So you waited too long to put those boots away, now your basement is flooded. Don’t worry! With Fall approaching, Precise Plumbing has some tips on how to keep your home Fall and Winter ready! We’ll walk you through the steps necessary to prevent a similar situation from happening next year.

1) Don’t Forget The Outside Work

Unfortunately, there’s no magic formula that will keep your hose performance from degrading. In most cases, you’ll need to drain the hose completely before storing it away for the season. Storing hoses in the correct position will significantly reduce stress to the fittings. Turn off water at the source, and make sure you drain the entire hose before storing it away.

*If you store your hose outside (unheated), we recommend draping it over a wide tree branch between uses to avoid damage from falling/melting ice. Protect your faucets as well. Check around the house for any exterior fixtures that may have been left open over the summer. If you see a noticeable drop in water pressure, chances are there’s an outdoor faucet still leaking.

2) Clean the Gutters

As leaves continue to fall, your gutters will need some serious TLC. It’s essential to make sure leaves are cleared out of the gutters before it gets too cold – water in your gutter can quickly freeze and create cracks in gutters, foundations, and driveways. We recommend giving the exterior of your home a light power wash before turning on the hose for a final rinse around surrounding plants and trees.

3) Snake the Sewer Line / Check your Sump Pump

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that all those leaves, sticks, and other yard waste will end up somewhere – even though you planned and got rid of them from around your foundation. Some cities will require homeowners to hire a company like Precise Plumbing to come and remove any yard waste from the sewer line, but most will allow you to do this yourself – it’s just a matter of knowing when and how. There are two methods for removing yard waste from your home:

• Snaking the Sewer Line: Using a small drill (yes, they make little power snakes), clear out anything blocking the sewer line. Check with your local city hall to determine if they allow this self-clearing, and make sure you know how to use the equipment before digging in. Routinely running a power snake through the sewer line can help prevent tree roots from entering and clogging the pipe over time.
• Checking your Sump Pump: It’s essential to inspect the unit periodically, depending on whether or not you have a sump pump. If your home is prone to flooding or had significant rainfall this summer, make sure that the sump pump works correctly before winter hits. Because of its position in the basement, it can be easy for some homeowners to forget about their sump pump – prevent further damage to your foundation this winter by making sure it’s operational.

4) Prevent Freezing

When water freezes in a pipe, its volume expands, leading to cracks and other issues. Many homeowners will turn to heat tape or electric heat cables in their crawlspaces or basements to prevent pipes from freezing. Still, if your house is older or not properly insulated, a leaky pipe could cause further harm. As long as all exposed plumbing is well-insulated (typically in crawlspaces), heat tape and cables are considered inefficient in preventing freezing damage in most cases. If you have heat tape in place, make sure you check to ensure it hasn’t come loose – if left unattended, the cables can pose a fire risk.

5) Water Heater Maintenance

Every water heater requires periodic maintenance and inspections to ensure optimal use. For further information on this topic, we suggest you refer to our article “Signs Your Water Heater Needs Replaced.”

In addition to all of these preventative measures, make sure you have a qualified plumber come out and inspect your water heater before the coldest months hit. If your unit is more than ten years old, now is a great time to start looking for a replacement water heater!

Find out more about our maintenance, repairs, and installation services, check out our website https://mypreciseplumbing.com/ or call us today!

Spring is here! While most are at home during this stressful time, why not take this time to do some spring cleaning! Most people consider dusting and mopping the whole house; however, it is important to consider your plumbing as well. After a long and cold winter, it is important to check up on your plumbing. Regular maintenance will increase the life and efficiency of your plumbing fixtures and system.

Here is a useful checklist for you to review to ensure you are giving your plumbing the spring cleaning love it needs:

• Clean gutters, downspouts, and vents on the roof.
• Inspect your pipes for any leaks or damage (or have one of our experienced Mississauga plumbers inspect them for you).
• To prevent odors and gases, snake any slow floor drains to remove clogs, and pour a gallon of water into infrequently used floor drains.
• Cleanse the traps beneath your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry sinks.
• Inspect your hose for leaks or damage. If dripping continues after a replacement have been done, there may be a cracked frozen pipe.
• Do a thorough maintenance check on your water heater.
• Install backwater valves on floor drains to prevent sewer backups.
• To deep clean the drains in your home, use a bacterial drain cleaner in all drains.
• Mesh strainers should be placed on all your drains to prevent hair and other debris from entering the drain.
• Your sump pump should be checked to ensure it is working efficiently. Simply pour water into the basin and trip the lever.
• Thoroughly clean shower heads and faucets for mineral build-up.
• Inspect your water supply lines for your faucets, toilets, washing machines, and other appliances that use water.
• Clean out your washing machine lint trap.
• Thoroughly clean your garbage disposer and repair if needed.
• Do a leak check in and around your home.

Call us at (647) 878-9293 for all your plumbing needs!

Renovating your bathroom not only allows you to modernize this space in your home, but also adds value to your property. Whether you have a larger bathroom in a newer home or a smaller one in an older home, before you renovate the look and design of your bathroom, you want to consider important aspects to ensure the finished project meets your objectives.

Drainage cleaning in Mississauga is perhaps one of the most overlooked aspect when it comes to the maintenance of your home. A comprehensive drain pipe actually receives all the water that comes from the small pipes in your home . While a drain pipe is usually pretty tough, a lot of times it also carries a lot of rubbish or debris that might have come from your sink, tub, toilet or dishwasher.

Some of the worst nightmares that no one would wish to experience at any time is having to flash your toilet and have it overflow on the floor. Also, seeing your sink not getting empty all over sudden can be quite annoying. These are some of the reasons that will make any homeowner to call an emergency plumbing and drains service providers.

A defective drainage system can cause frustration to the people living in a building if not detected and fixed in good time. Drainage problems can occur at anytime, and they require professional handling to ensure they do not recur. Old effluent pipes require regular inspection and repairs as they are more likely to have defects. The following are some of the most common problems that affect homeowners in Mississauga.

Hot water heaters will make all sorts of sounds. Some of these are normal and are just part of the heater working to make hot water. Other noises, on the other hand, can indicate a problem developing inside the heater and serve as an early warning sign that the heater needs maintenance and/or repairs by an experienced plumber in Mississauga.

When it comes to the plumbing pipes used in residential homes, there is a wide array of different options to choose from, each with their own benefits and disadvantages. It is important to understand these differences when you are re-plumbing different areas of your home to ensure the best results.

Rather than storing 30 to 50 gallons of water, or more in a tank and using energy to keep the water heated to the desired temperature levels, a tankless water heater operates much differently.

Not all water leaks are easy to spot and find, like an annoying dripping faucet or the pooling water underneath a sink. Sometimes, leaks can occur in other areas of the home that are not as easily accessible or can even be out of sight. Just because you do not hear the drip, drip, drip sound of water or hear water flowing through the pipes within your home does not mean water is not leaking somewhere.

Winter in Mississauga can be unforgiving when the temperatures dip down below freezing and the winds pick up speed. It is during these times, homeowners experience the most frequent problem with their plumbing in the winter: frozen pipes.

Water heaters are designed to last a set period of time before they need replaced. For most of us, we tend to take a “wait-and-see” approach to our water heaters,after continuing to run the heater on borrowed time, past its useful life cycle. Eventually, we will come home to discover water dripping or running out of the bottom of the heater, across the basement floor or other area of the home where the water heater is installed. Then, we scramble around trying to get it replaced so we do not have to go without hot water.