Welcome back to another entry here at the Economy Plumbing Services blog. This time around, rather than give you the whole lowdown on a sewer system or discuss the types of sewer pipes under your home, we’re going to do a rapid-fire Q & A, answering some more frequently asked questions we see that may not require a whole blog to themselves. Ready to go? Alright let’s get to work!

6 FAQS All About Plumbing

When Was Indoor Plumbing Invented?

Plumbing has a looong history but indoor plumbing as we know it today can be traced backed to the first half of the 19th century. Before that it was only found in the homes of the wealthy elite, and looked much different from what we see today. If you want to trace the ancient roots of plumbing, Wikipedia is a great place to start!

How to Winterize Plumbing in a Vacant House?

Winter’s not coming around for a bit (unless you’re in the Southern Hemisphere!) but if you want to know how to handle it here’s a quick list for winterizing your plumbing.

1. Shut off the main water valve, and turn off the water pump and water heater.
2. Open all drain valves and all taps. 
3. If able, use an air compressor to blow excess water out of the pipes.
4. Drain your hot water heater.
5. Flush toilets to remove as much water as you can from the tanks and the toilet bowls.
   1. If all water cannot be removed, add antifreeze to prevent any remaining water from freezing (and cracking the porcelain!).
6. Similarly, check the drain traps. Add antifreeze to them to prevent the water that’s in the traps from freezing and cracking.

How to Tell if Plumbing Vent is Clogged?

We covered this recently actually!  If your sink is not draining right, but there’s no clog you can find or the toilet seems to flush on its own randomly – you may have a clogged vent. If you are having troubles that seem to indicate a clog in the sewage lines but there’s no such clog that you can identify, it’s possible that the clog is there just not where you’re looking!  The plumbing vent may be clogged and messing with your plumbing. Want to know how to clean a plumbing vent?

How to Use a Plumbing Snake

A plumbing snake is pretty simple to use, once you know what you’re doing. You feed one endinto the drain line, and using either a hand crank or an automated one you turn the snake as it moves through the drain to grab ahold and loosen clogs. We cover a lot more on this blog all about the plumbing snake.

What Plumbing Work Can Be Done Without a License?

Plenty of minor and seemingly majhor things can be done without a license. Changing fixtures, replacing faucets, installing a new toilet, all of those and more can be done without a license. However if you start needing to change out lines, you’re going to need to get a license!

While you may be able to do all these, there’s no saying you have to or can. Don’t hesitate to call in a professional to get all your plumbing needs handled correctly, and safely, the first time.

How Long is Plumbing School?

Check out our blog on how to become a plumber. The short answer? Plumbing school itself is about 2 years.

That’ll do it for this entry here at the Economy Plumbing Service blog! We have plenty more info to share, so give our other blogs a read, and if you need professional service in the Tucson area don’t hesitate to give us a call! From total repiping to unclogging a stubborn drain, EPS takes care of everything!

If Water Goes Through It Or To It, We Do It!

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