Ask Pete

Ask Pete: What Is The Right Water Heater Capacity For My Home?

Posted on by Phend Plumbing

The Question: What Is The Right Water Heater Capacity For My Home?

As a homeowner, recognizing when it’s time to replace your water heater is crucial for maintaining comfort and energy efficiency. Signs that a new water heater is needed include age (typically 10-15 years), frequent repairs, higher energy bills, inconsistent water temperatures, or a leaky tank. Upgrading to a modern, energy-efficient unit can save on utility costs and provide a more reliable hot water supply, ensuring your home remains comfortable and environmentally friendly. Continue reading →

Ask Pete: Can A Cracked Toilet Tank Be Repaired?

Posted on by Phend Plumbing

Have a crack in your toilet tank? Depending on the size and severity of the damage, fixing it can be an easy repair. The most important thing to do is get a professional to do the repair for you. That way, you can guarantee that it’s properly fixed and won’t have any more problems.

Can A Cracked Toilet Tank Be Repaired?

The good news is that a cracked toilet tank can be repaired. The bad news is that a repair is only possible if the crack is small. A hairline crack in your toilet tank is a reasonably quick repair. In this situation, the best thing to do is call a professional to fix the crack. They’ll be able to properly seal the crack without causing any further damage. Unfortunately, if your tank has a large crack, you’ll probably have to replace it and might even have to replace the entire toilet. 

Why Would a Toilet Tank Crack?

A toilet tank can crack for many reasons. Here are a few of the most common ways a toilet tank would crack: 

  • An old or aging toilet tank.
  • Dropping something on the tank. 
  • Over tightening a bolt on the tank.
  • Dropping the lid of the tank on the toilet. 

If any of these things have caused a crack in your toilet’s tank, there’s no need to worry. Fixing it can be as easy as calling your plumber. 

Is it Common for Toilet Tanks to Crack?

It’s normal for toilet tanks to crack, especially if your toilet is old or has had an accident. People drop toilet tank lids or cause other hard impacts on toilet tanks all the time. So, you shouldn’t worry that something is off if your toilet tank breaks because of impact or age.  However, it’s not common for toilet tanks to crack if they are new and haven’t had any accidents.  

Can You Use Epoxy on a Cracked Toilet?

If your toilet has a small hairline crack, a professional will use epoxy to seal the crack. Epoxy is a compound mixture of chemicals that creates a polymer. It’s commonly used as a protective covering, crack filler, and adhesive. 

Can You Just Buy a Tank for a Toilet?

If your toilet tank has a large crack, replacing it by buying a new one is an easy fix. But, if you decide to do this, you must make sure that your new tank matches the toilet manufacturer and model of your current toilet. If you don’t, the toilet won’t work correctly. Because it can be difficult to find the perfect match, many people just end up replacing their whole toilet. 

Got a Cracked Toilet? Talk to One of Our Professionals 

Phend Plumbing is your local plumbing specialist in the Phoenix Valley area. With offices in Mesa-Phoenix and Gilbert, Arizona, our family-owned business has years of experience helping homeowners and businesses with all their plumbing needs. We offer up-front pricing and fast, professional work. Give us a call at 480-388-6093 or contact us online to get a free estimate on your next plumbing project today.

Ask Pete: Why Are My Pipes Knocking When I Flush The Toilet?

Posted on by Phend Plumbing

If you hear a knocking sound every time you flush the toilet, you might feel concerned about a possible plumbing issue. This noise, also called a “water hammer,” often sounds like someone is knocking on the walls of your home every time a person flushes the toilet. It might seem like this is a huge plumbing issue that needs immediate professional help. But, lucky for you, a “water hammer” is usually a simple fix that can and should be done quickly.  Continue reading →

Ask Pete: What can I put in my garbage disposal?

Posted on by Peter Phend

We’ve all had that moment where we pause and even panic a little after depositing some item down the drain. Uh oh, can that go down the disposal? We don’t need to worry anymore because Pete has all the answers to “What can I put in my garbage disposal”

Pete reminds us that the purpose of the garbage disposal is to grind down food scraps into tiny bits so that they don’t clog the drain.  Continue reading →

Ask Pete: What Is An RO System?

Posted on by Phend Plumbing

Today’s “Ask Pete” is all about Reverse Osmosis Systems. Let’s check in and see what Pete has to say about this intriguing home system.

Pete, what is an RO System? 

First of all, the RO system stands for Reverse Osmosis System which is a household appliance that filters your household water so you can have purified, ready-to-drink water straight from your tap.  Continue reading →

Ask Pete: Why Is My Water Bill So High?

Posted on by Phend Plumbing

Homeowners like to stay on top of typical home expenses and are very alert to sudden surges in expenses that can hurt our budgets. All of us here in Arizona are aware of the surge in Air Conditioning costs in the summer (unless you are on the year-round plan) but why would your water bill suddenly increase? And what can you do about it? Let’s go to the expert and Ask Pete: Continue reading →

Ask Pete: How Do You Unclog A Toilet?

Posted on by Phend Plumbing

A clogged toilet can be a total nightmare. If you have ever seen it, you know there aren’t many things as terrifying as the moment you realize your toilet is clogging. You flush the toilet but then, nothing! You lift the cover to find It swirls strangely and then, perhaps you notice the water level is rising and rising. Nobody wants to deal with a clogged toilet, so we want to arm you with useful information to deal with it. In today’s “Ask Pete” we will find out how you unclog a toilet.

Let’s ask Pete!

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