4 DIY Plumbing Projects You Should Skip

When you own a home, everything that can break down will. From the plumbing and heating to the siding and lawn, you'll find yourself constantly tackling new projects to keep your home looking and working its best. When the plumbing in your house starts to malfunction, you might be tempted to try fixing it on your own rather than calling up a Corona plumber. If you're a licensed plumber, that's definitely a great idea. If you aren't, and you don't understand plumbing completely, you might just make the problem worse. You may even end up paying a lot of money for a professional to come in and fix your mistakes.

Here are 4 common DIY plumbing projects you should skip doing yourself.


1. Clogged Drains
If the drain is clogged with hair or something else that's easy to fix, you can try fixing it on your own without a great risk of doing further damage. If your problem is very severe, such as drains backing up throughout the house, you need to call a professional plumber in Corona to take a look. Your problem is definitely not something simple like hair and it may need professional plumbing equipment and experience, and maybe even pipe replacement.


2. Dishwasher Installation
If your dishwasher doesn't seem to be getting your dishes clean or performing at its best, taking care of the problem on your own might be a good idea. You may need to check the drain for clogs, or try cleaning the dishwasher by running a cycle with nothing but vinegar.

When you get into dishwasher installation, however, it's time to turn over the job to the pros. Dishwasher installation is a bit more complex than it seems, and there is a lot of work involved. Not only must your new dishwasher be installed under a cabinet near your kitchen sink, you also need to make sure drainage and water lines are installed correctly. One false move and you'll be left with a massive mess.


3. Pipe Replacement
Do you have a plumbing problem that requires pipe replacement? If so, call a Corona plumber. Even if it seems like an easy job to replace a small bit of pipe, you may not find leaks until it's too late. This is especially true for leaks behind your wall.


4. Water heaters and water treatments
Water treatment systems and water heaters should always be installed by a professional plumber in Corona. Water heater installation requires careful connection of gas lines or electricity as well as water lines, and water treatment systems require changing the main water lines as they enter your home. If you make even one small error, you may end up with water pouring into your whole house!

Clogged Sewer Pipes: DIY Plumbing Task or Leave it to the Pros?

Courtesy of Wonderlane at Flickr

You can usually tell when you have clogged sewer pipes when your toilet or bathtub starts to bubble back up when you flush or drain the water. There may be other symptoms as well, including poor drainage and inefficient pipes. These clogs are caused by a very large obstruction that prevents water waste from being disposed of. This problem needs to be addressed right away as it could cause extensive damage to your plumbing if ignored. If you're thinking about taking care of the problem yourself without a professional plumber, here are some things to keep in mind.

Think Twice Before Using Drain Cleaner!

If you have PVC pipes in your home, you may want to think twice before you try to use drain cleaner. These cleaners are great at dissolving things clogging your pipes, although they can also attack the cement that's been used to weld your pipes together. You also can't use drain cleaner to get rid of a clogged sewer pipe.

Using a Plumbing Snake

Most clogged sewer pipes are actually cleared with tools like plumbing snakes, which you can rent at a hardware store yourself. Snakes can be fairly easy to use; just insert the cable into the pipe you think is blocked. When you feel like the cable is hitting the clog, you start to rotate the handle to force the cable through the block.

Clearing clogged sewer pipes is a dirty job and it may take you a few hours. You'll also face the expense of renting the necessary tools to clear the clog, including a plumbing snake. For most homeowners, it's easier and even more affordable to just call a professional plumber to clear the clog. Taking care of the problem as soon as possible can even reduce the expense of the repair! Contact Inland Empire Plumbing if you suspect you have a clogged sewer pipe to have your sewer drains inspected and fixed in no time.

8 Most Common Plumbing Problems in Riverside



Residential plumbing repair is one of the most common yet annoying issues every homeowner faces at some point, whether it's a clogged drain or a water heater that's starting to leak. The most common problems are actually issues you can fix yourself with a little know-how and the right tools, although most people would rather rely on a local plumber in Riverside to tackle the problem.

Here are the 10 most common household plumbing problems in Riverside that you'll probably face at some point.

1. Clogged drains

Clogged sinks are used so often that it's rather easy for them to become clogged. Sinks in a kitchen clog more often than bathroom sinks as they're involved with preparing food, although the sink in your bathroom can get clogged with hair from shaving. Clogged drains, including clogs in the toilet and shower, can usually be avoided as long as you're careful about what goes down the drain.

2. No hot water

This is the most common reason homeowners call up a plumber and may sometimes be fixed without calling a professional. If you have a gas powered water heater, check to make sure the pilot light is lit. Next, make sure the temperature setting is high enough to give you enough hot water and determine if your water heater is actually big enough for the house. This problem is most common in new homes.

3. Dripping faucet

If the faucet in your bathroom or kitchen is dripping, it may be caused by worn-out washers in the faucet. This is a fairly and affordable fix, although you should take care in the future to avoid turning off your faucet too hard to extend the life of the new washers.

4. Leaking water pipe

This issue can cause a great deal of property damage, whether it's inside the home or underground. Signs of a leak include mold or mildew, standing water in the basement, a warm spot on your floor if your home sits on a slab and unexplained rises in your water or electric bill. Leaking pipes need to be fixed as soon as possible to avoid expensive damage to your foundation, belongings, flooring or ceilings so you should hire a plumber that specializes in leak detection for this job.

5. Running toilet

Toilets that are running usually have a humming noise and water will continue to run in the bowl long after it's been flushed. This issue can be taken care of rather easily by a plumber as it indicates there's a single part of the toilet that needs to be replaced.

6. Leaking toilet

Did you know a leaking toilet can cost you $100 in water costs each year? This problem can often be fixed by replacing the rubber gaskets and spud washer, although it can require a more complicated repair job.

7. Installing a new faucet

While some DIYers prefer to install their own faucets, some simply prefer calling a plumber to handle the job. Most plumbers will guarantee their work so you won't have to panic if you run into problems after installing it yourself.

8. Problems with a garbage disposal

Like all household appliances, your garbage disposal will occasionally stop working properly or give out. Many stop running after they trip the circuit breaker, often when something has caused the appliance to overheat. You can usually fix this issue by hitting the red button under the unit under your sink. Other common garbage disposal problems include leaks and obstructions under the blades.

Image credit: Maegan Tintari at Flickr

Detecting Underground Leaks in Ontario

Did you know even a tiny leak can waste 250,000 gallons of water in only three months and add over $200 to your water bill? Leaks don't just occur at your facuets and toilets, either; underground leaks can quickly become one of the costliest problems, creating thousands of dollars in property damage if undetected. There are plenty of professional plumbers operating in Ontario, California who can fix the problem, although many use old-fashioned leak detection methods that take more time and cost you more money. It's important to work with a plumber like Inland Empire Plumbing who uses modern electronic techniques for quick detection and fast repairs.

Leaks in your underground plumbing can be caused by many things, including stray electric currents from utilities that cause premature rust on piping, driving over the pipes with heavy equipment, poor installation, freezing and thawing, leaking joints and simple rust from aging pipes.

Leak Repair Courtesy of Ben+Sam at Flickr

Signs You Have an Underground Leak

• Water pooling on the lawn or wet spots in landscaped areas of your yard
• A single spot that's greener, mossier, softer or moldier than the rest of the lawn
• A noticeable drop in your water pressure
• Sudden issues with rusty or dirty water
• An irrigated area suddenly turning brown or dying
• Cracked pavement
• Sink holes
• A structure on your property is leaning
• Sudden spike in water use or water bills that are climbing steadily for no reason

Checking for an Underground Leak

Unfortunately, most people don't realize they have a leak until they see their water bill climbing for no reason. You may realize there's a leak in your water line if you have copper pipes as well, as copper is a very good conductor of sound and the faucets in your home act as small amplifiers.

Start by checking all of the valves in your house to ensure nothing is running, even a small trickle. Check the toilets and hose faucets in particular as many toilets run without any notice. Turn the toilets off at the supply stop and, if you notice this stops the problem, you'll simply need to contact a plumber in Ontario, California to tune up your plumbing system.

Finally, inspect your entire home for any signs of water damage, including under sinks, your water heater and dishwasher. Pay careful attention to the floors, walls and ceilings as well to spot moisture. If none of these steps turned up a problem, it's time to contact a leak detection professional.

How the Leak is Isolated

If you want, try to isolate the leak before the plumber arrives to fix the problem. Start by turning off your main water cut-off valve, which may be neaer your water heater or outside of the house. This shuts off all water to your home. Test it by opening a faucet to remove the pressure and drain it until the water stops flowing. Now listen carefully. If you don't hear any water running, the leak is probably under the floors of the house.

If you still hear water running, it's probably a leak in the water main which runs under the ground between your main water cut-off valve and the water meter. Walk along the ground where you believe the water lines run and look for wet areas in the ground or even a spot where you see water bubbling up.

Contact Inland Empire Plumbing Today

At Inland Empire Plumbing, our licensed plumbers specialize in diagnosing and repairing underground leaks, including slab leaks. We use modern electronic detection equipment to quickly pinpoint the leak without the time-consuming and ineffective "listen, hit and miss" approach. Our extensive experience in underground leak detection can save thousands by finding and fixing the problem before it causes unnecessary damage to your property.

Contact the experienced professionals at Inland Empire Plumbing today to save water and money and avoid expensive repairs in the future!

How to Check Household Water Pressure

Learning how to test your own household water pressure is a skill every homeowner should learn. Testing the water pressure regularly doesn't just help detect leaks; it can also find potential problems with your water system. Testing your water pressure is fairly simple and a quick preventative measure that ensures you always have even water flow and catch leaks before they lead to expensive water damage or repairs. Unfortunately, most people don't test their pressure until they notice a difference in water flow.

Here are the steps you can take to test your own household water pressure. You'll need a water pressure test gauge, which you can buy from any home supply store for a few dollars.

1. Start by finding your outside water faucet. Make sure the faucet isn't leaking, which can ruin the resuts.

2. Attach your gauge to the outside faucet and turn the water on completely. The gauge will read the pressure for the house. The pressure can range anywhere from 40 psi to 100 psi, so you'll need to check with your water department to find out what the average range should be in your neighborhood. If the reading is outside of this range, you may have an issue that needs to be addressed by a plumber. At this point, you'll need to contact a professional plumber in California.

3. Next, turn off your outside faucets and test the pressure for each floor of your home. Start by testing the pressure in your shower, the kitchen sink or anywhere with running water. You can test indoor water pressure by removing the faucet nozzle or shower head and attaching the gauge as you did before.

4. If you're getting inconsistent readings from the test, start attaching the gauge to each faucet in your home to pinpoint the problem.

If you or your plumber finds the water pressure is too high (anything over 80psi is too high for a home), they may recommend you install a pressure-reducer valve, or PRU, to reduce the pressure to an acceptable limit. Your plumbing system can also be protected against pressure surges in the future by installing a thermal expansion tank, which gives hot water from the water heater space to expand.

Even if you have a pressure regulator installed by your plumber, make sure you regularly test the water pressure as these devices can wear out over time. Usually failure is subtle and you'll notice drops in pressure when the water is being used. Some also fail to limit spikes in the water pressure over time, leading to faucets that leak mysteriously.

Contact Inland Empire Plumbing today if you find your water pressure is outside the normal range to get to the bottom of the problem and have a pressure-reducer valve or regulator installed.