Plumbing

If your water service has ever been halted, even briefly, you probably realized pretty quickly how much you depend on water—and take it for granted. As we rush to the grocery store to buy water bottles so we can cook, bathe, and flush toilets, our reliance on modern plumbing becomes crystal clear The pipe and plumbing experts at Bell Brothers know how vital your home’s plumbing system is to your life, family, and home. We’ve been serving the Sacramento area for decades providing our customers with fast, reliable service when unexpected pipe problems bubble up.

We also share our customers’ concerns about conserving water; Northern California is our home too. We can all turn off the faucet while we brush our teeth, and take shorter showers, but Bell Brothers can help you take your efficiency to new levels by keeping your current plumbing system healthy or by installing modern, high-efficiency equipment in your home. Whether it’s fixing a leaky pipe or installing a new tankless water heater, Bell Brothers believes home water conservation is more than just a pipe dream.

The Flow of Your Home’s Plumbing System

If you’ve ever looked at the plumbing plans for a building, it may have reminded you of veins in the body. That’s how I’ve always thought of them, as the veins of your home sending vital fluids to every major space. But your home consists of more than just piping. Your plumbing system uses specialty equipment to move water throughout your home and to heat, clean, and condition it.

SUPPLY PIPING

The city water supply, called potable water, enters your house from a main water line. The water is delivered at 80 psi and is a cool 49.6 degrees Fahrenheit. The supply piping takes this treated water and delivers it to your faucets, shower heads, toilets, dishwashers, refrigerators, and washing machine.

THE WATER HEATER

The city water line delivers cold water to your home. When you want hot water for a bath or to wash dishes, heating the water has to be done inside your home. That’s where your water heater comes in. If you have a traditional tank heater, you’re familiar with the big barrel that stores heated water and is usually located in a hall closet or laundry room. Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, are small square boxes often mounted on a storage room or garage wall.

WASTE PIPING

These pipes are responsible for taking the used, waste water away from your home. This piping relies on gravity rather than pressure, which is why if you ever examine your pipes you’ll notice that waste piping is always lower than your plumbing fixtures and often slanted.

WATER FILTERS

While not a mandatory component of your plumbing system, many of our Sacramento clients find water filtration systems to be vital to the health of their home and family. City treatment facilities use chlorine to kill harmful bacteria and microbes in our water supply so that it’s safe for drinking. But, chlorine can potentially be harmful to your health if you’re exposed to large quantities or when it combines with organic matter, creating hazardous byproducts. It also affects the taste and odor of your water and can dry out your skin and hair. Home filtration systems are much more effective at removing chlorine and heavy metals from your water and, unlike countertop filters, protect all aspects of your home’s water supply, not just your drinking water.

Signs Your Plumbing Needs Repair or Replacement

Just like your body, your plumbing slowly ages, with little things going wrong here and there until you finally notice it’s not able to keep up the way it used to. If your pipes are slowing down, it’s time to call in a plumbing expert. Bell Brothers has been serving Sacramento for over 20 years. We’re seasoned professional plumbers and we’ve seen it all.

LEAKING JOINTS

After a winter of several heavy freezes, your plumbing may spring a few leaks. During a freeze, your piping expands, causing the joints that connect pipes to crack or loosen. Signs of leaky joints are lower water pressure or, in extreme cases, puddles or pooling water. Either is a sign to call in a professional plumber.

RUNNING TOILETS

We all know the sound of a toilet that won’t stop running. All that water cycling through your tank is wasting gallons and gallons of water and running up your monthly bill. The good news is that the fix is relatively simple. It could be a cracked flapper, a broken chain, or a tank float ball or arm in need of replacement. Homeowners with a little know-how can easily DIY this, but if replacing a chain or ball doesn’t do the trick, call in a plumbing expert to get to the deeper root of the pipe problem.

LOW WATER PRESSURE

Some easily fixed causes of low water pressure are clogged or dirty aerators in faucets and showerheads, or low flow fixtures installed in your home. But if cleaning and changing out aerators and shower heads doesn’t do the trick, you need to consult a licensed plumber. Low pressure can also be caused by a water line leak or pipe corrosion. Leaking or corroded supply piping can run up your water bills, even leading to water damage in your home.

A BROKEN WATER HEATER

Stepping into the shower only to get hit with a spray of freezing cold water will certainly wake you up, just not in a very pleasant way. The culprit here is definitely your water heater which has an average lifespan of eight to ten years. A professional plumber can offer you insight on equipment and installation options, like a new energy efficient tankless heater—maybe even combined with a home water filtration system.

Traditional Versus Tankless Water Heaters

Modern plumbing makes it hard to imagine our great grandparents heating water over a hot stove for a bath. Water heaters take a portion of your supply water and heats it to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, then distributes it to the faucets and appliances that use heated water in your home. Many of our Sacramento clients still rely on storage tank water heaters, but we’ve seen a big shift towards the more efficient modern tankless options. Both have some advantages and disadvantages.

STORAGE TANK WATER HEATERS

You might have had the experience of being the last person in your house to take a shower only to realize that there’s no more hot water. That’s because the storage tank of your heater can only hold so much preheated water before it’s empty and will need to time to heat more. The upfront cost for a storage tank heater is cheaper than a tankless one, but one big drawback is that they are far less energy efficient.

TANKLESS WATER HEATERS

This modern style of water heater is a bit more expensive but, since they instantaneously heat water as it’s needed, they conserve water and energy, saving you on your monthly water bill. They’re up to 34% more efficient than a conventional tank and they’ll also save you from ever having to suffer through a cold shower. No matter how hot our Sacramento summers get, I still like my showers to be tropical.

Water Filtration Systems for a Healthy Home

Sacramento, in particular, is committed to providing clean water to all its residents. But even water that’s regulated and tested for quality can become contaminated in the main water lines on the way from the treatment facility to your home. That’s where water filtration systems step in, allowing homeowners control over their water quality. Bell Brothers licensed plumbers are experienced at installing filtration systems, whether localized in one area of your home or for an entire plumbing system.

BETTER TASTING WATER

Chlorine and other minerals found in your tap water can sometimes have an unpleasant taste and smell. Having a filtration system can remove most or all of the chlorine and minerals, leaving you with fresh, crisp drinking water straight from the tap.

SOFTER WATER

Hard water is the term for mineral deposits in your water. These minerals damage your fixtures like faucet aerators and showerheads, as well as your piping, by creating buildup that can cause clogs and corrosion. A filter can remove these minerals, allowing water to flow freely.

FEWER FIXTURE AND PIPING REPAIRS

A whole house water filtration system reduces the amount of buildup from minerals, chemicals, and other foreign agents. The natural result is preventing corrosive agents from causing unnecessary damages to pipes, water heaters, fixtures, and joints.