Posts Tagged ‘Wilkes Barre’

Emmaus PA Plumber’s Guide: Well Pumps

Monday, October 8th, 2012

If you have a well or are digging one on your property in Emmaus, you’ll want to invest in a well pump. Well pumps extract water from the underground source, and the type of well pump you use must be suitable for that particular water source. If you have any questions about the well pump selection process, call Resolve Rooter for more information. We’ll make sure that you get the right well pump for your Emmaus PA home.

What to Consider

Before deciding which type of well pump you need, you must have some basic information about your well. The size and depth must be known, as well as an estimation of the amount of available water. Well pumps can either be mounted above your well or placed beneath the water. This depends on how far the water must travel before reaching the surface. Therefore, the first thing that must be determined is the depth of the well.

Types of Well Pumps

  • Shallow Well Jet Pumps: Shallow well pumps are ideal for water sources not exceeding a depth of 25 feet. A one way check valve keeps this type of well pump primed. The pump draws water out of the well with an inlet pipe and is installed above ground level. The pump is powered by an electric motor and draws water up with suction.
  • Deep Well Jet Pumps: Deep well jet pumps also sit above ground level but have 2 pipes. They are used for wells between 25 and 110 feet deep. A tail pipe may be used to ensure that the well is not over pumped and a foot valve is used to prime the pump.
  • Deep Well Submersible Pumps: Deep well submersible pumps actually come up from the well into your home and are connected to a pressure tank. They are used in wells up to 400 feet deep and because they are submerged they push the water up rather than try to pull it with suction. The well casing will be connected to the home plumbing system and the horizontal pipe is joined to the well with a pitless adapted.

If you need any more information about the different types of well pumps you can get in Emmaus, feel free to contact the well pump experts at Resolve Rooter. We have the answers and information you need to make the right choice for your well. Let us know how we can help you. We serve Emmaus, Wilkes Barre, Scranton,  and the surrounding New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania area!

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Scranton Plumbing Repair Question: How Can I Fix a Leaky Kitchen Sink Faucet?

Monday, April 16th, 2012

A leaky kitchen sink faucet is certainly are not an emergency, but it is pretty inconvenient and annoying. Fortunately, they are often quite easy to fix. The proper procedure for fixing a leak in your Scranton kitchen sink faucet will depend on the type of faucet you have, but it is always a relatively simple task.

If you know what type of faucet you have in your kitchen, you are ahead of the game. But if you do not, you will need to take your faucet apart first to see what is going on in there. Especially in older homes, the most common type of faucet is a compression faucet. This means that inside the faucet there is a rubber washer that helps to create the seal when the faucet is tightened.

Scranton Plumbing Repair

A kitchen faucet leak is often caused by a worn washer that needs to be replaced. While not the easiest DIY repair, you can replace this washer. First, turn off the water supply to your sink (there should be a couple of knobs under the sink for this purpose). Then cover the sink drain to prevent you from dropping anything down it while you are working.

Once you have set yourself up, unscrew the faucet handles (or whichever one is leaking) and remove the outer part. At this point, you should be able to see the washer. Simply remove it and replace it with a new one and then put the faucet handle back on and you should be as good as new. These types of washers tend to wear out from time to time, so  you will probably have to do this again in a few years or so.

When you are replacing your washers, though, it is important to remember a couple of things. First, if you are unsure about what type of washer to put in your faucet, take the old one to the store with you and ask a salesperson for help. You want to make sure that the washer you put in is exactly the right fit for your fixture so it is worth taking the extra step to ensure that you have the right piece.

And after you have taken apart the faucet, it is a good idea to check the stem to see if that has worn out and needs to be replaced as well.

This is a pretty complicated procedure for the average homeowner, so if don’t have a lot of experience fixing your home’s plumbing, its best to call a Scranton plumber. Resolve Rooter offers 24/7  service, so give us a call for any plumbing problem, any time!

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When to Call Your Wilkes Barre Plumber

Monday, April 9th, 2012

Many aspects of plumbing around simple fixtures are easy repairs for the homeowner who likes to be handy.  Videos on the internet have made most simple repairs even easier by showing step-by-step processes to get them done.

Some projects obviously are more complicated and require the special skills and knowledge that only years of experience can provide.  Especially when water is gushing out and you don’t know where the main shut-off is located, the damage that can intensify minute by minute should be mitigated by calling in the expert Wilkes Barre plumber.

A Fix in Time

There are some repairs that are simple enough for the average homeowner to handle. If you have had a little experience with plumbing repair, you might be able to fix a leaky faucet and clogged garbage disposal. You should alsoWilkes Barre Plumbing Repair know how to shut off your main water supply in case something starts to flood your home.

Slightly more experienced DIY homeowners can replace their own toilets, install an under the counter water filtration system, or put on a new shower head. As long as you can follow instructions and have some basic tools, these tasks can be accomplished without too much trouble. But for the more complicated projects or if you haven’t had a lot of experience fixing your own plumbing, calling a plumber is almost always the best option.

When to call a Wilkes Barre Plumber

When something has broken and is causing serious flooding, whether or not you can find the main shut-off, it still probably makes sense to call a Wilkes Barre plumber to get the repairs made quickly and correctly.  For much less emergent situations, plumbing can still be a tricky sport to find the right size fittings so getting a plumber with a truck full of odd parts can cost a little money but save a lot of aggravation and return trips to the local hardware store to exchange the 5/8 male coupling with gasket you expected it to be for the 3/4 female that was needed.

For any project that requires a permit, a licensed plumber makes good sense who knows the proper codes and intricacies of supplies, drains and venting so the work will pass inspection.  Replacing larger items like a hot water heater, shower unit or sink are far simpler for professionals to wrestle.

Any problems with the hot water baseboard or radiant heat systems are better left to plumbers to fix who know how to properly bleed and refill the pipes to flow without air bubbles.  If there is a problem with the sewer main inside or outside the house, a plumber will be better equipped to cut and repair the pipes (as well as deal with the mess).

Because of their lethal risks, gas lines to appliances must be installed and connected by a certified technician which many plumbers are.

Ultimately, if you have any doubt about your abilities, even though you’re playing with water, a mistake can make a big mess.  Call Resolve Rooter if you are having problems with your home’s plumbing!

Photo from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/herzogbr/2869244594/

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Scranton Plumber’s Guide: Stop Sink Clogs Before They Start

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

A clogged bathroom sink can disrupt your morning routine. A clogged kitchen sink can make preparing dinner a frustrating task. Stop those annoying plumbing problems before they happen in your Scranton home by understanding how clogs occur. The main culprits are grease, hair, and food.

Hydrophobic and Hydrophyllic

In the world of chemistry, substances that dissolve in water are hydrophyllic. Salt and sugar are the most obvious examples. Substances that don’t dissolve in water, such as grease, oil, and organic solvents, are hydrophobic. They will quickly cling to any available surface that allows them to separate from water. Grease and oil from different sources will clump together rather mix with water.

When grease and oil are poured down a sink, they coat the inside of the drain pipe. Water will not remove them. Soaps and detergents are effective cleaners because they have both hydrophobic and hydrophyllic properties. They can pull some of the grease and oil away from the walls of the drain and into the  water, but the base layer of grease stuck to the pipe will not move. Over time, the grease stuck inside the drain accumulates. Hair and food debris gets caught in the grease. Eventually, the clot becomes large enough to stop the water from moving. No matter how much water you flush down the drain, the grease clot stays put.

Hair and Food

Scranton Plumbing Repair- Kitchen Sink ClogsMost people know that they are a lot of things that can cause problems with your Scranton plumbing, but its almost impossible to keep hair and other clog causing debris from going down the drain. In the kitchen, even the most careful person is going to have some food and oil make its way down the kitchen sink when washing the dishes.

The problem is that hair and food can build up in the U-shaped portion of the drain, otherwise known as the trap. If stuff starts to be snagged in the trap, other objects will catch onto this anchor, slowly forming a clot of food, hair and other debris. This clot will cause slow draining until it grows large enough to stop your sink from draining entirely.

Preventing Clogs

Most homeowners know that cooking grease should never be poured down a sink and into their Scranton plumbing. But they may not realize that many foods, even lean foods like chicken or fish, give off small amounts of grease or fat when they cook. Scraps of food ground up in the garbage disposal can release grease that clings to the walls of the drain. For any busy kitchen, it’s nearly impossible to prevent some grease or oil from making its way into the drain. To help prevent a grease build up in the kitchen sink, add some dish detergent whenever you put cooking liquid, food scraps, or plate scrapings into the sink. Follow up with lots of hot water. For bathroom sinks, when you see a hair fall into the sink, try to wipe it away with tissue before it slides down the drain.

A reliable Scranton plumber like Resolve Rooter can help you with any clogged sink; give us a call today if you need any plumbing repairs!

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Wilkes Barre Plumbing Tip: When to Replace Your Garbage Disposals

Monday, March 26th, 2012

Garbage Disposals Are A Kitchen Necessity

For most  Wilkes Barre homeowners, the garbage disposal is an essential kitchen convenience.  Food preparation and cooking become much easier when peelings and scraps can just be whisked into the sink and down the drain. Many of the earlier environmental concerns about garbage disposals have been resolved. Most municipal water treatments plants now have the technology to extract the pulverized food debris from waste water and turn it into sludge that can be sterilized and disposed in a landfill or used for fertilizer.

When to Replace a Garbage Disposal

Obviously, when your garbage disposal stops working it’s time to either fix or replace it. While it’s possible to service a garbage disposal, it would probably be cheaper to replace it. But if your disposal is still operating, how do you know when it’s time to for a new one?

Wilkes Barre Plumbing Repair - Garbage DisposalIt probably doesn’t surprise you to know that garbage disposals do not last forever. Even the best made equipment will be worn down after grinding up an entire family’s food scrapes and bones over many years. A garbage disposal in good shape should be able to dispose of the food your put into it very quickly, a matter of seconds, so if it is taking much longer you should think about replacement. A bad smell that you just can’t get rid of is another sign of a garbage disposal on its way out. If your grinding chamber has seen a lot of use, your components can wear out and food can get trapped. If simple cleaning doesn’t remove the odor, a new garbage disposal might be the solution.

Even if your disposal is in good shape, you may want to look into replacing it. Garbage disposals are rated in horsepower. Basic models are usually rated in the 1/5 to 1/3 horsepower range, while top of the line models are in the 3/4 to 1 horsepower range. The difference may seem small, but it has a major impact on performance. If you have a smaller unit in the 1/5 to 1/3 range that is a few years old, and you like to cook, it may be worth your while to consider replacing it.

Size Matters

Most manufacturers offer a range of models with increasing power ratings. If you do a lot of cooking and use your disposal a lot, the few extra dollars investment in a 3/4 or 1 horsepower disposal is worth the money. Not only do more powerful units dispatch food scraps more easily, but they can handle tougher jobs like bones and meat scraps that might jam a smaller disposal. More powerful disposals are less noisy and they tend to break down less. The only drawback of larger disposals is that they tend to be larger and take up more space. It’s best to consult a Wilkes Barre plumbing contractor before buying a new disposal to make sure it will fit under your sink.

For any of your Wilkes Barre garbage disposal repairs, please call Resolve Rooter today!

Photo by steveluscher: http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveluscher/2316368766/

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Wilkes Barre Sump Pump Installation Tip

Wednesday, March 21st, 2012

Many homes in the Wilkes Barre area require sump pumps to keep their basements dry. Wilkes Barre sump pumps are placed in pits or “sumps” in the basement floor. When the basement floods, it starts at the lowest point, which is the sump. As the sump fills with water, the pump is automatically activated and begins to suck the water out of the sump and discharge it to a drain or a line leading away from the house before it can flood the basement.

 How Sump Pumps Work

The pump’s base has openings to allow water to flow into it. When water fills the sump it also fills the interior of the pump. When the water reaches a certain level it triggers a floating switch that activates an electric motor. The motor spins a metal shaft immersed in the water at the bottom of the pump. The shaft is attached to an impeller, which resembles a small, sideways water wheel.

As the impeller spins at high speed it whirls the water away from the center of the pump, forcing it into a discharge pipe that rises up out of the sump. The discharge pipe connects to a length of hose or pipe that empties the water into a sink or outside the foundation of the house. As the water is forced out of the pump it creates a vacuum that pulls more water into the pump and out of the sump. The impeller keeps spinning and pumping water into the collecting pipe until the water level inside the pump – and the sump – allows the float switch to drop low enough to shut the motor off.

 Types of Sump Pumps

There are pedestal sump pumps and submersible sump pumps. In pedestal pumps, the motor assembly is above the base of the pump and the impeller, and doesn’t contact the water. The activation switch for the motor is attached to a long shaft with the float on the other end that drops into the water. As the water rises, it pushes the shaft up and activates the switch. Submersible pumps are smaller units with the motor, activation switch, and impeller all on one level. The motor compartment is waterproof. Either style pump is usually connected to the house electric circuit. But some Wilkes Barre homeowners connect them to backup battery power supplies so the pump will work in the event of a severe storm and power outage.

Which Wilkes Barre Homes Need Sump Pumps

Every homeowner in should understand the concept of the water table. Simply put, the water table is the permanently saturated layer of soil, sand, or rock below most of the surface of the Earth. In some places it’s hundreds of feet below the ground, but in most areas it’s much closer to the surface. In temperate or seasonal areas, the depth of the water table can rise and fall.

The foundations of homes in the Wilkes Barre area are built above the water table. But seasonal fluctuations and heavy precipitation can cause the water table to expand upwards. If a basement isn’t completely waterproof, and few basements are, the water will seep in. Land near rivers, streams, and wetlands tends to have a very high water table, so homes built in those areas are particularly susceptible to flooding.

Although most basements are not waterproof, they should be able to withstand an occasional increase in the saturation of the soil around and beneath the house. A permanently damp basement could indicate that the foundation is close enough to the water table to prevent the basement from ever completely drying out. Rather than installing a dehumidifier, installing your Wilkes Barre sump pump may provide a better solution.

For more information about having a sump pump installed in your Wilkes Barre home, please give Resolve Rooter a call today!

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Wilkes Barre Sewer Line Replacement Guide: Problems Roots Can Cause Your Sewer Lines

Wednesday, March 14th, 2012

Your sewer line is a major component in your Wilkes Barre home’s plumbing, but because it is buried, rarely needs maintenance and almost always works as intended, most people forget about it. However, a sewer line can quickly become a much bigger problem if you allow tree roots to grow close to it. Here are some of the problems an errant tree can cause for your sewer line and what to do about them.

What Roots Do to Sewer Lines

Trees actively seek water at all times. They grow slowly, but when they grow they move their branches toward sunlight and their roots toward water. On most developed properties attached to a city sewer system, the best source of water is the sewer line.

If allowed to continue, tree roots grow toward the sewer line and eventually infiltrate the line. It may take time, but eventually those roots will find seams and cracks in the pipe and break into it seeking water.

Over time, this will result in leaks, cracks and clogs in your line that can flood your lawn, back up in your home or cause problems for your neighbors.

 Solving the Tree Root Problem

The first thing you should do is ensure there are not trees or shrubs growing close to your sewer line. If you don’t know where your sewer line is, check your property assessment or have a Wilkes Barre plumber help you find it. Remove any trees in the vicinity to avoid such a problem.

If you suspect a tree root problem, have your plumber perform a video inspection to check for roots and other blockages. If they find roots, high pressure jetting can often remove the problem completely.

Keep in mind that if the damage is advanced enough, you may need to have parts of your sewer line replaced or relined. The actual work required will depend on the severity of the damage and the opinion of your plumber. Talk to a professional to learn more about what options are at your disposal.

A sewer line is vitally important to the operation of your home’s plumbing system. If you even suspect that a tree’s roots are infiltrating your pipes, contact Resolve Rooter right away for a full inspection.

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How to Install a Sink Faucet: A Guide from Wilkes Barre

Wednesday, March 7th, 2012

A leaky faucet is generally not a hard thing to fix in your Wilkes Barre home. But if your faucet becomes a source of chronic frustration for you or if you simply feel like it is time for a change, replacing it with a new faucet may be just the right thing to do. The best part is that a new faucet does not even have to cost you that much money. Of course, if you want a top of the line model you will certainly pay the price. But many nice, high quality faucets can be had for a very reasonable sum.

Once you pick out your new faucet fixture, you must get your old one out of the way. This is fairly simple to do. Begin by shutting off the water to the faucet you are going to replace. If you cannot find the water shutoff for that sink alone, you can also shut off the water to your entire house. This could be a bit of an inconvenience, but replacing the faucet should not take you too long so just make sure no one else desperately needs to use the water during that time.

After the water is shut off, turn on the faucet to let any excess water drain out of it and then plug up the drain so that you do not lose any pieces or parts down it while you are working. Next, disconnect the water lines that feed the faucet so that you are free to remove the old one. You will also have to figure out how your faucet is attached to the counter itself.

Your old faucet may be attached on the bottom of the counter or the top. Either way, you can get it off easily enough, but you will have to know which side to approach it from. Once you have unscrewed your old fixture, simply pull it off the sink and put it aside. Make sure that you thoroughly clean the area where the old fixture was attached as well. Remove any grout, putty or other substance that may have collected around the old fixture over the years.

When that is done, you are ready to install your new sink faucet. Simply fit it into place, attach it to the counter and connect the water lines. Be sure all connections are secure and turn the water back on to test your handiwork.

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Scranton Plumber’s Tip: How to Eliminate an Odor Coming from a Garbage Disposal

Saturday, March 3rd, 2012

If you have a garbage disposal in your Scranton home, as most people do these days, you probably consider it an indispensible part of your household equipment. However, it is not uncommon for odor problems to develop with a garbage disposal. This is certainly an unpleasant situation, but luckily it can usually be quickly and effectively remedied.

The main reason that garbage disposals begin to smell is that they catch bits of food and other items that go down the drain. This is perfectly normal, and all you have to do to keep it from becoming a bigger problem for you is to clean your garbage disposal on a regular basis.

If you are up for a pretty intensive cleaning, you can turn your garbage disposal off and take off any removable parts for scrubbing with soap and warm water. It is vital that you make sure your garbage disposal is off and stays off as you do this. This is a great way to take care of a garbage disposal odor, but it will not keep it from coming back.

It is also not necessary to get in there and deep clean your garbage disposal on a regular basis. Instead, you can carry out a few less intensive procedures to help keep your garbage disposal odor free. No matter what cleaning method you use, it is also important to remember to keep your water running any time you turn your garbage disposal on and for about thirty seconds afterwards. This can go a long way towards ensuring that food and other sediment does not build up inside.

One of the reasons that garbage disposals seem difficult to clean is because you cannot use many of the more common household cleaning chemicals on them. Harsher chemicals can damage or erode parts of the garbage disposal, potentially causing larger problems for you later on. Fortunately, there are actually a lot of products that you probably have around your house already that can make cleaning your garbage disposal and getting rid of the unpleasant odor a quick and easy chore.

One good solution is to cut a lemon in half and put it down your garbage disposal along with some baking soda. Once they are down there, turn on the water and then turn on the garbage disposal. Leave it running until you are sure the lemon is gone and you can be confident that the smell will be gone also.

If you are having any problems with your Scranton home’s garbage disposal, give Resolve Rooter a call today!

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