Brooks Plumbing Co. Blog: Archive for March, 2014

Plumbing Considerations to Make During Kitchen Remodeling

Monday, March 31st, 2014

The kitchen is often located at the heart of a house, and you may find that your family spends as much time gathered in the kitchen as in any other room. It’s not only an area for food storage and preparation; it’s part of your family’s daily social routine. Remodeling your kitchen, whether for a fresh surface appearance, to increase its size, to add new appliances, or for all of these reasons, will help enhance your life.

Kitchen restoration goes deeper than cabinets and countertops. The plumbing is part of the process, and you should take a few things about it into consideration when you plan for a kitchen remodel.

Brooks Plumbing can help you with the plumbing changes and upgrades when you have kitchen remodeling done in Olympia, WA. We’ve assisted homeowners with plumbing, from pipe installation to leak detection, since 1994.

What to consider during kitchen remodeling for your plumbing

Complete repiping: If you live in an older home (usually pre-‘60s), you may have outdated pipes made from galvanized steel. Although steel is hardy and durable, it also corrodes with time. During the period that you have your pipes exposed in the kitchen for the remodeling, have plumbers perform state-of-the-art plumbing replacement to change out steel pipes for copper, CPVC, or PEX plastic pipes that will last for many years without degrading.
Upgrade your fixtures: You need plumbers to handle adding new fixtures like sinks and faucets for your kitchen remodel. (And, if you don’t already have a garbage disposal, place this at the top of your list of priorities for new fixtures.) Skilled plumbers can help you determine which fixtures will work the best for the remodel.
Add water filtration: During a remodel is an ideal time to put in under-sink water filtration, which will help you get higher quality water from the faucet than you would from unfiltered tap water coming from the municipal supply.
Go “tankless” for your water heater: Another opportunity that a kitchen remodel offers is a time to take out your old storage water heater and install a tankless model that only heats up water as you need it, saving you on your utility bills each month.

Talk to expert plumbers about your remodel

When you call up Brooks Plumbing about your kitchen remodeling in Olympia, WA, we’ll lay out a plan and a timeline so you will know what work we’re doing and what other places you might want to add conveniences. Make your kitchen remodeling a chance to enhance your life in many different ways: work with experienced plumbers.

Tags: Kitchen Remodeling, Olympia
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Why You Should Never Conduct Plumbing Repairs Yourself

Thursday, March 27th, 2014

When it comes to home plumbing, many people fancy themselves DIY experts because they have a box of wrenches, some extra gaskets, and the willpower to get jobs done inexpensively on their own. Self-sufficiency and economy are admirable goals… but there are some important reasons why you need to leave plumbing repairs any more complex than using a sink plunger to trained professionals, as we’ll explain.

Finding dedicated and skilled plumbers to handle any repairs for plumbing in Tumwater, WA is simple: call up Brooks Plumbing, where our skilled team has helped keep plumbing healthy since 1994. We aim for “Quality in Everything We Do.”

Why you must leave plumbing repairs to professionals

Professionals have the right tools: A box of different-sized wrenches does not a professional plumber make. Contemporary plumbing requires a range of high-end equipment that goes beyond wrenches. For example, professional plumbers use hydro-jetters and mechanical drain snakes to handle clogs, and to locate leaks they use intricate sound equipment and pressure sensors. All of this equipment is expensive and difficult to operate, so you should only trust professionals when it comes to repairs.
Professionals have the time and dedication: Unless you are a professional plumber, you won’t have the time and focus necessary to handle important plumbing tasks. (Not to mention that, without proper training, it will take you much longer to do any repairs.) Professional plumbers will dedicate their time and effort to making sure you have the best repairs necessary.
Professionals will protect your home: Amateur plumbing repair poses a major risk to your home if it goes wrong. Plumbing errors can lead to leaking and even flooding, causing a chain reaction of problems that will cause you to need to call up professionals eventually. Avoid potential catastrophes in your plumbing and bring on the experts from the beginning.
Professionals will save you money: In plumbing, DIY will rarely cut down on your costs—it will create more costs because of the need for additional repairs, the drain on your time, and the potential to waste water from improperly executed work. Hiring a professional will cut down on later expenses.

So when you need leaky pipes fixed, a water heater replaced, or a tough clog cleared, don’t reach for a tool belt… reach for the phone instead and call Brooks Plumbing. We can perform repairs for your plumbing in Tumwater, WA that will keep your water flowing.

Tags: Plumbing Repair, Tumwater
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3 Protections for Your Plumbing Against Flooding

Wednesday, March 19th, 2014

In a city that receives as much rain as Olympia, flooding in your basement or ground floor of your house is always a frightening possibility—especially if you live on land with a high water-table. Even minor flooding can cause extensive property damage, ruin items in storage, and lead to structural weaknesses.

You do have options to help protect against flooding, however. Along with a number of home improvements recommended by the EPA, you can have protections added to your plumbing in Olympia, WA that will remove flood waters from your home and prevent wastewater from entering through your pipes. Contact Brooks Plumbing today to learn about the ways we can protect you from flood damage.

3 plumbing protections from flooding:

Pedestal sump pump: Sump pumps are one of the main ways you can protect your basement from flooding and excess water seepage. (They can do wonders in non-catastrophic situations as well, removing moisture that can lead to damaging and unhealthy mold and mildew.) Sump pumps are motorized pumps that remove gathered water from a sump (a depression made to collect water) and remove it to a waste line. A pedestal sump pump sits above the sump and draws up the water through a pipe when a float detects a rise in water level.
Submersible sump pump: The other popular option for sump pumps is a submersible model. These pumps sit down in the sump itself and draw water directly into their intakes. The water-tight motor then pumps out the excess water. Submersible pumps are generally more efficient and powerful at water-removal, but require more stringent maintenance because of their exposure to water. A good sump pump, whether pedestal or submersible, should last you about 10 years.
Check valves in drains and pipes: Have plumbers install non-return valves, or check-valves, onto drains in the ground floor. These will prevent wastewater from flowing back into your property through the sewage pipes.

Whatever method or methods you choose to use, have professionals help you with the installation. It’s important that sump pumps remove their water to a place that will not cause flooding elsewhere, and professional plumbers will help make sure of this during installation. You will also need professionals to check and maintain your sump pumps to make sure they are not suffering damage because of acidic or dirty water.

Brooks Plumbing can help you install a variety of flood protections, and we offer maintenance and repairs for pedestal and submersible sump pumps. When it comes to protecting your plumbing in Olympia, WA, you can trust our thirty years of experience.

Tags: Olympia, Plumbing
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3 Types of Bathroom Sinks to Consider

Monday, March 3rd, 2014

When people think of adding a new sink for their bathroom remodel, they often consider two basic kinds of modern sinks: the under-mount/top-mount model (a sink set down into the surface of a cabinet and mounted the counter with clips from underneath) and the drop-in model (similar to an under-mount, except a lip around the edge supports it from falling through the hole). However, there are some interesting style options available that can enhance your bathroom plumbing in Olympia, WA during a remodel.

Here are three models that we think you should consider as alternatives:

For any level of bathroom remodeling you are looking for, from replacing the sink to a complete re-do of all the fixtures, you can find the service you need at Brooks Plumbing. We carry many types of fixtures and furnishings so you can design your new bathroom the way you want.

1. Wall-mount sinks

These sinks attach directly to the wall and extend outward like a ledge. The plumbing underneath is exposed, although designed to look unobtrusive and fit in with the rest of the décor. Wall mount sinks give an immense feeling of space to a bathroom, and what they may lose in cabinet storage, they make up for in additional floor space and forward-looking modern design beauty.

2. Pedestal sinks

If you would prefer to have vintage charm to your bathroom rather than the sleek modern style of a wall-mount sink, then a pedestal sink is a great choice. (There are modern-looking designs as well.) Pedestal sinks take up less room than most other sinks, so if you are designing a small bathroom or wish to save space for another appliance, a pedestal sink is one of the best options available.

3. Vessel sinks

A vessel sink creates an interesting optical illusion for a bathroom: it looks like a large, independent bowl set on a table underneath a faucet attached to the wall. However, the bowl is set into the table, with plumbing underneath. Vessel sinks look extremely attractive and stand out as a feature in the bathroom, and this is a case where the material you choose for the sink will have an enormous effect on the appearance of the bathroom. They are distinctive and also simple to install.

Each type of sink, whether the three above or the more traditional drop-in and under-mount models, have disadvantages, and choosing one depends on the design scheme of the bathroom, your requirements for space, and the amount of maintenance and upkeep you’re prepared to do. However, speaking with an experienced bathroom remodeler will help you make the best choice to elevate your old bathroom into something beautiful, spacious, and relaxing.

Call Brooks Plumbing to talk to our remodeling specialists and learn how we can help your bathroom design and bathroom plumbing in Olympia, WA.

Tags: Bathroom Plumbing, Olympia
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