The steady Seattle winter rains are arriving and a little preventative drain cleaning can save you from pumping out a flooded basement as the ground becomes saturated. Take the time now to clean out the following drains around your property for a worry-free rainy season.

Catch Basins and Storm Drains

The city keeps the storm drains clear on the street, but if you have one at the bottom of your driveway, that is your responsibility. Pull any weeds back that are growing up through the grate, rake the leaves, and remove any piles of dirt that prevent water from flowing into the drain. You may need to schedule a more extensive drain cleaning if you can see silt building up below the grate.

Gutters and Downspouts

A clogged gutter can cause water to pour down on your head by your door or straight down the stem wall into the basement. Use your power washer to remove all those built-up leaves and dirt from your gutters. Make sure that your downspout is still properly attached and that water drains away from your foundation and down towards the street. Adding a screen or gutter helmet can help prevent future buildup inside the downspout itself.

Driveway Grates and Drains

Seattle is full of hills and many homeowners have garages at the bottom of a slope from the street. The drain in front of your garage doors must be working properly to prevent water from flowing straight into your home. After removing leaves and dirt, run your garden hose for 20 minutes and check that the drain is properly directing all the water away from the house. If you notice puddles forming near the foundation, you may want to contact a professional plumber to discuss ways to improve drainage.

If any of your drains are not functioning properly, give Best Plumbing a call to schedule a professional drainage check-up. We serve the greater Seattle area and beyond. Find more great plumbing tips on our Youtube channel!

Photo credit: ©123switch

Do you need all new plumbing in your bathroom because of faulty pipes? Are you remodeling and simply considering replacing your pipes while you’re at it?

A plumbing remodel allows for more flexibility in your bathroom remodel updates, increases your home’s overall value, and can help you avoid plumbing emergencies in the future. Here are some tips for planning your plumbing remodel.

1. Always work with a plumbing contractor.

It’s understandable to want to rectify poor plumbing on your own. However, doing your own plumbing is much different than doing your own painting or even your own tile work. 

Special tools are necessary, and special skills are essential. At Best Plumbing, our technicians go through extensive training and certification. Furthermore, we can handle any problem or challenge. The truth is, you never know what you’re going to run into when crack open your flooring and walls to replace your plumbing. Often, the issues are more complex than you initially thought.

Working with a professional plumber will give you peace of mind and confidence, knowing that your plumbing remodel projects will exactly match what you originally envisioned.

2. Be clear about what it is you’d like replaced and updated.

While your plumber should do their best to meet your exact needs, they can’t know exactly what you want if you don’t tell them. That’s why meeting with your plumber with plan-in-hand before getting an estimate is so important. Otherwise, your plumber may end up going too far or not far enough — and you don’t want to be surprised by your bill.

3. To save on costs, keep the original plumbing layout.

As you plan your remodel, remember that you’re always going to save money and time if you stick with your current plumbing layout. For a bathroom remodel, for example, this means keeping the tub where it is, the toilet where it is, and the sink where it is. While our plumbers are happy to adjust this layout if that’s something you want, keeping core plumbing in the same locations is usually less expensive.

Contact Best Plumbing Today to Discuss Your Upcoming Plumbing Remodel

Best Plumbing has been providing greater Seattle residents with top-quality plumbing services for over fifty years. No matter the breadth of your plumbing remodel project, our expert plumbers can handle the job and ensure sound implementation of all your plan details.

Contact us online today to speak with an expert and schedule a visit.

View our products

Did you know we have a Best Plumbing Showroom in Seattle? Come visit us on 4129 Stone Way N to browse our products and fixtures to get ideas for your next remodel!

Here at Best Plumbing, we hear a lot of questions from Seattle homeowners regarding their pipes, drains, and more. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions regarding water leaks and hot water woes. If you haven’t already asked these questions, there’s a good chance you will later, so why not learn about them now?

How harmful are water leaks?

A single leak in your water system is a definite danger to your home. A continuous flow of water can amount to serious corrosion in your pipes and other infrastructural components like floors and walls. To make matters worse, leaks will grow in size over time, which means that the longer they go unnoticed, the more dangerous they become. Did we mention you’ll also pay a higher water bill for the constant loss of water?

How can I check for leaks?

To check for leaks, simply locate your home’s water meter, and check the water level at two distant time periods between which you don’t use ay water. To do an effective test, you should wait for at least six hours between checks. If there are no leaks in your home, the water levels should stay the same. If the levels are different, then that could be a sign of trouble. We recommend calling a professional if that’s the case.

My hot water isn’t very hot or won’t stay hot for long. What’s behind this?

There are some common reasons as to why this might be happening. In each case, the solution will require you to enlist the help of a licensed professional.

1. Broken Dip Tube: Water heaters function by cold water entering towards the bottom of the tank, being heated up through the heating mechanism, then exiting at the top of the tank. The dip tube is where the cold water first enters, but when this tube is broken, the
   cold water can hover near the top and middle of the tank as opposed to the bottom, which is where the heater is. As a result, the water is inefficiently heated before being drawn from the tank, making it less hot and lowering your reserves of hot water.
2. Buildup of Sediment: The water that enters your water heater usually carries small quantities of sediment which the tank filters out. Over time, these sediments can pile up at the bottom of the tank, close to the heater. With all the debris in the tank, the heater becomes less effective at heating the water. This effect can be prevented by draining out your tank once a year.
3. Malfunctioning System Parts: In the case of older tanks, it’s possible that mechanical parts of your tank have simply gone faulty. In particular, you might possess a broken thermal switch, thermostat, or heating device. In each case, you should enlist the help of a licensed professional to receive a proper diagnosis and advice on how to fix the problem.

Whether you fear you might have a leak or need a water heater inspection, our experts are here to help you with any and all of your plumbing needs. Just contact the local team at Best Plumbing today! We proudly serve the greater Seattle area. To find more tips on plumbing and maintenance, check out our blog and our Youtube page.