Category: Homeowner Tips

End Of Summer Santa Cruz Plumbing Checklist From Rosenthal Plumbing!

As Summer winds down, it’s not just about packing away beach gear and prepping for fall. It’s also the perfect time to give your Santa Cruz plumbing a thorough check-up. Rosenthal Plumbing is here to let you know about some tips and tricks to keeping your plumbing in good shape. Here’s our comprehensive end-of-Summer plumbing guide to ensure your Santa Cruz home is ready for the colder months ahead. Keep reading, or call us today to learn more!

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Tackle Clogs and Slow Drains

Experiencing frequent toilet clogs or sluggish drains? A mixture of a cup of baking soda, two cups of vinegar, followed by half a gallon of hot water might do the trick. For sinks, a well-cleaned plunger can be effective.

Persistent clogs or standing water might indicate deeper issues with your sewer or septic system. If you detect foul odors or odd occurrences like your washing machine filling when you shower, it’s time to call in the experts. Addressing sewer problems promptly can prevent more extensive and expensive repairs.

Inspect for Leaks: Pipes, Fixtures, and Appliances

Never underestimate a small leak. Even minor drips can waste significant amounts of water annually, putting undue stress on your plumbing. Regularly inspect areas around appliances and under sinks for any signs of moisture or water pooling.

Toilets can sometimes leak from the tank to the bowl. A simple test involves adding food coloring to your tank and waiting a few hours without flushing. If the color appears in the bowl, you have a leak. Also, inspect the base of the toilet for any water or dampness.

Winter often sees an uptick in leaky pipes due to freezing conditions. Regularly inspect exposed pipes, especially around your water heater, for rust or leaks. Consider calling a Rosenthal plumber to insulate your pipes before winter hits.

Water Heater Maintenance

Your Santa Cruz water heater is essential for daily comfort. Regular checks can prevent unexpected breakdowns.

  • Check for Rust and Damage: Inspect your tank for any cracks or rust. Pay attention to anode rods and pressure relief valves too.
  • Insulate: Exposed pipes from your water heater should be insulated to prevent freezing. Consider insulating the entire heater with a suitable jacket to enhance efficiency and reduce energy bills.
  • Drain and Clean: Sediment can accumulate in your tank over time. Regularly draining and flushing your tank can prevent this buildup, ensuring cleaner hot water and prolonging the heater’s lifespan.

Sewer Considerations

Your sewer system is often out of sight, out of mind, but it’s crucial to its health. Lush patches on your lawn, unpleasant odors, or yard leaks might indicate sewer issues. Recurring clogs and water backups are also red flags.

Rosenthal Plumbing provides video inspections with main sewer line cleaning. Even if you don’t suspect any issues, periodic checks are beneficial. If you’re considering selling your home, a video inspection can provide insights into the sewer’s condition.

Contact Rosenthal Plumbing for a Plumbing Review

Whether you’re facing plumbing challenges or just want a routine check, we’re here to assist. Contact Rosenthal Plumbing today for all your Santa Cruz plumbing needs, ensuring your home or business is in top shape for the seasons ahead.

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How to Fix a Leaky Kitchen Sink

Is your kitchen sink leaking? This is a frustratingly common occurrence that many homeowners experience at least once in their lifetimes. If you find that your kitchen sink is leaking underneath you don’t need to worry, and you don’t need to call a Santa Cruz plumber right away. Here’s what you need to know about how to fix a leak under the sink!

Time needed: 1 hour

  • Determine Where Sink is Leaking

    The first step toward fixing your kitchen sink leak is to find it. Depending on where the leak is, there are different ways to fix your leaking kitchen sink. Use the following steps to determine where the leak is coming from

  • Check If The Drain Leaks

    Run water into your sink, then drain it out. If you see water leaking while the sink is draining, then you have this type of leak. How you fix this kitchen sink leak depends on why it is leaking. Try to determine if you have a blockage or if there is corrosion or if something is just loose. You can fix the problem by simply tightening the nuts located at the point where the pipes meet. Otherwise you can use plumber’s putty to get the job done. You can remove the drain, repack it with fresh plumber’s putty, and then reattach the drain again.

  • Check If The Faucet Leaks

    Leaky faucets can be annoying and run up your water bill, but are typically the easiest to spot. You may notice water leaking from the top of the sink whenever someone turns on the faucet. Faucet leaks can happen underneath the sink, too, so be sure to check for a leak underneath your kitchen sink. To fix it, all you need to do is replace any failed washers or worn-out gaskets. Occasionally, a severe faucet leak will require you to replace the entire faucet. Replacing your kitchen faucet is fairly simple, however, if you are uncomfortably doing this, call one of our local plumbers to handle your sink installation.

  • Check The Water Supply Leaks

    If your water supply is leaking you may not notice it until water is flooding out of your cabenint causing not only a huge mess but potentail water damage! To find out if your leak is coming from your water supply, plug up your sink’s drain, then turn the water on and let it run. If there’s a leak under the kitchen sink while the water is running but not draining, then the leak is in your water supply. See if you can find the joint or pipe where the water is getting out and tighten it. If that doesn’t stop the leak you may need to replace a corroded or failed gasket in the connector.

  • Inspect For A Clogged P-Trap

    The P-trap is the curved section of a pipe found under the sink. Because the P-trap is out of sight, you may notice a leak right away. Its main purpose is to prevent foul smells from seeping through the drains, but it can also trap small pieces of food and gunk. When debris fills up at the P-Trap, it can cause a leak

  • Check For A Corroded P-Trap

    Another possible cause of a leaking P-trap is corrosion– especially if your sink consists of metal parts. If this is the case, you may need to replace the trap completely. If you don’t feel confident replace the P-Trap, or finding a replacement trap, reach out to a local plumber for plumbing repairs.

  • Look For A Damaged O-Ring

    Your kitchen sink is made of several different components including a screw that holds the faucet handle in place, and a small disc that is attached called the O-ring. The O-ring can wear out or become loose due to regular use, causing the faucet to leak near the handle. If the O-ring is damaged, replacing it should fix the problem.

  • Check For A Worn Washer

    Worn washers are among the most common causes of leaking sinks. Each time you use the faucet, the washer is pressed against the valve seat, resulting in the washers wearing out. If you have worn down washers you may start noticing leaks around the spout. Simply replacing the washer.

  • See If You Have Valve Seat Corrosion

    The valve seat is the connection between the spout and the faucet. When water sits around the valve seat it can begin corrode, causing the area around the spout to leak. We recommend cleaning the valve seat regularly or hiring a plumber to do so.

  • Call A Professional Plumber

    Many times, the best way to fix a leak under the kitchen sink is with the help of a professional plumber, as they have experience with faucets and sinks. If you can’t find the leak or you’ve tried everything you can to take care of it and it’s still there, you may need to call a plumber for leaky pipe repair. Some leaks are nearly impossible to see and/or access without professional tools.

Call Rosenthal Plumbing For Help With A Leaking Sink

If you need to fix your leaky sink and you haven’t had any luck with DIY methods, call us at Rosenthal Plumbing today. We’ll send out an expert get to the bottom of your Santa Cruz plumbing problem and solve it ASAP.

We also offer emergency plumbing for severe leaks because we know that some repairs can’t wait until the next business day. Give us a call today for help with your leaky sink or faucet!

831-318-5470

5 Common Plumbing Problems & How to Fix Them

Are you struggling with your plumbing in Santa Cruz? If you’re facing one of the problems below, you’re not alone. In fact, these are the most common plumbing problems we see, along with the solutions we use to get everything back to normal for you. 

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1) Dripping Faucets

That constant dripping isn’t just frustrating, it could be costing you quite a bit of money, too! Give our sink and faucet experts a call and we’ll figure out whether you need a new O-ring or a whole new faucet. Fix it and save money on your water bill today!

2) Clogged Drains

Pesky clogs can end up causing major water damage if you can’t get them to move. Our team will get rid of that clog and help you get everything flowing normally once again. Our Santa Cruz drain cleaning methods may involve hydro jetting, a plumbing snake, or chemical solvents to make that clog disappear!

3) Leaky Pipes

A small leak can be a major problem! Whether you can find the leak or not, we can fix it for you. Our team will get you the pipe repair or replacement that you need so you can use your water normally once again. We use the latest in leak detection technology so we don’t have to waste extra time finding your leak. 

4) Running Toilets

If your toilet in Santa Cruz is constantly running, you’d better give us a call quick! We’ll find out why it keeps running like that and get a fix in place ASAP so you can use it normally again. We may replace your stopper or fix the float so the problem will go away. Stop wasting money and water when you invest in a repair today!

5) Broken Water Heaters

Being out of hot water is miserable. It’s also problematic when you don’t have enough hot water for your whole house or when your water won’t get hot enough. Call us to find the right solution for you. We’ll fix your Santa Cruz water heater when we can. If that’s too expensive or the problem is too extensive, we’ll get you a new water heater that will work for you. 

Santa Cruz Plumbing Problem Solvers

Contact Rosenthal Plumbing for all of your plumbing needs in Santa Cruz. Whether you have one of these problems or something else is going on, we’ll fix it and make sure you’re completely satisfied before we leave. We’ll do whatever it takes to get your plumbing working well again fast!

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7 Signs You Need Your Sewer Line Cleaned

A clogged sewer can become a big problem really fast! Because the clog blocks the pipe where all of the waste from your home flows into the main city sewer line, none of that nasty water will have a place to go. It may sit in the line or even flow backward into your home.

You can avoid this problem by catching your clog before it becomes such a huge problem. Look for these signs, call us when you see them, and we may be able to clean your sewer drain before you sustain any damage to your home.

Warning Signs

1. Your water drains slowly. If all of your drains seem to be running slow and nothing you do helps the problem, chances are good that you need to have your sewer line cleaned out. One slow drain usually doesn’t indicate a sewer problem, but more than one means it’s time to call the plumber.

2. You have multiple clogs. Similarly, if you have several places where your water doesn’t seem to be moving at all, call us as soon as possible. This often means that the clog lies deep in your sewer system, down in the sewer where all of the water eventually flows.

3. You smell sewage. When your sewer system is working well, it not only keeps waste out of your home but sewer smells, too. If you start smelling something nasty and it seems to be coming from everywhere at once, call a plumber soon before there’s more than just smells coming back into your house.

4. Your plumbing seems to be working oddly. Sewer clogs can cause various plumbing fixtures in your home to appear to have odd connections. Water may flow into your tub or shower when you flush the toilet. Running the washing machine may make a toilet overflow. If you notice any unusual interactions between your plumbing fixtures, call a plumber ASAP.

5. You see or hear bubbles. If you wash your hands and the toilet bubbles, or you notice any other bubbles in the system that you don’t expect to see, you may have a sewer clog. The bubbles indicate unnecessary air in your line, and this often results from a clogged sewer drain.

6. Your cleanout drain is blocked. These drains are installed in modern sewer systems. They may be in your basement or your yard. Check yours for sewage buildup or water dribbling out, as these both indicate a clog farther down the line.

7. Your yard is wet or lush in a few spots. If you notice extra water in your yard or that your vegetation is growing particularly well in a few places, it’s time to get your sewer line checked out. It may be leaking waste and wastewater into your yard, which can happen when you have a clog.

Santa Cruz Sewer Line Experts

We will locate the clog using our sewer line camera and make every effort to clean out your sewer line and make necessary repairs without digging up your yard. Trenchless sewer repair technology allows us to perform many operations without digging at all, so you won’t have to replace grass, concrete, and more. If this is an option for you, we’ll make sure you know.

Contact us at Rosenthal Plumbing as soon as you think you might need your sewer drain cleaned. We’ll send out an expert, assess the problem, and get it fixed for you fast!

How to Unclog a Drain without Drano

When your drains get clogged up, the first thing most people do is reach for some Drano. While it usually is a trusty source for fixing the problem, sometimes things are so bad that it doesn’t. There are a few other methods to unclog drains that you can try before you have to call a plumber for drain cleaning. Give these a shot to see if they remediate the issue at your property.

Plunge The Drain

Try grabbing a plunger if Drano won’t go down the drain. It doesn’t even need to be for a toilet! This method can work on any kind of clog, as long as it is sealed tightly around the drain.

Household Remedies

If there is even a slow amount of drainage happening, that is a good sign that you may be able to fix the issue. Wait until everything has gone down the drain, and then mix together equal parts baking soda and vinegar and let it sit in the drain. If the problem is very stubborn, you can use ½-1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar, plus a bit of water. After letting it sit there for 30-60 minutes, things should be flowing again.

Plumbing Snakes

A plumbing snake is a tool that looks like a long cable with a claw or hook on the end. You can get one at your local hardware store, and use it to thread down into the drain and break up or pull out the blockage.

Professional Drain Cleaning

If you’re not comfortable trying out these methods, or if they are not working, you need to call in a professional plumber for drain cleaning. The team at Rosenthal Plumbing is able to solve all your worries and concerns regarding clogged drains. Our experts are available now, so give us a call!

Call Now for Drain Cleaning Help!