When You Call For Plumbing Service, You’ll See The Great, New Technologies We Use | Irving, TX
If you’re anticipating plumbing work, you’re probably thinking about the stories you’ve heard from your family and others, detailing the old-school ways of finding leaks, replacing sewer lines, and clearing drains. Messy and very hands-on methods are being replaced by technology and new materials that have made plumbers’ lives much easier in some ways, and so have allowed plumbing service work to be less disruptive for homeowners. At Tioga Plumbing & Electric, we serve Irving, TX and the surrounding area with a great team of plumbers who train hard on the old school methods and traditional plumbing detective work, and also understand and use new technologies that make some of the toughest plumbing service jobs a lot easier and less messy. Those old plumbing service stories are great to hear because modern plumbing stories are often much less dramatic.
Homing in On Trouble with Modern Leak Detection
While we don’t yet have X-ray vision that will let us see leaks in your walls, but our plumbing service does have technologies that allow us to narrow down the source considerably, so we don’t have to make so many cuts in the wall, floor, or even concrete to try to locate the leak. In the past, hunting down a leak was a tough process, but damage from a leak can be extensive and involve mold and other hazards, so it’s important to find the source and take care of it. Doubling the challenge is the fact that water often pools in the walls, run along pipes, and has other ways of traveling before it appears as a damp area on the wall or ceiling, concealing the actual source. Modern leak detection plumbing service procedures include devices that listen for the sound of water under pressure leaking out of a pipe and calculate the distance from the device sensor to the problem. These are a huge help for leaks under the concrete slab, as you can imagine. Our plumbing service team also uses video inspection gear for both water supply leaks and drain leaks, checking the condition of the pipe so we can tell what kind of leak it is, from damage or corrosion, and whether there are likely to be more leaks in that or similar pipes.
Making Your Pipes Clean on the Inside with Drain Cleaning
Video inspection gear is also part of our drain cleaning process, both when we respond to a drain clog or backup and when we perform a whole-house drain cleaning plumbing service. For the single-clog service, we can identify the cause of the clog and deploy the appropriate countermeasures, including mechanical methods that break up the clog and let it head down the pipe and high-pressure hydro-jetting that uses thousands of PSI to pressure wash the insides of your pipe and break the clog-free, washing it down the pipe and providing plenty of water to keep it moving. Many clogs arise from not enough water to keep the pipes clear, especially the horizontal runs of drain pipes which should be slightly tilted to encourage drainage, but sometimes that’s not enough. With our techniques, we can discover both the clogs that result when someone drops something in the sink drain, shower, or toilet and those that have been building further down the line. When we use this combination of methods as part of a whole-house drain cleaning, we not only clear existing debris that’s slowing your drains, we clean out potential clogs in the making before they cause problems.
Pipe Replacement and Repiping
Pipe replacement is more complex than it might seem because the materials and joining techniques are critical for success. One common problem in the past, before the use of plastic pipes, is the interaction of dissimilar metals not only between pipes but any metals that come in contact with the pipes such as hangers and fasteners. Between certain metals, a chemical reaction occurs that produces corrosion, resulting in unexpected leaks down the road. The methods of soldering, gluing, and tightening plumbing joints, especially in tight spaces, have always been a challenge, and many innovations are making it easier to do a top-quality job when we replace a damaged or corroded pipe or joint. After decades of service, most pipe materials degrade, some faster than others such as certain plastic types and metals subject to accelerated corrosion from hard water. When it looks like there is a risk of multiple leaks and other problems arising from the corrosion, we advise repiping, which is becoming a common service as homes from earlier building booms age. New technologies make this a more straightforward practice, too.
Water-Saving and Convenient Modern Fixtures
Many homeowners who decide to repipe their homes also upgrade their fixtures at the same time and are surprised at all the advantages new higher-pressure but lower-flow showerheads and toilet mechanisms offer. Sink faucets include ceramic washers to reduce leaking and easy or even automatic controls.
Sewer and Water Line Repair Options
One of the biggest concerns for homeowners is the cost and disruption should the sewer line or water supply line crossing their yard need servicing. In the past, problems usually meant pipe replacement, with a trench dug across the yard, pavement cuts to access the city line, and other disruptions. Now, “trenchless” techniques allow patching or relining sewer pipes and similar repairs to water lines, based on video inspection results.
Your Advanced Professional Plumbers Serving the Irving, TX Area
We’re glad to share the news that today’s plumbing service methods are not as invasive as those of the past. We also have many new plumbing techniques that happen behind the scenes to make our work more efficient and effective. At Tioga Plumbing & Electric, we’re always advancing our professional standards to provide our customers in Irving, TX, and beyond with the best plumbing service. Give us a call and find out what we can do for you.
Photo By John T Takai at Shutterstock