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Don't Forget the Plumbing on New Year's Resolution Lists

Schedule Plumbing Maintenance for Home Health

The new year is here, and people are excited to get healthy. While everyone is focused on shedding pounds and managing stress, nasty situations could be brewing in the home. Forgetting about properly managing the home is a problem that most people have, but ignoring it year after year can have disastrous consequences.

This year, take a holistic approach to health. Maintain the home to support the healthy goals that owners set. Take advice from local plumbers and schedule professional maintenance. Doing so is a great way to prevent stress and even save money. Here is a quick guide to plumbing maintenance to help owners out in the new year.

Routine Drain Cleaning

When it comes to a home's plumbing, a source of stress and unexpected costs is drain problems. When drains clog, they can cause nasty messes and interruption of plans. Luckily, services offered by plumbers can keep problems at bay indefinitely.

Routine drain cleaning is a professional service offered by plumbers to reduce homeowners' problems and costs. Instead of paying emergency fees for clearing drain clogs, plumbers offer a flat-rate service to do preventative drain cleaning. This ensures that homeowners are never caught off guard by a nasty clog.

While doing routine drain cleaning as a DIY task may be tempting, it is generally not recommended. Chemical drain cleaners are not acceptable for some types of piping, and they can cause more serious damage. Sticking to the plan and letting professionals quickly do what they do best is best.

Professional Plumbing Maintenance

Drain cleaning is an important part of plumbing maintenance, but it isn't the only step. Plumbers can be used for their knowledge and experience to prevent other problems. Professional plumbing maintenance usually involves routine drain cleaning, but it allows plumbers to take preventative action. During professional plumbing maintenance, plumbers will:

Look for leaks
Test water pressure
Inspect visible piping
Insulate vulnerable piping
Maintain water softeners or filters

By scheduling this service, owners can save time and money in the coming year. They can also reap the health benefits of living in a home free from water problems.

Remember Water Heater Maintenance

The final piece of the professional plumbing maintenance puzzle is water heater maintenance. The water heater is probably the most important appliance in the home because it contributes to health and stress reduction by providing hot water for cleaning and bathing rituals. The water heater also uses a huge portion of the monthly energy budget, so putting a little money into it during the year makes sense to prevent problems.

Water heater maintenance is a part of any reputable plumbing maintenance program. With water heater maintenance, homeowners can rest easy knowing their water heater will use less energy, provide more hot water, and not fail in the coming year. This year, get peace of mind from plumbers. Schedule professional plumbing maintenance to reap the benefits and savings of doing things correctly.

About Apple Valley Plumbing Company

Apple Valley Plumbing Company offers personal attention to every homeowner. They handle each problem with award-winning service and upfront pricing. Call today to invest in the home's plumbing in the coming year in Apple Valley, MN.

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Don't Get Spooked By Halloween Plumbing Emergencies

Stop Scary Plumbing Emergencies

Halloween can be fun for kids who love being scared with stories of ghosts and ghouls. On the other hand, their parents are probably more easily scared of stories of expensive problems around the house. Some of the scarier stories that homeowners can share this time of year are any number of plumbing problems that can happen.

This year, instead of being afraid, take some action and prevent the problems before they start. Here are a few of the most common plumbing problems that can plague a house and some ways to keep them from getting out of hand.

Keep Drains Clear With Drain Cleaning

One of the scary stories that homeowners tell is about clogged drains. Clogged drains are a common problem regardless of the season, and they can lead to nasty messes that need professional solutions to remedy.

One of the best ways to keep drains from clogging is periodic drain cleaning. Drain cleaning can be done by homeowners or with more advanced techniques of professional drain cleaners. Some recommendations for homeowners to keep their drains clean are:

Keep kitchen grease and food scraps out of the drain
Flush sinks with hot water periodically to flush debris out of drain piping
Use vinegar and baking soda to bubble out clogs
Install hair traps to keep clogs from forming

Professional drain cleaning services always recommend avoiding chemical drain cleaners. These dangerous chemicals can damage piping leading to a need for massive repairs.

Stop Clogged Toilets Before They Start

Another common spooky story among homeowners is one of clogged toilets. Clogged toilets prevent flushing and can cause nasty backups onto the bathroom floor. Luckily, in many cases, one can avoid clogged toilets. A few ways to avoid toilet clogs are:

Never flush too much toilet paper
If too much toilet paper is being used, flush an extra time to prevent a clog
Don’t flush wipes or hygiene products
Provide a waste basket for unflushable materials

If clogged toilets are a problem, one should always keep plungers on hand. Minor clogs are no big deal as long as a homeowner knows how to plunge a stool. When clogs become too frequent, there may be more serious causes, and professionals should be called in immediately to investigate.

Remember Water Heater Maintenance

The water heater is one of the most prized appliances in a home. Nothing is better than unwinding after a long hard day with a hot shower. Conversely, nothing is more horrific than turning on the shower only to be met with icy cold water.

To prevent this horror story from becoming a reality, homeowners should remember water heater maintenance. Water heater maintenance is a professional service that ensures the water heater stays healthy and is ready to provide another year’s worth of service. During water heater maintenance, technicians will:

Drain and flush the tank
Check the burner or heating element
Look for leaks
Inspect anode rod
Verify delivery of hot water

Homeowners will notice a drop in utility bills and longer-lasting water heaters if maintenance is done yearly.

About Apple Valley Plumbing Company

Apple Valley Plumbing Company is the local choice for custom plumbing solutions from experienced professionals. They provide award-winning services for drain cleaning and water heater maintenance. Call today to get lasting results from plumbing and appliances in Apple Valley, MN.

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Don't Forget To Schedule Service for the Water Heater

Schedule Now! Don’t Wait Until There’s No Hot Water!

The water heater is the backbone of the home plumbing system. It helps all the appliances connected to the plumbing do their jobs. Cleaning clothing, cleaning and sterilizing dishes, and hot showers and baths could not happen without the water heater. People are no longer required to heat huge amounts of water over a fire to complete daily tasks as they did less that 200 years ago. Just as one must monitor a fire to keep it burning, so a water heater must have scheduled maintenance to keep it working as it should.

Why Should Regular Maintenance Be a Priority?

Though they know they may need replacement someday, every homeowner wants their fixtures and appliances to function for as long as they possibly can. This is at the very heart of scheduled maintenance. This should be done once a year at a minimum. Some of the benefits of regular maintenance are:

Efficiency: Maintenance provides a water heater with the highest possible efficiency, which lowers energy costs.
Lasting function: A regularly checked water will have a longer life because one can prevent problems instead of fixing them.
Savings: Lower energy costs mean more money in a customer’s wallet.
Helps other parts of the home: If the water heater is working well, it better serves the other appliances in the home that depend on it.

Checks and Parts Replacement: What Happens During Maintenance?

So what will a plumbing professional do for a water heater during a check-up? Several things are standard when it comes to water heater maintenance. The primary steps of a scheduled maintenance visit will include most of the following:

Flushing the tank: This involves emptying the tank and making sure the interior is in good shape and free of corrosion.
Descaling the tank: This process uses a descaler/cleaner to remove the build-up of mineral deposits due to hard water.
Checking/Replacing the PRV: The PRV or Pressure Release Valve is an important safety device on a water heater that prevents pressure buildup within the tank. There can be dire consequences (leaks being the best case scenario) if it is not working properly, so this is one of the main maintenance checks.
Checking pipe connections: Making sure the pipes that bring water to and from the water heater are attached properly, are not leaking, and do not need any insulation.

Symptoms of a Troubled Water Heater

Despite even the best efforts, sometimes water heaters do break down and need repair or replacement. There are many ways that a water heater can malfunction. If a homeowner observes any of the following signs, they should contact a reliable plumbing company for an inspection or consultation.

Rust-colored water
Hot water not lasting as long as usual
Water is not as hot as normally expected
Hot water temps are intermittent
Leaks

About Apple Valley Plumbing Company

Apple Valley Plumbing Company offers free phone consultations so customers can be educated and know what to expect. They strive for 100% satisfied customers and work to be on time and provide individual solutions that fit their customer’s needs. Call them today for water heater maintenance and repair in the Apple Valley, MN area.

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Bathroom Remodels Don't Have To Be Scary

Professional Contractors Can Help Tackle a Bathroom Remodel

With summer vacations over and families' schedules beginning to return to normal, many people will turn their attention back to home improvement projects during the fall season. One of the most popular home improvement projects is bathroom remodels. Bathroom remodels can be as simple as swapping out some light fixtures and faucets or as severe as stripping walls down to the studs and rearranging a bathroom layout.

Regardless of the remodel, it usually involves some change in the plumbing. Any time a homeowner gets involved with changing plumbing, it is always helpful to have a licensed professional's assistance.

Trained Professionals Keep Projects Safe

DIYers can find themselves out of their depth during bathroom remodels. Not only is the project itself difficult, it also requires dangerous tools. When people don't know what they're doing, it could be hazardous to homeowners and their property. Injuries can quickly slow down a project, and insurance copays can soon run a project over budget. Additionally, damages to property from unsafe conditions will require remediation costs that weren't initially projected.

A licensed professional knows how to complete bathroom remodels safely and has special insurance to protect the property they are working on. If anything unfortunate should happen to a worker or the property, the homeowner is covered by the contractor's insurance.

Doing Things Right the First Time Saves Money

Bathroom remodels can vary between relatively cheap to positively expensive. When it comes to plumbing, even simple installations can have dire consequences in the long run that result in unexpected repair costs. Even something as simple as changing a plumbing fixture can result in damage. When plumbing fixtures are changed, untrained workers may damage piping behind the walls or not completely stop leaks at pipe joints. Small leaks can cause mold growth on drywall and ruin floors.

Costs to repair the damage done by a small leak can quickly exceed budgets. The expenses are doubled when damage is done to remodeling work that was already completed because now that work has to be redone with new materials. All of this could've been prevented by hiring a professional first.

Trained Professionals Can Get Bathroom Remodels Done Quicker

Living in a home that has an unserviceable bathroom can be a huge upset to a household. While most houses have multiple bathrooms, most of the home's occupants will have their daily routines built around a specific bathroom. During a remodel, the bathroom will be unavailable, and the users will have to find somewhere else to carry out their daily routines.

The other bathrooms will become overcrowded. This makes the project time-sensitive. Professionals understand the need to get a project done promptly. They are used to completing projects on a schedule and can effortlessly quote the problem before getting things back to normal.

About Apple Valley Plumbing Company

Apple Valley Plumbing Company has been serving customers since 2013. What sets them apart is the personal attention they pay to each job. Their plumbers show up clean and uniformed on the same day that calls are issued, and they always offer clear and upfront pricing. Contact them today for Apple Valley, MN bathroom remodeling services.