1. Experienced and Honest Plumbers.
2. Visit our Testimonials from SatisfiedWater Heater customers, Plumbing customers, and Backflow customers.
3. If you ever have any concerns you can call the owner Bill Harden 480-966-8795.
4. No hidden charges.
5. You will know the price before we begin.
6. We charge by the job, not the hour.
7. Over 30 yrs combined experience, licensed & bonded, full service plumbing company.
8. Return Policy: 100% satisfaction guaranteed.
9. We deliver reliable, effective and affordable plumbing service Every Time!
10. We treat your home with care and respect.
Avoid clogging your kichen drain by not placeing hard-to-grind, stringy, fibrous waste, such as poultry skins, banana peels, carrots, celery, or cantaloupe pulp, down the garbage disposal. The disposal can’t sufficiently grind these food products and it will clog your sink drain. You need to also run cold water down the drain for about 15 seconds prior to using the garbage disposal and after to flush the waste down the main drain.
If you have a musty sewer smell permeating in areas of your home try running water in all drains chances are the musty smell is from dried out plumbing. If this doesn’t work or the smell comes back a couple days later call a professional you may have other plumbing issues.
Make sure you avoid pouring fats down the drain. Fats can solidify-which can cause a drainage issue and clog your pipes. Pour fats and different types of cooking oils in a throw away container such as an old milk jug or old coffee can and throw out with your garbage.
To help prevent hair from clogging your drains, install strainers in each tub and shower to capture the hair before it goes down the drain. When combined with soap build-up, hair can bring your drains to a complete standstill.
You’re very likely aware of the 24” water main break that flooded the US60 this weekend.
The latest report is that the City of Tempe along with ADOT are working to get the line repaired, but have no immediate timeline for the restoration of travel on the 60 while they work on the repairs. Note: The City of Tempe has released a statement saying that this is not disrupting water supply service to the area for commercial or residential customers. My intention in this email is to make sure you’re aware just in case it does become an issue, not to alarm our customers in any way.
I wanted to reach out just as a recommendation to check a few things at your home in Tempe. There is a small chance that some of the dirt, rocks, road debris have been introduced to that water line while the break occurred and whilst they repair it. We’re not 100% sure if that water line is a main supply for your neighborhood, but I would recommend taking some precautions anyways. If you experience any drop in water pressure, or notice any discoloration “dirty water”, I would recommend the following:
Full-Open front hose bib, closest to where the water line enters your home from the city meter, let that blow out water for a few minutes.
Removing the aerators from your kitchen and bathroom sink faucets, shower heads if you are able. These can sometimes catch particles and get clogged up, reducing water flow to those fixtures.
Running your bath tub faucet for 5-10 minutes in Hot & Cold. Most of the time, tub spouts do not come equipped with aerators and have the largest inside diameter pipe for flow.
Flush your water heater – These are often full ¾” supply lines and debris can get into that tank relatively easily.
Always feel free to call our office if you have questions or aren’t able to do any of the above yourself.
We’re hoping that the water main break didn’t affect you directly, and that this is all for naught, but want to make sure that if we can take some inexpensive preventative maintenance to avoid a larger scale repair – that we certainly do so. All of these are items you can do yourself, depending on your comfort level.
Wishing you well and please reach out if you have any questions or need something from us!
You’ve heard the advice: Get a college education so you can get a good job.
While that’s great advice, it’s not always easy to follow. After all, it takes time and money to go to school. Even if you get your associate’s degree, you’re still looking at a $10,000/year bill to pay, and when you graduate, there’s no guarantee you’ll have a job waiting for you.
Despite the advice, college isn’t the only route to a good career. In fact, the skilled trades are one of the best ways to get started on the next chapter of your life. “Give me someone who can show up on time, have a good attitude, and be willing to learn,” said a local machine shop owner. “I can teach them the job…but they have to be ready to do the work.” She’s had unfilled job openings for the last three years.
“I can’t find younger workers,” she said. “As an owner, that means I have to use the staff I have and pay more overtime so I can fill my orders. It’s frustrating to know the company can accommodate more work but we don’t have the staff. As a result, we’re turning down orders or delaying them.”
Her corporation isn’t alone, either. Right now, there are “Help Wanted” signs posted across the United States, but not nearly enough people to fill the positions. Predictions only show the gap widening. According to a study conducted by the Department of Labor in January 2019 , there was a deficit of 1.1 million skilled laborers.
The lack of workers means if you’re a skilled tradesperson, you’re in a great position to find your dream job. If you’re interested in becoming a skilled tradesperson, however, you’re in a great place to acquire the necessary skills. “If you’re reasonably mechanically inclined, we could find you a place and train you on-the-spot. Our starting salary is very competitive!” The machine shop owner said.
It’s not just her place, either.
Most employers who rely on the skilled trades will provide on-the-job training. And in many cases, they’ll pay you while you’re training. “An apprentice can make a fairly decent paycheck, depending on who they work for,” a local plumber, Norm Oke of Norm’s Plumbing, said.
“They’ll learn on the job, and develop the skills they need to be successful. It may take a few years to develop that experience, but the whole time, they’ll be earning a paycheck and be well-equipped to handle any certifications or licensing required.”
Once skilled tradespeople are licensed and certified, they’ll see a jump in pay and have some freedom that a desk job may not be able to provide. “Every day is different,” said Norm. “Even when I was an apprentice, I always liked how much variety there was. And I can make my own hours. A lot of time, that means I work longer. As a business owner, though, it also means I control my workflow…and I like having that control.”
When asked about whether skilled trade jobs could be outsourced by artificial intelligence, thereby eliminating those positions from the job pool, the machine shop owner and Norm both replied with a resounding “NO!”
Norm elaborated, “There really is no substitute for hands-on, skilled people at the job site. A lot of times, the job requires collaborating with others to determine the best way to plumb a sink or provide a vent. It means knowing what questions to ask, how to read the blueprints and even coordinating eyes, ears, touch and smell – as awful as that sounds – to detect a leak. Today’s robot can’t do that.”
The machine shop owner agreed, “Right now, we have a lot of processes automated, but there’s no replacement for a trained eye. Will a part fit? A lot of times, it will in theory but in practice? It’s a bust. And a skilled machinist can think outside of the box to find a specialized solution. There’s no way to program creative thinking.”
Follow that advice: Get your education and get a good job. The skilled trades are willing to train, and able to pay while you learn. Take your apprenticeship to the next level and you can be your own boss, make your own hours and even control your workflow. That sounds like a great start to a great career.
To start, I wanted to express my thanks for all our customers, friends, and partners for turning to City Wide Plumbing over the years for your plumbing needs. We’ve built a great many relationships in our community over the years and all of us at City Wide are very grateful for the trust our clients place in us.
We have some very exciting news to announce: In September 2021 we finalized a change in ownership! Bill Harden, a Tempe native, and Fraternity brother of Tyler, Kevin and myself, purchased City Wide Plumbing and has immediately gotten to work serving our customers. Bill has worked for over a decade in Real Estate with his family here in the Phoenix Metro area and has run many home repair, flips, and remodels jobs in his time. The transition has been incredibly smooth, as all our staff will be staying in place at City Wide and are each dedicated to new growth at the highest level of quality and service.
Bill will be adding some new technology to City Wide’s daily operation – tracking invoices, receipts, job details and photos for every new job which will make your service history readily available every time you call. I will be sticking around with City Wide as an advisor to Bill, so please feel free to reach out to the office if you have any questions for me.
City Wide Plumbing has been a great constant in our family and everyone here is committed to keeping that high level of service and care for our customers as our main priority. Thank you again for years of your trust in City Wide Plumbing, we appreciate all of you immensely.
It’s where we go to take a hot shower on a chilly evening, or water our gardens after a stressful day. Now that many of us work from home, too, it’s where we eat, sleep, work, laugh, love and live. And to fill that tall order, all of your household systems need to be on point and stay there.
One of the easiest ways to keep your household systems running is to do the preventative maintenance. It lets you spot the trouble spots before they spot you. Or spot on you, and then you have a mess.
Here at City Wide Plumbing, we think that life is messy enough. That’s why we’re proud to offer The Residential Maintenance Plan. It’s a really great way to stay on top of your plumbing maintenance tasks – without investing in special tools or teaching yourself from a self-professed guru on the Internet. Instead, let us do the work. Once a year, one of our certified, fully licensed and trained City Wide Plumbing Technicians will:
Inspect and flush your water heater
Check your faucets, toilets and showers for leaks and proper operation
Determine your drain flow rate with an under-sink drain inspection
Evaluate your water hardness
Provide an “angle stop” valve operation inspection at key points in your home
You’ll get a heads-up on any problem areas, and have the chance to make an informed decision. That way, you can minimize those surprises, saving your pocketbook and your belongings from irreparable damage.
As a City Wide customer, you’ll benefit from our exceptional service, but when you’re on our special Maintenance Plan, you’ll also receive priority scheduling and your trip fee is included – that’s almost a $70 value! Plus, you’ll receive a 10% off any service during your maintenance agreement.
Call City Wide Plumbing today: 480-966-8795.
We’ll tell you more about how our special customized plan can work for you.
It can seem like a no-brainer: The hot water in the shower isn’t getting hot enough?
Turn up the temp on the hot water tank. Problem solved, right?
Well…yes…but was it the right solution for the problem?
At first, the answer was yes. It worked very well. The water in the shower felt hotter and everyone was happy…but over time, the solution was actually the cause of more problems.
In a few short weeks, the hot water tank became simply a water tank, and the homeowners were in the market for another hot water tank…even though the one that they just bought a few years ago was a good one.
So what happened?
When the homeowners turned up the temperature, they didn’t realize that there were two temperature controls. Inadvertently, they adjusted only one control. That meant one control worked harder than the other one to maintain the new, higher water temperature. And when one control is forced to work harder, it wears out faster. In this particular instance, there was another underlying issue that created the perfect storm: hard water calcification buildup.
Higher water temperature settings accelerate the calcification process. More calcium deposits build up on the hotter heating elements, forcing them to use more energy to heat the water, and remain hotter much longer to maintain the higher setting.
It becomes a vicious circle: More heat = more calcium buildup = more energy.
After a few weeks, the easy thermostat tweak on the hot water heater became the number one reason the heating elements stopped working…and why they were in the market for a new water tank.
When they called City Wide, they learned the real reason they weren’t getting enough hot water, and it had nothing to do with the hot water tank. Instead, the problem was with the shower faucet. Hard water deposits built up within the tap, limiting how far it would turn.
When your hot water isn’t so hot any more, call in the experts at City Wide. They’ll keep your showers at just the right temp, diagnose the problem at the source and give you the options you need to make an informed choice.
One of my customers is a large man, and now that he’s getting older, he just requested that we replace his old 15-inch toilet with a taller, 16.5-inch “handicap” toilet.
“My knees aren’t what they used to be,” he joked, “and so I’d really like to have a taller stool – one that isn’t quite so far down for me.”
While the 16.5-inch toilets are usually marketed to handicapped people, I could see how a taller toilet would be more comfortable for someone with his proportions. I could imagine his 6-feet, 3-inch, 300-pound frame would certainly benefit from the increased height of the taller toilet.
A few weeks later, I checked to make sure that he was still happy with our work. “I am,” he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. We talked a little while longer and he wrapped up the conversation with a great suggestion:
“You know, I should have upgraded to one of these [taller toilets] years ago, but I didn’t even think about it until my knees started giving me trouble. You should market toilets with the added height to guys like me – you know, bigger and a little older. I’m sure they’d appreciate one as much as I do – maybe more.”
The 16.5-inch toilet can be a great addition to any household with taller family members.
Let us know if City Wide Plumbing can help you with any of your plumbing requests!
City Wide Plumbing has become the target of Call Spoofing.
Our phone number is being used for call spoofing. Please understand that telemarketers or scammers are using480-495-5875 and 602-273-9082without permission. For your own security, do not engage with them and please block the number.
What Is Spoofing?
Spoofing is when a caller deliberately falsifies the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity. Scammers often use neighbor spoofing so it appears that an incoming call is coming from a local number, or spoof a number from a company or a government agency that you may already know and trust. If you answer, they use scam scripts to try to steal your money or valuable personal information, which can be used in fraudulent activity.
Watch the video and click through the tabs to learn more about spoofing and how to avoid being scammed.
Water heaters don’t last forever, unfortunately, and once you get a new one, you’ll be looking for ways to make it last longer.
Here are three easy steps you can do once a year to keep your new hot water tank in tip-top shape.
3 Steps to Flush the Tank
Hook a garden hose to the valve at the bottom of the water heater and run the hose outside or to the nearest drain.
Leave everything on, open the drain valve and let the water flow for a few minutes.
Shut off the valve and remove the hose.
Note: This is only recommended for newer tanks. Older tanks may have too much sediment built up and may not flush or the valve at the bottom of the tank may break.
Besides an annual tank flush, there is some simple maintenance you can do along the way:
Set the tank’s temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. A lower temperature:
Helps preserve the life of your tank, saves on your energy costs and helps prevent scalding accidents.
Helps prevent mold and bacterial growth in the tank – a great way to maintain your home’s water quality.
Use the “Vacation Setting” when you leave for an extended visit.
The pilot light stays lit but the water won’t heat.
You’ll save on your energy costs!
Check the area around your water heater regularly.
Keep the floor around it clean – excessive rust or other buildup in the area can indicate potential problems.
If a leak develops, you’ll help prevent water damage to your belongings.
Make sure you change out anode rod at three years.
Even the best water heater needs periodic replacement, but with yearly maintenance and very minor upkeep, you’ll keep the hot water flowing.
Arizona Blue Stake was established by utility owners as a one-call notification system to assist local homeowners and excavators in identifying the location of underground utilities to prevent damages to facilities.
Notify the Arizona Blue Stake Center at least two (2) working days (excluding weekends and legal holidays) before excavating to have all underground pipelines and facilities located and marked.
Calling 811 will help save lives and protect infrastructure. Knowing where underground utility lines are buried before each digging project begins helps protect you from personal injury, expense and penalties. There may be multiple utility lines in the same area at varying depths. Even simple digging projects can damage utility lines and disrupt vital services to an entire community. Having underground utilities located can help prevent undesired consequences
Waitfor the project site to be marked by all utility owners. Once all utilities have been properly located, you are officially ready to dig.
Respect and protectthe marks. Have utility lines re-marked if initial markings are more than fifteen (15) days old.
Use cautionwhen digging. Always hand dig within two feet of either side of any marked line. Some utility lines may be buried at a shallow depth, and an unintended shovel
Be Awareutility companies may not mark where the line continues into your property (anything on your property is considered privately owned and maintained.
If damage occurs, notify the appropriate facility owner IMMEDIATLY.
Each marking represents the location of the underground facilities and the color represents the type of utility (gas, water, electric, communication, etc…). These marks are temporary and fade with time.
White– proposed excavation
Pink– Temporary Survey
Red– Electric, traffic signals and street lights
Yellow– natural gas, petroleum, nitrogen, butane, and propane.
Blue water systems, slurry pipes, irrigation and wells
Purple– reclaimed water
Green– Sanitary Sewer Systems
There is a penalty for failure to comply. Owners of underground facilities must locate and mark all their facilities at that location within 48 hours. Failure to do so could result in a fine of up to $ 5000. You or a contractor cannon begin excavating until all utilities have been marked or be subject to a maximum fine of $ 5000.
When Mesa residents think about their town, the first adjective that comes to mind is “smart.”
Smart technology when it comes to appliances usually equates with efficiency, but you may not think about how water heaters are at the heart of your dishwasher’s and washing machine’s performance. For example, when your hot water isn’t so hot anymore, its lack of performance can compromise those big-ticket items in the following ways:
Dishes aren’t getting clean. If you have to use an elaborate pre-washing process before you put dishes into the dishwasher, where’s the benefit? You’ll notice detergent not dissolving all the way or that your dishes are coming out still greasy, you’ve just wasted a lot of time and money.
Lukewarm water equals lukewarm performance. When your washing machine’s water isn’t getting water that’s hot enough, whites and other clothing won’t get sanitized, and greasy stains can set in deeper. You’ll have to rely on extra spot treatments, chemical additives or bleach to make up for your lack of hot water – all requiring more work and time.
So when your water heater isn’t living up to its name, give us a call. We’ll provide the answers you need, and give you options so you can make an informed choice on whether water heater repair is the way to go, or how a new water heater can help save you in the long run. Same-day service – even on Saturdays – can help you get your water temperatures back up where they belong.
If you are a new resident to Chandler and need to update your appliances, water heaters probably do not come to your mind.
They do not get the press that a fancy new washing machine or even a high-tech dishwasher does, but both rely on hot water to keep them operating in tip-top shape. When your hot water isn’t so hot anymore, its lack of performance can compromise those big-ticket items:
Dishes aren’t getting clean. If you have to use an elaborate prewashing process before you put dishes into the dishwasher, where’s the benefit? You will notice detergent not dissolving all the way or that your dishes are coming out still greasy. You have just wasted a lot of time and money.
Lukewarm water equals lukewarm performance. When your washing machine’s water is not getting water that’s hot enough, whites and other clothing won’t get sanitized and greasy stains can set in deeper. You’ll have to rely on extra spot treatments, chemical additives or bleach to make up for your lack of hot water – all requiring more work and time.
So when your water heater isn’t living up to its name, give us a call. We’ll provide the answers you need and give you options so you can make an informed choice on whether water heater repair is the way to go, or how a new water heater can help save you in the long run. Same-day service – even on Saturdays – can help you get your water temperatures back up where they belong.
Remember water is a valuable resource that shouldn’t be wasted.
Your water is clean, safe and convenient but you have to pay for its treatment and the system to deliver it to you. By conserving water in your home, you also save energy needed to heat it or run appliances.
Two thirds of the water used in an average home is used in the bathroom, and a lot of it goes into the sewer. From 2-7 gallons of water are used every time a toilet is flushed. Do not use the toilet to flush items that can go in a wastebasket or garbage can.
Be aware of toilet leaks. Be sure to check toilets at the property! Toilet leaks are the most common and are hard to see or hear. Put food coloring or laundry bluing in the toilet tank and wait 10 minutes. Do not flush the toilet during this time. If the coloring appears in the toilet bowl, there is a toilet leak. Also, if you hear the toilet refilling and no one has used it, there is a leak. A major toilet leak can waste 800 cubic feet of water a day — which would cost over $24.00 for water and over $23.00 for sewer each day. That adds up to over $1,400.00 a month!
You may have been advised to take showers rather than baths to conserve water. If you take a long shower, however, you may use more water than if you took a bath. Long, hot showers not only waste water but also energy to heat the water. Consider using reduced-flow devices for shower heads.
Don’t leave the water running while you shave or brush your teeth. You are just running clean water down the drain.
Turn down the temperature on your water heater. If you set the temperature at 120° F or below, you will save about 4% of your energy cost per 10° that you lower your thermostat.
Flush Your Water Heater.
Flushing your water heater regularly ( every six months)will help you save money and extend your hot water heaters life.
When you ask a jack-of-all-trades to fix your plumbing, you expect that the job will be done right, and the work will stand the test of time, but sometimes, that’s not always the case.
The hot water tank is always a likely suspect.
A customer noticed water near his hot water heater. The tank was older and hot water heaters have an approximate 15-year life cycle, so he assumed it was probably time to replace it. That’s when he called City Wide Plumbing to install a new one.
When City Wide Plumbing came out to take a look, the technician examined the hot water tank, but found that it was still working without a leak. Even so, the water was coming from somewhere, and it was cold – definitely not from the water heater, then.
So what else could be leaking?
The tech traced the water lines all the way back to under the toilet, where he found the hot and cold exchange pipes crisscrossed on top of each other. That’s when he knew what happened: Every time the hot water pipe heated up and expanded, it rubbed against the cold water pipe. When it cooled, it contracted back its normal position. After so many years, the friction from the pipe expanding and contracting caused a small hole in one of them.
Just because it fits, doesn’t mean it sits well.
That slow leak over a great length of time wasn’t visible right away. Instead, it had continued to leak into the concrete slab, rotting the surrounding areas and creating a potentially unstable foundation that could cost thousands to repair. What damage can a little water do? If left unchecked, it can wear away mountains. Imagine what it can to your home.
Call City Wide Plumbing and keep slow leaks from damaging your biggest investment. 480-966-8795
If you want to ensure your home’s plumbing runs at maximum efficacy, hire a reputable plumbing professional for all of the work you need to be done.
We’ve all had those gut-wrenching moments when a waterline burst or our toilet didn’t flush; It happens. When it comes to plumbing, some repairs and replacements can be extremely complex with a high risk of making the problem even worse. For example, replacing a broken inch and a quarter copper waterline; a repair of this caliber requires certain tools and specialized training. Although costs for hiring a plumber can be steep at times, it’s worth it to have a difficult job done right. Let’s go over some key reasons on why you should leave your plumbing to the professionals.
Specialized Training
Professional plumbers are experienced and trained in identifying and fixing a variety of plumbing problems, which means there’s nothing they haven’t dealt with or know how to fix. Plumbing problems require specialized tools like a flaring tool, strap wrench and pipe cutters. You could hire a professional who already has the specialized tools and specific training necessary to complete almost any repair. You don’t want to risk destroying your plumbing or worst off, injuring yourself.
It Could Ruin Your Home
Major plumbing jobs, such as moving bathroom fixtures or swapping a bathtub, can go horribly wrong if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you don’t get everything properly installed and tightened, you can end up with a leak, possibly one that goes unnoticed for ages until it weakens a wall to the point of a catastrophic rupture. Of course, that would also be true if a plumber hired by you made the same mistake, in that case, the plumber would be at fault and would have to pay for the damage. It’s best to leave it to the professionals for the sake of your home and your sanity.
Detailed Diagnostics
An enormous big benefit of hiring a plumber is that you are going to get a very detailed diagnostic report. There are many plumbing problems that the layperson wouldn’t be able to identify. A professional who is well trained can find the problem’s cause and give you a detailed report. Plumbers can check your whole system so that they can find any problems.
Another key benefit of hiring a professional plumber is that you’re given a detailed diagnostics report. A highly-trained professional will be able to locate the source of the problem and provide you with a comprehensive diagnostic report.
Permanent Solutions
When you call a professional plumber, you are going to have someone who can offer you a permanent solution to your plumbing issue. If you hire a competent, professional plumber, you shouldn’t encounter the same problems again. If you are remodeling or adding new construction to your home and you need projects completed in your kitchen or bathroom, a professional is the best option to mitigate the risks of doing it all yourself.
As you can see from what we just went over, you should leave the plumbing to the professionals. Plumbing is a very complicated process that requires years of training and on the job experience. If you want to ensure your home’s plumbing runs at maximum efficacy, hire a reputable plumbing professional for all of the work you need to be done.
This article was written by Nina Wells from Clearwells. She has over 10 years’ experience in writing health related topics and specializes in the health benefits of saunas and hydrotherapy.
As COVID-19 (coronavirus) continues to impact all of us, City Wide Plumbing Co. is monitoring the situation very closely. Like you, our top priorities are the safety of our staff and customers, and doing what we can to minimize the spread of the virus.
Accordingly, we have confirmed that our employees have adhered to the guidelines put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention https://wwwnc.cdc.gov.
Our employees have not:
Traveled to at-risk areas, otherwise known as Level 2 and 3 countries https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices, or been exposed to anyone who has traveled to these areas in the past 14 days.
Been in known contact with anyone testing positive with the virus in the past 14 days.
As a company, we’ve asked everyone to stay on top of their good practices, and these are excellent reminders for all of us moving forward:
Wash your hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
When soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol and rub your hands together until the sanitizer air dries.
Disinfect frequently touched surfaces every day, such as door knobs, handles, work surfaces, etc.
Allow those who are at risk to work from home.
Avoid close contact with those who are sick – 6 feet is the recommended distance.
Insist on those who are sick to remain at home.
City Wide Plumbing Co. wants to assure all of our customers that WE WILL NOT send a technician out who exhibits cold and/or flu symptoms. We provide our employees with sick leave and strongly encourage them to stay home when they aren’t feeling well.
We take safety very seriously and ask all of you to stay safe and know we’re working together for the betterment of our community and our customers.
A licensed back flow plumbing technician can save you
time and money!
It’s easy to take clean running water for granted.You turn on the tap and there it is. When the flow stops running altogether or your water quality degrades significantly, it’s time to call in an expert. You’ll save time, money and peace of mind.
I had a restaurant call me to certify their brand-new backflow.
Backflow preventers are used to keep your water supply from becoming contaminated. A properly installed device helps keep fresh water flowing into your water lines while keeping possible contaminants out. Another company recently installed this backflow preventer, but the technician wasn’t licensed and couldn’t certify the work.
When our licensed backflow plumbing technician arrived, he knew right away that it wasn’t the correct backflow for that installation. Since city requirements change all the time and there can be new ordinances, he tried to call the municipality to double-check if they would accept that backflow for the restaurant.
Our technician was unable to get a hold of the city’s official, but there were only two options: Replace the backflow completely or chance it and pay to have the backflow certified. The customer decided to gamble on the city accepting the backflow at inspection and paid for our tech to certify it.
Gambling can pay off, but it can also cost more money, time and effort in the long run. When the city official inspected the work, the backflow preventer did not pass. In order for the restaurant to continue operating, it had to have the right backflow preventer installed, certified and then re-inspected by the city.
More time. More money. More effort.
The restaurant owner paid for two backflow preventers and two certifications, and was closed until the restaurant passed its inspection. It was a costly mistake that could’ve been easily prevented. This happens a lot, especially in restaurants, because each city has different requirements. Only licensed backflow testers know these regulations. Their continued training and licensing demand it.
Our motto is and always has been to do it right the first time. In the long run, you’ll save time, money and peace of mind.
A hot bath or shower may be one of the best ways to feel better except when the water turns cold midway through.
It’s then you know there’s a problem – and it may be stemming from an older hot water tank.
Most water heater tanks last about 5 to 10 years. If your hot water heater dates back to 2009 or earlier, you may be in the market for a new water heater, and there are some updates you’ll need to know.
After March 16, 2015, the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act went into effect, requiring higher energy efficiencies for almost all residential tank-type gas, electric, oil and tankless gas water heaters manufactured in the U.S.
Every hot water tank is labeled with an efficiency rating, called an energy factor (EF). The higher the EF, the more efficient the tank will be. The rating measures efficiency in two ways: when it converts the power source – gas, propane or electricity – into hot water and how well it reduces the amount of energy lost. The higher the EF, the less your tank will cost you to operate every month.
For example, the new electric-powered hot water tank requirements are 95 EF, a 3 EF improvement over the previous, pre-2015 92 EF standards. While both 92 EF and 95 EF water heaters may use the same amount of fuel to heat the water in the tank, a 95 EF water heater will minimize the amount of energy wasted on the heating. A 95 EF-rated unit means 95% of your fuel dollars are being used to heat the water. The other benefit is that your water heats faster and stays hotter over time. Together, the higher efficiency water heaters are less expensive to operate, helping you keep more money in your pocket – about 10 to 20% annually.
Initial costs for a new water heater with the higher efficiency standards are greater depending on the size tank you choose – but there are some other considerations, too. When you upgrade, the new tanks are larger in height and width (circumference), which may require a custom installation. This is due to the additional insulation. Talk to your City Wide Water Heater experts – they can advise you on your options, provide you with an accurate estimate and show you how you can save on energy costs with a new, energy-efficient water heater.
In the meantime, protect the water heater you have. You can do that by following some easy maintenance tips:
Drain the tank twice a year. Write date on tank with a sharpie.
Keep your tank temperature at or below 120 degrees Fahrenheit
Use the “vacation” setting when you’ll be out of town for a longer period of time on gas water heaters.
Check the area around your tank regularly – when you see water leaking or a rust build-up, it may be time for a water heater checkup.
Have a drip pan installed under the water heater.
Check water pressure, if too much it can be a problem.
It’s then you know there’s a problem – and it may be stemming from an older 
