Plumbing Tips & Guides

What We Write About, and Why

Most of the calls we take in Hillsboro fall into a handful of patterns, and almost all of them give warning first. A water heater rumbles for months before the tank splits. A sewer line backs up into the lowest drain in the house two or three times before it fails outright. Pipes freeze on the same few nights every winter, in the same few places. The guides here exist because a homeowner who recognizes the early signal has options, and one who calls after the ceiling comes down does not.

Aging pipe in older housing stock

Homes around Shute Park, Witch Hazel, and the older parts of Beaverton were plumbed with galvanized steel, and a stretch of houses built between the mid-1970s and mid-1990s went in with polybutylene. Both corrode or fail from the inside, so the symptoms show up as falling pressure and rust-colored water long before a visible leak. That is the subject of our repiping guide, and the work itself is covered on our whole home repiping page.

Water heaters and hot water capacity

Tank or tankless is the question we are asked most often, and the honest answer depends on household size, how long you plan to stay in the home, and what your existing gas and venting will support. The comparison guide walks through it without pushing you toward the more expensive option; when you are ready to price a unit, see water heater installation and replacement.

Drains, sewer lines, and roots

Mature trees and clay tile sewer laterals are a common combination in Washington County, and roots find the joints. Repeated slow drains in more than one fixture usually mean the problem is in the main line, not the trap. Our repair-versus-replace guide explains how a camera inspection settles the question, and drain line repair and cleaning covers the service.

Winter and weather

The Portland metro does not freeze hard often, which is exactly why local homes are vulnerable: crawl space pipe is frequently uninsulated and hose bibs stay connected year-round. A single cold snap does the damage. The frozen pipe guide covers prevention, and if a line has already burst, emergency plumbing is available seven days a week.

New guides are added regularly. If there is a question you want answered here, call us and ask. It is usually a sign that other homeowners in Hillsboro are wondering the same thing.