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Did you know that your home’s plumbing system has to be overhauled after a period of years? If you have a relatively newer home that was built in the last several decades, this probably isn’t something you need to think about yet. But if you have an older home, it may be time to consider repiping.
If you’ve been looking for a repiping contractor in Appleton, you are in the right place. Our team is here to help with all of your plumbing needs, no matter how big or small they are. You can keep reading to learn more about some of the signs that can indicate your home needs a completely new plumbing system.
If you’re scheduling a kitchen remodel, congratulations! It can be very exciting to renovate any part of your home, but especially the kitchen. Did you know that a plumber needs to be involved in your kitchen remodel?
It’s true. Anything related to plumbing requires a licensed plumbing technician. If you need a kitchen contractor in Appleton, we are a one-stop shop for kitchen remodels, from upgrading sinks and faucets to complete kitchen redesigns, right down to building our own cabinets. Give our team a call so we can be the team you count on for your kitchen remodel to ensure that everything goes smoothly.
If you’ve been giving the water quality in your home some thought, a water softener may be the right solution. This is especially true if your home has water with particularly high mineral content, also known as hard water.
Keep reading to learn more about how a water softener in Kaukauna can help protect your pipes, plumbing fixtures, and water appliances. Then give our team a call for your in-home assessment to learn how a water softener would be set up to improve your home’s water quality.
Plumbing issues can wreak havoc on your daily life, causing frustration and inconvenience. While some individuals may attempt to tackle plumbing problems on their own, it’s important to recognize the unique expertise that Tureks Plumbing Services technicians bring to the table.
Let’s cover a few indispensable skills and knowledge points that plumbers in De Pere, WI possess, highlighting what they can do that you, as a homeowner, may struggle with.
Wisconsin is known for having a lot of harsh weather and temperatures that are far below freezing. Unprotected water lines may freeze in freezing weather, causing a major mess and expensive damage if they burst. Fortunately our plumber Appleton Wisconsin has offered a few simple steps you may take to safeguard your pipes and avoid a disaster.
How to Prevent Freezing Water Lines
What causes burst pipes? It’s not the ice in the pipe that causes it to burst, contrary to common opinion; it’s the pressure that grows. Emergency plumber Appleton Wisconsin explains, the pipe will stay intact if the water lines thaw before the pressure grows too high. However, if they remain frozen for an extended period of time, or if they freeze, thaw, and refreeze many times, the unfrozen water in the pipe will finally build up enough pressure to break the line. Thousands of gallons of water might spill out of the pipe before anybody detects the breach resulting in pipe repair Appleton WI.
Walls and Doors Should Be Insulated
Best heating company Sacramento, Gilmore Heating & Air, states that if you have a problem with frequent pipe freezes, try insulating walls and doors, adding weather stripping to doors, and making sure windows are securely sealed. The best long-term solution is to keep the room heated, even if it is more costly.
Pipes Should Be Insulated
Another alternative is to have lining pipes Appleton WI insulate water pipes in unheated areas of your house (e.g., attic, crawlspace, and garage) using foam insulating sleeves before the cold winter arrives. If you don’t have any foam covers, old towels and blankets may be used instead. Keep an eye out for any fire threats.
Heat Tape or a Pipe Heater
A water pipe heater or heat tape, which delivers heat directly to your water pipes to avoid freezing, may be installed (or hired to have it installed by a professional plumber). Most hardware shops will have these goods.
Close your garage door
Be sure to close your garage door on cold days to offer an additional layer of protection from the cold air and wind if water lines run through your garage or the outer wall that connects to it.
Allow Warm Air to Flow Into Tight Spaces
Leave the doors open on the cupboards beneath your sinks and let the water trickle from the faucets when the temperatures are forecast to be very cold. This will enable warm air from the rest of your house to flow around the pipes, preventing them from freezing, and the dripping water will keep pressure in the lines from building up.
Set your thermostat no lower than 55 degrees if you’ll be traveling or away from home for a prolonged amount of time during the chilly months. Shutting off your main water supply and opening each faucet to let the water drain from the pipes is also a good idea.
Pipes Should Be Rerouted
Your supply lines and water pipes may also be rerouted away from unheated portions of your house, such as the garage and outside walls, by a skilled plumber.
If Your Pipes Freeze, What Should You Do?
To begin, turn off the house or business’s main water supply valve.
Then turn on the faucet into which the pipe pours water (if you can determine the location of the frozen pipe). This will release some of the system’s pressure and enable the water to flow more freely when the temperature changes.
Next, if feasible, warm up the room. Open doors to let extra heat in, open heating vents, or switch on a space heater if possible.
You may next use a hair drier or a space heater to attempt to reheat the pipes around the frozen region. Hot clothes placed around the pipe might also be helpful. Always keep an eye on the warming process and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for optimal usage.
Water spilling from thawing pipes should be avoided near electrical cables and appliances. The combination of water and electricity is very harmful.
What happens if the pipeline bursts?
Shut off your main water supply and contact a plumber if your pipe is leaking or has broken. Water damage may be minimized by turning off the water supply.
We make every effort to offer up-to-date and accurate information, but this material may include mistakes or information that is inappropriate for your circumstance or your equipment. The resources on this website are intended to give general information. Tureks Plumbing Services disclaims any and all responsibility arising from the information given. Always review your equipment’s operating handbook before attempting to repair or alter plumbing, electrical, or other equipment in your home or company, and only do so if you are competent.
Feel free to contact us with any questions, concerns or service requests.
Unlike traditional water heaters, on-demand or tankless water heaters only heat water when needed. Depending on the capability of the heater you mount, these tankless water heaters typically deliver hot water at a flow rate that averages 2-5 gallons a minute. Tureks Plumbing Services shares the following reasons why you should get a tankless water heater installed in your Fox Valley home.
Tankless Water Heaters Are Compact
As lot sizes get smaller due to the increasing demand for real estate, it becomes important to scale down the size of the different appliances one installs in their home. Tankless water heaters are perfectly suited for someone who wants to save space because they are compact. The tankless water heater doesn’t have a storage tank, so it occupies less space when compared to the traditional water heaters with storage tanks. Talk to a plumber in Appleton, WI, and confirm whether a tankless water heater of the capacity you require will fit in the space available if you couldn’t fit in a traditional water heater.
Tankless Water Heaters Conserve Energy
One of the complaints against traditional water heaters is that they waste energy because the water in their storage tanks must always be kept hot in anticipation of a need for that water. This energy that is wasted during this standby time is conserved when one has a tankless water heater. As already mentioned, tankless water heaters only heat water at the moment when hot water is required at a point of use, such as your dishwasher. Talk to a Fox Valley plumber for the actual figures of how much energy you will be able to save if you install a tankless water heater of the capacity you desire in your home.
No More Hot Water Shortages
Do you remember how you cringed when the supply of hot water suddenly stopped while you were taking a shower? Such scenarios are common when many points of use require hot water from a traditional water heater at the same time. With a tankless water heater, such shortages will be a thing of the past because the heater will keep heating water for as long as there is a demand for hot water at a point of use within the plumbing system. However, the expert plumbers at Tureks Plumbing Services caution that you can only have an unlimited supply of hot water if the hot water isn’t being used beyond the discharge capacity of the tankless water heater. The key to unlimited hot water with a tankless water heater is that an expert should advise you on the best heater size for your needs.
Longer Service Life
A water heater is one of the expensive appliances in a home, and it is normal to expect these devices to last as long as possible so that you recoup your investment. Tankless water heaters have the distinction of having a longer service life when compared to their traditional counterparts. Since the tankless water heater doesn’t have a storage tank, there is no risk that it will spring a leak and fail. According to experienced plumbers in Appleton, WI, tankless water heaters last for approximately 20 years, while traditional water heaters will last for a maximum of 15 years.
Tankless Water Heaters Conserve Water
Tureks Plumbing Services also confirms that you will conserve more water when you switch to a tankless water heater. How does this happen? With a traditional water heater, people typically let some water run to waste as the cold water in the pipes makes way for the hot water to follow. This wasted water adds up over time, and your water bill is affected. With a tankless system, you get hot water as soon as you open the faucet or other points of use. Our friends at Gilmore Heating, Air, and Plumbing, a home service company in Sacramento, agree that you save the water that you would have lost while waiting for the faucet to discharge hot water.
You Get Purer Water
Like a traditional water heater ages, its storage tank may start rusting. This rust finds its way into the water you use at different points of use, and this could put your health at risk. This risk of corrosion explains why homeowners have to keep replacing the sacrificial anodes in the hot water heater to prevent corrosion from taking place. Others have to hire a plumber in Appleton, WI, to inspect and maintain their hot water heaters. Eventually, corrosion still happens, and the water discharged may even start looking discolored in extreme cases. Tankless water heaters don’t have storage tanks, so you get cleaner or purer water each time you open a faucet or other point of use.
As you can see, tankless water heaters have numerous advantages over water heaters with storage tanks. However, you can only enjoy those benefits if you work with Tureks Plumbing Services to select the appropriate tank and install it correctly. So, contact Tureks Plumbing today to witness how these heaters can transform the hot water system in your home.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in July 2019 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
5 Tips For Preventing Common Sewer Line Issues 2021
Some of the sewer line problems homeowners in Appleton, WI, face include blocked, corroded, damaged, and root-infested pipes. By implementing the right preventative plumbing tips, you can escape all the hassles and high costs of sewer line and plumbing repairs. Below arefive tips for preventing common sewer line issues.
Do Not Flush Just Anything Down The Toilet
The toilet is designed to accommodate toilet paper and human waste, and nothing else. Avoid flushing diapers, tampons, cotton balls, and other paper products down the toilet since they do not dissolve easily and will simply block your pipes and cause an array of plumbing problems.
Avoid Pouring Oil and Grease in Your Sink
Grease, oil, and fatty substances that can be found in soaps and shampoos can accumulate inside the sewer line and cause a blockage. As such, it is important that you do not throw grease and leftover oil down the kitchen drains.
Installing a grease receptor under the kitchen sink will also help prevent grease stoppage. You can also keep the kitchen drain clean by pouring a mixture of baking soda and vinegar followed by hot water every few weeks or so. Our friends at McQuillan Bros, a plumbing company in St. Paul, MN, recommend keeping a jar under your sink where you can pour grease into it after cooking.
Do Not Plant Trees or Shrubs Near Your Sewer Line
Tree roots naturally move to areas with water supplies, which include pipes. If you are starting a garden, avoid planting in areas near or on top of the sewer line.
You can also consider removing trees planted near the sewer line to prevent the roots from damaging the pipes.
Another option would be to sprinkle copper sulfate crystals around the sewer line. This substance will create a poisonous zone around the pipe and prevent the roots from infiltrating into the pipes.
Lastly, if you want to grow trees, plant ones with shallow root structures such as ash, maple, oak, and willow.
Install a Backwater Prevention Valve
A backwater prevention valve is installed into a sewer line and sometimes into a drain line in the basement of a home or building to prevent sewer backflows. When installed properly, the valve allows sewage to go out but not to come back in.
Have Your Sewer Line Checked Periodically
If you are living in a home that is more than 10 years old, have a Fox Valley plumber check your plumbing system and sewer line every year or so or whenever you have any problems with your drains. A professional plumber will be able to pinpoint the exact cause of your sewer line issue and make the necessaryplumbing repairs. In case you have iron pipes, consider having them replaced with UPVC pipes. They are more effective in preventing tree roots from entering your line.
When you have plumbing problems, contact Tureks Plumbing Services. One of our plumbers will assess your plumbing problem and recommend the solution that fits your budget and your needs. We also offer trenchless sewer repairs for a no-dig plumbing solution. Give us a call today for a free estimate!
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
As we became more industrialized and people moved to urban areas, sewer lines quickly became integral to everyday life. The system of sewer lines crisscrossing the country transports sewage from residential and commercial properties to disposal or treatment facilities, allowing us to live clean, healthy lives. And like most systems that are used consistently, they require constant maintenance and repair to make sure they run effectively.
If you are a homeowner in Appleton Wisconsin, it’s your responsibility to make sure your sewer line is in good shape, with help from Turek’s Plumbing Services. It is the largest drain in your home, and if you don’t practice regular plumbing maintenance, any problems that aren’t addressed in time can lead to some pretty hefty repair costs. Unfortunately, conventional sewer pipe in Appleton, WI is usually slow and disruptive, especially if the sewer lines are buried deep. Additionally, it’s generally difficult to predict the actual price as the cost of parts and labor varies with each client.
Enter trenchless sewer line replacement, an alternative repair technique that doesn’t requireplumbers in Appleton, Wisconsin, to dig up your lawn to get at the pipes in need of repair. Simply put, it means doing repairs without extensive digging. It allows emergency plumbers in Appleton, Wisconsin, to do sewer line pipe repair without digging trenches and disrupting your day-to-day activities. So what problems may require trenchless sewer line repair?
Common Types of Sewer Problems
Homeowners in Appleton Wisconsin should be on the lookout for:
Tree roots – If you have mature trees on your property, especially close to the sewer lines, their roots may infiltrate the line, causing extensive damage over time.
Blockages can be a result of grease or some other material restricting water flow.
Broken collapsed or cracked pipes, especially due to shifting or frozen soil.
Pipe corrosion or deterioration. This is more common in older pipes that aren’t made from PVC.
Belied pipes, where a section of piping has fallen into the ground, creating an area where waste material converges.
Leaking joints caused by broken seals between pipes. This allows water to escape into the area surrounding the pipe.
Trenchless Pipe Repair in Appleton, WI
If you are experiencing any of the plumbing problems described above, call a plumber in Appleton Wisconsin. Although most of these issues can be easily fixed through conventional pipe repair, no one wants the big mess a trench will create in their yard, and that’s where trenchless sewer repair done by Tureks Plumbing Services comes in. A trenchless sewer line can be put in place to replace an existing sewer line in three ways:
Pipe Bursting
It is used to replace brittle pipes like clay, cement, asbestos, concrete, and cast iron, says McQuillan Bros, an HVAC and plumbing company in Minneapolis. Two processes occur simultaneously: A static or dynamic head inserted into the host pipe is used to fragment the existing pipe, and an expander cone pushes the fragment out. At the same time, a new pipe attached to the back of the static head is laid out as the old pipe fragments are pushed out.
Pipe Splitting
They are usually used to replace ductile pipes like steel, plastics, and ductile iron by cutting them into segments using an internal head with cutter blades. A new pipe attached to the back of the cutting head is simultaneously laid out in the same alignment as the original pipe.
Internal Point Repair Appleton, WI
Internal point repair in Appleton, Wisconsin uses fiberglass to repair damaged pipes. The affected pipe is first cleaned to remove any tree roots, debris, or other possible obstructions. A camera is used to inspect the pipe to pinpoint the problem area. Then a pneumatic packer pulls structural fiberglass impregnated with resin inside the pipe. Once it is in place, the pneumatic packer inflates the fiberglass, positions it over the problem area, and allows it set.
Pipe bursting employs three methods: pneumatic, hydraulic, and static pull. Static pull uses a constant pull force to break the old pipe while pneumatic and hydraulic pull uses dynamic force. The method your plumber in Appleton Wisconsin uses will depend on:
Soil conditions
Groundwater conditions
The type of new pipe
The degree of upsizing required
The type of pipe being replaced
The depth of the pipe
Availability of the required equipment
Trenchless pipe repair in Appleton, WI, is a great solution for most of the plumbing problems. It allows your plumber in Appleton, Wisconsin, to discreetly fix plumbing issues without ripping up your lawn and disrupting your normal day-to-day activities. What’s more, it takes only a couple of hours, compared to the day or two it takes conventional pipe repair in Appleton WI, and your plumber will be out even before you know it. If you aren’t sure whether your property is suitable for trenchless pipe repair in Appleton WI, contact Turek’s Plumbing Service for a consultation.
If you would like to take the preservation of the plumbing system of your home to a whole new level, you have to shine a light on your habits and drop those that are bad while maintaining those that support the service life of a plumbing system. In this blog post, we look at some of the bad habits that could ruin bathroom plumbing in your Appleton, Wisconsin home.
Taking Long, Hot Showers
What? Yes, that long, hot shower that you take to reinvigorate your body and mind after a long day at work isn’t doing the plumbing system any favors.
How does this happen? The specialists at Turek’s Plumbing Services explain that even with proper ventilation, hot showers have a knack for making moisture (or steam in this case) to access every nook, cranny and crevice in the bathroom.
As you may already know, warmth and dampness are the perfect combo for the growth of mold, so your long, hot showers are paving the way for a mold problem to fester in your bathroom.
We at Turek’s Plumbing Services know the immense benefits of taking a hot shower, so we will not recommend that you kick them to the curb. Instead, we advise that you take shorter hot showers (not exceeding 10 minutes), ensure there’s as much ventilation in the bathroom as possible, and avoid cranking up the temperature of the water too high.
Letting Hair Buildup
The reason why most plumbing clogs occur in the shower and bathroom sink is largely because of hair. If the hair falling into the bathroom drains isn’t removed periodically, it will accumulate to a level that will block the flow of water through the drain.
If the blockage isn’t fixed, you may end up with a burst pipe. Bathroom remodel professionals in Appleton, WI therefore suggests that you use a clothes hanger to extract the hair that gets into the drains so that no buildup is allowed in there. This proactive step will save you from making so many service calls to Appleton Wisconsin plumbers.
Leaving Standing Water on the Bathroom Floor
If you wouldn’t leave standing water on your kitchen floor, why would you leave it on the bathroom floor? Standing water can damage and warp bathroom flooring, and this in turn can compromise the plumbing components underneath the affected sections of the flooring.
The resultant damage caused by standing water in your bathroom is unlikely to be covered by your home insurance policy, so not only are you going to feel the pinch in your pocket, but you also risk slipping and falling as you walk on that wet floor.
At Turek’s Plumbing Services, we recommend that you buy a bigger shower mat or rug so that the problem of standing water is no more.
Neglecting Water Backups
Does water back up or flow slowly through the toilet or shower drain? Take action immediately so that you fix this problem in its early stages.
For example, if the slow drainage is due to trapped hair, remove the drain cover and use a straightened hanger with a hook at its end to extract the trapped hair.
Similarly, if you notice mineral build ups on the showerhead, Sacramento, CA plumbers suggest that you rub vinegar or shampoo on that spot. The mineral deposits will be gone and your bathroom plumbing will be free from a potential defect.
Leaving Damp Materials
Mold thrives in moist environments that have access to the light, and that is exactly what your damp towels and loofahs provide.
If you are in the habit of using a towel and then dumping it on the floor or in the hamper, then know that you are making it easy for mold and bacteria to find a haven in your bathroom.
It is therefore advisable for you to hang up your towel to dry after using it, and place your loafers in a well-ventilated spot so that they can dry as well. Replacing the loofahs periodically is also a good practice to develop since you will protect your health and the plumbing system from being infiltrated by the microbes growing on these moist items.
At Turek’s Plumbing Services, we know it can be very difficult to break a bad habit just as it is difficult to maintain a good one. That is why we offer our services to homeowners in Appleton, Wisconsin. We use our routine service calls as an opportunity to point out any habits that seem to be compromising the plumbing system so that the needed changes can be made. Remember, our aim is to give you information to help you minimize plumbing problems so that you only call us to fix the issues that you cannot address on your own. Contact Appleton, WI plumbers today and join our growing list of happy homeowners!
While you may think that your bathroom is spotlessly clean, the odors from the sink may send a contrary message. Those smells may be due to the different items, such as hair and soap residues, which gradually build up inside the drain. If these aren’t cleaned out periodically, they can accumulate to a level that results in clogs within the system. Follow the recommendations provided below by Tureks Plumbing Services, a plumbing company in Appleton, WI, to easily keep the sink drains clean.
Remove Debris on a Weekly Basis
Prevention has always been better than cure, and that’s why we at Turek’s Plumbing Services recommend that you get into a weekly habit of getting rid of debris from sink drains. Do this by removing the adjustable metal stopper and clean as far inside the drain as you can access. Clean the stopper itself as well so that it is free from debris buildups.
Use an Appropriate Drain Cleaner
Ask any Fox Valley plumber and they will caution you against using corrosive cleaning products when cleaning sink drains. This is because those corrosive products are dangerous not just for the plumbing pipes but the septic system as well.
To kill the bacteria responsible for the unwanted smells you notice, pick a biodegradable and non-corrosive pipe cleaner. Use this product as directed on the label, but in any event no more than once a month.
Turek’s Plumbing Services cautions against using antibacterial products or bleach to clean sink drains. These will harm the pipes and sewer system.
Unclog the Sink
You can use one or more of the four steps below to unclog sink drains without calling a Fox Valley plumber for help:
Use Boiling Water
Take about half a gallon of boiling water and pour it down the drain. Many of the clogs in sink drains are due to the accumulation of soap residues and some solids, such as hair, trapped in the caked residues.
For this reason, plumbing companies in Orange County, assure you that the hot water will break up many of those clogs and they will flow down the drain.
Plunge the Drain
Tureks Plumbing Services strongly suggests that you select a plunger that can form a seal on the opening of the drain. If you aren’t sure that you have the right plunger, ask a plumber to recommend a product.
Plunge the drain five to six times while the hot water is still slowly making its way down the clogged drain. The pressure created will expedite the process of breaking up the clog.
Use Baking Soda and White Vinegar
To use this method, plumbers in Sacramento, CA from Gilmore Heating, Air & Plumbing recommend that you start by pouring approximately half a gallon of water down the drain. Wait for several minutes and plunge the drain several times to break up as much of the clog as possible.
Thereafter, pour a cup of baking soda down the drain and leave it to sit for several minutes. Now take a cup of white vinegar and pour it down the drain as well. Cover the opening of the drain immediately so that as the mixture of vinegar and baking soda foams, it is forced to move through the clog and break it up in order to flow down the drain.
Leave this mixture to sit inside the drain for at least an hour. Thereafter, get another half a gallon of hot water and rinse the drain with it. One additional reason for using vinegar is that it will remove the odors in the drain.
Snake the Sink Drain
Some deposits in the sink drain may be so stubborn that the methods above may be unable to dislodge them. For such clogs, you may need to snake the drain.
Visit a local hardware store or talk to a Fox Valley plumber to secure a drain snake. Keep inserting and retrieving the snake until the drain snake can no longer find any more debris to remove from the drain. When you get to this point, pour some water down the drain and confirm that the sink drain is now working properly.
The measures above will generally be sufficient to keep your sink drains clean and clear. However, some homeowners may notice that the drains keep developing clogs from time to time despite every effort made to prevent such an occurrence. In such a case. Contact Turek’s Plumbing Services for professional advice. Our experienced plumbers will inspect the drains and recommend the best course of action. For example, you may need to replace the old plumbing pipes with plastic ones which are less prone to clog formation. Contact us today and start enjoying trouble-free drains!
ay freeze in freezing weather, causing a major mess and expensive damage if they burst. Fortunately our 
