American Pump and Drilling Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

FAQ: Everything to Learn About Backflow

Monday, May 22nd, 2023

Backflow might not be the topic you had in mind to learn about on a beautiful spring morning. But for many homeowners that are taking part in some home improvement projects, or for people who want to learn exactly how their home plumbing system works, it’s a vital topic.

It’s kind of impossible to talk about plumbing without discussing backflow. It’s essentially exactly what the name implies—when wastewater flows backward into your pipes causing contamination, unsafe conditions, and even destruction. It’s a nasty thing to have happen, which is why there are tools, systems, and even services specifically designed for backflow prevention in Shelton, WA.

This blog will highlight some of the questions that customers often have about backflow and plumbing in general. Hopefully, with these answers, you’ll be in a better spot to prevent your home from encountering a backflow issue.

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What Is in Unfiltered Water?

Monday, April 10th, 2023

Water is one of the most abundant substances on the planet. But when we talk about water, we’re usually talking about clean, fresh water that we can easily use to bathe or drink. This, ironically enough, is not the most common way that water is found. If you’ll remember from your earth sciences class years ago, the most abundant form of water on the planet is salt water. All of the other types of water that are found usually have substances dissolved in them that can be harmful or detrimental to people.

Most water sources are treated for basic contaminants, but we think it’s important for homeowners to uncover what those contaminants might be. And for a few of our customers who are using well water and purchasing their own reverse osmosis systems in Rainier, WA for purification, this blog post can enlighten them as to what is being filtered out.

So, what is in your water before it gets treated? Let’s take a look!

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Every Well Pump Requires a Well Pump Controller!

Monday, January 30th, 2023

The more you do your research into plumbing equipment, the more confusing everything gets, right? It’s not by design: real plumbing work is more like a science than a business. In order to fully bring water to your home, you’ll need both a well pump, several other components, and a pump control box that is in charge of the speed and output of the water that’s stored in your pump.

Today, we’d like to talk a bit about how a well pump works and why you might want to call our team for specialized service. This is way more complicated than just digging a well in the old days. If you want enough water to run when you turn on the faucet or shower in your home, then you’re going to want a high-tech system that can easily measure the output and ability of your well pump. With us, your well pump controller in Olympia, WA will be in great shape for the future.

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Ice, Snow, and Sump Pump Services

Monday, January 2nd, 2023

The winter is in full swing and even if it doesn’t feel like it, we’re about to get a lot of ice and snow. That might be a bummer for some folks, but for many of us, that’s the way we like our wintertime! You can take the kids out to the park to enjoy some time building snow people, bake some cookies, and enjoy a warm cup of cocoa near the fire. It’s the coziest time of year!

However, with that ice and snow comes issues when we do experience one of the warmer days of the year. You can probably remember a 60-degree winter day in recent years, where all of the snow and ice that just accumulated melts and turns into water in what seems like a blink of an eye. All of a sudden, the installation and servicing of a sump pump in Olympia, WA sounds like an important thing to invest in, right?

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3 Essential Tips for Your Next Yard Project

Monday, December 5th, 2022

So, you’ve decided that come next spring you’re finally going to build that deck, garden, or fence you’ve always dreamed of. More power to you! DIY lawn projects are some of the most enticing things about living on property that you own. Essentially, the world is what you make it, and we commend anyone willing to learn about these kinds of projects and execute them with precision.

However, as your local plumber and water-source experts, we need to talk about a few issues that people run into with this kind of work. If you’re not careful, you could rupture your main water line, burst a hole in your sewer, and even strike an electrical line. There are a few things that you should always do before you start this kind of work, and as always, call our team for plumbing services in Olympia, WA. We do everything by the book!

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Could You Use a Sump Pump?

Monday, November 7th, 2022

Sump pumps are powerful tools that help protect our homes from an influx of floodwaters. If your home has a deep basement, which many homes do, then you could be at risk for a basement flood which can be a problem for many reasons. So, why are we talking about this today?

The most important reason to mention sump pumps is to help homeowners understand what they’re for. If you’ve ever encountered a flooded basement or a sudden wash of rain that threatens to flood a section of your home, then you might need a sump pump installation in Olympia, WA.

The second reason we want to talk about this subject is simple—temperatures are cooling as winter quickly approaches. Snow will fall, ice will coagulate, and you might see a few warm days when all of the snow begins to melt. This can easily flood areas like a basement if you’re not protected by a sump pump.

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The Benefits of a Water Softener

Monday, October 24th, 2022

Have you wondered about the quality of your water? While you might know that it’s safe (especially if it comes from a public water utility), it still might not be great for your home appliances, your plumbing, and your personal health. Hard water can be a problem, especially for those of us up north, and it’s easily fixable with a water softener.

Today, we’re going to cover all of the basics behind hard water and how a water softener in Olympia, WA can help. If, after this blog post, you think that a water softener might be a great addition to your home, then we recommend calling our team and scheduling an appointment as soon as possible.

Water softeners are appliances that aren’t as widely used as water purifiers or filters, but they’re incredibly helpful for customers who need to eliminate excess minerals from their water supply.

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Why You Should Decommission Your Well

Monday, October 10th, 2022

In Washington State, it’s illegal to abandon a well on your property without it being properly decommissioned. There are plenty of reasons for this, but some might impact homeowners more than others. Just because you might get fined or sued for having an abandoned well on your property doesn’t mean that’s the only reason to have it properly decommissioned. There are some other reasons that we’ll get into today.

The truth is that well-decommissioning services are designed to cap the well so that it doesn’t rise to the surface or contaminate other sources of groundwater. The water in the abandoned well isn’t being drawn, used, or tested anymore, so it’s hard to monitor how it changes over time. The only way we can return it to its natural state is to decommission it and set it up so it can’t bother anyone.

Here are three good reasons to decommission a well in Olympia, WA.

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Watch Out for Summer Plumbing Leaks

Monday, August 1st, 2022

We all use more water during the summer months. Whether we’re watering the lawn, washing the car, or filling up the kiddie pool, it’s important to be aware of potential plumbing leaks. 

Outdoor water-using appliances are more likely to leak or waste water, and a small leak can quickly turn into a big problem. Let’s take a look at some of the ways a plumbing leak can impact your home and what you can do to prevent them.

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