Los Angeles plumbers Jim and David Schuelke have been providing plumbing and sewer repair services for Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley for more than 20 years. We are family run and operated, and all repairs and installations offer a written guarantee. Schuelke Plumbing is proud to offer on-time, respectful service. Ask us about free financing and using your credit card. Our goal is to serve you in a way that will make you think of us as your plumbing and sewer repair company for life.

A water leak or high humidity can lead to mold, mildew, or other biological growth. Depending on the severity, conditions can lead to rot, structural damage, premature paint failure, and a variety of health problems. Water can seep into your house from the outside through a leak in your roof, foundation, or small gaps around windows or doors. Water can also come from inside your house from a leaking water pipe, toilet, shower or bathtub. High indoor humidity caused by normal activities of everyday living such as showering, cooking, and drying clothes, can also be a source of mold, mildew or musty odors. Indoor humidity levels between 30% and 50% are ideal. You will want to contact us at Schuelke Plumbing if you have any questions about this.

Your Checklist:
Where does the problem occur? Attic? Basement? Below a bathroom? Ceiling? Where the problem occurs can lead to what is causing the problem. If the problem is localized (a spot on the ceiling, wall or corner) it is possibly caused by a water leak. If the problem is in a large area like a whole wall, room or basement then it might be caused by high humidity.

Stop water leaks immediately to minimize the potential mold growth.
If a leak is the source of your problem, have it fixed first.
If the leak is in your roof hire a roofing contractor to repair the leak.
If the leak is from a water pipe, toilet, bathtub or shower, hire a plumber to repair the leak.
If the leak has caused substantial water damage or mold you will want to hire a contractor who specializes in mold remediation and water damage repairs.
After repairing the water leak, dry out the area completely.
Reducing indoor humidity
Do you have a crawlspace under your house? A dirt floor in a crawlspace should be covered with plastic (vapor barrier) to prevent moisture from the soil increasing humidity levels in your home. If there is standing water or the soil is wet, dry it out with fans before covering the floor.
Use ventilation fans in kitchens and baths to control moisture. Check to make sure ventilation fans venting directly outside. In some cases the vent fan may have been installed to vent into the attic or become disconnected or blocked.
Your clothes dryer should be vented directly to the outside. Inspect the vent duct. Make sure it is attached securely to the dryer. Check that it is clear of obstructions (e.g. lint). Check for holes that leak air. If vent duct is damaged replace it with a metal duct. The vent duct should be cleaned at least once a year. The Consumer Products Safety Commission additional safety tips for dryer vents.
Keep air conditioning drip pans clean and the drain lines unobstructed and flowing properly.
Ask a heating and cooling contractor to check your heating and cooling system to make sure it is sized and operating properly to remove humidity. If you system is too big or the airflow incorrect your air conditioner will not remove humidity like it should. Also, ask the contractor to check your duct system for air leaks, and proper size and air flow to each room.
Sealing air leaks (Home Sealing) and sealing duct air leaks can help to prevent high humidity levels in your home.

Lead from plumbing products may be getting into our drinking water here in California, and Schuelke Plumbing is readyto meet the requirement of recent legislation in this area.  The amount of lead in drinking water depends on several different factors, such as how much lead is in the plumbing parts, how large an area of a lead-containing part comes into contact with the water, how long the water is in contact with the lead-containing surface, and how corrosive the water is. Lead has long been know to be harmful to humans. Exposure to lead can cause serious adverse health effects, including delays in physical and mental development.

California laws were enacted one year ago, in January of 2009, to increase protection of the public from exposure to lead in drinking water. This was done by reducing the amount of lead allowed in plumbing components. The intent of this legislation is to reduce the lead content in plumbing components intended to convey or dispense water for human consumption. Contact us right away if you have fixtures that need to be checked or replaced, and we will be happy to give you the most up to date information on what you must do to protect yourself and your family in regards to lead in your plumbing fixtures.

Are you thinking about converting from a septic tank system to a sewer? Converting your home from a septic system to a sewer system is an important consideration. Here at Schuelke Plumbing, we are ready to discuss this and explain exactly how and why it is a good idea for many reasons.

There are other things to consider. Even if you have a swimming pool, retaining walls, and mature trees and other vegetation, we can still complete this process in about 3-5 days. Once the final connection is made to the existing sewer line, the septic tank must then be pumped dry, a hole bored through the tank, the top crushed, and then filled to grade with dirt.

Connecting to sewer will more than likely increase your home’s value when you are ready to sell. Most buyer’s will expect you to be on sewer, if it is available, or to pay to have it down after they purchase. There is also no maintence, unlike that required by a septic tank system.

Many cities will not permit repairs to a septic system when sewer is available. You can also expect your city to refuse a room addition, swimming pool permit, or other remodeling if you are on septic, because of problems associated with pollution, saturation, and subsidence (homes sliding down the hillside). Cities also like to receive the revenue from the sewer fees that are charged. Your plumbing concerns are taken seriously by Schuelke Plumbing.

Here in southern California we must be prepared for earthquakes at all times. During the past six months Los Angeles has had two minor earthquakes. While we are all aware that this will occur from time to time, many of us simply do not have all of the necessary precautions in place. One of the best precautions you can take is to have earthquake shut-off valves installed.

Schuelke Plumbing recommends that you have this system installed in your home, as well as in any commercial property you are responsible for. These shut-off valves will help to prevent explosions after an earthquake measuring 5.4 or greater on the Richter scale. The valve will sense and measure the intensity of the earthquake, and then automatically shut off the gas supply at that location. Plumbers are the best professionals to do this job right. Call us today so that you can protect your property when the next ‘big one’ affects our area.

If you are experiencing sewage backing up into your toilets, bath tubs, and showers, it is time to call your plumber. Sewage contains germs such as E. coli, Cryptosporidium, Hepatitis A, and Shigella, so it must be cleaned up and the plumbing system repaired immediately.

While you are waiting for our professional plumbers from Schuelke Plumbing to arrive, clean up the area with a solution of one cup bleach to every five gallons of water. Keep children, the elderly, and pets away from the area, and wear long pants, eyewear, gloves and boots. Wash your hands afterwards with soap and clean warm water.

When Schuelke Plumbing arrives, we will complete the clean up and repair the problem. It may be a clog between the shower and toilet, or the waste line may be plugged. No matter what needs to be done to repair your plumbing system, you can count on the Porter Ranch plumbers at Schuelke Plumbing to do a thorough job, protecting you and your family from harmful waste in the process.

Valley Village is an older section of Los Angeles, so if you are evaluating your older faucets or shower heads to see what your GPM (gallons per minute) rate is, here is a way to quickly determine it. You may not realize that the Federal Energy Policy Act of 1992 required all faucet and shower fixtures made in the United States to have a flow rate of no more than 2.2 GPM at 60 PSI. If your fixture is more than 2.2 GPM, it is probably time to replace it with a new one that will be code compliant for water efficiency.

Here is how you can quickly determine the flow rate for a specific faucet or shower head in your home:

1) turn the fixture on to its normal position

2) place a container under the fixture and collect the water for about 10 seconds

3) measure the quantity of water in the container and then convert it to gallons

4) multiply the measured quantity of water by 6 to calculate the flow rate in gallons per minute – example – if you have a half gallon of water flowing it would be .5 x 6 = 3 GPM

Call the plumbers at Schuelke Plumbing if you have any questions or need assistance with this in your home or office, whether you are located in North Hollywood, Beverly Hills, or any other area in the greater plumbers Valley Village region, to keep your plumbing system maintained for maximum efficiency.

Many people are tempted to take on the job of installing a toilet when their old one needs to be replaced. Here are 7 reasons why you may want to call Schuelke Plumbing to do it for you:

1. You will want to make sure you are not violating or ignoring any local code restrictions
2. You must make sure to properly align tubing into fittings or stop valves – forcing the nut onto the compression ring at an incorrect angle will cause a leak
3. An air gap filling must be installed for fixtures
4. The pipes used must be the correct size
5. A brass or dielectric fitting must be attached to connect copper to galvanized pipes
6. Threaded joints need PTFE tape or pipe compund
7. You must run the outside hose valve and flush all toilets after installation to bleed the dirt and air from the lines when you turn the water back on – otherwise, the debris will cause problems in your sink faucets and other plumbing fixtures

Call Schuelke Plumbing and we will do a complete and thorough inspection of your home or commercial building’s plumbing system while we are installing your toilet. The Woodland Hills plumbers also serve the entire San Fernando Valley and greater Los Angeles area.

There is much more to plumbing than just following the codes and rules that are required. Before you start building you next home or commercial building, give some thought to the plumbing system you will want to have installed.

You want plumbing that is efficient, professionally installed, and state-of-the-art. Our plumbers here at Schuelke Plumbing will spend time with you to design a plumbing system that meets all of your needs and requirements. Our skill and strong work ethic will help determine your satisfaction when you are ready to install a complete plumbing system, or have the need for our services when you remodel your residence, office, industrial, or commercial property.

At Schuelke Plumbing we use the latest technology and equipment to install fixtures that meet your requirements for energy and water efficient pipes and valves, as well as the latest in plumbing equipment that will meet your individual preferences and needs for a complete plumbing system.

Avoiding plumbing problems before they start is one of the ways you can save money during a recession. Instead of letting your plumbing system go, spend the time to learn how to care for your home or commercial properties so that you can avoid costly repairs.

To keep from clogging up your drains, adhere to these plumbing suggestions:

• pour a pot of boiling water down all drains about once a month
• add about a half a cup of baking soda to boiling water to pour down your garbage disposal
• never pour grease down your kitchen drain
• always use a screen or filter in your bathroom to snag hair before it clogs your sink or shower drain
• never pour paint or chemicals down your drains, or you will risk ruining your pipes

These are just a few suggestions for getting starting with a preventative plumbing maintenance. Schuelke Plumbing is ready to serve you for all of your Los Angeles plumbing repairs.