What would you think are the appliances in your house that are most likely to fail?
3. Washing Machine - when you are not using your washing machine, the valves that the hoses are connected to should be shut off. Also, those black rubber hoses should be changed every two to three years.
2. Water Heater - your heater should be serviced every two to three years. Please look below for more details.
1. Toilet - the most common appliance to fail. If your toilet does not shut off automatically like it is supposed to, it will run until you stop it. There are safe guards you can take to limit the damage.
THE AVERAGE INSURANCE CLAIM DUE TO THESE FAILURES IS $8,000.
Toilets - Upgrading your toilet will save you money. How? If your toilet was installed prior to 1994 you are most likely using 3.5 gallons of water with each flush (gph). Please be assured that the nightmares with the first generation 1.6 gph toilets have been put to rest. Look at the chart below to see how much water you could and should be saving.
HET stands for High Effiency Toilet. It meets the EPA's Watersence program . With the amount of water you will be saving, changing your old water hog could pay for itself in a few years.
Water Heaters - When was the last time you had your water heater flushed and drained? Over time, sediment build up on the bottom will clog the drain valve, effect water quality and cause premature tank failure.
What about the anode rod? What's that you ask? The anode rod in your tank is a sacrificial rod that minerals and particulates attack first. Once they are done with that, they go to work on the tank. Not good.
Wet basements and emergency service calls are no fun and expensive. A simple annual check-up will help eliminate these problems and keep your water heater working properly and safely well after the warranty has expired. Depending on your water quality, you may want to consider doing this twice a year.
Water Conditioning - If you have well water, the least you should have is a cartridge filter. Untreated well water can reak havoc with your plumbing system and its components. I can provide you with a free water test kit that you mail to the manufacturer (located in Meriden) and they will send you back the analysis with a recommendation on what equipment is required to successfully condition your water. Even if you are on city water I would recommend installing a cartridge filter.
From whole house flilters and softeners, point of use filters (ice maker, single faucet) to reverse osmosis, consider improving the quality of your water today.
Kitchens and Baths - does yours need a face lift, nip and tuck or a complete make over? A little can go a long way. Is your toilet the original water hog that came with the house? If so, you could be using as much as 5 gallons of water with each flush. The industry standard for the past 20 years is 1.6 gallons. There are plenty of options today that use less water effectively.
Does your vanity top look like it came from the set of the Brady Bunch? Sometimes a new top and faucet is enough to give your bathroom a fresh look. Don't forget about the toilet and gain a piece of mind that your conserving water as well. And it can all be done in a matter of hours.
Tile grout dirty? Stain it instead of replacing it. Doing this makes your grout look like new and the process also seals it so it will stay looking new for years to come.
Don't forget your kitchen. You can do as little as changing the faucet and sink, add or change a garbage disposal or put in a new counter top for a fresh look. Even if you want to go as far changing the cabinets, new designs and features can make better use of any space. You will wish you had done it sooner.
Fixture Survey - I will take a survey of all the plumbing fixtures in your house to better the chance that I have the parts required to fix your problem quickly and efficiently.
