A
- Anode rod
- A sacrificial metal rod inside a tank water heater that corrodes on purpose so the tank itself does not.
B
- Backflow preventer
- A device that keeps water from flowing backward into your clean water supply.
- Ball valve
- A shut-off valve with a lever handle that turns a quarter turn to stop water.
- Boiler
- A heating appliance that warms water and circulates it through radiators or floor tubing to heat a home.
- BTU
- British Thermal Unit, the standard measure of heating output for boilers and water heaters.
C
- Cleanout
- A capped access point in a drain line that lets a plumber run a cable or camera into the pipe.
D
- Drain trap (P-trap)
- The U-shaped bend under a fixture that holds water to block sewer gas from entering the home.
E
- Expansion tank
- A small tank that absorbs the pressure created when water heats up and expands.
G
- GPM
- Gallons per minute, the measure of how much water a fixture or appliance delivers.
- Grains of hardness
- The unit used to measure how much dissolved calcium and magnesium is in your water.
H
- Hose bib
- The outdoor faucet you connect a garden hose to.
- Hydro jetting
- Cleaning a drain or sewer line with a high-pressure water jet instead of a cable.
I
- In-floor radiant heat
- A heating system that circulates warm water through tubing in the floor.
M
- Main shut-off valve
- The valve that stops all water coming into your home, usually near where the line enters the basement.
P
- PEX
- Flexible cross-linked polyethylene pipe used for modern water supply lines.
- Pilot light
- The small standing flame that ignites the burner on older gas water heaters and boilers.
- Pressure-reducing valve
- A valve that lowers incoming city water pressure to a safe level for your home's plumbing.
R
- Recirculation pump
- A small pump that keeps hot water moving so it arrives at the faucet quickly.
- Repiping
- Replacing a home's old water supply pipes with new material, usually PEX or copper.
- Rough-in
- The stage of plumbing work where pipes are installed in walls and floors before finishes go on.
S
- Sewer lateral
- The buried pipe that carries wastewater from your house to the city sewer main.
- Sump pump
- A pump in a basement pit that ejects groundwater before it can flood the floor.
- Supply line
- Any pipe or hose that carries pressurized clean water to a fixture or appliance.
T
- Tankless water heater
- A wall-mounted unit that heats water on demand instead of storing it in a tank.
- Thermocouple
- A safety sensor that shuts off gas if the pilot light goes out.
- Trenchless sewer repair
- Repairing or replacing a buried sewer line without digging up the whole yard.
V
- Venting (flue)
- The piping that carries combustion exhaust from gas appliances safely out of the home.
W
- Water hammer
- The banging sound in pipes when fast-closing valves stop water suddenly.
- Water heater dip tube
- The internal tube that sends incoming cold water to the bottom of a tank water heater.
- Water softener
- An appliance that removes hardness minerals from water using an ion-exchange resin.
- Water table
- The level below ground where the soil is saturated with water.
Z
- Zone valve
- A motorized valve that controls hot water flow to one area of a hydronic heating system.
One more thing
Cold pipe or cold house — we fix both.
One call gets a licensed Hanna tech to your door — hourly pricing you understand before we arrive, free estimates on work over $500, and 24/7 emergency service.
The Hanna crew — 22 local pros, hourly paid, no quotas.
Call today — we’ll come today
(319) 377-2809
Request a quote instead
Lic. #C145148 · #50273-CL — licensed & insured