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Are Plumbing System Upgrades Worth It? How a Plumber Can Help

Plumbing system
If you need help deciding whether or not you should hire a plumber to upgrade your home, Pilot Plumbing and Drain has you covered.

When you own a home, there are many decisions to make, especially if you live in an older home that may need some work. One thing you might be wondering is whether it’s worth it to upgrade the plumbing system in your Vancouver, WA, home. The thing is, it depends on several factors, including what kind of features you value in your plumbing. If you need help deciding whether or not you should hire a plumber to upgrade your home, Pilot Plumbing and Drain has you covered.

Repiping

Many homeowners have done a repipe when they live in an older home. Repiping is essentially running new water and drain lines (or one of the two) in your home. This is important because you don’t want any leaks in these lines, and you want to make sure they’re big enough to handle the plumbing needs of your home.

Water lines last a reasonably long time, but your copper water lines will start to wear down after about 60 to 70 years. For PEX lines, you can expect about 40 to 50 years of life. If your lines are any older than that, you should at least have them inspected by a plumber to see if they need to be replaced. Not only will a repipe prevent future problems, but it could also solve any water pressure problems you’re currently experiencing.

Drain lines are tricky because it depends on the professional and when your home was built. Old drain lines were made of cast iron, which can last quite a while but is expensive and challenging to run. During the ’70s and ’80s, PVC drain lines became more popular for durability and ease of use. Most plumbers will say that PVC drain lines can last an indefinite amount of time. At the same time, cast tends to last somewhere between 50 and 100 years, depending on environmental conditions and other variables. Consider upgrading if your cast drain lines are more than a century old.

Fixtures

From the toilets in your home to the faucets and even your showerhead, your fixtures have a significant impact on the way you use water. So whether you want to add modern convenience to your home or save on your monthly water bill, upgrading your fixtures is a great first step to take.

Faucet upgrades are great because they allow you to make your kitchen or bathroom more convenient. For example, you can switch from a two-handled faucet to a single-handle tap or upgrade to a kitchen faucet with a built-in sprayer. With that upgrade, you can also improve efficiency since most newer faucets are designed to use less water than their older counterparts.

Most plumbers will recommend upgrading your showerhead as well. Not only are showerheads easy to replace, but old showerheads can use as much as twice the water of modern ones.

Finally, you should consider upgrading your toilets if yours are very old. Older toilets didn’t have the same gallons per flush regulations, while newer toilets were designed to save water. Plus, you can opt for a dual-flush toilet that offers two different flushing modes for liquid and solid waste. If you don’t need as much flushing power, you can save money by using the light flush setting. Not only are these toilets not as expensive as you might think, but a plumber can install them in about the same time it takes to install a standard toilet.

Leak Detection

Another thing you might want to consider when upgrading your plumbing system is installing a leak detection system. These systems are designed to detect leaks as soon as they occur, so you don’t have to worry about wasting a bunch of water or causing water damage to your home. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, make sure you ask your plumber about it during your next scheduled service.

Leak detection systems work by detecting water pressure changes that may indicate a leak. When a leak is found, we can notify you via an app on your smartphone. Then, you can shut the water off so that leak doesn’t cause any damage to your Vancouver, WA, home. This is one of the best ways to minimize damage to your home while you wait for a plumber to arrive.

Water Heater Upgrades

A new water heater is one upgrade that just about every homeowner could benefit from. Your water heater determines how much hot water you have available at any given time, as well as how quickly new hot water is made. Plus, different types of water heaters can make life even more convenient for you.

For starters, you should always look at efficiency and capacity when upgrading. The more efficient and the higher the capacity of your water heater, the more hot water you’ll have.

You may want to upgrade to a tankless or point-of-use water heater. Tankless water heaters heat water on demand, which means you have access to hot water whenever you need it. Point-of-use water heaters can be tankless or traditional. Plumbers install these point-of-use water heaters throughout your home to deliver a dedicated supply of hot water to a single room for constant hot water throughout your home.

We Can Help

Deciding how to upgrade your plumbing system is difficult, especially if you don’t know a lot about plumbing. The good news is that the plumbers at Pilot Plumbing and Drain can help you make even the most challenging decisions. Whether you want to save on your water bill or have a more modern plumbing system, we can help you figure out what you need to do to achieve your goals. To learn more about upgrading your plumbing system, call Pilot Plumbing and Drain at (360) 549-5848.

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