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Sarasota & Manatee County, FL

Author: Kevin

Home Inspections, Do They find Everything That’s Wrong?

Home Inspections, Do They find Everything That’s Wrong?

Home Inspections, by home inspectors, do they find everything that is wrong?  You and your spouse have finally agreed that the house you were just shown is THE one.  You picture yourself in the dining room, having breakfast as you see the sun coming up.  The house has a large work area for your hubby, to keep him out of your hair for a while.  There is the smell of fresh paint, new cabinets, new flooring, wow, just perfect.  The kitchen has just been redone, and the color of the granite top is just what you would of picked out.

new home plumbing

So, you both agree this is the house you should buy.  After all, everything is new!  BEWARE.   During the buying process,  the lender will require a home inspector to look over the house.  This is a good thing.  The home you are fixing to invest in for and your children needs to be looked over.  This way you can be prepared for unexpected expenses that could be thousands of dollars.

In my experience of customers that have bought homes, who had home inspections by home inspectors, they find things wrong.  Which is great.  Now you know.  But occasionally, and more often than not, especially on older homes, inspectors don’t inspect the heart of the plumbing system.  This would be the drainage and waste lines.

Sarasota Plumbers essential for Older Home Inspections

Most home inspectors are not Florida State Certified Plumbing Contractors.  They may be able to flush the water closet and it flushes.   But does that mean when a family moves in and puts heavy use on an old cast iron drainage system, that it will work then?  Or will there be main line stoppages, because the waste lines themselves were not inspected?

If you are serious about the home you are buying,  you should have a licensed master plumber camera your waste lines.  He can give you a professional opinion on how much more life is left, of the heart of your plumbing system.  He can also tell you how much it will cost to replace the waste lines if they are beyond repair.  This would be great to know before signing the dotted line.

How’s the old saying go?  A picture is worth a thousand words.

Should you considering buying a home in the Sarasota, Bradenton or Lakewood Ranch area, call Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air, 941-322-1911,  or schedule an appointment on line.

We want to help you make an informed decision before buying your dream home.

Dust Free Concrete Cutting

Dust Free Concrete Cutting

Cutting concrete is sometimes necessary when you are remodeling your kitchen or bath.  The only way to keep the surroundings areas dust free, is to use a dust free concrete cutting system. Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air relies on the Hilti Dustless Technology System.  This system is 99.9% dust free.  It is an electric saw that will cut 4″ concrete without using any protective covers or zip walls.  Water is Not used, so there is no concrete mud slurry.  Hilti, uses a special vacumn system that collects all the dust.

When Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air has to cut concrete dust free, in a customers home, we can assure them 100%, that 99.9% of the dust will be contained with the Hilti Dustless Technology System.

Sarasota Plumbers Perform Dust-Free Concrete Cutting

Check out our Youtube video of our Sarasota plumbers cutting concrete dust free inside the Men’s Wearhouse, while they were open during the remodel.

Notice that we did not have to protect anything.  There was no dust.  One has to be confident to cut concrete without any protection around all of those black tuxedos.  With our Hilti Dust Free Concrete cutting system, we have the confidence.

If you have ever seen concrete being cut, you either saw an incredible cloud of dust that is so fine it gets all over everything, or you saw a slurry of concrete mud from being cut wet.  The concrete mud slurry ends up getting tracked everywhere you walk in the house.  And the wet cut is called a clean-cut.

The only way to clean cut concrete is to use the Hilti Dustless Technology system.  This truly is a dust free, clean cut way our Wimpy’s Sarasota plumbing services cut concrete in the SW Florida area.

If you want to relocate the kitchen sink, bathtub or toilet in your home, but dreaded the concrete cutting dust or mud slurry call the Sarasota plumbing team at Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air.  We will keep your home dust free, why?  We want you to love your plumber in Sarasota!

Call today for an estimate,941-322-1911.

What Is Wimpys?

What Is Wimpys?

People often wonder what is Wimpys, when they see our trucks.  Some people mistake us for Florida Power and Light trucks.  Wimpy’s is a Florida State Certified Plumbing Company.  We serve the Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch areas, and specialize in plumbing service and repairs.

What is Wimpy’s, the hamburger guy from the old cartoon, “Popeye”?  Well yes, that was one Wimpy.

wimpy father

Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air,  was named by Winfred Butler, nicknamed Wimpy as a kid.  He was my dad.  He started the plumbing company back in 1973.  He wanted a name people could remember and associate that name with honesty, integrity and excellent w0rkmanship.

What is Wimpy’s today, forty years later?  A well respected and trusted plumbing company in the communities of Sarasota, Bradenton and Lakewood Ranch with the same values we had when we started forty years ago.  We are your Sarasota plumber.

From the moment you call the office and hear Lori’s cheerful voice that puts your mind at ease and assures you that one of our Florida State Certified licensed plumbers will show up in a very clean, fully stocked plumbing warehouse on wheels to fix any of your plumbing problems; such as a leaking dishwasher, garbage disposal, water heater issues, faucets that need replaced, toilets that need repair, drains that are slow or stopped up, replacement of sewer lines, repiping from copper to Pex pipe, or remodeling your bath or kitchen to make it more modern.  You can rest assured knowing that the job will be done right.  We use quality material, so your plumbing can stand the test of time, just like our company has.

We strive for repeat business.  The take your money and run thing, doesn’t cut it with us.  Check out the video testimonials from some of our customers on our web site, www.loveyourplumber.com.

Then schedule your next plumbing job online with us or call 941-322-1911, just to hear Lori’s pleasant voice.  We want you to Love Your Plumber!

A Plumber With Experience!

A Plumber With Experience!

bubba butler sarasota plumber from wimpys

When people in Sarasota call a plumber, it is usually because they have a plumbing problem and don’t know how to fix it.  They want to rely on a professional plumber to do the job right.  They want a plumber with experience!

Customers don’t call and say, send me a helper to fix my plumbing, they want a plumber with experience!  After all, if your going to pay for a plumber, have them send you a man who at least holds a journey man’s plumbing license.  This license means they know the theory of plumbing, how waste and vent lines work together to protect the health of the nation.

Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air employs Florida State Certified licensed plumbers.  That’s what you will get when you call us to solve your plumbing problem.  We don’t send helpers to do a plumber’s job.  We send a plumber with experience!

As the owner of Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air, Bubba Butler, I grew up in the plumbing trade.  I realized the importance of knowing all phases of plumbing.  I wanted to know everything I could about plumbing.  On March 23,1979, I passed the Florida Master Plumbing exam.  This made me the youngest Master Plumber in the state of Florida, at the age of 19 years old. (Solarcraft put Bubba’s picture on a Billboard because he was the youngest Master Plumber in the State of FL)

I started plumbing with my dad, Wimpy, at the age of 7 years old.  Going to work with him on Saturdays and in the summer, I enjoyed plumbing from an early age. This was a time well before OSHA rules and child labor laws.  I vividly remember the age of seven, because one hot summer day I was carrying a ladle full of hot lead to my dad on a rough-in for a commercial building.  The ground at this stage of construction isn’t level.  I stumbled and poured the hot lead into my tennis shoe.  It was scalding hot as you can imagine the temperature of the molten lead.  I got to sit under a nice oak tree the rest of the day!

Even today, I want to learn more.  There are new things to learn every day.  I feel I am wasting my time here on earth if I don’t learn at least one new thing, every day.  Experience only comes from doing your time.  Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air has stood the test of time for forty years.  We are the Plumbers with experience!

Call Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air for your next plumbing problem. We have the experienced licensed plumbers to solve your plumbing problems.  We want you to Love Your Plumber!  Visit us at www.loveyourplumber.com or call 941-322-1911.

Mom’s Know Plumbing, More than You Think.

Mom’s Know Plumbing, More than You Think.

i love mom

As a local Plumbing Contractor in the Sarasota, Bradenton area for the last forty years, it still amazes me how well educated, moms, house wifes and women in general are, when it comes to their plumbing systems at home.  Mom’s know plumbing, more than you think!

Mom’s can tell you more about strange noises in their plumbing system or whether the drain is draining like it should.  They can tell their plumber if the pressure seems low in the shower or the sink.  Mom’s can tell their plumber if a stain in the cabinet is getting bigger or that it just appeared.  Mom’s know more plumbing, than you think.

Mom’s have always had  a sixth sense about all things, so when it comes to their plumbing, Mom’s can tell you if their garbage disposal is making noise they haven’t heard before or if their water pump sounds different or running more often than it should.  Mom’s know plumbing more than you think.

Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air loves mom’s.  Why?  The things mom’s can tell you about their plumbing systems, helps our plumbers solve their plumbing problems quickly or even prevent major plumbing problems.  Mom’s, like their home to run smoothly and without interruption.  If they suspect a plumbing problem, they want a plumber they can trust.  Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air wants to earn that trust.  Check out our video testimonials on our web site, www.Loveyourplumber.com.  We want you to love your plumber.  We want to help you with preventative maintenance before it becomes a costly issue.

Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air is available 24/7  for all of you plumbing needs.  Call 941-322-1911 or schedule on line at www.LoveYourPlumber.com

My House Main Water Valve Won’t Turn Off.

My House Main Water Valve Won’t Turn Off.

main shut off valve

My house main water valve won’t turn off and I have a flood.  Many a plumber has heard that before.  Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air makes sure that  all of our customers know where to find their house main water valve to their home and that the house main water valve works properly.

Exercising the main house water valve from time to time is a great way to not only make sure that it is working, but to ingrain into the brain where it is located.

During an emergency, such as a flood, is no time to try to explain to your spouse or your children where to find the house main water valve.  This should be a game plan, like having  a fire drill.  A few minutes taken to show everyone in the house where the house main water valve is located, and show them how it works, could be priceless in an emergency.

If you are on a municipal water supply and have a flood, but can’t turn off your water, the municipality will send an emergency crew out to turn off your water.  But by the time they get the call and respond, you could end up with quite a bit of water damage.

A lot of homes today, don’t have a quality brass valve for the house main water valve.  Some of the house main water valves plumbers will put in are of not the best quality.  So over the course of a few years, the house main water valve that isn’t exercised, will freeze up or corrode up and not work when you need it the most.

Water, when and where you want it, is a wonderful thing.  Water that is flooding your home and your house main water valve that is not working is a disastrous thing.

If you are unable to locate your house main water valve or it doesn’t work, a dependable plumber in Sarasota is available 24/7 to assist you in all of your plumbing needs.  Call 941-322-1911 today!

Why is Mold Growing in My Shower?

Why is Mold Growing in My Shower?

got mold

Black mold in  a shower is something plumbers see more than they want to.  We see it in kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets and laundry rooms.  Usually the mold that is in the cabinets is from a leak that has gone undetected for a period of time.   The mold that grows in showers is sometimes caused by the bathroom not being properly ventilated.  Make sure you have proper ventilation and use a dehumidifier.

Molds are fungi.  No one knows how many species of fungi exists, but the CDC estimates tens of thousands to perhaps even three hundred thousand species exists.

Molds grow best in warm, damp and humid conditions.  They spread and reproduce by making spores.  If the source of the mold is not taken care of, such as a plumbing leak, the mold will just keep reproducing itself and become a health hazard.

Some people are more sensitive to molds than others.  Exposure to molds can cause symptoms such as nasal stuffiness, eye irritation, wheezing or skin irritations.  Others may have more severe reactions that affect their lungs.

We have been in homes to repair plumbing problems and have seen black mold in the house, and the people were not aware of why they felt sick. This is more common then one would think.  Sometimes, mold hides in places people don’t often look.

If you think you have mold growth in your home and live in the Sarasota, Bradenton area, you are in luck.  Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air can provide you a consultation to find the source of the mold in your home.  Mold is not pretty, and can be an extreme health hazard.  Wimpy’s wants to help you keep your home mold free.  Call today 941-322-1911 or schedule online at www.wimpys2022content.kinsta.cloud Wimpy’s is a forty year old family business that is available 24/7 for all of your plumbing needs.

Toilet Paper Should Be My Choice, Not My Toilets!

Toilet Paper Should Be My Choice, Not My Toilets!

toilet paper

Soft, thick toilet paper, ahh.  Everyone would rather have the softest toilet tissue to use.  But a lot of people can’t use the toilet paper of their choice, because  their toilet won’t flush it down or it stops it up.

Toilet paper has been around a long time.  China had it centuries before Europe in 589 AD.  In 1393, an official of the Ming Dynasty recorded that 720,000 sheets of toilet paper were produced for the Imperial Court.

Different cultures use different methods for cleaning.  Japan used a special wooden stick called a chugi. Chugi’s were narrow sticks of wood about 200 millimeters long and 10-20 millimeters wide and a few millimeters thick. ( Talk about special!)

The higher class of people in Europe, used a tersorium.  This was a sponge mounted on a stick.  If water was not available they used stones, three stones was the norm.

Paper remained expensive and uncommon until industrial production greatly reduced costs in the 1800’s.  The first patent for roll based toilet paper was in 1883.

Only the wealth people used paper.  Others used rags or plant material.

In 1975,  the American Broadcasting Company banned the phrase toilet paper and required it to be called toilet tissue.

The Farmers Almanac has traditionally been produced with a hole through one corner so it could be hung on a nail in an outhouse, so its pages could be used.

I used to hear people say that was  what  the Sears Roebuck catalog was for, as well as corn cobs.

Maybe you have seen the commercial of the college kids buying beer and toilet paper.  They get to the check-out and find they don’t have enough money to buy both, so they don’t buy the toilet paper. then the bag boy asks them if they would like paper or plastic and they both reply in unison, paper.  I get a grin out of that.

So does your toilet not let you flush the soft kind of paper you enjoy?  Does your plumbing system stop up when you use thick toilet paper.  Do you have to be cautious of the amount of paper you flush at once?

You don’t have to be a prisoner to your toilet.  Don’t let your toilet or plumbing system mandate your comfort level.

Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air has the answer to your toilet paper issues and your toilet blockages.  Call 941-322-1911 or schedule your estimate on line at Loveyourplumber.com     We are the Plumbers for the Sarasota, Bradenton area for people who want to use thick, soft, toilet tissue.

Snake Stuck In Tub Drain

Snake Stuck In Tub Drain

wimpy's dependable plumbing

It is Thursday evening at your house. You may of lived there over twenty years. You go in the bathroom to take a shower after a hard day at work and everything is normal. Then your spouse goes in to take a shower and you hear them yell that the tub is not draining. Well it worked for you, so certainly your spouse is doing something wrong. Low and behold your spouse was right! The tub is stopped up. Your thinking I can fix this. Why pay a Sarasota plumber? Tomorrow, you will just go get a snake and unstop your tub.

It’s Friday now and you are at the hardware store shopping for a snake. You find one that looks like it should work, after all, it’s just a tub drain. You arrive home, before your spouse, to fix your tub stoppage. You pull the snake out of the box and put it into the tub drain. You start hand cranking the snake into the tub drain. You get about two feet in and it gets really hard to turn the snake. So you try harder. The snake is not going any further. So you try to pull it out and it does not want to come out. You pull harder, nothing. About this time, your spouse comes home. Now, instead of being the hero, you are asking your spouse to help you pull the snake out, that is stuck in the tub drain. Both of you are pulling with all your might, but the snake is not coming out of the tub drain.

Chances are you have kinked and knotted the small cable inside the tub ‘P’ trap or pipe. The reason snakes are referred to as snakes is because, When snakes are stored they are coiled up. These snakes, are referred to as sewer cables by the Sarasota plumbers at Wimpy’s. Sometimes, when pulling the snake from the coil, it will uncoil faster than a rattlesnake. This can be dangerous and safety precautions should be taken.

Professional Sarasota plumbers carry various sizes of snakes on their trucks. Sarasota plumbing companies who specialize in service and repairs, such as Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air, refer to a snake as an electric sewer machine. These machines are powered by an electric motor. Service Plumbers have a variety of attachments, called heads, to put on different sizes of cables to properly clear your stoppages.

Sometimes, a professional plumber may be able to remove the snake that is stuck in the tub drain. Other times, the floor must be cut and the pipe removed to get the snake out. Fortunately, if this happens to you, Wimpy’s offers piping and repiping in Sarasota as an aspect of our Sarasota plumbing repairs, so our plumbers can help you out!

Save yourself the aggravation, call Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air, before searching “plumbers near me”. You will be glad you did. Our Sarasota plumbers are available to solve your plumbing problems with drain cleaning in Sarasota. Let us take care of your clog, so you never have to deal with a plumbing snake stuck in the tub drain! Wimpy’s is proud to also offer sewer cleaning in Sarasota, which includes professional hydro jetting service!

Beware, Pig in a Poke, Know What You are Buying!

Beware, Pig in a Poke, Know What You are Buying!

Pig in a poke, what does that mean?  When I was growing up, it was a common expression referring to not being taken when one was buying something.

pig in a poke

Today, people are still buying houses that have been vacant and foreclosed on.  They do this do make money.  However, beware of what you want to buy.  Some of the people that fix up a home for resale, only give the house a cosmetic face lift.  So the house you are looking at may have newly painted walls, new flooring, new cabinets, plumbing fixtures,  appliances and mirrors.

This all may look great, but what is the age of the house?  If the house has cast iron plumbing waste lines under the floor, it is old.

The plumbing is the heart of the home.  If those new toilets keep stopping up after you move in,  it may be because they took out the old toilets that used three to seven gallons of water to flush and put in the new 1.6 gallon water saver toilets.  This may actually create stoppages.

The reason this may be happening, is because over time, cast iron pipe will rust and scale up.  Especially, if the house sits vacant.  The waste pipes dry out. The scale and rust start impeding the flow of the paper and waste.  Paper starts catching, solids start building up and before you know it, your dream home that was given a cosmetic face lift, has become a plumbing nightmare.

This could all be prevented if you camera the waste lines, before you buy.  The technology available today, allows professional plumbers to view the condition of the drain lines under the concrete floor.

Considering the investment you are about to make in your new home, hiring a Florida State Certified Plumbing Contractor to camera your waste lines is a very smart way to spend your money, so you don’t end up buying a Pig in a Poke!

If you would like to schedule a Plumber in Sarasota or Bradenton to camera your waste and sewer lines, call Wimpy’s Plumbing & Air.  We have the latest technology available in cameras.  If you can’t be around when we camera the lines, we can e-mail you the video results.  We want you to love your new home and your plumber.

We are a 40 year old family owned and operated Plumbing company. Schedule online at www.LoveYourPlumber.com or call us at 941-322-1911.

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