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

3 Common Repairs for Toilets

Friday, May 30th, 2014

The toilets in your home are functional and essential items for everyday living. Thankfully, modern designs make them durable and rarely prone to repair needs. But no appliance is 100% repair-free, and aside from standard clogs, your toilet may experience a number of problems that will call for a trained and licensed plumber to remedy them. Here are three of the more common repairs that a toilet might need and which a quality plumber can handle for you.

Chances are that when you need repairs for your toilet, you will need them fast! Make the call to Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI), where we have 24-hour emergency services for plumbing repair in Orlando, FL. We’ve kept Central Florida’s plumbing working its best since 1975.

3 repairs for toilets that plumbers often handle

  1. Replacing the flapper in the tank: If a toilet starts to run continually, cycling water through the tank and the bowl without stop, it will waste an enormous amount of water and must to be repaired right away. The likely trouble is a deteriorating flapper inside the tank; the flapper is designed to seal the bottom of the tank after filling the bowl, but if the rubber decays, nothing will stop the water from running into the bowl continuously. A plumber can replace the worn flap.
  2. Resealing the toilet to the floor: Any sign of leaking from the bowl, especially around the base of the toilet, is reason to call for repairs immediately. (Not only is the toilet in trouble, the leaking can seriously damage your floor). One possible reason for this leaking is the loss of the wax sealing ring under the toilet where it is secured to the bathroom floor. A plumber will need to loosen and pry the toilet from the floor and replace this important wax ring, then re-attach and re-seal the toilet to the floor and make certain there are no more leaks.
  3. Replacing tank-to-bowl bolts and gaskets: One common reason for leaking between the bowl and the tank are loose or decaying gaskets. To fix this problem, the plumber must first remove the toilet tank from the bowl and replace the washers and sponge gaskets necessary to create the appropriate seal between the two sections. When the two sections are restored, you should no longer have problems from leaking.

Beware self-repairs!

People often try to fiddle around with parts in the tank of a toilet with little idea what they are doing. Please avoid DIY repair attempts like this! There is a chance of creating a worse leak and a larger repair. Trust to the work of professional plumbers to handle any repair trouble that comes your way.

You won’t have to wait long for repairs when you go with Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI). Our excellent staff is ready any time of the day or night to bring you the necessary plumbing service in Orlando, FL that can fix any issue in your bathroom, kitchen, or elsewhere in your home. Give us a call today to schedule an appointment.

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3 Common Types of Water Heater Repair

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

People often take their home’s hot water supply for granted…until something goes wrong with it. As durable as manufacturers make water heaters today, the appliances can still suffer from wear and tear and malfunctions that will eventually lead to repair needs. You can help prevent repairs with regular maintenance, but you may still need to call for technicians to assist you with the work that will restore your water heater.

Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) specializes in water heater repair in Sanford, FL. Whenever you find that you are running low on hot water or the water no longer seems as hot as it should be, call our staff right away. We have 24-hour emergency service for your convenience.

Here are some of the common water heater repair jobs that we perform:

1. Fixing broken dip tubes

The dip tube carries cold, fresh water from the municipal supply down through the tank of the water heater and to the bottom where the heat exchanger transfers energy from the combustion jets. As the water warms, it rises back to the top of the tank. If the dip tube breaks off, it will deposit cold water at the top of the tank, where it will mix with the heated water. A broken dip tube is the most common reason for a sudden decrease in the supply of hot water, but is also a simple job for technicians to fix.

2. Restoring a faulty burner

Gas-powered water heaters can encounter problems in their burner, much like those in a gas furnace. Rust in the burner or dirt across its surface can lead to it having trouble igniting, and low gas flow or blockage in the line can also lead to a loss of heating power. As with any repair issue connected to natural gas, you should never attempt this work on your own due to the health risk involved. Only trust the job to experienced technicians.

3. Replacing failed heating elements

Electric water heaters use two heating elements inside the tank to raise the temperature of the water. If one of the elements burns out, the water temperature will decrease and you’ll experience lukewarm water from your taps and showerheads. Repair technicians can open the tank and replace the broken element.

Don’t let any reduction in your home’s hot water go without attention. Call for Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) as soon as you notice a problem. We will bring our almost four decades of experience to the task to restore your hot water as soon as possible. When it comes to water heater repair or other plumbing services in Sanford, FL, place your trust in us.

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Modern Tools to Perform Pipe Replacement

Friday, May 16th, 2014

Pipe replacement can be a tricky business, especially if the pipes are underground or in some similarly inconvenient place. In the old days, a leaky underground pipe meant major expenses, as the plumber first had to excavate the problem area, then replace the pipe and cover it all up again. Besides the added expense or workers and construction equipment, it often played merry hell with the home owner’s yard. But these days, things have changed. There are modern tools to perform pipe replacement, and in towns like Lake Mary, pipe replacement becomes both faster and easier as a result.

Detection is often easier these days thanks to sonic detectors and similar devices which can pinpoint the source of a leak. All leaks make noise, even if those noises are beyond our ability to hear. A sonic detection device allows the plumber to pinpoint the source of the leak, rather than performing a general excavation simply to discover where the problem lies. Similarly, video camera inspection can be used to examine the pipes from the inside, letting the plumber determine the exact nature of the problem.

In some cases, excavation tools can still be used if the project is large enough. But more common is the sight of trenchless technology such as inflatable materials which can be run through the pipe, then sealed against the leak. Metal heads can also be sent through the pipe to break it up it it’s too damaged to just repair, allowing a new pipe to be placed quickly.

But while there are plenty of modern tools to perform pipe replacement, you still need a trained plumber to do the job right. Pipe replacement and other plumbing services in Lake Mary don’t get more reliable than the experts at Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI). We understand that pipe replacement can be a significant undertaking, especially when it comes to the sewer line or water main. Our trained experts know how to do the job right the first time, every time, and we won’t rest until you are completely satisfied. Give us a call today and let us show you what we can do!

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Reasons for a Lack of Hot Water in Your Home

Friday, May 9th, 2014

Thanks to the miracle of indoor plumbing, we take for granted a constant supply of water, and a constant supply of hot water, into our homes. But when the level of hot water you expect on a day-to-day basis starts to drop, you may have a problem in the water heater. Instead of simply accepting less hot water (a problem that will almost certainly worsen), call for professional water heater repair in Orlando, FL.

Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) has worked with residential water heaters of all types since 1975, and our team of experts can restore your hot water supply to the level you need.

Water heater malfunctions that can lead to a reduced hot water supply

  • Broken dip tube: The dip tube carries cold water from the water main into the heater. The tube runs into the top of the water tank and carries the water to the tank’s bottom, where the heat exchanger/heating elements are located. As the water from the dip tube heats up, it rises to the top of the tank where a pump sends it to the rest of the house. But if the tube breaks, the cold water will gather at the top of the tank, and the heater will start supplying less hot water. Technicians will need to replace the dip tube.
  • Malfunctioning burners/heating elements: For gas-powered water heaters, a burner supplies the hot combustion gas to raise the water’s temperature. If the burner begins to fail because of grime, low gas-pressure, an intermittent pilot light, or a broken igniter, less heat will enter the tank. With an electric water heater, two heating elements inside the tank supply the energy to raise the temperature. If one fails, the amount of hot water in the tank will plunge.
  • Leaking: If leaks develop along the connectors to the tank, on the tank itself, or in any of the pipes, the water supply will drop. This is a major problem that threatens the water heater and can lead to water damage in your home. Whenever you begin to lose hot water, make a visual inspection of the water heater to look for water pooling around it. Call for repairs immediately before the problem grows worse and you may need to have the system replaced.

Something else to keep in mind: water heaters have a lifespan of 12–15 years depending on their model. Once a water heater goes past its estimated lifespan, it will begin to deteriorate due to age and lose its efficiency. When you notice a reduction in hot water due to an old water heater, it’s probably time to schedule a replacement.

Whatever water heater repair in Orlando, FL you need done, look to Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI), a trusted name in plumbing service for almost 40 years. Give us a call today.

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Why You Need Drain Vent Repair

Friday, May 2nd, 2014

Since most homeowners are unfamiliar with the workings of the plumbing in their house, they are often unaware that their drains require vents to work properly. The vents inside drains serve two important functions: First, they help equalize pressure throughout the plumbing. Second, they allow an escape for sewer gas that might otherwise enter your home through the drains, even pushing up through the water plugs in the p-traps.

Like all parts of your plumbing, drain vents need to remain in good repair. When you encounter problems with slow drains or noxious odors from your sinks, call for plumbing service in Apopka, FL to look into the issue and discover if the trouble lies with blocked or damaged drain vents. You can entrust this work to the plumbers at Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI), where we have almost four decades of plumbing repair experience in the surrounding central Florida area.

Drain Vent Repairs

The plumbing vents exit your home through outlets on your roof. (This is one of the reasons repairs should remain in the hands of professionals: don’t risk your safety by climbing onto your roof to attempt amateur work on drainpipes.) These vent pipes can sometimes become blocked due to extreme weather condition or debris, and this will result in pressure changes inside your plumbing. Air will no longer be able to enter the drains, and this will slow down the drains or completely block them. If you find that a basic plunger will not clear out a drain clog, you may have blocked vent pipes.

The escape of sewer gas from your drains is a more serious consequence of blocked vents. The water inside a p-trap (the curved section of pipe beneath a sink) is usually an effective plug against sewer gas coming up through a drain. But the pressure from blocked vents will force the sewer gas up through the plug. A bubbling, gurgling sound accompanies this, so if you hear this noise along with the unpleasant odors, you probably have vent blockage and must call for a plumber.

When plumbers detect that drain vent blockage is the source of the problem, they will access the roof of your house, inspect the vent pipes, remove any obvious surface blockage, and then use water-jetting and drain snakes to clear out deeper clogging. If the vent pipes have sustained damage (a possibility after a storm, or even a poor roofing job), the plumber may need to replace them.

In Apopka, FL, plumbing professionals at Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) can diagnose your drain problems and fix them, no matter the cause. Call us any time of the day or night for service.

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