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All plumbers and plumbing services must follow local plumbing codes, which vary from one place to another. The plumbing codes in Mansfield, TX will be different from the codes in other states and cities. If there are any violations, homeowners are expected to call a plumber immediately to fix them.

Surprisingly, many homes violate certain plumbing codes although homeowners are none the wiser unless something happens, and they need to get their plumbing inspected and examined. In this article, we will look at some of the most common plumbing violations that plumbers see. Fortunately, most of these violations are fixable. The cost of the repairs will vary depending on the severity of the violation, as well as the plumbing system of your home.

#1. Inadequate Drain Slope

One of the most common plumbing code violations is an inadequate drain slope. The ideal slope will vary from city to city, and the expectations in Mansfield, TX can be different from another city.

It’s important that the drain slowly falls within a certain range because this will allow water that contains waste to move slowly enough to carry solids along with the flow. The slope will also ensure that the solid materials scour the sidewalls of the drain pipes. In general, the ideal slope for any drain is about a quarter of an inch per foot if the pipe size is about 2.5 inches (6.35 centimeters) or less. The ideal slope will depend on the pipe size.

The main issue with over-sloped pipes is that they are more likely to clog. This will cause homeowners to require more plumbing services throughout the year. They’ll notice that they are constantly dealing with some type of clog or obstruction. On the other hand, if the pipes are under-sloped, the liquid in the pipes may travel too quickly, which may cause it to leave some of the solid wastes behind.

#2. Unvented Traps

Another common plumbing violation is unvented traps. Traps and vents are actually considered to be one of the most difficult concepts in plumbing. The primary function is to be able to provide some type of sanitary barrier between the sewage system and the home.

If there aren’t any traps in the plumbing fixtures, things like methane gas can easily enter the home. If there aren’t any vents, the water that’s in the traps can be siphoned out. This will leave the trap dry and useless.

Fortunately, this problem can be easily solved by most plumbing services. The plumbers can easily install the necessary vents and traps within your home within several days. However, they may need to re-organize the structure of the plumbing. They may need to also install additional support and bushings in order to support the new structures. The entire process should not take a lot of time. Also, the plumbing service should be able to easily provide you with a quote, as well as an expected timeframe.

#3. Horizontal Vents Below the Flood Rim

The flood rim is basically the rim of any sink. If there are any vents in the plumbing that are below the flood rim of the fixture, the vent must be drainable. This means that it will need to have a sloped vent. The vent cannot be horizontal unless it is above the flood rim. The reason for this is because a horizontal vent will be problematic if the drain is clogged.

Once again, this is something that can be easily solved with most plumbing services. It’s not usually an expensive problem. The plumbing service can usually switch out the horizontal vent with a sloped one in no time. However, they may need to install additional support for the plumbing system. This is generally one of the easiest plumbing violations to spot. The violation is usually visible once you open the cabinets underneath the sink.

#4. Flat Venting

In general, none of the vents in the plumbing should be flat; however, the problem is most noticeable if it’s involving a dry vent. In these situations, you should highly consider calling a plumbing service as soon as possible to fix the problem, as the longer that you use the plumbing, the more likely it that a larger problem will occur.

In order to understand why this is, we’ll first need to explore the different types of vents and their individual properties. There are two types of vents: wet and dry. Wet vents can also be oversized drain pipes. Dry vents, on the other hand, are designed to provide air in the plumbing system. If they fill up with water, they will fail. As their name suggests, they should be completely dry at all times. If any water washes into a dry vent, it can get trapped there, along with any sediment or contaminant that it carries. This can be problematic in the long run, which is why you should call a Mansfield, TX plumbing service to fix the problem immediately.

#5. Insufficient Amount of Clean-Outs

Regardless of the plumbing design that your home has, the drains will get clogged sometime or another. This could be due to a myriad of reasons. For example, you could’ve flushed something like a sanitary napkin down the drain. Or, the water in your home could be too hard, causing mineral accumulations to cling onto the surface of the pipes.

When this happens, you’ll need to call a plumbing service to clean the drains. At this point in time, the plumbing service will look for clean-outs. These are basically access points to the plumbing and drains, which are primarily used for cleaning purposes. These access points must be located in very specific locations; however, the requirements will vary depending on the city and state.

Clean-outs are generally required at the junction between the sewer line and the drains. They also usually are required if there are any horizontal changes of directions in the plumbing that exceed a certain angle. If there are not enough clean-outs in the plumbing, the plumbing service can help you install more. However, this could be a costly and likely plumbing service depending on the design of your plumbing system. Once the clean-outs are installed, however, future plumbing services will become a lot simpler to deal with.

#6. Inaccessible Clean-Outs

The next plumbing violation that we will look at is also related to clean-outs. Just because there are enough clean-outs, it doesn’t necessarily mean that these access points are installed and locations that are easily accessible by the plumbing service. If the clean-out is located in an area where the plumbers cannot easily gain access to, it is essentially useless. A good clean-out needs to be located in an area where plumbers can easily access it.

It also needs to be located in a spacious place where there is enough room for the technicians to work. If the clean-out is accessible but located in a small area that doesn’t allow plumbers to work, it is also useless.

Just like the point above, this is also something that can be rather easy to fix depending on what’s wrong. If the clean-out is simply located in an accessible area, the plumbing service may be able to move it to a more accessible area or may be able to extend the plumbing so that the clean-outs protrude outwards. However, if the plumbing service needs to install a completely new clean-out, they may need to change the layout of the plumbing system. This could become rather costly depending on the amount of work that’s needed.

#7. Inadequate Space Around Plumbing Fixtures

Many homeowners are surprised to learn that there are actually space requirements that surround different types of plumbing fixtures. For example, toilets may need to be 15 inches (38.1 centimeters) away from the walls and other plumbing appliances. The clearances for each plumbing appliance will differ. The goal of having these requirements is to ensure that homeowners can use the toilets and sinks without any discomfort or issue at all.

These plumbing codes will also vary from city to city. Usually, these violations are caught early on by the contractors, so most homeowners won’t have to worry about this unless they did a DIY job at home by themselves. They would usually only realize that they have violated a code when they try to sell their home. During the inspection, the inspector will list out these violations and will usually require the homeowners to fix the problem before they can sell their homes.

Whether this is a costly repair or not will depend on many different factors. It really depends on the violation, the type of appliances that are involved, the layout of the plumbing system, as well as many other factors. It could also be very time-consuming to correct. Due to this reason, you should always check with the plumbing code or with the plumbing service before you attempt any DIY jobs.

#8. Improperly Installed Pressure and Temperature Relief of Water Heaters

This is another difficult violation for most homeowners to catch. Most of the owners have no idea what the expectations are for the water heaters. Due to this reason, they may not notice a violation unless they get their home inspected.

This type of plumbing violation can be quite problematic and dangerous. The pressure and temperature relief parts are protective devices. If the thermostat fails, the temperature of the water produced by the water heater will continuously rise. This means that the pressure inside the tank will also rise. Eventually, there will be too much pressure and the tank will burst. The water heater becomes a bomb. Shrapnel goes everywhere, and the hot water can cause a lot of damage as well to anyone who may be nearby.

In order to prevent such a catastrophic failure from happening, all Mansfield, TX plumbing codes will require water heaters to be protected against both extreme temperature and pressure. This is often done using either a pressure or temperature relief valve. These valves are designed to open if the pressure or the temperature exceeds a certain amount.

#9. Inadequate Combustion Air for Gas-Burning and Oil-Burning Appliances

Another dangerous plumbing violation is an inadequate amount of combustion air for both Casper and oil-burning appliances. These appliances require a very specific volume of airflow in order for combustion to happen safely. If there is not enough airflow, there may be incomplete combustion. It can also lead to poor drafting of exhaust gases, which can then enter the home and wreak havoc.

There are many other issues that could stem from this violation. For example, the appliances may have a shortened lifespan. You may also need to call for more repairs and maintenance services during the time that you use the appliances. Since this is quite problematic, this is definitely one of the more important violations to fix immediately. However, this may not always be an easy violation to catch. Most homeowners only realize that they have an issue when they get their homes inspected or when a plumber comes to fix something else.

Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth Can Fix Various Plumbing Code Violations with Ease

When faced with plumbing violations, one of the most reputable plumbing companies that you can call in Mansfield, TX is Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth. We are able to offer emergency plumbing service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week 365 days a year. If you’re in the Fort Worth area, give us a call at 817-983-7876. If you’re in the Arlington area, call 817-478-4119. You can also contact us online.

Not only are we able to inspect your entire home to look for plumbing violations, but you can also rest assured that we will abide by all plumbing codes when we perform any plumbing maintenance, servicing, or repairs. All of our plumbers are licensed and insured. They also receive ongoing training, so they are always well aware of the latest plumbing technologies and strategies. We are able to provide high-quality plumbing services at affordable prices.