When it comes to owning a home, plumbing is going to be something that you inevitably will have to deal with from time-to-time. For the most part, your plumbing system will do its job without any work needed from you. However, when things happen to go awry, it can be incredibly frustrating to deal with. Not only can it cause a financial expense, but it can also affect your everyday routine, such as showering or washing the dishes. Likewise, it’s safe to say that plumbing issues vary in predictability too. Some of them can easily be avoided with the right maintenance, while others are simply a result of sustained wear and tear.
On our plumbing blog this week, we’re going to take a look at a few different plumbing miscues that can be avoided. However, before we dive deeper into that, we would first like to say hello to anyone that may be stopping by our blog for the first time. Welcome to Stine-Nichols Plumbing! We are a residential, commercial and new construction plumbing contractor located in North Kansas City, MO. For the past 8 years, we’ve had the opportunity to work with thousands of homeowners and businesses throughout the Kansas City area. If you’re interested in getting a free estimate for an upcoming project, feel free to click the link HERE or give us a call at (816) 348-3481. Now…on to a few plumbing miscues that appear to be quite common!
#1: Not Maintaining Your Water Heater
Water heaters are the perfect example of a plumbing component that’s easy to take for granted. After all, as we’ve said many times before, we all expect hot water to be there when we hop in the shower or turn on a faucet. This is what happens 99.9% of the time, so it’s definitely a surprise when that isn’t the case. To sum it up, water heaters also aren’t built to last forever. That being said, our first common plumbing miscue revolves around forgetting to maintain your water heater. What might this entail?
Flushing Your Heater – One of the most notable water heater maintenance tasks is performing an annual flush. Due to the presence of hard water here in the Kansas City area, water heaters can accumulate sediment build-up at the bottom of their tank. If untreated, this build-up can cause a number of issues, including your water heater deteriorating quicker than expected as it has to work harder to perform its normal responsibilities. Luckily, flushing the water heater at least once a year is a great step in the right direction of alleviating these potential problems.
Does It Have the Proper Safety Features? – Water heaters should have certain safety features designed to prevent emergencies from occurring. If it’s been awhile since you’ve checked out your water heater, make sure it has these two components (and that they’re working correctly): (1) Thermal expansion tank – This is located above the main water heater tank. When water is heated, it expands in volume. As such, this extra volume needs somewhere to go to avoid the added-pressure being put on your water heater itself. Hence, the thermal expansion tank takes on this additional pressure. (2) T&P relief valve and discharge pipe – The T&P relief valve is generally located either on the side of your tank (near the top) or on the top of the tank (depending on the manufacturer) and has a discharge pipe running down the side of the tank. This valve is designed to open if the temperature or pressure gets too high inside the water heater and bring it back down through the use of the discharge pipe.
#2: Not Fixing the Small Stuff
Truth be told, it’s very easy to procrastinate on smaller plumbing repairs. Whether it be a toilet that seems to constantly run or a slow-dripping faucet, these definitely aren’t problems where you’re going to drop everything and get them fixed right away. That being said, our next common plumbing miscue is failing to fix the small stuff in a timely manner. Why is this so important?
Usually Easy Fixes – This isn’t always the case, but generally small plumbing problems can be fixed relatively easily and inexpensively. For example, take the toilet that constantly runs. If you look in the toilet’s tank, it’s fairly easy to determine where a potential issue may reside and a common problem area tends to be the flapper. Toilet flappers can get worn down over time and eventually need to be replaced, and the process for doing so is one that won’t cost you much time or money!
Can Cost You Money – With each of the two problems mentioned above (dripping faucet and running toilet), you’re probably not all that worried about the water that’s being wasted. However, the longer you let these types of issues sit, you would be surprised just how much water can be wasted and the impact it may have on your water bill.
Water Pressure Problems – Without a doubt, water pressure is definitely a broad topic and can encompass many different problems. The reason I mention this is because you could think you have low water pressure in the shower, but the issue is simply a result of mineral build-up on your showerhead (thus meaning it just needs to be cleaned). In any case, if you’re experiencing high or low water pressure that’s different from normal conditions, it’s important to get those issues fixed in a timely manner too. We highlighted the showerhead above, but pressure regulators, partially-closed shut-off valves, clogged faucet aerators and more could be to blame for water pressure problems!
#3: Sticking With Out-Dated Fixtures
Unsurprisingly, fixtures are an incredibly important part of one’s plumbing system. Faucets, showerheads, bathtubs and toilets are a few examples of commonly-used plumbing fixtures. The reason we’re mentioning them here is because there is a significant difference between modern-day plumbing fixtures and ones that’ve been in use for quite some time.
Aesthetic Difference – For the sake of simplicity, we’ll look at this from the perspective of faucets. The faucet industry is one that’s seen consistent growth over the years and this has benefited consumers by presenting a plethora of possible styles to pick from. If you have outdated faucets installed in your kitchen or bathroom, I can confidently say that new fixtures will work wonders in improving the look of the room. Plus, if you’re looking for a specific style or finish to match your bathroom or kitchen’s existing design, you can likely find something out there that catches your eye!
Efficiency – Aside from making fixtures that look great from an aesthetic standpoint, fixture companies have also improved significantly in their ability to improve the efficiency of their products as well! Since we touched on faucets in the previous point, we’ll highlight toilets here. The Energy Policy Act of 1992 requires new toilets to use a maximum of 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Before this went into effect, toilets typically used over twice that amount! Furthermore, several fixture companies have even taken it one step further and created products that use even less water. A common term you may have heard before is “low-flow fixtures.” These products are designed to deliver the same experience (as other options) to the person using them, while using less water.
To sum it up, making the investment to upgrade your fixtures will definitely be one that you won’t regret. Not to mention, particularly with the faucets, you’ll certainly have a blast looking through the unique and stylish options available nowadays too!
Reliable and Professional Plumbing Services in Kansas City
As displayed throughout this blog post, there are a wide range of plumbing problems (both minor and major) that homeowners can be faced with. Some of these issues are going to require immediate attention, while others aren’t nearly as critical. We hope you enjoyed this blog post covering a handful of common plumbing miscues. Being a homeowner, there are definitely quite a few plumbing-related topics that you’ll want to keep tabs on and have a general knowledge of.
If you live near the Kansas City area and are in need of some plumbing help, we would love to have the opportunity to earn your trust. Our team of trained plumbing professionals have years of experience working on residential and commercial plumbing projects. Whether that be installing water heaters, cleaning drains, repairing sewer lines or anything else, we have you covered! Give us a call at (816) 348-3481 if you’re ever interested in a free estimate.