Did You Know?

 Did You Know? Billions gallons of water are lost to toilet leaks every day!

• Dripping faucets and leaking toilets account for 14% of all indoor water use in a household. This adds up to about 10 gallons of water per day per person. That’s a lot.
•  According to the EPA, 1 trillion gallons of water are lost each year to leaks. This is the same amount of water used by LA, Chicago, and Miami combined.
• According to Reality Times, 6 billion gallons of water are lost to toilet leaks every day. This means that every toilet loses 30 – 500 gallons every day.

Seasonal Checklist

Freezing temperatures will still be around for a while. Even if the days are warmer at night, keep those cabinet doors open and faucets dripping in the areas that are prone to freezing.

Warmer days are coming and the use of garden hose will be tempting. Be sure to disconnect them at night to avoid freezing or burst pipes on the outside faucets.

Make sure your sump pump is working. Wet snows in March along with warmer temperatures or the monsoons in spring could have your sump pumps working overtime.

Add colored dye to your toilet tank……

Wait 30 minutes and recheck to see if your toilet bowl changes color. If it does, you have a leak.  If you can change inside parts, do so and if not, call us. For a nominal fee, we will send you a blue dye tablet. Also, Ace Hardware may carry blue dye tablets.

Featured Repair

At Certified Plumbing Company, Inc., we have been installing Bradford White water heaters for over 30 years. Why? That’s simple, the enhanced quality and durability of their products. Bradford White is one of the most technologically advanced manufacturers of water heating units in the world. They have received the J.D. Powers and Assoc. Award for the advancements they have made in their field.

The only water heater manufactured in the United States play a big role in why we continue to use their product. You won’t find their water heaters at the retail stores. When it comes to working with gas and electricity, they want to be certain a professional installs their product.

If you are considering a water heater replacement then you be the judge and consider this: Tank water heaters versus tankless water heaters

• Tankless water heaters are 4 to 6 times more expensive
• Tankless water heaters will give you endless hot water at 3.5 to 5 gallons per minute with a 90 degree rise in temperature
• Tankless water heaters burn 199,000 BTUs per hour versus 40,000 BTUs for tank water heaters

In my opinion, tankless water heaters are just too expensive for what they do. Endless hot water is true but a bath tub faucet puts out 3.5 to 5 gallons per minute. Then turn on another hot tap and something has to give which will lower the temperature to your fixtures. Tankless may be a good investment in the warmer climates but not here in Colorado. The water comes into your home too cold to make them profitable. If you need more information, contact Glenn at our office (303) 795-7498.

Enjoying Your Home

This is just one more story about banging pipes, dripping faucets, toilets running, leaks in plastic water piping, temperature and pressure relief valves dripping and, in some cases, burst water heaters. You know where I am heading with this, high water pressure and the damage it will cause.

It usually creeps into the water lines at night while you are sleeping. It water mixes itself with the incoming water pressure and the increase of pressure caused by thermo expansion in heating water inside your tank. It’s very persistent and wants out but nobody is awake to let it out by opening a hot water tap so it seeks the weak point in your water piping.

Talk to Brad who for four months would open the kitchen sink cabinet in the morning to find water on the base of the cabinet. Now there’s water that wasn’t there when he went to bed. He could never see where the water was coming from. Plumber after plumber would come in search of the persistent pest and they all left defeated until…..

This story has a happy ending. It all ended up being a hot water shut-off valve for the dishwasher that would only leak at night when the water pressure was at its peak.  This is a classic example of a leak that a lot of plumbers don’t understand.

Call us for more information if this is happening to you.

Yes, even in the heart of winter, when we’re all bundled up and cozy, enjoying our hot cocoas in front of the fireplace, snow can melt. This unfortunate truth is easy, and sometimes convenient, to forget. After all, water run-off is supposed to wait for spring and summer, right? But we’re reminding you of this misconception so that you’ll keep your sump pumps in working order. A flood in summer is bad enough; a flood in winter, even worse.

Make sure, then, that your sump pump is redirecting water away from the foundation of your home, especially on those warm winter afternoons. And if you think something’s wrong with your sump pump, or if you want an experienced plumber to come over and check it out for you, feel free to call us, Certified Plumbing Company, the Littleton plumbing repair experts who serve the Denver Metro area, 303-795-7498. You can trust our experience in sump pump replacement and repair. We’ll keep you warm…and dry…all winter long!

I don’t usually plug a manufacturer but I believe in this company’s product so much that I’m passing it on to you. The product I’m referring to is Bradford White water heaters. Certified Plumbing Company has been installing these water heaters for decades and, without a doubt, they lead the field in quality and reliability. Bradford White is U.S. made and is the only water heater manufactured here and it shows.

Bradford White have won awards for their water heaters and have been the #1 choice by J.D. Powers & Associates.

Check out the Bradford White product line online Bradford White Residential Hot Water Heater products

Have Certified Plumbing Company install a Bradford White water heater installed the next time you need one. You will be very pleased with its performance in your home.

Bradford White

If you’re experiencing water heater problems call the Littleton plumbing repair experts who serve the Denver Metro area, Certified Plumbing Company at 303.795.7498.

Bradford White Defender Water Heater

The cold winter water in the Denver Metro area and water heaters can be a bad mixture at times. Generally you will find that if a water heater is going to leak through the tank or out the temperature and pressure relief valve, it will do it at night while you are sleeping.

As the water in the tank is being heated it is producing thermo expansion and increasing the pressure inside the tank. Mix this with the water pressure you are receiving from your water supplier and then add on having to heat the water from a colder degree temperature coming in.  You know this can become too much pressure for the water heater to handle. This built up pressure wants to come out somewhere and it will find the weakest point in the tank or come out the temperature and pressure relief valve.

Why does this happen at night more than during the day? Because during the day there is usually someone at home opening and closing the hot side to a faucet which will release the pressure build up in the water heater.

A water heater alarm is a good idea if your water heater is 10 – 12 years old. We will happily supply you with an alarm for a minimum cost. It’s also time to start thinking about the replacement of your water heater or at least start keeping a good eye on it.

If you’re experiencing water heater problems call the Littleton plumbing repair experts who serve the Denver Metro area, Certified Plumbing Company at 303.795.7498.

Snow falling, lights twinkling, waistlines expanding: the holiday season has arrived. And we at Certified Plumbing Company couldn’t be more excited. This time of year always puts us in an unusually good mood. Maybe it’s the eggnog. Or the presents. Or the music. Or the lights. Or maybe it’s the combination of all these things.

So instead of rambling on about frozen pipes, flooded basements, leaky faucets, malfunctioning garbage disposals, clogged toilets, water damage, or any other plumping-related party-poopers, we want to take this opportunity to slow down and remember what the holidays are all about: family. After all, Certified Plumbing Company has been family owned and operated for over 40 years. We know how important family is.

That’s why we want to extend our gratitude. Thank you for showing such kindness to our family and for allowing us the privilege of serving yours. We don’t know what we’d do without you! From our family to yours, have a Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year. May the season of good tidings be upon you.

 Happy Holidays!

 A leaky faucet can drip 500 or more gallons of water a month – down the drain it goes. Please the wife, conserve water and fix the leaking faucet. After all, when the wife’s happy, we are all happy.

 If you have a leaking or dripping faucet call the Littleton Plumber who serves the Denver Metro area, Certified Plumbing Company at 303.795.7498.
 
This has been Potty Talk where next month we will tackle another problem common to the household.

 Happy Holidays from our family to yours        

                                Glenn and Fran Kenney

                                                              Email: certifiedplumb@msn.com