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Remodeling a bathroom in your Haslet, TX home has many advantages. Not only can it increase your enjoyment when you transform it into a spa-like bathroom with modern, beautiful fixtures through a professional plumbing service, but it can add a ton of resale value. Many potential homeowners prefer homes with rooms that don’t need a lot of work, as opposed to a fixer-upper that requires more investment once purchased.

Perhaps most importantly, upgrading your bathroom plumbing will get rid of niggling problems such as pinhole leaks and many other common water issues that could cause more widespread, expensive plumbing disasters if left unchecked. After all, if you’re already asking a plumber to take apart your plumbing to replace leaking pipes, what better time is there to consider a remodel than when you’re already paying for bathroom service?

A bathroom remodel offers the opportunity to not only upgrade the faucets, showerheads, tubs, and more, but it also includes the possibility of upgrading your home’s bathroom pipes. Older homes tend to have galvanized pipes fitted, and upgrading to copper, stainless steel, or even PVC pipes will assure Haslet, TX, homeowners have reliable plumbing for decades to come.

Number one on the list of most beneficial reasons to upgrade your bathroom through a plumbing service from a skilled plumber is that it will improve water efficiency.

4 Water-Saving Features To Include In A Bathroom Upgrade

Changing a shower head is a common aspect of bathroom renovations. They’re a simple yet effective way to amend water pressure and prevent wasted water. Over time, showerheads naturally get clogged with mineral deposits from the water traveling through them. Clogged pipes reduce water pressure and create a lackluster, less relaxing experience. You can upgrade to a high-pressure showerhead, fitted with a modern shower flow limiter that controls water consumption to ensure there’s less wasted water while still enjoying the high-pressure flow. Many flow reducers offer numerous flow rates; find one that meets your needs and ask a plumber to fit the component during your next plumbing service.

Another water-saving feature linked to improving your shower experience is to install a thermostatic shower valve. If you’re guilty of waiting for the shower water to warm up before stepping foot in the shower, then a thermostatic shower valve is the upgrade for you. If you leave the shower water running while waiting for water to get to the right temperature, it results in hundreds of gallons of water going unused each year. With the correct shower valve, you can eliminate this occurrence. Gone will be the days of setting the water temperature and seeing fluctuations in the temperature when water is being used elsewhere in the home! Using a thermostatic shower valve, you set the temperature, and it does not vary unless you change it. There are multiple ways to install a thermostatic valve – you can add one to your existing shower or choose to replace the entire shower head for one already fitted with this type of valve.

In a similar vein, another water-efficient fitting you can add in the bathroom during a Haslet, TX plumbing service is a faucet with a water aerator. A water aerator is a small device screwed on the tip of the faucet. It creates a consistent, splash-free stream of water, typically mixed with air to create a smoother stream. A smoother stream of water is not the only thing to look forward to either. An aerator usually limits the water flow rate to 1.8 or 2.2 gallons per minute, so you’re consistently saving water. You still receive high-pressure flow while saving on utility bills, thanks to the reduced water usage.

Dual flush toilets are another common water-efficient component used in many modern bathrooms that we can install during a plumbing service. Dual flush toilets allow users to save water by using a low-volume flush for liquid waste and offer a separate high-volume flusher for other heavier waste to be used when necessary. With toilets of this type, you can reduce water use by 4,000 gallons per year. The reduced consumption naturally has a positive effect on your utility bill costs. The trap size on dual flush toilets is twice that of those found on regular toilets. Plus, the gravity-based design reduces the risk of future blockages too! Fewer blockages mean fewer emergency callouts to fix your issue through a plumbing service.

Number two on the list of reasons to use a professional plumbing service in Haslet, TX, to upgrade your plumbing is to fix pinhole leaks.

What Is A Pinhole Leak And How Do I Fix It?

Modern bathroom pipes installed during a plumbing service should last for two decades or more, if new. However, that doesn’t always occur, thanks to a little something called pinhole leaks. Copper pipes are especially susceptible to this phenomenon, and it can occur within as little as a few years after installation under the right (wrong) conditions. Pinhole leaks are often caused by pH variations in the water that wears away the inside of the pipe.

The standard definition of a pinhole leak is “a perforation of copper tube, pipe or fittings used for domestic water distribution as the result of pitting corrosion.” This pitting on the waterside surface of the pipe results in subsequent leakage of water once the corrosion is severe enough to break through the copper barrier. These leaks are often tiny, usually less than 1/8th of an inch in diameter, but they can cause numerous issues, including water wastage and water damage that requires a plumbing service to fix. Also, they typically represent more widespread, long-term corrosion issues, so replacing your pipes as part of your next bathroom upgrade is a sure-fire way to guarantee pipe health for years to come.

Interior pipe corrosion typically occurs for one of three reasons:

1. Damage to the oxide film coating the inside of pipes, either through mechanical or chemical means
2. Poor application of the interior protective coating
3. Localized damage or non-uniformities in the underlying metal structure

For these reasons, a skilled plumber and professional plumbing service should install new pipes in your Haslet, TX bathroom. Paying a professional to replace pipework will reduce the likelihood of damage caused during installation and ensure that high-quality components are used during the fitting. While these won’t eliminate potential issues with bathroom plumbing altogether, they will go a long way towards protecting your home investment.

There are multiple methods a plumber may choose to fix a pinhole leak during a plumbing service. The best technique to use depends on the severity of the leak. Sometimes, a plumber can just cut out the old damaged pipe piece and then solder in a new coupling to cover the area where it leaks. Often, longer sections of damaged pipe are repairable using a sweat coupling. Sweat couplings are useful for repairing copper pipes sized between ½-inch and ¾-inch in diameter.

While Home Depot and other home improvement stores will carry these couplings and the necessary tools to repair, it’s advisable to rely on a skilled, insured plumber to undertake such repairs as part of a plumbing service. More significant repairs may require the replacement of a bulkier section of pipe, so it’s the perfect time to upgrade your existing plumbing if you already need extensive pipe repairs. You can have both the repair and installation of your new bathroom done in quick succession to minimize overall disruption.

Number three on our list of reasons to consider upgrading your bathroom plumbing is to improve water quality.

What To Do If Your Faucet Is Presenting Rusty Water

Thankfully, rust-colored water isn’t typically harmful, but it can be upsetting to see and necessary to fix during a plumbing service for your own peace of mind. Rust-colored water has a variety of causes, from corroded pipes and mineral build-up to issues with the utility company itself.

Yellowish, reddish, or rusty brown water, are all symptoms of water that contains an excessive amount of minerals or sediment. Typically, iron and manganese elements are responsible for this color change, and they can also be responsible for a change in water’s smell or taste. Additionally, they can cause skin rashes and stain clothing, although they don’t usually pose a health risk. You may see rusty water in many scenarios, including the following:

Scenario 1: Both hot and cold water changes color.

Cause: While it can be the result of a city-operated water main failure or scheduled maintenance, a faulty water heater or water supply pipes on your Haslet, TX property can also cause the color change.

Resolution: Drain and flush your water heater tank. It’s good practice to arrange for this to be flushed out twice a year as part of a regular plumbing service schedule to avoid the build-up of sediment and minerals that will gradually leech into the water flowing out of faucets, showerheads, and other plumbing in your home. If the color change is a sudden occurrence, something has likely happened to a nearby water main. Alternatively, city maintenance may have inadvertently stirred up sediment in the main water line. Check with utility companies to confirm if its cause is scheduled to work. If it is, once the maintenance is complete, running faucets for a few minutes or flushing the toilet a couple of times should refresh your home’s water supply.

Scenario 2: Hot water is discolored.

Cause: Rust or sediment build-up in the water heater.

Resolution: Flush out the tank attached to your water heater. Flushing the tank will typically involve blasting a jet of cold water into the bottom of the water tank to agitate sediment before draining the tank, refilling it with fresh water as many times as it takes to get clear water. If drainage has already occurred, or you have a tankless water heater, and your water is still off-colored, a plumber will need to investigate further. Sometimes, sediment build-up can cause permanent damage to water heaters and result in a water heater replacement.

Scenario 3: Coldwater is discolored.

Cause: Corroded individual water supply pipes.

Resolution: Check which faucets are affected, whether it’s across your whole home or in a select area. Running each affected faucet at full pressure can sometimes be enough to dislodge the minor rust and allow water to run clear again. If the water is still rust-colored after a few minutes or it returns shortly after, it indicates there’s further, more significant corrosion. These pipes should be cleaned or replaced as soon as possible to avoid more severe consequences, such as leaks or clogs that require an emergency plumbing service.

What Benjamin Franklin Can Do For You

The Fort Worth location of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing serves all communities in the DFW metroplex with professional plumbing services. Our plumbers can handle all types of plumbing requests, whether you need emergency pipe repair or are planning a bathroom remodel to improve the aesthetics, efficiency, water quality, and condition of your home’s plumbing.

Professional-grade work is offered by every one of our plumbers. Each plumber is highly-trained and always arrives on-site with vans filled with 1000s of parts and the right tools to do the job. We aim to minimize the amount of extra time and money spent on all bathroom-related plumbing jobs, stick to schedules, and help you have a stress-free transition from bathroom-in-hell to the bathroom of your dreams.

Bathroom upgrades we offer as a plumbing service include:

• Bathroom sinks
• Faucets
• Showers and showerheads
• Bathtubs
• Toilets

As far as bathtubs and showers go, we install, maintain, and remove a variety of fixtures, such as:

• Stand alone showers
• Bathtub and shower combos
• Standalone bathtubs
• Walk-in bathtubs
• Whirlpool bathtubs
• Hot tubs

Whether you’re looking to improve your bathroom for your own benefit, or you’re looking to improve the resale value of your home in times when the housing market is extremely competitive, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth can assist you. Whatever your upgrade of choice, our plumbers are committed to making your vision a reality. Request a bathroom plumbing service online or call us anytime to start on your next bathroom improvement project. We’re available 24/7 to answer queries about your next plumbing service!