South End Plumbing Heating & Air Expert Tips

Got a Leak Under Your Fridge?

Constantly running and used daily, your refrigerator is constructed to last. Nevertheless, some simple errors can jeopardize its functions and cause a leak. If you notice water on your kitchen area floor, keep checking out for typical causes and (primarily) simple repairs.

Q: There’s a small day-to-day puddle on my kitchen area flooring that seems to be coming from my fridge– not from anything within, however from the fridge itself. Why is my fridge leaking water? And do I have to call in a repair work tech?

A: Seems like you’ve got a little mess on your hands! You could be handling a number of issues, however it’s probably among four typical scenarios, all of which you can fix yourself without calling for backup. So, let’s run through the likeliest possibilities and see which one’s wreaking havoc in your kitchen.

Typical Problems With Galvanized Pipes

Decades ago, galvanized pipes were the shiny brand-new house enhancement homeowners were demanding– up until they were no longer as attractive as they were originally marketed to be. A common sight in homes built in the pre-1960 period galvanized pipes soon succumbed to the elements, corroding over the years and becoming practically as poisonous as the lead pipes they were expected to replace to improve safety.

As brand new installations, galvanized pipes sport the color a nickel, but as their zinc coverings diminish, gradually paving the way to rust, they can end up being tanner, darker or grayish, depending on ecological aspects. Nevertheless, a light scratch on their body can clear out rusts to reveal the pipes’ silver-grey shade.

Besides the color shades, galvanized pipes can likewise be identified with a basic magnetic test. Find your water line and after that hover a strong magnet over the pipes, and the magnet will latch on to them. Note, however, that if you’re investigating the kind of pipe system set up in an old home, you need to check several points because the plumbing systems can contain a combination of various kinds of pipes.

What is a Dielectric Union?

Dissimilar Metals in Plumbing
Galvanic Corrosion

There’s a lot of plumbing around the house that normally different pipes to tap into each other; to set up a bar sink, for example, or possibly to include an additional outlet hose bib, even water heater connections fall into this category. Plumbing work frequently requires connecting one piece of metal into another. This is made possible with using the proper types of joints and unions. Understanding the correct parts and how to use them can really make the difference. When two different metals come in contact with each other, an electrolytic reaction begins, where water serves as the electrolyte. As a result the metals start to corrode. This unique process is called galvanic corrosion.

To stop this from occurring, a unique adapter is utilized to separate the two metals by using an elastomeric rubber gasket in between the dissimilar metals. This special fitting is called a dielectric union. When connecting copper pipe to galvanized iron pipeline for example, a dielectric union is installed to hold the 2 different metal pipelines together. However, there’s yet another alternative to a dielectric union– a brass nipple or a brass fitting which likewise certifies as a copper alloy fitting and complies by building codes too. So should you utilize a dielectric union or a brass fitting to link two different metal pipelines? Let’s see how they differ in their properties and performance.

What Causes Plumbing Pipes to Make Noise?

Although we’re not that far from Halloween, the noises you’re hearing coming from your plumbing are more most likely due to a plumbing malfunction than to supernatural causes.

These unforeseen plumbing sounds can be annoying and even stunning. In many cases, these noises might likewise show severe plumbing concerns that you’ll wish to deal with ASAP. So what are your pipes attempting to tell you? In this blog, we note five typical pipe noises and the normal reason for the ruckus.

What’s the Length of Time it Takes for Mold to Spread?
Once the mold begins to grow, it can begin to spread out in as low as a few hours. When rooted, mold begins to fill the air with thousands of spores that will spread out and arrive on increasingly more surface areas with each passing minute. As it infects more surface areas, the mold has more locations to latch onto and grow at quick rates. The longer you wait to tidy up mold upon discovery, the more possible risk you will be in.

Drying out Water Damage

How Can I Avoid Mold from Growing and Spreading out?
Typically, you can anticipate to see mold growth following a leak between 48-72 hours. This suggests that your window for prevention between the time of the leak and the development of mold is really little.

What’s the Difference Between CPVC and PVC?

You’re most likely heard about PVC pipe. It’s the white plastic pipe frequently utilized for plumbing and drainage. PVC stands for polyvinyl chloride, and it’s ended up being a typical replacement for metal piping. PVC’s strength, durability, simple installation, and low cost have made it one of the most utilized plastics worldwide. PVC is a thermoplastic material that is formed into various shapes to produce pipes, fittings, valves and other liquid handling materials.

cpvc vs pvc

So Just What is CPVC?
You can think of CPVC as PVC’s cousin. They are similar in many methods, but they should not be utilized interchangeably. Both are made of the same standard aspects with one distinguishing element. CPVC is changed by a totally free radical chlorination reaction that efficiently increases the chlorine content of the material. CPVC is likewise a thermoplastic that is molded into many of the very same items as PVC.

This difference in makeup permits CPVC to hold up against a wider range of temperatures. This is why lots of building regulations require making use of CPVC as opposed to PVC for use in hot water applications. The ASTM standard enables PVC to be used in applications not going beyond 140 degrees F.

Temperatures over this can cause softening of the product and weakening of joints. CPVC on the other hand can deal with temperature levels approximately 200 degrees F.