Three Steps To Help Maintain Your Water Heater

Water heaters are such an essential part of everyday life considering they provide heated water to all parts of your home whenever and wherever you need it.  Unfortunately, these vastly used and important units get neglected and forgotten about too often, until a problem arises.  Replacing your water heater because of failed maintenance or misuse can be very costly.  Not to mention the major inconvenience of not having any hot water until the issue is resolved or a new unit has been installed.  Luckily, there are a number of ways that you can increase the years you get out of it as well as better and more efficient performance while in use.  Let’s examine three well-known tips for getting the most out of your water heater.

 

Setting The Thermostat To The Proper Temperature

The temperature you decide to set your water heater at will have a constant impact on several daily activities.  The average recommended temperature to set the thermostat at is 120 degrees Fahrenheit.  This will properly heat your water for all major and minor uses throughout your home along with not putting strain on the life of the tank.  If you notice your water having an unpleasant odor, this may be a sign of higher bacteria levels and require an increase in temperature to 140 degrees to kill the bacteria.  The same outcome will be true if you are having trouble getting your dishes clean in your dishwasher, an increase in temperature on the water heater may be necessary for your circumstance.  Changing the temperature of a gas-powered water heater is simple, just turn the dial located on the front of the gas control valve.  If you have an electric water heater, you will need to turn off the breaker, remove access panels and locate the thermostat to adjust.  It is often the safest bet to allow a professional plumbing company to adjust and maintain your water heater, especially if you are unfamiliar with them.

 

Drain The Sediment Build Up Every So Often 

 

Over time, the micro amounts of sediments in the water get deposited in the bottom of your tank and can accumulate if left untreated for too long.  Luckily, there is an easy trick you can do periodically to help avoid any unwanted build-up.  First, drain the remaining water in the tank into a bucket.  Next, stir up the sediment by opening the cold-water supply valve.  Then you will drain the water and repeat the process until the water is looking crystal clear.

 

Use Some Pipe Installation

 

A simple, quick, and inexpensive method to help you get the most out of your water heater is installing some 3/8-inch-thick self-stick pipe installation.  You will want to cover the pipes leading away from your heater as far as you can see.  This will be multifunctional, helping keep the hot water warmer and cold-water cooler with less condensation in the summertime. For any other concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to contact a professional that offers DC water heater repair services.

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Three Excellent Bathroom Remodeling Tips For Success

Choosing to remodel your bathroom can be a very exciting yet overwhelming feeling. A lot of things will need to happen correctly, and in order, to achieve your vision of what you want your bathroom to look and feel like.  Even doing small simple projects can make drastic improvement throughout the entire atmosphere of your bathroom.  With enough creativity and persistence, you can turn your older styled outdated bathroom into a highly aesthetically pleasing area that will bring you pleasure every single day.  Below are three outstanding tips to help get you on your way to your new bathroom paradise.

Form A Plan With A Budget

 

Nothing halts progress on a project faster than running out of available money to use for completion.  It may seem like a waste but hiring a professional to help you plan and properly budget your project will provide you with much greater success in a more organized and realistic time frame.  A professional can lay out an elaborate plan of specific action to help you complete your desired goals in the most realistic fashion possible.  It’s best to get a general idea of what you wish to change and then further discuss your plans with an expert so they can help get you on your way as soon as possible.  Another benefit of planning and using a budget is that you will actually save money, in the end, considering you’ll only be purchasing the essentials for each stage of completion, as opposed to guessing and buying things that may not do the job.  Save yourself a headache, guesswork, and costly errors by hiring a professional plumber to help you get the most affordable and efficient plan of action for your new bathroom.

 

Redo Your Lighting

 

One of the most noticeable aspects of a bathroom, really any room for that matter, is the lighting.  A bathroom that is too light or too dark can deliver an uncomfortable and unpleasant feel from the start.  Changing old traditional lights for new led bulbs of your choice can make a huge improvement in visibility right away.  Removing, adding, or changing the placement of light fixtures will make a drastic impact on where the light is shining, as well as how much.  There are many unique lighting options that can literally help brighten your day when you find what is right for you and your bathroom.

 

Adding Or Replacing Mirrors

 

The third useful tip on the list of ways to remodel your bathroom is having a better mirror.  If you have a small bathroom that is tight on available space, you may want to replace your protruding wood framed mirror with a larger and sleeker flat mirror that will hug the wall.  This will not only give you more space at eye level but also make the bathroom feel larger with more space for reflection.  A new mirror will also make the bathroom look more modern and you can measure to hand pick the appropriate size to fit each area nicely.  If you have any other questions, you can always reach out to a professional that offers DC bathroom remodeling services.

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Three Essential Plumbing Tips

Educating yourself as much as possible about the plumbing in your home can make a crucial impact on how often annoying and expensive problems arise.  When you are more aware of the processes happening in your home each day, you can better predict and react when an issue may come up with your plumbing/pipes.  Sometimes you might stumble across small minor issues that you don’t want to pay a professional to come out and fix every time.  If so, you will need to have some basic knowledge of what may be causing the problem and how you properly fix it before it develops into a more series issue.  Fortunately, there are three excellent tips to always remember when dealing with a plumbing repair issue in your home.

 

How To Locate Non Visible Pipes

 

Sometimes you may experience a problem with one of your pipes however, things may be more difficult if you cannot see the pipe and what may be wrong with it.  Instead of breaking through floors and demolishing areas of your home to locate the problem area, try using a high strength magnet to locate hidden pipes.  For pipes under the floor, attach a rare earth magnet to a fishing line and feed it down through a drain to see where the pipe leads underneath.  You can then track the magnet down through the floor using an ordinary compass which will turn accurately with the magnet’s placement.  This is a much quicker, easier, and less expensive way than tearing up floors throughout your home in search of pipes.

 

The Power Of The Picture        

 

Whether you are rebuilding the walls and structure of your home, or in the process of building your new home from scratch, one important tip to always remember is to take a picture.  More specifically, take a number of high-quality photos with good visibility and lighting of all major plumbing and electrical fixtures throughout your home before they get covered up with walls and floors.  Once you have several good pictures of what kinds of important features there are and where they are located, be sure make note of them in writing or digital storage as well.  It would be very disappointing to find out a few years down the road when you want to remodel the kitchen and can’t remember where major pipes and wires are.  Breaking through walls with pipes can result in extremely costly repairs, as well as more time and hassle to complete the project with a new problem to deal with.  Always take pictures so you can document and reference down the road where crucial plumbing and electrical elements are located in your home.

How To Use The Toilet During Plumbing Projects 

 

During the time of changing or fixing pipes and anything involving plumbing in a home, you will most likely have the water shut off which means you can’t flush the toilet.  The good news is a very simple and easy way to still use and flush the toilet whenever necessary does indeed exist.  If you have a two-gallon bucket of water and dump it in the bowl before you flush the toilet, it will work properly each time you repeat this process.  For any other concerns or questions, contact an expert that offers DC commercial sewer repair services.

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