General Questions
I have been told my main sewage line is cracked and needs to be replaced, are there any other options?
This is a very costly job and could be as much as 2-20 thousand dollars or more So before having this done Contacting a licensed bonded and insured plumber to camera the line and check if there are any other options or to check and see if there is a hole or a crack that could be replaced instead of the whole line. We can electronically locate and repair holes in the drain line, or rod out roots and stoppages in the line.

I smell gas in my home, what should I do?
You should immediately evacuate the home, contact your local gas company to find out where the problem is coming from and also call a professional plumber to fix the line after the gas company has found the issue. Gas can be very dangerous so make sure you call them a.s.a.p.
My garbage disposal is leaking or not working properly, what can I do?
If your garbage disposal is just humming or has stopped working all together, you might not need to replace it just yet, Call a professional plumber to come and see if the problem can be fixed as sometimes a disposal unit could become clogged with food.
My basement has flooded and I have no electricity, what should I do?
Calling a plumber to come and drain your flooded basement should be your first choice; we also have gas-powered pumps in case your electricity is out so you can stay dry even if you can't watch TV!

4 Reasons Your Plumbing Drains Slowly

1. Hair Clogs

Hair is a common problem for drains. If any hair gets into your drain, it is probably going to stay there for a long time. Hair does not dissolve or break up easily, and as a result makes very strong clogs. In addition, it can even catch other small pieces of debris that would normally pass safely through your drain, allowing them to build up and cause further problems.

You can remove hair clogs from your drain by using a plunger or drain snake. However, you are much better preventing them before they happen altogether. If you have problems with hair clogging your drain, you should purchase and install a hair trap to keep your drain in good condition. Be sure to empty it regularly, as there is a good chance your filter will fill up quickly if you have enough hair going down your drain to cause problems.

2. Grease or Soap clogs

Grease and soap can also cause many problems for drains. While grease seems like it would not be solid enough to clog a drain, the truth is that there are many things that can make liquid grease solidify enough to both block the flow of water, and trap other solid particles to make a stronger clog. You can avoid grease clogs by simply not pouring grease down your sink. Additionally, you should be able to remove weaker grease clogs by pouring hot water down your drain. However, if this does not work, more standard methods will probably be necessary such as having your drain line rodded by a professional. Soap scum functions much like grease in your drain. Although it is a liquid when you wash it away, it can solidify and accumulate just as much as any of the other substances that form clogs. Additionally, soap scum can catch other items that are being flushed down your drains and form them into clogs. Soap scum is very difficult to avoid putting down your drains, so unfortunately there are few effective preventative measures that you can use against it besides letting the water run for a extra minute or two after you are done using the sink.

3. Mineral Buildup

If you have hard water, minerals may build-up in your drain pipe, causing your drains to work more slowly than usual, or even stop altogether. Mineral build-ups can also cause other debris to accumulate more quickly. You can remove a mineral build-up with a drain snake. Additionally, dealing with the problem at the source by dealing with your hard water problem is also a possibility to slow the progress of mineral build-up. Drain cleaners should be avoided. Not only are drain cleaners bad for the environment but they can also eat thru your piping especially if you have older steel pipes in your home.

4. Roots

Tree or shrub roots love to grow into home sewer lines. Most older homes have drain lines that are composed of Clay tile or Cast Iron pipe. As the piping material sits in the ground the pipes start to rot away and the freezing of the ground in the winter causes the pipes to move, when this happens a pipe joint may be compromised. Once a pipe joint starts to leak even a little bit of water any vegetation that is growing around that source of water will be looking for more. Unfortunately we give the tree everything it needs to survive every time we flush our toilets. Water and fertilizer in each flush allows the roots to grow at a alarming rate in a sewer line and just like the trunk of a tree "branches" out so will the roots in a sewer line to try to gather as much nutrition as possible. Rodding a sewer will remove the roots inside the piping but that will not stop the roots in the pipe joints or just outside the pipe from growing back into the sewer line. Rodding a sewer is like putting a bandage on a broken leg, it may help in the short term but the only cure is to chemically treat the roots after rodding to kill the roots or to replace the damaged section of piping.

How to Clear a Sink/Shower Drain

My tub and/or sink drain is moving very slowly or not at all.
This is probably the most common issue that plumbers come across, A stopped up tub is more than likely caused by a hair clog in the pipes, using a store bought drain cleaner might work, but it also has acid which could eat through or otherwise damage your drain pipes which could cause even more problems later. Clogged sink drains could be any number of things, food, hair or a child's favorite toy! Usually a drain snake can cure the problem, occasionally in an old home the piping has rusted shut or rotted out beyond repair or the piping could need to be replaced, this is why contacting a licensed bonded and insured plumber would be your best option. Here are the most commonly recommended methods for unclogging a clogged drain:
Plunger. Be sure the plunger's suction cup is large enough to cover the drain opening or your work will be an exercise in futility.
1. Fill the clogged basin with enough water to cover the plunger cup;
2. Coat the rim of the cup with petroleum jelly to seal the drain tightly;
3. Use wet rags to block any outlets--a sink overflow or second sink--and create a vacuum;
4. Use 15 to 20 strong strokes once you have a tight seal; and
5. Try several times before turning to other remedies.
Chemicals. Don't use chemicals if the drain is completely clogged. These chemical will burn you skin; if they sit in a stagnant drain, you'll have to find a way to remove both the chemicals and the blockage. Don't use routinely because these cleaners can damage metal pipes.
1. Make sure the room is well ventilated;
2. Wear rubber gloves and eye protectors;
3. Read labels and use the right kind of cleaner--an alkali to cut grease and an acid to dissolve hair, soap, and other gook;
4. Never mix chemicals, and do not use chemicals in combination with a plunger;
5. Don't look down the drain--chemicals give off toxic fumes and can boil up suddenly.
Drain auger. Remove any filters or stops and guide the drain auger ("snake") through the drain opening.
1. Work the drain auger patiently around bends in the piping as you feed it through. (For a toilet, you'll need a special "closet auger."
2. When you've hooked the blockage, pull the drain auger back a little to free it, then continue to push it through (or pull the clog out).
3. If feeding the drain auger through the drain doesn't work, try feeding it through a system cleanout.

Use a drain auger to snake a drain. For access, first remove the stopper, then work the snake down the drain and turn the handle to bore through the clog and push it through the pipe or pull it out.
For a deep clog, first remove the sink trap. To do this, unscrew the couplings (catch water in a bucket placed beneath the trap). Work a drain auger through the drain pipe to free or extract the clog.

Do you give free estimates?

At Aqua Flow Plumbing, we will be happy to give you a general estimate over the phone when ever possible on smaller projects, although sometimes we do need to inspect the job at hand to give you a proper estimate for repairs and this is almost always the case on larger projects. Although phone quotes are not always accurate due to the numerous situations and circumstances that each individual job may incur, having a technician come to your home for a service call is the best way to make sure all aspects of the job are included in your estimate. The nominal cost of our service charge is always deducted from any service call we perform that same day or from the total cost of larger projects.

“Our service call cover the cost of our technician to arrive in a fully stocked truck prepared for almost any situation and do to do a short diagnosis of the problem”

Other companies advertise “free estimates” but nothing in life is free. Someone pays for those “free estimates” in one form or another when they agree to have the service preformed. Free estimate companies usually charge a much higher hourly rate and service call charges to help to offset the costs of the free estimates. Even "flat rate pricing" incorporates average time spent per job, a trip charge or service call, parts and taxes into every job.

No one would expect to go into a doctors office to be examined and receive a "free estimate" from the doctor for what ails you, nor would they expect the doctor to come to one's home for a annual exam. So to have a technician from Aqua Flow Plumbing who is driving to your home to check your plumbing problem and charging you for a service call is a fair and honest way to estimate your repair costs and to help keep our costs affordable for all.

Did you know?

At aquaflow plumbing we take care of the health of the people on a daily basis. When a doctor checks you out when you are sick, He does so by first washing his hands, luckily for you there was a plumber at his workplace making sure he has fresh clean water to do so so you do not get any communicable diseases. Alot of people take going to the bathroom and brushing thier teeth as well as washing thier hands and taking a shower for granted, this would not be possible without the proper training and work done by your local Plumbers.

Did you know?

Standardized earthen plumbing pipes with broad flanges making use of asphalt for preventing leakages appeared in the urban settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization by 2700 B.C. Plumbing originated during the ancient civilizations such as the Greek, Roman, Persian, Indian, and Chinese civilizations as they developed public baths and needed to provide potable water, and drainage of wastes. Improvement in plumbing systems was very slow, with virtually no progress made from the time of the Roman system of aqueducts and lead pipes until the 19th century. Eventually the development of separate, underground water and sewage systems eliminated open sewage ditches and cesspools

Did you know?

Did you know that all the copper plumbing in the newer cruise ships are now using the pro press tool to make the connections? press fittings give the copper more structural integrity and allow the slight movement of the pipes during the movement of the ship on the water to hold tight!

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4 Reasons Your Plumbing Drains Slowly

1. Hair Clogs

2. Grease or Soap clogs

3. Mineral Buildup

4. Roots

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