Brooks Plumbing Co. Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

Solutions for Strange Smells Coming from Your Sink

Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

The foul smell emanating from your kitchen or bathroom sinks… you know that can’t be right, and you also want it fixed as soon as you can. There are a number of reasons that sink odors can begin, and some of them are simple to fix, while others may require extensive plumbing excavation.

Below, we’ve listed some of the ways that you can solve the problem of a bad-smelling sink. The method that works will depend on the reason the problem started. When you feel in any doubt about what to do, call on Brooks Plumbing in Olympia, WA for fast, professional assistance.

Here Are Three Ways to Stop Those Sink Smells

Run water down a sink with a dry p-trap: If the sink that has the terrible odors coming from it is one that has not seen recent use—such as a sink in a guest room—then the reason for the bad smell is probably that the p-trap under the sink has dried up. The p-trap is the curved portion of the drainpipe, and it is designed to catch a plug of water inside it that prevents sewage gas from coming back up through the drain. If the p-trap water evaporates, nothing will prevent sewage gas from entering your home. All you need to do to is run water down the drain for a few minutes to restore the water plug.
Call plumbers for repairs to the drain vents: Drain vents are responsible for removing the sewer gases inside the wastewater system and releasing them up through openings on the roof. If these vents should become blocked from animal nests or debris, the pressure will force the sewer gases up through the drainpipes, even pushing through the p-trap (creating a noticeable gurgling sound). Do not go up to the roof to try to clear the vents; call plumbing professionals to safely handle the job.
Have drain cleaning performed: Odoriferous sinks can be suffering from excessive build-up of organic deposits. This not only leads to unpleasant smells, but also increases the chances of clogs and will cause a dangerous increase in water pressure inside the plumbing. To handle the job of cleaning drains, you need to leave the acidic and toxic store-bought chemicals on the shelves and instead call in experienced plumbers to handle full service drain cleaning that will give you sparkling clean plumbing once again.

An Important Caution about Sink Smells

If you are experiencing bad odors from many different drains at once, the problem might lie inside the sewer line—and this requires extensive and immediate repairs from professionals before it leads to sewage backup into your home. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking sewer smells from a sink are only a minor inconvenience! Call for local Olympia plumbers right away if the simple step of pouring water down a dry sink doesn’t solve the trouble.

Since 1994, Brooks Plumbing has taken pride in delivering “Quality in Everything We Do.” Whatever you need to fix your sink and drain troubles, we can handle it.

Tags: Olympia, Plumbing
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on Solutions for Strange Smells Coming from Your Sink

What Happens When Your Plumbing Springs a Leak

Friday, June 27th, 2014

The municipal water system and wastewater disposal systems are the responsibility of the local utility company. When leaks spring up, the utility company will sends technicians to take care of the problem. But inside your house, the pipes are your responsibility, so when you discover a leak or suspect there’s one occurring, you need to call for professional plumbers to come to your assistance. As we’ll explain in this post, leaks are serious problems in more ways than one, and they need remedy as soon as possible.

When you are in need skilled plumbing services in Olympia, WA, contact Brooks Plumbing. Since 1994, we worked hard to provide the highest quality plumbing to our customers. We will locate and fix whatever leaks are endangering your plumbing.

Here’s what happens with leaking… and why it’s such a problem

If you spot a major water leak in an exposed pipe, like the pipes directly under a sink, you know that you have a major problem that needs repair immediately. Shut off the water main (make sure you know where it is ahead of time; in fact, go find out right now) and call for trained plumbers.

However, the leaks you don’t see—even the smallest ones—are also major dangers. The first problem they cause is water waste. A tiny leak in a water pipe that only drips three times a minute can still waste 70 gallons in a month! That will show up as a steep price increase on your water bills.

A leak will also begin to pool and cause damage to building material. The water will warp wood and encourage wood rot. Mildew growth is especially destructive, since it eats right through drywall. If you notice any spots of discoloration on your walls, shifted floorboards, or mold and mildew developing in corners, call for plumbers right away to find the leak and fix it before your home sustains damage.

Finally, leaks are insidious: they spread. Once leaking starts, it will change the pressure in the pipes and cause more leaks to follow. Plumbers who come to fix leaking issues will always take the time to see if additional leaks are occurring elsewhere—they know how fast the issue spreads.

What to do if you suspect a leak

Whether you know you have a leak or suspect that you do, first shut off the water main and then open up the taps near the leak (this is to reduce pressure which will help prevent flooding). Place towels where necessary to absorb the escaping waste. Now… leave the tools in the garage and instead call for professional plumbers. If you have leaks in your plumbing in Olympia, WA, call Brooks Plumbing and let our 20 years of experience take care of the problem.

Tags: Olympia, Plumbing
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on What Happens When Your Plumbing Springs a Leak

Why You Should Replace Your Plumbing During a Bathroom Remodel

Monday, June 23rd, 2014

Remodeling a bathroom involves different stages and tasks, from the more mundane jobs of removing old fixtures and attaching the plumbing connections for the new ones, to the exciting design choices for new floor material and sink and shower types.

There’s one part of a remodeling job that isn’t mandatory, but which we highly recommend you integrate into you Olympia, WA bathroom remodel when you schedule it: full plumbing replacement.

Does this sound like an unnecessary hassle in an already large-scale job? It isn’t as time-consuming or difficult as you imagine, especially with expert plumbers and bathroom remodeling specialists like the team at Brooks Plumbing handling it. And there are some very good reasons to decide to make pipe replacement one of the essential steps.

Reasons pipe replacement is a good idea during a remodel

Keep in mind the age of the plumbing in your home. If you are at the point where you need to have a bathroom remodeled, it’s probably because you have an older house that needs upgrades. For a home older than 1970, the pipe material is likely aged and in need of replacement. Homes built before 1970 often used galvanized steel pipes instead of copper, CPVC, or PEX pipes. Galvanized steel is durable, but also prone to corrosion over time, and you should have it replaced at any opportunity you can. Since a remodel in your bathroom will expose the pipes, it is much easier and less time-consuming to have the replacements done as part of remodeling.

Another reason to replace plumbing is that it frees up the design process for the remodel. If the remodelers have to work around existing pipes, it limits their options for rearranging the bathroom and putting fixtures in different locations. If the remodelers can change out the plumbing entirely, it opens up the process to more extensive re-design concepts.

Working with plumbing remodelers

The bathroom remodeling team at Brooks Plumbing will work with you from the earliest planning stages of your remodel all the way to the finishing touches. You can also call us to talk about the basics of having a bathroom remodel in Olympia, WA to get you started with your project. Whatever you need to create the new bathroom your home needs, you can rely on the professional and experienced staff at Brooks Plumbing. And if you are planning on replacing the plumbing are part of the remodel, keep us in mind, because we have years of work performing whole-house repiping jobs.

Tags: Bathroom Remodeling, Olympia
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on Why You Should Replace Your Plumbing During a Bathroom Remodel

What Is Water Hammer and Is It Reason for Plumbing Repair?

Monday, June 16th, 2014

The name “water hammer” sounds vaguely threatening, perhaps even intimidating. It refers to a phenomenon that can occur in your plumbing that creates a distinct sound—it doesn’t refer to any knocking sound that your plumbing might make, contrary to popular belief.

Although water hammer is a surprising noise to hear, is it a reason for you to be concerned? Should you call for repairs on your pipes when it happens? We’ll take a look at these questions more closely in this post.

Whatever is causing water hammer in your pipes, you can find reliable plumbing repair in Olympia, WA from the experts at Brooks Plumbing. We’ve served the Olympia area since 1994, and we stand by our motto: “Quality in Everything We Do.”

Water Hammer: What It Is, What It May Mean

Water hammer occurs when an open tap abruptly shuts and the rapidly-moving water comes to a sudden halt inside the pipes. The water creates a shockwave that produces a noticeable sound like someone hitting the inside of the pipes with a hammer.

But this doesn’t happen every time you suddenly shut off a tap; there is a specific reason that water hammer is unusual. Plumbing contains air chambers inside it, and this cushion of air softens the impact of the movement of water so that hammering doesn’t occur. If water hammer suddenly starts to sound in your pipes, then something might have gone wrong to eliminate the air chambers. To prevent water hammer, these water-logged air chambers will need to be drained, after which they will re-fill with water.

One of the reasons that air chambers become clogged is that build-up of limescale or chemicals inside them will prevent the chambers from properly draining. In situations like this, you need to call for plumbers. Professionals can clean out the chambers and find the source of the limescale and chemicals.

You cannot allow water hammer to continue, thinking of it only as a mild inconvenience. These shockwaves are damaging to plumbing, causing the failure of fittings or creating burst pipes. Keep in mind that without the air chambers, the water pressure inside the pipes will be too high, and this will lead to numerous problems inside the plumbing.

Professional plumbers will find ways to reduce the pressure inside the pipe of your home; sometimes this involves installing air chambers or globe valves. Plumbers are accustomed to these repairs, so they will find the source of the issue quickly and have it taken care of.

Brooks Plumbing can remove your troubles with water hammer. For plumbing repair service in Olympia, WA, trust to our skilled staff of plumbers to handle it.

Tags: Olympia, Plumbing Repair
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on What Is Water Hammer and Is It Reason for Plumbing Repair?

3 Causes of Garbage Disposal Clogs

Friday, May 30th, 2014

Considering how much work kitchen garbage disposals does on a daily basis, it seems they should breakdown and stop working more than they do. Thanks to the sturdy construction of modern garbage disposals, most will keep working for many years despite sometimes having objects go down them that should never go down them. (Example: popcorn kernels. A good rule of thumb is that if you can’t chew it, your garbage disposal can’t either.)

However, you can rarely escape garbage disposal clogs forever. When your disposal stops working, don’t make the mistake of trying to put your hand down the drain to “dislodge” whatever has stopped it. Try the reset switch on the bottom of the unit first, and if that doesn’t work, call for a professional plumber to safely and effectively fix the problem.

Brooks Plumbing has 20 years of experience with repairs for kitchen plumbing. If you need help with your garbage disposal in Olympia, WA, make us your first call.

3 of the reasons for garbage disposal clogs

Liquid fat, oil, grease (FOG): Perhaps no other food product in a kitchen can do as much damage to a disposal than these hot liquids. They seem innocuous enough when poured down a drain, but once they dry they solidify into tough waxy substances that will start to coat the drainpipe and restrict water flow. In a disposal, they will soon jam up the mechanical parts and prevent drainage. Plumbers will need to clean out the drains and the clean the interior of the disposal.
Actual garbage: Don’t let the name fool you! A garbage disposal is never for inorganic garbage. Plastics, paper, tin foil, etc. all go in a true garbage receptacle. In the garbage disposal. They will quickly jam it up. There’s also some organic garbage that shouldn’t go here (see the rule above about chewable material): fruit pits and seeds, popcorn kernels, bones, eggshells. Another concern is coffee grounds, which will become caught in the garbage disposal’s trap, leading to clogs. Place coffee grounds in the garbage or a composting bucket.
Pasta: Surprised? The trouble with pasta is that it expands in water. If it goes into a garbage disposal, it can become caught in the disposal trap, or it might remain in the pipe and continue to expand until it creates a clog. This also applies to rice, which expands in water.

You should have few troubles from your home’s garbage disposal if you refrain from putting the above objects down the drain. But if you still run across a repair problem with your garbage disposal in Olympia, WA, contact Brooks Plumbing. We promise quality in everything we do.

Tags: Garbage Disposal, Olympia
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on 3 Causes of Garbage Disposal Clogs

3 Different Ways to Clean Your Drains

Wednesday, April 30th, 2014

Be honest: when you first read the title of this post, did you immediately think of a bottle of liquid drain cleaner, the type sitting on a grocery store shelf near the mops and sponges? That’s what most people conjure up in their heads when they hear “drain cleaning.”

But the truth is that there are few methods worse for cleaning your drains than using a store-bough bottle of corrosive, toxic chemicals. These liquids will damage your drains, leave behind poisonous fumes, and can hurt your skin and eyes. Avoid them at all costs.

Let’s look at three ways that professional plumbers will handle cleaning your drains. These methods not only won’t damage the drains (or you) but do a much more thorough and dependable cleaning job. For a plumbing company that can offer you superb drain cleaning in Olympia, WA, call Brooks Plumbing today.

Effective Methods for Draining Cleaning

Drain snakes: Think of drain snakes (also known as “drain augers”) as long corkscrews that can go down a drain pipe and drill into a thick clog. The twisting action of the metal ends of a drain snake screw into blockage, and then either removes the block or breaks it up. Although you can purchase manual drain snakes from hardware stores, you should allow a professional plumber armed with a motorized drain snake to take care of those clogs you can’t remove with a standard plunger.
Hydro-jetting: This drain cleaning method uses high-pressure blasts of scalding hot water from a nozzle to scour the inside of drains. Hydro-jetting is extremely effective at breaking up clogs, but also at fully cleansing drain interiors of grease, fat, oil, soap scum residue, and all the other sorts of debris that will build up inside drains over time and lead to further clogging and spikes in pressure. Because of the potential danger of high-pressure water involved in hydro-jetting, leave this job to trained plumbers with the right protective gear.
Targeted cleaning with video pipe inspection: This last one isn’t so much a drain cleaning method as it is an approach to effective drain cleaning. Video pipe inspection equipment is the result of miniaturization technology that allows a plumber to send a small digital video camera with a LED light down into plumbing at the end of a length of fiber-optic cable. The camera returns a video feed to a monitor that allows a plumber to examine problems with drains and where they are located. This is useful for targeted drain cleaning that must address specific issues. Video pipe inspection eliminates the guesswork that once went into drain cleaning, streamlining the process to save time, money, and materials.

If you need a heavy clog cleared away, or if you want cleaner plumbing in general, call Brooks Plumbing today. We offer expert drain cleaning in Olympia, WA with the finest technology available.

Tags: Drain Cleaning, Olympia
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on 3 Different Ways to Clean Your Drains

Why Trust Professionals When It Comes to Drain Snakes

Tuesday, April 29th, 2014

Drain clogs occur more often than any plumbing issue, and so homeowners want to have solutions on hand to eliminate them quickly. A plunger will often do the job for basic blockages in sinks, showers, and bathtubs. But if the plunger fails, people ill often reach for one of two other tools: chemical drain cleaners and drain snakes.

Let us make this very clear: Do not use chemical drain cleaners on drain clogs! (Or anything else in your pipes.) The acidic action of these chemicals can cause severe harm to your drains, and they leave behind toxic residue that isn’t good for you either.

Drain snakes on the other hand… these are excellent tools for removing or breaking up clogs. You can purchase them in hardware stores and most large general merchandize stores. However, you should leave them on the shelf and turn to professionals when you need drain snaking.

For drain cleaning in Olympia, WA from a plumber armed with the best drain snakes and other unclogging tools, call Brooks Plumbing.

The reason you should allow plumbers to take care of handling drain snakes is that misuse of the standard commercial drain snake could damage the inside of pipes. Most commercial-grade drain snakes (also called drain augers) use manual cranks to turn the coils of the line that corkscrew into the clog to either withdraw it or break it apart. This manual power is often inadequate for the task, and if you’re unused to operating a drain snake, they can scratch the pipe interior.

Professional plumbers use more advanced manual drain snakes and have the training to get the job done without harming your pipes. They also use powered drain snakes, which are hooked up to electric- or gas-powered motors, to handle the difficult clogs. There are few drain blocks that a powered drain snake can’t handle—but few people can handle a powered drain snake without the right training. (They’re also too expensive and bulky for most consumer use; it’s less expensive to hire a professional plumber than to purchase a mechanical drain snake.)

A drain snake is not the only way a plumber can eliminate serious drain clogs. When a plumber comes to your home, he or she will inspect the pipes and the clog (often using video inspection equipment) and figure out the best way to tackle the problem. Rely on their expertise rather than troubleshooting the issue on your own and possibly coming up with the wrong solution.

For the drain cleaning in Olympia, WA that clears the clogs and keeps them from coming back, trust to the 20 years of experience at Brooks Plumbing.

Tags: Drain Cleaning, Olympia
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on Why Trust Professionals When It Comes to Drain Snakes

3 Basic Considerations of Bathroom Remodeling

Friday, April 4th, 2014

We often give little thought to how much use our bathroom receives through the day. But after you have a full remodel done, you’ll understand how central it is—and how much better it is thanks to the work of professional remodelers. A complete bathroom remodeling job is an excellent way to enhance your life.

A bathroom remodel doesn’t have to occur just on the surface, with new cabinets, faucets, wallpapers, and window frames. With the right plumbers working on the remodel, you can re-vamp the basic way that the room functions so you’ll have fewer future repairs and lower water bills. Here are 3 basic ideas for remodeling your bathroom that you might overlook.

Our specialists in bathroom remodeling in Olympia, WA at Brooks Plumbing can help you with these upgrades and many more. Contact us today to start designing your ideal new bathroom.

Replace your pipes: During a bathroom remodel, the construction work exposes most of the plumbing. This provides an excellent opportunity to replace aging or outdated pipes, such as galvanized steel pipes that may have started to corrode. The remodelers can also put in flexible and easy-flow plastic CPVC piping, which will permit more creative re-design concepts that won’t have to work around fixed rigid pipes.
Install a low-flow toilet: Standard toilets consume a large amount of water with each flush. Your standard toilet probably uses between 4 to 7 gallons of water each time you pull the handle. But if you have a low-flow toilet put in during a remodel, you can reduce water waste a tremendous amount: current low-flow models consume around 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Factored over a year, or even a month, that translates into enormous savings in water use.
Upgrade your tub: The largest new installation you can make in a bathroom is a new bathtub/shower, so you’ll feel tempted to leave your current one in. But this is a good chance to upgrade both the look of your bathroom and the quality of your time in the tub. Contoured tubs, whirlpool tubs, water jet tubs, or even a retro-free standing tub are all possibilities for your remodel that may fit your vision for a new bathroom.

Professional bathroom remodeling

Brooks Plumbing offers full-service bathroom remodeling in Olympia, WA. We can handle all the plumbing and repiping you need, and install any new fixture you desire. To help guide you, we offer a wide range of fixtures from which to choose, and our staff of experts will help you select the furnishings that will work best together. We can make your remodeling move smoothly and quickly toward a final product that will meet or even exceed your expectations.

Tags: Bathroom Remodeling, Olympia
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on 3 Basic Considerations of Bathroom Remodeling

Plumbing Considerations to Make During Kitchen Remodeling

Monday, March 31st, 2014

The kitchen is often located at the heart of a house, and you may find that your family spends as much time gathered in the kitchen as in any other room. It’s not only an area for food storage and preparation; it’s part of your family’s daily social routine. Remodeling your kitchen, whether for a fresh surface appearance, to increase its size, to add new appliances, or for all of these reasons, will help enhance your life.

Kitchen restoration goes deeper than cabinets and countertops. The plumbing is part of the process, and you should take a few things about it into consideration when you plan for a kitchen remodel.

Brooks Plumbing can help you with the plumbing changes and upgrades when you have kitchen remodeling done in Olympia, WA. We’ve assisted homeowners with plumbing, from pipe installation to leak detection, since 1994.

What to consider during kitchen remodeling for your plumbing

Complete repiping: If you live in an older home (usually pre-‘60s), you may have outdated pipes made from galvanized steel. Although steel is hardy and durable, it also corrodes with time. During the period that you have your pipes exposed in the kitchen for the remodeling, have plumbers perform state-of-the-art plumbing replacement to change out steel pipes for copper, CPVC, or PEX plastic pipes that will last for many years without degrading.
Upgrade your fixtures: You need plumbers to handle adding new fixtures like sinks and faucets for your kitchen remodel. (And, if you don’t already have a garbage disposal, place this at the top of your list of priorities for new fixtures.) Skilled plumbers can help you determine which fixtures will work the best for the remodel.
Add water filtration: During a remodel is an ideal time to put in under-sink water filtration, which will help you get higher quality water from the faucet than you would from unfiltered tap water coming from the municipal supply.
Go “tankless” for your water heater: Another opportunity that a kitchen remodel offers is a time to take out your old storage water heater and install a tankless model that only heats up water as you need it, saving you on your utility bills each month.

Talk to expert plumbers about your remodel

When you call up Brooks Plumbing about your kitchen remodeling in Olympia, WA, we’ll lay out a plan and a timeline so you will know what work we’re doing and what other places you might want to add conveniences. Make your kitchen remodeling a chance to enhance your life in many different ways: work with experienced plumbers.

Tags: Kitchen Remodeling, Olympia
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on Plumbing Considerations to Make During Kitchen Remodeling

Why You Should Never Conduct Plumbing Repairs Yourself

Thursday, March 27th, 2014

When it comes to home plumbing, many people fancy themselves DIY experts because they have a box of wrenches, some extra gaskets, and the willpower to get jobs done inexpensively on their own. Self-sufficiency and economy are admirable goals… but there are some important reasons why you need to leave plumbing repairs any more complex than using a sink plunger to trained professionals, as we’ll explain.

Finding dedicated and skilled plumbers to handle any repairs for plumbing in Tumwater, WA is simple: call up Brooks Plumbing, where our skilled team has helped keep plumbing healthy since 1994. We aim for “Quality in Everything We Do.”

Why you must leave plumbing repairs to professionals

Professionals have the right tools: A box of different-sized wrenches does not a professional plumber make. Contemporary plumbing requires a range of high-end equipment that goes beyond wrenches. For example, professional plumbers use hydro-jetters and mechanical drain snakes to handle clogs, and to locate leaks they use intricate sound equipment and pressure sensors. All of this equipment is expensive and difficult to operate, so you should only trust professionals when it comes to repairs.
Professionals have the time and dedication: Unless you are a professional plumber, you won’t have the time and focus necessary to handle important plumbing tasks. (Not to mention that, without proper training, it will take you much longer to do any repairs.) Professional plumbers will dedicate their time and effort to making sure you have the best repairs necessary.
Professionals will protect your home: Amateur plumbing repair poses a major risk to your home if it goes wrong. Plumbing errors can lead to leaking and even flooding, causing a chain reaction of problems that will cause you to need to call up professionals eventually. Avoid potential catastrophes in your plumbing and bring on the experts from the beginning.
Professionals will save you money: In plumbing, DIY will rarely cut down on your costs—it will create more costs because of the need for additional repairs, the drain on your time, and the potential to waste water from improperly executed work. Hiring a professional will cut down on later expenses.

So when you need leaky pipes fixed, a water heater replaced, or a tough clog cleared, don’t reach for a tool belt… reach for the phone instead and call Brooks Plumbing. We can perform repairs for your plumbing in Tumwater, WA that will keep your water flowing.

Tags: Plumbing Repair, Tumwater
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on Why You Should Never Conduct Plumbing Repairs Yourself