Here, in Southern California, we know the threat of an earthquake is real, but did you know that a 2017 study conducted by researchers at the Nevada Seismological Laboratory, found that the area from San Diego to Seal Beach through the Los Angeles basin is at a heightened risk for a major earthquake that could equal 7.4 in magnitude?

Even though we’re used to dealing with varying degrees of seismic activity, this is a sobering revelation. It’s also a warning for homeowners and businesses in Torrance to take action and make sure their plumbing systems are as earthquake-proof as possible.

Prepare Your Pipes Before an Earthquake Happens

This is the time to make sure that your property’s plumbing is in its best condition. Small quakes can damage your home’s plumbing system just as much as major earthquakes. Why is this?

Many times, people don’t realize that there is existing damage because they don’t see it. Regular plumbing inspection services by licensed plumbers in Torrance help you identify things such as cracked or lose piping that could become a problem should a quake happen. Any problems found should be repaired with plumbers’ putty or you might want to consider completely replacing the damaged pipe.

Secure Your Water Heater

Another proactive measure to protect your home’s plumbing from earthquake damage is securing your tank water heater. You don’t want the heater bouncing around during a quake because it can lead to water damage or, in the case that you have a gas-powered heater, become a fire hazard.

Water heater straps wrap around the appliance and securely attach it to the wall. When attaching these straps, make sure that you secure the top and bottom of the water heater with straps for extra support. If your water heater is located in the middle of your basement or in another area where there is no way to secure the straps to the wall, call a plumber to discuss relocating the water heater.

Practice Turning Off the Water and Gas

During a major earthquake, water pipes and gas lines can easily rupture. Busted water lines have the potential t flood a home in record time and make it dangerous for people to move about because of electrocution hazards. Gas lines are just as susceptible to rupturing.

To protect you and your family, it’s a good idea to know where and how to turn off water and gas supplies. As part of earthquake preparedness, we recommend that homeowners locate the shut-off valves for these components now. We also recommend practicing turning these valves on and off so that you know exactly what to do after a natural disaster. After an earthquake happens is not the best time to acquaint yourself with these valves because fear and uncertainty can cloud your judgment.

Preparation Keeps Your Family Safe

The team at Torrance Plumbing and Rooter cares wants your home to be protected 24/7. We also know that earthquakes are unpredictable and cause massive damage. Let us help you prepare for any situation. For earthquake plumbing tips and preparation services, call us today to schedule an appointment with one of our licensed and insured plumbers in Torrance.

Sump pumps are highly beneficial for households that are concerned about flooding because of heavy rainfall or because they live near a floodplain. These appliances also protect homes in the event there’s a slab leak or another plumbing emergency that could flood the basement or lower areas of the house. Whether your sump pump turns on regularly or very little, we recommend a battery backup.

Continue reading to learn more about the reasons battery backups are a good idea.

Evaluate Risks of Failure

For the most part, sump pumps work without fail. That being said, these appliances also rely on power to operate. What happens if a severe storm blows through and the power is out for a long time? The sump pump won’t turn on and your home could take on water.

Another thing to consider is the age of the sump pump. As pumps age, they can develop problems. At Torrance Plumbing and Rooter, we recommend a battery backup for all sump pumps over 5 years old. This ensures water continues to be pumped away from the house if the main pump fails. For sump pumps 10 years or older, we recommend considering investing in a new pump and a battery backup.

Alerts

One of the best features of a battery backup sump pump is its ability to warn homeowners when there’s the danger of flooding and when the need for support is required. To take advantage of these features, homeowners should look for battery backups that offer the following:

• The ability to self-test for problems
• Battery status monitoring
• Alarms

These features ensure that homes stay dry and that homeowners have a change to address the situation to prevent damage.

Easy Maintenance

Another great benefit of battery backups beyond their protective qualities is that they’re easy to maintain. Homeowners don’t have to worry about keeping up with a complex appliance. Battery backups are easy to install and don’t require a water supply.

What homeowners do need to worry about is choosing the right battery backup solution for the home. Purchasing a small capacity battery-operated backup sump pump can cause issues if the power is off for a long time. Choose a pump capable of producing enough power to pump the water as frequently as you need it pumped.

Does Every House Need a Sump Pump?

Not necessarily. In areas where torrential rainfall isn’t a problem, or the house isn’t in a flood plain, one might not need this appliance. However, if you have a sump pump in your home, you for sure want to look into purchasing a battery backup. These devices aren’t expensive, but they’re essential for keeping homes dry if the main sump pump fails.

Would you like to learn more about your battery backup sump pump options? We have plumbers in Torrance who can come to your home and speak with you today. Give us a call at Torrance Plumbing and Rooter to learn more about sump pump solutions.

It’s easy to blame plumbing problems on faulty systems and poor installation, but the truth is that people are plumbing’s biggest enemy. How we treat our home’s plumbing system can have a huge effect on how well it works.

At Torrance Plumbing and Rooter, we see the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to residential plumbing. In this post, we’d like to pass along our years of experience and knowledge to you to encourage you to use your plumbing the way it was intended to be used.

Not Everything Is Flushable

Flushing anything and everything down the toilet isn’t doing your plumbing any good. Even though products like tampons and wipes might be promoted by manufacturers as being flushable, trust us. They’re not.

The only non-organic substance that’s flushable is toilet paper in small amounts. Toilet tissue is designed to breakdown quickly in water, so it doesn’t stay in pipes for long. Tampons and cleansing wipes might be biodegradable, but they don’t breakdown fast enough in pipes to not cause problems.

Your Reliance on Liquid Drain Cleaners

People use liquid drain cleaners too much. Although they seem to do the job and clear sinks fast, they’re not good for your plumbing system. These cleaners contain chemicals that when used frequently will cause pipes to corrode and fail.

If you’re constantly running to the store for liquid drain cleaner, call a plumber in Torrance. Schedule professional drain cleaning to really clear out your home’s drains. You’ll save yourself the frustration of dealing with clogs and you won’t keep spending money on solution that doesn’t really work.

You Have a Garbage Disposal

Don’t get us wrong. We know how convenient garbage disposals are. We have them in our homes too. Still, these small appliances wreak havoc on kitchen plumbing because they’re overused. ‘

How many times have you stuffed your garbage disposal full of food waste? How many times has this causes a backup? If you must use a disposal, only put small amounts of food in the grinder at a time. We recommend batch garbage disposals because they only accept small amounts of food waste at a time.

Contact Us Today

You deserve to have plumbing that works. If you have recurring plumbing problems, call us for 24-hour plumbing service in Torrance, CA. We’re here for you when you need us most because we care. Call Torrance Plumbing and Rooter 24/7!

Dirty drains make it difficult for sinks and toilets to drain quickly and fully. A slow-flowing drain can rapidly become a clogged drain if it isn’t take care of in a timely manner. You may have used a plunger or liquid drain cleaner to alleviate the problem, but if the drainage problem hasn’t improved you may need a more powerful method of drain cleaning known as hydro jet drain cleaning.

Hydro Jet Drain Cleaning Is Affordable and Effective

One of the most efficient plumbing tools is the hydro jet. This handy piece of drain cleaning equipment scrubs away the toughest clogs leaving behind exceptionally clean pipes and drains. The hydro jet is a long, thin wand that is inserted into the affected pipe and applies a pressurized stream of water into the pipe. It’s as effective as chemical cleaners without the side effects. Most over-the-counter liquid cleaners are made from chemicals that over time can break down the piping and drain material, which can lead to leakage and other problems. Hydro jetting drain cleaning eliminates this potential problem.

Did you know? The hydro jet isn’t only effective on interior pipes. It’s highly successful at clearing main line clogs and is a tool commonly used for sewer drain cleaning.

Make an Appointment with a Drain Cleaning Plumber

Hydro jet drain cleaning for Torrance homes is available as part of a routine maintenance routine as well as part of emergency drain cleaning services. As part of the hydro jet cleaning process, a licensed plumber will likely use a video camera inspection tool to get a closer look in to your pipes to find the exact location and condition of the pipe where the clog exists. Hydro jetting when combined with video camera inspection is a power drain cleaning option that can extend the life of your home’s plumbing system.

Call us today to learn more about our drain cleaning specials for Torrance residents!

Saving money on emergency sewer repair is a lot like winning the lottery. It’s unexpected, but feels incredible. While the chances of scoring that big ticket aren’t high, saving money on sewer repair is very possible. Due in part to advanced equipment and technological advances in the industry, you don’t have to rely on old-fashioned, expensive repair options that take several days to complete.

Trenchless Sewer Repair Reduces Labor Costs

Repairing damaged sewer lines typically cost so much because they were labor intensive. Traditional sewer repair required heavy excavation and days to finish. Trenchless sewer repair has changed the game. This repair method doesn’t require hardly any excavation and is done by relining damaged area of the pipe using special equipment.

Avoid Sewer Problems with Main Line Clog Cleaning

One of the best ways to save money on emergency plumbing is to not need it at all. A lot of sewer damage starts from the buildup of debris in the main line causing blockages that put pressure on the pipe. As the pressure rises, the pipe can begin to crack and leaks can form. Regular drain cleaning can stop this from occurring. Call your Torrance plumber to develop a customized preventive maintenance schedule.

Video Camera Pipe Inspection Services

Another type of preventive maintenance is pipe inspection using a video camera. You may have a main line clog that is tiny enough not to be causing immediate problems, but could easily be cleared away. A video camera pipe inspection can find these little issues and get rid of them quickly.

Preventive maintenance and trenchless sewer repair are the best ways to bypass emergencies. To learn more about our 24-hour emergency sewer repair services in Torrance, call one of our friendly representatives today.

Torrance Plumbing and Rooter provides quality drain cleaning services using state-of-the-art equipment. We use video drain inspections to determine problems with drains and sewer lines so that we can effectively fix them. Our video drain inspections allow us to determine problems with plumbing systems that cannot be easily accessed. Our video drain inspections are increasingly becoming popular because they allow homeowners to determine problems with their drainage systems without digging their lawns to access their home drainage systems. Video drain inspections can be used to detect problems with drainage systems in both residential and commercial premises.

Pipe Line Condition

Video drain inspection allows you to view the internal structure and condition of a drainage pipe. This technology enables plumbing professionals to view blockages caused by dirt, sludge, and waste as well as determine current or potential damages. The footage obtained from the inspection can be used to devise pipe cleaning and maintenance strategies.

Pipe Inspection Results

Pipe joints are weak points that tree roots can use to spread to the inner parts of a drainage pipe. Tree roots can cause significant damage to drainage pipes including steel and cast iron pipes. The roots may be so concentrated inside the pipe causing blockage. Video drain inspection is considered “non-invasive” and is a popular method for determining problems with drainage systems.

Pipe Maintenance

Video drain inspections enable us to determine the most effective drainage system maintenance techniques to use in different drainage systems. It also allows us to know the parts of the drainage system that require cleaning.

Benefits of Pipeline Inspections

One of the most notable advantages of video drain inspection is that it eliminates the need for digging to access the drainage system and check for drainage problems. This means that there is less or no pipe traffic interruption. Video drain inspections can help you determine if your drainage system needs repair or replacement.

Video drain inspections can help homeowners save significant amounts of money and time on drain pipe cleaning. Call us today to learn more about our video drain inspection services.

Slab leaks can cause considerable problems for homeowners. Regrettably, many homeowners don’t understand that their sitting on top of a possible catastrophe. At Torrance Plumbing and Rooter, we know how vital it is to find a slab leak promptly and fix the problem without delay.

What are the signs that I have a slab leak?

To begin with, you may become aware of that your water bill is more expensive than usual. Sometimes a higher water bill is the result of watering a lawn more than usual or even filling a backyard pool. But, if you haven’t done anything different in regards to using your home’s water, it’s highly likely that you have a leak. You can check for a water leak by turning your water off for a couple of hours. Go see a movie or run an errand. After you return, turn the water on and check the water meter. If the meter recorded water usage while the water was off, this is a very good sign that a leak exists somewhere in your plumbing system.

My home smells damp and mildew!

If your home is humid and smells like damp, stale moisture, it’s probable there is a leak. Mildew odors stem from mold growth and this kind of growth is not usual in a dry house.  Investigate for mold development in basement corners, on baseboards, and search for moist spots beneath flooring. Upon finding any damp areas, call a local plumber in Torrance to come out and assess the situation.

Electronic Leak Detection Services

The ideal way to verify that you have a foundation (slab) leak is to have a licensed plumber use electronic leak detection services. These services are non-destructive, reasonably priced, and the best way, hands-down, to locate hard to find leaks.

At Torrance Plumbing and Rooter, we provide 24/7 leak detection services so homeowners never have to wait for repairs. Our leak detection services are extremely popular in the community and 100% accurate. Only licensed plumbers with years of experience perform our electronic leak detection services, so you can be assured you’re getting the best deal possible. Call today to get put on the schedule to meet with one of our leak detection plumbers in Torrance.