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Pain in the Drain: The Holidays Can Be Tough on Your Plumbing

Roy Spencer, Perma-Seal — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 13:00:54 +0000

By Roy Spencer, Perma-Seal The winter holidays are certainly a festive time for many homeowners, but they can also be a particularly tough time for your plumbing and sewer lines. The incorrect disposal of cooking grease, overuse of garbage disposals and improper or excessive disposal of paper waste can resulted in clogged drains and are frequent culprits of pipe-clogging sewer problems during this time of year. If you don’t catch a blockage in time, your household plumbing systems can become inoperable and, what’s worse, raw sewage can back up through toilets, tubs and sinks into your home. Here’s how to avoid trouble with your sewer lines this holiday season:

Never pour oil down a drain.

Baking, frying and roasting can result in beautiful holiday dinners, but also in excess coking oils, grease and fats that need disposal. Rather than pour them down a drain, put cooled fats and oils into a garbage bag or into a sealed container before disposing in the trash. Even small amounts of grease can cause a problem. Some municipalities have collection services for large amounts of used cooking oils.

Take care with table scraps.

Rather than use a garbage disposal, many plumbing professionals advise disposing of table scraps directly into the garbage (stringy celery stalks and potato peels seem to be a particular challenge for disposal systems). Also, use drain baskets and strainers in the sink to catch smaller food items that are rinsed from plates and utensils. You may want to consider collecting vegetable and fruit scraps for use in a backyard composting pile.

Don’t flush anything but toilet paper.

Remind any visitors or overnight guests that they should never flush paper towels, sanitary products or wet wipes (even those labeled as “flushable”) down a toilet. Have a waste basket at the ready in every bathroom, and make sure to frequently empty it so guests have easy access. Even with these preventative measures, sewer lines can become clogged over time, from debris and grease buildup and external factors like tree roots. They can even crack, collapse or shift due to moving soil or other natural elements. That’s why it is also important to perform routine maintenance on your sewer line. A professional can perform a sewer camera inspection and determine the condition of your line, and clear it of any debris; they can even replace the line if there are signs of a major problem. Reputable companies will typically provide you with a DVD of the inspection so you can see the actual blockage. So don’t wait until you’re entertaining this holiday season and have to deal with the grimy problem of a clogged sewer line. A bit of kitchen prep savvy and a little preventive maintenance can help prevent water damage from your plumbing system and save you thousands of dollars in repairs—and a world of headaches. Roy Spencer is the founder and president of Perma-Seal. Recommended by the editors: • 5 Unexpected Home Maintenance Costs • How to Protect Your Basement from Sewer Backup • Digital DIY: Fixing Your Faucet Via Text

How to Spot Foundation Damage Caused by Drought

Roy Spencer, Perma-Seal — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 10:00:35 +0000

You don’t have to be a weather geek to be well aware of the severe heat waves and drought that have affected much of the country recently. The impact on gardens, once-green lawns and other landscaping is unmistakable. But what you may not know is that this kind of heat and extended dryness can mean big problems for your home. It can cause the ground beneath your house to harden and crack, and even start moving and sinking. And of course, when the ground starts to shift it can cause damage to your home’s foundation. Luckily, if you know where to look, these kinds of issues can be spotted and repaired.

Look for foundation damage outside your home:

Is the brickwork cracked or separated?
Is siding or caulking broken or cracked?
Has the concrete or soil next to the foundation sunk?
Is your gas meter is askew?
Is the chimney pulling away from the house?

Spot the signs of foundation damage inside your home

How about inside? Do you see any of these problems?
Are doors or windows sticking, not shutting properly?
Is drywall or plaster cracking?
Are there gaps under baseboards or cabinets?
Is the basement floor cracked and unlevel?
Does the foundation wall have a noticeable bow toward the middle or upper two-thirds?
Are foundation cracks offset? (Run your hand over the cracks. If both sides are not on the same plane, the crack is offset and may show movement.)

Of course, each of these symptoms could be attributed to other causes. But if you have one or more issue, you would be wise to have a certified foundation specialist from a qualified foundation repair company inspect your home and provide you with a permanent solution. If your foundation has begun sinking or settling, for instance, a foundation piering system can be used to permanently level your foundation by using structural steel piers to transfer the weight onto bedrock, or bearing soil. In most cases, it’s possible for this process to even out your walls and floors once again! This may sound like a big project, but an experienced and professional crew can normally complete a job like this within a few days, with minimal disruption to your life.

Hold off on temporary repairs, fixes

If your home has a possible underlying structural problem, avoid temporary repairs like:

Window and door replacements
Brick or aluminum siding replacements
Mud-jacking of floors and concrete work
Extensive drywall and carpentry repairs
Tuck pointing

Structural problems will likely deteriorate with time; sometimes suddenly. And that could lead to HUGE problems later on, including:

Broken sewer, water or gas lines
Collapse of foundation walls
The need to replace the entire foundation

Another important tip: we’ve fielded a lot of questions from homeowners who’ve heard they should water their foundations to prevent drought damage. While it’s a practice that might help, it’s not very practical if you consider the amount of watering it would take.

Guest blogger Roy Spencer is with Perma-Seal.

Protect Your Family’s Health with a Properly Lined Crawl Space

Roy Spencer, Perma-Seal — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 20:40:39 +0000

You may not want to think about it, but the odors and gases (and all the critters) in your crawl space have a free pass into your home—particularly in the winter months when houses are sealed tight. During heating season, the natural airflow of a home draws crawl space air directly into your upstairs living space (what’s known as the “stack” effect). In fact, about 50 percent of the air you breathe in your home is said to originate from the basement or crawlspace. A properly cared-for crawlspace can help maintain your home's structure.

What lies beneath

So, what are the issues you need to ferret out? Moisture, for one. It’s a major contributor to mildew, fungi, and mold, which has been blamed for everything from rashes and runny noses to severe asthma and liver problems. Moisture is also a magnet for spiders, snakes, termites and other nasty pests. Radon is another problem that can originate in dirt or gravel crawl spaces. You can’t see or smell radon—it’s an odorless, colorless gas—but it has major health implications: it’s said to be the number one cause of lung cancer among non-smokers, according to the EPA.

Simple solutions

Fortunately, there are relatively simple ways to identify and mitigate these serious health risks. Moisture and mold are commonly spotted with a quick visual inspection or through a “sniff” test: a damp, musty smell is a good sign that there’s excess moisture lurking about. And while radon itself is invisible, radon test kits can uncover the problem. They are widely available, and easy to use. Once you’ve pinpointed the problems, the best first step is to encapsulate your crawl space with a durable, puncture-resistant wall liner that will act as a barrier to insects, gases and odors. You can also help the problem by including a drainage system (a sump pump and a drain tile system) that will redirect any water or moisture that does make its way in. A good last step is spray foam, which minimizes moisture and acts as a nice energy-saver. These are projects an avid DIYer can take on. But, if the idea overwhelms you, there are many professional companies that can provide you with a permanent solution—particularly if your problem is radon ... that’s something best left to the experts.

What not to do

Regardless of who does the work, there are a couple of things you’ll want to make sure NOT to do. Pumping in concrete, for instance, is an all-around bad idea. That’s because the process introduces hundreds of gallons of water that will ultimately soak into your floor joists and add to the already high humidity levels in your crawl space. Also, pumped concrete floors are different than basement floors; they are chalky and dusty and can introduce more chemicals into the air. Another no-no: spraying closed-cell foam in the crawl space. Spray foam is commonly sprayed at the point where the foundation meets the floor joists. Sealing this joint with a closed-cell material will cause wood rot and severe damage to your home’s structure. Be sure that you use an “open-cell” or “open-weave” type of insulation. No one really wants to think about what lurks in the underworld of a house. But taking a few simple steps to identify and mitigate the problems can protect your family and transform your crawlspace into a safe, dry and critter-free area of your home.

Content and images courtesy of guest blogger Perma-Seal.

Even Dry Basements Require Inspection

Roy Spencer, Perma-Seal — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:36:25 +0000

Hanging up a new, clean calendar is a ritual for many at the beginning of each year, and we quickly begin the process of filling in all of those important dates. Along with fun things like birthdays and anniversaries, we start making appointments to have our teeth cleaned, the furnace checked, the oil in our cars changed, or even a yearly checkup with our doctor. Thank goodness for those handy reminders we get in the mail to help us remember to schedule the all-important annual checkups! While you’re making your list of important things to check on an annual basis, do not forget about scheduling a basement inspection. A dry basement is an invaluable asset to your home, even more important when you have a finished basement. The small cost of maintaining your lower living space is minimal compared to the amount of trouble and heartache you would experience if you had several inches of water suddenly appear downstairs. What if you lost power during a storm and you didn’t have your battery backup system checked for a couple years? What if your basement flooded because one of your window well drains was simply clogged with leaves and debris? You can avoid the pain of having to remove water-damaged finished walls and flooring, ruined family photo albums and other family heirlooms by inspecting your basement every year. There are several ways to keep your basement dry and protected, and although some of these you can do yourself, some are better left to a professional. Contact a professional waterproofing company that can provide you with an inspection program that will help assure your basement stays dry all year round. Here are some of the items a professional company should provide during a complete annual inspection:

Removal, cleaning and water-testing of storm water sump pump.
Cleaning of the storm water sump pit.
Flushing and water-testing of discharge lines and fittings.
Replacement of battery on the High Water Alarm.
Inspecting the battery and mechanical operation of your backup pump system.
Testing your ejector pump.
Checking for possible yard drainage and downspout extension problems.
Inspection of window wells and drains for any clogs or leaks.
Examination of foundation walls for seepage or structural damage.
A written report of finding and recommendations.

Content and images courtesy of Perma-Seal.

How to Protect Your Basement From Sewer Backup

Roy Spencer, Perma-Seal — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 20:21:48 +0000

Have you ever experienced a large amount of standing water in your basement after a heavy rainstorm? Do you wonder where it comes from and how so much ends up in your home? If the water has come up through any plumbing fixtures or you have standing water over your floor drain, there’s a good chance that you are experiencing municipal sewer backup.

It is not uncommon during heavy rainstorms for municipal sanitary sewers to become overloaded with more volume than they can handle. And the result, since almost all municipal sewer systems are gravity fed, is the excess water being forced back through your sewer line towards your home and into your basement and other low lying drains in that area. Large quantities of sewage-contaminated water can be pushed through floor drains, toilets or showers and can create a potentially dangerous and unhealthy environment in your home. If your sewers backup into your basement, the most important thing to remember is DO NOT WALK IN or TOUCH the standing water! The power must be turned off first to avoid any risk of electrocution. You do not have to live with the fear of your sewers backing up into your home. You can protect your home and your family from the unhealthy environment create from municipal sewer backup. A sewer backup prevention system is the answer. Generally, these types of systems are beyond the skill level of your standard do-it-yourselfer and will require professional help. Sewer backup prevention can likely be accomplished with the help of professional basement waterproofing contractors and/or licensed plumbers experienced in these situations. A professional contractor should install a double-, or triple-valve system that provides protection and comes with a significant warranty. Most Systems can be installed in your front yard and are almost undetectable. The check valves are placed into the sewer line so when the sewer is overloaded and pushes water toward your home, they will automatically close and keep the sewage contaminated water out of your basement. The pump and basin, as shown above, will provide the advantage of being able to use your household plumbing during times of sewer backup.

Content and images courtesy of Perma-Seal.