With as much as 18% of the average homeowners energy bill coming from heating water, it’s more important than ever to get the most out of your home’s hot water heater. However, even the most energy-effecient water heaters don’t work quite as well as they should so upgrading to a new unit can often times leave homeowners stuck in a catch 22. Below we have outlined some quick and easy ways any homeowner can increase the effeciency of their hot water heater while cutting down on energy costs at the same time!

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Lowering a home’s utility bills is never a bad thing. Neither is doing your part to conserve energy and protect the precious resource that our home’s plumbing provides. Below we will outline 6 tips you can take to cut down on daily water usage, and preserve the life of your homes plumbing system.

1) Drains need maintenance, never neglect them!

For most home and business owners alike, drains are rarely given a thought until they become backed up or clogged. If you wait for this to happen rather than being proactive in preventing it from occuring you will likely need a professional plumber to remedy the situation for you.

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In recent years the sales of disposable wet wipes for adults, have skyrocketed. Big box stores like Target and Sams Club have entire sections dedicated to them in the toilet paper aisles. To be completely honest, it makes sense. Wet wipes have an advantage in leaving one feeling more clean after using the restroom when compared to standard issue toilet paper. So, it comes as no surprise that they’ve soared in popularity in the last few years.

The issue with these disposable wipes is one word that consistently appears on their packaging, “flushable.” This is mislabeling at best and dishonest and misleading at worst. I mean, sure, if you attempt to flush them down your toilet they will in fact flush. I can think of a long list of items that can also be flushed down a toilet however, that doesn’t technically make them flushable. There are no shortage of horror stories online about massive clogs in drain pipes and home septic systems caused by the use of flushable wipes.

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There are quite a few responsibilities that homeowners have in order to keep things running smoothly as often as possible. One of those responsibilities is performing routine plumbing maintenance. You can either perform the maintenance yourself or bring in an experienced Mesquite, TX plumber to handle the maintenance on a regular basis. Today, we will take a look at the different types of maintenance you should perform in various areas of your home throughout the year to keep the plumbing working and flowing well.

Kitchen Sink Maintenance

One of the first places you should start when it comes to regular maintenance for your plumbing is in the kitchen. The kitchen sink gets quite a bit of use each day by every member of your household. This includes adults and children. So many different things can be sent down the drain, including food, oil, grease and other debris that shouldn’t go down there. Kitchen sink maintenance tips include the following:

• Run the water and the disposal together prior to adding food
• Run cold water for 15 seconds after the disposal is done breaking down food
• Run the dishwasher at night to maintain strong water pressure in the day
• Do not put stringy or fibrous foods in the disposal such as banana peels and celery

Bathroom Sink Maintenance

Bathroom sinks get used just as much as the kitchen sink. If not, they are used pretty close, especially when shaving, doing hair, brushing teeth and washing hands throughout the day. The following maintenance tips should be put to use in bathroom sinks:

• Install screens in all drains, including the shower and tub, to prevent hair and other debris from going down them
• Only flush toilet paper and human waste in the toilet, not paper towels, napkins, pads, wipes or other items
• Wait 10 minutes between showers to maintain water pressure and temperature
• Do not use chemical clog removal liquids in any drains or toilets

Outdoor Faucets

Almost all homes in Texas have outdoor faucets. Most of them are spigots that are used to connect hoses to for watering the lawn, watering the bushes, and even washing the cars at the home. You need to take care of these faucets just like the ones inside your home in order to avoid any issues cropping up through the years. Some of the maintenance tips for outdoor faucets include the following:

• Shut off the outdoor water valves and drain them before the winter
• Disconnect all outdoors hoses and empty them of water before storing them
• Check for any leaks on outdoor faucets and have them repaired immediately
• Insulate all of the pipes in the home that are in areas with no heat, such as a basement, crawl space, attic or garage
• Cover outdoor spigots with a styrofoam cover

Check Sump Pump and Gutters

You also need to check the sump pump and the gutters of your home prior to every winter. The sump pump should be emptied and cleaned out so that it does not have issues in the winter months, when it’s less likely to operate. You also need to clean out all the gutters around your home so water can flow properly away from the roof and the rest of the home.

Inspect the Septic System

The septic system in your home should be emptied yearly and inspected just as often, especially if it is an older system. You definitely don’t want this system to fail and backup into your home as it will send human waste into your pipes and drains. If you have sewer service, make sure a plumber snakes it regularly to make sure no tree roots are blocking it.

Maintenance to Perform Weekly

One of the most important tasks you can do is check your pipes at least once per week throughout the year, not just during the winter months. Checking the pipes often helps you avoid a break or other issue that could lead to thousands of dollars in repairs. Other plumbing maintenance items you should do weekly include the following:

• Test all drains in the home for how quickly they drain water
• Check under sinks and toilet bases for leaks
• Turn on every faucet in the home and make sure there is no water shooting out from the handles or valves
• Clean the lint trap on the washing machine

Is your hot water heater making odd noises? Is it knocking and rumbling so loud that it could wake up the neighborhood? Don’t worry! We’ve got you covered! The issue can likely be fixed without replacing the whole unit. Typically a noisey water heater is caused by excessive sediment build up in the tank. Think of minerals like calcium and calcium, and disolved metals like iron.

When “hard water” flows into a hot water heater unfiltered, a thick layer of sediment can build up inside the tank. That sediment causes water to become trapped right atop the heating element at the bottom of the tank. When the heating element is turned on, water heats up and begins to boil. That boiling water creates air bubbles that bubble and bubble until, bang!, boom!, rumble!, they finally escape the sediment layer. This is no different than a pot filled with water on a stove. If that pot is filled to the top with water, covered with a lid, and brought to a boil, the lid will shift and jump and bounce. The same thing is happening within your hot water heater.

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Clean Drains Help You Keep Your Plumbing Running Smoothly, and Keep Your Home Safe From Mold And Mildew Growing In The Drains!

The drains that are found throughout your home have important jobs to do: remove water and waste from the home and deposit it into the sewer system or the septic tank. If any of the drains in your home becomes clogged it can lead to quite the problem. You might experience a backup of water or waste on the floor of your bathroom or kitchen. If the drain is clogged you won’t be able to use the appliance or fixture that is associated with it, further reducing the amount of workable rooms in the home. Furthermore, if you leave a clogged drain alone, it can wind up costing you thousands of dollars in repairs. Make sure you hire a plumber in Dallas, TX to clean the drains of your home before it’s too late.

Drains in the Bathroom

Most homes have more than one bathroom, unless we are talking about a small apartment or condominium. When you have more than one drain you have double or triple the chances of running into a clog. A bathroom, if it is full bath, will have multiple drains. There will be a drain for the sink, the shower or tub, and maybe even the washing machine. Some homes are now featuring larger bathrooms that house the washer and dryer.

The drains in the bathroom are used multiple times per day by everyone in the home. It isn’t just water that is going down these drains either. There will likely be hair, soap, toothpaste and body care products that will find their way down the drains of the bathroom. If one of the drains in your bathroom becomes clogged it can put a cramp in the schedule of everyone in the home. A drain solution from the big-box home improvement stores won’t work. You need a reputable and experienced plumber to clean your clogged drains.

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Owning a home can be very stressful. It’s gets even worse when you have a leak somewhere in the home. Many leaks can be attributed to a poorly working toilet or other issue with how it is connected to the plumbing system of the home. Finding a leak long after it started can mean thousands of dollars in repairs to the walls, flooring, and plumbing fixture itself. The minute you experience any issue with your toilet it’s important to have a Mesquite, TX plumber take a look to find what’s wrong and make the necessary repairs. Let’s take a look at the common toilet plumbing issues that plague homeowners in today’s post as well as when it’s time for a new install.

Common Toilet Plumbing Issues

Every home will experience problems with their toilet at one point or another. These problems, if left alone, can lead to massive water problems in the home. If the toilet with the problem is not on the bottom floor of the home it can send water down to the next level. The most common toilet plumbing issues are outlined below in this post.

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Thousands of homes in the Mesquite, TX area have a garbage disposal installed in the kitchen. This appliance is an important one because it grinds up any food that finds its way into the sink from bowls, plates, cups, pots, and pans. Even if you have a garbage disposal most plumbers will recommend that you avoid dumping as much food down the drain as possible. Take the extra five seconds and scrape the leftover food debris into a trash can instead of letting it go down the drain. Today, let’s take a look at some tips for keeping a garbage disposal in good working order.

Run the Disposal Often

One of the most important tips you should follow is to run the disposal often. Even if you don’t have anything in the sink to grind up the disposal still needs to operate every couple of days. Simply turn the water on and then activate the disposal. Let it run for a minute or two so the parts move around. This helps get rid of any food left in the disposal so it does not harden or create a foul smell. By running the disposal often you will be able to avoid corrosion, rust, and parts failing.

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Owning a home is a big responsibility. The to-do list never seems to end, especially when it comes to monitoring the big-ticket appliances. These include the refrigerator, washing machine and water heater among others. A water heater is one of the most important appliances in your home. It provides hot water for every spigot and other appliances. It also does not have a long life expectancy, especially if you do not care for it properly. If the time has come to replace the water heater in your Mesquite, TX home then you will want to know what to expect for the process.

Picking the Right Plumber

First and foremost you will want to pick the right plumber for this type of project. You should never perform an install of a new water heater on your own. This is a complicated project that involves tying in water and gas lines to the unit. The team at Flow Plumbing has the experience and tools to perform this task for you. Once you decide that it’s time to replace the water heater in your home you can pick the replacement unit based on your home’s needs.

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