Thank you to everyone that voted for A Master’s Hands, LLC in Colorado Community Media’s Best of the Best Contest!  We are overwhelmed and truly honored by the far-reaching support that we received from our clients across the Denver Metro area, and just received word that we have been named the winner of Best of the Best in Littleton for the Home Repairs & Remodeling category.  Thank you and God Bless!

Going on vacation this winter? Be sure to turn off the main water shut-off valve where it comes into the house. Also turn off the gas (or electric) for the hot water heater.

The reason for this recommendation is that there’s always the potential that your electric power will go out while you’re away, or that something will fail in your furnace (ignitor, flame sensor, smart gas valve, etc). Either way, your home could suddenly lose its source of heat, water pipes could freeze and burst, and water would keep flowing continuously into your home until someone shuts it off.   Or, a leak could simply develop because a weak valve or pipe connection finally fails.

Many people can tell stories of when their clothes washer, icemaker, or dishwasher sprung a leak while they were asleep or at work, resulting in a major flood that ruined carpets, furniture, computers, hardwood flooring, drywall ceilings, etc. Just imagine if such a leak occurred while you were away for a long weekend, or for a full week or more?

To avoid that situation, you could run around the house shutting off supply lines to toilets, sinks, and all appliances before you depart, but that not only takes time, it still leaves many pipes in walls and ceilings fully pressurized. Thus, it’s much easier (and a better, more complete solution) to shut off all pressure into the home at the main shut-off valve. It’s always best to anticipate the “what if” situation and prepare to avoid it than face the possibility of returning to the “what DID” – in this case, a burst pipe and a flooded home!

If you’re on city / municipal water, your main shut-off valve is usually located in the same area where your water meter is located. If you have a well, the water shut-off will be close to your pressure tank. There are two common types of shut-off valves – gate valves and ball valves; we’ve included photos of both types here. A gate valve is turned off by turning the handle on the valve stem clockwise several times until it stops in the closed position. A ball valve has two positions, on and off. The valve is ON when the handle on the valve is parallel to the water pipes feeding through it, and OFF when it’s perpendicular (at 90 degree angle) to the pipes. Just a quarter-turn of the handle moves it from on to off or vice versa.

The reason for also shutting off the energy source to the hot water heater is two-fold: first, it saves energy to not keep that static tank of water heated for a week (or more) while you’re on vacation. Second, if the pressure relief valve on the water heater were to fail and release and dump a good portion of the water out of the heater and you’re not there to notice it and shut things off, not only would you have 40-50 gallons of water (or more) all over everything, but the water heater would then try to heat what’s left in the tank , trying to get to a “full tank of hot water” indication, and would burn itself out trying since the tank would be almost empty. So you’d have a watery mess, and a ruined water heater.

Safe travels this winter, and rest easy knowing the water is shut off back at home!

Plumbing leaks can be a bit scary for homeowners, and sometimes a challenge to locate and remediate.   A recent client of ours called us regarding a leak in the master bath shower.  We always take a sort of combined “detective / scientist” approach to diagnosing such problems, seeking to systematically eliminate possible root causes in order to zero in on the true root of the problem, and the fix it.

Water leaks in a shower can be caused by leaks in the supply lines, (in the copper pipes and fittings, in the shower valve assembly itself or in the drop-eared flange that the shower head gooseneck tube screws into); or from leaks in the floor drain assembly; or from a crack in the shower pan (sometimes hairline cracks that only open up when a heavy person steps into the shower and applies downward pressure on the pan); or from cracks in the tiles or grout between tiles; or in areas where caulking between tile and pan are allowing water to leak through and get below the pan.  Since a leak can come from any one (or more) of these sources, we need to zero in on the true source of the leak…otherwise we’d just be guessing and trying to fix things one piece at a time….which obviously would be a more time- and capital-intensive approach than systematically narrowing it down to the correct root cause and then remediating just that single issue.

In this case, we first used a bucket to catch water from the shower head while running the shower for several minutes (both hot and cold) and capturing all water which was then poured down the toilet.  We then checked for evidence of leaks in the unfinished basement directly below, and also pulled the escutcheon from the shower valve and used a borescope (snake camera) to look at the shower valve and also all around in the wall cavity behind the valve to verify that there were no leaks whatsoever occurring in the “wet wall” — the wall where all of the supply lines, drop-earned flange and shower valve are located.  Finding no visible evidence of water leaks (current or past) inside the wet wall, and no evidence of water in the basement as a result of this initial water-run test, we then shifted to the next test — that being of the drain assembly.  We started by testing these two areas first because our observation of the shower pan itself, as well as the tile, grout and caulking seems to indicate that none of these visible areas were compromised.  They still might have been, but our experience suggested it was more likely an issue with the supply or drain lines.

So, we then poured several buckets of cold and then hot water straight down the drain without getting the rest of the pan (or shower walls) wet, attempting to test the water tightness of the drain assembly.  We also stepped all around the shower pan during this test, trying to flex it where it attaches to the drain, in hopes that we would cause an intermittent leak to actually occur for us while we were pouring gallons of water down the drain.  This test actually did indeed prove to be what we believed to be the source of the leak.  We disassembled the drain system and found that there wasn’t a proper seal where two portions of the drain came together.  We remediated this missing seal, and also repaired a small area of tile around the entrance dam that appeared to have been stressed due to water having leaked under the pan and behind the tile, causing the substrate to expand, popping the tiles.  We then allowed everything to fully cure, and then came back and tested everything again, being rewarded with no further evidence of any leaks!  The client was thrilled.

The next chapter of this story is perhaps the most interesting, and instructional as well.  About a month later the client called and said they were having leaks again…. they were seeing a few drips (not much water, but still a few drips on the concrete floor in the basement were indeed troubling to them).  So, a few days later we went back out, looked at the pipes, and ran through the entire series of tests to determine where the leak was occurring this time.  We found no evidence of any further leaks….and could not get it to leak whatsoever, using all of the approaches we have in our arsenal.  I then called the client and he had me speak with the tenant who reported the most recent “leak”.  I wanted to probe a bit deeper with her as to when the “leak” actually occurred, and how it manifested itself.

She said that the leak had vanished, so all was now fixed.  Hmmm….I thought:  it might be intermittent, but no true leak just “self heals”.  I explained that If there was truly a leak, then the root cause would still need to be identified and remediated.

“But let’s talk about the leak a bit more…when it happened, when it stopped, etc.”

She said that the leak was visible as a drip of water on the floor, and on the bottom of an “L” fitting on one of the supply lines in the basement, where the lines turn upward and head up into the wet wall where the connect to the shower valve.  And this happened a weak earlier than when we arrived to test things, but was now not leaking any more.

“Ah ha!  I know what’s happening”, I said.   “The supply line that was dripping…it was the one on the right — the one closest to the front-side of the house….right?”

“Uuhh, Yes, how did you know?”

“I think I know what’s going on”, I said.  “When you saw the drips on the floor…what was the temperature like in the house?  Did it feel hot inside? ”

“Yes, that was when we had that horribly hot period for about a week, and it was also very muggy…both inside and outside…we don’t have A/C, and it was very warm all throughout the house.”

“That’s what I thought.   And now it’s much cooler, and dry, like it usually is here in Colorado…right?”

“Yes – but how does that factor into the plumbing?” she asked.

“It doesn’t change the plumbing, but I think that’s why you saw the drips coming from the supply line.  The line that’s closest to the front of the house is the cold water line…and when you ran a lot of cold water through it, the water vapor in the air inside the house condensed on the outside of the cold water line just like condensation on the outside of a tumbler when you put an ice-cold drink in it — and eventually the condensate dripped down and off the end of the L where it turned at 90-degrees.  That’s why there was water on the floor below, and why you felt the wetness on that pipe.

“And now?”, she asked.

“Now the weather is less humid, and the house is cooler inside and you’re not keeping the windows open…right?  And there’s less humidity coming in.  So, less water vapor in the ambient air, so less to be condensing on the cold water line,” I said.  “We already tested and inspected the supply lines in the wet wall, and there’s no leaks whatsoever in those lines, so I’m confident that the water you’re seeing isn’t coming from a leak in the plumbing.  So, it must be simply a bit of condensation on the cold water supply line!”

“if you insulate the supply lines in the unfinished basement, you will not only save a little energy by keeping the hot water line from releasing some of its heat into the basement air, but you’ll also keep the cold water line from getting condensate on it, and causing false alarms, like this one, where it did seem like your plumbing was having a leak,” I explained.  Mystery solved….no more leaks!

The moral of the story is:  “What looks like a leak isn’t always a leak.”

– Jim Bartlett, Co-Founder & CEO

The Ethics In Business Award is given each year to one for-profit company, and one non-profit organization. A Master’s Hands was one of 9 finalists, and won the award for the former category.

In the picture to the right, co-founders Jim and Michele Bartlett receive the award from Golden Rotary Club President Peggy Halderman (L), and Gold Sponsor 1st Bank President, Emily Robinson.

Each nominee was judged based on maintaining an ethical standard with integrity and conviction, as demonstrated by the treatment of customers, employees, community, and the environment.

The award is a plaque with a bronze miniature statue of Thomas Jefferson, who adhered to a principle of high integrity. Jefferson declared: “I have but one system of ethics for men and nations — to be grateful, to be faithful to all engagements and under all circumstances, to be open and generous, promoting in the long run even the interest of both; and I am sure it promotes their happiness.”

This recognition was also placed into the US Congressional Record by US Representative Ed Perlmutter.

A Master’s Hands was recognized by the West Chamber as “Business of the Year” at its annual Chairman’s Inaugural Luncheon on Friday, January 18th.  In this photo co-founders Michele and Jim Bartlett are receiving the award from West Chamber CEO Brian Willms.

On Friday January 18th 2013 at the Annual Chairman’s Inaugural Luncheon for the West Chamber, A Master’s Hands, LLC was recognized, being named Business of the Year (companies under 50 employees)!  Company co-founders Jim & Michele Bartlett received the award from West Chamber President & CEO Brian Willms and Emcee Gregg Moss from Channel 9 News.

When we experience warm weather during the winter here in Colorado (such as 65-degree days in January like we’re having right now!), many people take the opportunity to play a little golf, or even wash the cars out on the driveway.  Keeping the car clean by removing salt and road grime is smart.  Smarter still is to be sure to disconnect the garden hose from the hose bib (outside spigot) when you’re finished.  If you don’t you could find yourself with broken pipes inside the house when things get colder.  Why?  Here’s the scoop:

Houses built in 4-season climates like we have here in Colorado are outfitted with frost-free hose bibs…ones that turn off the water well inside the house when you turn the shut-off knob on the exterior.  This is done via a long stem on the hose bib that extended through the wall back into the heated portion of the home.  So, when you turn off the water it shuts off back in side the home.  Then, the remaining water in the pipe that extends beyond that shutoff point drains down and out, leaving the portion of the hose bib that’s “exposed” to weather and cold temperatures completely empty.  And an empty pipe can’t be frozen and burst open by extremely cold temperatures because there’s nothing inside it to expand and crack the pipe.  Makes sense, right?  Here’s the rub:  if you leave a hose connected to the spigot, that can prevent the extra water from draining out of the hose bib after it’s shut off.  Result?  When temperatures drop again, that water is trapped inside the tube that should be empty, the water freezes and expands, and crack! — the pipe pops open.  

The crack usually isn’t very big…but it’s big enough to cause a huge problem the next time you use the hose.  Here’s what happens:  You open the valve again, and water begins to flow back into that tube from the shut-off point back inside the heated portion of the home.  Most of it may continue forward and flow out the spigot and into the hose…but a portion of it will spray out of the crack in that pipe….and into the walls inside your home.  And since this  is usually in the basement or crawl space, you may not immediately notice the problem — until you hear a strange noise, or walk downstairs and step into a puddle where dry carpet used to be!

As the old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!”  In this case, maybe 1,000 pounds!

If you do experience a broken hose bib, we’d be gad to be of service to you.  We can open up the associated walls or ceiling areas (as needed) to reach the broken hose bib, then replace the cracked pipes, and button everything back up again!