Getting the Most Out of Your Water Heater This Winter

As the temperature outside begins to drop, the prospect of a hot shower at the end of a long day becomes even more appealing. A few simple tips can help you get the most out of your home’s water heater for comfortable living all winter long.

Adjust the Temperature

Water heaters have variable temperature settings, allowing homeowners to choose the temperature of their hot water. The higher the temperature setting, the more energy your water heater uses. The ideal temperature setting on your water heater is essentially a balance between your comfort level and the cost of using the appliance. Most water heaters come from the manufacturer set at 140 degrees, which is higher than the average home needs. In fact, water at the hottest setting on your appliance can easily scald in seconds. Set your water heater at a maximum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit to avoid injury. This temperature should be sufficient for any household tasks, including comfortable bathing. If you are constantly turning up the temperature on your water heater but not getting the hot water you need, it’s time to call in a professional to check for problems. You can also turn down the heat on your water heater if you’ll be away from home for more than a few days. Set the dial to low or “vacation” mode to reduce the amount of energy used by your water heater and save money on your utility bill.

Use Low-Flow Fixtures

Low-flow showerheads and sink faucets can reduce your water usage by up to 60%. Using less water means using less hot water as well, which lowers the cost of running your water heater. Especially if your home is host to a large number of people, low-flow fixtures can stretch a possibly limited hot water supply farther, meaning everyone will be more comfortable. Even if your home utilizes a tankless water heater, reducing your hot water usage during the winter with low-flow fixtures puts less pressure on your system and still reduces the cost of obtaining hot water

Go Tankless

If your home has a tank water heater that is 10 years old or more, replacing it with a tankless water heater can help you save money and enjoy more hot water. Tankless water heaters heat water on demand rather than keeping a storage tank continually at the set temperature. In a home that uses 41 gallons of water a day or less, you can enjoy up to 34% in energy savings. Even if you use more than 41 gallons a day, you can still achieve savings of up to 14% due to increased efficiency. In order to maximize the savings you enjoy from your tankless water heater, take shorter showers and run appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines only when you can clean a full load of dishes or clothing.

Using your water heater wisely this winter will ensure your Omaha home has plenty of hot water while lowering the cost of your monthly utilities. If you’re having water heater problems or are ready to replace your current model, visit our website to find out how Aksarben/ARS can help. You can find more tips on water heater and HVAC maintenance for a comfortable home on our blog.

Conserving Water in Your Home

Conserving water is both easy and economical. By using less water on a daily basis, you’ll not only lower your water bills but conserve this valuable natural resource. You don’t need to make significant lifestyle changes to reduce water usage in your Flagstaff home. A few simple changes to your habits and low-cost changes to your plumbing can result in immediate water savings you can enjoy.

Install Low-Flow Fixtures and Aerators

If your home has older plumbing fixtures, they could be using significantly more water than necessary to accomplish everyday tasks. Aging fixtures may use up to two and a half gallons of water per minute, which can add up over the course of a ten- or twenty-minute shower. Replacing your current showerheads with low-flow fixtures can reduce the flow rate during a shower by half or more. Although you are using less water, low-flow showerheads are designed to maintain high water pressure so your comfort won’t suffer. Low-flow showerheads are available at many home improvement and plumbing stores at low cost, so you don’t need to worry about a high-cost plumbing makeover. You can also purchase aerators for your kitchen and bathroom sink faucets. Aerators mix air with the water flow to cut the flow rate in your sink by nearly two gallons per minute without sacrificing water pressure.

Learn to Recognize Leaks

Home leaks can account for up to 90 gallons of wasted water each day. Learning to spot and address leaks can help you conserve water and protect your home from water damage. A sudden spike in your water bill compared with the previous month could be indicative of a leak. If you suspect you may have a running toilet, place a few drops of food coloring into the tank and wait 20 minutes. If color has appeared in the bowl, there is a leak between your toilet’s tank and bowl. Even if you are experiencing a small leak or water problem, call in a plumber to address the issue immediately. Over time, tiny drips and leaks add up into significant water usage and higher utility bills.

Use Water Wisely

Appliances such as dishwashers and washing machines make many chores easier. However, poor usage habits can result in unnecessary water waste. Only run your dishwasher or washing machine when you can clean a full load. If your washing machine features and adjustable water level, reduce the amount of water used when you do wash fewer clothes. If you care for your lawn regularly, install a rain barrel or recycle the water from washing vegetables in your sink to care for your lawn. Using recycled water to care for your lawn or landscaping can cut out nearly 30% of your monthly water consumption.

Are you ready to create a more sustainable household by implementing these simple water conservation techniques? You can learn more about water conservation and how your plumber can help your efforts by clicking through our blog. Visit our website to contact a professional and find out more about our repair, replacement, and upgrade services in Yavapai, Coconino, and Maricopa Counties.

Should You Switch to a Tankless Water Heater?

Tankless water heaters have earned rave reviews for their ability to produce endless, on-demand hot water for your home. However, there are drawbacks as well as benefits to replacing your storage water heater with a tankless model. If you’re ready to replace your water heater and aren’t sure whether you should go tankless, keep reading to explore some of the pros and cons of switching to a tankless water heater.

Tank Water Heaters

Traditional tank water heaters store heated water inside a tank. Because water is kept hot even when it is not needed, your water heater experiences standby heat loss. Standby heat loss refers to heat that is lost through the insulated walls of the tank. Energy—which costs money—is used to compensate for this heat loss whenever the temperature of the water inside the tank falls too low. A tank water heater also produces a limited supply of hot water. Although water is continually fed into the tank and heated to replace lost volume, if you use all the hot water in your tank at once, you must wait before you can enjoy hot water once more. However, a properly-sized tank water heater can provide sufficient hot water for all your needs and represents a lower initial investment than a tankless model.

Tankless Water Heaters

A tankless water heater does not maintain a reservoir of heated water. Instead, these appliances work by heating water quickly as it flows through a heat exchanger. Water is only heated when you turn on the hot water tap, meaning you are only paying to heat the water you’re using. Tankless water heaters don’t suffer from standby heat loss, and a properly-sized water heater can provide enough hot water for many plumbing fixtures inside your home simultaneously. Because hot water is produced on demand, as long as you don’t exceed the capacity of your water heater, you will never run out of hot water. Additionally, installing a tankless water heater may qualify you for a federal tax credit or rebate on your purchase.

Considerations Before You Go Tankless

While tankless water heaters have many benefits over storage models, there are some drawbacks as well. A tankless water heater is harder to flush and clean than a tank water heater, and is more likely to require professional servicing if there is a problem. Tankless water heaters cost more to purchase and install than storage models, and you may need to increase the capacity of your home’s natural gas line to accommodate its energy needs. A tankless water heater requires a minimum flow rate of 0.5 gallons per minute to activate its heat exchanger for the production of hot water. If your home utilizes low-flow fixtures at or near this rate, you may experience problems with your hot water. While tankless models advertise instantaneous and endless hot water, if you exceed the capacity of your water heater, you can still experience a shortage of hot water.

Are you considering installing a new water heater in your Knoxville home? You can explore your options with the help of a professional plumber when you visit our website. We invite you to click through the articles on the Mrs. Rooter blog to find more information about home plumbing appliances and how to choose the right one for your needs.

The Importance of Cleaning and Sealing Your Ducts

Ducts carry heated and cooled air from your furnace and air conditioner throughout your home. However, dirty ducts also carry dust, pollen, and other allergens along for the ride. Poorly-sealed ducts allow air to escape, lowering the efficiency of your heating and cooling system and raising the cost of maintaining comfort indoors. Having your ducts checked, cleaned, and sealed can alleviate allergy and asthma symptoms and lower the cost of heating and cooling your Detroit home.

Why Duct Cleaning Is Important

Over the years, dirt, dust, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens can accumulate in your home’s ducts. Changing your HVAC filter regularly is an excellent way to cut down on the amount of debris that enters your ducts, but without regular cleaning any dirt that has built up in your ducts remains there. When forced air travels through your system from your furnace or air conditioner, allergens are carried along as well. If you or a family member suffers from allergies or asthma, dirty ducts may exacerbate these symptoms and make breathing more difficult. Ducts that have been exposed to moisture may harbor mold, a common indoor allergen. Clean ducts mean that the only thing traveling through your home and exiting your air registers is clean, comfortable air. Although duct cleaning has not been explicitly proven to alleviate allergy symptoms, it can be helpful in eliminating mold, pests, and other vermin that may be contributing to respiratory problems.

Why Duct Sealing Is Important

The ducts in your home transport heated and cooled air to air registers in each room. Ductwork inside most homes is comprised of a network of ducts that meet, join, and branch off in many directions. Leaks in the ducts or their connections mean air can escape rather than traveling to its final destination. Lost air results in lower heating and cooling efficiency inside your home, causing you to crank the thermostat higher or lower than necessary to achieve the desired result. Leaky ducts can raise the cost of using your air conditioner and furnace while decreasing their useful lifetimes by adding stress on the system. Duct sealing improves the energy efficiency of your HVAC system by up to 20%, allowing you to enjoy more comfortable indoor temperatures at a lower cost.

Your home’s ducts are an essential component of your HVAC system. Even if you already regularly maintain your furnace and air conditioner, ignoring your ducts can cost you in comfort and efficiency. You can find more tips on maintaining or replacing your home’s HVAC system by clicking on our website. We invite you to check out our duct cleaning services in Detroit, Ann Arbor, and Troy to learn more.

Caring for and Clearing Your Toilet

You rely on working toilets in your home. With proper care, you will never have toilet trouble to cause stress. Severely-clogged toilets can overflow, damaging your home and resulting in costly repairs. If you run into trouble you can’t handle on your own, call a plumber promptly to address the issue.

Preventing Toilet Clogs

Your toilet may seem like a convenient trash receptacle, but its plumbing is not meant to handle most manmade waste. Toilet paper is designed to break up in water to prevent plumbing clogs, but other paper products do not have the same properties. Never flush tissues, paper towels, or baby wipes down your toilet, even if they claim to be flushable. Waste such as dental floss, hair, packaging, cigarettes, and food should not be flushed down your toilet. These items are too large to travel through your toilet’s plumbing, causing clogs and backups as they accumulate in your pipes. Other items that should never be flushed include condoms, cat litter, diapers, and feminine hygiene products.

Clearing a Clogged Toilet

If your toilet is clogged and will not drain, you can take steps to clear away the clog yourself. If the toilet is overflowing, first close the water shutoff valve to prevent further damage. The water shutoff valve is typically a silver handle located on the wall behind your toilet’s tank near the floor. Once the water has been turned off, you’ll need a toilet plunger to clear the drain. Place the plunger over the drain in the toilet bowl so it is completely covered. If there is not enough water in your toilet to cover the lip of the plunger, add water from a sink before proceeding. Depress and pull up on the plunger’s stick about ten to twelve times in a row without lifting the plunger away from the drain. Next, pull the plunger up out of the bowl in one smooth motion and see if the water drains away. If not, try again—it may take a few rounds with the plunger before the water will drain. Once the water drains properly from the bowl, turn on the water intake by rotating the water shutoff valve in the opposite direction and flush the toilet to check that it is working. If plunging does not clear out your toilet, it’s time to call a plumber to assess the situation. Never pour chemical drain cleaner down your toilet, as it may overflow and cause skin irritation or damage to your home. If you don’t have a plunger, you can try a few additional tricks to clear your toilet without a plunger before calling your plumber for help.

These tips should keep your Memphis home’s toilets in excellent condition for years to come. If you’d like more plumbing information from the pros, we invite you to check out the Mrs. Rooter blog. When it’s time to call in an experienced professional plumber, visit the Mr. Rooter website to find out more or schedule a visit. 

How to Keep Your Drains Clog-Free

When water disappears down your drain, it must travel through your home’s plumbing pipes before it reaches a sewer or septic tank. Keeping those pipes clear will prevent clogs and backups that can damage your home and cause undue stress. If you do experience sluggish drains or a clog that you can’t clear yourself, call in a plumber to assess the situation. Ignoring a clogged drain won’t solve your problem, and could lead to the need for more costly repairs if not addressed in a timely manner.

Don’t Treat Drains as Garbage Cans

Your drains and toilets are not meant to transport manmade waste. Even if you have a food disposal, there is a limit to how much solid matter your disposal can handle. Never put animal bones, fruit rinds, or other hard items down your disposal. Cooking fats and greases are common causes of kitchen sink clogs; although they are liquids when hot, they cool quickly and solidify inside your pipes. Store grease and fat in a can or jar and throw it away with the rest of your solid waste. Avoid treating your toilet as a trash can; never flush paper towels, tissues, baby wipes, paper, dental floss, feminine products, or diapers. All of these items can easily clog your toilet, your pipes, or your sewer line.

Use Hair Traps

Hair traps are small pieces of mesh that fit over the drains in your sinks, tubs, and showers. Use hair traps to prevent hair and larger debris from being washed down the drain. Although a few strands of hair may not seem substantial, over time hair can easily become caught in pipes and facilitate the creation of a larger clog by creating a net that traps other debris. If you have long hair, brush it out before you shower and throw excess hair in the trash.

Use Eco-Friendly Drain Cleaners

Chemical drain cleaners may seem like an easy solution to a clogged drain, but often these products do more harm than good. The chemicals in most drain cleaners loosen clogs by creating heat, which can warp or otherwise damage your plumbing pipes. Choose eco-friendly drain cleaners instead, which use enzymes and helpful bacteria to eliminate clogs by breaking down the organic matter creating the blockage. You can also try other plumbing-friendly methods of clearing clogs such as using a drain cleaner made from a combination of baking soda and vinegar.

Clear drains mean stress-free water usage throughout your South Carolina home. If you need help handling clogs or other plumbing issues, click through our website for more information from the pros or to contact a plumber for fast, effective service in Anderson and beyond. Check out our blog for more tips on easy plumbing maintenance and solutions.  

Maintaining Your Tankless Water Heater

Tankless water heaters offer many advantages over traditional storage water heaters. Hot water is heated on demand, reducing energy consumption and providing as much hot water as you need for your home. Regular maintenance is an important part of owning any water heater, including a tankless model. Keep reading to find out how you can maximize your water heater’s performance for added savings and longevity.

Flushing Your Water Heater

Tankless water heaters can—and should—be flushed periodically. Minerals in your water can build up on the inside of the unit, reducing its ability to heat your water effectively and damaging its heating element. To flush your water heater, first turn off the power and any gas intake to the unit. Turn off the cold water intake and hot water output valves. Your water heater should have two isolation valves that are used during the flushing process: a cold water isolation valve and a hot water isolation valve. Consult your user’s manual or your plumber if you aren’t sure how to find them. Attach the cold water isolation valve to a small circulation pump using a length of hose. Connect a second length of hose to the hot water isolation valve, placing the other end in a five-gallon bucket. Place the inlet hose of your pump into the bucket as well. Fill the bucket with five gallons of white vinegar, and open both isolation valves. Turn on the pump and allow the vinegar to circulate for 45 minutes. After this time, turn off the pump and drain any remaining liquid from the cold isolation valve before closing it and removing the hose. Remove the hose from the hot water isolation valve and make sure the valve is closed. Turn on your cold and hot water valves and run a hot water tap in your home briefly to make sure no air is trapped in the system. Finally, restore power and gas to the water heater.

Cleaning the Filter Screen

Tankless water heaters utilize a filter screen to block incoming debris from entering the unit. This filter screen is located inside the cold water intake valve. To clean the screen, turn off the cold water intake and remove the screen. Flush it gently with water, following any specific instructions for cleaning the screen in your user’s manual. Once the filter is clean, replace it and turn the water intake valve back to the on position.

With a little regular care, your tankless water heater will function efficiently for years to come. If you have any questions, you can contact a professional plumber in Santa Cruz for advice or service by clicking through the Mr. Rooter website. We invite you to read through our blog for more home plumbing maintenance tips and information.