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How to Prevent Plumbing Failures This Winter

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Plumbing failures are definitely not fun. We depend on our toilets, showers, kitchen sinks, and laundry so much every day, but we tend to take them for granted. It’s complete havoc if they stop working, but it’s probably even more catastrophic if the plumbing in a home ruptures or breaks completely. (Parts of your home are generally made out of materials like wood and paper, and contact with water can lead to mold or other serious issues.) Now that winter is coming up, here are a few easy things you can do to make sure your home is prepared.

An Ounce of Prevention

We see outside hose connections that have frozen and burst more frequently than any other kind of plumbing failure during the wintertime. Generally speaking, what happens is people leave their hoses hooked up to the hose bib. Any water in the hose bib will freeze and expand, causing it to burst. Of course, you can prevent this from ever happening by simply disconnecting the hose. But someone might decide to use the water hose on a day when it’s not very cold (maybe to wash the car). A couple of days later, freezing temperatures come and you realize that the hose is still connected. Just try to be extra diligent throughout the winter to keep those hoses unhooked, because it’s an easy way to prevent major damage. (If you just have a hose bib, you’ll also need to find its shutoff valve and turn it off. For frost-free wall hydrants, on the other hand, you can generally just disconnect the hose.)

Winterize

Some homes have plumbing like an outdoor kitchen or outdoor shower. Maybe it’s a dock down at the lake with freshwater. These fixtures need to be properly winterized—just turning the water off isn’t good enough. The pipe can burst if it hasn’t been drained completely. (Air is sometimes used to blow any water out of the faucet.) Ice makers, refrigerators, or other similar appliances might also be on the outside patio. They need to be blown out so that they don’t freeze.

Close off the Airflow

One area that easily gets skipped over is the crawlspace. When a weeklong cold spell arrives with below-freezing weather and wind, it’s very common for all the plumbing inside a crawlspace to get frozen solid. You can prevent that by simply making sure the crawlspace door and vents are all shut securely. Heat from the house will be able to keep the space conditioned enough that the plumbing won’t freeze.

Check You Insulation

In more rural communities we regularly see wellheads, well houses, and well pits where the insulation was wet, unmaintained, or removed during the summer while maintenance was being performed. You’ll need to check the insulation in all of these areas to make sure it’s properly installed and doing its job.

Don’t Forget the HVAC

People with lake houses often turn the heat down low enough to still keep the space conditioned. In that case, it might be a good idea to make sure the HVAC system is working properly. Otherwise, we do offer a winterization service that’s only a call away. If you have any questions about preparing your home for the upcoming winter, contact us today or give us a call at

540-483-9382.

 

 

 

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There are times when you need to call a plumber and discuss what’s wrong with your plumbing.  That discussion may include terms specific to the plumbing trade and those terms can be confusing if you have never heard them before. The trades use very technical language, and plumbing in particular has a lot of weird names for things. Here are some of the most common terms that you might not already know.

 

Stop valve – You’ll find these under the cabinets or under the toilet. Right where water comes out of the wall or floor, there’s a little valve you can use to turn the water on or off before it gets to the fixture. Anytime someone mentions a ‘stop’, ‘stop valve’, ‘emergency shutoff valve’, or ‘emergency stop’, they are referring to this shutoff valve located right at the fixture.

 

P-trap – This is generally found underneath the sink (kitchen sink, bathroom sink, etc.). It’s the funny looking pipe segment right under the drain. Plumbers will say something like, “I need to take the p-trap off to get the object that got stuck in there.” It gets its name because it looks like a P if you take it apart and stand it up on its end. The p-trap’s job is to hold water in order to prevent sewer gas from coming back into your home.

 

Drain cleaning – This is a term that’s frequently taken for granted. Drain cleaning is not simply unstopping a drain. If you have a stopped-up drain, yes, putting a cable down will unstop it. However, as the name indicates, drain cleaning is where the pipe or drain is actually cleaned. This can be done with a cable or with high-pressure jetting. Remember, when a plumber references drain cleaning, they’re actually referring to something other than just unstopping the drain.

 

Ball valve – A ball valve is generally a shutoff valve. It has a lever, and is frequently found where the main water comes into your home. When someone refers to the ball valve, they may be talking about that main water shutoff—but not necessarily.

 

Gate valve – You can differentiate a gate valve from a ball valve by checking whether it uses a lever or a round handle. A ball valve uses a lever, whereas a gate valve will have a round handle.

 

Fill valve – A fill valve is a component in the back of the toilet tank. The water connects to it, and it’s what fills up the toilet tank so you can flush it.

 

Flapper – Most people probably know what a flapper is, but there are some who don’t. A flapper is a component located in the back of the toilet tank. When you push down on the toilet handle, the flapper lifts up to allow water to flush the toilet. Sometimes you’ll hear a plumber say, “The flapper is leaking,” or “The flapper went bad.” That means the rubber component in the toilet tank needs to be replaced.

 

Wall hydrant, hose bib – These devices are located on the outside of your home (generally speaking), where a hose is attached. A wall hydrant is different from a hose bib, because wall hydrants are designed to be frost-free or freezeproof. In other words, they don’t need to be winterized. Wall hydrants go into the home and the water is shut off, preventing ice that would cause the pipe to burst. Hose bibs are much simpler devices that do need to be winterized.

 

Supply line – A supply line is the water tube that goes from the stop valve at a fixture up to the actual faucet, toilet, or even washing machine. (The lines that go to washing machines are often just called washer hoses.)

 

Cleanout – This is basically an access point to your drains. Sometimes you might see a plug or cap that can be unscrewed somewhere in your basement, or maybe a crawlspace under your sink. The cleanout is used to allow cables or cameras down the drain.

 

Water meter – Normally located on the street, a water meter is what the municipality uses to measure how much water you use during a curtain period of time in order to regulate your water bill.

 

Now that you know these commonly-used plumbing terms, you’ll be able to decipher the Greek language that plumbers use. Hopefully this knowledge comes in handy next time you’re getting service or talking about what’s going on in your home. If you have any questions, contact us or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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All the Players Involved

There are quite a few influencers who have really left their mark on Wisler Plumbing & Air. I think we have to just start at the beginning, and that means looking at the Wisler Family. My father founded the company and I grew up along with my siblings in the family business. Whether it’s my mom, father, or even my brothers and myself, all of us have definitely left our own unique mark. I sometimes think of Wisler Plumbing & Air as a living organization—it kind of has a personality of its own. Anyone who’s been around long enough for the whole ride can see which areas of the organization have been influenced by the Wisler Family. Of course, I would be foolish not to also give credit to the key players who have been employed here. (Some have moved on to other opportunities and some are still with us.) They’ve definitely had an important influence as well.

Success Group International

In 2001, We joined the Contractor Success Group, which is now commonly known as Success Group International (SGI). SGI has been an influencer in this organization for a very long time. We’ve subscribed to their system and way of thinking, which is really about operational excellence and making sure we serve our customers in the best way our industry has to offer. Members of the group are company owners, and a handful of them have directly influenced Wisler Plumbing & Air. We’ve attached to the ones with common values or a common philosophy and gleaned off of their experiences (and they’ve done the same with us). Success Group International and its associated companies from around the country have influenced us greatly over the last 20 years.

Mentors Throughout Time

Both me and my father have also had several mentors and consulting firms over the years. We were part of an organization called C12, which was led by John Netzel at the time. The group has dissolved, but it has left an influence on our company and guided us through four or five years of business. Carl Nielsen from Nielsen Group in Texas has helped us with our people management and impacted the culture in a special way. He’s worked with us for over 15 years. Wisler Plumbing & Air has a story, and the Wizard of Ads team has helped us to tell that story to the public. They’ve definitely influenced this organization and impacted our growth. More people have become aware of us and appreciate what we stand for and the value we offer our community.

Do You Want to Be Part of the Team?

Quite a few people have been a significant part of who and what we are today. If you have any questions or want to learn more about working with the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air, contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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Things I Learned from My Mom

 

In the last post, “Things I Learned from My Dad,” I talked about some of the things I’ve learned from my dad. I also picked up quite a few things from my mom while I was growing up. I remember it was very common for her to be up and busy at around 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning. Not everyone in my family is a morning person, so being an early bird is definitely something that I must have http://#gotten from her. I’m most productive in the early hours of the day—I’m not a night person and I like to go to bed relatively early, too.

 

There were always things to do around the house when I was growing up. I’d join my mom in cooking, cleaning—and this may surprise some people—sewing. My mom loved sewing, quilting, and those kinds of activities. Somewhere around the age of 4 to 9 I picked up sewing, mainly because that’s what I’d see her doing. Now, I’m not saying I’m technically proficient enough to be a seamstress, but I do know how to sew on a button or maybe sew a pillow together.

 

My mom also ran the books for the company at our home office while I was very young. I can remember working on the computer, entering payables or doing other types of data entry whenever I had time after I finished my homework. I really enjoyed being exposed to some of the office administration and bookkeeping side of the business. Although I worked in the field early on in my full-time career, I could handle office tasks thanks to my childhood data entry work. I think it also gave me greater empathy for my office staff. I could more readily relate to certain situations, and it was definitely an invaluable experience.

 

One of the things my mom would tell me as a child was, “Can’t never could.” When I hear someone say that they can’t do something, I always think that they probably never will. Whenever you face what appears to be a very big challenge in front of you, just keep a positive, optimistic outlook and be confident that you can get it done.

 

If you have any questions, or if you would like to work with the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air, reach out to us today. Request an appointment or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

 

James Wisler

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There are probably plenty of things I’ve forgotten, but I’ve learned a lot from my dad over the years while I was growing up. One thing that definitely stands out would be the trades, which I kind of picked up by osmosis. My father started this organization, and a big part of my time growing up was spent doing plumbing, electrical, and HVAC with my dad.

I picked up a couple of intangible traits from him, as well. My detail-oriented nature drives me to hone in on the details of what we do on a day-in and day-out basis. Some of that involves applying critical thinking to our processes and assessing the level of quality we deliver. It requires being humble enough to admit when we’re wrong and make changes moving forward.

My father, who is now 73, still enjoys working full-time and staying very active. In that respect, I’d say that my drive and ambition is another intangible quality that I’ve picked up from him. Growing up, I remember always noticing his focus on quality while out on the field. If something wasn’t right the first time, we’d go back three or four times just to make sure that we were able to make it right. If you’re going to do something, do it well—quality matters. That’s definitely something I modeled after him.

If I had to summarize one thing that my dad deeply engrained in Wisler Plumbing & Air from the start, it would be a systematic, disciplined approach to everything that we do. I think the foundation he laid is what cultivated the culture we have in our organization today.

To work with the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air, contact us, request an appointment, or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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Much of what we do today is in preparation for where we’re headed 5 or 10 years down the road. As always, we’re going to continue to base our strategy on sustainability and consistency. At the beginning of this year we added HVAC as a service we offer to clients. The HVAC service is still in its very preliminary stages, and our business could very easily double in size as a result of this decision. (The sky is practically the limit.) However, that’s not our main goal—it’s really about growing the right way. This means providing security for everyone on our team and continuing to deliver a high level of service to our clients. We’re fine with not doubling in size if it means continuing to be able to provide sustainability for our clients and employees.

 

I definitely think we still have room to grow in the plumbing sector in the near future, but I anticipate most of our growth will be in HVAC. We’re also an organization that hones in on improving our processes to become as great as we can be. Therefore, I’m sure we’ll make changes in every area of our business over the next five years as we adapt and acclimate to our changing environment. We’re definitely going to stay a residential service company, though—it’s our niche and I don’t foresee that changing at all in the immediate future. I don’t have a crystal ball, but I would say our trajectory over the next five years is going to look very similar to previous years (with the exception of HVAC, which is a new area for us). Ultimately, our plan is based on growth, focus, and the drive to expand sustainably.

 

If you have any questions, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing & Air today. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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