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Burst Pipe Repair​
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Expert Burst Pipes Repair Services in North Dallas by Chrome Heating

You may find it surprising that Texas ranks as the fourth worst state for burst pipes. Having pipes burst due to the freeze-thaw cycle is more than an inconvenience. Burst Pipes Repair, along with clean-up and restoration after leaking pipes, can be costly, and the process can be frustrating and stressful. Your home is most at risk for frozen pipes breaking over the winter months. This is often after a winter storm causes freezing temperatures in North Dallas. In 1110 SUMMIT AVE SUITE 8 PLANO, TX 75074, average January low temps are close to 32 degrees. The risk grows if you are spending less time at home or if it’s unoccupied while you’re out traveling.   Preventing Your Pipes From Bursting A little preparation can prevent the need to call a plumber for emergency pipe repairs. Try these tips to prevent your pipes from bursting:   Keep Plumbing Fixtures Warm and Prevent Freezing You don’t have to put a space heater up to your plumbing, but even opening up a cabinet door to fixtures on your outside walls can dramatically decrease the chances of those fixtures freezing.   If you notice a draft inside the cabinet where the fixture is, contact an insulation contractor to seal up any areas where the draft might be originating. You can also wrap pipes in unheated areas for extra protection.   Let Faucets Drip   One of the main reasons North Dallas residents experience burst pipes is to remember to drip their faucets. Letting your faucets drip can help you effectively prevent your pipes from bursting. Remember to drip water from both the faucet’s hot and cold sides.   You can conserve water if the faucet is on the exterior wall. However, an upstairs interior wall fixture supplied by a first-floor water line on an outside wall could be a different story. A professional plumber specializing in Burst pipe repair can determine which faucets you should let drip in your home. Remove Attachments From Outside Fixtures   You will want to remove any attachments from your outside faucets. This includes splitters and pool fill lines.   Prepare Your Outdoor Kitchen Do you have an outdoor kitchen? You’ll want to prepare it for the winter months as well. Consider shutting off the water supply and removing the water from any supply lines or faucets. You might also try adding drain-safe antifreeze to the p-trap or applying a pipe-heating cable to any components susceptible to freezing.   Turn Off the Water and Drain Your System   If you’ll be away for an extended period this winter, the Dallas Fire Department suggests turning off your water and draining your system. Shut off the main valve and turn on all your fixtures, like faucets and showers, to flush them. Be sure to turn off the water heater.   Have Your Thermal Envelope Audited The thermal envelope is an area that separates the lived-in spaces or spaces you climate control from the ones you don’t. The better your thermal envelope, the more energy efficient your home is, and the better insulated it will be.   A qualified contractor can audit your thermal envelope to see where you can make improvements. A more energy-efficient home will retain heat, reducing the chances of pipes freezing. Most modern homes, except for power outages, are built to prevent frozen pipes without dripping faucets.   Winterize Your Sprinkler System    If you’re a homeowner in North Dallas with a large lawn, you likely have a built-in sprinkler system to water it. Unfortunately, these pipes can freeze relatively easily if you aren’t careful.   How you winterize your system will vary, so refer to the manufacturer’s instructions before you start. You should also drain your backflow device before winter hits.   Pipe Bursting FAQs Can Insurance Protect Against Water Pipes Breaking?   Should a water pipe break, insurance will often cover part or all of the cost of repairs. However, it will depend on your policy and the extent of the damage.   What Is the Average Insurance Claim for Burst Pipe Water Damage? The average for pipe burst damage claims is roughly $10,000. This is the second-most commonly filed insurance claim in the country.   When Should I Call a Plumber for Burst Pipes?   If a pipe in your home bursts turn off the water at the supply, then call a professional plumber immediately to minimize frozen burst pipe cleanup later.   What Will a Plumber Do and Not Do After a Burst Pipe?   It depends on the plumber and the nature of the damage. For example, a plumber may focus on water leak detection if the location of the burst pipe isn’t immediately apparent. In any case, your plumber’s goal will be to handle Burst Pipes Repair and fix any damaged pipes. A plumber will not perform pipe burst cleanup and repairs; you will need to hire a restoration company to do this. Don’t Wait for Winter’s Wrath: Call Us Today   Prevention is vital to protecting your home from frozen pipes. But even the most careful homeowners can find themselves in a bind in the frigid temperatures DFW can experience.   The skilled team at OUR LOCATION 1110 SUMMIT AVE SUITE 8 PLANO, TX 75074, SERVICE AREA Garland, TX Dallas, TX Frisco, TX McKinney, TX Plano, can tackle your frozen burst pipe repair needs properly and efficiently.

Outside Plumbing Pipes​
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Essential Outside Plumbing Tips for Spring in the USA by Chrome Heating

As the weather warms up and you are spending more time outdoors, now is a great time to check your Essential Outside Plumbing and make sure everything is in working order. Here are a few quick checks you can perform: Prevent Freeze Breaks: Protect Your Outside Faucets This Winter: Although many outside faucets are “frost-proof” by design, they can still have a freeze break if a water hose is left attached during the wintertime. When you turn the handle to close a frost-proof faucet, it shuts off the water back inside the wall behind the brick or siding. This is done so that all of the water that is outside the home’s thermal envelope can drain out of the faucet and won’t freeze.   However, if a garden hose is left attached during the wintertime, it doesn’t allow all of the water to drain out. The water that is still inside the faucet can burst the pipe when it freezes. Because the water is shut off before this point, it won’t start leaking right away. You won’t notice this problem until you turn the faucet on for the first time in the Spring. When you do, you will notice the hose faucet leaks.   It is only then that water fills the tube and sprays into the wall behind the brick or siding where you can’t see it right away. Pay close attention the first time you turn on each of your exterior faucets after a freeze. Turn them on for a few seconds, then turn them off. If that looks fine, hook up a hose with a spray head on the end. Leave the head turned off so that the hose builds up water pressure. Look carefully at the wall below the faucet where the brick meets the concrete foundation. This is called the brick ledge. Go inside and look at the bottom of the wall directly behind the faucet. If you see water in places it shouldn’t be– you might have a frost-proof faucet with a burst pipe in the wall that will need to be replaced.   So, what if your outside faucet is just dripping constantly even if you have it shut off all the way? If you can catch the leak soon after it starts, there is a possibility that you can repair the faucet by replacing a washer inside the faucet. However, if it has been leaking for more than a couple of weeks, replacement is probably necessary. This is because the slow water leak can quickly create a groove inside the brass faucet “seat” that is not repairable. If this happens, you’ll need to replace the entire faucet.   Know Where Your Water Box Is So what exactly is a water box and why is this important? Most houses are equipped with a shut-off valve close to the house that can shut off the main water supply coming into the house. These are typically located in a plastic valve box in a flowerbed (possibly under some bushes or shrubbery). The lid is usually either a black or green rectangle a little larger than a sheet of paper or a green circle about 10″ in diameter.   It is important to know where yours is located if you ever need to shut the water off to your house quickly to prevent water damage in the event of an emergency leak. Taking a few minutes to find yours and ensure it is in working order might save you some heartache later on.   If you can’t seem to locate your valve box near the house, one hint is to locate the round black-lid meter box near the street and follow a straight line toward the house. You might need to dig around a bit under the mulch to uncover it. Another way to find it is to look for your main sewer cleanouts. If your house was built sometime within the past 30 years, then these usually look like two white pipes close to each other with caps on them sticking up out of the ground. The water box for the home is very often a couple of feet to the right or the left of these sewer cleanouts.   Once you’ve located the water box, remove the lid and take a look inside. If you see water in the box (and it hasn’t rained recently), you might leak. If you just see dirt, the valve inside has likely been buried by dirt intruding into the box over time. It usually isn’t a good idea to try to use these valves when they are in this condition. If you see a pipe but not a handle, then the handle has probably rusted off entirely! If you find yours in this condition, it’s probably time for a new one.   If you can see the valve(s), then you will probably either see a lever-style handle or a round-style handle. The lever-style handle is called a ball valve, and these are usually pretty reliable valves. The round-style handle valves are most likely ‘gate valves,’ which shut the water off by lowering a “gate” as you turn the handle. These guys are notorious for sticking (either in the open or closed position). Handle with care, as you don’t want to turn it off only to discover you can’t get it to turn back on! We recommend replacing this type of valve with a quarter-turn ball valve with a lever handle.   Quick Tip :  If you do need to operate an old gate valve, do so with care and by turning two turns down/one turn up … two turns down/one turn up … until you get it turned off. This can help break up any calcification but is not guaranteed to work. Chrome Air Conditioning Services  Check For Yard Leaks Check to see if you have any wet or soggy spots in the yard. You may have a spot of grass that is noticeably more green than

Plumbing Remodel
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Top Tips for a Successful Plumbing Remodel by Chrome Heating

You’ve been plotting out your perfect bathroom renovation or kitchen remodel for years– finding inspiration, watching home-improvement shows, saving money– and now it’s time to turn that dream into reality. OUR LOCATION 1110 SUMMIT AVE SUITE 8 PLANO, TX 75074, does not oversee full remodel projects in our service area of Dallas TX, Frisco TX, McKinney TX, Plano TX. However, we work with homeowners and general contractors for kitchen and bath plumbing remodel tasks that need to be accomplished. If you are thinking about a plumbing remodel or are in the middle of one, we’ve put together a few tips from a plumber’s perspective. Thinking about these things ahead of time can save a lot of time and money in the long run!” How to Move Bathroom and Kitchen Fixtures: A Complete Guide: Changing the footprint during a bathroom plumbing remodel– especially showers, sink vanities, or toilets– increases costs. These fixtures are hooked up to sewer and sewer vent pipes as well as water supply pipes. The further you move them away, the more complicated the plumbing gets. The pipes that need moving are often under the floor. It is much easier for Chrome air conditioning to estimate costs when the subfloor of a bathroom or kitchen is exposed. We can then see the plumbing connections to fixtures and decide on the layout as part of a rough-in. If you aren’t redoing the tile, laminate, or floor, then changing a footprint becomes much more difficult. If the remodel is on the first level and your home is in North Dallas, chances are that you have a concrete slab foundation. This can create even more cost as access to the plumbing requires cutting concrete. Most bathroom and kitchen fixtures can be moved a few feet in one direction or another without too much extra cost or work. For any plumbing remodel, make sure all work is inspected and performed up to code. While most tasks in a remodel can be done DIY, plumbing is a licensed trade and often requires permits in most cities of North Dallas. Chrome air conditioning has followed up on many remodel situations where corners were cut with the plumbing. After a bathroom or kitchen was finished, the homeowner experienced leaks and drainage issues only to discover that the plumbing needed to be redone. How to Easily Update Your Shower/Tub Faucet: Most shower and tub faucets can be easily updated without cutting into the wall or tile. If the faucet was manufactured by a major company like Moen, Delta, Kohler, etc. then you can probably find trim kits with a variety of different styles that are made for that particular faucet (gold, bronze, black, chrome, and more). The “trim” of the faucet is all those decorative parts you see that are attached to the plumbing in the wall (like the handle, shower head, shower arm, tub spout, and escutcheon plate). You can often change styles and finishes easily by purchasing a new, compatible trim kit from the manufacturer. How to Replace a Shower Valve: A Step-by-Step Guide: If you are remodeling your bathtub or shower and have the enclosure or tile removed, there is no better time to replace the shower valve. The valve body is the hidden brass part of the faucet that is directly connected to the hot and cold water pipes in the wall. It may be tempting to simply update the trim kit, but if everything is already exposed, it makes sense to replace the entire valve body. You can change the cheap house brand or builder grade with a quality faucet from a reputable manufacturer that will look good and work great for many years. All of this plumbing work will be hidden in the wall, so don’t cut corners. Hire a reputable, licensed plumbing company like Chrome Air Conditioning to do this right. Replace Shut-Off Valves During Your Plumbing Remodel: Expert Tips for Efficient Valve Replacement. When homeowners are replacing cabinets, faucets, and toilets they often don’t even think about the shut-off valves under the sink or behind the toilet. These valves enable you to shut the water off to just these fixtures instead of shutting off the water to the whole home. Unfortunately, these valves are often very cheaply built with rubber parts. Sometimes they don’t shut off all the way. Sometimes they will shut off all the way but then start leaking when they are turned back on, or pieces of the deteriorated rubber washer will break off and clog up the new faucet or toilet fill valve. There is no better time to replace these valves than when you are changing out the fixtures, so it is highly recommended to budget for this as well. Top Tips for Properly Waterproof Showers : Walk-in showers are very popular right now, and there are many different products and methods for waterproofing before the tile is installed. Many people don’t realize that tile and grout are not waterproof on their own. The hidden waterproofing material is what makes the difference between a long-lasting shower and a water damage insurance claim, especially when integrated with a plumbing remodel. Unfortunately, it is common for us to be called out for leak diagnosis on a 1-year-old shower because the shower pan liner was installed incorrectly. We see this issue more frequently when the shower features a built-in shower bench. This detail greatly increases the complexity of the waterproofing. Be sure to select a reputable tile/shower contractor who will stand behind their work during any plumbing remodel project. How to Install Kitchen Sink Accessories: Easy Installation Tips & Guide: Another very common trend right now is upgrading the kitchen sink with accessories such as a reverse-osmosis water filtration system or instant hot water tap. There are many different brands out there. We see a lot of leaks, unfortunately, from some of the cheaper products on the market. Most of the reverse-osmosis systems are fully plumbed with push-to-connect fittings that are prone to leaking. Be discerning

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