A customer recently had a little problem with a bathroom fixture. She filled a bath for her son and when she went to turn the water off, the tap handle just spun and the water continued to flow!
She did a few little things that helped a lot: she opened the drain to let the tub drain out. She knew where the shut off valves were for her bath, and although they were old and “sticky” she managed to mostly shut off the flow from both hot and cold water pipes.
When the faucet kept drizzling water, she even got a screwdriver and removed the fixture’s plate to peer inside at the mechanics. There was no obvious solution, and she decided not to disassemble her bathroom hardware any further. The situation was unresolved but stable, and she wisely kept it that way.
Then she called her Air Group service rep to describe the situation. We quickly dispatched a plumber to her house, and identified the culprit immediately – the cartridge valve in her shower faucet was completely worn out and needed replacement.
No biggie. A cartridge valve is a tiny little thing. But without it, the potential for costly water damage is very real.
Why do we tell this story? First, we’re glad that it ended well! Our customer stayed cool, knew how and where to shut off her bathroom’s water flow, called in the experts at the right time. Her son even got a bath that night!
But even this little problem could have been avoided. Our houses’ systems are made up of many parts, both big and small, with finite lifespans. They will – and do – wear out eventually.
Consider asking Air Group to survey your home’s plumbing systems, from your water main to your faucets, from your boiler through all of your heating pipes, BEFORE any part fails due to age.
We are always happy to discuss maintenance proactively, and will give you an accurate estimate of anticipated repairs and upgrades so that you can make improvements by choice and not under the stress of a little situation.