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Now, more than ever before, your home is the center of your world. More people are homeschooling and working from home these days, so a home now has to accommodate all aspects of our lives. It is natural to want to upgrade your home to make it look better and be more convenient for your family. And if you are considering selling your house, a few upgrades, specifically plumbing service upgrades, can plump up the asking price for you.

If you live in Saginaw, TX, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing of Fort Worth provides a full range of plumbing repair, installation, maintenance, and replacement services for you. Their professional staff can help you create the home that you have always wanted with upgrades that will personalize your living space and increase the value of your home.

It is important to understand that not every home project is going to add value to your property. Some merely raise its visual appeal or provide a unique service that is valuable to you.

If you want to increase your home’s worth, professional plumbing upgrades almost always raise a building’s value. Your plumbing service can help you make your home worth more while upgrading its efficiency, performance, and water quality.

Plumbing Service Upgrades That Increase Your Home’s Value

Plumbing upgrades come in all costs and sizes. Some are instantly noticeable while some remain hidden to guests. In fact, some of the best plumbing upgrades for your house are not readily visible.

It’s important to remember that you don’t have to have everything done at the same time of your first plumbing service appointment. If your budget is tight, you can start with some less expensive projects and slowly transform your home over time.

Install Modern Pipes

One of the best ways to protect the life of your plumbing system is to make certain your pipes have been thoroughly modernized. This will prolong your plumbing system’s life, optimize its performance, and greatly improve the quality of your water.

In the past, some harmful materials were used for pipes, including galvanized steel. The reason their use was banned in new construction is because they tend to corrode and deteriorate. Not only does this create leaks in your pipes, it also sends flecks of debris directly into your household water supply.

Modern plumbing systems generally contain copper and PVC piping. These materials hold up better against corrosion and do not leave harmful debris in your water supply if they develop a leak. Any repairs you or a previous owner may have needed probably used these kinds of pipes.

If you live in an older home, you have probably had to have portions of your plumbing system replaced already. Consider having your professional plumbing service inspect your entire system for outdated piping and materials. Using cameras inserted into your pipes, your plumbing service can quickly identify any areas that still contain outdated materials. Those are the first areas that should be replaced.

Insulate Your Piping

Many homes lack the proper insulation on their pipes. This can be due to deterioration of the existing insulation or because the pipes never had adequate insulation in the first place.

Having proper insulation protects your pipes and can add years to their life span. Your plumbing service can check to see if your pipes need insulation added and make sure they are properly wrapped.

Replace Your Toilets

Your toilets use more water than any other appliance in your Saginaw, TX home. If you want to reduce your water usage and your utility bills at the same time, this is where you should consider making changes.

Older toilets use an astounding amount of water with every flush. And the older the toilet, the more water it wastes. If you have a toilet made before 1982, it could use between five and seven gallons of water every time it is flushed.

All toilets made after 1994 are limited to using 1.6 gallons per flush. You can save even more water and utility money by choosing low flow or ultra low flow toilets that restrict water usage even more.

There are many options for household toilets now. You could opt for dual flush toilets that offer two options for each flush. One is a regular strength option for solid waste materials and the other is a lower force choice for liquid waste only. Since the toilet is used most often to flush liquids waste alone, you will be saving water with the second option.

Invest in an Energy Efficient Water Heater

This is another appliance that has gotten more efficient in recent years. If your water heater has been around a long time, you could save money by having your plumbing service replace it with a new one.

You have several options to consider. You could stick with the traditional water heater design that includes a tank. New gas and electric models display their energy efficiency statistics, so you can choose a much more eco-friendly model. But there are more than the storage water heaters your parents had available on the market. Now you can choose a tankless water heater for your home.

There are many advantages to making this switch. Most noticeable is the endless supply of hot water available for your shower. That’s because tankless water heaters heat the water right when you need it instead of storing up 30 to 60 gallons of hot water at all times.

Since a tankless water heater doesn’t have to constantly burn energy to keep a big tank of water hot, it can save you money on your annual utility costs. And without the need for a tank, it takes up a very small amount of valuable interior space.

Tankless water heaters do cost more to purchase than their traditional counterparts. However, they require very little repair and maintenance during their lifetime and can last up to 20 years or more. This is largely due to the design. Without a tank, there is no rusting, no bursting, or leaking from a tank to fix. Consider all the factors before making your purchase.

Convert to Environmentally Friendly Upgrades

Homeowners now understand the importance of protecting our valuable natural resources. The more each person can do, the bigger the impact for us all. One way you can help conserve water is by having your plumbing service install water-saving devices in your Saginaw, TX home.

Low flow showerheads and faucets are a great, less expensive way to begin your home upgrades. Your plumbing service can help you understand how big an impact just choosing one of these improvements can make.

For example, when you make the switch to a low flow showerhead alone, you will greatly decrease your annual home water usage. A regular shower head uses 2.5 gallons of water per minute. That adds up to 25 gallons of water for every quick ten-minute shower.

When you switch to a low flow showerhead, you will use a maximum of 2.0 gallons of water per minute. There are ultra low flow models available that further increase the savings.

Low flow technology extends to toilets, as well. Low flow toilets use only 1.3 gallons of water with every flush. When you compare that number to regular toilets that use 1.6 gallons every time you flush, the savings definitely adds up quickly. Compare it to the five to seven gallons of toilets before 1982, and the savings is amazing.

Install a Dishwasher

If you are looking for an upgrade to help you sell your home, add a dishwasher if you don’t have one. Most people have gotten used to the convenience of having a dishwasher and will expect their next house to have one, too.

In a house that has an old dishwasher, upgrade to a newer, eco-friendly model for the biggest return on your investment. Have a professional plumbing service take care of the installation to ensure proper service and operation. You can take away any extra value by having a novice try to install your appliances.

Installing a new dishwasher may seem like an expensive and unnecessary addition. However, for anyone who has been used to having a dishwasher, it is a definite home necessity.

Add a Bathroom

An extra bathroom is a great plumbing upgrade whether you are planning to sell your house in Saginaw, TX or not. Yes, it will definitely add value to your home’s value for those planning to sell. But the value it can bring to your family life is every bit as important.

Before you install another bathroom in your home, carefully consider where it will do the most good. For some families, an extra bathroom for the kids can make mornings go a lot smoother. Other families could most use a bathroom in an outer building on the property, such as a playroom, office, or man cave. This can slow the constant run into the house when nature calls.

One of the best places to add a bathroom is in the master bedroom. If your home doesn’t already have one, it could really get your listing noticed for sellers. For those who have no intention of selling, it can provide just the private retreat from the hectic world outside. Keep it simple or create a relaxing spa atmosphere. The options are endless.

Add a Laundry Room

Whether you have a large or small home, a laundry room can help declutter your space. Having your washer and dryer in its own space, along with storage for laundry and clean clothes, keeps the mess out of the rest of the house and adds a boost to any home listing.

If you have the room, you could add a sink for hand washing and a folding table. Garment racks could help keep hanging clothes neat and ready for ironing or storage. For bigger families, this could really boost your household organization.

Even if you don’t have a lot of space, you can install a basic laundry room. You could get a stackable washer and dryer to save space. Any laundry room that keeps the mess out of sight of visitors is a blessing for a homeowner.

Regular Maintenance Keeps Your Plumbing System Healthy

Get the most out of your plumbing upgrades by investing in regular maintenance from your plumbing service.

Routine Drain Cleaning

Having your professional plumbing service clean your drains on a regularly scheduled basis can help you avoid major trouble in the future. By using hydrojetting, a professional can quickly and safely flush out any clogs that are building up inside your drains.

How often your home needs drain maintenance depends largely on how much your drains are used. For smaller families, you should probably have your drains cleaned by your plumbing service every few years. If you have a large household, your drains see a lot more use. You should consider having your drains cleaned more often.

Check with your plumbing service for advice on how often to schedule drain maintenance. This will keep your plumbing system healthy for a much longer time.

Professional Inspection

Don’t just wait for a plumbing emergency to have your pipes checked. Have your plumbing service perform a full inspection of your plumbing system. By using cameras inserted into the pipework, your plumbing service can locate any potential problems before they happen. This puts much less stress on your plumbing system and keeps it working better for you and your family.

Contact Your Plumbing Service when You Notice Changes

If you want to keep your plumbing system in its best shape, don’t ignore the changes in its performance. Lack of enough hot water, water pooling on the floor, slow drains, loss of water pressure, and other issues should be reported to your plumbing service as soon as you notice them. This keeps your plumbing system from breaking down and costing a lot more money in repair fees.

Contact the professionals at Benjamin Franklin of Fort Worth for more information about how we can serve you in Saginaw, TX.