Residential Plumbing Services

PLUMBING SERVICES

Do you have indoor plumbing?  Excellent. We’re sure your great granddaddy would be impressed. But one thing your ancestors probably didn’t realize was that plumbing can get complicated.  That’s why you want to make sure it’s handled by experts.

Our Licensed Plumbers are certified, trained, experienced and remarkably likeable. They work hand in hand (not literally) with our Service Technicians and Drain Cleaners to take care of your plumbing issues. That means that when you work with us, you’ll never need to call in a separate service provider who may not know the entire story of your system.

Sink, Bath, & Toilet

We’re prepped and ready to repair virtually all types of existing fixtures. What’s more, we can remove and replace them with newer, more efficient models when you’re ready to upgrade.

Tankless Water Heaters

Interested in having all the hot water you could ever need while also saving on your monthly energy bill?

We thought so. Tankless water heaters do just that and have a variety of other benefits as well, including:

• A longer lifespan than traditional tanks. Tankless heaters last up to 20 years, which is 5-10 years more than older model tanks
• Energy cost savings. As opposed to traditional tanks, tankless heaters only heat water when it’s needed. As you might expect, this can save you a bunch of moolah.
• Endless hot water. Once the hot water valve is on, you’ll have a continual flow of toasty water. To improve this process further, many people install a specialized pump that helps prevent any heating delays.

Tankless tips:

When selecting a new tankless water heater, you’ll want to make your choice is based on the maximum amount of hot water you’ll need at peak demand, as when multiple family members shower at once (not necessarily in the same shower).

Next, work with a reputable plumbing company to help install your tank. A new tank should cost $1,200 or less — not bad considering the savings you’ll start seeing immediately from this more efficient system.

Conventional Water Heaters

Not ready for the fancy-schmancy stuff? Let’s talk conventional water heaters.

These friendly (if outdated) heaters generally maintain a ready-to-go reservoir of hot water, usually ranging from about 20 to 80 gallons. When you flip on the hot tap, hot water from the top of the tank comes out and cold water refills from the bottom of the tank. Ever run out of hot water while showering? This happens when you’re using water faster than you can heat it (and this is nearly always the fault of your annoying little brother).

Conventional heater tanks can be fueled by most anything: natural gas, propane, fuel oil, electricity, hamsters (not recommended). That said, their design means they’re constantly heating water, even when you’re not using it — goodbye energy savings.

This unfortunate energy loss is called “standby heat loss.” Only tankless water heaters (see above) and tankless coil water heaters avoid it. That said, some conventional water heater models have heavily-insulated tanks that can help cut that energy usage down a few notches.

Picking a Conventional Water Heater

“Well, if I’m not buying the new models, I should buy the cheapest, right?” Not necessarily. The lowest-priced conventional water heaters will likely run you the most in maintenance and operational costs. By the same token, buying a bigger tank isn’t always better: the bigger the tank, the more water you’ll be continually heating (and paying for).

You should select your conventional water heater based on:

• Size and “first hour” rating
• Fuel type and how easily you can access that fuel
• Energy efficiency
• Cost (remember, factor in operating costs!)
• Expected maintenance

As you might guess, routine maintenance is the key to keeping a tank running, especially an older one. We recommend:

• Every three months: Flush a quart of water from the storage tank
• Every six months: Check temperature and pressure valve
• Every three to four years: Inspect or replace the anode rod
• Every other day: Give the tank a nice pat and say, “Who’s a good little heater?”

Well Tanks

So these two plumbers are working on a tank, and the first one goes, “Say, any idea how to drive this thing?”

Ha Ha!  Just kidding. We’re actually here to talk about well tanks (few of our technicians are authorized to drive military tanks).  A well tank system employs a pump and a water storage tank that automatically pulls water to your house as needed. When water starts running low in the tank, the pump pulls it straight from your well and then stores it in a pressurized area for immediate use.

The three basic types of well tanks are:

• Diaphragm/bladder-style tanks: Tanks with a permanent separation between the air and water
• Float/water-style tanks: Tanks that do the air and water separating as needed
• Basic steel tanks: No one really knows what happens to air and water inside these guys. Kidding! We do know, but it’s not important.

What is important is getting the right tank for your home, depending on your well yield and household water requirements. Talk to one of our friendly Kaiser-Battistone technicians to figure out which style is best for you.

Sump Pumps

Since the beginning of time (okay, since we founded Kaiser-Battistone), we’ve been working with homeowners to take care of any and all sump pump issues. Including…

• Testing, troubleshooting, and fixing sump pump systems
• Replacing old and defective sump pumps
• Installing combination sump pump systems (these have two battery-backed pumps)

Sump Pump Systems

Look, we don’t like to play favorites, so we wouldn’t want to make a decision on which sump pump system we think is best. For example, we wouldn’t want to tell you that you really should have a dual pump system with a primary pump (pedestal or submersible), an emergency backup pump (battery-powered, of course), and an emergency backup pump alarm. Okay, you got us — a dual pump system is definitely what you should have.

Why? If your electricity goes out during a storm, you’ll be in for a dark, soggy time if you don’t have a battery backup pump to take over. Plus, if your primary pump does go out, the alarm will let you know you’re down to just one pump and need to keep an eye on things.

Industrial Grade Sump Pump Systems for Residential Use

Here at Kaiser-Battistone, we’re happy to have a long track record of selling, installing, and servicing dual (combination backup and primary) sump pump systems. The newest and best sump pumps on the market are dependable, reliable, and cost-efficient; specifically, we recommend the PHCC Pro Series “Pair of Pumps” system.

The PHCC system combines an energy-efficient primary sump with a battery backup pump into a simple, compact system. The primary pump operates off of your normal electric power. Should the power go out or if more water starts flowing in than the primary pump can handle, Mr. Backup Pump switches on and starts pumping as well. (Note: “Mr. Backup Pump” is not the technical term for the secondary pump.)

Since the key to a good sump pump is reliability, these PHCC Pro Series pumps are near foolproof; each pump has four float switches that detect rising water and a unique monitoring feature to warn you if the power goes out, battery fluid is low, or if anything is poised to stop the pumps from working at full capacity.

If you want to really pump in style, check out the Pro Series PS-C33 model: this bad boy has a pump controller that can send an alarm signal straight to a home security system or auto dialer.

Selecting the Right Sump Pump for Your Home

Don’t wait for the next hurricane to think about protecting your basement from flooding. The three models of industry-standard pumps we carry all have slightly different attributes, but one thing is certain: each one is far, far cheaper than repairing a flooded basement.

Give us a call at 800-525-6295 to talk which sump pump is best for your home!

Winterizing Your Plumbing

Is Jack Frost nipping at your nose? Rest assured, he’ll be nipping at your pipes if you don’t winterize your home properly.

Whether it’s your whole house or just a pool house, consider having us inspect your home for the winter months. (If you’re a member of our Plumbing Priority Club, you’re in luck — we offer a special discount for winterizing.)

Here’s how winterizing works: we’ll perform a comprehensive inspection of the house, making sure to take note of any pipes susceptible to freezing (usually pipes closest to windows, outside walls, and unheated areas.) Plus, we’ll look over your entire foundation for any cracks and holes that might be letting the winter air in. If any pipes are particularly vulnerable, we’ll make recommendations on steps to prevent costly winter damages.

Ready to get winterized? Throw on your scarf and give us a call at 800-525-6295. Otherwise, shoot us an email at info@Kaiser-Battistone.com

Protect Your Home: Frozen Pipe Damage is Costly

Picture this: you’ve just taken a lovely winter vacation (Bermuda? Great choice) and you arrive back home only to find your heating system failed and your pipes froze.

Why are frozen pipes bad news? We all know what happens when water freezes: it expands. Unfortunately, pipes do not, meaning they’ll crack and cause thousands of dollars in damage (millions, if you’ve been storing that priceless Van Gogh in the basement, under the ping pong table).

If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, there are some steps you should take to prevent or mitigate the damage:

• Find your main water shut-off and turn all systems to “off”
• Give our emergency hotline a call at 800-525-6295
• Start thawing: turn your heat on to at least 70 degrees
• Some pipes can be unfrozen with a hair dryer: try warming the pipe as close to the faucet as possible
• If a pipe has already burst, leave the water faucet on (once the main water shut-off is off) — this will help with drainage as things thaw

If you’re unsure where your water main is, no problem: just give our emergency line a call and we’ll be right over to help you find it. (We’ll also leave a helpful tag on it for the future.)

Hopefully, your pipes will stay nice and toasty this winter. But, should you have any problems, we’re here to help.

Gas Lines

Adding a natural gas or LP gas appliance to your household is no joke: it’s important to get these systems properly installed. Our licensed plumbers have professional training and years of experience making sure gas line installations are done correctly and thoroughly tested for safety.

Don’t mess around with gas! We’ll be happy to safely connect a new outdoor grill, fire pit, indoor gas fireplace, or any furnace, stove, or water heater to your house’s natural of LP gas line. We can even handle a pool water heater (not to worry, we won’t go swimming).

Boilers

Boilers. Do we install them? Please, we’re a little bit insulted that you even asked. Of course.  We’re well-equipped to install the latest and greatest in energy-efficient boilers. Give us a ring to get started.

Schedule Plumbing Services for your business.