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Remodeling Your Home? Consider These 5 Plumbing Improvements

Jim Dhamer Plumbing • Jan 28, 2022
Woman Wetting Toothbrush in Sink — Lisle, IL – Jim Dhamer Plumbing and Sewer, Inc.

A new year often means a new desire to make things better than ever for yourself and your family. As you make your plans to eat more wisely, get more exercise, and finish long-delayed projects, you may decide to renovate or remodel your home, in which case you may also want to look at your current plumbing system.

A general home remodeling project presents an excellent opportunity for you to correct inefficiencies, damage, or outdated components that need replacement in your plumbing system. Give serious thought to making the following five improvements.

1. Newer, Nicer Faucets

You might have good reasons for replacing your old kitchen and bathroom faucets with new ones. Perhaps someone in your household has developed arthritis or some other hand problem that makes the faucets hard for them to use, or perhaps you’d simply like to change the style or materials to suit your home’s new look.

You can make your kitchen and bathroom more ergonomic by asking your plumber to replace knob-operated faucets with lever-operated ones. The levers enable people with hand limitations to manipulate them with the flat of the hand, the wrist, or even the arm for easier, more comfortable operation.  You might also consider a touchless or sensored faucet.

For even greater economic efficiency, consider going with a single lever instead of dedicated levers for hot and cold water. You can get water of any desired temperature simply by turning this integrated control to the left or right. The streamlined simplicity of this setup can also make your sink area appear much less cluttered.

Brass serves as the modern standard for faucet materials due to its combination of strength, durability, and rust resistance. However, the outer surface of a brass faucet may sport a variety of finishes from baked enamel and powder-coated colors to chrome or even gold plate, enhancing the refreshed style of their surroundings.

2. Low-Flow Fixtures

If your monthly water bills could use some renovating along with the rest of your home, you may need to upgrade your fixtures accordingly, especially if you purchased an older home with a plumbing system that requires more water with each toilet flush or shower. Fix that frustration as part of your overall renovation.

Low-flow fixtures can make a dramatic difference in your household’s water expenditure. A typical household can conserve  13,000 gallons per year  by switching to low-flow toilets, and low-flow showers save an additional four gallons with every shower. This conservation can easily reduce your annual water bill by $170.

3. More Efficient Water Heater

Since your water heater sits tucked away out of sight, you might not think about it as you plan big changes for the rest of your home. However, an outdated water heater can cause problems for your beautifully renovated home, from unsatisfactory performance and needlessly high energy bills to disastrous leaks.

No water heater lasts forever. Watch out for signs of impending failure, such as ever-lengthening heating times, discolored or metallic-smelling water, and unusual noises during operation. If you notice any of these symptoms, get your plumbing company to evaluate the heater and replace it if necessary.

If you plan to expand your home, plan to expand your water heater’s capacity as well. Even if your home will remain the same size, years of mineral accumulation and every day wear may require it to work harder than it once did to warm your water. If you see your water bill going up, you might need to replace the water heater.

4. Drains That Actually Drain

Slow, sluggish, or clogged drains can undermine the appeal of your remodeled home, no matter how much money you pour into gorgeous cosmetic touches. Your sink may have developed a clog within its P-trap, the curved length of pipe that sits just beneath the drain. Stubborn clogs require professional attention.

If you struggle with multiple slow drains in your home, the underlying problem may lie with the line that carries wastewater away from your home. Plumbers can address this issue with professional-strength tools, such as rodding machines, without damaging your plumbing system.

5. Stronger Sewer Line

Even if your sewer line carries water away from your home adequately, it might not deliver water to it in the proper quantities. A blockage or leaky sewer line may leave your newly renovated home with low water pressure and high water bills (due to water seeping into the ground instead of reaching your appliances).

An old home can often benefit from a new sewer line as well as other external upgrades. Vintage homes in particular may rely on old, damaged, or brittle pipes to access the municipal sewer system. Even new pipes can sustain damage from tree root growth or accumulated debris.

Consider adding a sewer line inspection to your list of remodeling tasks. Your plumbing technician may find leaks or weak spots that call for new pipes. You may also benefit from preemptive replacement of fragile or obsolete pipe materials.

If the items listed above sound like a lot of work, rest assured that you don’t need to do them all yourself. Jim Dhamer Plumbing & Sewer, Inc. offers the ideal combination of skill, experience, and customer care to bring your home’s entire plumbing system up to date.  Contact  us today at 630-964-2222 for more information.

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