Pet Owners: 3 Plumbing Tips to Keep Cat and Dog Hair out of Drains and Pipes

Many San Antonio pet owners underestimate how much their pets shed. All cats and dogs shed hair on a daily basis. Small amounts of hair may not be noticeable after washing your pet, but tiny hairs can clog the pipes in your home. Hundreds of hairs can come off in the bathtub and other areas of your home that have open drains. Fortunately, there are three things you can do to prevent clogged pipes.

Cover Drains With a Hair Trap

A plumber can suggest a hair trap that is suitable for pets. When you are drying a wet dog, you might overlook some of their hair in the tub. Your pipes will clog when too many hairs are washed down the drain. A hair trap is specifically designed to catch loose hairs, and using it on a regular basis will eliminate clogged pipes.

Hide Exposed Drains and Pipes

Dogs love playing near exposed pipes, and their fur can shed near exposed drains. Exposed pipes are a plumbing hazard to large and small pets. Small animals can fall into an open drain, and large animals can chew on pipes. This is usually a problem in homes that have a garage. Covering exposed drains will keep your pets safe from danger, and it will prevent stray hairs from slipping into your plumbing system.

Have a Plumber Clean the Drains

Plumbing issues are frustrating, but professionals are accustomed to dealing with plumbing issues. A plumber can survey your plumbing system and dislodge any fur balls. When drain cleaner will not remove a clog, you may need a plumber to unclog your pipes. When your pipes are cleaned, a plumber can give you personalized advice on keeping your pipes clean.

A small plumbing problem can quickly become a large problem in your San Antonio home. If water is taking longer to go down the sink or tub, you may have a clog in your pipes. Drain cleaner can temporarily fix the problem, but a clogged pipe can eventually cause a sewage leakage. Drain traps will keep hair out of your drains, but you may need to hire a plumber if your plumbing system is malfunctioning.

Don’t let your fluffy pup clog up your drain! If you need drain cleaning in your San Antonio, TX home call People’s Choice Plumbing LLC at 210-876-1186 today!

3 Ways to Detect a Water Leak in Your Home

A leak in the home can be absolutely devastating if left for a long period of time, as dripping or leaking water can slowly erode all sorts of areas of your San Antonio home, which usually happens behind walls and out of sight.

This can cause a huge financial crisis if you happen to have a leak in your home for too long, so it is very important that you check to make sure you do not have any leaks and if you do come to find that you have a leak, to get it fixed as soon as you possibly can to avoid further damage. Here are some effective ways that you can detect a water leak.

Do a Meter Test

Your water meter should remain stagnant if every faucet in the home is shut off, meaning you will be able to tell if there is a leak in the home by shutting off each and every valve and monitoring the meter. If the gauge stays in the same place, it is a great indication that there is no leak in the home and that you are alright. However, if the water meter increases, when you know for a fact that every single faucet in the home has been shut off, you will know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you have a leak somewhere in your piping system.

Stop and Listen

Often times when there is a leak in the home, you will be able to hear it at some point in the home. You can do a simple check by turning everything that may make noise in the home, walking around slowly and listening for any trickling sounds that may be coming from the walls, ceiling, or floor.

Get an Inspection

Although there are definitely methods that will give you a pretty good idea as to whether you have a leak or not, there is no debate about the fact that it is far better to call a professional San Antonio plumbing company to do an inspection on your home and let you know if you do in fact have a leak or not. The biggest benefit of going this route is the fact that if the company that you hire does find a leak, they will be able to fix the problem for you as well.

Call People’s Choice Plumbing LLC at 210-876-1186 today to get your San Antonio, TX system checked out by a professional plumber!

Top 5 Tips for Winterizing Your Home

Now that the cold weather is fast approaching, this is the time that you want to be preparing your home for the long winter months ahead. By doing a few simple maintenance checks, you could lower your heating bill this winter and extend the life of your heating system as a result.

1. Installing Added Insulation

Now is the time to get up in that attic and add some additional insulation to the attic floor. Over the years that old insulation has compressed significantly, so adding a fresh layer on top will help to keep the cool air in the attic and keep that warmer treated air inside the home where it belongs.

2. Sealing Window Leaks

One of the biggest drains on your heating system this winter will be excessive run times to maintain interior temperatures. The problem is because with so many windows in the house, there are potentially dozens of escape routes for heat to leave the home.

Go around the house and be sure to seal with caulk all those leaking window seams. You will notice a huge drop in your heating costs this winter, and an added bonus is your system will run less often.

3. Replacing HVAC Filters

Now that you are going to start settling indoors more this season, you want to be certain you and your family are breathing the cleanest air possible. Purchase all the filters that are needed in your heating system, then replace them all before winter sets in. The heating unit will work less harder to push air through cleaner filters, and no dust or debris will be able to enter the house.

4. Inspecting Home Exterior

While the weather is still comfortable outside, grab your flashlight and ladder and begin checking the exterior for crack, holes, or damage that could allow cold air to get inside the house. Take the time to repair these problem areas while the air temperature is not yet freezing, it will be much easier on you and those materials will cure more easily.

5. HVAC System Tune-Up

The HVAC system will be running for several months, after just having gotten a break after that long summer. Today is the day you should call your local HVAC repair technician to do a tune-up on the system. This preventative maintenance check will ensure all moving parts are working through the coldest part of the year.

Winter is nearly here! To get the best advice on winterizing your San Antonio, TX home, call People’s Choice Plumbing at 210-789-6014 today.

Finding the Best Water Heater

For many homeowners finding the best water heater for your needs is incredibly difficult. There are a large number of options, models and styles that can fit your San Antonio, TX home.

Some of these options allow for more energy efficiency while others offer a small tank size. These options all have benefits to a homeowner. Since new federal regulations have come into play, the focus has swung to energy efficient models.

These energy efficient models are more expensive but they will save a homeowner money in the long run.

Deciding on the Ideal Capacity

The first thing to consider when looking for a new water heater is the capacity that it will hold. A standard water heater holds up to 85 gallons of water or less.

Though it is possible for a homeowner to install it themselves, it is a good idea to consult with a professional. They can help a buyer choose the best option for their needs and budget.

The Classic: Storage Tank Heater

The most well recognizable water heart is the standard tank heater. This heater is basically a cylinder that is fed by tubes that introduce cold water and pump out hot water. Gas models are the better choice for these models of tank heaters as they are more energy efficient than electric. If a homeowner has access to a natural gas source, then this would be the best option.

Choosing a Tankless Water Heater

Another great option for homeowners are tank less water heaters. Tank less water heaters are becoming more popular as energy conservation is becoming more prevalent. Tank less water heaters offer a buyer more space and cancel any concerns of tank failure.

These heaters work by only heating water when it is needed using electrical coils. The heater is more expensive to buy and install, but provides a buyer with an awesome alternative to a standard heater.

Trending Now: Eco-Friendly Solar Water Heaters

Solar Water heaters are an addition to an electrical water heater and are roof mounted solar panels that help collect heat. This heat is then transferred into the tank to help heat up the water.

This is a great option for those that live in very sunny, warm places. This option will help divert some of the energy costs that a household may accumulate. However, this option is also very expensive, and a buyer may not see a return on cost until thirty years down the road.

Not sure what water heater works for your San Antonio, TX home? Call People’s Choice Plumbing at (210) 789-6014, and get the best advice.

The 3 Appliances in Your House That Waste the Most Water, and Why?

People who think about preserving resources have their mind on electricity and gas. Water, however, is often at risk of waste and we have a tendency to ignore the causes.

Appliance Do Waste Water

Not to surprisingly, there are appliances capable of wasting a lot of water. Even if the appliance is running only slightly “off”, the appliance may very well allow water to flow and flow.

All of these leads to the water bill in the home ending up skyrocketing. Beyond the cash costs, a lot of precious water ends up going down the drain, literally.

Three Troubling (and Troubled) Appliances

None of the appliances that are water wasters are odd or strange inventions. Rather, they are traditional, tried and true appliances that we see each and every day.

1.) Washing Machine – The washing machine is often a source of wasted water because people do not use the proper load settings. They will have a very small load inside the appliance and then engage a heavy load cycle.

This requires the washing machine to fill up with a lot of unnecessary amounts of water. Always be sure you have the right load cycle selected or the machine is simply going to soap up and throw out gallons upon gallons of water.

2.) Dishwashers – Dishwashers waste water in the same way that washing machines do. When you run a dishwasher with too small an amount of dishes, you end up using the appliance more often than really is necessary. Also, if the appliance is old and has leaky hoses, even more water is going to end up being wasted.

3.) Toilets – Without a doubt, the “running toilet” is notorious for the water it wastes. Older toilets with the classic handle/chain design causes major water waste when the chain starts to wear down and degrade.

Buying and installing a newer model toilet is strongly recommended to keep this problem from arising.

Upgrade All Appliances

In truth, homeowners would be best served by upgrading all the aged, worn, or poorly functioning appliances in the home. Not only do these appliances waste water, they waste electricity, too. For these reasons and more, get rid of the old appliances and start preserving vital resources and get your utility bill down.

Call a plumber you can trust to make your San Antonio home a greener place! Just call People’s Choice Plumbing at 210-789-6014.