The Plumbinator Round Rock Blog

Found out your home has Kitec? Got a huge estimate for a total replacement and now you're freaking out?  We can help!  Schedule a free estimate and we'll see if we can   REPAIR instead of REPLACE your Kitec. Kitec Facts: Kitec plumbing was used to install water piping in new homes during the building boom in Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock, and Pflugerville, starting in 1995.  In 2005 Kitec was recalled because it corrodes and bursts, but that didn't stop some builders from using it in the Austin area as late as 2008.  Builders liked Kitec because it was cheaper than copper and flexible, so it was easy to install.  Kitec water piping can't take high heat or pressure, and it corrodes quickly.  With Kitec plumbing, pipes won’t just leak, they are likely to totally burst, flooding your home!  Kitec plumbing is a ticking time bomb under your house and based on the start date and recall date (1995-2005) it only lasts about 10 year...

If you have an older home in Austin, you may have a ticking time bomb under your slab in the form of cast iron sewer pipe.  All cast iron sewer pipe will need to be completely replaced before your house turns 50 years old.  If your house was built 1950-1969,  it's already time to replace before your house is flooded with sewage! Houses built in the 1970s will need complete replacement in the next 10 years.   It's not a question of IF, it's a question of WHEN.  Why?  Cast iron sewer pipes only last 50 years before they deteriorate beyond repair and start leaking raw sewage into your yard or living room. If you have an older house in Austin, call us to come out and do an inspection. We'll let you know if you can wait a few years, or if the pipes are already starting to leak sewage into your yard or house. Why completely replace, not just repair the pipe as needed ?  Each repair causes the cast iron o...

Water heater leaving you out in the cold?        A tankless might be the answer! 1) Do you have a large family and/or often run out of hot water? If you've got four or more people who like to take showers or baths every day, then you've also got plenty of dishes and clothes to wash too, so you're using a ton of hot water and probably running out often. Large families need a tankless water he ater because it heats water ON DEMAND. Regular water heaters heat a few dozen gallons of water and when it's gone, it takes a while to heat more, leaving you out in the cold. With a tankless, special coils heat the water at the time you need it, so you never run out! No more staggering showers for family members and scheduling when to run the washer. 2) Do you have a bulky heater in a small space? Regular, tanked water heaters take up a lot of room in a small house, often squatting in a big chunk of floor, closet, or attic space.  Tankless heaters are smaller a...

Oh no! You just went to grab a soda from the fridge and splashed through a huge puddle on the way. Why is your home turning into a swimming pool?? Might be a slab leak.  Slab leaks can wreak havoc on your home and your wallet! Not only will your house be underwater, but you'll also be paying for this privilege through increased bills. The water pipes for your home run through the slab, and as they get old and corrode, or the house settles into its foundation, pipes may spring leaks or break. The older your home is, the more likely it is you'll have a slab leak . Check out the signs in this list, so you'll be ready if it happens to you. 1) There's a Puddle on the Floor, Inside or Outside The most common sign of a slab leak is a puddle on the floor that can grow larger over time, as water bubbles up from underneath. You'll often find the puddle close to where plumbing is located, such as the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room. If you see a puddle, look aroun...

What kinds of trees do you have in your yard? You need to find out! To protect your plumbing you must know what kind of trees you have and where they are planted in relation to your sewer lines, since some trees are more trouble than others for your plumbing. Tree roots can exploit tiny cracks or holes in your sewer pipes, and use them to invade!  It's a very common problem in Central Texas to have tree roots clog, crack and even completely destroy parts of sewer lines.  Did you know that tree roots can be 2-7 times as long as the tree is tall? These roots will travel long distances seeking water. Roots can actually sense water vapor, and will follow the trail of leaking moisture straight back to small cracks, badly sealed joints, or pinholes in your pipes. Was your home built 1950-1986? Then you very likely have cast iron sewer lines which are very deteriorated and especially vulnerable to root invasion. Read more here. As you can see in the diagram above,  roots w...

Help! I have a plumbing problem! Should I try to do it myself, hire a handyman or call a licensed plumber?  In Texas, there are only TWO legal options when you have a plumbing issue:  1) As the homeowner, you can fix your own plumbing, OR  2) You can hire a state-licensed, insured plumber who is working under a valid Master Plumber's number.  If you have your plumbing work done illegally, it could be a costly mistake, since damage from illegal work isn't covered by your home insurance. Read more below. Question 1: Should I Try to Fix My Own Plumbing? It depends. If the project involves natural or LP gas, NO you should not. Working with gas and gas piping can be very dangerous and anyone who works on gas must be licensed. As far as non-gas related plumbing, whether you should attempt a fix depends on how large and/or complicated the project is. In Texas, homeowners can legally do certain types of things to their plumbing without a permit, like rep...

There's a wet spot on your ceiling that keeps getting bigger and bigger! You've clearly got a water leak. But wait a minute...there's no bathroom, kitchen or other water source above that spot. Hmmm you've got a plumbing mystery on your hands. Time to call The Plumbinator, the expert in solving plumbing mysteries without tearing up your house. When you've got a mystery leak, you need to find the leaking pipe and fix it, ASAP, before it starts to damage your house or form black mold that can harm your health. So, you call a discount plumber and he can't figure it out either, but wants to start hacking open your walls in different places, or digging holes all over your yard, or worse, busting out the concrete under your carpet on an exploratory mission that may result in nothing except an expensive, ruined house and yard!  We get called to houses all the time where the plumber charged an arm and a leg, ripped up the walls or ceiling and never even found the...

It hasn't rained for a while, but suddenly your dog comes in from the yard with wet, muddy paws. When you look outside you see a huge puddle on the lawn. You might have a yard water leak! Luckily, The Plumbinator specializes in pinpointing the source of yard leaks and fixing them right. But for now, let's learn more about yard leaks. What kinds of pipes are running under your yard that may have sprung a leak? In the  front yard, there are four kinds of pipes: Main Water Line (Service Line) Sewer Line Gas Line Irrigation (Sprinkler) System Signs of a Main Water Line Leak Water travels into your home from the City's water main to your water meter in the yard, then underground through the main service line to your shutoff valve. If your water bill is suddenly sky high, and you see puddles of standing water in the front yard, you probably have a main water line leak. We can pinpoint exactly where along the pipe  the leak is occurring, since it may not be wh...

The trades are a great career for those who don't want to take out a bunch of loans for college. In plumbing, your Master Plumber pays YOU to learn, and you get cumulative licenses that will serve you for life. Plumbing is also an awesome career for those with college degrees who want to work with their hands and eventually become their own boss. Welcome Shad, our newest plumbing apprentice! When Shad makes it to Master Plumber, he can own his own business. But before then he'll spend years learning the whole system network of plumbing from the ground (literally) up! Shad comes to us fresh from a stint working at Skokomish Park in Washington state. Before that, he earned a Bachelor's degree and spent years in IT. He couldn't wait to get out from behind a desk and start working with his hands. Meet Britanny - Apprentice for 1 year When we met Bri, she was working as a manager at a storage facility, here in Round Rock. She was so hard working, honest an...