Suburban Plumbing Experts

These days, restaurants and bars rely heavily on their plumbing systems, because it represents an environment where the waste water supply and debris drainage are of utmost importance. There are quite a few plumbing services for bars and restaurants that are required for these certain businesses. There are different types of bars and restaurants each unique with their own specific plumbing specifications. The biggest part of maintaining top notch performance and cleanliness standards for your restaurant or pubs pipes include a regular drain cleaning and maintenance. Before conducting pipe cleaning and maintenance for your bar or restaurant, is it critical to understand why it is necessary. I am sure you do not want to have to close down an area of the restaurant or bar during a peak time in which you are crowded and having guests leave your establishment. How about a toilet or urinal in your restroom that over flows? Not only is it unsanitary, but it will cost you money. Money that is ...

If you happen to notice that your hot water heater is leaking water, you have a problem that needs to be addressed immediately. This may seem like a small problem, but it can quickly grow to a much larger issue if not properly taken care of. Leaking water can not only damage your home floors and walls, and other appliances, but it also causes mold growth that can be hazardous to your family’s health. In certain cases, a full water heater leak can flood your home or basement. As always, it is important to remember that although it may seem minimal now, the leak is not going to to just disappear and you should be thinking about fixing it sooner rather than later. Doing so can save you from more expensive damages to your home at a later date. Internal Tank Leak The most common reason that your hot water heater tank could be leaking is from damage to the tank itself. If your water tank is definitely leaking, it means that it has an internal problem that is allowing water to leak and starts...

People don't always think about their septic tank much, usually until it stops functioning properly. It is a good practice to recognize how your septic system works on the regular, so when you notice things acting differently, you can call for septic services before it gets out of control. Septic tank pumping and cleaning services are something every home owner with a septic tank is going to need at some point while living in their home.  Listed below are times when it could be time to call the Suburban Plumbing Experts for any septic maintenance or septic repairs.   Sewer Odors No one likes the foul smell of a sewer , but when you notice it coming from your home drain system or in the grass outside of your home, you know something is up. Sewer odors are a good signal that septic tank pumping services are in your near future.  Sewer gas can include ammonia, sulfide and methane. Exposure to any of these gases can cause headaches, dizziness, poisoning, and memory loss. If...

Basements are the most common area of your home to flood. Whether it is from heavy rainfall, melting snow, a roof drainage problem or a sump pump mishap, water always seems to find its way into basements. One of the most common causes of basement flooding in Illinois homes and businesses is sump pump failures due to a power outage from a recent storm. If you have your laundry set up in your basement, the leaks associated with washing machines are very common, especially when they are constantly overloaded. Issues with hot water tanks and water heaters can also result in leaks in your basement.  A Few Ways to Help You Prevent Basement Flooding in your Home: Repair Foundation Cracks -   Cracks in your house foundation can invite water seepage into the basement rather easily. To prevent any kind of basement flooding, inspect the full exterior of your home's foundation, its basement walls, and basement floors on a consistent basis. Properly Landscaped Yard - Make sure the design...

Turn Off Outdoor Faucets As the weather turns from warm to immediately freezing here in Illinois these days, homeowners need to start think about properly winterizing their homes. On the very top of this list of things to do is  taking care of outdoor hoses and sprinkler systems. Lawn and Garden hoses and all sprinklers should be disconnected, rolled up, and stored for the winter in your garage or basement. Second, shut off all outdoor faucets but first let any remaining water drain out. Once the faucet is shut off and drained, leave your faucet on until warmer weather is consistent, usually in the Spring. Make Sure Your Home’s Pipes Are Insulated One thing you can do when taking extra precautions to winterize your home's plumbing is to purchase a roll of thick insulation that you can wrap around your pipes. This insulation is made of fiberglass or polyethylene, and can be purchased online or at a hardware store or Menard's, Home Depot , etc. For even more extra protection from...

Have you ever noticed large puddles of water around your property after a strong storm hits? If you have, this means that your landscape was not designed with a good drainage system. When excess storm water is unable to move it builds up in your yard, and this can create serious damage over time. If you have some time, take a few minutes to read about why good drainage is so important, and see how you can implement a landscape drainage solution. How do Drainage Issues Occur in the First Place? A down pour of rain caused by a powerful storm is not the only thing that can create drainage problems. Having  downspout storm drains  along the foundation of your home can also cause you problems. Downspout drains are supposed to push water away from your home, but if they are installed too close to the home's foundation they could end up redirecting water into the side of your home.  Any leftover storm water can take quite some time to move. Water tends to flow downward, so if th...

Installing French drains, or drainage tile, is a highly effective way to deal with  poor yard drainage . A French drain is dug into a trench that you then cover with rocks. This drainage tile system connects to your pipes to help guide water away from your house. The first part of a French drain is the elevated end, also referred to as the drain field. This drain field is where the excess surface water enters into the drain pipes. Second, the French drain exit point. This is the lowest point where the water leaves the drain. The French drain creates a slop in which the waste water can easily exit. A French drainage tile system is a perforated tube that allows water to enter while keeping soil out and over time, the drains can be overgrown by tree roots , stray soil, gravel and other debris. You should be cleaning out these French drains every year, usually after Winter and before Spring. The easiest way to tell if your French drain is operating properly is to look for wetness ...

What does "Pipe Boring" even mean? Pipe boring is a system of installing pipes underground which does not use trenches. Cables and conduits can also be installed this way. Instead of digging up a trench, a bore path is made by a drilling rig designed to create shallow arcs. The main reason for using boring method instead of trenches is to decrease the effect on the environment. The biggest benefit of a trenchless sewer line repair is that sewer repair professionals can do a lot of work without having to re-route any traffic or have to dig a huge trench through your homes living space. It is also faster than traditional methods. Trenchless sewer repair can usually get the job done in one day rather than 2-3 days. Modern day technology has saved the Illinois plumbing industry. Replacing an old sewer used to be real messy and was a very time-consuming process and also would cost a fortune until this trenchless technology came around. Trenchless sewer repairs is a life saver for...

In the case you have a plumbing emergency, it is always a good idea to educate yourself on how and where to turn off your main home water supply. Attempting to do any work on plumbing while the water is still turned on can cause flooding in your home and could cost you thousands of dollars in water damage and repairs. In the Winter time and when temperatures drop significantly, the water in your pipes can freeze . When water freezes, it expands and can then cause the pipe to burst. If bursting has already occurred, turn off your home's main water valve as fast as humanly possible to avoid even more issues.  If you are able to contain the situation as soon as possible, it will greatly help with flooding and allow a bigger window of time for a licensed plumber to arrive (if needed). Everyone in your household should know where the main home water shutoff valve is located and how to go about turning it off. Also, if you are going to be away from your home for an extended period of tim...

Buying a new home is exciting, but it is important to know exactly what you are buying before signing any papers. Having any plumbing repairs or having to add new appliances can quickly add up, especially if they are needed shortly after moving into the new home. If you do find any problems ahead of time, ask that the previous owner drop the overall cost of the home so these repairs can be fixed. Here are some tips on what you should be looking for to know what plumbing features you should be inspecting before buying a new home. Water Supply and Toilets Older homes can be easily identified by the type of pipes they have. Steel and lead piping are materials that were very common 30-40 years ago but are currently not being used in modern day home plumbing. If an older house has updated copper or plastic piping, it's safe to say that the original pipes have been replaced over the years. If a home has the original steel or lead pipes, be prepared for possible plumbing repairs or plumbi...

Have you noticed a sudden spike in your water bill and cannot figure out why? The average American household uses between 80-100 gallons of water each and every day. If your water consumption seems significantly higher, there are two probable reasons here. Either your home water consumption is so wasteful and excessive or there is a major leak in your home. Ok, let’s assume you do not have a family of 10 taking showers 3x a day! Finding The Leak(s) Sometimes leaks are hidden and not very obvious. Here’s an easy way that can help you find out if there is a leak: Turn off all the faucets and sinks in your home. Turn off the water to all of the toilets in your home one by one. Check your home or buildings (if you live in a condo or apartment) water meter. If the red dial is moving, it means there is a leak somewhere. If the red dial moves after turning off all of your toilets then the leak is elsewhere. Check the faucets and fittings again. Take a meter reading before you go to bed for t...

Not much more in your home is unsanitary than a shower that fills with water because the bathtub drain will not drain properly. You can get by with a bathtub that drains slowly for a short period of time, but it will only get worse as time goes on. To avoid the mess that is a backed up shower, you need to somehow re-open the drain to allow the water to move through freely. Typically, when you put the bathtub drain into the open position, all of the water drains out and down the drain hole. But, sometimes the bathtub won’t drain and then the water just sits at the bottom of the bathtub. This is the time you need to address the problem and get the issue repaired quickly. Most of the causes of this situation are easily fixed, but most of them will require a licensed professional plumber to be called in. When a bathtub begins to drain slowly , it is almost always hair that has built up and gets stuck in the drain or the drain pipe system. Usually you can see this hair and remove it rather ...

Everyone dreads plumbing problems as much as they do repairs to their cars.Your toilets, faucets and pipes can take a lot of abuse over the years and start to break down. This is when you need to call a reputable local plumber to help you. Here are some of the things to look for when searching for a professional plumbing business in your area . Impressive Experience A well-established and licensed plumber in Brookfield, Illinois should have both master and journeyman plumbing licenses.We here at Suburban Plumbing Experts do and take these licenses seriously. Our plumbers have gotten these licenses by attending trade school, completing an extensive apprenticeship, and working two to five years in the industry to qualify for an Illinois state plumbing license. All of our plumbers are also fully insured and bonded. We dispatch our licensed plumbing technicians to area homes and businesses with full confidence. We Work Quickly Your plumbing technician in Brookfield will always have the ne...

As a home owner, you understand the challenges that come along with keeping everything up and running in your home. There is some amount of pride that comes with having your own home that you have worked to improve over the years. You have put blood, sweat and tears into making it yours. Owning your own home comes with all kinds of mishaps along the way, and one of those mishap areas in most homes is the plumbing. Attempting simple fixes can sometimes lead to costly mistakes, mistakes in which the homeowner doesn’t realize that they are actually making the problem worse. ​ Common Home Plumbing Mistakes Most plumbing mistakes are made through Do-It-Yourself (DIY) attempts with the wrong tools. Some are made through everyday use of your plumbing. Using the Wrong Tools - Always use the correct tools for each specific plumbing problem. When it comes to plumbing, things can go pretty wrong if you use the wrong tool. A shoe heel is not a hammer, get it? Flushing Garbage - It might seem con...

Ground water often finds its way into a homes basement and it requires the need for a sump pump. It is pretty aggravating and can be destructive. Many homeowners face this dilemma. Sewage back-ups consisting of the gross murky stuff that one never really wants to encounter are real. The plumbers at Suburban Plumbing Experts can help you with any of your sump pump repairs and providing replacement if needed. Here are some tips to make sump pump issues a thing of the past in your home... Inside of Your Home: Ensure your drain hose is properly connected to the sump pump Install yourself or have a sewer backflow valve installed by a plumbing technician, especially if sewage has ever backed up through your floor drain in the past. Perform annual maintenance checks to make sure your sump pump is working by following these steps: Remove cover from your sump pump pit Slowly pour water directly into the pit Fill the pit until water rises high enough for the sump pump to be activated If these ...