Plano Plumbing

A plumber who services Plano Texas and the surrounding cities offers you some ways to save money by not having to incur the expenses of major plumbing repairs.  Here are 4 quick tips to help you maintain your plumbing system and, therefore, keep more of your money in your wallet:

First tip:  Drain your water heater!

At least once a year you should drain your water heater.  Like changing the oil in your car on a regular basis, you can extend the life of your water heater by doing regular maintenance on it.  Some estimates state that you can extend the life of your water heater up to 10 extra years by draining your water heater regularly.  This will translate into big savings.

If you have a tankless water heater you can perform regular maintenance on it as well.  Any good plumbing supply company has a basic kit which allows you to maintain your water heater. 

One caveat, however, is that If, for some reason, you have not drained your water in over 3 years then be sure to call in a plumber.  At that point there are some concerns which a professional should address.

Second tip:  Clean your drains regularly

Drain repairs can be expensive, so save some money by keeping drains clear and working properly.  With the exception of your sink disposal, you can use regular household bleach.  It is inexpensive, and you can use it on

• shower drains
• sink drains (such as in the bathroom)

As always when using bleach, be careful and make sure to wear protective goggles, gloves, and masks in order to prevent accidental ingestion.  Always have lots of ventilation when using bleach.

Third tip:  Make sure that your combustible gas fixtures (water heaters and furnaces) get lots of air flow

These appliances require adequate amounts of oxygen to produce the heating your unit needs.  If there is inadequate air flow then your burn more gas which leads to potential product failure, or at least higher energy costs.  Talk with your plumber if you live in Texas because it is possible to run a dryer vent hose from a rooftop vent to the fixture itself.  Also ask a plumber about cutting a vent in the door of the fixture in order to increase air flow.

Fourth tip:  Clean your disposal properly

A plumber can make a lot of good money from you if you have a disposal problem!  In order to help you save money, be sure to keep the blades sharp by putting ice down the drain (while running hot water) and run the disposal.  This also helps to keep the disposal clean.

Of course, never put to much in the disposal at one time and use lemon JUICE when removing odors.  If you put the actual lemon down the disposal it could cause problems.

Hopefully these four tips will help you save money over the long run as they are simple, inexpensive, and can be done very quickly and infrequently.