There are so many ways to enjoy a day in San Antonio, whether it’s walking around the Pearl, spending an afternoon on the Guadalupe River, seeing a new exhibit at the McNay, letting the kids burn off steam at the Hemisfair or carb loading at the Magnolia Pancake Haus.

No matter how you decide to spend your free time in San Antonio, there is one thing we can all agree on: the last thing you want to do is waste an afternoon, a day and even a weekend trapped inside trying to fix a plumbing problem. Unfortunately, plumbing problems tend to spring up at the worst times, including when your kids are in the car and you have packed the car for an all-day outing.

As locally based San Antonio plumbing experts, the licensed plumbers at ABC Home & Commercial Services have encountered nearly every plumbing malfunction and mishap you can imagine. … Read Full Post »

Many homes built after World War II, but prior to the 1960s, used galvanized steel pipes for indoor plumbing. Some galvanized plumbing was still being installed as late as the 1980s. Although there are benefits to using galvanized steel, your plumbing problems may be linked to these types of pipes. Learn more about why you may need to upgrade your home’s plumbing, how long galvanized pipes last, whether these pipes contain lead and how to determine which kind of plumbing you have.

What is Galvanized Plumbing?

Lead was once the most common metal used to make pipes to transport water. By 1900, over 70 percent of larger cities used lead-based pipes in municipal drinking water systems. After increased pressure to curb lead poisoning, builders began looking for an alternative to lead pipes. By the 1960s, galvanized steel had replaced lead as the building block of choice for plumbing. 

Steel pipes are galvanized when they … Read Full Post »

Have you ever walked into your bathroom to find a clogged toilet? If you have, we’re sure you’d prefer not to have to experience that again. If you haven’t, we hate to break it to you, but you probably will at some point. You’ll want to be ready to know what to do when you have to deal with a clogged toilet and which tools are best for the job. Two of the more common tools homeowners use for basic plumbing repairs are toilet augers and snakes.

Toilet Auger vs. Snake

When do you need a toilet auger and in what situations is a snake the right tool for the job? Read on to find out.

The Toilet Auger

One of the most common tools for unclogging a toilet is the toilet auger. Also known as a water closet auger or plumbing snake, this device is designed to move through the drain of the toilet … Read Full Post »

When thinking about pipes breaking, most people worry about their pipes freezing in the winter. But what about in the summer? Did you know that in San Antonio, your plumbing can burst in the middle of hot weather too?

When heat and drought return to San Antonio each summer, the ground dries and shrinks, causing our plumbing to shift. In previous years, extended drought conditions caused a spike in the number of pipe failures in Texas.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons your home’s pipes might break, and what you should do if you’re ever unlucky enough to have it happen to you.

Common causes of plumbing failure

Exposure to pressure  If something blocks up a pipe, whether it’s inside your house or in your outgoing sewer line, pressure will build up behind that clog. Common causes of clogged plumbing include pouring cooking grease down the drain and flushing paper towels … Read Full Post »