Trusted Plumbers in Charleston, SC

Traditional water heaters have a storage tank in which the water is heated and reheated until used. They are generally less expensive to purchase, but also less energy-efficient. A tankless water heater has no storage tank because fresh water is instantaneously heated on demand. The initial cost of a tankless water heater may be more than for a conventional heater, but that cost is usually recovered in a significant savings in electric or natural gas costs.

A significant increase in a monthly water bill may simply be due to increased usage. House guests during the holiday season, frequent irrigation system use during dry months or filling a swimming pool can cause unusually high water bills. However, you may have a leak in your water line or a faulty toilet that is constantly draining and refilling. A complete plumbing system inspection can identify the cause of your high water bill and offer affordable solutions.

Tree roots are initially attracted to water vapor escaping from cracks or loose joints in a sewer pipe. Eventually, roots can grow into those spaces, begin to feed off of the effluent, and cause sewer pipe clogs or ruptures as they expand.

Terracotta or fired clay pipes were once used extensively in sewer lines, but are now considered obsolete and should be replaced with PVC plastic piping.

Polybutylene is a type of plastic resin used extensively in water-supply pipes manufactured from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s. They are normally white or gray in color. Oxidants like chlorine in the public water supply can cause scaling, flaking and micro-fractures that can eventually cause pipe failure. Improper installation of some systems has also caused problems.