Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. Blog: Archive for February, 2015

How Backflow Prevention Protects You

Wednesday, February 25th, 2015

Most homeowners take for granted the fact that there is always reliable clean drinking water available in the home. You probably assume that clean water will flow from the faucet every time you turn it on, as your water supply goes through a very thorough municipal water supply treatment process before it reaches your home. But a plumbing system is so complex that the potential for backflow is unfortunately often present.

Protect your water supply by installing a backflow preventer at any potential cross connections, which we’ll go over in today’s guide, and keeping it maintained and tested by professionals. Call the experts at Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) for quality service from a certified plumber.

What Is Backflow Prevention?

Backflow prevention devices keep backflow from contaminating your water supply. Backflow occurs when there is a pressure imbalance somewhere in your plumbing system, which allows for the possibility of backsiphonage or back pressure. In either case, a source of cross contamination is introduced into the plumbing system, and there is a possibility that chemicals or wastewater may enter your plumbing system if the pressure in the water supply were to change.

A sudden drop in water pressure can occur for many reasons. Perhaps there was a break in the water main, or firefighters had to access a hydrant that drew from the supply. Other liquids may become drawn into the pipes, especially if a cross connection exists. And sometimes this backflow is hazardous.

Let’s say you put a hose into a bucket of soapy water. If the pressure in the water supply dropped, the soapy water could become sucked back into the water supply. This becomes far more dangerous when the cross contamination is a chemical or if dirty wastewater enters the potable supply. One example is if you have a boiler in the home. Boiler feedwater may contain chemicals unsafe for human consumption, which is why connections between boilers and the water supply are usually fitted with a backflow prevention device.

A backflow prevention device contains a one way valve in which water can only flow in one direction. Federal, state, and local codes require that you have a backflow prevention device installed at any potential source of a cross connection. While your municipality mandates the use of backflow preventers in many cases, it’s up to you to make sure it’s in good shape.

Call the technicians at Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. (MPI) for regular testing and maintenance of your backflow prevention device in Longwood to help keep your family safe from contamination.

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Will a Leaky Pipe Always Require Replacement?

Monday, February 16th, 2015

There are lots of items that fall under the guise of “home remedies” to fix leaking pipes. Some of these so-called fixes are sprays that turn into rubber while others are just the old standby: duct tape. Unfortunately, none of these home-grown remedies every really repairs anything and can actually contribute to more problems down the road. So to answer the question, “does a leak pipe always require replacement?” our answer is “yes”. To help you understand why pipe replacement in Sanford is important, we’d like to share some leak facts from the EPA WaterSense initiative for your consideration.

Water Leak Facts

It can be amazing how much a little drip there or a drop here can cost you, but these statistics don’t lie:

  • Household leaks average a loss of 10,000 gallons of water per year – if you pay for your water, you are paying for a whole lot of water that isn’t getting used.
  • Most, if not all, leaks can be eliminated when the problem plumbing sections are replaced correctly by professionals.
  • The most common leaks are: toilet bowl flappers, leaking valves and dripping faucets, all of which can be easily repaired by an expert.
  • A faucet that drips a droplet of water every second can waste over 3,000 gallons of water annually.
  • 10% of homes have an average loss of water of 90 gallons per day due to small leaks.
  • Replacing an old and/or inefficient toilet with a low-flow toilet can save you up to 13,000 gallons of water per year.
  • Have in-ground watering? A leak the size of a dime can waste over 6,000 gallons of water per month.

As you can see, even the smallest of leaks can cost you a significant amount of water, which translates into dollars with your monthly water bill. Additionally, these statistics do not take into consideration any water damage that can easily occur from the leaking water. The bottom line: if you have a leaky pipe, don’t spray it or tape it; instead, call an expert from Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. and schedule an appointment for pipe replacement service for your Sanford home.

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Some of the Unusual Movies Released for Valentine’s Day

Saturday, February 14th, 2015

Hollywood has always tried to match movies up to the seasons to draw droves of viewers to the theaters: October is packed with fright-offerings, while the winter holidays skew toward warm and pleasing family films (as well as Oscar hopefuls). Valentine’s Day falls in an odd spot when it comes to the movie release calendar, however, since February tends to be a slower time for the film industry. The studios are as likely to slot strange movies that don’t fit anywhere else in their annual schedules into the Valentine’s Day weekend as they are films with powerful romantic appeal.

So, while the second weekend of February has featured hugely successful romantic comedies like Hitch, The Wedding Singer, and (of course) Valentine’s Day, some truly weird choices have debuted in this weekend as well. And a few have even gone on to tremendous success despite the bizarre match with the holiday. Here are a couple of the odder Valentine’s Day movie releases:

  • Dracula (1931): Yes, this Halloween perennial and the start of Universal Studio’s Classic Monsters actually came out on Valentine’s Day! But perhaps this makes some sense, as the Dracula legend has often received a “doomed lover” approach in the many years since Bela Lugosi made the aristocratic vampire a screen icon.
  • The Silence of the Lambs (1991): Does any film seem less appropriate for Valentine’s Day than this unnerving and sometimes very violent psychological thriller? What’s even more astonishing than the film’s release date is that The Silence of the Lambs eventually nabbed the Oscar for Best Picture, an almost unheard of occurrence for a movie released so early in the year.
  • Daredevil (2003): This Marvel comic adaptation featuring Ben Affleck as a blind superhero does contain a romantic subplot, but the stronger connection to Valentine’s Day may just be that Daredevil wears a bright red costume.
  • A Good Day to Die Hard (2013): The least successful of the Die Hard film franchise, this is an excellent example of a studio dropping a film into a weekend where it doesn’t fit in the hopes that it works as counter-programming. (It didn’t.)
  • Wayne’s World (1992): Now here is an example of counter-programming that clicked with audiences. This comedy based on a Saturday Night Live sketch turned into one of that year’s biggest hits and spawned a sequel.

Whether you celebrate Valentine’s Day with a trip to the movie theater, or you have your own special plans, everyone here at Modern Plumbing Industries hopes you and your loved ones have a wonderful weekend.

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How Drain Cleaning Can Reduce Repairs

Wednesday, February 4th, 2015

Your drains are work horses. They help remove gallons of waste water every day for years and years. One way to help maintain them and keep them healthy is to schedule drain cleaning for your plumbing. All kinds of things wash down your drains, and until you see signs of a problem, such as slow draining or a clog, you may not be aware of the condition of your drains. A professional drain cleaning performed by the experts from Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. in Orlando can help you reduce repairs for some of the following reasons:

  • Gets rid of soap scum build-up – the bubbles from soap may be light and fluffy, but when they dry, they form a stubborn, hard layer called soap scum. When soap scum sticks to the inside of your pipes, the build-up can seriously restrict or block water flow, causing slow draining and clogs.
  • Removes FOG – FOG, also known as fats, oils and grease, are to your pipes what barnacles are to boats: sticky, stubborn substances that cause problems, including foul odors. FOG clings to the inside of your pipes and forms build-up, and because FOG can spoil, it can cause your drains to become quite odoriferous.
  • Prevent repairs – the best way to help prevent repairs is to get ahead of them, and drain cleaning is the best way to do that. The thorough and safe scouring that your pipes get during a drain cleaning break up and flush out debris and build-up, restoring functionality.
  • Helps extend the life of your system – drain cleaning keeps your plumbing in good working order, which can help extend the life of your system.

Can I Do It Myself?

It can be tempting to buy a drain snake and clean your drains on your own, but unless you know how to handle that tool, you should leave the cleaning to the experts. Mishandled plumbing tools can seriously damage plumbing and cause much bigger issues, something most homeowners don’t want to deal with.

Drain cleaning for your Orlando home is good for you and your plumbing system. Call Modern Plumbing Industries, Inc. today and schedule an appointment with one of our experts.

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