Tureks Plumbing Services Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

How to Choose an Efficient Toilet

Tuesday, January 31st, 2017

How to Choose an Efficient Toilet

Face it – the toilet is not exactly the most glamorous item inside your house. But for certain, it is one of the most important.

Whether you are rebuilding a bathroom or considering adding one more in your home, one of the most important things that you need to do is to pick an efficient toilet. Beyond style and color, it is crucial to find a toilet that conserves water and allows you to save money over the long term.

The friendly professionals at Turek’s Plumbing help give some insight on how to choose the toilet that is right for you.

A brief word about toilets

Low flow toilets have undergone different design changes, starting in 1994 with their introduction. The first generation of these toilets used 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) or less. However, you had to flush these twice.

After revamping the design of these toilets and introducing added features like larger trapways, many homeowners are now enjoying the benefits of reduced water consumption and more savings.

It may be tempting to pinch pennies and choose a low cost toilet, but as the old adage goes, you get what you pay for. However, the same thing also applies for unique features. You might think that features like custom seats and unique flush mechanisms add value to your bathroom, but the truth is that you can end up spending more over the long term when you need to have these replaced.

How to choose the right toilet 

One of the first things that you need to do is to compare flush ratings of the toilets you are considering to buy. The easiest way to do that is to go online.

If you want to save more money, consider looking for rebates on some high efficiency models. A high efficiency toilet, for example, will use just 1.28 gallons of water and is well worth your attention. But be aware that some models of these toilets are prone to staining and clogging.

Consider a pressure-assist toilet. Many plumbers have the consensus that these toilets save more water compared to gravity toilets. These toilets may be noisier and costlier, but these are but a small price to pay for long term savings.

High-efficiency model toilets

If you want a toilet that is easy to clean, consider buying a wall-hung toilet. There are some high-efficiency model toilets that you can consider.

Consider buying a taller toilet if you are taller than the average person. Taller toilets can make it more convenient for you while also helping to save your knees and back from discomfort.

If you are not making serious modifications to your bathroom, choose a toilet with the same rough-in as your current toilet. Also, be aware that toilets with bigger bowls can take a lot of space and can get in the way of the door and cabinets.

If you put a premium on water conservation and if you are willing to pay a higher price for your toilet, consider a dual-flush toilet. These toilets have two buttons: a 0.8 gpf button and a 1.6 gpf button.

Its important to pick the right contractor for the job when replacing your toilet. If you are looking for a plumber in Fox Valley to install your new efficient toilet, contact the professionals at Turek’s Plumbing.

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Common Fox Valley Plumbing Problems

Friday, October 14th, 2016

Common Plumbing Problems That Demand the Immediate Attention of Plumbers

Plumbing issues at home are common. A leaky faucet, a hole in a water pipe, clogged drains – every household experiences these. At times, homeowners can resolve these problems themselves since they are minor issues that do not require special materials for the repair. However, there are some common plumbing problems that are beyond DIY and really do demand the expertise of experienced plumbers.

Dripping faucets 

While these seem easy enough to fix, there are often complex reasons why faucets drip. Finding the potential reasons for the constant dripping action is not easy for people who have a very limited understanding of how a plumbing system works. Therefore, it’s better to just hire a professional to inspect the entire system and correctly identify the reason why the faucet is leaking the way it is.

Running toilet

A toilet is a system that many homeowners are simply not very familiar with; most people just know how to use it. A running toilet means a lot of water wasted and this will show up in your monthly water bill. Replacing the inner workings takes a lot of patience; there are small fittings to work with, and if you’re not a particularly patient person, you may not be able to carry out the repair properly. Just entrust the task to the pros who can accomplish it in no time.

Clogged drains

When commercial drain cleaners that melt off clogs and plungers fail, there’s really nothing more that homeowners can do themselves in order to solve the clogged drain problem. According to a plumbing contractor that serves Fox Valley and Applegate residents, it’s gnarly work to tackle clogs, so the smart way to deal with this issue is to hire experienced plumbers who know of more methods for fixing clogged drains.

Septic tank leaks

These are nasty plumbing situations that only professional plumbers can do something about.

Water heater problems

The mechanism of water heaters is not easy to understand and tinkering with these systems yourself can potentially do more harm than good.

Leaky pipes

These result in wastage of water and a big mess. Leaks in pipes usually happen at joints and while this problem is easy to repair, it can be a messy job. On top that, DIY repair is usually just a temporary fix. If you don’t want to deal with this issue frequently in the future, a permanent plumbing repair (which usually involves replacing pipes and other fittings) by a professional plumber is the solution to implement.

Plumbing problems can be a huge hassle for the household. So if you experience any and you want the fastest restoration of your plumbing system’s proper working order, don’t think twice about calling the pros.

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Thanksgiving Clogged Pipes

Tuesday, November 17th, 2015

Feature-Thanksgiving-modern-classics-1200x800Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Everyone cooks & bakes all day preparing for the big Turkey day. As people get ready for the holidays, what they forget about is how easily kitchen sinks can get clogged with food. It never fails at this time of year, we get at least one call a year for emergency service on plugged up drain lines due to food waste & overuse on sink pipes. Often, this damage is being caused without people’s knowledge. There are certain items that can and cannot be sent down garbage disposals and shouldn’t be funneled down the sink drain. Many don’t realize foods such as pumpkin, celery, egg shells, leftover cooking oil, stuffing (bread), etc. all do not belong in your pipes.

We all assume garbage disposals are these wonderful kitchen monsters that eat our trash and flush it away, but these are the main culprit for clogged pipe lines. After years of use, these awesome tools do not work like they do when they’re brand new. So just be cautious of what you dispose of in the next couple of weeks. If you do have issues or any questions, Turek’s is a 24hr Emergency Service. Read this great review we received below and give us a call! 

“Our sink was clogged from Thanksgiving and our garbage disposal did not work. We called one place to fix and no one returned our call. I then called Tureks and the phone was promptly answered and the person on the line was extremely professional. I called around noon and I was given an appointment 2 hours later – on Friday after Thanksgiving – how great is that! Kyle came right on time and provided outstanding service – he cleaned out the drain and diagnosed our malfunctioning disposal – luckily he had a commercial brand disposal in his truck and in no time replaced our disposal. On top of that he volunteered to tighten our loose faucet and reconnect a pipe that came undone in my garage. Kyle was absolutely superb – extremely knowledgeable – very polite and made sure that we were satisfied with his work and clean up. We had a very good experience with Kyle and with Turek’s plumbing – they are worth their weight in gold – in today’s environment – it is rare to find such honest – caring and wonderful service – thank you Ed and to your team.”

 

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