AFFORDABLE PLUMBING SERVICE IN Brick, NJ

What Are the Most Common Plumbing Issues in Brick?

Brick Township is a modern community on the New Jersey coast. Our diverse population has experienced the full array of plumbing issues in one form or another throughout our long history, but there are certainly some problems that we see much more commonly in Brick than others.

• Clogged or slow drains
• Leaking faucets and toilets
• Aging or corroded pipes
• Low water pressure
• Scale buildup on fixtures and valves
• Running toilets

How Does the Water in Brick Affect Your Plumbing?

Our water here in Brick is fairly hard, owing to the heavy mineral content in the Metedeconk River that Brick Reservoir draws its supply from. Though the Brick Township Municipal Utilities Authority ensures that harmful contaminants are removed from water during the treatment process, trace particles of minerals can be difficult to remove. These minerals are harmless to consumers, but over time can cause long-term damage to pipes and fixtures.

Water hardness is a way of measuring the total mineral content in water, and at a hardness of around 90 ppm, Brick’s water is considered moderately hard. Though there are certain cities with harder water out there, Brick’s water will still cause some damage to plumbing systems over time. The minerals in our water will slowclealy accumulate in pipes, which can cause them to become clogged or damaged. This can eventually lead to leaks and cracks as pressure builds up in the restricted areas. Hard water also leaves stubborn scale buildup on fixtures and around valves and spigots that accumulates as sandy grit. This can be tough to remove, and can eventually damage the functionality of your plumbing.

How Much Does Plumbing Usually Cost in Brick?

Plumbing costs in Brick, NJ tend to mirror the national averages for similar plumbing services. This means that routine repairs like clog removal or fixes to leaking pipes may be as affordable as $120 to $200, but there are a few factors that could raise the cost of plumbing work here in Brick.

Materials

Due to our location on the East Coast with easy access to large population centers and manufacturing hubs, plumbing components, and materials shouldn’t cost overly much here. Plumbers, like other contractors, will often add the cost of materials to your invoice though, to ensure that we don’t end up paying for components that we use to fix your plumbing system. Even with the affordable materials around here, specialized or custom components may raise the cost of plumbing work if something beyond common components is needed to perform the repairs you need.

Complexity

Plumbing systems can be incredibly complicated and sophisticated designs. Larger jobs will carry a higher cost than smaller-scale services, but this can be compounded by the amount of planning that must go into major alterations to plumbing. Large jobs like full remodels will take extensive design to make sure that the entire system will work together and those new solutions won’t present new problems even as they solve old ones. Expert plumbers have all the knowledge and experience necessary to design and plan effective solutions for plumbing systems, but for large jobs, it does take some extra time.

Age of Building

Brick Township is an old community dating back to the mid 19th century. This means that many people here live in older buildings. While these historical buildings may have a quaint charm that helps make our community special and unique, they are often hiding severe problems that have been neglected for far too long in their plumbing.

Pipes and other plumbing components aren’t designed to last forever. Even the most durable materials used in plumbing should be replaced every three to five decades at most. As pipes get past their prime, their protective coating will begin to slowly break down. This leaves them vulnerable to corrosion that could create weak points in your plumbing that create a huge risk of rupture and the inevitable flooding that follows it. These corroded pipes can also potential shed harmful and toxic materials like rust and lead into your water, which can be detrimental to health even in small amounts.

When a plumber comes to work on an issue, we can’t very well ignore serious issues like this that we discover. Not only will certified plumbers be obligated to fix these code violations, but the dangers of deteriorating plumbing that is long past when it should’ve been replaced is just too great to leave for a later repair. Unexpected issues that old buildings reveal may raise costs, but they are always worth it to fix to avoid much greater costs and potentially health problems down the line.

Can Better Plumbing Save You Money in Brick?

Investing in better plumbing solutions no matter where you live increases the reliability of one of the most important systems in your house, and it’s no different in Brick. Upgrading and improving your plumbing in any way will likely pay off in reduced maintenance costs and reliability over time, but there are a few ways in particular that folks around here save money with better plumbing.

Water Softening Systems

With fairly hard water in Brick, your pipes and fixtures will slowly suffer from the increased mineral content flowing through your plumbing. Over time, hard water can cause a lot of extra expenses for repairs, and that’s even if your plumbing’s deterioration doesn’t cause costly emergencies like flooding. A water softening system saves all this expense, which is why so many here consider this an easy choice for a near mandatory upgrade to plumbing systems.

Replacing Old and Inefficient Fixtures and Appliances

Old fixtures often waste a lot of water, and for important and complicated ones like water heaters, they can also be less and less energy efficient as they age. Modern technologies can do much more with less water and energy more easily. New, lower flow faucets, toilets, and showers can not only function more reliably and look much better, but can also provide the same (or more) utility as old fixtures with often less than half the water used. Upgrading these fixtures can bring those utility bills down, which will pay back any cost of the upgrades over time.

Replacing Aging Pipes

Pipes and other plumbing components aren’t designed to have an unlimited lifespan. Though most plumbing components are intended to maintain their quality level for anywhere from 2-5 decades, depending on the material. Letting pipes outlive their recommended age can be extremely risky. As the protective coating degrades around pipes, they can begin to corrode. As this happens, it will weaken pipes that can eventually give way to the pressurized water inside. Leaks and ruptured pipes lead to one of the most potentially costly of all home disasters– flooding.

As pipes age and corrode, they can also release toxic chemicals like lead or rust into water. This can be a serious hazard for anyone drinking the water and should be avoided at all costs. Even small amounts of lead can have terrible health consequences, which makes it even more imperative to update plumbing components before they have problems, rather than in reaction to those problems.

When Should You Call the Water Utility Company in Brick Vs Hire a Plumber?

When you have plumbing problems, it’s important to understand that a utility company can’t help with issues that occur after your connection to their water main. The city utility will, however, be able to inform you if any problems are interrupting water service on their water grid, and if so how long they’ll likely take to fix them. If you suddenly have reduced pressure in your entire home, the utility company can also come to test the pressure of your connection to ensure that they are supplying you with the right amount of water from the city infrastructure.

If any problem occurs on your side of the water main, it’s going to be your responsibility to fix it, however. The city’s responsibility is simply to supply water to your lines at correct, consistent levels. When the problem is in your plumbing, it’s important to contact us about the issue right away. Small issues escalate quickly in pressurized pipes, and small leaks will always grow into larger leaks over time. Even simple clogs build up pressure behind them that will eventually exploit weaknesses in your plumbing to escape as leaks and bursts. Failure to deal with these issues quickly could lead to serious damage to your plumbing system, or worse, flooding that causes costly damage to your home.

When Do You Need Permits for Plumbing Service in Brick?

Brick Township enforces the New Jersey Uniform Construction Code, just as the rest of the state does. Under these regulations, any plumbing work that replaces, adds, or removes materials or components from a plumbing system will require a permit. Small services like quick pipe repairs or investigating a routine clog will likely not require a permit, but anything that requires extra parts will. Everything from replacing a single pipe to a major rebuild of an entire plumbing system will require a detailed plan for work to be submitted for a permit and eventual inspection of the finished work. Permits can be applied for through the Brick Township Building Department.