Rock Solid Tips
Prepare Your House For Winter!
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Insulate pipes that are in areas not properly heated for living/comfort (crawlspace, attic, etc.)
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Disconnect your hoses from outdoor hose bibbs. If you do not have a frost free hose bibb, insulate them using foam found at any hardware store.
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Get your heating appliances serviced annually. Call us to have them professionally cleaned and serviced!
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Remove any debris and items near your heating appliances that can limit access by a service technician.
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If you are not running your heat during the summer months, briefly turn on your system to ensure that everything is working and you have heat.
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Clean and inspect your vents. Also make sure that your vents are not obstructed by furniture on or in front of them.
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Change your air filter regularly. It is imperative that you change your filter every 90 days if your heating system is in use.
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Check the batteries on your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. If you're concerned that they're not working properly, please consult your owner's manual.
Uh oh! Is it time to replace your Water Heater?
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If things are cold when they should be hot, something is what it should be not. If you expect to climb into your nice hot shower only to be blindsided by icy cold water, you’ve got a problem. If you suddenly have 2 sink tap handles that both produce cold water, it’s time for a checkup.
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How long does your supply of hot water last? If you were used to longer showers before the hot water ran out, your hot water heater could be walking toward the exit.
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Check your floor and the areas around your water heater for stagnant water. If you notice pools of water or streams of water originating from the tank, or puddles around the base of the tank, there could be a major enough leak that will require a replacement. Your water heater is crying for help.
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If your water heater is getting up in age and hasn’t been drained, serviced and refilled on a regular basis, it may be time to replace it. Draining it might actually create irreparable leaks. Once this happens, you’re normally looking at a replacement. How old is too old? Normally, a heater starts to have problems past its 8th birthday.
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Listen to your water heater. Does it make any clanging noise? Can you hear any pops or other unusual sounds? If you do, it’s time to have Rock Solid replace it (that’s us).
Differences Between On-Demand and Conventional Water Heaters
Like most purchases, there will always be trade-offs. To help you make a sound decision, we’ll break down your options:
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A conventional water heater stores and pre-heats about 30-50 gallons of water in a tank. The heater usually maintains the water at a temperature between 110-140 degrees. This pre-heated water is used for showering, doing laundry, washing dishes, etc. As the water is used, the tank refills and begins heating the new supply of water.
The ol’ industry standard. These water heaters have been around for quite a long time. In fact, conventional water heaters used to be synonymous with the term water heater (like Coke = Coke...don’t bring your Pepsi around here…we can debate this in a different blog post if you’d like). As such, its heating/burner element is regularly cycled on and off, as required to maintain the water’s temperature.
Conventional water heaters are larger than tankless water heaters and tend to offer better flow rates as well as higher temperatures. On the other hand, once all the hot water gets used up, you will need to wait for another store of water to be heated again. Cue the inevitable screaming and crying when the last one out of bed is facing the dreaded cold shower after the rest of the family “used up all the hot water”.
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Just like the on-demand name suggests (they keep terms simple for us plumbers), an on-demand water heater does not store hot water in a tank but instead heats water as needed. On-demand water heaters are much smaller in size than conventional water heaters and take up much less floor space. Oh, and many can fulfill the dream of endless hot water. Say it with me, endless hot water. Ok, maybe us plumbers are the only ones who have those dreams. Moving on.
So how do they work? A tankless or on-demand water heater is just that: tankless. It’s a smaller wall-mounted rectangular box that houses a heating element or burner, internal piping and controls. As water channels through the water heater to meet the demand, its water flow sensor activates and fires the heating or burner element. Since they offer hot water on demand, they are considered a more economical choice because they aren’t constantly fighting ambient temperatures to maintain a tank of water at a particular temperature. And there’s no pilot light (small but mentionable energy cost). AND they have a longer life expectancy. AND AND they cost less to maintain (on average).
It sounds like we are trying to convince you to buy an on-demand water heater, doesn’t it? There’s a catch...there’s always a catch. On-demand heaters normally come with a little higher price tag.
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According to Energy.gov, an on-demand water heater can save you close to $100 annually. Therefore, if you can manage the higher initial costs, you can save much more in the long run by switching to an on-demand water heater. In addition, on-demand water heaters can be the best choice for large families since you have more people requiring hot water. Still, a conventional water heater will make sense if you are on a limited income or require a quick replacement and you don’t mind giving up the floor space.
We love both water heaters equally (we’re forced to say that about our children). On-demand heaters have quite a few advantages: lower utility costs, constant hot water, a longer lifespan and they take up less space. Conventional water heaters are cheaper upfront, usually provide adequate hot water for most families and will get the job done (they’ve been our go-to for many years).
Ultimately, you want a water heater that fits your budget, lifestyle, and water usage. The choice is yours, but the expertise is ours (yeah, we said it)! We’re here when you need us! Email at INFO@ROCKSOLIDPLUMBING.COM or call us at 907-331-0488.
Ways To Save $$ On Your Utility Bills!
Here are actionable tips to help you cut your utility bills by up to 20%…
Let’s get right to it.
You heard us, 20%!
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Be safe and don’t burn yourself with this one. Can you keep the back of your hand in the hot water that comes out of your sink? If not, your water is being heated more than necessary. Turn your water heater to 120 degrees and work your way down to the lowest temperature that still feels comfortable. You’ll save money and you won’t have to worry about your children getting scalded if they turn on the hot water tap.
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If you have an older water heater, it might need replacing. A plumbing company is recommending we replace our water heater? – stay with us. We don’t want you to replace a heater that doesn’t need to be put to pasture. We help all our clients go through the assessment of whether it makes dollars and sense to replace.
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If your water heater is relatively new (you see, not everyone needs a new one), consider insulating it with a water heater jacket. They are relatively inexpensive and many can recoup the cost in monthly energy savings. Call or message us for recommendations.
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Minimize hot water consumption by installing a low-flow showerhead and by taking showers instead of baths. Also, set your washing machine to use cold water and immediately fix any leaky faucets. These sound obvious but they can really DRAIN your pocket book. Thank you, thank you.
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Another no-brainer, but it’s worth including in this list. Make sure you only run your dishwasher and clothes washer/dryer with full loads. Running partial loads is an inefficient use of your appliances and drives up utility costs.
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Set your thermostat to about 68 degrees. Depending on the size of your home and efficiency of your heating system, this can typically reduce your utility bills by 5-10% (assuming a current temperature of 72 degrees). It might seem a bit chilly at first, but you might be surprised how quickly you get used to it. This isn’t for everyone. I’m getting chills just talking about it.
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Consider investing in a programmable thermostat. These smart thermostats can manage a temperature schedule or even learn your habits and recommend temperature adjustments to save on energy costs. Call or message us and we’ll tell you about some of our favorites.
Don’t Just Take Our Word For it:
