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A Homeowner’s Guide to Plumbing

If you’re new to homeownership, or if you’ve had a run of good luck, you may be unfamiliar with many of the plumbing services commonly used by homeowners. Recently, Douglas Cooling & Heating, a heating and cooling company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, brought plumbing services to their many heating and cooling clients.

Owner Blake Sanders says, “from conversations with customers, we knew there was a need. We’re thrilled to offer plumbing services so we may comprehensively serve the Birmingham community.” Now when Birmingham residents need a plumber, they can Call Douglas! Let’s review some of the most requested plumbing services.

Common Plumbing Services for Birmingham Homes

Water Heater Services

Need to replace a traditional storage tank water heater? Interested in upgrading to a modern tankless water heater? Either way, we’ve got you covered. If you’re curious about tankless water heaters, they’re more energy-efficient than the traditional storage model.

Simply, they heat water on demand. There’s no utility cost to constantly heat a large tank of water. Also, because there’s no tank, your tankless water heater produces nearly an infinite amount of hot water.

How many times have you had a couple of family members take showers in a row and left you with no hot water because the tank was empty? With a tankless water heater, that’s unlikely to happen. A regular tankless model adequately serves an average household.

Larger homes opt to get a larger model or to install multiple units, such as one upstairs for laundry and bathing, and one downstairs for kitchen and other uses.

Leak Repairs

Whether it’s a leaky faucet or pipe, we can put a stop to it. Did you know Alabama is one of 12 states to collectively account for more than 50 percent of the total water withdrawals in the U.S.?

It may not seem like much, but a drip per minute in an average home wastes more than 100 gallons in a year. Repairs for a leaky faucet or pipe are one of the most common plumbing services we provide. Don’t put it off – schedule an appointment today. It will start to show up in your water bill!

Drain Cleaning

This term is often misunderstood. Drain cleaning is often confused with drain clearing. Drain clearing clears your main drain. If you have low water pressure in your home, you may have an obstruction between your home’s plumbing system and the main line which travels to the street or another municipal outlet.

To clear drains, the tools and methods used depends on the type of clog and its severity, as well as the location of the clog within your plumbing system. Clearing penetrates the obstruction to improve water pressure and flow. Drain cleaning, on the other hand, is more comprehensive. We may use one of several tools, including hydo jetting to fully flush the pipes clean.

If you have blockages causing drains to back up or drain slowly, you may need drain cleaning over clearing. Our team of plumbing services pros will carefully evaluate your situation with special tools, such as a camera, to fully assess the problem.

Hydro jetting

Hydro jetting is a specific process we use to clean out the inside of your plumbing drain lines and also break up blockages. The process uses a high-pressure water stream which detaches debris from the interior walls of your pipes. This offers effective removal for materials that have built up over time and are affecting drainage quality.

What does hydro jetting remove?

  • Mineral scale
  • Grease
  • Undissolved food
  • Tree roots

Specialized equipment is used to blast water through your drain lines and remove buildup. The waste removed from your pipes naturally flows out of your home to the common sewer system or septic tank.

Sewer Line Services

Your home’s sewer lines can be impacted in a number of ways which result in poor drainage and backup across the entire house. Homeowners notice that sewer line issues are different than other blockages that just affect certain drainpipes of the home – a sewer line blockage causes poor drainage and backup throughout all drains, whereas other blockages typically cause drainage issues or backup in one fixture or area.

Often these issues are caused by tree roots that have penetrated the drainpipe, or damage to the drainpipe caused by age and the resulting blockages. To assess sewer line issues, our licensed plumbers utilize camera inspection equipment to see down into your lines and determine the exact cause of the issue at hand before developing a plan to correct it. Once the source is found, our plumbers use a combination of expert plumbing services at their disposal, which often includes hydro jetting and other drain cleaning methods discussed above and sewer line repairs.

Plumbing Fixture Repair and Installation

Want to update your bathroom or kitchen? Plumbing services include swapping out old, dated or inefficient plumbing fixtures with new ones. Get more use from your kitchen sink with a spray attachment central faucet.

Enjoy baths or showers more with handheld sprayers or “rain shower” shower heads. We can help you save money and water here too. Ask us about water-efficiency in plumbing fixtures, such as aerators or low-flow toilets.

Water Quality

Want to improve water quality in your new home? We install products like a water softener or a whole-home water filtration system. Water quality systems remove mineral deposits and contaminants from the incoming water supply to provide your taps with cleaner water. Enjoy fewer spots on your dishes, cleaner laundry and a cleaner you! Filtered water tastes better and makes your skin and hair feel better too.

Plumbing Maintenance

Beyond the installation and repair of your home’s plumbing system and its fixtures, we also offer plumbing services that help you maintain them! Plumbing maintenance is a crucial component of homeownership – you want these components to last as long as expected, and to be in good shape to prevent the risk of water damage.

Our plumbing maintenance solutions help you care for your entire plumbing system as well as specific components. If you have a tank style water heater, for example, did you know that yearly maintenance is a must? Maintenance services for your plumbing system help improve its performance to deliver better comfort, energy and water efficiency, lower costs, higher value, and more protection for your new home.

Plumbing Services from Douglas Cooling & Heating

Next time you need assistance with your plumbing system, whether it’s toilets, faucets, water heaters or water quality, call Douglas Cooling & Heating. Our plumbing services team is eager to show you the same commitment to customer service our heating and air customers enjoy. If you live in the Birmingham area, such as Bessemer, Homewood, Hoover, Pelham or Helena, contact Douglas Cooling & Heating for your plumbing needs.

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