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

How Tree Roots Can Damage Your Sewer System

Friday, April 25th, 2014

Damage to the sewer line that runs from under your home and out to the municipal sewer in the center of the street is one of the most serious problems that can occur in a home’s plumbing. Because the responsibility for this line rests with the homeowner, not the local utility company. You will have to call for trained sewer repair and replacement specialists to take care of the work needed to seal breaks, clear blocks, and replace corroded pipes.

The most persistent danger to your sewer line comes from an innocuous source: the plants in your yard. The roots from trees can cause major blockage and breaks in your sewer line, and even the roots of bushes can interfere. When you suspect trouble with your Orlando, FL sewer line (sewage smells from the lawn, backed-up sinks throughout the house, water stains around basement drains), call on Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) to investigate and find a remedy to the problem.

The Dangers of Tree Roots

The roots of trees naturally grow toward sources of water and nutrients. The wastewater inside a sewer pipe is therefore an obvious target for the probing tendril end of roots. These roots will push between pipe connections and begin to force their way inside the line. This will quickly lead to blockage inside the drain.

Worse, the inexorable force of the growing tree roots will eventually place too much pressure on the sewer line and cause the pipe to break. This is especially common for older galvanized steel pipes, which may have corroded and seriously weakened over time.

You can help avoid this problem from occurring with careful planting. Before planting trees and bushes, consult with the local utility company to find out where the pipes are buried, and keep the trees away from that area. Also consider planting bushes with shallow roots.

However, if damage does occur from tree root infestation, then plumbers experienced with sewer line repair can take care of it. Sometimes the repair is a relatively simple one that plumbers can target with video camera inspection equipment and fix without major excavation. Full breaks may require more work and complete pipe replacement. Whatever the job, it’s necessary to prevent sewage flooding into your home and causing damage to your property and the home’s foundations.

Whether tree roots are the cause of the problem or not, do not wait to call for drain and sewer service in Orlando, FL whenever something seems wrong. The plumbers at Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) will track down the cause and restore your sewer line as fast as possible.

Contact us today and schedule a service appointment!

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What to Do When You Experience a Breach in Your Plumbing

Monday, April 7th, 2014

A break in your home’s plumbing can quickly turn into a serious problem. You can have pipe breaches inside your home, or along the water main, or in the sewer line. Regardless of where it occurs, it’s a major repair issue that needs to be fixed immediately with work from professional plumbers.

Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) has 24-hour emergency service for your needs for plumbing repair in Orlando, FL. And believe us: a plumbing breach counts as an emergency. Don’t hesitate to call us when you experience a major pipe break in your home.

What you should do about a plumbing breach

Although a break along the pipes in your home’s plumbing can appear frightening, do not panic yet: there’s help available and you can take a few steps yourself to reduce the damage.

If the breach occurs in the water lines that are bringing fresh water into your home, you need to shut off the water mains to prevent the gushing water from continuing to pump through the pipes. Make sure you know where your home’s water main shut off valve is as a precaution. For houses in a warm climate like that in Orlando where pipes are not in danger of freezing, this shut off valve is usually located outside the house. If you aren’t sure of the location of the shut off valve, contact a plumber to assist you with locating it so you’re ready in case of an emergency. If you are experiencing a large volume of water flooding into your home, you should also switch off the electricity to prevent high voltage shocks.

Now call for emergency repairs; don’t try to fix the problem yourself, as you could end up making it worse. While you wait for repairs to arrive, move away any valuables that might receive water damage from the breached pipe.

For breaches in sewer lines, you might not immediately notice the trouble the same way you would with a water main break or a break inside your house. Sewer line trouble will appear as soggy, foul-smelling leaks on the lawn, odors from the drains, and constant drain clogging. Eventually, sewage will start flooding into your basement or home foundations, but hopefully you will have already called for professionals to excavate and repair the problem. Sewer breaks are major jobs that require extensive digging work, so make sure you have experts on the job immediately.

Rely on skilled plumbers

As frightening as a plumbing breach can be, moving fast to shut off the water and summon plumbing professionals should prevent extensive harm to your home. Resist the urge to fix the break yourself and instead call for Orlando, FL plumbing repair service from the trained technicians at Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI). We’re here to help, any time of the day or night.

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Are Sewer Smells a Reason to Call for Pumbing Repair?

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

This isn’t something you want to occur in your house: the lingering smell of a sewer drifting through the air, like an odor coming back up a drain (which, in all likelihood, is exactly what it is). People who encounter this problem will wonder how serious the issue is, and if it means they should contact a trained plumber to repair the problem.

Most of the time, the infiltration of sewage smells into your home does require bringing in a plumber. There’s one significant exception, which we’ll also look at, but the majority of the time sewer smell seepage can mean tough problems that need experienced workers to solve.

Serving central Florida since 1975, Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) can take care of your troubles with your plumbing in Apopka, FL fast and right. You can reach us 24-hours a day when you require emergency service.

Some Reasons For Sewer Smells

We’ll start with the simple one: dried-out p-traps. The p-trap is the U-shaped curve in a drainpipe beneath the sink, which traps a water barrier that prevents sewage gas from coming back up the drains. For sinks that see little use, the p-trap can turn dry, and then nothing will stop the smell from getting out of the drain. Run water for a minute down the drain that’s causing the problem and see if that fixes it.

More serious reasons for sewer odors that will require a plumber include blocked vents and damage to the sewer line.

The first issue occurs when the backflow vents on the plumbing become clogged, usually at the roof where the exhaust from the drainpipe exits. When this happens, because of debris, animal nests, or something else, it forces the sewer gas back down the pipe and then bubbles up through the water plug into the p-trap. (With no other exits, enough pressure exists to force the sewage gas through the water.) If you hear a gurgling noise from your drains along with the smell, vents may be the problem. Do not go to the roof to try to fix this; call for professionals.

Sewer line breaks and blocks are urgent business. If the sewer line pipe that removes all the wastewater from a home to the sewer main in the center of the street becomes blocked because the pipe broke or tree roots grew into it, it will back up sewage into drains and possibly the basement. The sewer line is buried underground, so the work of repairing it requires a team of specialists. Call right away for help if you suspect a sewer line break.

Call Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) for whatever work you need on your plumbing in Apoka, FL to stop that  sewer odor.

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