Hot Water Heater
Having an Energy-Efficient Home in Kansas City
Are you designing a new home in Kansas City? Or, are you remodeling an existing one? Then again, perhaps you’re simply looking to upgrade a few appliances in your home. In all of these situations, you have an amazing opportunity to consider and invest in “energy-efficiency.” With today’s energy-efficient appliances and units, homeowners no longer need to sacrifice comfort, durability, or efficiency when they go “Earth-friendly.” Whether you’re in the market for a water heater, a dishwasher, a toilet, or clothes washing machine, there’s no better time than to consider upgrading to the latest energy-efficient models. If you’re in an existing house, the first step is to speak with a professional plumber about ways you can cut down on energy usage and related costs. On the other hand, if you’re designing or building a new home, or remodeling, the best way to optimize your home’s energy efficiency is to take
Hot Water Heater Insulation: Your Step-by-Step Guide
Just like insulating exposed plumbing pipes, walls, and roofs, when you insulate your hot water heater tank, you’re improving its efficiency and saving yourself money every month. If you have a new water heater, it’s probably already insulated, regardless of your sized gallon tank. But, if your tank is older, then you want to go take a look at it and see if it is insulated and, if so, if it has an R-value of 24 or higher. R-value is a way to measure insulation’s ability to resist heat or trap heat from traveling through it. The higher the R-value means, the better heat-trapping the insulation is. . If your water heater tank does not have an R-value of 24 or higher, your water tank is not sufficiently insulated. This means insulating the tank could reduce the standby heat losses by as much as 45 percent, and you could save
5 Tips to Winterize Your Plumbing
The last thing you need during the mad holiday rush is to have something go wrong with your plumbing, right? Unfortunately, if you don’t prepare your plumbing for the winter, you could end up paying a big price, and you don’t need any added expenses during a time that your budget is already stretched to the limit. There’s no such thing as a “good time” for a plumbing emergency. Emergencies often occur when our minds are on something else, like preparing for out-of-town guests over Thanksgiving and Christmas. While you’re stocking the fridge for your annual holiday dinner or the linen closet with new sheets and towels for your in-laws, don’t forget that the colder weather means more than holiday travel, it means temperature shifts that can cause your plumbing to fail at the worst of times – when you have a house full of guests! Here are some of
Is Your Water Heater Ready for the Fall?
As the kids return to school and everyone eases back into their back to work routines, the leaves begin to turn brown and the nights get a little bit chillier. During the summer, you may not think about your hot water heater, but now that it’s starting to get cooler, it’s a good idea to put some thought into your hot water heater and how long it’s been since it’s been maintained. In today’s households, hot water is an absolute must. You need hot water to wash dirty dishes, towels, linens, and whites. Nobody likes to start off their autumn day with an ice-cold shower – that’s one day to start the day in a bad mood. If you have children, it’s virtually impossible to get them to bathe unless you have nice, warm, comfortable water. Obviously, hot water is an absolute must expense, just like water and electricity. So,