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Start the New Year with Clean Drains!

Drain Cleaning 101 for 2021

Homeowners might not think of drains as a place to start the New Year’s resolutions off, but it’s a perfect place to start. Drains are the hidden highways and byways of the home’s fluids and sewage that often go unrecognized by the household until the drains suddenly stop working.

Like any other vital system of the home, the drains need a little TLC during the year. Uncared for drains collect debris and damage and will start warning homeowners when enough is enough, and a good cleaning is required. Keep reading to discover how to navigate the ins and outs of drain cleaning for the home.

Warning Signs Drains Need Cleaned

Drains will give several warning signs that they need attention.

Keep an eye out for these signals coming from the drains:

Slow Drains: Does it take the bathtub forever to drain? Does the sink empty slower than a slug? The drains are probably plugged or clogged. Slow drains are a sure sign that the drains need cleaning.
Stinky Drains: Are strange odors coming from the drains? Does the tub smell like a swamp? The drains may have unsavory bacteria growing on piles of gunk plugging up the drains. Call a plumber, stat, to get those smells taken care of.
Gurgling Noises: Is there a gurgling, glugging sound coming from the sink and tub as they drain? Something is slowing them down and creating air bubbles, leading to strange sounds. Cleaning the drains of any debris or clogs should fix the issue.
Liquid Drain Cleaner Overload: If the drains are getting treated to an over the counter drain cleaner from the grocery store’s plumbing aisle once a month or more, the drains need to be professionally cleaned. Store-bought drain cleaners can’t handle large clumps or excessive buildup, and will only give homeowners a false sense of reassurance. Additionally, for older homes, they can cause pipe damage as well.

Drain Cleaning Benefits

Here are some benefits of clean drains:

Keeps the Drains Flowing: When drains are regularly cleaned professionally, buildup and clogs are less likely to occur. Pipes will drain efficiently with regular cleaning.
Prevents Annoying Noises: Blocks and clogs in drain lines can lead to annoying sounds. Screeching, gurgling, and banging can all occur as water tries to drain through a blocked pipe. Cleaning can prevent a chorus of sounds from escaping the pipes.
Prevents Odors, Mold, and Mildew: Clogged pipes collect bacteria and spores like nothing else. If the clogs are allowed to exist, mold and mildew can grow, and disgusting smells can start floating out of the drains.
Saves Money: Pipes that are regularly cleaned will last longer and save homeowners the cost of repiping a home.

Basic Drain Maintenance How-To

Homeowners should schedule a drain cleaning at least once a year, though twice a year is preferred for homes with pets or more than a couple occupants and for areas with excessive sediment in the water that can promote clogs and corrosion.

Homeowners can keep their cleaned drains cleaner for longer by following these tips:

Watch What They Flush: Don’t send grease or coffee grounds down the kitchen sink, and keep any foreign objects out of the toilet that isn’t toilet paper or bodily waste.
Protect Tub and Shower Drains: Install hair-guards and strainers in the bathtub and shower drains to prevent foreign materials from getting down the drain.
Flush Drains Weekly: Even if a guest-bath or sink isn’t used often, run hot water through every sink and drain in the house once a week. This prevents foul odors from escaping the drains and keeps debris moving through the drains.

Taking care of the drains with the help of a professional will ensure the home’s plumbing system runs in tip-top shape for the New Year!

About Daniel Cordova Plumbing

Homeowners in West Covina, CA don’t need to look far for a reputable plumber. The team at Daniel Cordova Plumbing has the expertise and skills necessary to handle any plumbing project that comes their way. Contact them to schedule plumbing services in West Covina, CA today!

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Celebrate Your Water Heater This Holiday Season

A Quick Background on Water Heaters

As their name suggests, water heaters are the home appliance responsible for heating the warm water from the tap and shower. In the US, most residential water heaters are of the storage tank variety, where water is constantly heated using gas or electricity. Their volume can vary from 2 to 10 gallons. Another kind of water heater is the tankless water heater. Tankless heaters heat water from the water line on-demand, saving energy compared to their storage tank counterparts.

In this article, plumbing experts help homeowners understand these systems and why they should care for them – especially this holiday season.

How Do Plumbers Solve Some of the Most Common Water Heater Issues?

Water heaters are an unsung hero in the home. They’re not often thought about, but it’s immediately noticeable when an issue arises. When a water heater issue crops up, it’s important to quickly diagnose the problem and contact a professional for service or replacement.

Here a few of the common water heater problems and how a plumber can help fix them:

No hot water: If a water heater isn’t making hot water, the first step is to check the pilot light or the fuse box, depending on how the heater generates its power. If there are no problems with the power source, the plumber may need to fix the heating element or recommend replacing the water heater itself.
Too little hot water: If the water heater isn’t making enough hot water, the first thing a plumber would do is check to ensure the thermostat is at the appropriate temperature. Otherwise, the tank may be too small for the household’s needs, or the heater has a faulty heating element. Either way, it’s wise to replace the water heater in this instance.
Puddles forming around the heater: This is the most common water heater problem and is a symptom of many potential issues. The plumbing connections may be too loose or failing, the tank may be corroded, or the temperature and pressure valve may be faulty and failing to regulate the pressure inside the tank.

These situations indicate serious issues with the water heater and replacement will likely be the option recommended by the plumber.

What Is the Typical Water Heater Lifespan?

Water heaters play a significant role in any residential home, so their durability is one of their most essential characteristics. Storage tank water heaters typically can last between 8 and 12 years. Tankless water heaters can last about 20 years on their original components. As a water heater nears the end of its lifespan, it’s imperative to call a professional and prepare to replace it.

Why Replace a Storage Tank Water Heater With a Tankless Water Heater?

More and more modern homes are built with tankless water heaters, and many plumbers recommend replacing a tanked water heater with a tankless heater when the time comes. Tankless heaters offer several benefits over water heaters of the storage tank variety.

These benefits include:

Instant Hot Water: Because tankless water heaters are heating water directly from the waterline, they can provide hot water on demand.
Last Longer: Storage tank water heaters have a lifespan of about a decade, but tankless water heaters typically last twice as long. Additionally, they’re more simple to fix than a traditional water heater because it’s easier to swap out faulty parts.
Use Less Energy: Tankless water heaters aren’t constantly heating a large tank of water, so they consume less energy overall than storage tank water heaters. In the long run, this saves money on utilities and is much better for the environment.

About Daniel Cordova Plumbing

Daniel Cordova Plumbing is a top-rated plumbing company serving West Covina, CA. They service a range of plumbing needs at honest prices and are proud of the expert workmanship they bring to every job. Contact them for dependable water heater repair in West Covina today!

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If Your Water is Smelling Bad You Have To Try These Tricks

What To Do If Your Water Smells Bad

There are many different smells that can come from water faucets. Minerals, chemicals, mold, and other factors can all contribute to the odor of the water. Not only are these problems unsightly, but in many cases, they may be impacting your health as well. In this article, an overview is given of the main factors that contribute to water smelling bad as well as on some of the ways a faucet can be fixed to help this issue.

How to Use Water Softeners

Hard water is a cause of bad odor, but it can also damage the plumbing and ruin clothes as well. Some studies have shown that 85% of homes could have hard water and many people probably don’t even know it. Hard water is a type of water that contains high amounts of dissolved minerals.

Some of these minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, are not bad for human health, but at too high of levels can be harsh on the plumbing, damage clothes, and can even make hair look limp and lifeless after being washed.

To combat hard water, a water softener can be used. A water softener tank can be connected to the water line to combat the effect of mineral deposits in the water.

Disinfecting Sinks Can Help With Water Odor

The sink itself may be the source of the problem when it comes to bad odors in the kitchen or from the water supply. To help combat mold and mineral deposits on the sink, it can be taken apart and cleaned. These types of maintenance and repairs are best left up to a trained plumbing specialist because DIY repairs can damage the parts, voiding any factory warranty and can even be dangerous.

What the homeowner can do however is invest in quality cleaning products for disinfecting sinks, and practice good hygiene in wiping down the surfaces, preventing food and dirt build-up, and washing around the lip of the faucet as well. It is a good idea to disinfect the kitchen sink every time you do the dishes and do a deeper clean at least once a month.

What If Only The Hot Water Stinks?

If only the hot water stinks it could be that the problem is with the water heater. For problems with the water heater, a plumber or specialist can troubleshoot the entire system and identify any problems.

If the water heater is old, it may be time for a replacement. It can actually cost more money, in the long run, to hold on to an inefficient water heater than it would cost to replace it with a new one.

If the smell of the water is similar to rotten eggs, it is probably caused by a type of bacteria in the water that smells like sulfur. Cleaning out the inside of the water boiler or water heater may be able to solve the problem without replacing the entire unit.

Best Plumbing Services In West Covina, CA

For plumbing services, maintenance, repairs, and installation, Daniel Cordova Plumbing can help. They are the best plumbers in the West Covina, CA area and beyond. David Cordova Plumbing specializes in drain cleaning services as well as water heater repairs, maintenance, and installation. These Southern California plumbers guarantee satisfaction with their services.

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The Ultimate Guide to Solving Pesky Slow Draining Sinks

rubber cap plunger for slow draining sinks

How to Quickly Resolve Slow Draining Sinks

Oh, slow draining sinks. It’s something many homeowners dread, but at the same time is one of the most common plumbing problems. One of the reasons homeowners find it so irritating is because it causes the rest of the sink to become dirty. When the sink drains slowly, the dirty water doesn’t get whooshed down into the drain as it normally should. Instead, the dirty water sits in the sink and marks its territory by leaving some of the dirt and grime behind as the water drains.

Well, the good news is that homeowners are not alone in this battle. It is a common problem, so there are some simple solutions for fixing the current slow drains in the house and preventing slow drains in the future. The following information can be used as a “cheat sheet” to teach homeowners the lessons of slow drains.

What Causes Slow Drains?

Slow drains are caused by something that partially blocks the pipe, making it difficult for the water to flow through at a normal pace. For bathroom sinks, clogged showers, and tubs, the most common culprit for slow drains is hair. Whether it’s hair from shaving, trimming, or simply falling off a person’s head from washing their hair, this thin, fine substance can do more damage than it seems.

It tends to clump together when it’s wet and can clog drains very easily. For kitchen sinks, the most common cause of a slow drain is food. When grease, oils, and other food particles go down the drain, they can get stuck and create a blockage making it hard for the water to get through.

How to Fix Slow Drains

Many homeowners will turn to liquid drain cleaners like Drano or Liquid-PlumR to fix slow drains. However, these are not a good solution because they often do more harm than good. Liquid drain cleaners are full of chemicals that eat away at a clog. But these chemicals can actually be damaging the integrity of the pipes, causing them to become worn and potentially leak.

These chemicals are also very toxic to the human touch. If it makes contact with a person’s skin or gets in their eyes, it can cause skin irritation or serious burns. So what’s a better solution? Call a plumber! Plumbers use drain snakes and other tools that are safe for the plumbing system and for the person using them. The best part is that plumbers can ensure that the clog is gone rather than just using a liquid drain cleaner and hoping it got rid of everything.

How to Prevent Slow Drains

The best way to prevent slow drains is to prevent the common blockers from entering the drain in the first place. For bathroom sinks, showers, and tubs, try using a hair stopper over the drain. This will catch the majority of the hair that falls before it enters the drain, preventing hair clogs.

For kitchen sinks, make sure everyone scrapes their plates into the garbage before washing dishes to get rid of any large food particles.

Also, whenever working with greasy or oily foods, pour the oil into a separate container, so it can be thrown away once it hardens rather than dumping it into the sink and letting it harden in the drains and pipes.

About Daniel Cordova Plumbing

Daniel Cordova Plumbing has made it their goal to go above and beyond customers’ normal expectations for a plumbing service company to ensure 100% complete satisfaction. As homeowners, they understand how critical it can be to get professional, efficient repairs and plumbing services in West Covina, so they are always available to provide their customers with just that.