Hard water can be a problem in Texas, and if you don’t know how to stay on top of it, you’ll have plumbing problems that might even lead to replacing your toilet. In Conroe, for example, calcium and magnesium are naturally occurring drinking water minerals and can be present in enough quantity that the [...]
Tankless water heaters eliminate the big storage units that take up space and waste energy. They have so many selling points: They may not be no-maintenance, but they are low-maintenance. With proper maintenance, the life expectancy of a tankless water heater is about 20 years (Your storage tank water heater’s lifespan is about 12 years). [...]
A North Houston resident bought a 3-story home last year and it was old enough that a friend expressed concerns about plumbing and wiring. “If there’s anything wrong, the inspector will catch it,” said the home buyer airily. Months later, the kitchen ceiling crashed to the floor from the weight of water damage. Home [...]
You may think winter in Southeast Texas is a non-event. It’ll be interesting this year, if only because no one can predict it. Farmer’s Almanac forecasts “milder and drier than normal with normal precipitation.” And Houston meteorologist Travis Herzog (KTRK) says, “I have no clue what the winter will bring…neither does the almanac.” Fall [...]
Coming home from work to find an inch of water throughout your house is a pretty extreme scenario that lets you know it’s time to call a plumber. In the majority of cases, you’ll have a bit more warning before disaster occurs. However, so you don’t have to deal with the hassle of an in-home flood, [...]
Lately, there is some debate by health-conscious homeowners about the value of hard water vs. soft water. Most of us know that hard water is “hard” on our clothes, appliances, even our hair and bodies. Hard Water is ‘Elementary’ “Hard water” is water in its natural element, with a high level of minerals, especially calcium [...]
Apparently, there is a psychology behind the need for us to be do-it-yourselfers. White-collar workers may use do-it-yourself (DIY) projects ask a way to compensate for desk jobs. Why You Should Call a Plumber DIY plumbing isn’t worth the risk of making a bad situation worse and certainly not worth the risk of divorce. Here [...]
Spring fills us with hope and renewed energy, but "Summertime is always the best of what might be," said Charles Bowden. Most of us begin reorganizing our yards and homes after Memorial Day. At Bradbury Cooling, Heating, & Plumbing, we focus on indoor air filters, ductwork, and plumbing! You should too. Add Plumbing to Your [...]
You can depend on four of your 5 senses for water “diagnostics.” Water quality issues can often be detected by: Sight – Water that is red, brown, yellowish, or cloudy can indicate corrosion and/or contaminants in your plumbing. Runoff from dying vegetation (leaves, etc.) can give water a yellow/brown tint. Smell – Some of the [...]
Our friends at Allen’s Tri-State Mechanical Amarillo say if you’ve had to plunger a toilet or unclog a sink more than once, it may be time to call a professional plumber. Five Commercial Plumbing Problems Here are 5 common commercial plumbing issues and what to do: Broken toilet handles/components – Take advantage of this problem [...]
Consumers should not service their own appliances, but have a qualified plumber, heating contractor or gas company technician perform an inspection every year. -CPSC Chair Ann Brown The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is an independent agency of the United States government. Much of its research centers on preventing injury and death caused [...]
All of us are in such a hurry to live life! That’s okay and it may explain part of the popularity of demand water heaters. No more tap-dancing in the corner of the shower, waiting for warm water: Tankless water heaters deliver hot water sooner, rather than later. But it’s a myth that they deliver [...]
There’s a rumor circulating that tankless water heaters don’t need maintenance. Many homeowners think mineral deposits and scaling won’t damage a tankless water heater. Scaling and mineral deposits can affect all heat exchangers. Your tankless connectors and pipes can suffer damage from hard water, too. For some water heaters, “annual maintenance is absolutely vital for [...]
Bradbury Brothers Cooling, Heating & Plumbing recommends an annual or bi-annual maintenance plumbing check. All of us hear about the energy and money savings a tankless water heater installation can have. If it’s true (and it is), can we then cut down on plumbing maintenance and service calls? Tankless Water Heaters and Maintenance/Service No matter [...]
When you hire a plumber because no hot water is coming out of the kitchen sink faucet, you need to go to the water heater, not the faucet.-Joe The Plumber Two in-house elements that can impact your family’s health are air and water. For that reason alone, you should keep your plumbing and HVAC (heating, [...]
We all agree on the benefits of tankless water heaters, often called “on-demand” water heaters. They are smaller and they practically eliminate lost energy due to standby (when the hot water cools or is sitting, useless, in the pipes or tank). Tankless water heaters: Have longer lifespan – 20 years vs. 10-15 years for standard [...]
“They don’t make ‘em like they used to!” is a valid complaint about large household appliances. They really don’t make ‘em like they used to! In the ‘70s, large appliances were built to last almost as long as your home. Back then, people thought the purchase of a washing machine, for example, was “one and [...]
With some of the flooding situations we experienced in 2017 (Hurricane Harvey tops the list), most Southeast Texas residents don’t need to be told, “Plan for the worst; hope for the best.” We thought we were prepared. Plumbing Problems Have Clues If plumbing disasters could be prevented, you’d think property-owners and homeowners would do whatever [...]
There are many ways to make hard water soft and pure. Water softeners do a great job of removing harsh minerals that can damage large appliances, but they usually don’t purify drinking water. Thanks to technology, ways to whole-house purify water include: Dual ionization and oxygen electrodes to remove chemicals Electrical impulses to break minerals [...]
At Bradbury Brothers, we believe the benefits of tankless water heaters are proven and if you have to – or want to – install a new water heating system, tankless (also called “on-demand”) is the way to go. If you are remodeling or building new this year, you’re making a major investment in your [...]
