A functioning hot water heater is an essential appliance in any home, providing hot water for various daily tasks, including bathing, cooking, and cleaning. When your hot water heater malfunctions or breaks down, it can disrupt your daily routine and cause inconvenience. In such situations, it’s crucial to choose the right professional for hot water heater repairs to ensure a prompt and effective solution.

Find out about the steps to help you select the right professional for the job of water heater repair in Calgary.

1. Identify the Problem

Before you start searching for a professional to repair your hot water heater, it’s essential to identify the problem as accurately as possible. Understanding the issue can help you communicate effectively with potential repair experts and ensure that you receive the appropriate service.
Common hot water heater problems include:

No hot water or insufficient hot water
Leaking tank or pipes
Strange noises coming from the heater
Foul-smelling or discoloured water
Pilot light or ignition problems

By pinpointing the problem, you can provide clear information to potential repair professionals, making it easier for them to assess the situation and provide an accurate estimate.

2. Verify Credentials and Licensing

When searching for a hot water heater repair professional, it’s essential to verify their credentials and licensing. Reputable repair experts should have the necessary certifications and licenses to work on hot water heaters in your area. Licensing requirements can vary by location, so be sure to research the regulations in your specific area.

3. Seek Recommendations

Seek recommendations from friends, family, neighbours, or colleagues who have recently had their hot water heaters repaired. Personal referrals can provide valuable insights into the quality of service, professionalism, and pricing of the repair professionals they work with. Additionally, online reviews and ratings can help you gauge the reputation of potential repair experts.

4. Obtain Multiple Quotes

To ensure you receive a fair and competitive price for hot water heater repairs, it’s advisable to obtain multiple quotes from different professionals. When requesting quotes, be sure to provide detailed information about the problem you’re experiencing, as this will help repair experts provide accurate estimates.

While cost is a crucial factor, it’s equally important to consider other factors such as the reputation of the repair professional, their experience, and the quality of their work. Balancing these factors will help you make an informed decision.

5. Check for Insurance and Liability Coverage

Accidents can happen during hot water heater repairs, and it’s essential to ensure that the repair professional has adequate insurance and liability coverage. This coverage protects both you and the repair expert in case of accidents or damage that may occur during the repair process.

6. Inquire About Warranty and Guarantees

Ask potential repair professionals about any warranties or guarantees they offer on their work. Reputable repair experts should stand behind their work and provide warranties that cover both parts and labour. Understanding the terms and duration of these warranties can give you peace of mind regarding the quality of the repair.

7. Evaluate Experience and Expertise

Experience is a crucial factor when choosing a hot water heater repair professional. An experienced expert is more likely to have encountered a variety of hot water heater issues and can quickly and effectively diagnose and repair your unit. Additionally, inquire about the repair professional’s expertise with your specific type and brand of hot water heater.

8. Assess Communication and Professionalism

Effective communication and professionalism are essential qualities in a repair professional. Pay attention to how promptly they respond to your inquiries, whether they provide clear explanations of the repair process, and whether they arrive on time for appointments. A professional who communicates well and respects your time is more likely to provide a positive service experience.

9. Request References

Don’t hesitate to request references from potential repair professionals. Contacting previous clients can give you valuable insights into the repair expert’s work quality, reliability, and customer service. Ask the references about their overall experience and whether they would recommend the repair professional to others.

10. Inquire About Timelines

Ask potential repair professionals about their estimated timelines for completing the water heater repair in Calgary. While some repairs may be relatively quick, others may require more time and planning. Understanding the expected timeframe can help you make necessary arrangements, especially if you need hot water restored promptly.

11. Consider Energy Efficiency

If your hot water heater is older and experiencing frequent issues, you might want to consider whether it’s more cost-effective to repair it or replace it with a more energy-efficient unit. A knowledgeable repair professional can provide guidance on the best course of action based on your specific circumstances.

Calgary Plumber and Drains is your number one team of Calgary plumbers! Our success has been built on values such as honesty, hard work, affordable prices and superior customer service. We pride ourselves on offering clients throughout Downtown and surrounding areas with top-quality plumbing services, including leak repairs, installations, sewer and drain cleaning, toilet repairs, and water heater repairs in Calgary. As an emergency plumber in Calgary, we’re available when you’re in dire straits! For the number one plumbing company in Calgary, contact Calgary Plumber and Drains at 403-629-2920.

With chilly conditions that can go well below -30°C, the icy Calgary weather can do a number on the plumbing in a home.

Keep winter’s icy embrace from your outside drain pipes by learning how to prevent freezing from occurring!

How Does Freezing Impact Your Plumbing?

You would be surprised to find how cold temperatures can significantly affect your plumbing.

When temperatures drop, water can expand resulting in pipe blockages. Once blocked, this can lead to being unable to access running water. Even worse, pressure from the blockage can lead to a pipe bursting and needing plumbing repairs.

Even when winter ends, freezing on your outside pipes can result in foundation water damage, exterior wall cracks, and leaks into your basement or crawlspace.

Signs of Freezing in Your Plumbing

Now you know what could happen if you don’t prevent freezing from occurring. But how can you spot the signs of freezing?

Temperature – This is a pretty obvious indicator. However, many don’t know the exact temperature of when water freezes. When temperatures drop to under 0°C, it can eventually lead to frozen pipes. Keep in mind weather reports on potential freezing conditions.

Frosted Pipes – If Jack Frost left his mark on your outside drain pipes, then it’s a clear signal to implement preventative measures. If you’re unable to know the exact temperature, this sign is quite obvious to see.

No Water – As stated, freezing can lead to blockages in your pipes. When this happens, you might find yourself without water. As a basic human need, being without water for too long isn’t ideal. Instances like these may require an emergency plumber.

Sudden Smells – Odd smells from pipes are never a good sign. It’s more worrisome during winter. When frozen pipes are blocked, odours can’t escape and end up back in the direction of your home.

How Can You Prevent Freezing from Occurring?

There is not much you can do about the cold. However, you can take control by preventing freezing from occurring.

Insulation – A sure-fire way to prevent freezing is to insulate as it promotes heat retention. It’s recommended to use polyethylene insulation when wrapping it around your outside drain pipes. If you’re still uncertain, insight from a licensed Calgary plumber is helpful.

Snow Removal – Calgary is no stranger to heavy snow. By getting rid of the snow surrounding your pipe, you can effectively reduce the chances of freezing from happening.

Are you planning on undertaking some bathroom renovations for your home? Do you wish to upgrade and improve your plumbing systems, such as your hot water tank? What about a sewer line replacement or repair?

Before you jump the gun, it’s important to know if you need a plumbing permit for the job. Let’s dive right in and find out!

When Do I Need a Plumbing Permit?

Ultimately, you do not need a plumbing permit if you are undertaking maintenance, minor plumbing repairs or upgrading certain bathroom elements in your home. The most common examples include replacing or repairing a toilet, fixing faucets, repairing a leak or installing a new shower.

The key reason is that these repairs do not affect the structural integrity of your home or plumbing system. Generally, if you are doing any repair, maintenance or upgrades that alter the structure or plumbing system (such as water supply or sewer lines) of your home, you will require a permit from the City of Calgary.

According to the City of Calgary, “a plumbing permit is required when: A plumbing system is constructed, extended or altered [or a] Water and sewer lines in or around the home are replaced.”

In some cases, you might require a permit when installing or repairing a hot water tank, particularly if there are any changes to the “the gas lines located upstream from the water heater shut off valve, the venting system (e.g. size and design) [and] the type of water heater (e.g. changing from a natural draft water heater to a direct vent water heater).”

What are the Benefits of a Permit?

Having a permit before you commence any major plumbing or renovation work will give you peace of mind knowing that you’re following City bylaws while ensuring a high standard of work is being met by the plumber. Plumbers will have to follow the standard set by the work, guaranteeing a higher quality of work.

Most significantly, it also protects you against liabilities or fines in the future. Not only will you face a penalty from the City of Calgary, but if you sell your home, the buyers can make a claim against you if the work affects their home.

Is it Easy to Apply for a Permit?

To obtain a permit, you will have to meet the criteria set by the City of Calgary (including whether you legally own the home, do the work yourself or hire a professional), pay the application fee, and apply for the permit.

Should Hire a Plumber to Help Me?

Indeed, you should. Having an experienced plumber on your side (like the experts at Calgary Plumber and Drains) can make your permit application process easier. They will be able to manage your application for you, so it gets accepted without any further delays. It’s the best option if you don’t want to apply for an application yourself.

Frozen pipes are a homeowner’s worst nightmare in the winter.

The risks include expensive and extensive plumbing repairs and damaged walls and ceilings. So what do you do when your pipes freeze in the winter?

Before we get to that, let’s look at the signs that indicate your pipes are frozen.

Signs Your Pipes are Frozen

If you experience any of the following, your pipes could be frozen:

Damp drywall or ceiling
Limited water coming through the pipes
Gurgling sounds when pipes are running
Smelly water
Bulging pipes

What Should I Do?

There are a few simple steps you can take to ensure your frozen pipes don’t damage your home:

Shut off your water source. Find your main water supply source and shut it off.
Try to find the frozen pipe. If possible, see if you can find it.
Check for leaks around the pipe. Determining the pipe’s condition can help you know what to do next.
Try to thaw it. Using a portable heater, heating cable, electric heating pad, or hairdryer can help thaw your pipes.
Contact a plumber. If the pipe is leaking, heavily damaged, or unable to thaw it, then having a professional plumber review and fix it is your best course of action.

How to Prevent Frozen Pipes

The best way to prevent your pipes from freezing is to keep them at a temperature above zero. Here is how you can do it effectively:

Insulate the pipes – Purchasing specifically designed pipe insulation made from fibreglass, polyethylene or foam. These can help protect your pipes from any cold throughout the winter.
Use heating tape – Similar to pipe insulation, applying heating tape to pipes can help them retain heat.
Cover crawl spaces and gaps – Ensuring that gaps are closed will stop any cold air flowing into and onto your pipes, reducing the chances it will freeze.
Let your faucet and pipes – It might seem strange, but letting the water run through your pipes will help it during winter. The small amount of friction and heat produced by water can keep your pipes from freezing.
Keep your thermostat consistent – Keeping your home nice and toasty will ensure that the pipes remain at a decent temperature.
Close the windows and doors – Ensuring that no cold enters your home will help protect your pipes from getting exposed to extreme colds.

Preventing frozen pipes is the best way to protect your home, avoiding emergency plumbing situations and costly repairs. If you do suspect that you have a frozen pipe, it’s best to contact a Calgary plumber as soon as possible!

Don’t think that all plumbing pipes are the same.

In today’s plumbing world, there are many types of plumbing pipes available: some made from newer materials, and some are old classics.

Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of these six commonly used plumbing pipes.

Modern-Day Plumbing Pipes

Copper Pipes

Commonly used for water supply lines within the home, copper pipes (also known as rigid copper) are better plumbing options available. Not only is the pipe easy to install and repair for professional Calgary plumbers (as it can be easily cut copper cutters), but for homeowners, it handles heat well, stands up to high water pressure and can be recycled.

As for the cons: it can be a tad more expensive than other plumbing pipe options, and it’s not a pipe for DIY projects. It’s best to leave that to the professionals.

PEX Pipes

PEX is made from HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) and is a long-lasting alternative to most older-day pipes. It is durable, cost-effective, non-toxic, resists freezing damage, and doesn’t corrode from the inside.

As such, it’s considered the best replacement pipe for plumbing repairs.

PVC Pipes

Short for polyvinyl chloride, PVC has slowly become one of the more popular choices for residential plumbing systems.

Made with a combination of plastic and vinyl (in technical terms, thermoplastic polymer), these pipes have a long life span, have more durability than most other metal pipes, and can easily handle water pressure, making them ideal for the main supply line. It is also easy to mould and bend to your will and has a low-cost attached to it.

However, it can also be susceptible to warping, especially in extremely hot water, and cannot be unjoined and must be cut when they are glued together.

CPVC Pipes

Chlorinated Polyvinyl Chloride, shortened to CPVC, is the sister of PVC. Both are made with similar elements and materials, with the key difference being that CPVC is chlorinated.

What does this mean?

It means that apart from sharing many of the same benefits as PVC, CPVC pipes can also withstand higher temperatures than PVC pipes. This ensures CPVC can handle hot water transport.

Outdated Plumbing Pipes Still in Use

Poly B Pipes

Poly B pipes are also known as Polybutylene pipes. They are flexible grey pipes mainly used in hot water and residential plumbing systems. It was considered the standard home pipe, as it was used in properties from 1985 to 1997 because of its flexibility, low cost, and ease of installation.

However, due to its reputation for being notoriously problematic, resulting in hairline cracks, leaks at fittings and bends when exposed to excessive high-temperature, uv light or high-pressure areas, it has been replaced with more advanced pipes, such as PEX.

Galvanized Steel

While not common in today’s housing construction, galvanized steel was big in the 1980s, and many homes still have them today. The steel pipes are coated with a layer of zinc, which helps prevent any build-up of rust, while they can easily be threaded together at the ends.

As for the reasons why homes don’t have them anymore: they eventually corrode and block water flow while also passing on lead into the water supply. Unfortunately, a lot of homes still have them and use them (particularly for some applications, like natural gas hot water heaters). It’s best to get them replaced when possible.

Plumbing is something that most people take for granted.

It’s one of those major things that you don’t really notice until you finally need someone to come in and save the day. The modern lifestyle we currently enjoy can’t be possible without the experience, knowledge and skills of licenced plumbers in Calgary.

How Plumbers Help Your House

Being a plumber is a taxing, physically-demanding job that requires constant education to maintain their high-quality standards and assist people with their plumbing repairs. This can include a wide range that is not limited to:

Faucet Repairs & Replacement
Toilet Repairs & Replacement
Sink Replacement
Waterline Repairs
Boiler Repair & Replacement

As plumbing systems become more advanced and complex, plumbers need to ensure they can handle anything thrown at them. That’s why plumbers are experts in numerous other factors involving plumbing and heating products.

They can assist with furnace and water heater repairs and replacement, drain cleaning and sewer line repair and replacement. More importantly, they can handle plumbing emergencies that can damage the value and structure of your household, as well as carry out inspections and maintenance to ensure your plumbing is in proper working order.

Plumber Man With Tools In the bathroom. Plumbing And Renovation

All these services require a professional that is highly-trained, skilled and knows the various different types of plumbing appliances, systems and products.

But there are more ways that plumbers help households and homeowners:

Health and safety – plumbing mishaps can result in sewage coming up to your house, risking your family getting infected by diseases and germs. They also ensure you have clean and healthy water for showering, cleaning and drinking.
Waste removal – plumbing is also used to remove liquids and waste. This ensures that you can keep your clean water separate from harmful contaminants. If done poorly, contaminants can seep into major plumbing systems.
Prevents water wastage – Leaks and drips can result in you wasting water, costing you more in bills and in repairs. Plumbers can eliminate and help you save water.
Upgrading your plumbing system – New advanced plumbing systems are more secure and energy efficient. Plumbers can help you upgrade your outdated plumbing, so you can increase the value of your property while saving money.

(Want to know what a plumbing emergency is? Read our post here!)

The Importance of Hiring Experienced Plumbers

It’s important to ensure that if you require a Calgary plumber, consider the following:

The experience and knowledge of the fully certified specialists
Transparent pricing for all their services, including no hidden fees
A range of plumbing services ensuring you customers have everything they need
Immediately response to any emergencies and situations
Add value and quality to your house, while respecting your household
Establishing positive relationships with their customers

Take your time, do your research and look for a plumber that is really going to make a difference to your plumbing. As you know – you’re going to need them!

There is no shortage of plumbers in Calgary, but that doesn’t mean you should settle on anyone. You need to hire a plumber that is experienced, skilled, passionate with a high success rate. Most importantly, they have to be licenced.

Being licensed is a key component in the repertoire of a plumber, so if they don’t have it, you shouldn’t hire them.

Here is why you should only hire a licensed plumber.

Reasons Hire A Licensed Calgary Plumber

They are Backed by Local Organizations

If the Calgary plumber is licenced, their local and provincial association recognizes them for their quality of work, with the plumber inclined to follow the standards set by the organization.

Plumbers that aren’t licenced mean they don’t have to follow protocols or standards, which means a poorer quality of work.

It’s important because when you hire a licenced plumber, you’re getting a skilled, trained and certified specialist committed to delivering high-quality work for you.

(Here are some of the most common plumbing problems you should know about!)

Higher Quality Workmanship, Experience & Education

Bringing in an unlicensed plumber means that there is no guarantee of the work that they are doing. As we mentioned above, licenced plumbers must adhere to higher quality standards to maintain their licence and qualifications.

This also affects their training and education.

In Alberta, apprenticeships take four years (in 12-month periods), with an expectation that it includes a minimum of 1,560 hours of on-the-job training and eight weeks of technical training each year. And that’s before they even get to be recognized by Alberta’s Apprenticeship and Industry Training Act and Plumber Trade Regulation!

From there, the licenced plumber must go through continuous training to stay up-to-date with the latest methods, tools and techniques, ensuring they can deliver for their customers.

(Wondering how to find the best plumbers near you? We got the answers for you here!)

They are Insured for Their Work

A plumber must have liability insurance for their work. This means that if anything were to happen regarding them, you or the plumbing system, the insurance company would cover the incident.

This point is important as it highlights the professionalism of the plumber and their commitment to doing their job correctly.

They have a Health Track Record

Check out the reviews and ratings from Google, Facebook, Yelp and the Better Business Bureau to see what previous customers have said about the plumber. Are the reviews sparkling and positive? Do the customers note down the plumber’s professionalism and experience?

A positive and healthy track record, stretching back a few years, showcases that they’re committed to delivering high-quality work regularly. It’s a huge point to keep in mind when considering their professionalism.

They’re Honest About their Services

One thing that licenced plumbers can’t do is promote services that they can’t actually do, as this can result in potential issues in the future. They have to be honest and transparent about what they can do and how they do it.

It can include everything from standard plumbing repairs and drain cleaning to furnace and water heater repairs. Check if the plumbers are certified by Red Seal to ensure that they can handle your furnace and water heater.

When the opportunity presents itself, always choose a licensed plumber in Calgary. You’ll get a guarantee of workmanship and quality, ensuring that your home is secure against any plumbing problems or mishaps.