The Plumbing Professor - Plumbing Is More Than Meets The Eye...
To attain the title of Plumbing Professor (as Benjamin Plumbing’s staff has), one must have extensive training in plumbing and the equipment and fixtures related to plumbing. Additionally, Plumbing Professors must possess time tested experience, or practical know-how for solving problems quickly and efficiently. These qualities are crucial with plumbing services because there is usually “more than meets the eye.”
Imagine, if you will …..... A shower valve was not functioning properly. It turned out that the problem had to do with the “check ball” (a mechanical component of the design of a water heater). This is an element of the water heater’s “safety drain” that keeps any “overflow” water from flowing back into the water heater. It had dislodged and had then traveled through the home’s water pipes ending up stuck in the shower valve. This problem has occurred periodically in other homes, though it is not very common, resulting in a toilet supply line becoming plugged. Because this is a rather unusual problem, inexperienced plumbers—and very likely “all” typical homeowners — won’t even think of these hard gel pellets as being a potential source of such a problem. Once again..“more than meets the eye.” A Plumbing Professor can help you “see” and fix problems quicker.
...... A homeowner called to report a leak at the water heater…a fairly ordinary situation on the surface. However, upon investigation, a Plumbing Professor quickly determined this was not the case. What was occurring was the following: When flushed, a toilet on the floor above was leaking directly over a floor drain cover in the basement. The water was then deflecting off the cover, then pooling just under the water heater. This created an illusion of a leaking water heater our Plumber was quickly able to identify and correct the problem.
...... A customer reported that they had low water pressure and that several other plumbing companies were not able to find the cause. A Plumbing Professor from Benjamin determined that the problem was that the curb box was partially closed. (Editor’s Note: A “curb box” is the underground pipe that runs off the city water system to serve each residential location.) When work needs to be done on a home’s water supply, the city may need to shut off the water source in order to allow the problem to be solved. In this case, the homeowner’s “curb box” valve had, at some point in the past, been only partially opened/closed. The situation played out that “good” water pressure would exist for a short time—due to the pipe’s being momentarily “full,” but would drop after the initial “stored-in-the-pipe” water was used. In the end, the city was required to dig up the yard in order to replace the curb box.
Closing Thought:
Because water can cause a great deal of damage if not managed correctly, the Plumbing Professors at Benjamin Plumbing suggest using a licensed plumber to assist in maintaining or repairing your plumbing and fixtures in your home. Not only will you have peace of mind because the job is done correctly, you will have the benefit of a professional trouble shooting your plumbing to avoid future problems.
