toilet repair

Toilet Repair: Don’t Get Flushed by a Service Provider

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Toilet repair. Have you ever heard that annoying hissing sound coming from inside of your downstairs toilet tank? Maybe it’s just beginning to make that hissing sound? Or maybe you just had your upstairs toilet replaced after it wasn’t working for a month or so.  Toilets always seem to have some kind of problem.  And it seems like you are always dealing with a toilet problem these days since most of us now have more than one. Is it possible to make the toilet repair on your own? Or should you hire someone to do it for you? Let’s learn about toilet repair so you don’t get flushed by a service provider!

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faucet repair service

Faucet Repair Service: Choosing a Service Provider

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Have you ever had that annoying drip, drip, drip of a faucet in your home? You know, the one that you just quite haven’t gotten around to fixing yet? Many of us do. It’s one of those lower priority items in everyday life. Life that gets busier and busier all the time. Repairing a faucet might seem like a simple thing to do. However, certain things these days, like a tub/shower faucet combination, are most likely more complex. Especially as the faucet designs keep improving over time. The leaks seem to get less frequent. But the repairs seem to get more complex! So, when it comes to a faucet repair service, who should you choose?

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choosing a service provider

Choosing A Service Provider: Tank Water Heater

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Does Your Home Have a Water Heater?

Silly question, of course!  Every home has at least one water heater; at least all of the homes that I know of, do.  Some of you may know, most water heaters these days are tank water heaters. As opposed to the newer tank less water heaters, which give you a supply of hot water almost instantaneously.  The tank-less type are generally more expensive to install and should have maintenance performed at least once a year, which is probably why most folks have the tank style water heater. But how do you going about choosing a service provider for this task? It’s good to know that we here at Proudfoot can install either of these types of water heaters as well as being able to maintain them both.

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plumbing service

Plumbing Service: Drain Cleaning

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Does your home have drains?

Of course!  Every home has drains. From all of your branch lines all the way down to your main sewer line. What do you do if your toilet is clogged, or your kitchen sink is clogged. What about if your bathtub is clogged?  Perhaps no matter what you do to try to unclog these lines, nothing seems to work!  It’s a nightmare! But don’t fret! Here at Proudfoot, we have a specific plumbing service to deal with these kinds of things.  We believe that our procedure for unclogging drains is proven, and we will not give up until your drain is unclogged. Well, that and that you are satisfied with our service!  That’s why we think you should choose us as your plumbing service provider for drain cleaning. Not to mention our many other services too!

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Basement Water Damage

Basement Water Damage Woes

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I was thinking about basements the other day, as I was driving to my next job. Almost every home in Pittsburgh has a basement, whether that be old or new! I can recall many, many homes having basement water damage over the years. It was especially when tropical storm Ivan came up from the gulf and “parked” itself over Pittsburgh for more than 24 hours back in 2004.

Although, when a storm like Ivan hits our area, there is really not much that you can do to avoid any on coming flooding. In a case when a big storm hits, I think you just have to wait it out, hopefully after you have moved your important “stuff” as much as possible out of harm’s way. But basement water damage can occur in any number of ways. You don’t have to have a big storm to have some flooding.

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What to do when you smell gas

What To Do When You Smell Gas

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In the Pittsburgh area, there are a ton of older homes. I’m talking about homes that are in the 60 to over a 100-year-old age range! These homes in many cases were built close to the steel industry plants and mills of many years ago. This was before the big suburbia boom of the ‘50s and early ‘60s. It was common for folks to smell gas and other industrial odors. But it’s now 2018, and the city is becoming cleaner. The air is fresher and we are focusing on bringing fewer pollutants into the air. But with these older homes in Pittsburgh, we also have a lot of older gas lines coming into these homes underground.

As pipes age, they may become cracked or damaged. And sometimes they can be disconnected by things like surrounding tree roots. As a result, the odorized natural gas that flows through them will begin seeping to the top of the ground. You may notice a strange or smelly odor in your yard, especially a rotten egg-like odor. This may turn the grass in certain areas of your yard brown. A leaking gas line underground can cause the grass and vegetation above to turn brown and die. Dry spots in moist areas or dead plants surrounded by live, green plants is a classic indication that it could be time to replace the gas line coming into your home. So what should you do when you smell gas?

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Hot Water Heater System

Choosing the Best Hot Water Heater System

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Hot water heater system. When people find out I own my own plumbing and heating company, I’m often hit with a plethora of questions. Many of them refer to choosing the best hot water heater system. As you might guess, that will probably have a multi-faceted answer. I guess a better question to ask is what would be right for you? Many homeowners have different needs and wants. Some want hot water on demand. And some don’t mind waiting a minute or two (or three) for the water to get hot.

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basement water damage

Basement Water Damage? What To Do When There’s Water in Your Basement

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The Call

There has been a lot of rain in Pittsburgh lately. I’ve found that I’ve been getting a number of calls from folks having garage or basement water damage. In all cases, I’m asked is there anything that can be done about this? And can I possibly take care of this problem for them? Seems that people understand that this is not directly a plumbing problem; however, there just might be a “plumbing” solution for this!

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trenchless water line replacement

Trenchless Water Line Replacement

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As water lines age, they begin to become damaged and more susceptible to problems. They can become more vulnerable to the effects of extreme temperatures, ground movement, water pressure, and mineral buildup. They can even be affected by tree root intrusion. A damaged water line is cause for concern as even though the problems may seem minor at first, they can quickly lead to trouble. What begins as a lack of water pressure or discolored water can quickly create the perfect culture for toxic mold, mildew, spores, and pest infestation to manifest.

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reverse osmosis system

Reverse Osmosis System for Removing Dissolved Minerals

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Last summer, we were actually reviewing a reverse osmosis (RO) install for a prospective new customer and had a call from an existing customer who was requesting a quote for the same kind of system, and rather quickly!  The customer seemed to be in a little bit of a hurry for having his RO install done very soon. Hugh said that he’d be able to take care of it within the next day or two. As he had three other AC jobs lined up before this, given the 90+ degree heat in recent days. But he was curious and asked what the rush was.

The homeowner answered by saying his young teenage daughter had just met a new friend. This friend recently moved into their neighborhood. And that they had an RO system in their home.  His daughter said the water tasted so much better than theirs. And she could not understand why their own water did not taste so good!

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