JJ’s Custom Plumbing is currently offering our customers $30 off any drain cleaning services. You do not need to use a coupon in order to receive this discount, our friendly technician’s will simply display your savings on your invoice. Please contact us by calling or simply filling out our contact form.
The bathroom is one of the most important rooms in the house and a well designed bathroom can be practically invaluable.
Bathroom renovations are a great way to turn a worn and outdated space into a highlight in your home. It’s a good idea to leave existing plumbing or electricals in place if you can. A licensed plumbing contractor will be able to advise you if your current system has limitations which may impact the plumbing project. For more information see new home plumbing and home renovation plumbers.
Waterproofers should also be consulted, as waterproofing is crucial to prevent mould build-up and water damaging the structural elements of your home.
Before you begin renovations, see if you can keep any existing fittings. Also keep in mind that you can resurface, rather than replace, the bath or tiles that are in good condition but look a little dated or tired.
Bathroom styles encompass retreat, minimalist, high-tech, utilitarian and colonial. The colour scheme in a bathroom can be an important choice and if you are after a classic look that will always remain in style, consider using neutral colours or whites. Accents can always be added through the use of colourful accessories such as towels, bathmats and ornaments.
If you have a smaller bathroom, you can easily make it look larger through clever use of larger tiles, mirrors to reflect spaces in the room, and tiling from floor to ceiling. Heating is also a consideration, especially in the colder winter months and your options include underfloor heating, heated towel rails, and heating lights.
Water efficiency is becoming a consideration in most areas of Canada now and water efficient fittings such as dual flush toilets and water saving taps and showerheads will save water and means that you’ll be paying significantly less on your water bill.
The kitchen is also one of the most important rooms in the house so it is vital that it is well-planned and the plan is well-executed.
Kitchen renovations can be rather complex, but it’s important to take the time to get things right in your design. Decide if the kitchen will be used primarily for feeding the family or if entertaining guests will be a significant factor. When entertaining, consider how many people will be expected as this will influence how much storage and working space you will need.
Take the time to identify the existing trouble spots. Be specific as this is your chance to improve the kitchen’s functionality. Any kitchen, no matter what style it is, should have ample working and storage space, good lighting, reliable appliances and heaps of power points. Ensure that your new kitchen will maximize storage space wherever possible.
The most important thing within any kitchen is the work triangle. The work triangle is simply the triangle made up by the sink, the cook top and the refrigerator. The distance between these three elements should be no more than ten metres, and should ideally be around seven.
There are many types of kitchens that you can choose to install but the common types are U-shaped, L-shaped, single-line, galley and the island kitchen. Common materials that are used in the kitchen include timber, stainless steel, stone, tiles, laminate, granite, marble and glass. Why not take advantage of these materials to create a look that is uniquely you?
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Rainy season is approaching fast, and during this season it is very common for houses to flood. Help prevent water damage in your house by maintaining your drain tiles and make sure to have them cleaned every 3 years for most houses, and every 2 years for houses in marshland area’s. By maintaining your drain tile system and ensuring that they are not blocked, partially constricted, collapsed, or have root growth in them, you can prevent the stress and cost of dealing with a flood in your basement or crawl space. If your drain tiles are experiencing any of these issue’s, the water table will then be able to rise above the footing of your foundation, putting hydrostatic pressure on the foundation and water will eventually find the path of least resistance into your home, by saturating and seaping through the foundation or even worse causing cracks in the foundation.
If you have just recently purchased a house or are looking to buy, we recommend finding out when the last time the drain tiles were properly inspected and cleaned.
If you would like to set up an appointment to inspect your drain tiles or would like some advice, please feel free to contact us.
JJ’s Custom Plumbing specializes in sewer and drain cleaning services as well as drain tile and sewer line replacements. Please refer to our drain cleaning page for further information on our drain cleaning services.
A quick and easy method is the baking soda and vinegar trick followed by placing ice cubes in the garberator, turning on water and turning on the garberator.
Another option is to make ice cubes with vinegar instead of water and pour a bit of baking soda in the garberator, drop in the vinegar cubes, turn on hot water and the garberator.
The ice cubes will help to clean off the blades of the garberator, while the baking soda and vinegar will help to avoid any smells or fruit fly’s to come from the garberator.
Please note: While we have done our best to offer useful information, these tips are only suggestions. We recommend you ensure you’ve contacted a licensed plumber.
•Kitchen sink drains most often clog because of a buildup of grease or soap scum that traps food particles.
•Soap and hair are often the culprits in bathroom drains.
•Drains can usually be cleared easily and inexpensively, but taking some simple precautions will help you avoid blockages. Proper disposal of kitchen waste will keep sink drain clogs to a minimum.
•Never pour grease down the kitchen sink.
•Never wash coffee grounds down the sink. Instead throw them out.
•Avoid using chemical cleaners, particularly if you have brass, steel, or cast-iron p-traps and/or drain pipes; some caustic chemicals can corrode metal pipes.
•Clean floor drain strainers. (Some tubs, showers, and basement floor drains have strainers that are screwed into the drain opening.) You can easily remove these strainers and reach down into the drain with a bent wire to clear out accumulated debris. And be sure to clean the strainer.
•Clean pop-up stoppers in the bathroom sink and the tub/shower regularly. Lift out sink pop-ups once a month and rinse them off.
•Keep the sewer pipes from the house free of tree roots that may invade them. If roots are a particular problem in your yard, you may need to call in professionals once a year or so to clear the pipes. We will use an electric power auger to cut out the roots.
•Flush the drain-waste and vent systems whenever you go up onto your house roof to clean out downspouts or gutters. Run water from a garden hose into all vents, giving them a minute or two of full flow. Remember to have your vents cleaned properly with a jetter every 5 years to completely clear all build-up and debris in order to avoid blockages and sewage back-up.
Pipe noises range from loud hammering sounds to high-pitched squeaks. The usual causes range from loose pipes, water logged air chambers, or most commonly, water pressure that’s too high (Pressure Regulating Valve should be replaced in this situation.) Anchoring exposed pipes is a simple solution; other remedies such as anchoring pipes concealed inside walls, floors or ceilings, or may call for a professional.
Banging
Pipes are usually anchored with hammer clips or pipe straps every 5 to 7 feet for horizontal runs, 6 to 8 feet for vertical.
•If your pipes bang when you turn on the water, you may need to add straps, cushion the pipes by insulating them, or both.
•When you anchor a pipe-especially a plastic one-leave room for expansion.
•NEVER use galvanized straps on copper pipes.
Squeaking
Only hot water pipes squeak. As the pipe expands, it moves in its clip/strap, and friction causes the squeak.
•Solution: Cushion it as you would a banging pipe.
This noise occurs when you turn off the water at a faucet or an appliance quickly. The water flowing through the pipes slams to a stop, causing a hammering noise.
Check for:
•Loose Pipes
Remedy:
•Anchor the pipes.
Check for:
•Faulty air chambers/Hammer Arresters. These lengths of pipe or cylinders (in the case of hammer arresters,) installed behind fixtures and appliances, hold air that cushions the shock when flowing water is shut off. They can get filled with water and lose their effectiveness.
Remedy:
•To restore air to the chambers, turn off the water at the main shutoff valve. Open all the faucets to drain the system. Close the faucets and turn the water on again. The air chambers should fill with air. (In the case of the hammer arrester if this does not work then they will need to be replaced.)
Check for:
•Water pressure that’s above 70 psi (pounds per square inch).
Remedy:
•To lower the pressure, install a Pressure Regulating Valve (PRV.) Give us a call if you do not feel comfortable in doing this yourself.
• In houses that were built in the late 80’s to the late 90’s and have grey plastic (poly-b) waterlines it is highly recommended to change your PRV every 8 years to avoid waterlines bursting.
Please note: While we have done our best to offer useful information, these tips are only suggestions. We recommend you ensure you’ve contacted a licensed plumber.
Homeowners who used to simply turn down the thermostat in a vacated house for the winter are now closing down the plumbing system because of prohibitively high energy costs. Winterizing your plumbing is a virtually cost-free alternative to frozen pipes.
•Turn off the main shutoff valve or have the water company turn off service to the house.
•Starting at the top floor, open all faucets, both indoors and outside.
•When the last of the water has dripped from the taps, open the plug at the main shutoff valve if possible (you may have to contact the water company), and let it drain.
•Turn off the power or gas to the water heater and open its drain valve.
•To freeze proof the system, empty toilet bowls and tanks.
•Remove the clean out plugs on all sink traps or remove the traps, if necessary.
•Once emptied, replace them and fill with plumbing antifreeze mixed with water in the proportions specified for car in your climate.
•You won’t be able to drain tub and shower taps. Instead, add at least a full quart of antifreeze.
•Don’t put antifreeze into a dishwasher or clothes washer.
•If your home has a basement floor drain or a main house trap, fill each with full-strength antifreeze
What to do about Clogged Drains
Before trying any drain-clearing methods on a plugged drain, check that the tub’s pop-up stopper is opening fully and is free of hair and debris. If the stopper isn’t the problem, then the drainpipe is probably clogged. First, try a plunger or chemical drain cleaner.
If these fail to do the job, you’ll have to clear the trap with a snake.
•Most tubs have a P trap in the drain. In some homes, the tub may have a drum rubber gasket.
•Using a snake in a tub P trap is much like snaking out a sink trap. If you have a drum trap, first try snaking it clear through the tub overflow.
•If that doesn’t work, bailout all the standing water from the tub.
•Then, using an adjustable-end wrench, unscrew the trap cover slowly.
•Have rags ready for any water that wells up.
•Remove the cover, bail out and clean the trap.
•If, after this, water does not well up, snake toward the tub; if water does well up, snake toward he main drain.
If you can’t reach the clog from the trap, it’s probably deeper in the main drain. At which point it would be best to have one of our friendly technicians come and take a look.
At JJ’s Custom Plumbing, we take pride in providing our customers with honest and reliable information; to provide proper, long-term solutions for your plumbing needs. We pride ourselves in giving you, the customer, peace of mind and long-term solutions, thus allowing us to honour and back all of our workmanship with warranties on all labour that we provide.
As stated at the awards show, “It is no surprise that Justin Johnson of JJ’s Custom Plumbing is up for the “Service Award”; He provides such great customer service that his company is one of the highest rated plumbing companies in the Lower Mainland according to the Better Business Bureau. Johnson listens to clients’ needs, suggests possible solutions, provides high quality workmanship, gives DIY (Do It Yourself) ideas and provides a one-year warranty on all workmanship. “