With Spring right around the corner and the sun starting to warm us up, it’s no doubt that our minds start thinking about vacation. But before you set sail on to your next getaway, make sure your home is safe! The last thing you want to do is return home to a flooded living room. Oh no! So before you walk out that door with your suitcase in your hand, make sure to TURN OFF YOUR WATER SUPPLY, OR ANGLE STOP VALVES to ensure that you return home to comfy and DRY home! Happy vacationing to all!
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What Are Angle Stop Valves & Why Do I Need To Change MY Angle Stop Valves?
WELL FIRST, WHAT ARE ANGLE STOP VALVES?
Also called compression valves, angle stop valves are the emergency shutoff valves located under each water-using appliance and fixture in your home.
They are used for two reasons:
- If you are upgrading fixtures or need to make a repair to a single appliance or fixture in your home that requires water, instead of having to turn the water off to your entire home, you can simply use the angle stop valve to turn off the water to just that single appliance or fixture alone.
- If your appliance or fixture springs a leak or even completely bursts, turning the emergency shutoff valve to that appliance or fixture will help keep you from hefty water damage until the proper repairs are made.
SO WHY DO MY ANGLE STOP VALVES NEED TO BE REPLACED?
Well, there are many reasons why a repairman or a plumber may recommend that your angle stop valves need to be replaced. The first is pretty straightforward; If he notices a leak around the shutoff valve, this is a tell-tale sign of an outdated angle stop valve and it NEEDS TO BE REPLACED before it completely bursts and causes major water damage inside your home.
MY ANGLE STOP VALVE IS NOT LEAKING, SO WHY DOES IT NEED TO BE REPLACED?
Well, just as in the previous case, it is most generally due to outdated parts. Older angle stop valves, normally called 1-piece angle stop valves, were never designed to last. After 8-10 years OR EVEN JUST ONE USE AFTER INSTALLATION, the compression part of the valve, that actually stops the water, tends to fail. This leaves your home vulnerable to future leaks and completely broken or burst shutoff valves (which of course often occur in the middle of the night or when you’re not home and able to catch it). For that reason, repairmen and plumbers often refuse to even touch these older 1-piece angle stop valves.
Instead, they normally recommend replacing these valves with a dual-angle stop valve or quarter-turn shutoff valve with stainless steel, no burst, supply lines. These newer model quarter-turn shutoff valves are MADE TO LAST, so there is no fear of any leaks or broken shutoff valves when you’re not home.
So don’t wait any longer and get your angle stop valves replaced today! Most plumbing companies even provide a pretty good discounted rate if you decide to change out ALL of your angle stop valves at once, so don’t forget to ask!
How To Deal With and Properly Dispose of Grease, Oils and Liquified Fats
If you haven’t heard us say it before…DON’T PUT GREASE DOWN YOUR DRAINS! That’s true for oils and liquified fats too! Grease, and liquified fats from cooking, solidify inside drain pipes causing blockages for flowing drain water and waste. Oil, on the other hand, does not solidify, but it also does not mix with water, and if you remember from your childhood science experiments, it actually floats above the water, which causes the oil to stay inside the drain pipes instead of flowing down the drain with the rest of the sewer water.
Here are a few simple tips for dealing with grease, oils, and liquified fats and how to properly dispose of them:
DO NOT pour grease, oil, or liquified fats down the drain!
DO pour cooled grease, oil, or liquified fats into a non-recyclable container and throw away with the normal garbage.
DO NOT clean pots and pans that contain grease, oil, or liquified fat residue with soap and water.
DO wipe pots and pans with a paper towel or disposable cloth and throw the cloth in the garbage prior to washing the pots and pans in the sink.
Keep in mind that sludge from built-up grease, oils, and solidified fats is the number one cause of clogged drains in many homes. Clearing a drain through the use of a common drain snake or rooter is generally NOT possible when drains are clogged with these types of debris. In order to completely clean a clogged drain from this type of debris, hydro-jetting or hydro-scrubbing is often recommended. Not to mention that not only are these tips important for the proper maintenance of your home plumbing system, but they are also very important for the environment too!
So don’t forget! SAY NO TO PUTTING GREASE, OIL, AND LIQUIFIED FATS DOWN THE DRAIN!
Why Hydro-Jetting?
Picture this…
You have a complete sewer line full of grease, sludge, grime, gunk, and debris that have built up over years of use. When a drain clog occurs and your fixtures (such as toilets, sinks, and tubs) begin to back up or hold water, the first approach is generally to use a drain snake or rooter to clear the clog.
The rooter then acts as a prod and punctures holes through this build-up in order to clear a passageway for drain water. This will solve your immediate problem and your drain lines will begin to flow again, but the question is: FOR HOW LONG? Sometimes this remedy will last a day or two, sometimes a few months, but never too long. That’s where hydro-jetting (aka hydro-scrubbing) comes into play!
WHAT IS HYDRO-JETTING?
Hydro-jetting is a process that utilizes a high-pressure water stream, shooting out of a hose at a pressure of up to 3,500 psi, in order to cut through any and all of the sludge and gunk (and even stubborn tree roots and mineral build-up) that is clogging your drain. It is typically done through a special opening called a cleanout (located on the exterior of most homes), which allows your plumber easier access to clean out your drain lines. (If you do not have a cleanout, it is definitely recommended that you get one installed first.)
SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SNAKING & HYDRO-JETTING?
Well, it’s often easier to describe by way of a picture, so below is a simple diagram example of the differences between snaking a drain and hydro scrubbing a drain.
SO WHEN IS HYDRO-JETTING RECOMMENDED?
Hyrdo-jetting is generally recommended as a solution when clogs cannot be removed through the traditional snaking or rooter methods, generally due to high grease/sludge content or root intrusion in your drain pipes. A plumber can let you know the amount of resistance or how stubborn a clog is to remove and from there, they will generally recommend hydro-jetting if they think it is necessary.
So, if your plumber recommends hydro-jetting, your best bet (for lots of time and money savings due to repeat clogging) is to go for it! Hydro-jetting (so long as there is not any serious root intrusion which is explained below), will help bring your sewer pipes back to a “like-new” condition and save you from the headaches and pocketbook aches of having to call a plumber for repeat clogs! So what are you waiting for? Don’t be silly, get your drain lines hydro-scrubbed today!
A BIG SIDE NOTE ABOUT ROOT INTRUSION AND HYDRO-JETTING
One thing to keep in mind, although hydro-jetting is great at clearing stubborn roots from inside your drain lines, root intrusion that is invasive enough to cause repeat backups is a clear sign for much more serious concern. Repeat stoppages caused by root penetration in your drain lines generally mean that the roots have gotten thicker and have altered your pipelining, which is a fair warning for larger pipe damage in the near future.
With this, a plumber will generally recommend a sewer camera inspection in order to locate and determine the severity of the issue. In serious cases, a plumber may recommend either partial or complete sewer pipe replacement, in order to avoid pipe breakages or pipe bursts that can cause a much larger mess and cost much more to clean up.