Brooks Plumbing Co. Blog: Archive for July, 2014

Consider Low-Flow Toilet and Faucet Installation for Your Bathroom

Wednesday, July 30th, 2014

When it comes time to update the fixtures in your bathroom for a remodel or only as smaller project, one of the top items on your list of “must-haves” should be low-flow faucets, shower heads, and/or toilets. You can create a gleaming, more attractive look for your bathroom and at the same time contribute to water-conservation that will reduce your water costs significantly. The planet will thank you as well!

Installing new bathroom plumbing in Olympia, WA is one of our specialties here at Brooks Plumbing. Especially when it comes to low-flow toilet installation, you need to leave the work to professionals who will make certain that your new fixtures provide the savings you want and do their job effectively.

Low-flow faucets

You’re probably curious about how much a low-flow faucet actually will save you, and if it will still provide the level of performance you need. According to U.S. EPA tests on WaterSense labeled faucets, they lower the water flow by 30% or more, dropping from 2.2 gallons per minute to 1.5 gallons per minute—and without impairing performance. With this reduction, an average family would save 700 gallons of water each year, which is the equivalent to 40 showers. Look at your current water bill and multiple the cost per gallon by 700… that will give you an idea of the savings potential. Low-flow fixtures will also save you energy, since they place less power demand on your water heater.

Low-flow toilets

Toilets are the principle source of indoor water use, accounting for a third of the water consumed in an average household. If you have an older toilet, it’s probably draining 6 gallons per flush, which is an immense waste compared to the efficiency of a low-flow model.

EPA-approved low-flow toilets use 1.28 gallons per flush, a huge improvement over old models and still 20% better than the current regular flow toilets that use 1.6 gallons per flush. Depending on the age of the toiler you’re replacing, a new low-flow model can save you 20–60% a year—almost 13,000 gallons. And, like the low-flow faucets, there’s no sacrifice in performance.

Although low-flow fixtures for your bathroom do cost more than standard models, keep in mind not only the savings but also the lifespan; these new installations should last you for many years and pay for themselves many times over.

Regardless of the reason that you decide to install new water fixtures in your bathroom plumbing in Olympia, WA, low-flow models are a terrific way to reduce your yearly bills and contribute to country-wide water conservation.

Call Brooks Plumbing today and talk to our experts in bathroom plumbing to find out more about how we can make your bathroom more beautiful and budget-friendly.

Tags: Bathroom Plumbing, Olympia
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on Consider Low-Flow Toilet and Faucet Installation for Your Bathroom

What Are Slab Leaks and What Can I Do about Them?

Monday, July 21st, 2014

“Slab leaks” sound scary, and they can be—somewhat. A slab leak is the name that plumbers use to describe leaks in pipes that occur under concrete or stone slabs, principally in the water lines that run under the concrete foundations of a house. Slab leaks occur because of shifting in the ground or aging pipes, and once they start they can be difficult to locate and repair.

So what can you do about them? Simple: nothing.

But wait… before you throw up your hands and give up, we need to elaborate. There’s nothing you can do personally to fix a slab leak. You lack the tools and experience (unless you are a professional plumber) to access the leak under the hard surface and repair it. However, you can call Brooks Plumbing in Olympia, WA and have our specialists in slab leak repair take care of the problem.

More about Slab Leaks

You may be curious as to how professionals handle leaks that occur down inside stone or concrete, and how they even know where to look to find them.

The first thing that slab leak repair technicians do is use special listening equipment, usually small discs that operate similar to stethoscopes, to find the sound of water escaping through the stone. If they need to narrow down the search area further, they can use pressure scanners or send video camera equipment on a long fiber-optic line down into the plumbing system to pinpoint the exact leak location.

Once they’ve done this and they know the location and the extent of the leak, the plumbers will know how best to address the problem. The most common method is to use a jackhammer excavate the area above the pipe and then seal it. However, for smaller leaks, the plumbers can sometimes use non-intrusive methods to fix the problem. If leaks are caught soon enough, plumbers will usually be able to repair the problem with minimal excavating.

Keep a close look-out for signs of slab leaks so you can call for plumbing help as soon as possible: elevated water bills, dampness in the basement, cracks appearing along across concrete, unexplained water pools, the growth of mold and mildew. If any of these indications show up, you may have a slave leak and you should call for assistance from professional plumbers as soon as possible.

Brooks Plumbing has helped homeowners with slab leaks in Olympia, WA, including other types of plumbing problems since 1994. You can trust to our skill and professionalism to get the job you need done fast and right. “Quality in Everything We Do” is our motto, and we live by it!

Tags: Olympia, Slab Leaks
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on What Are Slab Leaks and What Can I Do about Them?

3 Considerations to Upgrade Your Bathroom

Friday, July 18th, 2014

The bathroom isn’t like the living room, kitchen, dining room, or even bedrooms: it’s a room that functions independently from the social areas of your house. But that doesn’t mean you should neglect it when it comes to remodeling. As the first room to greet you in the morning and the last one to see you before you go to bed, a bathroom that feels tired and drab will likewise make you feel tired and drab.

You can engage the professional plumbers and remodelers at Brooks Plumbing for complete bathroom remodeling in Olympia, WA. However, if you are only looking for a few upgrades at a time, we have a couple ideas for you to consider:

1. Replace your old sink with a stylish new model

There is a dazzling variety of sinks available for an upgrade. If you have a standard drop-in or under-mount sink built into a cabinet, you can completely change the appearance a feel of your bathroom with a different design, such as a wall mount or corner mount sink, pedestal sink, or the popular and eye-catching vessel sink. Each of these sink designs have advantages and disadvantages: some allow for greater space in the bathroom, but lack storage. Balance out the various factors of appearance, storage, and space to find a new sink that will bring the right touch to upgrade the look of your bathroom.

2. Low-flow fixtures

If you are concerned with water conservation and saving money on your bills, consider having a plumber install low-flow fixtures, such as a low-flow toilet, faucets, and/or showerheads in your bathroom. EPA-approved WaterSense low-flow faucets can reduce water flow by 30% or more without a noticeable drop in performance. Because of the enormous amount of water used in a master bathroom, reducing water use here even by a third will result in a large reduction in your water bills. If you save 700 gallons of water a year (the average for a family using EPA-approved faucets), that’s the equivalent of 40 showers. You’ll also save energy, since your water heater will need to run less.

3. Install a new bathtub

Here’s an excellent way to upgrade the appearance of your bathroom and upgrade your comfort and relaxation as well. Since the tub is the largest item inside a bathroom, replacing it with an attractive new model will give the room the sense of a full remodeling. You can also choose from bathtubs equipped with luxury features like water sets and contoured interiors.

Brooks Plumbing handles full bathroom remodeling in Olympia, WA, but we can also assist you with making smaller touches like the ones above to enhance your bathroom a few fixtures at a time. We have an excellent selection of tubs, toilets, and other fixtures to choose from so you can have the look you want to make your bathroom more attractive and functional. Our plumbers and remodelers have the years of experience necessary to make sure you end up with the bathroom upgrades you dreamed of.

Tags: Bathroom Remodeling, Olympia
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on 3 Considerations to Upgrade Your Bathroom

Solutions for Strange Smells Coming from Your Sink

Tuesday, July 8th, 2014

The foul smell emanating from your kitchen or bathroom sinks… you know that can’t be right, and you also want it fixed as soon as you can. There are a number of reasons that sink odors can begin, and some of them are simple to fix, while others may require extensive plumbing excavation.

Below, we’ve listed some of the ways that you can solve the problem of a bad-smelling sink. The method that works will depend on the reason the problem started. When you feel in any doubt about what to do, call on Brooks Plumbing in Olympia, WA for fast, professional assistance.

Here Are Three Ways to Stop Those Sink Smells

Run water down a sink with a dry p-trap: If the sink that has the terrible odors coming from it is one that has not seen recent use—such as a sink in a guest room—then the reason for the bad smell is probably that the p-trap under the sink has dried up. The p-trap is the curved portion of the drainpipe, and it is designed to catch a plug of water inside it that prevents sewage gas from coming back up through the drain. If the p-trap water evaporates, nothing will prevent sewage gas from entering your home. All you need to do to is run water down the drain for a few minutes to restore the water plug.
Call plumbers for repairs to the drain vents: Drain vents are responsible for removing the sewer gases inside the wastewater system and releasing them up through openings on the roof. If these vents should become blocked from animal nests or debris, the pressure will force the sewer gases up through the drainpipes, even pushing through the p-trap (creating a noticeable gurgling sound). Do not go up to the roof to try to clear the vents; call plumbing professionals to safely handle the job.
Have drain cleaning performed: Odoriferous sinks can be suffering from excessive build-up of organic deposits. This not only leads to unpleasant smells, but also increases the chances of clogs and will cause a dangerous increase in water pressure inside the plumbing. To handle the job of cleaning drains, you need to leave the acidic and toxic store-bought chemicals on the shelves and instead call in experienced plumbers to handle full service drain cleaning that will give you sparkling clean plumbing once again.

An Important Caution about Sink Smells

If you are experiencing bad odors from many different drains at once, the problem might lie inside the sewer line—and this requires extensive and immediate repairs from professionals before it leads to sewage backup into your home. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking sewer smells from a sink are only a minor inconvenience! Call for local Olympia plumbers right away if the simple step of pouring water down a dry sink doesn’t solve the trouble.

Since 1994, Brooks Plumbing has taken pride in delivering “Quality in Everything We Do.” Whatever you need to fix your sink and drain troubles, we can handle it.

Tags: Olympia, Plumbing
Posted in Plumbing | Comments Off on Solutions for Strange Smells Coming from Your Sink

Leading the Way with Independence Days!

Thursday, July 3rd, 2014

The term “Fourth of July” is the popular name for the U.S. federal holiday officially known as Independence Day. It isn’t surprising that we would come up with a different name from the official one, since “Independence Day” is one of the most common holiday names across the globe. Most of the nations in existence today won their independence from another power, whether through wars, treaties, or long transitions.

What might surprise many people is how old U.S. Independence Day actually is compared to the similar holidays of other nations. Although the U.S. is still considered a young nation, it was one of the first to make a full break for its colonial master with a new constitution. Most countries that celebrate a national Independence Day are commemorating events that occurred in the second half of the 20th century, when many older empires at last relinquished control over their colonies.

How substantial is the difference in time for the U.S.A. and the rest of the world? U.S. Independence Day celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1776, making our country unusual in that almost no existing nations celebrate an independence event from the eighteenth century.

In terms of age, there is only a tiny handful current countries that celebrate an independence day that occurred earlier than the United States. Switzerland celebrates its independence from the Holy Roman Empire of the Germans in 1291 with “Swiss National Day,” held every August 1—although this only gained status as a national holiday in 1994. Sweden Celebrates “National Day of Sweden” to commemorate events in 1523 and the election of King Gustav I during the War of Liberation against Christian II of Denmark and Norway. Romania comes almost a hundred years after U.S. Independence, with its 1877 freedom from Turkish rule.

The most recent Independence Days to come into existence are for Montenegro, which gained independence from Serbia in 2006 and celebrates the day on May 21, and South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011 and celebrates the day only a day after the U.S., on July 5.

Does anyone else celebrate a literal “Fourth of July,” an Independence Day that also falls on the fourth day of the seventh month? Yes: Abkhazia, a small Central Asian country that declared its independence from the Republic of Georgia in 1999 (although not all countries recognize it). Coming a day (like South Sudan) on July 5 is the independence of the small Atlantic island nation of Cape Verde, which became free from Portugal through signed agreement in 1975.

Everyone at Brooks Plumbing hopes you and your family enjoy a vibrant Independence Day/Fourth of July this year!

Posted in Happy Holidays | Comments Off on Leading the Way with Independence Days!