Waterleaks

Have you all of a sudden seen a high water bill or puddling water in your yard in Tacoma, Federal way or Auburn? Then your local Plumbing Professionals at Acqua Plumbing is your answer. If you have noticed or these items then you more likely have an underground water leak somewhere on your main water line. Here at Acqua Plumbing we are always giving tips and tricks, we even have a informative video here for you to watch brought to you by youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXp-jOir_7U

(Photo shown below is water damage from a leak in the home)

First step in identifying that your leak is outside your home is to shut off your plumbing fixtures in your home. After this is accomplished locate your water meter, the city usually places it on one of the corners of your property. Once you have located the meter you will see a little triangle or arrow looking object, if this is spinning you definitely have a leak. Now go back to your home and locate your water main shut off for your home. Having a water shut off is code for your home but most older homes do not have one making locating a leak a bit more difficult. If yes you do have a main home shut off , then turn the valve off and once again find your water meter. If the meter is then still spinning you have just located the source of the leak somewhere underground on your main water line. If you have an underground leak on the main water line then there are several items that you need to consider, the type of soil you have, if there is a pool or puddling on your yard or lawn, and if your water pipes are underneath concrete or grass lawn? If you have a nice little lake of water in your yard or really soggy/wet lawn or grass then you most likely have found the source of the water leak, as the water will escape the damaged pipe area. After these steps have now been accomplished you have saved a lot of time and money in water leak detection and now are ready for the plumbing professionals at Acqua Plumbing to come assist you in the repair of the water leak.

IF you do not have a home shut off then the only solution to find it after all your fixtures have been shut off at the valves on each in your home then a leak search from the expert plumbers here at Acqua Plumbing. You have determined it is not a leaking toilet or sink with the fixtures being shut off at this point, or if you have looked at your meter and it is still spinning a leaking fixture could now be added to the list of potential leak sources.

If the meter stopped running when you turned off the water main then the leak is somewhere in or under the home, most likely; the toilet is running or there is a broken pipe or fitting. Listening for a leak is known as acoustic detection, which we have several methods for using an old doctor stethoscope type device or electronic equipment, and that simply means walking along your walls or outside to see if you can hear a pressurized hissing. Once the leak has been located it will need to either be replaced or removed and new fittings/piping be installed, depending on the damage. To do this correctly, consider calling the smarts plumbers here at Acqua to avoid any incorrections in installation. Another great tip from Acqua is you can dye test your toilets by putting food coloring in your toilet’s tank and wait a ½ hour or so to an hour. If, when you return you notice that the dye is in the toilet bowl then you have an issue with a running toilet. This is primarily due to either a bad flush valve, aging flapper or possibly a malfunctioning fill valve.

Checking each fixture after the toilet, as you may have a leaking shower valve, faulty cartridge in one of your fixture valves, or brown spots on your ceiling, and damp sheetrock on your walls.

Either way if you have or do not have a shut off valve, interior leak, underground leak, the problem needs to be addressed by professionals here at Acqua Plumbing to help insure you investment (Your home) and your money is well spent and taken care of the correct way, as so no future problems arise. Your Neighborhood Plumbing Professional at Acqua Plumbing is here to help you with any problems or possible leak issues here in the Tacoma, Federal Way, Renton,  the King County or pierce county areas.

Acqua Plumbing helps customer retrieve Diamond Ring!

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Side sewers Seattle-Tacoma

| Common problems with your sewer |

Seattle-Tacoma side sewer problems and info

                Thanks for viewing again one of our many posts here. Let's start as to what makes a private side sewer? Now most people believe that the sewer is in the street which is true, but most are not sure or do not know that that is the cities property and also called the sewer main or main sewer. Now each home has a branch line called a side sewer which connects your home to the main sewer. This part of the sewer which runs through your property is called the side sewer. The responsibility to maintain the side sewer is the property owner is which it receives use. The City's responsibility is the maintenance of the sewer main, including the tees, wyes, and risers at the main.           

                                                      Original side sewers for your private property for most homes built before the 90's or 80's are made of orangeburge (a paper like material with an orange color), clay, cast iron, or concrete. This older less efficient material is a hazard and will eventually give out. These types of materials are can crack, shift out of place, and/or be subject to root intrusions, or body and other wastes erosion's. These common problems along with plants, trees, etc can result in blockages, leaks, foul odors, and potential flooding.

(Root Intrusion over several years in an old concrete line)

         Clogs and leaks are not the only common problems that occur with the old sewer lines. In addition most side sewers lack a sewer clean-out or lack the right kind or clean-out. Clean-outs provide the proper access for clearing blockages, clogs, and also a better, cleaner, and easier access to video scope/ inspect the sewer line. A clean-out is a pipe that extends vertically from the side sewer to ground level or close to the surface. Clean-outs are most uncommon it homes built in the 80's. Clean-outs are an essential part of the sewer system and are current plumbing code, and must be installed or present on any main side sewer line repair or replacement.  

Check out one of our sewer inspections here:

• "Should I have my sewer line inspected and by who?"

                            Now that we have established the most common problems of the sewer we can ask another question, "Should I have my sewer line inspected and by who?" Well your answer may vary, and the reason why maybe some of items we have already discussed. If your side sewer pipe fails and a sewer clog is caused, sewage from your private property to back up in your drain pipes. This may possibly end up to the surface and escaping into your property starting from the closes fixture (Toilet, sinks, bathtubs) or floor drain that is near the sewer lines entry to the property flooding the place. The raw sewage entering the property can cause major health issue, major damage to your property, and a potentially expensive mess. 

                                      This kind of problem can be avoid with a simple sewer video inspection by your trusted smart plumber before they cause serious problems such as these. A $149.99 Drain Cleaning with a FREE Sewer Inspection is a lot cheaper than a hazardous sewage flood and clean up later. This gives you and idea of where you are at in the sewer repair process, especially if you are on the home or business owners that has a building built around the 80's or earlier.  The city whether it be Seattle, Tacoma, Federal Way, or Burien recommends that the property owner investigates their property and condition taking into consideration the age of their sewer line. If the sewer line is more than 30 years old it does not have PVC pipe running from the building to the City sewer main connection.  The answer to the previously asked question " Should I have my sewer inspected?" would be yes, recommended by both the City and Acqua Plumbing. If you have experienced flooding sewage into the property then the inspection is a little far gone and a repair should be made right away. 

• " What is the cost of sewer line repairs or replacements?"                

                 This brings us to our next point and probably the most important question " What is the cost of sewer line repairs or replacements?" The answer to this is simple but maybe hard to take in, the answer is yes they can be, especially if you do not choose the right contractor. Not just any contractor can perform a sewer repair and most will not tell you this. This requires a separate Bond, and sewer specialist license, in addition if you were to go the route of trenchless technology (Check out trenchless in the link we provided) this requires yet another separate license. You want to make sure you have the best, experienced, and educated sewer contractor with your repair, you can simply ask to see their license, and they should be visible as Acqua Plumbings' is here! On average sewer repair cost range from $950 for a simple clean-out installation to a complete sewer line replacement costing $15,000 and more. The cost entitles many different factors and variables depending on each individuals situation.  

• " When am I required to repair or replace my sewer line" 

                     This answer is fairly simple, once sewage is clogged to the point that there is no flow at all, sewage is flooding into the building, yard or exiting the plumbing system by other means, this is considered a public health hazard called Sanitary Sewer Overflow. Sanitary Sewer Overflow is illegal and can be subject to fines, penalties, and even red tagged ( Building being condemned for no access/ unlivable). When this occurs the city will notify you the property owner and will have a set amount of time for the property owner to make repairs to the sewer system and reduce the health hazard. If the repairs are not met in the amount of time given additional fines, or even water shut-off by the local health department may occur. In consideration to all of this there are many signs that the sewer system will give off before such a situation happens. If you start to notice debris around your bathtub or shower drain, foul smells from the drains in your home, bathtub or shower possibly draining slowly, even a area in the yard that smells foul and has a dampness to it when the weather is dry.


    In light of the items we have discussed today hopefully the answer you chose for all your questions is Acqua Plumbing, the smart plumber. Acqua Plumbing, that's A C Q U A 24 hours a day the Smart Plumber is on the Way!! Is always here to be your friendly, trusted, experienced, and most educated Sewer and Plumbing contractor in the Seattle-Tacoma area. We are #1 customer service in our industry. We hope our post today gives a little insight to you our customer, and helps with your future property endeavors, and we are always here to help. 

Call us today 253-353-4602

Thank you,
Acqua Plumbing Staff

Plumbers Seattle

 | Plumbing in Seattle & Tacoma |

Trusted & Quality Plumbers in the Seattle-Tacoma Area look no further than Acqua Plumbing LLC.

             Not to be confused with Aqua or AQUA Plumbing which may happen from time to time. This is why the trusted technicians at Acqua Plumbing that's ACQUA Plumbing give extra effort and go above and beyond the average everyday plumbers. We make sure you remember who Acqua Plumbing is for all our satisfied customers in the Seattle-Tacoma metro areas. This is why we have an A+ Rating with the BBB because we give this extra effort and make sure each and every customer and customers situation or plumbing issue is treated with the utmost care.

    We can make this great extra effort possible by screening each and every technician in the hiring process. Choosing only the employees with the most experience, friendly, easy to talk to, and with great educational background. Our process does not just stop there by our technicians (Plumbers) continue their education by being trained by our very own in-house L & I certified Plumbing Instructor. We have each of our plumbers continue their training every moment they can to hone and sharpen their plumbing skills to deliver the best possible solutions to each plumbing issue you the customer may have.

Even though your plumbing issue may not directly be one of these many possible plumbing areas, these are some of the categories we offer, including but not limited to:

• 24 hour Emergency Plumbing
• Sewer Repair (Trenchless Sewer Repair is also available)
• Plumbing Remodels
• Water Pressure issues ( To low or too high)
• Drain & Sewer Hydro Jetting
• And More!!

Let's take a look at one of our 100% satisfied customers Marci Solomon and what she had to say about Acqua Plumbing and our crew in the beginning of this year 2013:

 "I don't have a problem. I just want to tell you what absolutely fantastic great service I got from Michael & Anthony on Thursday 1/24/13. I had them scope the sewer on a house I was buying and they could not have been more helpful, or professional, or smart, or nice. They were going to come back the next day and 'flush' the lines and the flusher was not working. Even when I was 'cranky' about their flusher machine problem they were polite and so pleasant to deal with. I would give Acqua Plumbing a 10 star rating. I'm sure my real estate agent will be recommending them also. "

Seattle & Tacoma Plumbing Companies

 There are alot of plumbing companies out there in the Seattle-Tacoma area, but there are a few key points or items you should take a look at before considering our competition and by reviewing these items you will see why we have a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee and an A+ rating with the BBB, and why many if not all of our customer continue to use and recommend Acqua Plumbing:

•  Easy to work with & a Positive Attitude
• Informing the customer and educating them in the plumbing process every step of the way
• Competitive and affordable pricing
• Bonded, licensed, Insured
• Accountability
• Credibility
• Family owned and Operated (This shows great family values)

You can find out these items by doing a little research before you select a plumbing company. We recommend researching our competitors and compare us to them. This would show you the better company and let you know if you live in the Puget Sound, Seattle-Tacoma metro area, that you are choosing the best, friendly, trusted, and well educated plumbing company you can find!!

    Acqua A C Q U A 24 hours a day, this is one of our many mottos/codes we live by. By being available 24 hours a day 7 days a week, we are always available to give YOU our respected customer our full attention to go that extra effort and deliver plumbing excellence everyday everytime. We do not just deliver plumbing and sewer excellence, but we give you that Piece of Mind that is priceless. Your home or business is your life and needs to be treated with the best of care, so why not choose the best available trusted plumbing company. You can rest at easy knowing that Acqua is here at your residence to help.

For more Information about us or our services give us a call at 253-353-4602 anytime or make an appointment here!

Print here if needed!

THANK YOU!! ACQUA PLUMBING OFFICE

Remember A C Q U A 24 hours a day, the Smart Plumber is on the way!!

Plumbing Journeyman Refresher Course

Sign up for your plumbing journeyman refresher course here at Acqua Continuing Education.
Acqua Plumbing is the only plumbing company here in the greater northwest area that has a certified continuing education for plumbing in house.


  Fred Bevilacqua SR was the director of plumbing & pipe fitting  at Seattle/ SOIC ( Seattle Opportunities Industrialization Center) then promoted as vocational instructor of 12 skill area vocational programming. Fred was recognized and received awards three times as the schools best. As a manager, Fred was innovative, creative and highly knowledgeable in all aspects of instruction and administration. He displayed a high and quick intelligence and perception and a deep understanding of strategies and philosophy as well as a remarkable grasp of concrete details. He is a man of great integrity, and was greatly and actively concerned with needs and problems of students.
 The vocational training staff regarded him with the highest respect and liking and were loyal to him. He is remembered at Seattle/ SOIC as the finest and most valuable person ever to work at Seattle/SOIC .  JG:ds Curriculum Development Coordinator


Fred Bevilacqua JR : On May 9, 1992 Fred Bevilacqua found an error in the in the 1992 IAMPO Plumbing Code book regarding sizing venting system with a back water valve in the system. The question as considered was : Does the installation of a backwater valve in any part of the drainage system violate the venting requirements of the drainage system?

The 1992 IAPMO Interpretations Committee answered #92-29 as follows: yes, the installation of a backwater valve partially obstructs or diminishes the aggregate cross sectional area of the piping between the sewer and the upper terminal of the vents.
 The sewer venting required by section 504(a) must be achieved through connection to that portion of the drainage system which is independent of the backwater valve protected segment. This same rational applies when venting the sewer through a system which is equipped with a sump pump.
As, this is incorrect , Fred Bevilacqua sent in the drawing for the panel to review on this subject for correction.


On August 25,1992  From IAMPO letter states as follows:
The drawing which you submitted on August 12, 1992 does in fact appear to need some modification. The IAMPO Interpretations Committee is still discussing the drawings that were submitted. They have indicated at this point, when the backwater valve is considered an obstruction to proper venting of the building sewer ( you would have to install a larger drain and vents to provide for proper venting of the building sewer) The Interpretations Committee has proposed we use the ( draft) revised drawings ( Fred Bevilacqua's drawings) #4 which is attached when the next IAMPO Plumbing Code and Mechanical is issued (1995 IAMPO Plumbing Code)
Acqua Continuing Education takes pride in teaching the art of plumbing , and will deliver plumbing excellence in teaching our future plumbers

 How to check if you have low water pressure - Acqua Plumbing & Sewer Tacoma -Seattle
Acqua Continuing Education sister company of Acqua Plumbing, LLC
Low water pressure is a relatively common household problem that can have serious ramifications on everyday tasks. Inadequate water pressure can result from a number of potential problems, therefore, fixing the problem first relies on correctly diagnosing the symptom. Definition of inadequate water pressure: where the water pressure in the main or other source of supply will not provide a residual water pressure of not less than 15 lbs per squarer inch ( PSI)






Things to remember of excessive water pressure- Acqua Continuing Education Chapter 3  Water Source of Life sister company of Acqua Plumbing, LLC 
Static water pressure in excess of 80 PSI must be reduced to 80 PSI or less ( static meaning standing water) residual or working ) meaning ( flowing )
Regulators on water services, 3/4", 1" , 1 -1/4 & 1-1/2" provision shall be made to prevent pressure on the building side of the regulator from exceeding main supply pressure  ( meaning use regulators with integral by-pass ) or if the main pressure is to high ( Add A Secondary Relief Line )
If you want more information on this chapter Water Source of Life call Acqua Continuing Education 253-353-4602