Nearly every homeowner and or business owner has faced the ultimate dilemma…I am unable to clear this clog in my toilet or sink, now what? If you have plunged until you are blue in the face, most of us make the decision to try some sort of a chemical drain cleaner. But are they safe and effective? Are they safe for the environment and for my plumbing? Great questions. We will do our best to help answer them here.

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Many homeowners consider themselves “handy” and are plenty capable of handling most projects as a DIY. From changing faucets to installing toilets, those handy types rarely need the help of a professional, licensed plumber. However, there are times that it is best to leave the plumbing work to the pros. Here are a few examples!

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We use our drains every day. With so much that we send down the drains, it is common that occasionally they will need to be cleaned out. But who can you trust when you are choosing a drain cleaning company to hire? To make that determination, here are five questions you should ask before settling on a drain cleaning service provider. 

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Some plumbing problems can be fixed by the homeowner quickly and easily. Unfortunately, much of a home’s plumbing is located underground and you can’t just look at it to determine a problem or pinpoint a problem area. So what should you do when a DIY just won’t cut it, and how would you know? Here we are going to take a look at three signs that you need to call a plumber. 

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We all depend on our plumbing to bring us water and eliminate waste in our homes. With winter approaching fast, it’s time to start thinking about the best ways to prepare your system for the cold. We want to avoid having hundreds of gallons of water pour into our living environment through broken or cracked pipes. Flood repair should be the absolute last resort! But how can you protect your plumbing through the coldest time of the year? Here we will go over a few of the best ways to do this and stay dry and happy this holiday season. 

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Let’s face it: just like rooves, support beams, and foundations, the pipes in your house age over time. Just as when our bodies age, pipes can see damage that causes little problems and big problems alike. As your plumbing ages it develops cracks that are susceptible to tree root invasion, which causes leaks, frequent clogs, and more. Cracked plumbing is just bad news all around.

What Happens if I have a Serious Plumbing Problem?

Normally when you have this problem, the solution is to hire someone to dig in, possibly under your basement, and replace the old pipes with new, more durable ones. This is a huge expenditure and can take lots of time, not to mention what destruction it can deal to your property. Damage to your concrete and landscaping takes extra time and money to fix. But never fear-here we are going to talk about a new alternative to replacing plumbing. It is called pipe lining, and it makes a whole lot of sense. 

Why Pipe Lining is the Answer!

Pipe lining is basically “replacing” an old pipe without actually having to replace it. Rather, you give it a new, super durable surface on the inside. A tube is inserted into the old pipe. The tube contains self-hardening resin that sets up in just a few hours to give you an estimated 100 year life span on the portion of pipe that was affected. Under normal circumstances, your pipes perform just fine from then on, causing no additional problems. How do they do it? Using trenchless plumbing tools and video camera technology, the problems are found and isolated. Then they remove all debris using a high powered water jet. Next, licensed plumbers will fit the tube into place and inflate it with air. After the lining is fit to the inside of the pipe in this way, all they have to do is wait for around 2-4 hours for the resin to set. Finally, an inspection will tell the plumbers that everything is great, and they can be on their way. 

Time is Money

Boom. Reduced time put into the job, less digging (in some cases maybe no digging), less money spent and no property damage to worry about! But what if you need more reasons to invest in pipe lining? Well, there are plenty of sensible points to go around. For example, the new pipe lining is usually stronger than the original pipe. Also, you won’t see any reduction in water flow since the lining only decreases the diameter of pipes by 5%. Pipe lining can be used on most residential and commercial pipe types, such as cast iron, clay, and all types of sewer pipes, and it also fits most sizes. And finally and perhaps most importantly, pipe lining is priced by linear foot, so you are not paying for the whole pipe to be fixed. Love that cost reduction.

Find a Boise Pipe Lining Pro

Remember, not all Boise area plumbers use the trenchless plumbing methods, so if you are looking at pipe lining for big savings and less hassle, make sure that they are a professional who is knowledgeable and skilled at using pipe lining.

If you are putting your home on the market, you want to make sure that you are doing everything you can to increase its resale value, both in the eyes of the appraiser and the potential buyers. There are many things a person can do to accomplish this.  From large projects to small; DIY to hiring contractors, who doesn’t want an upgrade? There is one inexpensive way to increase value that we will discuss in this post and it is updating your faucets. It seems like a small thing, right? Well, sometimes it’s the small details that make a big impact. 

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DIY projects have been gaining major popularity over the last several years. People are doing their own home repairs, landscaping, car maintenance-the list goes on. Yes, Google and YouTube have really been helping us out lately. There are even some DIY plumbing projects you can do. For some of us, DIY plumbing doesn’t go any further than unclogging a toilet. The braver folk do things like replacing shower heads, install or replace a faucet aerator, caulk a tub, and more. So what is the limit here? This is what we will be discussing today: when to do it yourself and when to call a plumbing professional.

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Quality plumbing in your home is absolutely crucial in keeping it up and running. Leaky pipes and flooding are things no homeowner wants to deal with but waiting too long can make the difference between allowing mold to develop and getting your home back in shape. Maintaining your plumbing should be something you do frequently – just like routinely getting your air conditioning and furnace check, you should be doing the same with your plumbing (especially if you live in an older home). Even the simplest issue can develop into something much worse without the proper action taken to remedy it when it comes to plumbing, which is why keeping an eye on standing water or leaks is incredibly important.

Why You Should Hire a Professional

With the rise in DIY plumbing videos, you might be tempted to try to gather the supplies you might need to fix a plumbing issue on your own. However, it is very important that you leave this up to professionals to fix. While there are many other home improvement projects you can complete on your own, plumbing often is not one of them simply because the impact a simple mistake can make on the rest of your household. Professional plumbers have the experience and know-how to fix your plumbing leaks or floods quickly and safely, with the least amount of worry on your end. The number one priority for a plumbing issue is safety, as one wrong thing can potentially contaminate the water flowing through your home.

You don’t have to worry about finding the time to do it on your own, and you never have to worry about the quality of work being done when using a professional Boise plumber. Rather than trying to fix an issue you have never handled before (that is likely putting your home life on hold as you and your family are unable to use your bathroom or kitchen), leave it up to the professionals to determine exactly what is wrong instead of guessing at it. Additionally, on the off chance that something does happen, you know your home is protected when using a plumber as they have the insurance to cover your property. When around old pipes and toilets, most don’t like the chance of coming into contact with sewage which is why most trust a plumber to handle the sometimes-dirty job.

What is a Good Plumber?

Finding a trustworthy Boise plumber is critical in getting your issue fixed quickly and satisfactorily. In order to find one, though, you should be looking for a few things: license, experience, insurance, and a guarantee (not necessarily in that order, although they should all be things a good plumber will have). Using a licensed plumber ensures that the person has actually gone through the correct channels to learn what he or she needs to know for the field. When people use people that are not licensed, there is a great chance that work done will not be up to par.

The plumber you choose should also be covered completely under an insurance policy. Even though your homeowner’s insurance should have some sort of protection as well, your plumber should have worker’s comp and liability insurance that protects you if he or she is somehow hurt in your home while working. This should go for any worker that you allow into your house as well – not only plumbers.

Using an experienced plumber should also be a no-brainer. The more experience a plumber has, the more prepared they will be for surprises inside your home. You can usually expect a guarantee to be provided by a seasoned plumber simply because they are confident in their ability to fix any plumbing issue that might arise. They will tend to offer warranties on the services they provide as well. While it might be cheaper to use a plumber with no experience, you also might be gambling with getting bad work completed by someone you can’t trust to handle the delicate pipes within your home.

How to Find a Quality Plumber

There are quite a few ways to find a plumber that will meet your needs and requirements, but often the best way to start is by asking your friends and family. When you can directly see the impact that a plumber has had directly with someone you know, they develop so much more credibility than a complete stranger. If you don’t know anyone close to you that has used a professional plumber lately, look on social media and online.

Often, more established plumbing companies will have well-written information on their websites and social media pages that explains the benefits of using them over other companies. Find a few that you like based off of this search, and then ask for them to give you a quote on your specific plumbing issue. While it often isn’t recommended to base your decision solely on the cheapest quote (as this can sometimes correlate to lower quality work), it can help you to narrow your choice down. Feel free to ask for testimonials from past work they have done in the Boise area to prove their quality, and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Make sure the plumber you choose to go with has all of their credentials and proof of insurance as well.

When it is time to ask a plumber to come to your home, it can be a stressful time. Because most plumbing issues can have very negative effects if not treated quickly and efficiently, making sure you have a quality plumber to call at a moment’s notice is very helpful. Our team is full of experienced Boise plumbers ready to fix any plumbing issues you might have. Contact Five Star Pros today to learn more about our licensed, insured professionals along with the process we take to ensure the highest quality services are only provided by our team members.

None of us are immune to plumbing issues. There will come a time when we need a plumber and we need one now! The question then turns to “who to hire?” Hiring a local plumber versus a chain or franchise makes sense. Here are a few reasons why it makes more sense to hire a local plumber in Boise.

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