Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. Blog: Archive for February, 2014

Signs That Repairs Are No Longer Enough for Your Water Heater

Monday, February 24th, 2014

Your water heater is an important part of your daily life, even though it works mostly out of your sight. Without a steady supply of hot water, keeping yourself and your home clean would be difficult.

Water heaters are durable devices that can last for many years if they receive the proper level of maintenance and repairs done when necessary. But water heaters have a limited life cycle, and eventually a time will come when further repairs will do little good to restore its heating efficiency. At this point, you should schedule a replacement.

We’ll look at the some of the signs that water heater repair in Orlando, FL will no longer solve the problems and that it’s time for new installation. Contact Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. for high quality installation and a range of choices of advanced modern water heaters.

Signs a water heater needs replacement

  • Leaks around the base of the tank: Leaks may occasionally occur on a functioning water heater, but if you have a unit that is over 10 years old, extensive leaks that pool around the base of the tank usually indicate that the whole system must be replaced.
  • Erratic operation: Is your hot water supply frequently vanishing without explanation? Do you experience long periods when it won’t come on at all? If you answer “yes” to either question, consider how often you’ve needed to call for repairs to deal with these issues. More than once a year is too many times. Ask your repair technician about replacement options.
  • Rust: Water heaters have anode rods installed in them to prevent rust from entering their tanks. The rods will need regular replacement as they rust through. If you have kept up with regular maintenance and replaced the anode rod when necessary, the appearance of rust on the tank or in your hot water means the system has become too old to avoid corrosion. Schedule water heater replacement.

Look to professional replacement

Whether you have a gas-powered or electric-powered water heater in your home, you will need professionals to put in the replacement unit so it functions correctly and safely. Schedule the installation sooner rather than later when you realize your old unit is failing—you don’t want to be suddenly stuck without hot water.

At Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc., we install standard water heaters, high-efficiency storage water heaters, and newer options such as tankless models, solar powered-heaters, and hybrid heaters. Talk to us today about your options when water heater repair in Orlando, FL is no longer enough to protect your hot water supply.

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Backflow Preventer Theft

Monday, February 17th, 2014

A backflow preventer is a crucial part of protecting your clean drinking water. This device prevents contaminated water from the ground and other undesirable areas from entering your pipes. Many Florida municipalities require that all homes have a backflow preventer installed, and that it receives yearly inspection from a licensed plumber.

Unfortunately, homeowners and businesses have had to endure a rash of thefts of backflow prevention devices in recent years. In some areas of Florida, up to 30 backflow preventers are stolen a month from a single major street.

Why is backflow preventer theft a major problem?

Aside from the expense involved in installing a new device after one is stolen, the loss of a backflow preventer causes water to flow freely from a pipe after it is removed. This results in a huge waste of water that is not only expensive, but risks flood damage to property. The thieves are not only causing problems for homeowners, they are putting the public supply of drinking water at risk.

Why would somebody steal a backflow preventer?

It sounds odd that thieves would target a piece of plumbing. However, backflow preventers offer a tempting target because they contain valuable copper and brass in their assemblies. The prices of both metals has risen in recent years because of a shortage in the U.S., making them tempting targets for criminals. Thieves can reap high profits from reselling the metal in backflow preventers to scrap yards.

How does backflow preventer theft occur?

Most thieves use metal saws to remove backflow preventers. But there are even more simple and brute-force ways of removing these valuable components from outside your home, such as tying a chain to the preventer, attaching the other end of the chain to a car, and then driving away to rip it off.

What can be done to prevent this theft?

Police advise that residents and business owners purchase a security cage with a lock on it to protect their backflow preventers. To help make the parts less appealing to thieves, police also suggest that homeowners paint the device with black or brown paint. This makes the parts less valuable at scrapyards and harder to resell as if they were new. In addition to steps to protect their own backflow preventers, people are encouraged to call the police should they witness metal theft occurring anywhere in their neighborhood.

If you experience theft of a backflow preventer, you should first inform the police. Then call for service from Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. for professional installation of a new device. We can also help you with maintenance for the unit to make sure that it is doing its job of keeping your drinking water healthy.

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Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. featured in Plumbing Perspective

Thursday, February 13th, 2014

Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. was recently featured in the magazine Plumbing Perspectives. We want to thank them for highlighting our past work and successes, follow the link below to check out the article for yourself.

Remember to call us for any of your Orlando, FL area plumbing needs at 407-327-6000!

Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. Plumbing Perspective Article

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Some Ways to Start Conserving Water

Monday, February 10th, 2014

Water conservation today is about more than saving money on water bills. It’s also about helping the environment. More and more homeowners today are curious about ways to cut back on their water usage for themselves and for others.

Fortunately, there some easy steps you can take to help you reduce water use in your home. Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. wants to assist you with this effort, and we have fixtures and appliances that will help make your Winter Park, FL plumbing as conservation-friendly as possible. Contact us today to find out about how you can start saving water right.

We’ll help you get started with water-saving tips that are easy to do:

  • Fix leaky faucets: Although the water that drips from a leaky faucet may seem minimal and unimportant, it will add up quickly. According to a government study, a single leaky faucet in a home that drips twice per minute will waste 70 gallons of water a year. If you can’t repair a leaky faucet on your own, have a professional plumber take care of it.
  • Water your lawn in early morning or late evening: If you water your lawn during the day, when the temperature is high, most of the water will evaporate before it can do any good for the plants. You’ll just end up needing to water the yard more often.
  • Turn off the tap when you don’t need it: It’s simple to forget to shut off the water while doing simple tasks like brushing your teeth or doing the dishes. According to the U.S. EPA, you can save 8 gallons of water a day if you shut off the faucet while brushing your teeth in the morning and evening: that’s approximately 200 gallons a month.
  • Install low-flow fixtures: Professional plumbers can fit your home with low-flow faucets, as well as other water-conserving appliances. You can also consider moving from a storage water heater to a tankless water heater that works far more efficiently, which saves energy.

Ask a professional plumber how you can save water

At Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc., we have a wide selection of products to help you conserve water. But before you start thinking about low-flow faucets and other conservation fixtures, call our plumbers to fix any leaks in your home. They have the skills to take care of any problems with your plumbing in Winter Park, FL and help you get a start with saving water.

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What You Need to Know about Slab Leaks

Monday, February 3rd, 2014

Any kind of leak in your plumbing presents a problem that requires immediate, skilled repairs. But some leaks are worse than others. One of the most potentially troublesome pipe leaks are slab leaks. The damage possibilities from slab leaks can affect your home’s structure and foundation and may cut off your water main or sewer line.

Call for slab leak repair specialists, such as those at Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc., the moment you encounter a problem. Our plumbers are on call for 24-hour emergency plumbing repair in Orlando, FL, so you have no reason to delay.

But wait… what exactly are slab leaks, and why are they such a problem? And how can you detect them? We’ll answer these questions below.

What is a “slab leak”?

A large section of your home’s plumbing—sewer line and water mains—runs through concrete flooring. When a leak occurs in the pressurized water pipes inside concrete, it is known in the plumbing industry as a slab leak.

Why are slab leaks such a problem?

Where most leaks will take time to start affecting the building material around them, slab leaks will immediately begin to cause cracking and damage to concrete. Instead of a slow spread of further leaks and damage, slab leaks will affect the piping quickly, threatening to break whole pipes, leading to the loss of your water line or sewer line. The concrete cracking can cause expensive structural damage to your home’s foundation as well.

How do I know I have a slab leak?

There are a few signs, some of which apply to any leak: loss of water pressure, increases in water bills. Some specific signs to look for: unexplained mold growth or water on the floor in places that are otherwise dry; the sound of running water when no faucets are open; cracks developing over concrete.

How are slab leaks fixed?

Professional plumbers must first locate the location of the leak using listening equipment. After that, a plumber will discuss with you the possible methods for sealing the leak, which could involve direct access using jack hammering, but much more likely your plumber will use a non-invasive process if possible.

Who should I call to fix slab leaks?

Not all plumbers have extensive experience with slab leak repair, so make sure you choose your contractor carefully. Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. has done many years of work on slab leak detection and repair. Call us today for plumbing repair in Orlando, FL.

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