With winter in full swing, it’s more important than ever before to ensure your pipes are free of ice and snow. One of the worst things that can happen to your home during the winter is burst pipes. If your pipes freeze, it is imperative that you act as quickly as possible.

While it is a relatively easy fix to thaw pipes that have been frozen, it is much harder to deal with pipes that have burst. Take a look at these tips for thawing frozen water pipes, and rest assured that you can get your plumbing system working again in no time.

What Causes Frozen Pipes to Burst?

When temperatures drop during the wintertime, your pipes could be at risk. When water freezes, it expands its volume by nine percent. The pressure inside pipes may go from 40 pounds per square inch to 40,000 pounds per square inch.

Expanded water molecules cause the frozen pipes to burst when forced with too much pressure. That pressure can cause a tiny leak at a joint or crack on a length of pipe, unleashing the full flow of water inside your home. The break may occur where the ice forms, but more often, it occurs where water pressure finds a weak spot in the pipe. That may be inches or even feet from the frozen area.

Without regular plumbing maintenance, your pipes can quickly deteriorate and become vulnerable to damage.

How to Locate Frozen Pipes

In order to thaw a frozen pipe, you must first determine which pipe or pipes are frozen. Turn on the faucets on your property. If no water comes out, or only a slight trickle escapes, then a pipe leading to the faucet is likely frozen. If one pipe is frozen, there is a chance others have frozen as well.

Frozen pipes often have frost on them or may have a slight bulge. If the blockage is located in the part of the pipe that you have access to, you will have more options for easily thawing the pipe than if the frozen portion is enclosed behind a wall.

How to Thaw Frozen Pipes

Before you thaw your frozen pipes, it’s extremely important that you shut off the water supply to the section of plumbing that has been affected. The frozen water may be acting as a plug blocking the pipes. This prevents the water from spilling over the cracks in your plumbing and could cause the pipes to burst.

When that plug is thawed, water gushes out. After you have shut off the water, there are several ways you can thaw your exposed frozen pipes. Here are some of the best ways to thaw frozen pipes:

1. Use a Hair Dryer

A hairdryer is one of the easiest and best tools when it comes to thawing frozen pipes. Turn on the dryer at the point on the pipe closest to the faucet. Work your way closer to the blockage from there. Be careful to avoid contact with water while using the hairdryer.

2. Use a Space Heater

Similar to a hairdryer, a space heater is a great way to thaw your frozen pipes. Position the unit so that the heat is able to reach the pipe. This indirect heat can help to thaw a pipe quickly. Be wary of potential fire risks and other issues that could arise.

3. Use Hot Towels

Place some towels in your dryer to heat them up, and then put them around the affected area of the pipe to thaw it. While this method will typically take much longer, it can be a safe and effective way to thaw your pipes. This can help to thaw the blockage slowly.

4. Turn Up the Heat

You can attempt to thaw a frozen pipe by increasing the temperature in your home. Turning the thermostat up may be all that is needed to allow the ice blockage to melt. Be sure to continuously check if this is working.

5. Use an Infrared Lamp

Using an infrared lamp only works if you know exactly where the pipe is located within the wall. If you know where the frozen pipe is, you can attempt to clear the clog by placing an infrared lamp in front of the portion of the wall.

6. Cut Open The Wall

Obviously, this option is the least preferable for thawing your pipes. If the problem can only be fixed by cutting a hole in the wall, it’s best to talk to a licensed plumber who can provide professional pipe thawing services instead.

7. Call a Professional

Professional plumbers have the equipment and expertise needed to locate and thaw your frozen pipes and, when needed, replace them. This is your safest option, as they can identify additional issues if they arise.

In addition to thawing exposed pipes, your home may have enclosed pipes that are the problem. If the pipe is located in an area that you cannot easily access, a professional will be more equipped to handle the problem.

Before the winter approaches, property owners should always schedule a furnace tune-up and making sure their pipes are in good condition. Doing so helps prepare for the cold weather, so they won't have to worry about emergency pipe repairs. Here are some tips to follow to keep pipes from freezing:

Keep Pipes Insulated

Freezing water expands, which may rupture your home's pipes. Using insulation is relatively cheap and helps preserve your tubing system's integrity through winter. Pay close attention to unheated areas of your home and consider fiberglass, polyethylene, or foam insulation for your pipes. You may also use duct tape and newspapers temporarily.

Heating cables could be used as insulation too. Just wrap them around the pipes. They are steadily heated by electricity and keep the temperature inside and outside of pipes at a specific level. This prevents water from freezing.

Another option would be an electrical heating tape. It is powered by electricity as well and may be wrapped around pipes. The self-monitoring type uses a sensor to determine if your tubing system needs more heat. Meanwhile, the manual version just needs to be plugged in to start producing heat immediately.

Leave Faucets On

Leaving your faucets on may help prevent frozen pipes. Determine which ones are often exposed to the cold, and then turn those on. Running water carries internal energy that creates friction and a small amount of heat, alleviating any pressure build-up caused by freezing cold water. This prevents any ice blockages from forming too.

Keep Thermostat Settings Consistent

When your thermostat is set at the same temperature night and day, you won't have to worry about your pipes bursting at different parts of your home. Keeping your home's indoor temperatures at a specific level efficiently can also help prevent icing through cold winter days and nights.

Keep the Heat On

When leaving your home, keep your heater on. If your furnace is left off during winter, low indoor temperatures may cause pipes to freeze and burst. Leaving the thermostat at around 55 degrees Fahrenheit can help. The cost of repairing pipes is more than any accrued electric or gas bill over time.

Hire the Professionals of Home Comfort Experts

Be winter-ready by scheduling a furnace tune-up and making sure that your pipes are in good condition. In case you need plumbing or HVAC services, Home Comfort Experts can help! Our team can handle your plumbing and HVAC concerns 24/7. Call us today to learn more!

Every household needs an efficient plumbing system for their everyday life. If there are any blockages or leaks in the pipes, serious damage could occur, which can lead to costly repairs and add an additional level of stress for you and your family.

This is why plumbing maintenance should be done regularly. By servicing your pipes, water heater, and other plumbing equipment on a regular basis, you will avoid repairs and breakdowns. 

How a Poorly Maintained Plumbing System Can Impact Your Home

A poorly maintained plumbing system can have significant drawbacks on your home. Leaky pipes, clogged drains, and faulty fixtures can lead to water damage and mold growth, compromising the structural integrity of your property. Persistent leaks can cause rot and decay in walls, floors, and ceilings, leading to costly repairs.

Additionally, water wastage due to leaks or inefficiencies in the plumbing system can increase utility bills, putting a strain on your finances. Regular plumbing maintenance is crucial in identifying and addressing any issues promptly, as this ensures your system operates efficiently, prevents water damage, and preserves your home's overall value.

What Are the 5 Benefits of Plumbing Maintenance?

Plumbing maintenance offers numerous benefits that can save you time, money, and potential headaches in the long run. From early issue detection to improved efficiency and prevention of water damage, here are some key advantages of regular plumbing maintenance.

1. Detects Plumbing Issues Early On

Regular plumbing maintenance allows for the early detection of any potential plumbing problems. This proactive approach can help identify issues such as leaks, clogs, or pipe corrosion before they become major problems. By addressing these issues early on, you can prevent more significant damage and costly repairs in the future.

2. Prevents Future Plumbing Blockages

Other than leaks, blocked drains can also cause major damage in a household, like flooding, damaged property, broken pipes, and more. Keeping the pipes free from blockages decreases the chances of flooding and preserves your pipes’ lifespans.

Some simple methods can be done to prevent plumbing blockages. These include using a drain grate or screen, throwing coffee grounds in a trash receptacle, and running hot water through the sink after using it. The skilled team at Home Comfort Experts offers thorough drain cleaning services in Indiana and Michigan.

3. Improves Water Pressure and Efficiency

Plumbing maintenance can help enhance the water efficiency of your plumbing system. By inspecting and maintaining fixtures, pipes, and appliances, you can identify and fix any leaks, drips, or inefficient water flow. This helps conserve water, reduce wastage, and lower your water bills.

4. Saves on Costly Repairs and Extends System Lifespan

When your pipes are professionally maintained, you will reduce the risk of spending money on costly repairs or replacements. By having your pipes and fixtures repaired and cleaned, you will expand your system’s lifespan, saving you money in the long run.

5. Promotes Health and Safety

Proper maintenance contributes to a healthier and safer home. Regular inspection and maintenance of plumbing fixtures, such as toilets and drains, help prevent clogs and backups that can lead to unsanitary conditions or foul odors. Addressing any issues with gas lines or water heaters ensures your family’s safety by minimizing the risk of gas leaks.

What Does Regular Plumbing Maintenance Entail?

By scheduling regular maintenance with a professional plumber, you can proactively identify and address potential issues before they escalate into costly repairs. A skilled plumber will thoroughly inspect your pipes, fixtures, and appliances, checking for leaks, clogs, or signs of wear and tear. They will also ensure that your water pressure and temperature are at optimal levels, enhancing the overall performance of your plumbing system.

This process can also include other essential tasks like drain cleaning, pipe insulation, and water heater checks, all of which will contribute to a more energy efficient system and will increase your fixtures’ lifespans. With regular plumbing maintenance, you can enjoy peace of mind that your system will be in proper running condition.

Schedule Regular Plumbing Maintenance

Keep your home’s plumbing system in functioning order. At Home Comfort Experts, we will save you money and give you the tools and advice you need to safeguard your system. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for plumbing maintenance in Indiana or Michigan.

 

MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE/PLYMOUTH IN; ST. JOSEPH/NILES, MI — Area water departments have been sending letters to residents about higher-than-normal lead levels in drinking water. What is a homeowner to do if they receive one of these notices?

You can wait for your local government to take care of it, or you can take matters into your own hands and purchase a professional-grade, reverse osmosis water quality system.

Does your home have aging water pipes? Are you on a city water system were there are frequent floods?

According to Kumar Menon, Fort Wayne City Utilities Director, lower quality metal was used in the water industry from the 1930s to the 1970s. In fact, one study showed eight of 70 homes tested in that area were above action level lead conditions for the second year in a row.

These sub-standard pipes are being replaced in Fort Wayne over the next 20 years.

But can you afford to wait 20 years for your family to have clean drinking water?

Imagine having perfectly clean, delicious and healthy, mineral-enriched water at your tap whenever you needed it for cooking, drinking and more.

Unlike big box store water filters that you have to refill, a RevitaLife RO system is permanent and limitless; it hooks right into your home’s water supply, and supplies healthy RO water to drinking faucets, refrigerators and ice makers.

A professional-grade RO system uses four separate chambers to take all impurities out of your water and then a fifth chamber to add back the minerals that make water healthy and tasty.

Additionally, stormwater run off can contain oil and gas discharges or chemicals from farming such as herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers. Byproducts of the industrial process can leach radioactive contaminates (which can be naturally occurring, or the result of oil and gas production and mining activities) into your drinking water.

Perhaps you’ve seen reports about pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs showing up in water supplies? That can be filtered out.

If you have children or residents in your home who are immunocompromised, they are at greater risk for some microbial pathogens that can be found in some water. Thankfully, these pathogens can be filtered out with an RO system.

If you don’t like the taste or smell of your tap water and find yourself buying cases of bottled water every week, not only are you spending lots of money, but the plastic in the bottles are causing our landfills to fill up and are non-biodegradable pollutants in our environment.

Again, an RO system will keep you from ever having to buy bottled water again.

A reputable Plumbing/HVAC company will offer a number of water quality solutions for large and small homes, starting with a thorough inspection, water test, discussion with a licensed plumber about your family’s needs and more to develop the best solution to keep you in home comfort every day, all day.

            If you have any other questions about how RO systems can help keep your family healthy and safe, please contact us at callhomecomfort.com

 

 

Remember Home Comfort Experts is YOUR source for cooling, air quality and plumbing news! We can help!

Home Comfort Experts is a plumbing, heating and cooling company serving residential homes throughout Northern Indiana and Southwest, Michigan. It is locally owned and operated and emphasizes employee training of nearly 200 additional hours each year. All technicians are drug and background tested and expected to perform at above-standard levels, leaving homes clean and customers informed. Additionally, Home Comfort Experts offers financing to make the purchase of an efficient system affordable for the families we serve.

An Annual Plumbing Inspection and Checklist for Your Home 

It is that time of year again. The days are ticking away. Do you have your home inspection checklist complete for this year? When you want peace of mind knowing your house is in tip-top shape for the next twelve months, then Home Comfort Experts has a solution. Our preventative maintenance program includes member perks that can save you tons of money.

What plumbing services maintenance should homeowners do inside the house each year?

Outdoor areas to check for damage before calling a plumber:

Your gutters and downspouts can flood your drains if they do not remove water effectively. When you have clogs, it can allow water to pool in one area or another. This water can seep into the walls or the foundation, and it can cause mold growth because the water is stagnant.

Why is it important to have an annual plumbing inspection?

  1. Money savings on toilet repairs and drain cleaning services.

Did you know that over 10 percent of houses in the United States have plumbing issues causing a loss of nearly 100 gallons of water a day? Is your home one of these houses? Unless you perform regular plumbing checks or have an annual plumbing inspection, you may not realize the money you could be saving.

2. Avoid the messy work and save the hassle with a yearly checkup.

Using an expert means that you do not have to do the dirty work of climbing under the house or in crawlspaces to check all the connections. When the plumber finds small problems, you can choose whether you want to complete the repair now or later. For big problems, you will be happy that an expert is capable of handling water heater installations and replacing sump pumps. Fixing clogged drains and toilet issues is another thing most homeowners are happy to hand over to the expert after an annual plumbing inspection. When you do not want or do not know how to flush your water heater, our plumbing inspectors at Home Comfort Experts perform this task as a part of our annual maintenance program, the Comfort Club.

Tips for maintaining your plumbing between visits.

Why Home Comfort Experts is the Best Choice in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan:

Annual service and quality checks from Home Comfort Experts gives you peace of mind knowing that when something breaks, you have an expert who can handle the job. You can read some of our nearly 9,000 reviews online to see what you can expect when our licensed and certified plumbers visit your home for inspection or repair. We provide a one-year guarantee on all of our repairs. Plus, we will never fix anything you do not agree to before we start working. With our high ratings on Google and the Better Business Bureau, you know you are getting a quality inspection and repair from a local leader.

Plumbing services you can count on

Most of the plumbers at Home Comfort Experts have decades of experience working on numerous plumbing systems and equipment. Our company has been helping homeowners in this area since 2006 with heating, air conditioning, toilet repairs, water heater replacements and drain cleaning. Our plumbing services are not like other plumbing companies. Where a different plumber in our Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan service areas might clean out the clog or get the drain to work, Home Comfort Experts plumbers take the time to clean the line thoroughly and completely to ensure you do not have the same issue in a couple of years.

Items we replace

24-hour plumber in Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan when you need plumbing help the most

Do you want the peace of mind knowing you have a reliable plumber on call for disasters like broken pipes and backed up sewage drains? What do you do when you cannot afford the upfront cost of replacing a sump pump? Home Comfort Experts plumbing provides assurance that we will help no matter what time of day or night you call. Plumbing emergencies do not wait for the holidays to pass before happening, so our experts are always on call to help you when you need us the most. We also have financing for large ticket items that can take a chunk out of your bank account.It can cost more than $1,000 to replace a water heater. Preventing you from paying this cost all at once is a huge help when you are on a budget.

The Home Comfort Experts Comfort Club Service Agreement Program

Because we have decades of experience working on all models and brands of equipment, our plumbers have the skills to fix or install any plumbing product. One of our most popular services is our Comfort Club. This service agreement provides members many perks that Northern Indiana and Southwest Michigan residents can depend on to save money and offer assurances when things go haywire. This service plan helps you prevent major disasters like no hot water in the middle of winter when the entire family is home for the holidays.

Perks of the Comfort Club

When you call Home Comfort Experts for your plumbing services and needs, we value your time and property. We find the source of the problem and use our skills and training to provide the correct fix so that you have no further issues. Our preventative maintenance plan helps you save money on repair and installation costs while making sure your plumbing runs smoothly to save you money in the long run. Our technicians have many common replacement parts on the truck too because we stock these items to ensure you do not have to wait for a part to come in on back order.

Your sink, toilet, or bathtub is clogged. Is the problem at the trap, the main line, or somewhere in between? The plumbers on our drain remediation team have the tools to quickly analyze your situation and get your drain open and flowing. Our plumbers can diagnose and solve your “drain pain” quickly and professionally.

Diagnosing an Impending Clogged Drain

The best way to handle drain clogs is to avoid them altogether through our annual plumbing inspections, during which our plumbers diagnose issues with your pipes that will lead to clogs and solve them before clogs can form. If you join our Comfort Club, we’ll contact you once a year for your pre-paid annual plumbing inspection.

Unfortunately, there are not many warning signs of impending clogs, but if you experience any of these signs, you should call in our drain remediation team right away:

How to Open a Clogged Drain

You can treat slow drains with hot water, baking soda and vinegar, or pour salt down your drain at night, hopefully keeping clogs at bay; just never use chemical drain openers, and never pour boiling water down PVC pipes.

There are only two basic ways to open fully clogged drains: plungers and snakes. Occasionally, a homeowner can successfully open drains themselves using these tools, but it often takes a professional plumber to remove drain covers, stoppers, traps, and clean-outs in order to access the clog and remove it.

Plungers and Evacuators

For a plunger to be effective, it needs to create a tight seal with the sink, tub, or toilet. This seal is crucial for building enough suction to dislodge a clog from the pipe walls. To gauge the plunger's success, there should be standing water. If you see the water level going down, it indicates progress.

Keep in mind that not all plungers are the same; if a dollar store plunger isn't doing the job, consider investing in a higher-quality version from a home supply store. Professional plumbers often use high-suction evacuators, or outside drain plungers, which can be even more effective than traditional plungers.

Augers and Snakes

There are many types of augers and drain snakes. For bathroom sink and tub clogs, a flexible plastic stick with prongs to grab debris can be effective. For bigger jobs like a clogged toilet, a drain snake can be used. These devices come with hand cranks or motors and work by swirling a flexible metal cable around in your pipes until the clog breaks up.

The pipework beneath sinks, showers, and bathtubs can be very intricate, and it is possible to damage the components using augers or snakes, especially in older homes. Even toilets can be damaged by the use of drain snakes. It is best to have a professional plumber snake your drains rather than risk expensive plumbing repairs.

What Happens During a Drain Remediation Visit?

Our experts utilize various clogged drain remedies based on the clog's location. This may involve removing a drain cover and cleaning the cap, p-trap, or sink stopper pop-up mechanism.

For less severe clogs, a high-suction evacuator or auger is used to dislodge and open the drain. Subsequently, hot water is employed to ensure smooth drainage. In the case of major drain pipes, a camera is utilized to assess system integrity.

After successfully opening the drain and restoring water flow, our experts reinstall the hardware to its original state, ensuring everything functions seamlessly.

How to Avoid a Clogged Drain

There are a variety of different drains around your house that need to be kept open so they work properly. Some are easier to maintain than others. Always make conscious decisions about what you put down your drains.

Be Cautious of What You Throw Down The Garbage Disposal

Grease, soap, and food waste can take their toll on kitchen drains, clogging them over time. Garbage disposals do not prevent clogs, and they can become clogged or jammed themselves with improper usage.

Never put grease down a drain. Even if you have a garbage disposal, use it only for tiny bits of food that cannot be gathered and thrown away in a waste can. Always have cold water running when you turn on your garbage disposer. This keeps oils hard and moving through your pipes instead of coagulating them.

Put Strainers on Shower and Tub Drains

Hair is the biggest danger with shower and tub drains, so make sure there is a shower drain strainer in your bathroom. Regularly remove the hair that builds up on the strainer. Even if you have no hair or little hair, strainers will stop small items like soap pieces, shampoo caps, or jewelry from slipping down the drain.

Don’t Flush Objects Down the Toilet

There are only two items that should be placed in a toilet: toilet paper and human waste. Clogged toilets are often the result of flushing the following:

Protect Bathroom Sink Drains

Clogs in bathroom sinks can result from toothpaste, soap, hair, styling products, and other grime. Bathroom sinks with drain stoppers do not accommodate strainers, so extra care must be taken to keep clogging substances out of these drains.

Run water the entire time you are brushing your teeth. Consider spitting into a tissue instead of the sink, and use paper towels to wipe styling products and hair from your hands before you rinse them off.

Lastly, if you feel the need to vomit, use the toilet, not the sink.

Keep Debris Out of Floor Drains

Floor drains capture soap from cleaning products and laundry detergent that can build up scale over time. They are also susceptible to receiving any kind of dirt, debris, or trash that finds its way to the floor, which can clog them up quickly. Never sweep anything into a floor drain other than water.

Get Your Sewer Drain Snaked Regularly

If water backs up in your floor drains or toilet after using large amounts of water, it probably means your sewer pipe is clogged. These are the pipes that run from your house to either the city sewer or to your septic tank.

Sewer drains are at risk of being clogged by the same items that clog your interior pipes. But an additional risk to sewer drains is plant roots that seek an easy way to water sources through your sewer pipe. Trees and bushes in your landscaping can clog sewer drains quickly, depending upon the growing season, so professional drain snaking of outside drains is recommended to keep roots from taking over.

Also, pay attention to where your sewer pipes are buried; driving over them or parking on them can cause them to collapse and require them to be replaced.

Get your septic tank inspected regularly. Opening up your sewer drain will do you no good if your septic tank is not operating properly. If you have a septic tank, make sure that the motor is running correctly, the laterals are in good shape, and the drain pipe is open all the way to the drainage area on your property. Septic tanks on a routine inspection plan with a qualified septic tank specialist should run properly for years with no major issues.

Install a Water Softener

Hard water is a big contributor to clogged pipes. Minerals in the water from our public water sources build up in pipes over time, and it is difficult to get rid of this scale once it is deposited. There are many types of water softeners; the tanks that require bags of salt are just one of the many options. Some filters can be placed easily and affordably on your main water intake, which will lengthen the life of your plumbing significantly.

Get an Annual Plumbing Inspection

We cannot stress enough how much an annual plumbing inspection can save you money. Professional plumbers will assess the condition of your:

Opening Drains vs. Cleaning Drains

There are two solutions to getting rid of clogs: opening drains and cleaning drains. Our drain cleaning plumbers are fully equipped to provide both drain opening and drain cleaning services.

Opening drains is a fast and affordable solution that most homeowners choose, but it may not be the best long-term solution. Opening drains remove all the clogs from a drain, so water can pass freely through your plumbing.

When drain clogs are a more constant problem, we sometimes recommend a full drain cleaning. Cleaning drains involves removing all sediment from the walls of the pipes instead of just opening them. Though cleaning a drain is more time-consuming than opening a drain, it generally keeps your drains running smoothly for a longer period of time.

Call Us Any Time of the Day or Night

At Home Comfort Experts, we are here to help you with any and all plumbing issues. That’s why we’re available 24/7 for emergency plumbing services. Reach out to us if you need drain plumbers in Northern Indiana or Southwest Michigan. Contact us today at (574) 205-0606 to schedule an appointment with our plumbing experts.

Every homeowner needs to be aware of a few plumbing basics to prevent a plumbing emergency and get the proper help needed when something goes awry with their system. Some issues are basic and can be easily addressed, while others require immediate professional attention.

Shutting Down Water Supply

Fixing Some Common Plumbing Problems

  1. Low Water Pressure – Usually experienced at a sink and is due to calcium deposits that have built up in the aerator, a filter screen located at the tip of the faucet.
  2. Slow Draining Sink – A very common problem, usually a sign of a clogged pop-up. You can remove and clean the pop-up, usually attached to the drain with a nut just under the sink. They can be unscrewed by hand or with pliers. Remove it, clean it of debris, and reinstall. Another option is to use a “zip it” tool to free the drain of debris.
  3. Slow Draining Tub – Typically due to hair clogging the drain and can easily be cleaned out using a “zip it” tool or even needle-nose pliers. Tub drains should be regularly cleaned out to avoid a real clogging problem.
  4. Running Toilet – Another common problem, but easy to diagnose. If you are somewhat handy, once you locate the problem area, the parts are pretty basic and easy to replace. Leaks can usually be traced to faulty flappers, broken fill valves, low or high water levels or floats that are worn out (water-logged or full of mineral build-up) and need to be replaced.
  5. Jammed Garbage Disposal – There should be a specific key that came with the system that is made for this purpose. It is usually taped to the system. If you do not have it you can use a hex wrench in the opening at the very bottom of the disposal, where you can insert the tool and free the motor.
  6. Overflowing Toilet – While this is a very common issue, it can definitely be one of a homeowner’s most stressful plumbing emergencies. First thing to do is turn off the shut-off valve to avoid having even more water on the scene. You should always have a plunger handy to unclog the drain. Remove the tank cover and make sure the rubber flapper is covering the water feed. Another measure is to lift up the float ball until the refill valve shuts off.

Basic plumbing problems can usually be quickly and easily addressed. But if you are not comfortable with plumbing systems, make sure the problem is stabilized by stopping water leaks or overflows by turning off the water valves. Then call a professional plumber.

Contact Home Comfort Experts today at (574)255.4600 to learn more about how we can install and repair your residential plumbing equipment. We have services in 12 locations including South Bend, Mishawaka, Plymouth, LaPorte, Elkhart, Columbia City and Fort Wayne in Indiana, and Niles and St. Joseph in Michigan. We offer specials and financing assistance to help meet your budgeting needs.

MISHAWAKA/FORT WAYNE — Home Comfort Experts broke ground today on a new 7,200 sq. ft. addition to their existing corporate office at 56848 Ferrettie Court in Mishawaka, Indiana. The addition will allow them to expand their customer service department and operational support as a result of continued growth.
According to Todd Mann, president and owner of Home Comfort Experts, “When my family and partners started Home Comfort Experts in 2006, we knew we could make it a success by providing superior equipment, technical expertise, and above all, the highest customer service standards in our industry. Twelve years later, we are proud to say we were right, but we didn’t know how right we would be. We have now expanded to 12 locations throughout Southwest Michigan and Northeast and Northcentral Indiana and hired 10 times the number of employees we started with. Now we are building out our headquarters to make room for all these new employees and services and we look forward too many more years of providing home comfort to the residents of our area.”
Mann said he was grateful to the City of Mishawaka and St. Joseph County for providing the necessary infrastructure and support for the expansion and to Nuway Construction for their partnership, but, above all, to Home Comfort Experts loyal and valued employees and customers.
Nuway Construction, a design/build general contractor located in Goshen, IN, was chosen for the project. According to Andy Nesbitt, president of Nuway Construction, “This addition has been specifically designed to meet Home Comfort Experts growing market presence.
As the heating, cooling, plumbing and indoor air quality market has flourished, Home Comfort Experts looked to partner with us to expand their corporate office.”
The addition will be completed by October.

In photo, left to right:

Matt Somerlott, Project Manager Nuway Construction Tony Obringer, Business Banking Relationship Manager, 1st Source Bank Brian West, General Manager, Home Comfort Experts Andy Nesbitt, President, Nuway Construction Dave Hayes, Vice President & Owner, Home Comfort Experts Todd Mann, President & Owner, Home Comfort Experts Michele Mann, Owner, Home Comfort Experts Tyler Mann, Human Resources, Home Comfort Experts Fred Ramser, Account Executive, Nuway Construction Tim Wall, AIA, LEED, AP, Director of Design Services, Nuway Construction Steve Truex, Superintendent, Nuway Construction

QUESTIONS? We are your Home Comfort Experts. Give us a call or click here if you have any questions about these tips or how to keep your spring allergy free. We have experts waiting for your call.

Go to callhomecomfort.com for more information.
For more information about Nuway Construction, please visit www.nuwayconstruction.com.

Have you noticed your showers don't stay hot the whole time you're in there? Could be your water heater is nearing the end of its life cycle.

Here are the top four ways to know it may be time to replace:

#1 NOT HOT ENOUGH
If your water won't get hot enough, or if frequent thermostat adjustments are necessary.
Want to see our array of products and learn more about water heating equipment? Click here.
#2 RUNS OUT FAST
Does it seem like you're running out of hot water in the middle of your shower?
RELATED READ: Is it time to replace your water heater?
#3 MAKES NOISE
This can be a number of problems -- none of which are good. A new water heater will run quietly and smoothly.
#4 LEAKS
If you see a leak, call a professional. Even a small leak can easily turn into a flood and damage your home.
RELATED READ: When should you replace your water heater?
Get $100 off your water heater installation now by clicking here.
Are you having hot water problems in Michiana, or do you want to avoid them before they become problems? Home Comfort Experts has you covered with installation, repairs and maintenance for all your heating, cooling, plumbing and indoor air quality needs. Contact us.
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