Repair your own plumbing: top 3 things to consider.

by Aquality | Jul 8, 2020 | Tips, General

Learn How To Solve Plumbing Problems:

How can I fix my plumbing?

Living in Calgary, whether you are in Rocky Ridge, Lake Bonavista, or Aspen, occasionally we all feel the pressure to fix something on our own. How many times have you tried to fix a toilet, check on your hot water tank, repair a faucet or install a plumbing fixture? Fixing residential or commercial broken plumbing issues can be very rewarding. If you are a DIY type of person, keep reading!

Honestly, one of the reasons I became a plumber was the pure satisfaction of having a problem, making a plan, and then taking action to resolve it. When I tested my work and saw the result of something that was broken and that I had turned into being fully operational, it provided my soul with total gratification.

You may not realize it, but I have already given you the keys on how to solve your own plumbing problems (reread above paragraph), BUT there are a couple variables that tend to make your confidence shake.

3 Reasons People Hesitate to Do Their Own Plumbing

The top 3 reasons people hesitate are because (1) they are afraid of flooding their property and making something worse, and (2) they do not have the right plumbing or heating (gasfitting) tools and/or (3) they are missing the correct parts to do the plumbing repairs themselves.

How can you overcome these big issues?

If you are feeling confident and want to tackle fixing your shower, water softener, toilet, garburator, pipes, or any of the many plumbing elements that are in your home or business, then read on.

Educating yourself online prior to starting can be very helpful, especially through video instructions that take you step by step through the process. Youtube is full of people who will have tips and how-to videos on how to do a large variety of tasks such as change your kitchen faucet, replace your garburator, install a water softener, repair a plugged toilet, tighten a showerhead or simply turn off your shut off valve. Watch a few videos and find one that seems to match your problem in your home. Be careful though, not all video tutorials will be correct or match your exact plumbing / heating situation. Although not every scenario is exactly the same and variables may come up, this has been the easiest way to make sure you are on the right track to success. With a good how-to video, caution and confidence (plus the right tools and parts), most people can remedy various plumbing problems that arise in their home or office.

Covid 19 impacts

Since COVID-19, things have changed and adaptation has become so important for people and businesses. As part of our initiative to reduce person-to-person contact, at Aquality Plumbing & Heating we adapted something that we have done for years with our Realtor clients, and we are now utilizing Facetime and Zoom with all our customers in Calgary, Airdrie, Cochrane, and Chestermere. We use these platforms to help Do-it-Yourselfers stay on the right track with plumbing or heating repairs, or to receive a quote on work they are looking to have done by our team. Imagine a private interactive session with a Calgary plumber looking at your home or business, and advising how you can get it done on your own. And it’s FREE! I feel this has become the best way to get the information you need to get your repair or renovation moving.

Sometimes it is too much without a Professional’s help

If you try to solve an issue on your own, but run into one of the top 3 issues listed above (worried about making the situation worse, lacking tools or missing parts) then you may need help. There could just be too many steps that overwhelm you and the value in having a professional deal with the issue, is probably the right move. It could also be that gasfitting is involved and the safety and insurance risks of working on gas as a homeowner or business owner are way too high. That is why you cannot pull a gas permit within Calgary on your own – it has to be done by a licensed gasfitting contractor.

We are here to help with plumbing and heating repairs, installations and problems. Many times, we have assisted Calgarians with resolving their own plumbing issues. That is our ultimate goal, if that is what your goal is. You see at Aquality, our vision is to be the trusted plumbing and heating expert by building honest relationships. We feel this is a great way to start your relationship with us.

unnamed Repair your own plumbing: top 3 things to consider.

Why You Should Have A Water Softener In Your Home

by Aquality | Sep 18, 2018 | DEALS, General, Tips

Calgary, do you really need a water softener?

Well, when it comes to safety, the answer in our opinion is no. BUT, for many other health and proactive reasons, it is a definite YES! Confused? Let us explain by some facts:

Hard Water makes many people’s skin irritated and dry.
Hard Water leaves deposits in piping.
Hard Water scales on fixture surfaces.
Hard Water plugs fixtures and appliances.
Hard Water leaves a white film on glass.

And it is a resounding fact that Calgary indeed has hard water. How do we know this? It is easy to determine with a simple test. Even our amazing City posts the results for the public on their website. Some of you may not know that it is different for North Calgary then South. Either way, you have hard water with the Northside slightly less than in the South. What is also interesting is looking at the times of year the water is harder than others. Each year we see spikes for approximately 4 months through our winter season.

NORTH CALGARY

Bearspaw Treatment Plant Effluent Water Hardness (mg CaCO3) for 2017

Month	mg/L CaCO 3	grains/gallon
January	195	13.6
February	192	13.4
March	187	13.1
April	176	12.3
May	172	12.1
June	142	9.9
July	143	10.0
August	155	10.8
September	155	10.8
October	161	11.3
November	173	12.1
December	178	12.5
Average	169.0	11.8

SOUTH CALGARY

Glenmore Treatment Plant Effluent Water Hardness (mg CaCO3) for 2017

Month	mg/L CaCO 3	grains/gallon
January	252	17.6
February	253	17.7
March	246	17.2
April	198	13.8
May	201	14.1
June	182	12.7
July	192	13.4
August	187	13.1
September	189	13.2
October	203	14.2
November	221	15.5
December	243	17.0
Average	214	15.0

So now that you know the facts, how can improve your situation by protecting your home and your skin all at the same time. As a bonus you will use less soap to do dishes, in your washing machine, and be protecting expensive appliances and your water heater. Did you know if you have a tankless water heater you are voiding the manufacturer’s warranty if you do not have a hardness level below their stated levels (Yup, Calgary is way above those levels).

Installing a true water softener is the key to ensure you are getting the soft water you want. There are alternative’s and unfortunately most do not hold up to expectation. If you do want an alternative we suggest a unit utilizing a time-release citrus filter. This will limit scale but will not be effective in turning water from hard to soft. The reason a water softener is able to do this magic trick is because it is performing a true ion exchange. Water Softener’s, that use salt, exchange calcium and magnesium (which makes the water hard) for sodium ions. And voila! You have soft water. It is able to do this repeated times through a regeneration of its resin bed.

Our units are High Efficient and use almost no more electricity than a plug in clock. They also last a long time! The cabinet and tank are even a Lifetime Warranty. With it’s upflow design it has by far the most efficient regeneration on the market, as well as a cool municipal feature which creates less regeneration required. It even recognizes if you left town and have not been using it, so again no regeneration is need, but will keep fluid in the brine to ensure bridging and other common issues do not occur with your unit.

So, now you have the details and facts and you may decide you are just fine without a water softener. And hey, that is totally cool with us. BUT, if you realize there is a better life for your skin and home just around the corner, give us a call at 403-205-2782 or reach out at aqualityplumber.com. We would be happy to discuss this further.

By the way, if you made it to here, you get the best part. At the Calgary Fall Home Show, we have a Super Special on for $500 off our regular pricing. Just come by our booth, #441, and say Hi and we can book you in right there. And don’t forget to fill out a draw card too as someone is going to win a free unit installed valued at $1795.00! This is by far the best price we have ever done for these units, and we pulled favors to make this possible, so take advantage.

How to fix a water leak in my home

by Aquality | Dec 28, 2017 | Tips

What if you could tell you had a small leak in your home as soon as it started, before it becomes a huge wet mess that requires you to replace carpet, drywall, personal belongings and more?

Lots of items in our homes can leak and eventually cause water damage or even result in mold growing inside our home. Leaks happen while we are home and while we are away. Tiny drips of water can come from a dishwasher, washing machine, hot water heater, water softener and more and can lead to a large leak.

When clients call us after they’ve had a water leaker in their home, we always help them out by repairing or replacing the cause of the water damage but we also aim to discover what could have been done to prevent this unwanted water leak.

A Solution:

One solution is to install something like the Honeywell Lyric Water and Freeze Detector, which we think is a must-have for every single homeowner. It is easy to use, high tech and will potentially save you thousands of dollars of home repair when it detects water leaks as small drips. It will then alert you on your phone before it becomes a big water disaster.

The Lyric Water and Freeze Detector comes with a 4 foot cord that can be placed in smart locations such as under a hot water tank, near your washing machine and even along your basement’s foundational walls. It detects water drops and sends an alert to your smart phone right away so you can jump on the issue while it is still small. It works when you are home or not home, day and night. The system uses your home’s wireless wifi network.

Be smart and get on top of potential home damage. As my grandfather used to say, “Spend a little now, or spend a lot later!”. If you need help installing the device, we can help. In fact, with our professional installation, you will receive a 5-year warranty through Honeywell that is not available if you self-install.

Click here to watch the Honeywell Lyric Water and Freeze Detector.

HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT!

by Aquality | Jan 18, 2017 | General

Aquality Plumbing hopes everyone had an amazing holiday season and will have an incredible New Year!

We launched a campaign to assist locally to someone in need at a time that can be tough.

The winner received a brand new Hot Water Heater, and a new toilet for her washroom. We included labour, material, and the fixtures at no cost. Never forget doing something for someone else tends to get others to do the same… and with that a huge thank you to Giant Factory Manufacturers who supplied the water heater and Gerber for providing the toilet. We were not expecting to have so much support from two amazing manufactures but when they heard what we were doing, they were on board right away.

Congratualations to Flo Shustack our 2017 winner!

A major influence in her community for so many years and couldn’t have found a better recipient!

We are proud to have given something back to someone who has given so much!