Brooks Plumbing Co. Blog: Archive for September, 2012

Plumbing Tip: How Sump Pumps Work

Monday, September 24th, 2012

In areas like Olympia, WA, a sump pump acts as a primary line of defense against water getting into your home and causing damage to your basement, garage or bottom floor. These devices are actually quite simple to operate and relatively affordable to have installed, so they represent a very effective, highly recommended option for anyone with water issues in their Olympia home.

If you are having such a problem and are interested in learning more about what a sump pump does and why it is such a good investment, here are a few more details about them and how they work.

Sump Pump Technology at Work

A sump pump is exactly what it sounds like – a pump installed in the bottom floor of your home or basement, if you have one, that removes water before it can back up and create a problem. When the system is installed, a secondary drainage system is usually installed that will funnel water into a pit somewhere in your basement. As water fills this pit, a float rises and eventually triggers a switch on the sump pump.

The sump pump then turns on and starts removing water from that pit, pumping it into a drainage pipe or sewer line (depending on your municipal regulations regarding sump pump installation). The result is no water in your basement and a very efficient means of removing the water from your home.

Because the system consists of nothing more than a simple pump and some drain tiles to funnel water into the pit, it is relatively affordable to install and requires minimal maintenance – usually just a quick inspection once a year and a test during dry months of pouring water into the pit to ensure it comes on. Not bad for a device that will actively keep water out of your home for years to come.

If you’d like to install a sump pump in your home’s basement, call Brooks Plumbing today! Our Olympia, WA plumbing technicians are experts in sump pump installation and repair.

Tags: Lacey, Olympia, Plumbing Installation, Sump Pumps
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Plumbing Question: What is a faucet aerator?

Monday, September 17th, 2012

Your Olympia home is filled with little things that you don’t even think about – technologies that have been developed to save us money or reduce energy consumption that, when not present, can have a very negative impact. One such thing is the aerator on your sink faucets. If you don’t have an aerator on your faucets, or if you have a clogged aerator, it’s important to know what these little things are and why they are so important.

What Is an Aerator?

Put very simply, an aerator is a screen installed at the end of your faucet. When you turn on the water, the aerator blocks part of the water flowing from the water line by splitting the flow. This does a few things. First, it ensures your water flow is not too powerful – wasting a large volume of water. Old faucets, installed in Olympia Homes before the 1992 law that required a certain level of efficiency, would use between 4 and 7 gallons of water per minute (gpm). With an aerator, a modern faucet uses 2.5 gpm or less.

Second, this ensures that the decreased water flow isn’t noticeable. When you wash your hands, plenty of water comes out to rinse your hands of soap, and unless you need to really fill up the sink fast, you’ll rarely, if ever, notice the decreased water flow.

Problems with Aerators

If you have high levels of minerals in your water supply, the aerator on your faucet can eventually get clogged. This happens slowly over time, so you will not notice at first, but eventually water flow will slow to the point that your faucet will either seem to slow or stop temporarily. This can be fixed easily enough by removing and cleaning your aerators, though it is also good to have your water supply checked to ensure the mineral levels are not too high. A water treatment system can help with this.

An aerator is an important component in your Olympia home’s plumbing – a simple little screen that saves you $100 or more per year on your water bill and helps you do your part for the environment by reducing wasted water.

If you have any questions or are in need of plumbing repairs, call us today! Brooks plumbing has been a trusted provider of quality services throughout the Olympia area since 1994.

Tags: Aerator, Faucets, Lacey, Olympia, Plumbing, Sink Plumbing
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Plumbing Question: How Does a Drain Tile System Work?

Monday, September 10th, 2012

Drain tile systems seem to be the most common solution to problems arising from basement dampness and flooding. An increasing number of people inLacey are switching to these systems. But before you can do the same, it can be helpful for you to know how these systems work.

The technology that drain tile systems use was first put to its modern use in the United States in 1838. The main principle of this system is the use of special perforated tiles to absorb water and direct it away from the foundation of your home.

These drains are used for several purposes. When used as a farm draining system, they help prevent over saturation of water in fields. These tiles can also be used in irrigation systems for the transport of water. On the other hand, a drain tile system can be used domestically to drain yards as well as regions around the foundation.

Drain tiles are perforated (they have tiny pores) to allow the water in. When used in drainage systems, these tiles are immersed in a bed of loose stones, which allows the drain to lead to the piping. You can find various kinds of stone for this purpose. However, the three or four inch washed gravel allows for the best kind of water flow. These pipes are usually cylindrically to follow convention. However, even the cubical ones serve the same purpose as their shape has no effect on the flow of water.

Depending on your requirements, you can go for piping ranging from a diameter of two inches to 18 inches. Most people using these systems around their foundations prefer the 4” variant as a standard size. The pipe used for draining could be made from plastic or PVC. Any standard type of pipe can be used in this purpose. However, the pipe must be connected to the system well so no water is lost when draining out.

So there you have it. Drain tile systems are efficient and tested to absorb excess water from any area and help it flow out in an efficient manner. This is quite a popular and effective method that has been in use for many years now and continues to serve the purpose in agriculture as well as for domestic purposes. For more information about installing a drain tile system in Lacey, give Brooks Plumbing a call today!

Tags: Drain Tile, Lacey, Olympia, Plumbing
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Plumbing Question: What is Commerical Plumbing?

Tuesday, September 4th, 2012

If you own a commercial building in the area and need an Olympia plumber to visit and perform part or all of an inspection on your pipes and fixtures, it is important that you hire someone with specific experience working on commercial systems. There are a number of reasons for this, not the least of which is that commercial systems are significantly different from residential systems and therefore need a different kind of attention than the systems you would find in a typical home.

Larger Scale

A commercial plumbing system works on a much larger scale meaning many more things need to be taken into consideration. In a residential setting, water flow, water pressure, and even construction materials used are generally the same from one home to the next. In a commercial setting, you’re going to find that the type of pipe material present, the layout of those pipes and much more will depend almost entirely on the function of the building being serviced and the type of plumbing that is used.

Certain buildings have special water needs and others must follow particular sanitation guidelines because of what is done there. It is important that you hire a plumber who knows these guidelines and can meet them on the scale that is required.

Quick and Efficient Service

A commercial plumber in Olympia must be able to quickly and effectively make repairs and service your plumbing system – something that may need to be done during off hours or that will require special equipment due to the larger configuration of your plumbing system. Ideally, they will also have training in those particular configurations and with those specific commercial tools.

It is important to hire a commercial plumber for all of your building’s plumbing needs, whether that means finding someone to perform a routine pipe inspection or to replace large lengths of pipe. If you’re interested in making this a part of your routine maintenance, call Brooks Plumbing Co. today.

Tags: Commerical Plumbing, Lacey, Olympia, Plumbing
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