Our specific services include:
We have 3 different types of cable machines for mechanically cleaning bathroom sink, bathtub, kitchen sink, laundry tub, and main lines (referred to as ‘snaking'). Toilets use an ‘auger' which is basically a three to six foot hand operated cable.
One of the ‘tricks' we have seen many of our competitors use, and you will never know it unless you stand there and actually watch them, is to use only a 2" or 2.5" spade cutter to ‘drill' a hole thru the blockage. 95% of the main lines coming from a house are 6" in diameter, so this method ensures a return trip from the plumbing outfit to snake it again, and again, and soon to dig it up and replace it. We always use the biggest cutter we can get in the pipe - usually a 3" or 4" - to cut out as much of the blockage (usually roots) as possible.
We have experience repairing and /or replacing drain lines in walls, ceilings, under the basement floor, or under a front lawn or street, if necessary.
We can do a simple replacement of your existing pump (we prefer the heavy duty construction of the Hydromatic brand of pumps), or install a complete system if you do not have one.
Bubblers refers to the piping system used to take the water from your sump pump discharge and gutters out to the street. Many companies use a trencher. While a trencher will allow a ‘cleaner' job, we have found a mini-excavator allows a much greater degree of control in installing pipes from multiple downspouts, pitch for proper drainage, digging under a sidewalk so it doesn't have to be replaced, and digging deep enough and big enough at the curb to meet code requirements. Yard drainage to eliminate "ponding" involves using perforated pipe and lots of stone.
We use the products made by Base Products Corporation, located right here in Buffalo off Military Road.
Their products work and they stand behind them.
We have installed many of the water operated emergency pumps, and we do not take shortcuts in doing so. We have seen many installations of emergency water operated pumps where the emergency discharge line is connected to the discharge line of the main pump before it exits the building. BAD IDEA! A failure of the line after that point (freezing, blockage) can allow the system to come apart and fill your basement with your own water. We always run them as two separate systems.
In cases where a water system won't work, then we can install a battery backup system.
Many homes still have galvanized pipes carrying the water to your various plumbing fixtures. Over the years, galvanized rusts thru or develops so much rust inside that the water pressure drops off to next to nothing, or stops completely. If only a section needs to be cut out and replaced, we can do it with copper or the newer material - PEX.
PEX is NOT rigid plastic. It is flexible, resistant to scale and chlorine, doesn't corrode or develop pinholes, doesn't impart a ‘plastic' taste to the water, is faster to install than metal or rigid plastic, and has fewer connections and fittings.
We also use it for whole house repipes.
We can use copper if the customer requests it, and do use copper where it is required by code or manufactures recommendations.
When using copper, another ‘trick' used by many is to use the lighter weight copper (type M) instead of the type we use exclusively (Type L). Type M, being thinner, is much more prone to pinhole, and, in fact, we have repaired many that did just that. The bad thing is the pinhole is usually so small that a lot of damage is done to the house before you notice it.
We prefer Bradford White. They are reliable and of good value. What we look for is a company that not only produces a good product, but also stands behind that product if something goes wrong. We used to use another well known brand, but began to have problems with them, and did not receive the support we expected, so we no longer use them unless a comparable Bradford White unit is just not available.
All the manufacturers have had to make their products ‘Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant', which means if a flammable vapor - gas or paint fumes, for instance - get into the burner, the unit shuts down before the fumes explode.
It also makes the unit more finicky, and if the burner gets wet, all the manufactures will tell you to replace the whole unit.
There are ways to dry them out. Sometimes , to do this, replacement parts are needed. If you have a tank from a ‘big box store', more than likely that type of replacement part is not carried by the store, and must be ordered from the manufacturer. We have had cases where the manufacturer assumed the tank got wet and would not even sell us the part, so the customer had to buy a complete new tank.
Again the important consideration is quality and support. We install the products made by Noritz.
There are many considerations to be taken into account to properly size a tankless unit:
Realistically, what fixtures do you anticipate running at the same time? Example- one shower and the clothes washing machine? Two showers and the clothes washer? We need to add up the flow rates of each fixture to properly size the unit. And do you want to run those fixtures in both the summer and the winter? The temperature of the incoming water supply, and consequently the temperature rise that must be achieved to get to the desired temperature at the fixture, will have a hugh impact on performance. Once we know what size unit will work, then we have to consider the amount of gas required to power the unit. A standard hot water tank will use 36,000 to 40,000 btu's, a tankless will use 199,900 and up. You don't need to know what a btu is, we are just giving you an apples to apples comparison of gas usage to illustrate what goes into properly sizing one.
All toilets made now are designed to flush 1.6 gallons, or less, and there are many manufactures of toilets.
We have had very good results with the Gerber brand of toilets. Our supplier also handles Kohler.
We can also install a toilet you have purchased and brought home.
What do we mean by this? Normal toilets flush the waste, intact, out the bottom, or out the back, where it goes thru a 3" or 4" drain line. If you wanted to install an additional toilet, say in a basement or an attic, provisions must be made to run this size pipe to your house sewer. This usually involves breaking up floors or ceilings, and walls. This can lead to much more work than anticipated.
The main concern with a standard toilet installed in a basement, however, is what happens if the house sewer plugs up. ALL the waste is going to come out that toilet in the basement, and believe us, you only need this to happen once to regret every having added that bathroom.
So what to do? Use a macerating toilet! The waste from a macerating toilet is ground up by stainless steel blades and mixed with water to liquefy the waste, and pumped out a ¾" or 1" line.
We have installed several in basements, one in a closet for an older couple who just could not make it up the stairs, to the bathroom on the 2nd floor, several times a day, and one next to a bed in a bedroom, for a woman who is confined to a wheelchair and has had to use a commode for the last 20 years, which had to be emptied by a nurse every morning of those twenty years.
We use the products made by Saniflo. Top quality, reliable, great design, and great service.
We prefer the Delta Faucet line. At some point all faucets need service, and Deltas are easy to service and parts are readily available.
We can, however, install any faucet you purchase, and there are many faucet manufactures to choose from. As a word to the wise - keep all your paperwork, as parts for many of these ‘more esoteric' faucets are not readily available, and models change, so your only option to get parts may be to call the manufacturer with the correct model and/or part number.
Almost all our gas leak jobs come from landlords or individuals who have had the gas turned off for one reason or another, then call the gas company to turn it back on. If there are any leaks, no matter how small, it will show on the meter and prevent the gas company from turning the gas back on. What causes the leaks? Various reasons: age, thread sealant becoming hard and brittle, an incorrectly installed appliance. It is amazing how many gas leaks can be in a system without anyone smelling them. To find them we have to disconnect the meter, connect a small air compressor, and check each and every joint. Once we find them, we have to disconnect the system until we get to that joint, then put it back together, or cut that section out, thread the pipe to install unions, and replace the section, or use the newer coated, flexible stainless steel pipe.
Realistically, we have to figure at least half a day, with two men, to test, find, and repair a leaking system. Unfortunately these are not quick and simple repairs
The mentioned services, are, of course, not the only ones we do. Just to quickly mention a few more: sinks, laundry tubs, hot water recirculation systems, garbage disposals, heat tape and pipe insulation for crawl spaces and trailers.
If it is not listed here, call us or e-mail us!