We’ve all heard of hard water. While it is not necessarily harmful to your health, it can be harmful to your plumbing system.

Hard water, simply put, is water with a high mineral content. Often times, those minerals are calcium and magnesium. Hard water can affect how water tastes or affect how a face cloth lathers during a shower or bath. Hard water also may be the reason why dishes have so many spots and stains after being washed.

Hard water may cause havoc in your pipes, as the mineral content may be a contributor to breakdown. Anything that distributes water – pipes, water heaters, boilers, etc. – may be affected. One of the best ways to get rid of hard water is to use a water softener, which combats the calcium and magnesium intake in water with sodium and potassium ions.

Water softeners can last for many years with very low maintenance. They also can come as energy-efficient appliances. Let our Fort Worth plumbers provide additional information about water softeners, hard water or any other related topic.

Give our Fort Worth TX plumbing company a call today, or visit us online for details.

When grey water is mentioned, it often times receives a negative connotation. Grey water, by definition, is wastewater that is generated from activities done around the house, including bathing, dishwashing and laundry.

What a lot of people don’t know is that grey water – even containing hair, grease or food – can be recycled for landscape irrigation and other environmentally sound purposes. Recycled grey water not only reduces the amount of wastewater that enters sewer systems but also reduces the amount of freshwater that is needed for the good of a home.

Grey water gets its name from having a cloudy look. Fresh water is known as white water, while sewage water is known as black water. Grey water basically is capable of composing as much as 80 percent of all residential wastewater generated from the sanitation unit of a home, sans the toilets. Grey water can be used for lawn care or for watering maturing plants and produce.

Grey water may not be drinkable, but it’s definitely usable. Let our Fort Worth TX plumbers answer all of your questions about the benefits of grey water. Feel free to give our Fort Worth plumbing company a call today, or visit us online for information.

The term “low flow” has become relatively popular when discussing plumbing and all the field has to offer. Low flow usually involves the number of gallons a device provides per minute. The lower the gallons, the more energy efficient a device can be considered.

Most modern-day toilets are now low-flow, and society is starting to see an influx in low-flow shower heads. These specific shower heads provide the right amount of pressure for those who aren’t fans of high-pressure flow (i.e. the power massagers).

Conventional shower heads usually supply roughly 6-8 gallons of water per minute. A low-flow shower head restricts water use by limiting its flow from the head, bringing the water pressure down significantly. Many low-flow shower heads supply roughly three or four gallons per minute, an important decrease for those of you trying to save money.

The low-flow shower head is an energy-efficient alternative Simply put, less water used means less of a dent in your pocket when the water bill comes. It is common in newer-model homes to see low-flow shower heads installed because of the conventional shower head’s history of losing excess amounts of water. Many models are designed with shut-off valves, which are beneficial for those who like to shower and shave at the same time.

One disadvantage of a low-flow shower head involves time value. Some may argue that these are not necessarily made for those who want to shower in a rush. For those who use opportunities to shower as an opportunity for relaxation, these may be perfect for you.

Our Fort Worth TX plumbers can provide additional information about low-flow shower heads and other bathroom remodeling options. Call our Fort Worth plumbing company today, or contact us online for details.

Fort Worth residents, like any other residents nationwide, are conscious (and sometimes overly conscious) about saving money. Whether it involves something as simple as clipping coupons or something as advanced as switching credit cards for better APR rates, the common denominator, money-saving, remains the same.

Saving money on specific bills is no different. While the monthly water bill is one of the smallest bills to have, any savings is good savings. One glance at the City of Fort Worth website shows that conservation is a high priority, and the following tips can help in the mission of saving money.

• Take a shower: Imagine how much money you can save each year by taking a 10-minute shower instead of filling a tub with water for a bath. Let’s one-up that; imagine how much money you can save each year by taking a 5-minute shower instead of a 10-minute shower.
• Purchase a tankless: Tankless water heaters are the perfect answer for energy efficiency, primarily when you’re allowing your water to get hot with a conventional water heater – and that can take a couple of seconds, even minutes in some homes. Tankless heaters basically heat water only as needed, which is a major necessity for penny pinchers.
• Look for leaks: Slab leaks can be a pain, as they give off the impression that water is running – even though it isn’t. They also give sudden hikes to monthly water bills that definitely are unfavorable. If you see random leaks around your floors or hear sounds of running water, you could have a slab leak.
• Do the simple things: There are some tasks that seem like common-sense solutions, but many people don’t abide by them. For example, when you’re brushing your teeth, don’t let the water run. Shut it off as you’re brushing. If you are a plant lover, try melting ice with tap water in a watering pail. Also, feel free to give plants the bottled water you don’t finish.

Our Fort Worth plumbing company can provide many more water conservation tips that could save you hundreds of dollars each year. Call us today, or contact us online for additional information.