5 Signs It’s Time to Replace Your Water Heater

Is it Time to Replace Your Water Heater?

How much do you think about your water heater? If you are like most of us, it’s not very much. Typically, people don’t really give much thought to the water heater as it faithfully goes along, providing hot water at the twist of a faucet. It’s only when there is a problem or the water heater begins to fail that we think about it, and that makes sense, because water heaters are pretty sturdy, typically meant to last 10 to 15 years. That’s a long time, but it’s not forever. How do you know when it’s time to replace the water heater?

Signs it’s Time for a New Water Heater

• Sometimes, knowing when to replace the water heater is as simple as knowing its age. If you weren’t the one who purchased the water heater, this can be a little bit tricky. Fortunately, there is a simple way to determine your water heater’s age. Look at the serial number, and you will see something like this: D081193740. The letter represents the month, with A meaning January, B meaning February, and so on. The two numbers after the letter represent the year. So, in this example, you can determine that your water heater was manufactured in April of 2008. (This is generally the case, but some manufacturers use different serial numbers, so it is wise to check with the manufacturer.) While water heaters have been known to last 15 or even 20 years, most do not. The average lifespan is eight to 12 years, and for gas water heaters it is even shorter than that, so if your water heater is over eight years old, even if you are not noticing any major issues, it’s time to think about replacing it.
• One of the most obvious signs a water heater is failing is that it stops heating your water. Hot water is necessary to our household tasks, yet we often take it for granted. It is not until we run out of hot water during a shower or find that the water isn’t warming up when we are washing our hands or washing dishes that we notice that something is wrong. When a water heater stops sufficiently heating your water, the problem is typically one of three reasons. In some cases, the thermostat is misadjusted, and this is a problem that can be fixed without water heater replacement. The problem could also be a broken heating element, which can sometimes be repaired. However, insufficient hot water is often a sign that the water heater tank is too small for your household. Especially if you have added more family members to your household, your water heater may not be able to handle its workload, and in this case, it will need to be replaced.
• Listen to your water heater: it may be telling you it’s time to replace it. Do you regularly have your water heater flushed? If you don’t, sediment can build up in the tank. When this happens, this sediment can harden and grow thick on the bottom of the tank, and the tank will make noise every time it heats water. Sediment in the tank can also waste energy because it makes it more difficult for the water heater to function, and it can shorten the lifespan of the water heater. The first step, if your water heater is becoming noisy, is to call a plumber out to flush it. If that doesn’t stop the noise, though, it’s time to replace the water heater.
• Rust is always a bad sign for a water heater. Take a peek at your water heater tank from time to time, just to make sure everything looks right. If you notice any signs of rust or corrosion, have these checked out by a plumber. Rust is particularly concerning around the temperature and pressure relief valves, or the inlet and outlet connections. If you notice rusty water on the floor near the water heater or you notice that your hot water comes out of the tap looking discolored, this probably means you have rust in your water heater tank. This is a serious problem, because it can degrade the metal and cause a leak.
• A leaky water heater needs to be replaced. If you notice a little bit of water pooling around the water heater, call a plumber immediately. The plumber can tell you whether it is simply a problem with a connection or your pressure overflow pipe, but if you are told to replace the water heater, it is important to do it as quickly as possible. You might be concerned about water heater replacement cost, but it will be far more costly if a leak turns into a flood and damages your home.

Eagerton Plumbing Can Help

For over half a century, Eagerton Plumbing has been a leading provider of residential and commercial plumbing services in Jacksonville, Florida and the surrounding areas. Customers in Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties know they can rely on us not only for comprehensive plumbing services, but also for slab leak detection and repair, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, and more. No job is too big or too small, and we are here for our customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, offering exceptional customer service and reliable repair services, backed by service guarantees. All of our experienced plumbers are licensed, insured, and background checked, and we are committed to getting the job done right the first time, customizing an affordable solution to meet your needs and solve your plumbing problems. When you need a reliable plumber, any time of day or night, call 904.638.7979 or contact us through our website.

Why Chemical Drain Cleaning Is Bad for Your Plumbing

Pros and Cons of Chemical Drain Cleaning

Plumbing clogs are nobody’s favourite, and when you find you have a clog, your first instinct is probably to get rid of it as quickly as possible. In your quest for a quick solution, you may reach for a liquid drain cleaner, but should you? Sure, it’s a quick and easy solution, because all you have to do is pour it into your drain and wait for the clog to dissolve. Drain cleaners are also inexpensive when compared to a plumber, and they do a really good job on removing food or hair buildup in your drains. The big question is, can drain cleaner damage pipes? Unfortunately, yes, and it can cause harm in other ways, too. This is one of those situations in which the cons outweigh the pros, so keep reading to learn more.

What to Know About Drain Cleaners

The first important thing to understand is the mechanisms behind drain cleaners. Chemical drain cleaners work, as you might expect, by causing a chemical reaction between the ingredients in the cleaner and whatever is causing your clog. If the reaction works as intended, the clog will either dissolve or move along. However, chemical reactions can be unpredictable and dangerous, and the chemicals used in the cleaners can linger in your kitchen or bathroom plumbing. There are a few different types of chemical drain cleaners.

• Acidic cleaners break down clogs with acid. They are typically made of sulfuric or muriatic acid and may need to be used several times to get rid of the clog. These drain cleaners are most often used to remove clogs caused by hair.
• Oxidizing cleaners are not quite as harsh as acidic cleaners. They contain ingredients like bleach, peroxide, or nitrates, and they can require a significant amount of time to work. They are often not very effective, and work best when used on clogs made of something that’s easy to break down, like food.
• Caustic cleaners are similar to acidic cleaners in how they work. Typically made of lye or potash, they have a much higher pH than acidic cleaners, and are best suited for removing grease clogs.

Why Use Chemical Drain Cleaners?

What are chemical drain cleaners used for? These products are appealing because they’re easy to use. Because they are heavier than water, they can easily sink through standing water in your sink or toilet plumbing and get to the clog, in order to break it down. The ingredients in drain cleaners are meant to decompose organic materials like hair and grease, but they can also cause problems not only for your pipes, but also for your health.

Chemicals Drain Cleaners are Bad for Pipes and People

How is drain cleaner bad for pipes? First, the combinations of chemicals used in the cleaners can burn through clogs, but the chemical reactions they cause can create heat and gas in your pipes. Especially if you have old plumbing, this can destroy your pipes. Then, too, if the problem is something liquid drain cleaner cannot handle, like tree roots in the plumbing, then all those chemicals are just left sitting in your pipes, eating away at them. And even if the pipes are not damaged immediately when you use drain cleaners, the cleaners leave residue that can cause future chemical reactions.

The chemicals are dangerous for people, too. They can splash on you, burning your skin and injuring your eyes, and in some cases, air pockets can be created that cause blow back from the pipes, resulting in injury to the person using the drain cleaner. What’s more, these products are not environmentally friendly. When they get through little cracks in the waste line, they can leach into the ground and harm organisms and plants there, even damaging tree roots. And when you throw away the bottle, it is likely to end up in a landfill, further damaging the internet.

Try Natural Solutions

If you have a clog and you are considering drain cleaner, try some simple, natural solutions first, like using a plunger, or a plumbing snake or auger. You can also make drain cleaners yourself, with materials you probably already have around your kitchen. Try a baking soda and vinegar rinse, for instance, giving it time to work and then rinsing it with boiling water.

Call in the Professionals

For over half a century, Eagerton Plumbing has been a leading provider of residential and commercial plumbing services in Jacksonville, Florida and the surrounding areas. Customers in Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties know they can rely on us not only for comprehensive plumbing services, but also for slab leak detection and repair, kitchen and bathroom remodeling, and more. No job is too big or too small, and we are here for our customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, offering exceptional customer service and reliable repair services, backed by service guarantees. All of our experienced plumbers are licensed, insured, and background checked, and we are committed to getting the job done right the first time, customizing an affordable solution to meet your needs and solve your plumbing problems. When you need a reliable plumber, any time of day or night, call 904.638.7979 or contact us through our website.

How to Prevent a Clogged Shower Drain?

Dealing with Drain Clogs

Drain clogs happen, but they are certainly not pleasant. No one enjoys stepping into the shower, hoping for a relaxing, spa-like experience, only to find that dirty water is pooling around their feet because the drain is clogged. Plumbing a shower drain is tedious, but you do not have to be stuck in that position. In fact, one of the best tips for plumbing problems of all kinds applies to a clogged shower drain as well: the best way to deal with it is to be proactive in preventing it. Here, we offer tips for how to unclog a shower drain, along with maintenance tips to keep your drain from clogging in the first place.

What Not to Do for a Clogged Drain

If your shower drain is currently clogged, you probably don’t want to read through preventive maintenance tips before learning how to unclog it, so we’ll get right to it. First, let’s talk about what not to do. Never use harsh chemical drain cleaners like Drano or Liquid plumber, and do not try to clear your drain with a wire clothes hanger. Doing any of these things can damage your bathroom plumbing, and lead to a much larger problem! Instead, try flushing your drain with boiling water, or vinegar and baking soda. If that is not successful, try using a plunger, removing the drain cover and centering the plunger over the drain. Run a little bit of water to create a seal under the plunger, and then push the plunger up and down several times to try and dislodge the clog. If you cannot safely fix the problem using one of these methods, it’s time to call a plumber.

Simple Steps for Clearing a Drain

In the future, though, you can prevent a clogged shower drain by following these tips:

• Brush your hair. Did you know that most clogs in shower plumbing happen because of hair in the drain? When this hair combines with soap, conditioners, body oils, and other products, it can create a sludgy mess that sticks in your pipe. One simple step towards fixing this is to brush your hair before showering. This will remove loose hairs so that they don’t go down the drain when you take your shower.
• Use a mesh hair trap. This is another way to keep hair out of the drain. These traps fit over the drain and catch hair before it can go into the plumbing. Then you simply remove the hair from the trap and throw it away. If this job seems gross to you, wear gloves. It’s well worth handling some wet hair to save yourself some plumbing headaches.
• Keep oily body products out of the shower. We realize this one is tricky, because many body products contain oil, from conditioners to lotion to sugar and salt scrubs. However, oil can harden in your pipes, creating the perfect environment for clogs to form. It is a good idea to apply your oil based products outside of the shower and wipe off as much as possible before getting in or use them after you get out of the shower.
• Don’t dump buckets down the drain. If you mop your floor or do some other dirty chore that involves a bucket of water with cleaners in it, dump these somewhere other than your shower drain. Not only can the chemicals be too harsh for the drain, but dirt and debris in the bucket can result in a clog. One interesting idea is to pour dirty water into cat litter, then throw this away. This keeps contaminants not only out of your plumbing, but also out of the soil around your home.
• Regularly flush the drains. First, when you are finished with your shower, let the hot water run down the drain for a few minutes, to help move stray hairs and body products through the pipes. Then, once a week, flush the shower drain with boiling water, taking care not to splash yourself with boiling water. From time to time, especially if you notice that your shower drain is running a little bit slowly, do a vinegar and baking soda rinse. This is a simple process: just pour one half to one cup of baking soda into the drain, following it with one cup of white vinegar. Let this mixture foam for 10 to 15 minutes, then follow it with about a gallon of hot water.

Tough Clogs Require Expert Help

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you encounter a shower clog that is beyond what you can manage. When that happens, call a reliable plumber. For over half a century, Eagerton Plumbing has been a leading provider of residential and commercial plumbing services in Jacksonville, Florida, and the surrounding areas. Customers in Duval, Clay, Nassau, and St. Johns counties know they can rely on us not only for comprehensive plumbing services, but also for slab leak detection and repair, kitchen and bathroom remodelling, and more. No job is too big or too small, and we are here for our customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, offering exceptional customer service and reliable repair services, backed by service guarantees. All of our experienced plumbers are licensed, insured, and background checked, and we are committed to getting the job done right the first time, customizing an affordable solution to meet your needs and solve your plumbing problems. When you need a reliable plumber, any time of day or night, call 904.638.7979 or contact us through our website.