With just a few days left in 2021, it’s hard to believe how quickly this past year has flown by! And with 2022 right around the corner, now is typically the time where we start setting goals and resolutions for the new year. While there are certainly a handful of resolutions that are quite popular every year, have you ever considered setting some for your plumbing system? As we often say, it’s certainly easy to forget about household plumbing until something actually goes awry. After all, how often do you think about your water heater in any given week, month or even year?!
For those that have visited our blog before, you likely know a common theme we like to emphasize here are tips that any homeowner can implement to keep their plumbing system running smoothly. Many of these only have to be done once or twice a year, yet still are capable of paying significant dividends and ensuring you’re not making unnecessary repairs. This week’s blog will discuss a few of these routine tips that you can add to your plumbing to-do list for 2022 and make sure you’re always ready to go!
Plumbing Goal #1: Flush Your Water Heater
On just about every prior blog post about water heaters, the phrase “annual flush” typically finds its way into the content in one way or another. Your water heater is the perfect example of an extremely important plumbing component that’s easy to forget about. For most homeowners, it’s in the basement or an unfinished area that you rarely visit. However, it’s responsible for making sure you have hot water when you hop in the shower and we all know how important that is!
Generally speaking, traditional storage tank water heaters will last roughly 10-15 years and tankless water heaters can go for 20-plus years. While certain variables will dictate the exact lifespan, this is a good rule of thumb to keep in mind. One factor capable of ensuring you get the maximum years out of your heater is maintenance and one of the easiest maintenance tasks for your heater involves flushing it. Over time, minerals and sediment can build up at the bottom of your tank. As a result, your water heater has to work harder to perform its normal duties and will in turn, break down quicker than expected. An annual flush helps alleviate these concerns and prevent this routine wear-and-tear from wreaking havoc on your heater.
Has it been awhile since you’ve flushed your water heater? Would you prefer to have one of our technicians do this for you? Give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE and a member of our team will be in touch.
Plumbing Goal #2: Take it Easy on the Garbage Disposal
Unsurprisingly, one of the more common residential calls we receive each and every year is for clogged drains or garbage disposals. Simply put, if you don’t watch what you put down them, it won’t take long for you to start experiencing some issues. For the sake of this blog post though, we’ll focus solely on the garbage disposal, as clogged disposals seem to be a popular service as of late. Although this may not be as well-known as you might think, garbage disposals are not built to handle everything. This is true even for the most powerful disposals on the market.
Having said that, our next tip is to understand what size your disposal is, how much that particular size can handle and what can actually be put down the disposal. Here are the most common garbage disposal sizes:
1/3 HP would suffice for a 1-2 person household.
1/2 HP would be good for 3-4 people.
3/4 HP will work for 4-6 people.
1 HP will be best for those households with 6+ people.
What can’t a garbage disposal handle? While this is going to be dependent on the particular model you have installed, there is obviously going to be a long list of items that can’t go down the disposal. Coffee grounds, pasta, egg shells and various fibrous/stringy vegetables are going to be some of the more popular items you’ll see mentioned!
Plumbing Goal #3: Fix the Small Stuff
As we’ve mentioned a few times throughout this blog, it’s easy to procrastinate on some of the smaller plumbing problems. Until they escalate into something major, it never seems like a major concern. This could be a faucet that slowly drips, a toilet that constantly runs or any other minor leak. Unfortunately though, the longer you let these issues, the increased susceptibility there is for one of the smaller plumbing issues turning into a major problem! Luckily, the majority of the time, these small plumbing issues can be fixed inexpensively and at minimal cost to the homeowner. Make 2022 the year you stop procrastinating on plumbing repairs.
Plumbing Goal #4: Stop Dealing With Hard Water
Hard water. This is likely a term you’ve heard mentioned before, but may or may not know what exactly it means. In any case, living here in the Kansas City area means we deal with above-average levels of hard water. While hard water is safe to drink and wash with, that doesn’t mean there are no negative side effects to your plumbing system, as well as some annoying things the homeowner has to deal with too! Unsurprisingly, any guesses what the best method is for taking care of your hard water issues? With a water softener, of course!
While there are a number of water softener options currently on the market, our team at Stine-Nichols primarily installs two different brands:
North Star – When most people think of water softeners, the traditional salt-based options come to mind first and that is exactly what the North Star is. North Star offers both residential and commercial systems that are effective at alleviating hard water problems.
NuvoH2O – While the North Star is effective at doing just what it’s intended to do, not all homeowners are interested in the salt aspect of it. In these situations, we recommend utilizing NuvoH2O. These systems are citrus-based and have also been proven effective at softening water. Better yet, you’re definitely going to want to check out their dual system that also includes a taste filter.
Need a Plumber in Kansas City?
While it would be nice to never experience another plumbing issue, there are some things that are simply out of the homeowner’s control. Sometimes, even if you follow all of the best practices and perform the recommended maintenance, issues may arise. In these situations, you’re going to want to have a quality and reliable plumbing contractor that you can rely on. If you live in or near the Kansas City area, our team at Stine-Nichols Plumbing would be thrilled to have the opportunity to earn your business.
Here at Stine-Nichols, we offer just about every potential residential plumbing service you can think of. Drain cleaning, water heaters, water softeners, gas line installation, sump pumps, you name it! To get started and request a free quote, you’re more than welcome to fill out the form on our website or call us directly at (816) 348-3481. We look forward to working with you and hope you have a great New Year!