Category: Tips & Tricks

Asking Questions to Determine the Quality of Your Home’s Water Supply

Posted on

Whether you’re in the process of purchasing a new home or evaluating your current one, water quality is not something that is on the forefront of your thought process – but maybe it should be. As often as you and your family utilize water in your day-to-day life – from cleaning to bathing to drinking – it is preferable your water is of quality, but if it is not, you need to be aware to make the appropriate changes. If not, it can harm you and your home.

With this issue in mind, here are four questions you should ask about your home’s water system and water quality.

Top 4 Water Quality Questions to Ask Your Plumber

  • Where is the House’s Water Source Located?
  • What are the most common water issues in the area?
  • Does the home have a water treatment system?
  • Are there signs I should watch for that suggest my water quality is poor?

Where is the House’s Water Source Located?

This should be your first plumbing-related question to your realtor. Once you know this, you can find out more about how it’s treated and if it has any historical quality issues. Municipal water systems are required to maintain government standards. In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets water quality standards for the limits for almost 100 contaminants. Even with stringent regulations, water quality issues can still affect your household water supply. Quality concerns can derive from old pipes or contaminated transit routes where the water picks up contaminants while traveling into your home system.

What are the Most Common Water Issues in the Area?

It’s best to know upfront what issues others in your area are working to fix. Knowing what you are facing and if you want to deal with the problem is vitally important if you are considering purchasing a home. Minor issues that make your water unpalatable have easy solutions; however, you want to find out if there are health risks from the water coming into a home you plan to purchase. If the water is toxic, then you want to know why. Is the problem from the source or caused by your plumbing system? These are important questions you should ask your realtor and research yourself to make informed choices.

Does the Home Have Water Treatment?

Knowing whether a home has a water treatment system installed is the ultimate answer to your water quality questions. If the water in the home is being treated, then you have a place to start to find more information about the home’s water quality. You can also rest easy knowing the water is being treated and is safe for consumption and use. Water treatment systems add value to a home, so finding out a system is installed is a value-add to the home you’re purchasing. Traditional water treatment systems included water softeners, filtration systems, and reverse osmosis units. It’s a good idea to bring in a water treatment professional to test the systems to ensure they work and answer any questions or concerns you may have.

What Signs Indicate my Water Quality is Poor?

Many municipal water systems send out water quality reports or post them online. If you can’t find this document, you should note how your water tastes when you’re using it. Does it have a mineral aftertaste? Is your skin irritated after using it? Water with a heavy mineral load may be unpleasant to drink, but it’s typically not dangerous. There is a huge difference between hard water and poor-quality water. However, noticing your water is hard may be the first step toward establishing your overall water quality.

Choose Mallick Plumbing & Heating for Water Treatment Systems in Gaithersburg

Whether you have an existing water treatment system that needs to be inspected or wish to have a new system installed to protect you and your family in your new house, our expert technicians are ready to help with whatever you need. At Mallick Plumbing & Heating, we are committed to providing our customers with exceptional services. Call us today at (301) 804-6759.

Why is Sump Pump Maintenance So Important?

Posted on

Why Is Sump Pump Maintenance So Important?

If you have a sump pump, you know how hard it works to protect your home. A sump pump is installed on the lowest level of your home, so it’s able to prevent flooding in your basement or crawlspace. Your sump pump is housed inside a sump pit out of the way, so it’s easy to forget about it unless it stops working.

A sump pump sits in your home on standby, waiting for a reason to be activated. When there are heavy rains, your system will switch on once the groundwater around your home is high enough to activate the pump’s float switch. Once the system has removed the water away from your home, it will go back into standby status.

The water from the sump pump is typically drained into a storm drain, retention pond, or well. The sump pump acts as a fail-safe device preventing flooding in the lowest levels of your house. Because it serves such an important purpose, you must ensure your sump pump is in good condition and ready for action.

Sump Pump Maintenance Best Practices

By following a few sump pump maintenance best practices, you can keep your system in good condition. How often your system needs maintenance will depend greatly on seasonal weather conditions.

The harder your system works, the more maintenance it will need to ensure its components won’t become too worn. If your sump pump has been exposed to high levels of wear and tear, maintenance can ensure it doesn’t break down when you need it most.

Sump Pump Maintenance Checklist

The following steps will help you get your sump pump ready for action. It’s important to unplug your system from its power supply before performing any maintenance or inspections.

  • Clear Debris from the Sump Basin: Access the sump basin and remove debris. All loose and lodged debris must be removed, so the pump is easier to access for additional cleaning.
  • Check the Pump for Corrosion: Remove the pump from the basin. The discharge pipe will need to be removed from the pump as well. If the discharge pipe does not disconnect from the pump, it could be a sign of mold, corrosion, or buildup at the joint. Using a cloth or sponge, clean the pipe using a nonabrasive disinfectant. You can clean the pipe with just a damp cloth. If the pump is very soiled, you may need to rinse it first. Inspect the pump for corrosion. If you find any, contact your sump pump maintenance professional.
  • Check the Pump Inlet Screen: Find the sump pump inlet screen at the pump’s base. The screen serves as a filter that keeps debris from damaging your system. You can use a brush to clean the filter, removing any debris that may be trapped. Depending on your system model, you can take this time to lubricate the pump’s bearings if recommended for your unit.
  • Check the Discharge Pipe: Inspect the drainage system of your sump pump. You need to ensure your drainage system isn’t compromised and that nothing is preventing the free flow of drainage water. The discharge pipe should be carrying water at least 20 feet away from your foundation to keep your home protected.

How to Perform a Sump Pump System Test

The system test consists of the following:

  • After cleaning your sump pump, replace all the parts and reconnect your system to its power supply.
  • Add several gallons of water to the basin and wait for your system to turn on from standby automatically.
  • During this test, ensure the float switch is operating properly. Once it activates to remove the water you placed in the basin, the maintenance routine is complete.

Choose Mallick Plumbing & Heating for Sump Pump Maintenance

If you need help maintaining your sump pump, our expert technicians are the pros you want on your side. At Mallick Plumbing & Heating, we are committed to providing our customers with exceptional plumbing services, which is why we are a preferred service provider throughout Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Call us at (301) 804-6759 or contact us online to schedule sump pump maintenance with the team at Mallick Plumbing & Heating today!

How to Save Money with Rising Gas Prices

Posted on

How to Save Money with Rising Gas Prices

Is Your Plumbing System Breaking the Bank?

We all notice it when driving past the gas station and when it is all over our social media feeds. Even though some of us are still in a hybrid work environment, how can you not avoid it? Gas prices are rising – especially in the Greater Washington area. To combat these, other money saving efforts may need to be practiced.

One way you can reduce your expenses and save money is to evaluate your plumbing-related costs, which is why Mallick Plumbing & Heating organized some tips to help you save money.

Switch to a Tankless Water Heater

One of the most common cost-related plumbing change you can make is by switching to a tankless water heater. Conventional water heaters are effective at heating water but spend all day and night keeping your water at a consistent temperature, which requires a lot of energy and could potentially be impacting your wallet because of it.

Tankless water heaters, on the other hand, heat water as you need it by pushing the water through a coil that heats it on demand. They can provide as much hot water as you need as well, instead of having to wait until your conventional water heater heats up more water before taking a hot shower. With the ability to immediately present hot water, tankless water heaters are more energy efficient and require you to spend money by keeping it at a constant temperature 24/7.

By also not having to heat water consistently, tankless water heaters are more durable and last much longer, which will also save you money in the long run by not having to worry about replacement costs.

Install a Low-Flow Toilet

With this new hybrid working model, more people have received the ability to work from home. But keep in mind, an increase in your time spent at home will result in more stress for your plumbing system. So instead of using your office’s restroom a few times a day, you are now utilizing your own and requiring more water usage to do so.

One way you can minimize this is by installing a low-flow toilet, which can save your home over 10,000 gallons of water a year and results in more savings on your water bill.

Low-flow toilets operate in one of two ways: with the usage of gravity or pressure-assistance to clear waste. A gravity-driven low-flow toilet will clear when the flapper in the toilet tanks is engaged and water is realized, while the pressure-assistance toilet uses a pressure tank to combine pressure and gravity for a flush.

Both the pressure-assistance and gravity low-flow toilets will help you save water. But reach out to Mallick Plumbing & Heating to schedule a licensed and certified technician to have them evaluate which one would be best for your plumbing system today!

Have Your System Checked If You Are on a Well System

Many surrounding areas of the Greater Washington Area rely on a well to provide water into their house for their family usage.

But most people aren’t concerned about their well system until is it out of commission and no longer providing your household with water, which could result in a costly fix.

To prevent this from happening, homeowners should schedule a licensed and trained plumber to evaluate it and ensure it is running correctly, safely, and efficiently – which is especially important if you have an older system. A well system that is depleted, leaking, or not operating efficiently could have a heavy financial impact and leave your family without water for a limited time frame.

If you’d like Mallick Plumbing & Heating to help with any of the tips above or like to schedule a call to receive more plumbing tips on how you can save money, please give us a call at 301-804-6759 today!

Choosing the Right Plumbing Company Shouldn’t Be About Luck

Posted on

When you’ve been in business for 25+ years, you learn a thing or two about plumbing. One of the most common occurrences we see with plumbing issues is that they never have convenient timing. You have family over, and the toilet gets backed up. You’re running late for work and realize you have no hot water – we’ve all been there!

When things like that occur, the last thing you want to be doing is sifting through a list of faceless plumbers, trying to figure out which one will actually be able to help you. At Mallick Plumbing & Heating, we understand how difficult it can be to choose the right plumber, and we believe it shouldn’t be about luck. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of helpful tips and qualifications you should be aware of when hiring your next plumber.

Always Choose a Plumber with Great Reviews

All plumbers will say that they provided quality work. But how do you really know? Local reviews are a great way to check the quality of work provided by your potential plumber. Google, Yelp and Angi are just a few platforms you can view reviews from their customers. Platforms like these take their reviews very serious, so customers shouldn’t have any ties to the business or receive any compensation for them.

Before hiring your next plumber, inspect their reviews and analyze what words are commonly used when customers describe their work. Are they positive or negative?

This is a great way to start your search when looking for a quality plumber!

Always Choose a Plumber That Is Licensed, Insured & Bonded

Even though plumbers are detailed and precise with their approach and their work, it is possible mistakes may happen. If that occurs, you are going to want a professional that owns the mistake and works with their insurance to resolve it. This is rare – but does happen. And if it does and you have hired a plumber who isn’t insured, it could be a messy and expensive cleanup.

It is Recommended to Hire a Plumber with Financing Options

As previously stated, plumbing issues aren’t the best with their timing. Unexpectedly they occur, leaving you to hustle to find a solution, which sometimes can lead to a surprise expense.

Instead of having to pay for that service out of pocket the same day, research for plumbers who have secure financing options that fit your budget and make sure you spend time researching this beforehand. When a plumber visits your house to resolve your issue, make sure you fully understand the service and what financial options you have at your disposal.

When you find a plumber who has financial options like us with our partnership with Greensky, you will feel more comfortable knowing you’re receiving a quality repair with financing that is flexible with your budget.

As a company, Mallick Plumbing & Heating is committed to our customers. If you’re researching plumbing companies in the Greater Washington Area, you need to look no further. Mallick Plumbing & Heating is licensed, insured, and been providing our community with reliable plumbing service for 25+ years, which you will witness from our reviews!

To get help with your plumbing repair or questions today, call us at 301-804-6759.

Planning a Party? Protect Your Plumbing!

Posted on

Having people over to your home can be fun, but parties can wreak havoc on your plumbing. Luckily, there are some simple steps you can take to protect your plumbing:

Keep a Trash Can in Your Bathroom

Guests will need a place to dispose of feminine products and baby wipes. Place a trash can right next to the toilet, so guests know to throw these items away instead of flushing them down the toilet and creating a clog.

Handle Small Clogs with a Plunger

Speaking of clogs, they happen! (Especially with alcohol and tasty appetizers). Keep a plunger nearby, so guests can resolve small clogs by themselves. You can also let your guests know to notify you if the bathroom needs attention.

Share ALL Your Bathrooms

Don’t let your guest bathroom work overtime if you have others to spare. Believe us, your personal bathroom is much less unsightly than a toilet that suffers a large clog due to constant use.

Plus, multiple guests will be able to relieve themselves at the same time if necessary.

Don’t Rely on the Garbage Disposal

Always scrape leftover food into the trash before putting dishes in the sink or loading them into the dishwasher. Putting fats, oils, grease, and other food items down the garbage disposal can cause a clog.

Avoid a Hairy Situation

Equip all the drains in your house with hair catchers. This can help prevent hair from building up in your drains and keep unwanted items out of your pipes. Hair catchers only cost a couple of dollars each and they can save you tons of money in repairs.

Call an Emergency Plumber If Needed

Mallick Plumbing & Heating, Inc. can solve your emergency plumbing situations 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If your party needs a hero, our expert plumbers are always available at (301) 804-6759 and online.