For those that are regulars on our plumbing blog, you likely are well aware of how we talk about various plumbing upgrades from time-to-time. Whether that be in the form of a tankless water heater, smart toilets or even simply a stunning new faucet, the plumbing industry as a whole is one that’s constantly evolving. With this, as is the case with any other type of household product, there’s no denying the presence of certain trends or fads that may or may not stay in style. When it comes to interior design, we’ve seen plenty of these over the years.
On this week’s blog, we’ll be taking a look at a few upgrades you can make to your plumbing system that will surely stay in style for years to come. While we obviously can’t predict what the world will look like 50 years from now, our years of experience has allowed us to truly see which plumbing styles and brands have been able to stand the test of time. We’ll walk you through a handful of those and hopefully put your mind at ease if you were considering making a particular upgrade in your own home. With that all being said, let’s hop right in!
Quality Brands
While this point isn’t a specific product per se, you always want to make sure you’re picking out quality brands or manufacturers. And even though the faucet, toilet and water heater industries are filled with a seemingly endless number of companies, there’s a reason why the industry leaders have been around for so long and continue to be the names you see at your local Home Depot or Lowes. Take companies like Delta, Toto, Moen, AO Smith, Rheem and so on, for example. Each of these brands have been at the forefront of innovation on countless occasions and continue to bring reliable and trendy products to the market. Long story short, if you purchase a product or have one installed from any of these major brands, you can rest assured they’ll still be around years from now when you finally have to replace it.
Increased Efficiency from a New Water Heater
While installing new faucets will undoubtedly give your bathroom or kitchen a boost aesthetically, having a new water heater installed is an upgrade that’s always worth it. Considering many of the major water heater brands are always working diligently to improve efficiency on their new units, you can typically assume some added-savings there as well. And while we’re on the topic of water heaters, have you ever considered having a tankless heater installed? Over the years, they’ve consistently grown more and more popular, and we feel confident in saying this is a trend that’s here to stay. They are going to require a higher up-front cost for the initial installation, but you can’t argue with the wide array of benefits they provide after that. Tankless water heaters will last much longer than their storage tank counterparts (usually lasting 20-plus years), don’t occupy nearly as much space and are significantly more efficient. What else could you possibly need with a household water heater?
Eco-Efficient Fixtures
“Efficiency” is a word that’s already been mentioned a few times here on this blog. Having personally been in the plumbing world for a few decades now, I feel confident in saying that there has always been an emphasis on improving efficiency when it comes to plumbing fixtures. We already referenced this above with your water heater, but it really extends much farther than that. Showerheads and toilets are two perfect examples of fixtures that previously used so much more water than the modern low-flow units permit nowadays. As stated on the EPA website, there are certain products with a “WaterSense” label that have met requirements and criteria for top-of-the-line efficiency. In the end, eco-efficient fixtures are obviously a trend that’s here to stay for the long haul!
Practicality and Functionality
While it’s easy to get distracted by some of the cool technology-based enhancements (trust us, heated seats on the toilet is a pretty cool innovation), when analyzing from the perspective of withstanding the test of time, you have to consider functionality and practicality. Whether that be in terms of increasing the value of your home or simply getting a quality return on your investment, you always want something that gets the job done. So…with that in mind, what does practicality or functionality look like with plumbing fixtures? Let’s take a look at a couple of quick examples:
Kitchen Faucet: As a whole, the faucet is a fixture that has seen its fair share of improvements over the years, both from a functional point of view and in terms of style. Since this section is more so focused on functionality, we’ll highlight an innovation geared towards the kitchen faucet in particular and that is the “pull-out” kitchen faucet. While the logic behind this is fairly straightforward, there’s no doubt that it makes life in the kitchen so much easier. Plus, seeing as this concept has been around for some time now, faucet brands have consistently evolved their styles of pull-out kitchen faucets too. Just check out the wide variety of pull-out kitchen faucets available on Delta’s website.
Garbage Disposals: In terms of plumbing fixtures/appliances, garbage disposals are one that can be a blessing and a curse. While not everyone has one installed, you can easily make the claim that they provide plenty of unique benefits. They can chew up small food particles and like the pull-out kitchen faucet, can make life in the kitchen much easier. However, while we’ve discussed numerous times just how great garbage disposals can be, they can quickly turn into a headache if you’re allowing the wrong items to go down the drain. In the end, you can safely say garbage disposals are a practical and functional upgrade to make, but just make sure you understand what can and can’t go down them. Failure to do so will almost certainly result in you having to call your local plumber to get it back in working order!
Curious which garbage disposal brand our team at Stine-Nichols Plumbing recommends? Even though the market is filled with plenty of different options, we’ve always had tremendous results with the disposals from InSinkErator. For years, they’ve been an industry leader and also continue to produce a wide range of products capable of meeting different needs. This includes both varying levels of HP and their quiet series.
Residential and Commercial Plumbing Services in Kansas City
Managing a home’s plumbing system is a little more complex than you might initially expect. You obviously need to have quality fixtures/products installed, but it is also just as important to conduct routine maintenance to ensure things aren’t breaking down quicker than expected. Throughout this blog post, we discussed a few different plumbing upgrades that should withstand the test of time. As you likely noticed, one underlying theme featured throughout is just how important the brand is. While a brand certainly isn’t everything, in the plumbing world, it’s typically critical in terms of reliability.
Our team at Stine-Nichols Plumbing provides residential and commercial plumbing services all around the Kansas City area and many of the surrounding cities. If you’re ever interested in receiving a free quote on a potential plumbing project, you’re more than welcome to call us directly at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form HERE. We look forward to hearing from you!