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If Our Appliances Could Talk, What Would They Say?

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“I won’t last forever. Stop working me so hard!”

 

Most everyone has a story about how an appliance like a dishwasher, washer/dryer, water heater, or refrigerator stopped working. We tend not to pay much thought to our appliances until they break down, but we should probably be giving thought to the fact that they will eventually need to be replaced. Keep this in mind, especially if your appliances are 10-15 years old.

 

The reality of the situation is, as our lives change and our families grow, our appliances have to pick up the extra workload. For this reason, we need to make sure that they are properly sized for the whole family’s needs. If someone would try to use a tiny washing machine to do laundry for a family of five, the appliance would probably be overworked. It would a good idea to make a plan to upgrade to a larger size because a breakdown would be very detrimental.

 

“Maintain me!”

 

Lots of people don’t realize that appliances do need occasional maintenance. Just like you wouldn’t own a car without keeping it properly maintained, the same applies to household appliances. If they aren’t maintained, they will stop working much sooner. Of course, each appliance is different in terms of how often maintenance needs to be performed, along with what kind of maintenance is needed.

 

“Don’t feed me bad stuff!”

 

Items like washing machines, dishwashers, and water heaters need to have good water going to them. When bad quality water goes into those appliances, they will stop working much, much sooner. In water heaters, for instance, sediment in poor quality water will settle at the bottom and cause them to work much harder. Garbage disposals are only meant to handle certain materials. Feeding them bad stuff will inevitably cause a breakdown.

 

If you think your appliance is trying to tell you something and you want assistance from a professional, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing by contacting us online or giving us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

 

 

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Here are a few local businesses that we like to work with. They have done an outstanding job over the years in their respective areas.

 

I’ve been very impressed with Ace Hardware in downtown Rocky Mount  because they have a tremendous selection for a local hardware store. It’s extremely rare when I’ll go there looking for an item and leave without finding at least something that answers my need. They do a great job of keeping hard-to-find parts and pieces. They’ve been here for a long time, too, so they have extensive experience in the hardware industry.

 

As far as HVAC, we recommend Davis Heating and Air Conditioning. They are based out of Rocky Mount and service the Roanoke and Rocky Mount Franklin County areas.

 

We also like to work with a landscaping company called Seven Oaks. I use them personally at my home, and they are just a phenomenal company. They offer maintenance plans and also do construction.

 

If you’re looking for a driveway to be paved, Arrington Paving here in Rocky Mount is a good company to choose. They do great quality work including tar, gravel, paving, and laying down the base for driveways.

 

These are just a few of the reputable companies in our area. I encourage you to reach out to them if you’re in need of the products/services they offer.

 

Of course, whenever I have a plumbing issue, I’ll get one of our plumbers to take care it. (I can always be sure they’ll do a pretty good job.) If you have a plumbing related issue, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing today. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

 

 

 

https://www.thefranklinnewspost.com/news/local-hardware-store-made-over-and-honored/article_725681c4-6f42-11e8-bed3-5734a6d89ec1.html

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angle-Hardware-Co-Inc/145303635491152

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If someone wants to become a plumber, the first thing I would suggest is to partner with a competent company or tradesman who has a plumbing license. Going to school alone will not be a complete strategy. You also need to learn from someone who has the experience to help you actually become a competent plumber. The quickest way to do this is through the statewide apprenticeship program. It’s a four year learning experience that is combined with schooling. After enrolling in the program, students take classes about one night a week or one night every two weeks, depending on the school. Some of it can be done online.

To obtain a plumbing license recognized by the state and/or general public, you’re required to have 4 years of practical experience along with 240 hours of classroom time. The classroom time is reduced if you have more than 4 years of experience. For instance, 5 years of experience removes 80 hours from the required classroom time. If you have 10 years of practical experience, you can actually take your masters plumbing test without any classroom time at all.

It’s important to also realize the importance of combining professional training with on the job training. Traditionally, people learn the plumbing trade entirely by learning from a single tradesman. That can be challenging because you’ll likely pick up their skills and their bad habits. Learning everything from a single person is not the best strategy, so I would encourage everyone to learn both in the field with someone and from other people as well. If you can supplement with professional training, you’ll learn all the fundamentals and the ins and outs of the trade.

There are many different aspects of plumbing—there’s new construction plumbing, service plumbing, commercial plumbing, and industrial plumbing. That’s why diversifying your training is absolutely the way to go.

If you have any questions about entering the plumbing trade well-prepared, we would be glad to be a resource for you. Reach out to us today by contacting us online or giving us a call at 540-483-9382.

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  1. How much does a typical bathroom remodel cost?

 

The investment will vary greatly depending on what selections you make to put into your bathroom. Keep in mind, a complete turnkey bathroom remodel will probably not cost less than $10,000. With a budget of less than $10,000 in mind, it wouldn’t be enough for an entire bathroom remodel—instead, it might just be something like the tub/shower.

 

Many times, homeowners will hear people (like HGTV hosts) who provide inaccurate or unrealistic information about someone’s actual real-world investment. They might portray a full remodel as costing only a few thousand dollars, when it isn’t that simple in reality. A master bath suite can even go as high as $30,000-$40,000. We can discuss your options to calculate an accurate figure, and the amount will depend on the kind of room. Keep in mind, complete bathroom remodeling can get expensive in a hurry, depending on what you want to do.

 

  1. Can you give a timeline of how long it generally takes, from start to finish?

 

Just like the investment, the time also varies greatly based on the size of the project and the scope of the work. Generally, a complete bathroom remodel can be done in as little as 8-10 days. It doesn’t have to take a terribly long time, but depending on how extensive the remodel is, it could possibly take up to 20-25 days.

 

  1. How much help can we get when it comes to selecting the items for our bathroom remodel? Do we have to pick everything ourselves, or will somebody assist us?

 

One of the great things about our process is that we help with the design as well. The selection process can be very intimidating, especially when it comes to picking all the colors and different types of materials. Our design consultant will help with all of that. During the shopping days, we’ll go select the colors and make sure everything is going to match up. That way, how you imagine your bathroom looking will end up being fully realized.

 

  1. Can I do the painting myself?

 

Absolutely! We have various pieces of our project separated out. Clients commonly decide to do the painting of the bathroom themselves. If they want to do this, we can simply take the painting portion out of our list of tasks and the client can do it during the project schedule at the appropriate time.

 

  1. If someone has a bad experience remodeling, the whole ordeal can be extremely stressful. What sets Wisler Plumbing apart from other companies? How do you make the remodel go smoothly?

 

Remodeling can be very challenging due to unforeseen circumstances. Some companies are competent in one area, but they end up opening a whole other can of worms under the floor. Just make sure that you hire someone competent and professional in the bathroom remodeling industry.

 

Wisler Plumbing specializes in bathroom remodels. In fact, we’ve done hundreds of bathrooms over the years. We’re familiar with the different circumstances someone might run into during the course of a remodel. We differentiate ourselves by doing the best we can to ensure we’re respectful and careful in our clients’ home. We try to set up clear parameters and lay down the protection necessary for completely effective dust control, for instance. We also carefully vet the personnel who are entrusted with your home’s care. Finally, we differentiate ourselves by making it a point to be upfront with all of our costs. Sometimes other contractors will lowball the job. All of a sudden, the cost ends up ballooning to many times what was originally promised. We, on the other hand, are very upfront and use change orders extremely sparingly.

 

If you are entering the remodeling phase and your bathroom is next on the list, make sure to reach out to the experienced team at Wisler Plumbing. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

 

 

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A septic tank can be quite intimidating for anybody who’s moved out of an area with a municipal sewer. There are always lots of myths that we hear about the do’s and don’ts of septic tanks, so I’ll try to clear them up today by answering a few frequently asked questions.

How do septic tanks work?

The basic function of a septic tank is to separate liquids and solids. When you flush the toilet, run the sink, put something down a kitchen drain, or run the garbage disposal, both solids and liquids will go down at the same time. When this mixture reaches the septic tank, the solids and liquids will begin to separate from each other. The solids will either float to the top or sink to the bottom and the liquids will remain at the center of the tank. From there, hopefully only the liquids will reach the leach field by traveling through the exit pipe, which drains the center of the septic tank.

The remaining solids will gradually decompose with the help of bacteria, which is very crucial for the septic tank to work properly. Unfortunately, many of our household cleaners, hand soaps, body washes, etc., are antibacterial. When we put those substances down the drain, they kill the beneficial bacteria and prevent the septic tank from doing its job effectively. For that reason, we need to add some sort of supplemental bacteria source. (We have a product called BioOne that does just that. Contact us if you’re concerned about maintaining the bacteria in your septic tank.)

Should I stay away from using a garbage disposal if I have a septic tank?

People commonly think that you can’t have a garbage disposal if your house has a septic tank. However, a garbage disposal in and of itself is not bad for septic systems. It’s only when you start to abuse the garbage disposal that you’ll run into problems. Garbage disposals are not intended to assist with cleaning out your refrigerator or to be used as a trash can. They are really intended for disposing of small amounts of debris from plates as you rinse them. If you use the garbage disposal properly, it really won’t be detrimental to your septic system.

How often should I pump out the tank?

This answer might not be very specific, but the tank should not need to be pumped out every five years. Some septic tanks have not been pumped for 30 years, and if they have a good bacterial base, they will continue to work for many, many years to come.

I’m moving into a home with a septic tank. What should I do about maintenance?

If you don’t know anything about the home’s septic tank, first find out where it is located. This is a good opportunity to have it dug up, inspected, and pumped at the same time. That way you’ll know exactly what you’re dealing with. (If you were to become aware of any issues during this first inspection, they should be taken care of right away. That way you won’t end up with a backup in your home.) From there, you can perform regular maintenance with products like BioOne. You should be able to go 15 or 20 years without doing anything else to the septic system.

If you have any specific questions about your home’s septic system, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing today. Contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.

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Whenever anyone goes on a camping trip, there are some things that I think are practically indispensable to bring along with you. But first, a word of advice: Don’t go camping when it rains, if possible. It’s not going to be very much fun. But if the skies are blue, the sun is out, and it’s not very hot, it will be ideal camping weather. Here are my top 5 camping items:

 

  1. Fire Starter

 

If it has recently rained in the area and/or the wood is humid or wet, it will be especially frustrating to try and start a fire. Fire starters are available at many stores, and having one handy just makes life a little bit easier when it comes to having a reliable, easily started fire.

 

  1. Flashlights

 

Always have several working flashlights on-hand. Make sure they are bright enough to do the job, and check that the batteries are in good condition. Maybe even bring a fresh set of batteries if you think you’ll need them. There’s nothing more frustrating than not having enough light to be able to see what you’re doing.

 

  1. Hammer/Axe

 

A hammer, axe, or even a splitting maul comes in extremely handy for chopping wood. It’s definitely wise to bring something that does an effective job of gathering the amount of firewood you’ll need during the trip.

 

  1. Cooler

 

Bring along a good cooler that can keep drinks and other items cold for an extended period of time.

 

  1. Battery Powered Leaf Blower

 

Because you don’t have to deal with gasoline, a battery powered leaf blower is extremely handy for all kinds of situations. For instance, you can quickly clear tables and large areas if you’re at a site where there’s lots of leaves, twigs, and other debris. The battery powered blowers aren’t very loud either, so you can use them at low speed for things like blowing on the fire if it needs a bit of extra oxygen.

 

If you have any plumbing related questions, reach out to the team at Wisler Plumbing today by contacting us online or giving us a call at 540-483-9382.

 

 

 

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