AFFORDABLE PLUMBING SERVICE IN Lynnwood, WA

What Are the Most Common Plumbing Issues in Lynnwood?

Plumbing issues come in all shapes and sizes. Plumbing systems are complicated, which means a huge variety of things can go wrong. Here in Lynnwood, however, some plumbing services are definitely more prevalent than others for residents in the area.

Corroded or Aging Pipes

Aging pipes can be a significant threat to the overall health of your plumbing system. Pipes don’t last forever and are designed to be replaced every few decades with fresh materials. Particularly in older homes and buildings that are common in Lynnwood, aging pipes can begin to corrode at weak points. This corrosion will inevitably give way to the constant pressure of water if left unaddressed, causing leaks and potentially harmful flooding.

Aging pipes can also be detrimental to the health of those in your household. Galvanized pipes past their prime can lose their protective coating and begin to corrode. As they do, they can contaminate water with harmful particles of rust and even lead. Water contaminated by these can be incredibly harmful or even fatal to those who consume it, so aging pipes should be addressed and replaced regularly.

Low Water Pressure

Low water pressure may develop from the buildup of scale from the particularly alkaline water we have here in Lynnwood, or from any number of other issues such as leaks, clogs, and inefficiencies within your pipe system. While occasionally low water pressure may be due to issues on the side of the City of Lynnwood, typically the problem arises from issues within your plumbing system that have developed slowly over time. The low water pressure coming from fixtures usually means that water pressure is building somewhere else in the system, so reduced water pressure may be a harbinger of more serious issues to come. Pressure buildup in your plumbing could result in cracks, leaks, and potentially plumbing, so it’s definitely imperative to get low water pressure issues diagnosed by our experts as soon as possible.

Fixture Replacements

The alkalinity of the water in Lynnwood can build up a stubborn, gross scale on fixtures. Over time this scale can grow in faucets and other fixtures so that it interferes with efficiency and normal function leading some Lynnwood residents to replace their fixtures regularly. Inefficient, older fixtures also use much more water than modern fixtures made with modern technology. New fixtures use significantly less water than their older precursors, while still accomplishing the same job. Low flow toilets, showers, and faucets can massively reduce water use. This makes it very worth it to invest in these more efficient solutions for folks in Lynnwood.

How Does the Water in Lynnwood Affect Your Plumbing?

Our water in Lynnwood Washington is sourced from Spada Lake in The Cascades. From there it flows to Chaplain Reservoir where it can be sent to our local water treatment facility and be distributed across the city to households and businesses. The water from The Cascades is incredibly pure mountain water. What little contaminants are contained in the high-altitude source are further reduced during treatment, resulting in incredibly pure water compared to other cities of comparable size.

Unlike other cities sourced from lake water, Lynnwood’s water is very soft. This means it contains fewer small particles of minerals that contribute to its total “hardness.” With an incredibly low hardness of only around 12 ppm in Lynwood’s water, residents here develop fewer problems over time with harmful buildup in plumbing as a result of hard water. At a pH of 7.6, however, our water is extremely alkaline. A higher pH can make water more corrosive to pipes long-term and can contribute to harmful scale buildup in pipes and on fixtures. While the City of Lynnwood adds soda ash during water treatment to reduce water pH, the high alkaline of our water can still contribute to plumbing problems over long time scales.

How Much Does Plumbing Usually Cost in Lynnwood?

Costs for plumbing services are typically well below the national average in Lynnwood. We regularly see costs for simple and routine repairs as low as $80-$160, but more complex repairs can be significantly more based on a number of factors. Some repairs can reach up to or over $800.

Cost Factor: Age of Building

Old buildings typically are hiding some plumbing problems under the hood. We’ve seen numerous older homes that thought their problem was a simple one, only to find that aging pipes and outdated materials in their plumbing have outlived their usefulness, drastically increasing the complexity and work required to complete a job. While our plumber works for you, they can’t ignore serious code hazards that won’t pass inspection. While surprises in old plumbing can raise costs, the problems were always there and needed to be fixed. If you live in an old home, expect that there are more plumbing issues than you realize and that plumbing repairs may be more costly until all the outdated and bad plumbing is overhauled and updated.

Cost Factor: Scale of Job

A larger job means more cost, but with plumbing, it’s not always as simple as just multiplying a single issue to determine cost. Complex jobs require a lot of planning, as every change to a plumbing system affects everything else in your plumbing. For large-scale jobs such as major remodels and entire plumbing overhauls, our plumbers will use all their expertise to get the job done right the first time, but that means extensive planning, testing, and care while working to ensure a sustainable and durable system for years in the future. All this planning can raise the time a job takes and with it the cost, but it is well worth it to get the job done right.

Cost Factor: Materials

Like most technicians and contractors, our plumbers will typically add material costs to your invoice to ensure that they aren’t paying out of pocket for costly components that they used to repair your plumbing system. Our plumbers usually will have the most common components and materials readily available to keep costs low, but when materials need to be specially ordered or imported, costs can rise.

Specialty solutions to plumbing may require specialty parts that are harder to find and more expensive, and these can add to the price of an invoice. Higher quality materials may be more expensive than budget ones as well, but these expenses are usually well worth it as it adds to the overall durability and efficiency of your plumbing system.

Can Better Plumbing Save You Money in Lynnwood?

Better plumbing saves money in the long run just like with any kind of construction in your home. Doing the job the right way the first time reduces the need to continually incur costs having to come back and readdress problems. As we already discussed, updating pipes and fixtures could both save money on your water bill and prevent costly maintenance in the future.

Plumbing problems usually get worse over time. Water under pressure is persistent and water running through your pipes will exploit any weakness in your plumbing system to cause further damage and potentially escape your pipes as leaks and floods. Ignoring problems will result in higher costs if the issues spread to other parts of your plumbing and create more problems. Getting problems resolved with better plumbing solutions prevents this costly escalation of problems and saves you money long-term.

When Should You Call the Water Utility Company in Lynnwood vs Hire a Plumber?

While The City of Lynnwood is responsible for plumbing problems that occur in public parts of the city grid, anything that happens on your home’s side of your connection to the water main is your responsibility to deal with. A quick check with the water utility if you have low pressure or no water can reveal whether a problem is affecting other neighbors and is thus the city’s problem, or if it is unique to your home. If you’re still unsure that the problem is on your side, utility workers can test the city’s water supply’s pressure to your home to verify that you are getting supplied with water. Beyond that, the water utility will not be able to help with problems inside your own plumbing.

While calling the water utility to double-check that water is still flowing to your house can be a good step in diligent plumbing problem diagnosis, there are sometimes you should immediately consult with one of our plumbers in Lynnwood. If you discover a leak within your home, call us for immediate help. Leaks can spiral out of control and result in bigger leaks and eventually flooding. Even if it’s just a drip now, the water that is already punctured through a pipe will inevitably exacerbate the problem over time. Immediate action from our qualified plumbers prevents the risk of problems getting much, much worse.

When Do You Need Permits for Plumbing Service in Lynnwood?

Lynnwood follows the 2018 Washington State Building Code, which mandates that any plumbing work that requires the addition of or replacement of components requires a permit. You won’t need to get permits for routine repairs on things like clogs or small leaks, but anytime that fixtures or plumbing components are removed or added to your system will require a permit, even if it’s just one pipe or a single fitting.

Certified plumbers like us are required to be knowledgeable about the best solutions for plumbing systems, including how to navigate the red tape of compliance. Our plumber will be able to talk you through exactly what you need to do to ensure that your plumbing repairs are fully compliant with the city and state.