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Why Hire a Professional to Clean Your Drains in canada?

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It is recommended that you hire a plumber to clean your drains at least once a year. Here are the top reasons why you should leave it to the professionals instead of trying to DIY it.   Get Rid of Clogs Once and for All Oftentimes when you try to deal with a difficult clog yourself, you just end up moving it or breaking it up a bit, which means the same blockage will probably cause a clog again soon. And again, and again. Professionals have the equipment required to completely remove a blockage from your pipes, so you don’t end up just moving it around and having to deal with the same clog over and over again.   Don’t Damage Pipes Many people immediately reach for liquid drain cleaner to deal with clogged drains around the home, but this is actually harmful to your plumbing system. Store-bought drain cleaners are made using corrosive chemicals which eat through troublesome clogs, but the problem is these corrosive chemicals also eat through your pipes eventually, resulting in leaks and water damage. Professionals will use special equipment to clean your drains and remove blockages  without damaging your pipes.   Check for Other Problems Generally, if you’re DIYing your drain cleaning, you just clear the blockage and continue on, with no information of what the blockage was or why it got stuck. When you hire professional drain cleaners, they will fully inspect the blocked-up drain and can let you know what caused it, whether there are structural problems with your plumbing system, and more information that can help you prevent repeated clogging issues.   Get Rid of Nasty Odours If you’re noticing unpleasant smells emanating from your drain, it’s time to call in the professionals for a thorough drain cleaning. These odours could be caused by a number of things, from old food trapped in your pipes to a problem further down the line such as intruding tree roots causing a sewer backup. Our plumbers will inspect your system to determine where the foul smell is coming from and how to get rid of it for good. Do your drains need some help? Trust HiTech Services Group for thorough and efficient drain-cleaning services.

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How to Transform Your Bathroom into a Mini Home Spa in canada

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Soaker Tub Installing a soaker tub is a wonderful way to create a spa-like getaway in your own home bathroom. Whether you prefer the look of a freestanding soaker tub or a built-in drop-in bath, HiTech’s Services plumbers can help you choose and install the perfect bath to transform your bathroom into your own personal oasis. Hydronic Heated Towel Racks Warming towel racks go a long way in creating a spa experience. Stepping out of your soaker tub or rainfall shower and wrapping yourself in a pre-warmed towel extends the relaxing comfort of a home spa experience. Hydronic heated towel racks or warmers use hot water piped from your home heating system to warm the towels. Rainfall Shower A rainfall showerhead is a showerhead that has significantly more surface area than a typical showerhead, which allows the water to mimic warm rainfall. A rainfall showerhead is usually six to ten inches in diameter, giving you much more coverage than with a conventional showerhead. Rainfall showerheads generally have lower pressure in order to create a calm, relaxing shower experience. If you want the calming feeling of a rainfall showerhead but also like a high-pressure stream sometimes, you can get a handheld showerhead installed in tandem with a rainfall showerhead. Steam Shower Another great way to make your home shower feel like a luxurious spa experience is to install a steam shower unit. A steam shower unit allows you to generate steam in your shower at the press of a button, creating a home steam room right in your shower. Because you can use them while the shower is on or off, steam units are a great way to relax in a hot shower for an extended length of time without using up a lot of water–simply steam for as long as you like, then quickly shower off.  Ready to upgrade your bathroom? Let us help you create the home spa you’ve been dreaming of!

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5 Things You’re Probably Doing that Hurt Your Plumbing System in canada

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Are you guilty of any of these common habits that hurt your plumbing system? Pouring Cooking Oil Down the Sink A lot of people don’t see the harm in pouring fats and cooking oils down the sink. After all, it’s convenient and it’s just liquid, right? The fact is, it’s not that simple. Oils and fats solidify as they cool, so even though they may be liquid when you pour them down the drain, once they are in your pipes they will solidify, causing nasty clogs and foul odours. Instead, pour your oils and fats into a can or jar, wait for it to cool, then toss the whole thing in the trash. Flushing ‘Flushable’ Products There are quite a few products out there that claim to be flushable, from kitty litter to sanitizing wipes. However, it’s important to remember that just because a product says “flushable” on the label doesn’t mean that it’s good for your plumbing. These products take a long time to fully break down after you flush them and can easily cause blockages in your pipes. A good rule to follow is not to flush anything other than toilet paper and bodily waste. Abusing Your Garbage Disposal Garbage disposals aren’t meant to be used to get rid of large kitchen scraps. They are designed to dispose of the small bits of food and debris that inevitably wash down the sink, not melon rinds or whole citrus peels. Feeding bigger food pieces into your garburator can dull the blades and jam up the mechanism, resulting in a less effective disposal. Don’t use your garburator as a trash bin, toss those larger kitchen scraps in the compost instead. Using Liquid Drain Cleaners Most people reasonably assume that store-bought drain cleaners are good for your plumbing, but they are actually harmful. This is because liquid drain cleaners contain caustic chemicals that eat away not only at clogs but at the pipes themselves. This can result in leaky pipes after repeated use. Neglecting Regular Plumbing Maintenance It’s easy to just never call the plumber until there’s something that needs repairs, but you’ll need costly repairs less frequently if you get in the habit of having a plumber do maintenance regularly. You should have your pipes, water heater, and boiler inspected and serviced annually to make sure that everything is running smoothly and fix small issues before they become bigger, more expensive problems.

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DIY Bathroom Plumbing Maintenance Tips in canada

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These simple DIY maintenance tips will help prevent bathroom plumbing issues and save you money on repairs. Use Food Colouring to Find Tank Leaks If your toilet won’t stop running, it may be because it’s leaking. To determine whether your toilet has a leak, do this simple test: put a few drops of food colouring into your toilet tank. Do not flush your toilet. Wait 25 minutes. Check your toilet bowl. Is the water in your toilet bowl dyed with the food colouring from your toilet tank? If yes, that means you have a leak. Stop an Overflowing Toilet Uh oh. The water in your toilet bowl keeps rising, and you can tell that it’s going to overflow any second now. What are you supposed to do now? Immediately remove the lid of your toilet tank and push down the flapper. The flapper is the rubber piece that is connected to the flush valve. When you flush the toilet, the flapper lifts to trigger the flush, then settles back down to end the flush. If your toilet bowl is filling up, you want to end the flush as quickly as possible, so pushing the flapper down will achieve that and bides you some time to call a plumber when you just have a full toilet bowl as opposed to an overflowing one. Use Drain Strainers One of the best preventative plumbing maintenance steps you can take in the bathroom is to use drain strainers. Hair is the main culprit when it comes to bathroom clogs (especially if you have a furry friend that you bathe in your bathtub or sink), and drain strainers are a super simple, effective way to prevent hair from washing down the drain and causing blockages. Be Mindful of What You Flush To keep your toilet in the best shape possible, never flush anything but toilet paper and bodily waste. Yes, that even goes for those wipes and other products marked “flushable”. Even items that are advertised as flushable should not be flushed down the toilet because they take a long time to break down in your pipes and can easily cause clogs in the meantime. These DIY maintenance tips will help prevent plumbing problems in your bathroom, but every now and again you will need repairs.

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What to Watch for: a Plumbing Checklist for New Home Buyers in canada

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Buying a new home? Use this simple plumbing checklist to do a DIY inspection. You should always have a professional home inspection done before you make an offer, but a DIY inspection can tip you off to issues you should be aware of when you first view a home. Water Meter & Main Shutoff Check the water main shutoff for signs of leaking, as this is a common spot for leaks to spring up and is sometimes forgotten by homeowners when they are prepping their home to sell. Turn off all of the faucets in the house and look at the water meter. Is the meter still moving? That likely indicates a leak somewhere in the house. Basement Determine the age of the water heater. This can be found on the manufacturer label on the side of the water heater. An average hot water tank lasts about 6 – 10 years, while a tankless water heater has an expectancy of about 20 years if well maintained. Keep this in mind when you check the water heater and consider whether you would need to replace it soon after buying the home or if you have a number of years left. Do a visual inspection of the water heater. Look for rust, discoloration, and leaks. Make sure to check the outlet and inlet valves. Remember that if you don’t see a puddle of water but you do find condensation accumulating, this may also indicate a leak. Listen for unusual noises. If the water heater or boiler are making strange noises, this may be indicative of a problem. Inspect exposed pipes. Take a close look at all exposed pipes and check them for visible signs of damage, including leaks, cracks, corrosion, and rust. Kitchen & Bathrooms Check water pressure. Turn on all of the taps and make sure that the water pressure is good. Be sure to run multiple taps at once to see whether that impacts the pressure as well. Check that the sink drains. Fill up sinks and let them drain, noting whether the drainage is slow or not. Look under sinks. Take a look at the exposed pipes located beneath each sink, checking for leaks, rust, cracks, and corrosion. Test shut-off valves. Try turning off shut-off valves for each sink, then turning on the tap to see whether or not the shut-off is functioning properly. Check the valves for leaks as well. Flush toilets to make sure that they are working and check for leaks on the toilet tank and around the base. Turn the shower on to make sure that it works and has good water pressure. It is important to have any home you are considering buying inspected by a professional, but these simple plumbing checks you can do on your own are a great first step to help you determine whether you want to pursue the home further or not. To find out more or to book a professional plumbing inspection, call Hitech Plumbing Group today. +1 604 349 7591

Blogs

DIY Kitchen Plumbing Maintenance Tips in canada

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Get That Leak Fixed Right Away Got a leaky sink? You may think that if it’s just a small leak, there’s no need to worry about it right away, but you should always get a leak repaired as soon as you notice it, no matter how minor it may be. A tiny leak can lead to a big problem later, such as a burst pipe or severe water damage, and having a small leak fixed is much quicker, easier, and cheaper than dealing with a major plumbing emergency. Use Drain Strainers One of the most common kitchen plumbing problems is a badly clogged sink. You can help to prevent nasty kitchen clogs by using a drain strainer in your sink. This way, food bits and other debris that would otherwise wash down the drain will get collected in the strainer and then you can simply empty it out in the trash and replace it. Don’t Pour Oils or Fats Down the Sink Another common cause of clogged kitchen drains is fat or cooking oil being poured down the sink. While pouring fats and oils down the drain may seem like the simplest way to dispose of them, they can actually harm your plumbing. This is because, once cooled, fats and oils solidify so once they make their way down the drain, they cool down and become solids, resulting in blockages and a slow-draining sink. When you are cooking with fats and oils, get in the habit of pouring them into an empty can or jar instead of down the drain. Once the oil cools, simply toss the entire jar or can into the trash. Inspect Your Pipes Check the exposed pipes under your kitchen sink for signs of damage periodically. Signs of damage to look out for include discolouration, rust, and cracking. These can indicate an issue that can easily turn into a plumbing emergency later, so it’s best to address the problem by getting your pipes repaired or replaced at the first sign of damage than to wait for the problem to get worse. Opt for a Plunger Over Liquid Drain Cleaner When clogs do happen, reach for a plunger instead of a bottle of liquid drain cleaner. Chemical drain cleaners are corrosive, which means they don’t just eat away at clogs, they also eat away at your pipes and slowly break them down. It’s much better for your plumbing system to use a plunger. If you have a really tricky clog that just won’t come loose, call in the professionals to clean your drains.

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Your Essential Vacation Plumbing Checklist in canada

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Heading out of town? Before you leave, use this vacation plumbing checklist to make sure your home plumbing system is not using excess energy or causing problems while you’re away. Turn off Your Pilot Light If you have a gas fireplace, just having the pilot light on costs you money. In fact, your pilot light can cost up to $10 per month, which is pretty significant.Turn it off before you go on vacation. There’s no reason to keep it on while you’re out of town and you’ll save some cash. Clean Your Drains You don’t want to come home from your vacation to a funky smelling drain. Give all of your drains a thorough wipe down using vinegar to get rid of any unpleasant odours. If your drains need a more thorough cleaning, call in the professionals to fully clear your drains of any excess food bits and other debris that’s ready to cause a stink. Set Your Hot Water Tank to Vacation Mode Most hot water tanks have a setting called “vacation mode” which reduces the temperature of the water and decreases the amount of energy that your water heater will use while you’re away. Selecting this setting while you are on vacation will save energy and reduce your environmental footprint while you’re not at home using your water tank. If your hot water tank doesn’t have a “vacation” setting, you can simply turn down the temperature setting. Fix Leaks If you have any leaky taps, get them fixed before you go on vacation. Those leaks are wasting water and money, plus they could turn into a bigger problem or even a burst pipe while you’re away, and you definitely don’t want to come home to that. No time to get your leaks fixed before you leave? In that case, simply turn off the water before you leave to prevent water waste and potential mishaps.

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Why Choose Radiant Floor Heating in canada?

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More and more homeowners are opting for radiant floor heating. So, what’s all the fuss about? Here is a quick guide to radiant in-floor heating and the benefits to installing it in your home.  How Does Radiant Floor Heating Work? Radiant in-floor heating is a system that pumps hot water through a network of pipes installed beneath your flooring in order to heat your home from the floor up. It can be installed in your whole house or in just the rooms you want, it’s up to you. Radiant floor heating is  designed to be very low maintenance and long-lasting, so once you install it you can essentially forget about it. What are the Benefits of Radiant Floor Heating? No Cold Spots Radiant in-floor heating provides consistent heating all throughout your flooring, which means no cold spots that feel like ice on your bare feet. If you are looking for a heating option that provides full coverage with no surprise chilly spots, radiant floor heating is your best bet. Doesn’t Take Up Space Because radiant floor heating is installed underneath your flooring, it does not take up any valuable real estate in your home. That means you are in complete control of how you arrange your furniture and have all of your floor space available to you. Silent Radiant underfloor heating systems are completely silent, unlike other heating systems that can be noisy. Radiant heating is the best option if you are looking for a heating system that is not disruptive and contributes to a calm, peaceful environment. Cost Effective This type of heating system is energy saving and efficient, which translates to significant savings on your monthly heating bills. In-floor heating is a great long-term investment because it will pay for itself and save you money.

Blogs

Plumbing Upgrades to Transform Your Kitchen in canada

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Bigger Sink Upgrading to a bigger sink can hugely improve your experience in the kitchen because it makes prepping, cooking, and cleanup so much easier. Installing a larger sink than the one you already have is a big job because you will likely need to have your counters cut to accommodate for the bigger sink. This is a bit more than a weekend project, but will totally transform the look, feel, and functionality of your kitchen. New Faucet If a new sink is too big of a job to tackle right now, a simple faucet upgrade is a great way to enhance your sink and give your kitchen a quick makeover. There are lots of different faucet styles available that will make your kitchen tasks simpler. Choose from faucets with smart technology built right in, touch activation, pull-down sprayers, and more. Look for a design, colour, and finish that complements the rest of your kitchen. From shiny chrome to burnished brass, the possibilities are endless. Dishwasher Installing a dishwasher if you don’t already have one or upgrading to a new one if you do is a great way to enhance your kitchen and increase the value of your home. New dishwashers are more effective and efficient than older dishwashers, which means that upgrading to a modern unit will save you money on your monthly water bill and have you spending less time re-washing dishes that just came out of the dishwasher. Pot Filler More and more home chefs are getting pot fillers installed to increase convenience in the kitchen. A pot filler is a swing-out faucet with a long, jointed arm that is located above the stove for easy access to water when you are filling large pots. Having a pot filler right at the stove means no more struggling with getting big heavy stock pots full of water from the sink over to the stove and sloshing water on the floor in the process. You can find pot fillers with modern, sleek designs that will enhance your kitchen’s aesthetic as well as its function. Garbage Disposal Installing a garbage disposal unit is a good investment because it adds convenience and helps prevent your pipes clogging by catching and grinding up small bits of foods that would otherwise wash down the drain and create blockages. A garbage disposal also minimizes the likelihood of having unpleasant odours coming up from the drain.

Blogs

Bad Shower Habits That Harm Your Plumbing

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Do you do any of these on a regular basis? These common shower habits are damaging to your home plumbing system.  Letting Hair Wash Down the Drain Does your shower start draining slowly every few months, only to be back to normal after you’ve dug out a huge clump of hair from the drain? If this sounds familiar, you’re probably letting too much hair wash down the shower drain. Some helpful ways to lessen the amount of hair going into your pipes is to use drain strainers to catch it and to get in the habit of brushing your hair before you get in the shower to remove loose hairs before they come out in the shower. Using a Shower Caddy Shower caddies that hang from your showerhead may seem like a great idea because they create a convenient space to stash all of your shower products, but they can actually damage your showerhead. The weight of a heavy, bottle-laden shower caddy pulling on a showerhead will gradually damage and displace the fixture over time. Opt for a different kind of shower caddy that doesn’t hang on your showerhead or only keep very light items like loofahs on your hanging caddy. Leaving Water on the Floor When you get out of the shower, it’s easy to drip water on the floor and then just forget about it. This is a bad habit for a couple of reasons, though. For one thing, leaving puddles can cause water damage to your bathroom floor. Not only that, but if you’re used to seeing water on the floor from the shower, you’re much less likely to notice a leak in your bathroom and as a result will not be able to get it fixed until it becomes significantly worse and more obvious. Infrequent Cleaning If you don’t clean your shower often enough, soap and other product residue will build up, causing smelly, potentially harmful bacteria and blockage that will gum up your drains. Even if your shower doesn’t look dirty, clean it at least once a week and give it a thorough scrub to get rid of product residue before it builds up too much.

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