As is the case with most things around the house, the options are endless when it comes to upgrades you can make. If you want an outdoor living space for relaxing after a long day, you can have a patio with a fire pit area installed. If you want a room where you can watch the Chiefs games on Sundays, you can turn the basement into a man cave. Long story short, there are always new and exciting products hitting the market that many of us would like to include somewhere in our homes. This overall evolution and technological advancements have been no different with the plumbing world.
Being a plumbing company that offers both residential and commercial plumbing services, one of our responsibilities is to stay up-to-date on the latest trends. For instance, as tankless water heaters continue to become more and more popular, we need to know the in’s and out’s of them to ensure our customers receive the best advice and installation techniques possible. While we obviously supply this information on-site, our blog is another way to relay some of these details. Having said that, this week’s blog will take a look at a few popular plumbing components that many homeowners look to have installed. We’ll discuss the purpose behind them and help you decide whether or not you should have one installed in your own home.
Water Softeners
It goes without saying that water softeners have become extremely popular over the past few years. Considering the Kansas City area experiences increased levels of hard water, this really comes as no surprise. Water softeners offer a wide range of benefits, most notably alleviating some of the adverse effects of hard water. Hard water is known to cause dryer skin/hair, can be hard on your plumbing system, and even raise your electricity bill in terms of water heating efforts.
Specifically speaking of advancements with the water softeners, we’ve seen several instances of this over the years. For example, while we’re all aware of the traditional salt-based softener systems, homeowners do have various other options to pick from now as well. This includes NuvoH2O, which provides easy-to-maintain and effective units that are citrus-based. In the end, water softeners are never a bad investment for homeowners, especially those frustrated with hard water.
Sump Pump
Sump pumps are certainly much more widespread than water softeners, but nonetheless are a component worth mentioning when it comes to residential plumbing solutions. A sump pump’s primary purpose is to prevent plumbing emergencies. Typically installed in either a basement or crawl space, this is designed to pump out any excess water that may start accumulating. If you’ve ever had to deal with water damage anywhere in your home, you know that it’s never a fun thing to mess with.
Do I need a sump pump installed? While sump pumps are very common, homeowners that don’t have one currently may wonder if they should look into having one installed. The truth is it’s never a bad idea to incorporate a sump pump into your plumbing system. Particularly if you have a finished basement, the last thing you want is for water damage to cause some costly repairs.
And while sump pumps are certainly an invaluable plumbing component, they do require some maintenance to ensure they’re ready to go when needed! Luckily, most of these tasks are fairly easy to knock out. We recently covered the topic of cleaning your sump pump on the blog. To check out that post, click the link HERE.
Smart Fixtures
While the two items mentioned above have certainly been around for awhile, now I’m going to get into some of the fun stuff! Just as technology has impacted many other different industries in the world, the same is true with the plumbing world. On a broader scale, you have inventions like the tankless water heater and low-flow showerheads that are now quite widespread. However, while still in more of a growth mode, there’s no denying that smart fixtures are slowly making their presence known. Here are just a few examples of this:
Smart Toilets – Every home or commercial building needs at least a few functional toilets, right? However, do you need “smart” toilets? Even though this is more of a luxury as opposed to necessity, smart toilets can provide some pretty cool features! Heated seats, deodorizers, remote controls, you name it! Toto’s Neorest NX2 is a perfect example of what all toilets can do in 2022. Click the link above to see for yourself!
Smart Faucets – And just as we mentioned above that every home needs functioning toilets, the same is true with faucets. Long story short, if you’re looking for a faucet that can do a little extra, you can find those nowadays as well. Aside from enhanced performance and touchless capabilities, one of the cooler features to hit the market is the voice control offerings. Some of these even have it where you give your faucet a command (like pour 1 cup of water) and it does just that! Again, this might fall more so under the category of “luxury,” but is certainly something neat for your kitchen.
All in all, “smart” fixtures have taken the plumbing world by storm. While it still may take a little bit of time before these become mainstream (largely due to financial constraints), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them gradually become more common. A few other areas where “smart” features have been enabled include water heaters and the shower.
Freestanding Tub
Our final topic of discussion is another one that may fall under the heading of “luxury,” but also one that has become a trendy item over the past year or so. Every master bathroom has a shower or bathtub (or both). However, if you’re looking for a statement piece in that bathroom, then look no further. A freestanding tub is certainly just that. Having installed quite a few in the past year alone, it’s safe to say that it also makes a massive difference in the look and feel of a room. Not to mention, due to the shape of a freestanding tub (in comparison to a traditional tub), it’ll make your bathroom look bigger as well. Lastly, to add one more point in favor of freestanding tubs, there are also plenty of designs to pick from too. Whether that be the shape, size, design or even the color, find something that fits the overall vibe you already have established. So if you’re on the fence of deciding whether or not it’s worth the investment, hopefully that helps answer your question!
Plumbing Installation Services in Kansas City
If you didn’t already realize it, you likely know now just how widespread plumbing is around the house. We covered a few of the fixtures here on the blog, but there is certainly plenty more, including the plumbing pipes themselves. For those that live in the Kansas City area and have been searching for a one-stop shop for all things plumbing, we would be happy to be that solution.
Residential plumbing services comprise a major aspect of our business and are something we take pride in. Our licensed and experienced plumbing professionals possess the ability to handle just about any plumbing problem there is. Sump pumps, water softeners, water heaters, repiping, faucets, the list goes on. To request a free quote on an upcoming plumbing project, feel free to give us a call at (816) 348-3481 or fill out the form on our website.