Blog | Legacy Plumbing

Tips For Your Plumbing Remodel

Posted on: January 6, 2021

You’ve been plotting out your perfect bathroom renovation or kitchen remodel for years — finding inspiration, watching home-improvement shows, saving money — and now it’s time to turn that dream into reality.

Legacy Plumbing does not oversee full remodel projects, but we work with homeowners and general contractors for plumbing tasks that need to be accomplished.

If you are thinking about a remodel or are in the middle of one, we’ve put together a few tips from a plumber’s perspective. Thinking about these things ahead of time can save a lot of time and money in the long run!

Move Your Bathroom and Kitchen Fixtures

Changing the footprint during a bathroom plumbing remodel — especially showers, sink vanities, or toilets — increases costs. These fixtures are hooked up to sewer and sewer vent pipes as well as water supply pipes. The further you move them away, the more complicated the plumbing gets.

The pipes that need moving are often under the floor. It is much easier for Legacy Plumbing to estimate costs when the subfloor of a bathroom or kitchen is exposed. We can then see the plumbing connections to fixtures and make a decision on layout as part of a rough-in. If you aren’t redoing the tile, laminate or floor, then changing a footprint becomes much more difficult.

If the remodel is on the first level and your home is in DFW, chances are that you have a concrete slab foundation. This can create even more cost as access to the plumbing requires cutting concrete. Most bathroom and kitchen fixtures can be moved a few feet in one direction or another without too much extra cost or work.

For any plumbing remodel, make sure all work is inspected and performed up to code. While most tasks in a remodel can be done DIY, plumbing is a licensed trade and often requires permits in most cities of North Dallas. Legacy Plumbing has followed up on many remodel situations where corners were cut with the plumbing. After a bathroom or kitchen was finished, the homeowner experienced leaks and drainage issues only to discover that plumbing needed redone.

Easily Update Your Shower/Tub Faucet

Most shower and tub faucets can be easily updated without cutting into the wall or tile. If the faucet was manufactured by a major company like Moen, Delta, Kohler, etc… then you can probably find trim kits with a variety of different styles that are made for that particular faucet (gold, bronze, black, chrome, and more)

The “trim” of the faucet are all those decorative parts you see that are attached to the plumbing in the wall (like the handle, shower head, shower arm, tub spout, and escutcheon plate). You can often change styles and finishes easily by purchasing a new, compatible trim kit from the manufacturer.

Replace the Shower Valve

If you are remodeling your bathtub or shower and have the enclosure or tile removed, there is no better time to replace the shower valve. The valve body is the hidden brass part of the faucet that is directly connected to the hot and cold water pipes in the wall. It may be tempting to simply update the trim kit, but if everything is already exposed, it makes sense to replace the entire valve body.

You can change the cheap house brand or builder grade with a quality faucet from a reputable manufacturer that will look good and work great for many years. All of this plumbing work will be hidden in the wall, so don’t cut corners. Hire a reputable, licensed plumbing company like Legacy to do this right.

Replace Shut Off Valves

When homeowners are replacing cabinets, faucets, and toilets they often don’t even think about the shut-off valves under the sink or behind the toilet. These valves enable you to shut the water off to just these fixtures instead of shutting off the water to the whole home.

Unfortunately, these valves are often very cheaply built with rubber parts. Sometimes they don’t shut off all the way. Sometimes they will shut off all the way but then start leaking when they are turned back on, or pieces of the deteriorated rubber washer will break off and clog up the new faucet or toilet fill valve.

There is no better time to replace these valves than when you are changing out the fixtures, so it is highly recommended to budget for this as well.

Properly Waterproof Showers

Walk-in showers are very popular right now, and there are many different products and methods for water-proofing before the tile is installed. Many people don’t realize that tile and grout are not waterproof on their own. The hidden waterproofing material is what makes the difference between a long-lasting shower and a water-damage insurance claim.

Unfortunately, it is common for us to be called out for leak diagnosis on a 1-year old shower because the shower pan liner was installed incorrectly. We see this issue more frequently when the shower features a built-in shower bench. This detail greatly increases the complexity of the waterproofing. Be sure to select a reputable tile/shower contractor who will stand behind their work.

Install Kitchen Sink Accessories

Another very common trend right now is upgrading the kitchen sink with accessories such as a reverse-osmosis water filtration system or instant hot water tap. There are many different brands out there. We see a lot of leaks, unfortunately, from some of the cheaper products on the market. Most of the reverse-osmosis systems are fully plumbed with push to connect fittings that are prone to leaking. Be discerning in your selection, and go with a reputable manufacturer.

If you have or are going to install some of these kitchen sink accessory fixtures, it is a good idea to place a kitchen cabinet pan underneath the sink and all of the plumbing. In this pan, you can install a water alarm or an automatic flood shut-off device that will alert you to a leak before it has a chance to cause damage. A slow leak under a kitchen sink can easily ruin the entire cabinet or even worse – travel underneath the cabinet and damage wood flooring!

Good Luck!

Hopefully, these tips will be helpful for you during the planning and execution of your remodel/update. If you have any specific questions, feel to reach out to us. In the meantime, we’re rooting for you and hope that the process goes smoothly and is headache-free!

How to Check for a Hot Water Slab Leak (Without Any Tools)

Posted on: January 6, 2021

Warning Signs of a Slab Leak

Do you suspect a slab leak? Maybe you’ve heard a quiet hissing sound coming from your faucets when they are turned off. Maybe there is a warm spot on the floor that you’ve noticed for the last couple of weeks. Whatever the reason, if you think that you have a slab leak, this article will give you a quick and easy way to test for a hot water slab leak without any tools. Read on!

A slab leak is a leak on one of the pressurized, copper water pipes that run underneath the concrete slab foundation. In Dallas, and Texas overall most homes built after 1960 feature a poured concrete slab foundation. Unfortunately leaks under a concrete slab foundation are more difficult and expensive to repair than other foundation types. Older homes in DFW could have a pier and beam foundation, this test can also be used and the repair is much more straight-forward.

If your home was built after 2010, there is a much higher likelihood of having plastic water lines called PEX which are run through the attic instead of the copper water lines under the slab. This would protect your home from a slab leak and provides easier access to plumbing.

Prerequisite of the Test

The only thing you need in order to perform this test is a working shut off valve on your water heater. If the water heater has an old gate valve (round-style handle) that hasn’t been operated in years, then there is a good chance it won’t work properly. If the water heater has a nice ball valve (lever-style handle), then this test will be easy.

The first thing you need to do is to make sure that none of the faucets are dripping. Check all of the sink faucets and tub/shower faucets to make sure they are turned off all the way and not leaking. Don’t worry about the toilets or outdoor faucets, because they only have cold water running to them. If you have any running or dripping faucets, fix those first before testing. Finally, make sure that everyone else in the house is aware that you are about to test the system. They should not turn on any faucets until you are done.

Performing the Test

Once you’ve verified everything is off and there are no leaks, go to your water heater. If there is a recirculation pump, make sure it is unplugged. Next, simply turn off the cold water supply valve on the water heater. (It will be to the top right of the water heater when you are facing it.) Make sure it is all the way off. Wait for about 2 minutes and quickly turn the valve back on. If you hear/feel water rushing through the valve as you turn it on, then you probably have a slab leak. If there is no sound, then you probably do not. You can repeat this test and wait longer than two minutes if the result was inconclusive.

Another very common symptom of a hot water slab leak is a hot spot or warm spot on the floor, so check for those around the house at the same time. You can use your hands or (even better) an infrared thermometer to narrow this down.

How This Test Works

By shutting off the valve and making sure all of the hot water fixtures are not leaking, you created a closed-system. If there are no leaks, the pressure will stay the same and there will be no flow through the valve when you turn it back on. If there is a leak, then over that 2-minute period the pressure will drop. Then when you turn the valve back on, water will noticeably flow through the valve to make up the water that was lost.

Think of it like heavy traffic at a stoplight. Have you ever been in traffic so bad that when the traffic light turns green you just have to sit there because there is no room for you to keep driving? The traffic light is the shut off valve. The road past it is the hot water piping system. As long as traffic is backed up by the accident, there is no traffic movement regardless of whether the light is red or green. If, however, one lane opens up and “leaks” the backed-up traffic, then when the light turns green again (valve open) there will be traffic movement.

In a normal system, there are no hot water pipes buried in the yard. So if one of the pipes is leaking, it will either be below the slab or inside the house. If it was inside the house, then you would probably have noticed water damage long before now. Using this reasoning, we can deduce that it is very likely one of the hot water pipes below the slab is leaking. Combine that with other evidence like a warm floor, high water bill, hissing sounds, etc… it is pretty conclusive.

The Cold Water System, Cross-Overs, and Other Considerations

By itself, this test is not fool-proof. It is possible to have a cross-connection between the hot and cold systems at another place (like a shower valve). If this situation exists, then just shutting off the cold water inlet valve at the water heater won’t completely isolate the hot system and the test probably won’t work.

This kind of tool-less test is possible on the cold water system, but it is much more complicated. Because you have water lines that run through the yard and others that serve the irrigation system, performing this test at the water meter (or even just watching the meter flow indicator) may indicate there is a leak somewhere, but it won’t narrow it down to a slab leak. (Read more about isolating the irrigation system here in this article.) If you have a good ball valve where the main water line enters the house, you can do this test on the cold system too, but be aware of false-positives such as slowly-running toilets, etc…

Next Steps on Fixing a Slab Leak

If you still think you have a slab leak and want to know more about repair possibilities, check out this article on the four different ways to repair a slab leak.

Also, please give us a call and talk to our master plumber. He will be able to step you through different scenarios and pricing for your particular situation over the phone.

At Legacy Plumbing, we specialize in slab leak repair. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Every house is different and your preferences matter. We have refined the different methods of slab leak repair and are experts at finding the best way to make the repair for you and your home.

How to Fix a Slab Leak: The Top Four Ways

Posted on: November 16, 2020

Do you have a high water bill? Do you hear a faint hissing sound like water running in the wall or underneath a cabinet? Do you have a warm spot on your floor? Is the ground near your foundation unusually saturated? All of these can be symptoms of a slab leak if you have a slab foundation. Specifically: a leak on the pressurized fresh water pipes that deliver water to all of the faucets in your house.

Most houses in the North Dallas, Mckinney/Frisco area (built before 2010) have copper water lines. If you have a concrete slab as the foundation of your house and if your house was plumbed with copper water lines, then those copper pipes run underneath the foundation. Finding and fixing these pipes when they develop a leak can be challenging because they are not easily accessible. This article goes through some of the different ways these leaks are resolved. The best solution for you will depend a lot on the way your house is constructed and where the leak is located.

… [Read More]

Which Kitchen Faucet Should I Buy?

Posted on: October 19, 2020

The kitchen faucet is the most frequently used plumbing fixture in the house. It is turned on and off many times through the course of an average day. It is also used by many different people. It is one of the most visible faucets in the home, being on display for anyone entering the kitchen area. It is also expected to perform very well from a functional standpoint. The many different tasks associated with preparing food and cleaning can be made easier with a quality kitchen faucet.

We get a lot of different questions from our clients in North Dallas about repairing or replacing the kitchen faucet. When should you buy a new faucet instead of repairing the one you have? What’s the best kitchen faucet brand? How can I make sure the faucet will fit my sink? What options are available for kitchen faucets? This article will answer those questions and help you make a good decision about your next faucet purchase.

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How to Winterize Outdoor Faucets

Posted on: October 8, 2020

Many people don’t realize that it can get really cold in Texas. The coldest temperature recorded in Dallas is -8 degrees Fahrenheit! In the North Texas area where we work, the temperatures can go from warm to freezing very quickly and stay that way for some time. As you can imagine, this poses a real risk to your plumbing.

Other parts of the country that are known for frigid Winters are better prepared to deal with these colder temperatures. Because Texas is so hot for much of the year, many people who are new to Texas don’t protect their plumbing and are caught unaware when it does get really cold.

One really common issue we deal with in our service area every year is outside hose faucets that are damaged by freezing temperatures. We call these Freeze Breaks. If you live in a North DFW city like Frisco or McKinney, read on! You’ll learn how these outdoor hose faucets work and how to prevent them from freezing in the Winter…. [Read More]