tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41207944547906945482024-03-08T02:28:50.116-05:00AquaDoc PlumbingAquaDoc Plumbing! Serving Marietta, Alpharetta, Holly Springs, Kennesaw, Roswell, Canton, Dobbins AFB, Milton, Woodstock, Acworth, Johns Creek, Barrett Parkway, GeorgiaAquadoc Plumbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13335319304024736368noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4120794454790694548.post-5799303850460427272010-05-12T19:01:00.003-04:002010-05-12T19:38:40.872-04:00Under PressureNot so long ago, you might remember driving through our towns and neighborhoods and enjoying a scenic landscape of nature and fields for miles and miles. There was plenty of land between housing communities and commercial developments. Now, in the present, you cannot throw a rock without hitting a house, a strip mall, or a tract of land with construction equipment building a coffee shop. With all this development and residential explosion, there poses a problem with water distribution.<br />I am sure you enjoy the long hot showers or just the convenience of having clean water readily available from your faucet at the touch of a lever as much as I do. In order for that to happen our local municipalities must supply fresh water to our homes in a way that will not be interrupted. Have you ever been in the middle of your shower and have the water stop suddenly because your neighbor turned on their washing machine? Probably not, and here is why:<br />Water is delivered to our homes and businesses at a pressure about three times greater than your supply requires. This is why neighboring usage does not affect you. Everything to this point is the responsibility of your supplier. Now the burdon of safe distribution lies on the property owner and their licensed plumber.<br />The rated pressure of all our fixtures should not exceed 90 P.S.I. (pounds per square inch), with an optimal average pressure of 55 to 60 P.S.I. How we reduce the supplied water pressure to your working pressure is with a devise simply called a "pressure reducing valve" or PRV. This is a brass, bell shaped valve installed on your main water service pipe usually within 10' of where this pipe enters yout house. The job of this valve is to reduce service pressure (or city pressure) to working pressure (or the pressure inside your house). Your PRV plays an important part in a plumbing system- it protects all water pipes, faucets, and fixtures from increased pressure which can cause premature failure of any plumbing device.<br />An easy way to check the pressure in a water system is to connect a pressure gauge ($5-$10 at any hardware store) to an outside hose faucet. Every house should have two of them, one in front of the house which should measure service pressure, and one on the side or back of the house which should measure working pressure. If your pressure is over 90 P.S.I., you should strongly consider hiring a local licensed plumber to replace the PRV.Aquadoc Plumbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13335319304024736368noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4120794454790694548.post-21700049230614592832009-09-19T10:05:00.003-04:002009-09-20T09:29:24.302-04:00Protecting the Health of the Nation<div align="justify"><br />When asked how you protect your family’s health, you think of proper diets, activities, or a favorite physician. But if I say to you that your plumbing plays an important part of your family’s well being, I may be laughed at.<br /><br />Just think how close in proximity your fresh water supply is to your drainage system. Would you want to get a glass of water from your sink and receive a glass full of drain water? Or a second scenario, you come back from your family vacation to find your basement underwater. Not only do you have to repair a plumbing issue, but you also have areas in your home that are water damaged.<br /><br />One or both of these situations could happen to your home if a non-licensed plumber or “handyman” attempts to install your plumbing. Licensed plumbers receive many years of training and testing to acquire a plumbing certification. After they obtain their license from the state, they are required to attend continuing education classes every year to stay up to date with new codes, techniques, and hazards in plumbing systems. This applies to both journeymen and master licensed plumbers.<br /><br />And don’t be fooled by the statement, “Licensed, Bonded, and Insured” found on many advertisements. That is a general phrase loosely meaning their business license is current. There are many trade people in the plumbing industry who think they do not need to be licensed as an individual to perform plumbing work. In reality, the board exam has a 90 percent failure rate. When you have a non-licensed plumber work on the plumbing in your home, you risk the chance it could be installed incorrectly- you also may be doing something that is against the law. Make sure your plumber is properly licensed. To do so, you can simply log onto the state’s website <a href="http://www.sos.georgia.gov" target="_blank">www.sos.georgia.gov</a> and search by name.<br /><br />So, next time you notice a leak, have a drain stoppage issue, or just need a few faucets installed, make sure you hire a licensed plumbing professional to do the work, and don’t be afraid to ask to see their license.<br /><br />Any licensed plumber would be honored to show you their credentials.<br /></div>Aquadoc Plumbinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13335319304024736368noreply@blogger.com0