Even when temperatures are hitting the triple digits out, we can all agree that a nice warm shower after a hard day’s work is an irreplaceably comfortable feeling. But without the perfect water heater, your warm shower could suddenly become a freezing cold rain of water. The best way to make sur you always have hot water when you need it is to invest in a water heater that’s properly suited to your home’s needs.

Why the Right Water Heater Matters

• Poor efficiency and higher utility bills: Don’t always choose the least expensive option. When you find a water heater with a low initial cost, that doesn’t mean you are going to save money. In the long run, that cheaper water heater could result in higher energy costs. Check the efficiency rating of the water heater that interests you, so you can save money down the line with lower utility bills.
• Shorter lifespan: The efficiency isn’t the only issue when choosing a water heater. Some less expensive water heaters have a shorter lifespan, which can mean you need to buy a new one sooner. The costs you thought you saved will just be spent in needing to purchase a new water heater sooner than you expected. Carefully research the brands of water heaters you’re looking at, and their lifespan expectancy, to ensure you get the most for your money. While not a guarantee of longevity, that should prevent you from having to replace another water heater sooner than you expected.
• Cold water: If you choose a water heater that isn’t big enough, you could end up running out of hot water for showers, the dishwasher, or the laundry. Of course, you don’t want to buy a water heater that’s much too big for your needs, because that will just drive up your utility bills. Getting the right size water heater is important. It balances comfort and convenience with a fair price and better bills.

The Benefits of Choosing the Right Water Heater

• High efficiency and lower utility bills: When you calculate your home’s required temperature rise and how much hot water is needed at any time, you have a much better chance of purchasing the perfect water heater for your home. Rather than getting a unit that’s too big and consumes more energy, you end up with lower monthly utility bills and plenty of hot water every time it’s needed. You may also want to look at energy efficient water heaters, because they can help lower your bills even further.
• Longer lifespan: Choosing a water heater that offers quality can mean several more years of service. That saves you money on the long run, and also save you time because you won’t be spending that time looking for a new water heater again. Some water heaters have a 3-year or 6-year warranty, and some have warranties that are longer than that.
• Warm water for every day conveniences: Showers, dishwashing, laundry, and any other use you have for hot water will be easier when you have the right water heater. You won’t be worried about running the dishwasher after you take a shower, or thinking your shower has to wait because you just did laundry. It’s great to have hot water you can rely on.

Features to Look For in Your New Water Heater

• You need to know how much hot water your household needs at any given time. To figure this out, calculate the gallons per minute (GPM) of hot water each fixture and appliance requires, and then add them all together for your water heaters total GPM. Bathroom faucet flow rates range from .5-1.5 GPM, kitchen faucet flow rates range from 3.0-7.0 GPM, shower flow rates range from 1.0-2.0 GPM, dishwasher flow rates range from 1.0-2.5 GPM, and clothes washer flow rates range from 1.5-3.0 GPM.
• You also need to know your home’s required temperature rise. You can discover that by finding the difference between your ground water temperature and your desired hot water temperature. The EPA provides a map of average groundwater temperature for guidance, so you can look up your local area and get the number you need to start your calculations.
• Choose the water heater unit that best meets your needs. The GPM and required temperature rise will help you in determining this, but there are other things to think about. For example, conventional tank water heaters, tankless water heaters, and hybrid water heaters all have benefits and drawbacks. It’s important to research what model will fit the needs of your family, while comfortably and safely fitting in its desired space. Ideally, the water heater space will be located on an exterior wall near a gas supply line, water supply line, and electrical power source for convenience.
• Another thing you need to know to buy your new water heater is the gallon capacity your household requires. Typically, 1-2 people require a gallon capacity of 23-36, 2-4 people require 36-46, 3-5 people require 46-56, and 5+ require 56+ gallons. But your circumstances may be unique, so if you have a household situation that’s different from average you might need a bigger or smaller water heater.
• Energy efficiency ratings (or EF – Energy Factor) are important for homeowners to take into consideration, too. The higher the EF, the more energy efficient the water heater is. Look for EF ratings as close to 1 as possible, since the EF rating measures how efficiently a unit converts energy into heat, and how much heat is lost during storage. The more efficient the water heater, the more money you can save on your utility bills.

Call Milltown today for slow drain repair!

Don’t take our word for it: listen to one of our many happy customers!

By Milltown Plumbing

A gurgling noise coming from any plumbing fixture is usually never a good sign, but it’s especially troublesome when it’s coming from your toilet. When you flush normally, there’s no sound but the water going down the drain. This gurgling, which is often accompanied by water bubbling in the toilet bowl, most usually means that there’s some kind of blockage somewhere along in the pipes. And while the toilet may be flushing right now, it doesn’t take long for a small blockage to become a full-blown clog. And even if it’s not a blockage, gurgling is still indicative of long-term damage. When your toilet is gurgling, you have a very particular window of time to act before it becomes a major plumbing catastrophe.

Toilet is Gurgling Due to Drain Blockage

This is the most common cause for a gurgling toilet; something getting stopped up in the pipes. This could be any number of things, including paper towels, personal hygiene products, toilet paper wads, excessive physical waste, and the like. The long and short of it is that your pipes weren’t designed to handle much more than toilet paper and waste materials; anything else you flush is going to get stuck in there and cause blockages. A drain cleaning from a licensed plumber will be able to remove the clog and the gurgling noise and a conscientious mind will prevent it from happening again.

Main Line Blockages and Clogs

Your main line is the pipe all your drains connect to when they head out into the municipal sewer system/your septic tank. Needless to say, a blockage there is a major issue not just for your toilet, but your whole home. Main line blockages can absolutely cause gurgling in your toilet, but it’s far more likely you’ll notice some of their more unpleasant symptoms first, including foul smells from your drains, sewage backup, and yard flooding. Main line blockages and clogs are a little more complicated to deal with than standard clogs, as the mainline is much more difficult to access, so your primary method of dealing with it should be calling up a professional.

There’s a Vent Stack Blockage

Your vent stack is a vertical pipe that goes up through your roof. It’s what regulates the air pressure in the rest of your plumbing. While not as common as the other culprits behind a gurgling toilet, a vent stack blockage could be behind your woes. Things like leaves, debris, birds nests, and rodents are known to cause blockages up there. This causes negative pressure, sluggish drains, foul odors, and the dreaded gurgling toilet. Short of heading up to your roof to confirm the problem, there’s not much the average homeowner can do about a vent stack issue, as a minor miscalculation could prove disastrous for the air pressure throughout the home’s plumbing

Call Milltown today for slow drain repair!

Don’t take our word for it: listen to one of our many happy customers!

By Milltown Plumbing

When water doesn’t go down your drains at all, that’s an obvious problem; anyone would know to call a plumber up at that point. But it’s rare that clogs like that just happen overnight. Usually it’s a slow burn over the course of weeks or even months that sees your drain totally stopped up in such a manner. What’ll normally happen is that water will start going down your drain slower and slower, bit by bit. This is the prime time to address whatever problem is brewing in your pipes before it becomes a much more extensive and expensive headache. We’ve compiled three easy ways to deal with slow drains.

Plunge It

A simple plunger is sometimes all it takes to unclog a drain, even one in the sink or tub (though you’ll probably want consider buying a new, unused one first) For smaller drains like the aforementioned sinks and bathtubs, they make smaller, cup-sized plungers that are much more effective at removing the soap and grease build ups that often plague these drains. Simply fill the fixture with a small amount of water, cover the drain completely with the plunger, and go at it until the clog is removed.

Baking Soda Volcano

Don’t check your screen, there’s nothing wrong with it. You read that entirely correctly: Baking Soda Volcano. You probably remember these from elementary school science fairs and helping your kids learn how chemical reactions work. You’re probably surprised to learn it’s an effective way of clearing minor blockages from your drains. The semi-explosive reaction when the vinegar hits the baking soda propels the solution through the blockage and down the drain toward it’s intended destination down in the sewers. This is a much, much better option than store-bought drain cleaning chemicals. These products, while semi-effective short term solutions, do MASSIVE damage to your pipes over time, as they breakdown more than just the debris, they break down the pipes themselves. They should only be used in the most unique of circumstances. Every other instance, though? Go make your fifth grade science teacher proud, dump that baking soda and vinegar.

Zip-It Tool

Hair clogs down shower drains are among the most frustrating to clear, since the hair gets tangled and knotted. Thankfully, there’s an easy to use, cheap, and widely available. Zip-It is a long thin rubber rod that you can put down your drain. Little nubs on the rod catch and tangle the hair on the tool, which comes out attached to the rod when it’s pulled out.  It’s a cheap, easy solution to a problem; your favorite kind.

These are some of the easiest ways to clear minor issues that haven’t quite developed into full-scale clogs just yet. Failing any of these, if your drain is still draining slow, it is probably a much larger issue than you’re able to comprehend without professional assistance. Milltown is equipped with the tools to properly diagnose and remedy any major drain clog in record-setting time. Our team members are here and standing by to fix your slow drains!

Call Milltown today for slow drain repair!

Don’t take our word for it: listen to one of our many happy customers!

By Milltown Plumbing