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Villa Park Plumber Tip #22: Repairing Leaking Pipe Joints

The Scottish Plumber is well known in the Chicagoland area for delivering excellent Chicago plumbing services, Villa Park plumbing services, Chicago plumbing repairs, and Villa Park plumbing repairs to our valued Chicagoland plumbing customers. The Villa Park plumbers and Chicago plumbers at The Scottish Plumber employ the newest plumbing technologies to fix leaking pipes, clean clogged drains, and protect your Villa Park basement from basement flooding.

Since 1970, PVC piping has been the dominant piping material, as an upgrade to clay or concrete pipes. PVC piping is a very common household plumbing material that is typically more durable and less susceptible to erosion than clay, concrete, or orangeburg piping. Although PVC certainly has greater structural integrity than most other piping materials, it can also leak. These leaks usually result from leaking PVC pipe joints, which are the junctures between distinct pieces of PVC piping. Over time, these PVC pipe joints can loosen, and eventually begin to leak. Leaking pipe repair is a job best left for a Villa Park plumber from The Scottish Plumber. Please contact us to learn more about how we repair leaking pipe joints.

Have you noticed a growing water stain on the ceiling of your basement? If so, please contact The Scottish Plumber today. A leak in the ceiling is not a minor plumbing issue. If left to worsen, the leaky basement ceiling could collapse, leading to worse problems and much more expensive repairs.

Chicago Plumber Tip #18: Prevent Summer Basement Floods

Late summer rainstorms can be a welcome respite from Chicagoland’s typically hot and humid weather. Many Chicagolanders will be fortunate to find themselves indoors, perched by a window, watching the rainstorm pass. Others might take the opportunity to cool off and play in the rain.

No matter how summer rains make you feel, they are an inevitable aspect of Chicago summers. They may reduce the humidity and cool us down for a while, but summer rains can also have adverse effects on your Chicagoland sewers and drains.

Basement flooding can occur when water enters your basement through cracks in the foundation. While it may seem like your basement is an open space waiting to be filled to the ceiling with incoming rainwater or runoff water, there is actually a handy device that works to alleviate basement floods in your Chicago or Villa Park home.

A Chicago sump pump or Villa Park sump pump is the device that pulls water away from the foundation of your home and channels it into the appropriate storm drain or storm sewer. Sump pumps can reduce considerably the risk of Chicago basement floods and Villa Park basement floods at this time of year.

If your basement is not equipped with a sump pump, please call a Chicago plumber or Chicago plumbing contractor at The Scottish Plumber so we can discuss sump pump installation. For our Villa Park plumbing customers and Chicago plumbing customers who already own basement sump pumps, please feel free to contact us for a sump pump inspection, sump pump maintenance, or battery back up sump pump installation.

Chicago Plumber Tip #8: What Causes Sewer Clogs?

The Scottish Plumber wants to be at the top of your list if you live in the Chicago or Villa Park area and are looking for a Chicago plumber or Villa Park plumber. Our team of licensed plumbers are backed by several years of experience in sewer cleaning, drain cleaning, unclogging drains, and unclogging sewers.

As summer rains wash debris into your sewer lines, the need for sewer and drain cleaning and sewer and drain maintenance becomes more pressing. The Villa Park plumbers and Chicago plumbers at the Scottish Plumber would like to shine a light on sewer cleaning by pointing out some of the causes of sewer blogs that require sewer cleaning, one of our most valued Villa Park and Chicago plumbing services.

First, there are several reasons why you might need a proper $99 Chicago drain cleaning. You may experience a clogged sewer when a foreign object such as a bath toy becomes lodged in the bathroom drain. You can avoid sewer clogs due to foreign objects by making sure your little ones do not flush any objects down the toilet or into the bathtub drain.

Another cause of Chicago sewer clogs and Villa Park sewer clogs is sewer line collapse. We consider this a worst-case scenario that can be avoided with video pipe inspection, another one of our Chicago plumbing services. Old pipes can corrode and weaken and then collapse in times of extreme weather such as flooding.

These are just a couple of causes for sewer clogs, but we hope you do not wait until your sewer clogs to call The Scottish Plumber. As the leading provider of Chicago plumber services, we would love to help you prevent sewer clogs altogether.

Sewer Rodding – Villa Park

Sewer Rodding Villa Park Homeowners Can Trust

There are two types of people in Villa Park: those who hate sewer backups and those who hate them more.

Let’s face it, sewage is not fun, or cute, or appropriate to post a picture of on Facebook, and it always seems to back up at the very worst time. When it does, don’t despair, The Scottish Plumber is here to help.

Our technicians are friendly and professional sewer rodding experts who will treat your home like their own.

Whether the clogged sewer is caused by the roots of your neighbor’s century-old oak, a rag your son accidentally flushed down the toilet, or something completely different, we promise to do everything we can to get your sewer flowing as quickly as possible.

Everyday Low Prices

The Scottish Plumber takes pride in providing quality sewer rodding at affordable prices. We also take pride in being up-front and transparent.

We don’t charge a service charge to come out and we are happy to provide you with pricing on some of our more common Villa Park sewer rodding services:

Sewer rodding from an outside cleanout is just $99
Sewer rodding from an inside cleanout or catch basin is just $199

After the rodding is complete, we can follow up with a free video inspection of your sewer line. If the line is clear and in good condition, we will provide you with up to a 1-year warranty on the flow.

Please note that If the sewer is longer than 100 feet or if there is no cleanout access available, additional charges may apply. See our Sewer & Drain Cleaning page for more information.

How to Schedule an Appointment

To schedule an appointment simply fill our the red appointment form on this page, give us a call at 888-451-6137, or contact us here.

Home Buyers Beware

At this time in history a home buyer needs to make sure that the sewer line in the home they are about to buy is in good working order. What most people don’t know – even the sellers- are that sewer pipes degrade and after 30, 40 or 50 years – the grout or mortar that holds the pipes together underground degrades and wash away. This happens as the pipes age and there is nothing short of sewer pipe lining or digging it up and replacing the sewer to insure that these joints stay intact. A short time after the mortar washes away, trees sense water in the ground and send tiny hair like roots to investigate and once they find the source the roots grow into the sewer. Cutting down the trees is not solving the problem since roots will continue to grow even after the tree is gone. Another issue that is caused by the small openings between the pipes is that it allows storm water to enter the system causing many homeowners sewer backups during storms. These backups happen because you, your neighbors and the municipal sewers are all in the same condition allowing large amounts of storm water into the system causing the sewage treatment facility to back up and this filthy mixture has nowhere to go except into your basement. As you can guess; this combination of storm and sewage is an unhealthy mixture and makes not only an awful mess in your basement, it can destroy precious belongings, the water heater, furnace and other appliances.

The solution: Have a sewer inspection done by a professional plumber who has a sewer camera before purchasing the home. Home inspectors do not do this type of inspection since it takes special equipment. The cost of this type of sewer inspection can range from $99 up to $500 depending on the plumbing contractor you call. It involves inserting the camera into the sewer and in most cases they need to rod the sewer first. They need to rod the sewer because most homes in the area are older than 30 years old and have tree roots so the rodding machine is needed to open a pathway through the tree roots before the condition of the sewer pipe can be seen. At the Scottish Plumber we offer a $99 Drain Cleaning and Video Camera Inspection and if you are buying a new home this is a service we highly recommend. We know that sewer repairs can range from several thousand to twenty thousand or more. $99 compared to a $20,000 repair makes this service a no-brainer for home buyers. Even new home buyers need this service because your new home most likely was built on an old lot and the contractor’s plumber hooked your new homes plumbing up to the old original sewer line. . This whole scenario happens due to the age of the pipes and to be fair -contractors and home owners cannot see under the ground they just don’t know the condition of the pipes and in most cases they are not trying to hide this information, they are just not aware of it.

Call today to set up your appointment 877-622-5458 for $99 Sewer Inspection. We serve all of Chicagoland.

Chicago & Villa Park Plumbers: Sump Pumps To the Rescue

You may already know from unfortunate experience how destructive water in your basement can be. Aside from wrecking any possessions you store in your basement, water that gets in from outside can also encourage the growth of mold, mildew and bacteria that can make your family sick.

You may already have a sump pump to protect your Chicago area home from a devastating flood. If you don’t, The Scottish Plumber can help you select the right sump pump for your home, and install it properly so that it works every time – but there’s a catch. sump pump are electric. What if the power goes out?

The Scottish Plumber has the solution. Consider purchasing a battery back-up sump pump. This second pump, because it’s battery operated, runs automatically if the power goes out. You needn’t be home to activate it. Some battery back-up sump pumps turn on immediately when the power goes out; others turn on only when the main pump fails. We recommend the first type – it’s possible that there could be a short delay between the failure of the main pump and the activation of the battery back-up pump, which could allow a significant amount of water to collect in your basement. Choose a battery back-up sump pump that will activate automatically when the power goes out.

Invite The Scottish Plumber to your Chicago area home today to plan for the moment when the waters rise.

Chicago & Villa Park Plumbers: Sump Pumps & Clean Drains

Are you in need of sewer and drain cleaning in Chicago and Villa Park? Stop your search and give Scottish Plumber a call today. Scottish Plumber is a trusted Chicago plumbing company that has the solution to your sewer and drain cleaning problem. Clogged shower drain? Call Scottish plumbers for quick, reasonably priced drain cleaning.

A sump pump, by pumping excess water away from your home, can aid in drain maintenance by encouraging a steady exchange of water if it functions properly. The sump pump will function best if installed correctly, and Scottish Plumber assures our Chicago and Villa Park customers that we will install your sump pump correctly the first time, so you can easily use and maintain it for years to come.

Scottish Plumber plumbing experts will first diagnose your sewer or drain system to determine a problem, if any. From there, we employ a team of trained plumbers and drain cleaning specialists to answer the plumbing needs of Chicago and Villa Park customers. Say you have a pesky shower drain that clogs easily. A Scottish Plumber professional will come to your residence or business and inspect all plumbing. The problem might be a poorly functioning sump pump. If the pump is clogged with dirt and hair, for example, then it can easily back up your drain.

We at Scottish Plumber install and repair Chicago and Villa Park sump pumps so you don’t have to! Please contact us to learn how we can implement a sump pump solution for you.

Chicago & Villa Park Battery Back Up Sump Pump Installation Can Protect Your Basement From Flooding

What happens if your sump pump fails? Since the sump pump functions to draw water away from the foundation of your home, a failed sump pump could lead to basement flooding and severe water damage. To avoid the high cost of repairing water damage to your home, you may want to consider a battery back up pump for your sump pump. Scottish Plumber is ready to install battery back up sump pumps in Chicago and Villa Park.

The battery backup sump pump switches on when the main sump pump fails due to power failure or disrepair. Imagine a severe thunderstorm impacting your home and compromising the power supply. This could shut off your sump pump, leaving your home with no mechanism to protect against flooding and water damage. When you purchase a battery backup sump pump and have Scottish Plumbers install it, you are ensuring that your home will have proper plumbing even if the power goes out.

Chicago and Villa Park battery back up sump pump customers may want to consult one of our sump pump specialists at Scottish Plumber to select a model that fits your home, your existing sump pump configuration, and your drain and sewer system.

At Scottish Plumbers, we recognize the risk of basement flooding to our Chicago and Villa Park drain and sewer cleaning customers, so we make sure to provide the best quality battery backup sump pump installation and repair.

Broken Sewers in Chicago are an expressway with an off ramp into your home for Rats

The Scottish Plumber specializes in Sewers and Drains in the Chicagoland area. We have found that many homes in the city which have a broken sewer, also have a rat problem. Most homeowners think the rats are entering through the walls, which is partly true but they first get under the building through the sewer system. Many of the newer buildings in Chicago are hooked up to the original 100 year old sewer pipes and only have new plumbing within the building. The sewer pipe which is also known as the lateral line is the underground pipe that connects your drain pipes to the city’s main drain pipes in the street. In Chicago, the storm and sewer is a combined system and many sewers were built before 1900. This is where the rats live and they can travel from building to building through the storm and sewer system. Think of it like an expressway with an off ramp into your home-if you have a broken sewer pipe.

Here are the most common symptoms of a broken sewer:

Sewer Gas Smell
Rat Infestation
Clogged Floor Drains
Whole building stoppage or clog
Sewer Flies
Sand in the Pipes

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms PLEASE CALL ASAP so it can be taken care of quickly before the damage gets worse. This is a problem that gets worse with time and your system will continue to degrade until it collapses causing a loss of sewer service. Once a sewer collapses, the repairs are much more costly and destructive. If sewer repairs are made early on when the first signs of a problem are discovered, a no dig sewer patch or liner can be put in place with no destruction to your property. This no dig repair trenchless technology (also known as Cured in Place Pipe) is a much less costly and invasive type of repair method which has just recently become available to the residential marketplace. The beauty of this no dig trenchless technology is that there is no digging or destruction, saving historic buildings, sidewalks, driveways, roadways and landscaping from damage. The Scottish Plumber is the Chicagoland leader in trenchless and non-invasive pipe repair technology, saving our clients time, energy and money. We also have the licensing, equipment, and depth of knowledge required for all types of sewer maintenance and repair.

FYI -A drain clog or stoppage which is confined to one sink or toilet is usually not a broken sewer. It’s probably just a stubborn, localized clog – and we can help with that too!

Clogged Drain Tips: Shower Drain

A clogged shower drain can be very frustrating. It can interrupt a morning routine and lead to unexpected repair costs. Here are a few quick tricks that can save you money on professional drain rodding.

1. Clear the drain manually.

If you periodically clean your shower drain, it is less likely to function poorly due to blockage from body dirt and cleaning products. It is also important to avoid placing objects such as solid soap into the drain because over time it can build up and clog the drain. Drain cleaning can be as simple as using baking soda + vinegar (pour in vinegar, add baking soda and wait 15 minutes) , then use a long brush to break up residue. Make sure to flush the drain with large amounts of hot water.

2. Unclog the drain with an instrument.

A clogged shower drain may be the result of tangled hair accumulating in the drain. Liquid drain cleaner is not suggested to clean the shower drain – it does not work well on hair. You may need to use a snakelike instrument to reach down the drain and remove the obstruction.

3. Clean the drain before it becomes clogged.

Make sure a strainer (drain cover) is in place so there is minimal hair going down the drain. You can keep your drains cleaned by preventing clogging in the first place. This may be the most effective way to maintain the functionality of any drain or sewer. Periodic residential plumbing and drain cleaning services are a great option for drain or sewer repair.

Scottish Plumber will unclog your drain or sewer in Chicago, IL, or in any surrounding suburb of Chicago. We provide the best in drain cleaning, so please call us today for more information.