical connection and sets off the alarm. In this way you are warned early-on when a puddle starts forming.
Of course, that warning will only work if you are home. If you are out of the house for the day, or off on vacation, you won't be aware of the leak and can't stop the water flow.
But, to the rescue, comes Floodstop! Floodstop offers systems for washing machine spigots, icemakers/water filters, dishwashers, water heaters and more.
Heys showed me the system his company can install on your water heater. A valve is installed in the pipe where cold water comes into your water heater. A control unit is mounted to the wall and plugged into a power supply and a water sensor is placed under the water heater.
Basically, when the system senses water under the water heater, the valve is automatically closed to stop the water flow.
Picture a leak forming near the top of the water heater. If the water shuts off when the leak starts, the water heater will drain down to that leak-hole and then the leakage will stop. If the water continues to flow into the water heater, it continues to leak. It's a difference of, maybe, 20 gallons versus hundreds. Think of the damage this will prevent. And all for the cost of $300 to $400, installed.
Heys said that the current system is wired, but newer systems are becoming available that are wireless. You can place the shutoff valve on the main inlet pipe to your home and place the wireless sensors throughout your home. That way, when water is detected anywhere, the water flow stops. Pipe dreams
Beyond detecting leaks and preventing floods, what sort of leak prevention or maintenance can you undertake with your water pipes?
Heys said the most important thing you can do is to "make sure your water pressure into the house remains between 55 and 70 psi." He said that's the working range of your faucets and supply lines. "It's like a balloon. The more air inside, the easier it is to pop it," he said.
With the water supply line to your home having a street pressure of up to 125 psi, you rely on your pressure regulator to bring the pressure down for the inside of your home. And, since most pressure regulators do not have gauges on them, you need to test your in-home water pressure periodically. You purchase a gauge at a hardware store and check the pressure at the washing machine hose bibs or at the hose bib that comes out of your home beyond the kitchen.
Pipes are not eternal, especially in the hard-water SCV. Heys said galvanized pipes should last 10 to 30 years, and Type L (medium-thick walled) copper pipes 30 to 50 years. The new "plastic" pipes "are also a 30- to 50-year material." But he noted that copper pipes that run under slabs "tend to fault within a 10 to 30-year period." That's because minute movements in the pipes cause them to rub against pebbles in the soil, which can wear through the walls, eventually.
So how do you know when your pipes are getting weak? With galvanized you usually see a lot of rust in the water, and with copper you might see a lot of flakes of green patina caught in the faucet aerators. "But it could just be a lot of minerals," Heys said.
When galvanized pipes get old they can start to develop pinhole leaks. Heys said that, in single-story homes, you can go up in the attic and look at the pipes. "If you see rust spots, those are examples of where the pipe failed, but sealed itself," he said. Unfortunately, in two-story homes you really can't look at the pipes.
Now, if your home has been around awhile, and you think your pipes might be getting old, you can get some "informed advice." Heys said you need to find a plumber who is familiar with the SCV. For instance, he and his father know all about the various housing tracts in the valley.
They know what kind of pipes were put into those tracts originally and how many of your neighbors have had to re-pipe. One tract he mentioned has copper pipes built into the slab. "If they have a warm spot on the floor, I pretty much know they have a leak," he said.
Heys said other signs of pipe leaks could be wet or crumbling drywall, baseboards that are lifting, or musty smells. Under pressure
If the water pressure into your home is correct, and yet the water pressure out of any or all faucets or shower heads is weak, you may have pipe problems. However, you may only have clogged aerators or shower heads. Take off the aerators and clean them. This may cure the problem. If still in doubt you can remove the shower head completely, for example. You might find you have good pressure behind it. Then just replace the shower head with a new one. Draining thoughts
The pipes carrying the water away from your home can also develop problems, from sink odors to clogs. Heys said you can use a little bleach to help get rid of drain odors and, of course, use drain cleaners when necessary. The bleach should be rinsed out completely afterward and the drain cleaners should be used sparingly and only according to the manufacturer's recommendations. These materials are caustic and have the potential to damage your pipes if used improperly.
When it comes to tough clogs, Heys said you should use a cable-rooter or a jetter. While the cable will only poke holes in the junk inside the pipe, the jetter is a hose that is inserted into the pipes. It sprays high-pressure water and will move everything out.
When it comes to roots clogging up sewer pipes, Heys said you can use Root Destroyer crystals, washed down the drain. "It's basically a weed killer for roots," he said. The roots eventually die, break down, and are washed out of the pipe. However, he said you should not use this if you have a septic tank.
For severe root problems in sewer lines, you may have to eventually replace the sewer line. And if your sewer line runs under a slab or driveway, the process to break or cut the slab, dig the pipe out, replace the pipe and replace the slab can be very costly. However, he said there is a new process called "trenchless sewer repair." In this process a new pipe is pulled through the existing one, "bursting it" and pushing it aside. This requires no trenching and, thusly, no slab repair. Water saving
Leaks are a major source of wasted water, Heys noted. He said toilet leaks are the largest water wasters in the home and are most often caused by the flapper valve ($8) going bad. These can be easily replaced.
When it comes to dripping faucets, Heys noted that newer faucets are washerless. When they start to leak you need to replace the whole cartridge. The problem is that each faucet manufacturer uses its own type of cartridge and they are not interchangeable. If you don't know the make and model of your faucet it is very hard to find the right replacement cartridge.
(Heys said that you can actually calculate how much water you are wasting through dripping faucets at www.theplumber.com/drip_calculator.html.)
With regard to "low-flow" toilets, Heys said the industry standard is now low-flow, at 1.6 gallons per flush. But there are "high efficiency" toilets that use only 1.28 gallons of water per flush. For "flushing issues" there are air-assisted toilets that use the same amount of water per flush (1.6 gallons) but are very hard to clog.
Heys Plumbing is located at 24730 Avenue Tibbitts, #120, Valencia, CA 91355. (661) 294-9393, www.heysplumbing.com.
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