Brenneco Plumbing | Greater Lafayette Plumber

Should I buy a tankless water heater?

/in , /by

Tankless water heaters are the newest advancement in water heaters. While they aren’t as new as they used to be, many still don’t know if their home is the right place for one. As a Lafayette Plumber, we see so many types of homes and families. There is no way to give a blanket answer to the question.

The best we can do is walk you through the good, the bad, and the ugly of choosing a tankless water heater.

The Good

Tankless water heaters are more energy efficient and cost less to operate.

Tankless water heaters only use energy when they heat the water. Traditional water heaters use gas to heat water even if you’re not using it. This wasted energy costs you money! Water heaters that use tanks are programmed to keep the water in the tank ready at all times. This means you pay for “stand by” heat. Read more →

Brenneco Plumbing | Lafayette, IN Professional Plumber

How do I know if I have hard water?

/in , , , /by

Hard water is typically pretty easy to diagnose. It leaves signs and symptoms everywhere you use water. Hard water is the term we use for water that has more minerals such as calcium, magnesium carbonate, and manganese than normal. These minerals are, more often than not, introduced at the water source.

Does it seem like your dish washer has a hard time getting your dishes clean? Are you seeing staining in your toilet or tub? Does it seem hard to “lather” your soap in the shower? Does it seem like your coffee maker or other appliances that depend on water seem to malfunction or quit working efficiently?

While these minerals are natural and may not expressly represent any health concerns, they can wreak havoc on your skin, clothes, dishes, plumbing, and appliances. Hard water is HARD on everything it comes in to contact with.

The good news is this, it’s not a new problem. According to the US Geological survey, 85% of homes deal with hard water.

The quickest and easiest way to tell if you have hard water is to do a water test. It’s fairly easy to get a water test, you can even do it yourself. You can buy one, online, here. Read more →

Quality drinking water from the tap with Brenneco Plumbing.

Tired of Water Bottles? Get great drinking water from the Tap!

/in /by

That moment when you reach into the refrigerator for a bottle of water, only to realize you forgot to buy a case, or two, or three. You’re thirsty – really thirsty. Your tap water leaves much to be desired. Not only would you never serve it to parched guests, you wouldn’t drink it in the zombie apocalypse. You’re not a happy camper.

We’ve all been there, right?

Before you roll your eyes in frustration, and restock the refrigerator shelves, imagine what would it be like if you had a water softener system installed in your home. A system that makes water bottles obsolete and leaves the water in your home thirst quenching to the last drop. A one-stop water shop open 24 hours a day. Take a few moments to consider how a home water filter might save you time, money, and also benefit the environment.

Water conditioning, such as reverse osmosis systems and water softeners, are nothing new. The system’s water filter separates salt, deposits, minerals, and even odors from the water entering your home. The water you drink passes through the filter’s membrane into a tank where it is stored and ready to drink. It becomes clean water free from impurities. Read more →

Man thinking about which plumber to choose.

What Water Softener should I buy?

/in , /by

What water softener should I buy?

We get asked this question with frequency! So don’t worry, you are not alone. It’s easy to spot hard water problems, it’s difficult to figure out how to solve them.

“Hard water” is the term we use when discussing water that has excess minerals present. These minerals are, more often than not, introduced at the water source. The problems associated with hard water are easy to spot. Does it seem like your dish washer has a hard time getting your dishes clean? Are you seeing staining in your toilet or tub? Does it seem hard to “lather” your soap in the shower? Does it seem like your coffee maker or other appliances that depend on water seem to malfunction or quit working efficiently?

These are all definite signs of hard water. To verify, you can do your own water test. You can buy one online here. Read more →

What is a sump pump? More importantly, what does it do? Brenneco Plumbing answers your plumbing questions!

What is a sump pump and what does it do?

/in , /by

Many homes in the Greater Lafayette, Indiana area utilize sump pumps in their basement or crawlspace. Sump pumps take water that collects around the home’s foundation and transfers it away, keeping your basement dry. Sump pump failures are not pretty. When a sump pump fails, you could be facing property damage, precious and expensive contents in your home could be ruined, and mold can begin to grow in your home, causing illness, long term health issues and even more damage.

Sump pumps are usually installed into homes during construction. If your home does not have one, and a pump would be of great benefit, they can still be placed by a professional plumber. A drain pipe is installed around the perimeter of the foundation. A long pipe is connected that leads into the basement. The pump itself is lowered into a specially constructed pit. Water collects in the sump pit via the drain pipe or due to natural collection. When the water reaches a certain level in the pit, the pump kicks on and pushes the water from the pit, away from your home, keeping your basement or crawlspace dry. A one-way valve, called a check valve, prevents water from flowing back into the sump pit. Read more →

Performing water heater maintenance is vital to it having a long life. Brenneco Plumbing, your Lafayette Plumber, can help!

How big of a water heater should I get?

/in , /by

Are you thinking about getting a new water heater? Maybe your unit is getting older or it’s just not performing the way you think it should. If you are replacing your water heater, the question of size is going to come up at some point.

In consideration of water heaters, bigger isn’t always better. A water heater tank that is too small will put you in danger of running out of hot water when you need it most. On the other hand, a water heater with a tank that is too big will waste energy on heating water that you and your family will never use.

This means that determining the right size for your situation is vital. The good news? This is easier to do than every before! All you need to do is a follow a few tips and do a little research. You should be able to find the perfect solution for your situation!

There are, essentially, two factors to take in to consideration when factoring the size of the water heater you should get, the FHR and the EF. Read more →

Performing water heater maintenance is vital to it having a long life. Brenneco Plumbing, your Lafayette Plumber, can help!

Can I fix my water heater instead of replacing it?

/in , /by

The quick answer is yes, in some cases!

If your water heater isn’t performing to your expectations, it might be time to have it checked out. You are probably wondering if there are any repairs you can do yourself. While there are definitely problems that have simple solutions, you should seriously consider having a professional plumber assist you. There are many different things that can happen if you water heater happens to malfunction or ultimately fail.

If you do decide to do some problem solving before calling a lafayette plumber, the first step is diagnosing what might be wrong.

The most common complaint we see in regards to water heaters is that they aren’t heating the water to a high enough temperature. If you haven’t adjusted the temperature setting on the water heater, that might be the place to start. If you have already carefully adjusted the heat setting up to a safe temperature and it’s still not hot enough, you may have a bigger problem. Read more →

Performing water heater maintenance is vital to it having a long life. Brenneco Plumbing, your Lafayette Plumber, can help!

How do I know if my water heater is going bad?

/in , /by

So, your hot showers don’t last quite as long as they used to? The hot water takes a little longer to get to you than it used to? We get it. At Brenneco Plumbing, we got a lot of questions from people in Greater Lafayette about when to replace their water heater.

As a Lafayette Plumber, we see water heaters that run on Lafayette or West Lafayette city water and we see water heaters that run on well water. Either situation can be just fine as long as proper maintenance is taking place. However, since your water heater is a piece of equipment, it will only last so long.

So how do you know if your water heater is at the end of it’s life or it just needs a little help? Good question! Here are a few simple tips to help you work through some of the easier fixes yourself. If you complete this list and still have problem, we would love to help. At Brenneco Plumbing, we are here for you! Read more →