Investing in a maintenance agreement allows you to take advantage of the available updates to your household heating and cooling systems, and a yearly water heater flush might be one of the most important benefits you never knew you needed. If you have a water heater, you know how hard this appliance works to cycle warm water for cooking, cleaning, bathing and other heating processes in your home. So why would you ever want to drain your hot water heater? Here are just a few of the most common reasons:

1. You Want to Target Inefficient Buildup
   Your hot water heater tank needs to have fresh water cycled through at least once a year in order to prevent stagnation. Buildup of sediment can reduce the overall efficiency of your heater, and create a damaging environment within the reservoir of the appliance. This kind of junky mineral buildup and other debris can make your hot water heater more vulnerable to breakdown and emergency malfunction.
2. You Want to Save Money
   One of the great benefits of regular maintenance comes with knowing your system will last longer and work better for an extended time. When homeowners invest in a large, expensive appliance they want to get the most bang for their buck. Maintenance agreements are an easy way to take care of you appliances with preventative maintenance.
3. You Want Your Family to Be Safe
   Hot water heaters can be dangerous to service – the heating elements can be potentially scalding and need to be drained following proper regulations. Investing in professional services will protect your appliances without putting you or your home at risk.

Contact MJ Frick to learn more about all the benefits of maintenance agreements.

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We’d all like to conserve more water in our homes, but we don’t want to sacrifice a perfectly functional bathroom throne just for the sake of environmental friendliness. When making appliance updates to your bathroom, it’s essential to research the efficiency of new products before investing.

Here are some product details to help you in your search:

My Kingdom for a Toilet!
The low-flow model of toilet has been through so many redesigns in the last decade that they finally have it down to a science – literally. In the early 1990s, the EPA mandated that all toilets use no more than one and a half gallons of water every time someone flushed. This seems reasonable, since previous toilet models had every flush wasting upwards of 7 gallons!

Cost Evaluation
It took manufacturers a while to get the model right, but nowadays there is really no excuse for using an outdated toilet. It’s extremely wasteful and getting a more eco-friendly model doesn’t change your bathroom experience in any way! Not to mention that the price difference is so trivial because the low-flow design option has been around for so long it’s practically standard.

Dual-Flush Options
If you want to get really fancy, some models of toilet provide two flushing options – one for solid waste and one for liquid. These toilets use even less water than the high efficiency options. Any of these is better than an outdated regular model. You are probably wasting thousands of gallons every year on flushing, so stop living in the past and get a low-flow toilet.

Click here to learn more about products that can enhance your environmental friendliness; our team at MJ Frick is here to help you.

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New bathroom fixture installations are an exciting and easy way to make home improvements and upgrades. If you want to add an element of luxury to your bathing experience, a new shower head is a simple way to spice things up and create your own personal spa. Here’s what you need to know for this installation:

1. Hot Water and Water Pressure
   Make sure the piping conditions in your house can accommodate the division of power between additional shower heads. If you don’t have the water pressure to successfully operate both shower heads at the same time, your shower makeover will be a little disappointing. The average shower head uses 5 gallons of water per minute.
2. Waterproofing
   Check that your shower head placement is ideal before installation. Check where the new water runoff will be taking place, and make sure it doesn’t hit any tiles or grout that haven’t been waterproofed.
3. Shower head Selection
   Picking the shower head of your dreams should be the easy part! But do a little research and try to pick something that will go well with the shower you already have. For example, if you already have a traditional shower head on the wall, then consider a rain feature for the ceiling. Some styles of shower head require less water pressure, especially if they are designed to simulate rain.
4. Installation
   You are on your way to a home update that will increase the overall value of your bathroom and also improve usability for your family.

MJ Frick plumbing experts are ready to assist you with your home improvements and upgrades today.

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Maintenance agreements are a simple way to protect the systems you rely on every day for safe, comfortable living. Getting your water heater inspected before the cold weather sets in will give you peace of mind this winter.

Your water heater tank can be a gnarly place. Storing water year in and year out is a nasty business, and if you skimp on regular maintenance you put your family and home at risk. That’s why most experts recommend a total flush of the system at least once a year to prevent.

What is a Flush?
Flushing the water heater tank means emptying the entire reservoir into safe receptacle and then refilling with fresh water. In the process, the technicians will generally scrape out any harmful buildup or sediment that might be interfering with efficient performance.

What’s the Downside?
If you don’t get your water heater tank flushed on a regular basis, you could be risking the overall operational efficiency of your unit. This means higher bills and less effective heating capacity for your home and family. As sediment builds up, so does the pressure on your system. This kind of development can lead to burst pipes or total system shutdown. That’s a big repair bill that can easily be avoided with maintenance agreement provisions.

Tankless Heaters
Even if you have a tankless heater, you should still consider the buildup inside pipes that might be putting your system at risk. Cleaning out the interior of your system is imperative no matter the style of heater.

Click here to get more information about the benefits of a maintenance agreement from our team of professionals at MJ Frick today.

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If you are naturally handy, home improvements and upgrades are probably a joyful, exciting prospect. But not everyone thinks of these little projects as fun. In fact, for the technically challenged, a kitchen fixture installation might sound like a nightmare. Throw in a water line installation component and forget about it! But it doesn’t have to be as bad as you think.

Installing a sink in your kitchen island can make a huge difference in the amount of functional space you have for cooking. Having the sink on your kitchen island can also open up the space so you don’t have to turn your back on guests when entertaining. Many homeowners choose to make the change if they have the available counter space, but the technical prospect can be a bit daunting.

Here are some factors to consider as you make plans to install a kitchen island:

A Question of Space
The first thing to consider is how much available storage space you have and what kind of water line access your kitchen island gets. A sink will require enough depth in the storage area to sit comfortably, plus water supply to work. Branching off from the current water supply feeding your main kitchen faucet can usually be done with a little pipe rerouting.

Plumbing for Less
By using the existing pipes you will save money that would otherwise be spent on brand new plumbing work, which can be costly and time consuming. When you are trying to decide where to install the sink, keep this in mind so you don’t wind up with an overly complicated drainage situation. When in doubt, get input from an experienced plumber or home technician.

Click here for more information from our expert team at MJ Frick abut the best way to tackle home improvements and upgrades.

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Energy efficiency is often discussed as a popular goal among homeowners, but is it all just smoke and mirrors? We all want to know the secret of keeping costs down. Blowing hot air about implementing green habits and upgrading outdated equipment is just a waste of time if you don’t plan to follow through. The best way to achieve energy efficiency in your home is to take action.

You can’t make any moves if you don’t identify the source of the problem. Your energy bill spikes in the summer and you want to keep it low. Is your system outdated and using tons of energy to do the bare minimum of work? Or is your family the culprit?

Many people don’t realize the power they have to control their utility bill, and so they never accept agency to change their behavior. Before you invest in brand new equipment, make sure you are following some of these golden rules of summer coolness:

Make sure you are staying insulated. This means you stay actively aware of closing windows, not leaving the front door open when you unload groceries or walk out to check the mail. Letting conditioned air escape is like letting cash fly out with the breeze.

Pull the shades during the day. Don’t let the afternoon sun bake the interior of your home and heat up the spaces you are trying to keep cool.

Don’t use the over or stove as often as you might in cooler seasons. These appliances will just make it harder for your HVAC unit to maintain temperature control.

If you are tired of outrageous utility bills when the summer months heat up, you have options. Click here or call 615-431-8095 to contact our energy efficiency experts at MJ Frick to learn how you can stay cool without breaking the bank.

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From time to time, homeowners need to consider home improvements and upgrades as essential investments to keep them safe and comfortable in their living spaces. As families grow and change, their homes reflect that. As the months and years pass, houses begin to experience more wear and tear and gradually start to feel more and more outdated. In addition to keeping a home safe and comfortable, remodeling can also enhance marketability and style.

But where do you begin when faced with the daunting prospect of remodeling? A great place to begin is by remodeling a bathroom. It’s one of the most popular places in the home and a few changes can make big improvements. Here’s what you can expect:

Cost: A Story of Materials and Labor

Chances are, the average homeowner isn’t qualified to do the kind of work included in a total bathroom overhaul. Fixtures and installation will therefore be two of the primary factors in budgeting for this project. It’s a general rule of thumb to buy your own appliances – finding deals on sinks, bathtubs, and other large fixtures could save you up to a thousand dollars. Plus, you want to exercise creative discretion and control how your remodeled bathroom looks.

Water Lines

While one side of the remodeling coin is dictated by aesthetic design and cost, the other is all about taking technical aspects into consideration. This is where the real risk comes into play and why it’s a smart move to have the best plumbing and electric technicians working to avoid inconvenient mistakes. Water lines are a delicate thing to navigate, especially when waste lines are involved. You don’t want to cross the wires and have water flowing the wrong way!

Overall, bathroom remodeling is a fantastic investment in home improvement. Taking some time to plan accordingly, draw up a budget, and find trustworthy technicians to partner with you for the duration of the process are all vital to a successful experience.

If you are ready to move forward with home improvements and upgrades, work with the pros at MJ Frick.

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If you are on the fence about making green home improvements and upgrades to your living space, researching the available incentives might change your tune. Consider these benefits available to homeowners making the switch to green energy:

Modernize

Using renewable energy is an extremely important part of modern living. Homes that rely on dirty energy sources or fossil fuels are an increasing liability. These practices are costly, unsustainable, and bad for the environment. The federal government is offering tax credits to counterbalance some of the upfront expenses for any homeowner willing to make improvements to their energy efficiency.

Tax Relief

The Residential Energy Efficiency Property Credit is the main incentive available to homeowners and non-business entities making updates. The government understands that investing in more energy efficient HVAC resources such as wind energy, geothermal, and solar power comes with an upfront cost. Not only will available incentive funding offset that initial investment, but homeowners also stand to save big in the long-term with lower energy bills.

Simple Application

You can claim eligibility for this tax credit by filing the proper form online. Remember to keep all records pertaining to the investment as you make changes. The credit is designed to cover 30% of the cost, including installation fees. It can include a primary residence as well as a second home. Download the form and review the qualifying changes before you make any plans to update your home. You can plug in the anticipated costs and calculate the incentive return that you would most likely qualify for.

Click here to reach the pros at MJ Frick to get more information about incentives for home improvements and upgrades or call 615-431-8095.

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Plumbing with environmental friendliness in mind is a powerful, cost-saving tactic, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. By implementing a few simple changes, you could reduce you water usage as well as minimize your eco-print.

Reduced Water Usage

When you analyze your utility costs, you might notice that water usage is a leading contributor to high monthly bills. According to estimates from the EPA, if every household in the country switched to water-efficient technology, we would save 3 trillion gallons of water and around 18 billion dollars annually!

Converting the style of your water usage can come from changing habits (conserving water through active mindfulness) or changing appliances (converting to low flow plumbing materials that reduce water usage in their operational design).

Benefits of Low-Flow Plumbing

Low-flow plumbing appliances are showerheads, faucets, and toilets that are designed to conserve water. They can be implemented with a minimal one-time cost and produce long-term savings for residential users. Low-flow toilets are especially effective; it’s estimated that an average toilet use about 3.5-5.0 gallons of water per flush, whereas a low-flow toilet uses 1.6 gallons or less per flush. That’s a significant difference!

Benefits of Eco-Friendly Chemicals

One of the final steps toward achieving environmental awareness in the bathroom is being mindful about what chemicals you pour down your drain. There are always organic options available to achieve the same goals that carry a significantly reduced threat of damage to the earth.

Take your environmental friendliness up a notch by incorporating low flow plumbing into your home or business; get in touch with the pros at MJ Frick.

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Not many home repair situations are more intense than sewage related incidents, so make sure your plumbing maintenance agreement protects you by providing reliable preventative action.

Water lines are responsible for carrying dirty water away from your home and delivering clean water to your showers, sinks, and toilet bowls. This is the extent of what many homeowners ever want to know about their sewer lines. It’s not something the average person wants to dwell on. But in the event of a clog or other emergency, it’s good to know the early warning signs before disaster strikes.

It’s easy to spot a potential clog in your water lines. There are visual and audible cues, such as gurgling in the lines when water is running or a toilet that is slow to flush or refill the tank. These things are an indication that something might be blocking your water line.

Since water lines run underground, it can be difficult to determine the source of the problem. With regular maintenance inspections, a technician should be able to provide reliable upkeep, run a cable through home pipes, and reduce the risk of emergency repair situations. But there can always be unforeseen complications. Tree roots and other debris underground can be a huge threat to efficient piping.

A spillover of raw sewage can lead to extensive damage in your home. If you notice a significant clog in your main line, turning off the water can be the difference between thousands of dollars in damage. Shutting off the water until professionals arrive will prevent any escalation in the meantime.

Contact our professional team at MJ Frick and ask how a maintenance agreement can help to improve the water lines of your home.

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