Blogs

Hot water is a regular need for homes throughout Utah, and no one wants to wait extended periods of time to receive it. Have you recently begun noticing that it’s taking too long for your water heater to deliver hot water to various appliances in your home? There could be a few reasons for this.

At City Creek Plumbing, we’re happy to offer water heater services to all our Layton and nearby clients, plus numerous other plumbing and related solutions, including for issues where your hot water is taking too long to deliver hot water. What are some of the possible culprits here, how can you identify them on your own or with the help of our team, and how long will it take to return full functionality in this area? Here’s a basic primer in this two-part blog series.

Simple Distance

In some cases, the answer to where your hot water delays are coming from will be relatively simple and easy to correct. It could be that the water heater is located too far away from where you’re experiencing the delays. The further the distance, the longer it will take for hot water to travel to reach your appliances.

This can be especially true in large homes or if there are a lot of twists and turns in your home’s piping. If this is the case, you might want to consider relocating your water heater closer to where you need hot water most.

If you’re not experienced in plumbing and don’t feel comfortable making this change on your own, our professionals at City Creek Plumbing can help. We’ll be happy to come assess the situation and make recommendations accordingly.

Older or Failing Water Heater

In other situations, the delays in receiving hot water might have more to do with your water heater itself. Over time, water heaters will naturally become less efficient as they age and experience more wear and tear.

This can cause a number of problems that lead to longer wait times for hot water, including reduced capacity, less effective heating, and more. If you believe this might be the case with your water heater, it’s important to call in a professional for help as soon as possible.

Low Volume Restrictor

It’s possible that certain fixtures in your home, such as showerheads for instance, may have a low volume restrictor installed. These are devices that help to conserve water by limiting the flow rate.

While this is good for saving water, it can also lead to longer wait times for hot water because there’s less water flowing through and getting heated up. Fortunately, this is a relatively easy fix. All you have to do is remove the low volume restrictor and you should see an improvement.

For more on how to identify the likely culprit in a water heater that’s taking too long to deliver water, or to learn about any of our plumbing services in Layton or nearby areas, speak to the team at City Creek Plumbing today.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we looked at some of the most important themes to be aware of when it comes to plumbing water pressure in your home. No one wants to deal with low water pressure, which results in weak streams of water and several related concerns, and it’s also important not to have pressure that’s too high, as it may risk the quality of your appliances.

At City Creek Plumbing, we’re happy to help with a wide range of plumbing repair areas, including for homes having issues with pressure in any part of their system. While part one of our series went over the importance of pressure and some general levels you should set your system at, today’s part two will look at how to test your home for water pressure.

**Note: If you’re uncomfortable carrying out any of the following steps, simply call our plumbers for help.

Find a Hose Spigot

Generally speaking, at least if you’re drawing your water supply from a standard municipal supply, the best place to test your water pressure will be from a hose spigot. This location is also easy to carry out testing on, as you can attach a vacuum gauge directly to the spigot and use it without needing to actually open up your plumbing system in any way.

Find a good hose spigot outside your home — ideally, one that’s close to where your main water supply enters the home. Disconnect any hoses that are connected to it, and be sure to catch any water that’s trapped in them

Ensure No Other Water Usage

Before proceeding any further, be sure that there are no other water usage appliances actively drawing water from the system. Turn off all faucets and toilets, as well as any appliances like your washing machine or dishwashers.

Attach Pressure Gauge

Now that you’ve located a good hose spigot and ensured that no one else in the home is using water, it’s time to attach your pressure gauge. This is usually very easy — most gauges will be designed to fit directly onto a standard hose spigot.

Once the gauge is attached, open up the valve and allow some water to flow through it until the gauge reading has stabilized. This will give you an accurate representation of how much pressure is in your system at that specific moment. You can then close the valve and remove the gauge.

Check Your Findings

As a general rule of thumb, most homes will be able to maintain good pressure with a reading somewhere between 40 and 60 PSI. Of course, every home is different, so it’s always best to check with your local building code requirements or with a professional plumber if you’re unsure about what range is ideal for your specific situation.

If your results show low pressure, there may be a number of potential culprits. If this is the case, contact our team for help improving your pressure levels.

For more on this, or to learn about any of our plumbing services throughout Utah, speak to the team at City Creek Plumbing today.

There are a few concepts that are important in several areas of a given plumbing system, and one of these is that of water pressure. Many of us have experienced what it’s like to deal with low water pressure — showers that take forever, weak streams of water from the faucet, and several related conditions that are both frustrating and time-consuming.

At City Creek Plumbing, water pressure is just one of many important themes we’ll help manage for you through our diverse plumbing repair services, which include everything from simple inspections through major repairs or replacements your system might require. In this two-part blog series, we’ll go over everything you need to know about water pressure in your plumbing system — what is it, and why is it important? What are ideal pressure levels for the average home, and how can you test your water pressure levels? Let’s dive in.

Water Pressure Basics

When we talk about water pressure, we’re referring to the force with which water exits the faucet or shower head. This pressure is determined by a number of factors, including the height of the water source (in other words, how high the water is above your home’s plumbing), the size of the pipes in your plumbing system, and the amount of resistance to flow that is created by fixtures and appliances.

When it comes to reporting water pressure levels, this is done through the use of a metric called psi, or pounds per square inch. This metric can be measured using a simple gauge (more on this in part two of our series).

Importance of Knowing Your Home’s Water Pressure

While most are well aware of the primary downsides of low water pressure, it’s important to realize that pressure that’s too high will also create problems in your home’s plumbing system. High pressure can damage pipes and fittings, leading to leaks, premature failure of fixtures and appliances, and other costly repairs.

Ideally, you want to find the Goldilocks zone for water pressure in your home — not too low, not too high, but just right. Knowing your home’s water pressure is the first step in finding this sweet spot.

Ideal Water Pressure Levels

Generally speaking, most standard homes will be set to a 50 psi setup when they’re first built. Ideal home water pressure will range between 40 and 80 psi, with 50 psi as the happy medium.

If your home’s water pressure falls outside of this range, don’t worry — there are a number of solutions that we can help you with at City Creek Plumbing. In part two of our series, we’ll show you how to measure your home’s water pressure and provide some tips for how to deal with issues where it’s too high or too low.

For more on this, or to learn about any of our plumbing services, speak to our City Creek Plumbing team today.

No homeowner wants a pest infestation in any part of their home, and there are a few rare situations where improper care of your plumbing system may lead to this. An example of this that some homeowners have dealt with is the presence of drain flies or fruit flies.

At City Creek Plumbing, we’re happy to offer the very best kitchen plumbing, bathroom plumbing and all other home plumbing services you might require in Kaysville or any nearby area. We’ve helped many clients keep pests away from any part of their plumbing system or overall home, including drain and fruit flies. How do these flies compare and differ, and how can you prevent both from becoming a problem? Here’s a primer.

Drain Flies

As their name indicates, drain flies are those that are commonly found near drains and in moist environments. They are attracted to the organic matter that builds up in drains, so if you have a fly problem and your drains aren’t cleaned regularly, this is likely the root of the issue.

You can usually tell when you have drain flies because they are very small (about 1/8 inch long) and their wings are a light gray color. They also tend to swarm around drains and can be difficult to get rid of.

Fruit Flies

While it’s absolutely true that fruit flies prefer unrefrigerated produce, particularly fruits and some vegetables, it’s important to note that they can still show up in some cases even if these items aren’t present. For instance, fruit flies will absolutely lay eggs in the garbage disposal, in empty bottles laying around and even in sink drains.

Fruit flies are about the size of a grain of rice and have red eyes. They’re also very fast and can be hard to catch.

One of the best ways to prevent fruit flies – and any other pests for that matter – is to keep your home clean. This means wiping down counters, taking the garbage out regularly, cleaning the dishwasher and washing machine filters and more. It’s also important to properly store any food that you don’t want flies to get into.

At-Home Remedies

If you already have a buildup of one of these fly types in your home, in many cases a simple at-home remedy can take care of the problem. For drain flies, try pouring a cup of boiling water down the drain and then follow up with a cup of vinegar. This will help to break up the organic matter that is attracting the flies.

For fruit flies, one easy solution is to fill a small jar with apple cider vinegar and then cover it with plastic wrap. Poke a few small holes in the top of the wrap and set the jar where you’re seeing fruit flies. They will fly in, get trapped and eventually die.

Professional Help

If you’re struggling to take care of an infestation on your own, don’t hesitate to call in a professional. City Creek Plumbing is here to help and we have the know-how and experience to take care of any pest problem you may be having. Give us a call today, whether for these needs or any other plumbing services in Kaysville or surrounding areas.

In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the possible reasons why your toilet might not be flushing. There are a few potential culprits here, from simple ones you can likely remedy on your own to a few more complex issues that might require the assistance of a plumber.

At City Creek Plumbing, we’re happy to offer a variety of bathroom plumbing, kitchen plumbing and other plumbing services to clients throughout Layton and Kaysville, including assistance with toilets having issues. What are some of the other reasons your toilet might not be flushing, and what can you do about it, either on your own or with the help of our trusty plumbers? Here’s a primer.

Not Enough Water

In some cases, the simple reason behind your toilet failing to flush is a lack of water in the bowl. Toilets are designed to use a certain volume of water in order to function properly, and if the tank isn’t being filled up enough, your toilet won’t flush. This is usually not a very difficult problem to solve, but it’s also the most common reason for toilets having issues.

Ensure there are no obstructions in the tank or any water leaking out of the overflow tube. If either of these are happening, try fixing them yourself or calling a plumber if you aren’t comfortable with this.

Warped Flapper

Have you noticed that your toilet won’t flush, but keeps making regular noises as if its running? This likely means your flapper, which connects to the lift chain and opens when you press the handle, is warped or otherwise not working correctly.

There’s not much you can do about a warped flapper — it simply needs to be replaced. If you’re confident handling this job on your own, flappers can be purchased at any home improvement store; if not, our plumbers will be happy to perform this task for you.

Drain or Sewer Line Problem

Finally, if none of the issues we’ve gone over to this point are present and your toilet still won’t flush — or especially if multiple toilets in the same home are having flushing issues, along with drains in your home — this could be a sign of a significant backup or other problem in your drain or sewer line.

Typically, you’ll be able to tell if this is the case by diving down into the sewer trap under your toilet with a flashlight and seeing if there’s any water or other matter in it. If not, this probably isn’t what’s causing your issues; however, if the sewer trap is full of dirty water or other matter, you’re going to need the help of a plumber immediately.

For more on the possible reasons why your toilet won’t flush and what you can do about this, or to learn about any of our plumbing services, speak to the team at City Creek Plumbing today.