Day-after-day there you are standing in the tub taking a shower, and if you are like most people you almost never take a sit-down bath. A study once found that the most dangerous place in your house is standing in the bathtub. If you are not taking baths, how about making your space work better for you. There is plenty of room for a nice walk-in shower in the space your tub is now. There is water and a drain in the space, so you will need a minimum of reworking on your plumbing. So for a safer more useful bathroom, get rid of the unused tub.
If your bathroom has not been up-dated, this would be a good time to get the whole room redone. If you are budget conscious, keep in mind that up-dating without rearranging is much less expensive. This would include replacing old fixtures with new ones, and can also mean replacing the old tile with new ones. By doing this, you can give your bathroom with a fresh new look in colors and styles to match your tastes.
A glass enclosure for your new shower will make your whole bathroom look more open and brighter. You can even have a niche built-in for shampoo and soap, or opt for a handy shelf or two. Since the space is long, you have room for a convenient bench. Also, your new shower will help you in the future if you decide to stay in your home into retirement. Or if you don’t, it could be a selling point in the when the time comes, because the population is aging. Most retirement aged people find a shower with a place to sit is the best answer for keeping clean.
At PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning, we are ready to help you make your new shower a reality. Please feel free to leave a question or comment and don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
If you’ve heard the buzz about tankless water heaters, you may be wondering if this technology is new and worth calling up a local plumber for an estimate on installation. Here are some great reasons to do just that:
Green Up Your Life:
A tankless water heater is a greener alternative to traditional electric or gas water heater systems. Homeowners who go tankless green up their lives in 4 ways:
Use about 40% less energy.
Electric models produce no green house gases.
Enjoy more money in your wallet as you pay out less in utility bills.
Make the bank with a federal tax rebate that could be as much as $300.
Never At A Loss:
If you have ever lived in a large household and been the unfortunate soul to shower last, then you understand the frustration of no hot water. A tankless water heater is an on-demand system. You will never be at a loss for a steamy, hot shower.
Life Span:
A tankless water heater will outlast traditional systems by about 5 years, possibly even a decade. This saves lots of money in the long term.
Tight Squeeze:
For tiny homes or tight spaces, a tankless water heater is the perfect solution. They are even small enough to be wall mounted or installed in a cabinet and propane Fastar tankless water heaters are perfect for RV living.
Convenience:
Watching the big game and suddenly realize you have somewhere to go when the final buzzer blows? Use a remote control to activate the system near the end of the big game. Don’t worry about missing a play while your hot shower gets ready to welcome you.
Security:
There are 2 catastrophes of traditional water heater systems a tankless system does away with:
Explosions
Flooding
Go tankless and bathe better. To get outfitted with the best plumbing technology for your bathing pleasure, contact your local plumbing professionals.
Summer always comes too soon in the valley, and the 100s will be here before you know it. Once they are here you want your air conditioner to work at its optimal level, so the time to get ready is now. There are some things you can do to make sure your A/C unit is ready.
Clean or replace your filter or filters.
The filters for your AC are on the intake side of your system. Keeping these cleaned or replaced on a monthly basis will keep the rest of your system cleaner as well as the air you breath.
Check your registers for moisture or a build-up of dust.
The registers are the delivery point of your AC system. If you have visible dust, you will want to wipe the area with a slightly damp cloth. If you have moisture visible there, you can have mold trying to grow in your duct work.
Check the outside unit for dirt and debris that would interfere with air flow.
Clear any plant growth, grass clippings, old leaves, or anything else that is blocking the outside portion of your AC unit. Make sure the power to the unit is off before trying to clean anything inside of the unit such as around the fan. Don’t forget to turn the power back on afterwards.
Replace old, worn, or missing insulation on the coolant lines.
The foam insulation sleeves that protect the coolant lines get worn or go missing over time. The insulation sleeve is easy to cut with a utility knife, and the sleeves are available at any hardware store. This is a simple fix and will prevent loss of energy and help your power bill.
These are some things you can do to prepare your AC for the summer ahead, but There is so much more to your AC unit. For only $59, PlumbSmart can get your AC ready and check for any problems. We will make certain your unit is running at its optimal efficiency. This will keep your power bills low, find any problems before the repairs are a major expense, and make your home the cool comfortable place you want as the weather gets hot.
Please feel free to leave a question or comment and we’ll get back to you as quickly as possible. Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
The biggest trend in kitchens today is white with white. This is often coupled with a granite countertop, or if you are really brave, marble. If you cook a lot and don’t like stains, don’t pick marble as it tends to stain easily. One of the best things about a white kitchen is that you can add splashes of color to spice things up, as seen here from HGTV. Another trend to add color to a white kitchen is an island in a different color, often bold or bright, as seen here from Better Homes & Gardens.
White is not the only color out there this year. Grays, greens, and blues in every shade imaginable are being used by today’s designers. Near whites are in style in every shade. Just barely blue, green, cream, grey, or even yellow. So if you want the brightness of white, and don’t love the starkness of it, this is the way to go.
Another trend in kitchens today is that your cabinets do not have to be all the same color. Darker cabinets on the bottom, and lighter ones on top makes a dramatic look. Or for an even more dramatic look, add a splash of color to your kitchen. Bold back-splashes are also in style, from bold prints to bright colors.
Appliances are still tending to be stainless, but other metal in the kitchen is often changed up now. Copper, brass, gold-tone, and stainless can be exhibited in the same kitchen. A copper pendant light over a sink or island, stainless appliances, gold-tone drawer pulls can all be at home in today’s kitchen. Farmhouse sinks are still an eye-catching touch to the modern kitchen, and come in so many colors and options. You can even get your new farmhouse sink in antique copper.
We are here to help you Make Your Dream Kitchen A Reality at a price you can afford. We provide Free Estimates and welcome your questions and comments. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!
The next time you consider replacing a water heater consider the advantages of changing to a tankless water heater. You will have all the hot water you want, when you want it. You will also have the benefit of not heating water when you don’t want it. Another benefit of the tankless unit is it hangs on a wall, freeing up useful space in your laundry room. You can even hide your tankless hot water heater in a cabinet if you want.
The regular hot water heaters have a tank that fills up and then heats that whole amount of water at one time. If you use all the hot water, it takes around half-an-hour to heat another tankful of water. If you don’t use that hot water, the tank style heater will continue to reheat that water over and over again until you do. This means you are using energy you don’t need.
The tankless hot water heater has a heat exchanger that heats the water in a coil as it flows. The water flows into the coil cold and leaves hot. That means you heat the water when you want it, and not when you don’t. You have all the hot water you need, when you need it. Do you have a large family all getting ready at once? Or a soak tub that takes a whole tankful of water to fill? With the tankless system, you will not have a cold bath or shower unless you want one.
At PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning, you receive the highest quality service, the best warranty in the industry, and lowest possible price. Let us help you with any and all plumbing needs, including your new tankless water heater installation.
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There are a lot of benefits of using gas appliances such as hot water heaters, ranges, and gas fireplaces. The biggest plus is the efficiency of gas for heating anything. This is because you put the heat straight to the purpose of heating, instead of electricity which is made by using gas to create heat to turn a turbine to make electricity. The effect of always losing some of the energy along the way, in the form of lost heat or resistance in the electrical lines means that it will always cost more to use electricity to heat things. Therefore, gas water heaters, furnaces, stoves, and ovens all cost more to operate when they are electric.
When it comes to cooking, gas has added benefits in the way of temperature control. Electric stoves have limited settings, and the whole eye is on whether your pot is large or small. Gas flames can be tuned to the proper setting that your heat stays under the pot where it does the most good. Food cooks faster, and some people would say better, with gas appliances. Gas grills have the conveniences of keeping the flame the whole time you cook at an even setting, verses charcoal which is as likely as not to cook too hot at first and not hot enough later. Not only that, but the mess of the charcoal is avoided as well.
The gas appliances have many pluses, however you must have a gas line to each appliance to run it. Whether it is to a new water heater or a new gas fireplace, you need properly trained and trustworthy technicians to make certain your home is safe and efficiently plumbed for all the gas you need and use. Our trained technicians will inspect your current gas system will make certain that your gas line is up to the demand of all of the appliances on the system. The inspection is free, and all of our other gas-line services are reasonably priced. When we install service to your new gas appliances, we will size the line to accommodate all of the appliances. This will insure that all of your gas-fired equipment will function properly, giving you the best value and safety.
If you’re considering making the change from electric to gas our advisors and technicians are here to answer any questions you may have. Don’t overpay for gas line repair or installation. At PlumbSmart Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning, we will give you honest answers to all your gas line and plumbing questions.
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