The Life of Your Water Heater

What do your dog and your water heater have in common?  Don’t spend the rest of the day contemplating that riddle.  We will put you out of your confusion.  They each have a life expectancy of about 15 years.  We wish it were longer, but that is just the way it is.  You really can’t ever replace your best friend, but you must replace that leaky old water heater.

Here are the things to look for.  If your water heater will not stay lit that is definitely a warning sign.  If you see signs of leakage I’m afraid its time has come.  Before you panic it may be time to repair rather than replace it so get an expert opinion on that possibility first.  However, don’t be stubborn.  You could end up putting too much money into an old water heater just limping along.

Call Poor Johns Plumbing today.  That’s a cute name isn’t it?  It just happens to be the best name in Kansas City area plumbing, 7 days a week 24 hours a day.  For decades Poor Johns has been your Kansas City area water heater repair and replacement specialist.  Visit www.poorjohns.com for the phone number that fits your area and give them a call.

Everything Including the Kitchen Sink.

You don’t know everything about plumbing, but your friends at Poor John’s Plumbing in Kansas City want you to be aware of some common problems.  One thing we will probably all experience at one time or another is a leaky faucet.  In the summer especially, sinks get used more and before you know it a leaks develops.

1.  Check pipes periodically before a puddle develops potentially ruining valuables

2.  Peek under your sink for any leaking

3.  Radiators need to have an open valve - when water condenses it should drain back

4.  If your water heater is leaking it probably is on the “near death list”

5.  If water is leaking from a shower it is probably a defective washer or seat

6.  An old mechanical faucet may be tough to get parts for…consider replacing it

It is helpful to know the basics about plumbing.  One thing you should always keep in mind is that a botched plumbing repair can be extraordinarily costly.  Why take the chance?  Poor John’s is a full service maintenance and emergency plumber serving all of the Kansas City area.  Go to their website at www.poorjohns.com, see their pricing, and give them a call.

Plumbing Problems Unique to the Summer Season.

Hot, muggy weather is around the corner in Kansas City.  Most of us welcome the opportunity to get out and travel and lay in the sun.  Summer is great!  Summertime may not be so great for the plumbing around your home or business.  There are unique situations that occur in this upcoming time of year that we don’t see in the frigid months.

Here are some common summer plumbing problems to be aware of -

1.  Your disposal could easily clog.  Cookouts cause more food to be thrown down the drain.

2.  Sewer lines back up.  Heavy rains equals heavy flooding and clogged sewers.

3.  Clogged toilets.  Children are running in and out of the house and using the facilities.

4.  Children everywhere!  More children around the house means heavier use of your washing machine.

5.  Obviously, the annual rising of the sprinklers.  Make sure your sprinkler system is 100%

Preventative maintenance before the hot summer weather hits is obviously important.  For dozens of years the Kansas City area has trusted Poor Johns Plumbing for preventative and emergency plumbing.  Poor Johns Plumbing is your Kansas City plumbing professional.  Visit www.poorjohns.com for a list of the phone numbers closest to you and have a safe and happy summer.

Summertime in Kansas City…Road Construction and Backyard Excavation.

So we have emerged from another Midwest winter.  We have had time to celebrate our World Champion Royals.  Now it is time to turn our attention to our property.  With the softer ground we now have the opportunity to do those heavy equipment excavation jobs that we simply cannot do when the ground is frozen.

Nearly all of your home’s plumbing lies underground.  If you have a leaky faucet or a broken toilet, chances are the root of the problem lies underground.  Most jobs of this type require a specific permit.  This is definitely NOT a task for a do it yourselfer.  Just as important, you must hire a pro who will not charge an arm and a leg while the permits are being pulled.

For decades people of the Kansas City area have trusted Poor Johns Plumbing for these heavy-duty tasks.  The name may make you chuckle, but believe me you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.  Poor John’s Plumbing is your plumbing excavation expert in the Kansas City metro.  Visit www.poorjohns.com for a list of the phone numbers closest to you and have a safe and happy summer.

Kansas City Area Septic Systems.

Not everyone in the KC area is connected to a city sewer.  If you have a home with a septic system you are only too aware of what a back-up can mean to your quality of life.  When sewage backs up it will create a terrible odor in your backyard.  If this happens, you are facing some major decisions about repairing or replacing your septic tank.

Here are a few tips to remember if this happens to you…

1.  Lift the septic tank and check the water level

2.  Keep people away from standing water or any soggy soil

3.  The drainfield may need to be replaced because of age

To repair or replace - that is the question.  It may be nothing more than a broken pipe.  However, if the drainfield is no longer operative it may be time to replace the system.  Poor Johns Plumbing is your Kansas City area septic tank professional.  When you need a breath of fresh air visit www.poorjohns.com.  Call one of the phone numbers listed on the website to find out what needs to be done with your septic system.

A Master Plumber is Standing By.

When you call a plumber you may well get an answering machine.  You may also get someone in the field who cannot immediately troubleshoot your problem.  That is the typical way that business is done in the plumbing community.  What if you could speak to a master plumber available to you during the regular business day?

If you could speak to that person and tell them what’s ailing your plumbing you would probably also want to know pricing.  Most plumbing companies either hide their prices or are reluctant to disclose them.  It just makes sense for THEM because they can come to your home and start tacking on fees when they see the job itself.

This is NOT the case at Poor John’s Plumbing.  We are one of the few master plumbers in Kansas City that can not only come to the phone during regular business hours, but are proud to publish our prices right on our website.  Isn’t that a breath of fresh air?  See for yourself.  Visit us on the web at www.poorjohns.com and give your Kansas City master plumber a call today.

A Kansas City Plumber who Displays Prices.

Here is a challenge for you.  Look up any plumber in the Kansas City area and see if they have an entire page that prominently displays their prices.  Have you seen such a thing?  Plumbers generally make their money when they come to someone’s home or business and the job turns out to be “bigger” than you thought when you called them.

Check this out…

Garbage Disposal $85 labor.

Kitchen Sink Faucet $95 labor.

Kitchen Sink Repair $50 plus parts.

Kitchen Sink Overhaul $75 plus parts.

Do you know where you can find prices like that (and others) listed on a website?  They are found at www.poorjohns.com.  Poor Johns is a Kansas City area plumber that not only is not afraid to share their pricing, but is rightfully proud of it.  Visit their website today and call the number that corresponds to the area of KC where you reside.  24/7 it’s Poor Johns plumbing for more than a quarter of a century.

Year-Round Kansas City Plumbing Maintenance Tips.

Before the services of a professional plumber are required there are several maintenance procedures that you may follow.  For instance, test all of your valves annually, especially the main shut off for the house and the water heater shutoff.  Put ice in your garbage disposal to break up loose food particles and eliminate odor. 

This particular tip may be especially important for some of you.  If you own an unoccupied property in the Kansas City area you may need to winterize it.  Remember, if you leave your water distribution charged with water in freezing temperatures you have a prescription for disaster.  Unless you plan on keeping that property heated all winter you need to shut the water off at the main line.

When plumbing problems occur anywhere in the Kansas City area at any time of the year we will be there to fix them quickly and economically.  We are Poor Johns Plumbing.  At Poor Johns we put our prices right on our website because we know we can do the job better and cheaper.  Visit our website today to find the phone number that applies to your area at www.poorjohns.com.

Looking for the Right Plumber 2016.

The word plumbing comes from the Greek word for lead which is what all of the ancient Greeks used for their plumbing infrastructure.  I know, you could have lived without that information.  One thing you can’t live without is properly working plumbing.  We take a flush of a toilet, a garbage disposal that makes old food disappear, and a shower that regulates hot and cold for granted.

Man oh man when things like that and other plumbing parts go haywire our lives are turned upside down.  Please don’t tell me you are an amateur plumber.  That is like saying you’re an amateur lawyer, or amateur doctor.  Plumbing repair is a highly specialized skill and you need to trust your plumber to do the job right and at a fair price every time.

Poor John’s Plumbing serving the greater Kansas City area puts its prices right on its website.  How many plumbers in the KC area do that?  For decades Poor John’s has understood they are not the only game in town…the best maybe, but not the only.  Call Poor John’s Plumbing anytime you have a plumbing repair that needs to be done right the first time on YOUR budget.  Visit www.poorjohns.com for all of their area phone numbers.

Have a Safe and Dry Holiday Season.

What do we mean by safe and DRY?  Well, the safe part speaks for itself, but by dry we mean no plumbing problems.  No one needs another thing to think about when having guests over or using the garbage disposal more.  A lot of appliances will get an extra workout this time of year that’s for sure, so we hope that your season is free from those worries.

Always rest assured that if you live in the Kansas City area, Poor John’s Plumbing will be there whenever you need us.  Since faulty plumbing knows no holiday and neither do we.  If a toilet needs fixing, if a garbage disposal needs repairing, if a water heater goes bad, we will be there to fix or replace it and we will do it on a holiday budget because our prices are always lower.

Check out our website at www.poorjohns.com.  Go to the prices page.  Generally, plumbers don’t have pages like that on their website.  We WANT you to see our prices before you pick up your phone.  Please note that we have different phone numbers to serve various areas of the Kansas City metro area, to give you the fastest service possible.  Happy holidays from our family at Poor Johns to yours.

When Should You Start to Worry about Freezing Pipes?

Let’s tackle this issue before it’s too late.  We all learned in school that water freezes at 32 degrees.  However, researchers say that might not be the case with the plumbing pipes in your home.  According to the Building Research Council at the University of Illinois, that temperature threshold may be closer to 20 degrees.

Tests were conducted on residential water systems subjected to winter temperatures.  It was demonstrated that, for un-insulated pipes installed in unprotected spaces, the onset of freezing occurred when the outside temperature fell to 20 degrees or below.  Other factors can cause the pipes to freeze at temperatures above 20°. These include pipes exposed to windy, cold air which flows in due to a crack in an outside wall or lack of insulation. 

Isn’t it better to stay ahead of the curve?  This upcoming winter in the Kansas City area may be as brutal as the winter of 2014-15.  Don’t take chances with your infrastructure!  For all of your winter needs contact Kansas City area plumber Poor Johns Plumbing.  To find the best phone number for your location visit, our website at www.poorjohns.com.

Upcoming Changes in your Plumbing Needs

With the changing season your plumbing needs may change.  Things that go wrong with your plumbing infrastructure in the dead of winter may be unusual and severe.  A leaky toilet, a flooded basement, a bad sump pump, and much more don’t observe any calendar.  They happen when you least expect them and turn your household upside down.

It is important to trust a professional plumber even if you believe that your do it yourself skills are enough to tackle the task.  You could turn a minor problem into a major one very quickly without the proper tools and expertise for the job.  Make the sensible decision.  Don’t become one of those amateur fixer-uppers that ends up with thousands of dollars of damage and plumbing bills.

The most important thing to remember this time and any time of year is that you want a plumber that can fix what needs fixing anytime and can handle any job.  It is imperative to have a family plumber that you trust just like a family dentist or a family auto mechanic.  Get to know Poor Johns Plumbing. They handle all plumbing tasks all the time.   If you live in the Kansas City area please visit their website at www.poorjohns.com for a list of the phone numbers that is nearest to you.  Trust Poor Johns for ANY plumbing problem.

Can You Leave Your Swimming Pool Open Year Round?

If you own a swimming pool in the Kansas City area you know that harsh weather is just around the corner.  There are actually pros and cons on the subject.  You should get to know both before you make what seems to be an obvious decision to close down your swimming pool until May.

Pools are a beautiful site no matter what the weather.  If the water is still moving it is a comfort to listen to.  If you leave your pool open, the amount of algae that will grow over the winter will be greatly diminished when you actually start swimming again in the late spring.  This will save you a few days of removing excess algae next spring.

On the negative side, your pool water could freeze in very harsh temperatures and harm your entire plumbing system.  The extra electricity that you use in the winter may cost hundreds of extra dollars.  Whatever you decide to do know that you can always trust Kansas City area plumber Poor John’s for all of your plumbing needs.  Visit their website at www.poorjohns.com for a list of phone numbers that apply to your area.

Sewer Drain Season

Summertime is the time to tackle the main sewer drains.  Just as road construction is everywhere - so are the larger plumbing repair jobs that everyone in the Kansas City area tries to put off until the ground is accessible to deeper digging.  At Poor John’s Plumbing, serving the greater Kansas City area on both sides of the border we GUARANTEE our work.  It is important to have a job done right the first time without being concerned about recurring problems.

For main sewer drain service Poor John’s offers a 90 day guarantee against tree roots.  What does this mean to you?  If Poor John's augers your main drain and we pull out tree roots and it backs up again within 90 days we will come out and auger the line again.  If, on the other hand ONLY tree roots are pulled out then the job is no charge.  That’s right NO CHARGE for pulling out only tree roots!  Plus there is a 1 year guarantee against leaks on anything that we install.

All in all you cannot do better, faster, or more honest work for the price than Poor John’s Plumbing.  Visit our website at www.poorjohns.com to find any and all of the areas of the Kansas City metro that we serve.  Whether it is routine maintenance, the replacement of a worn-out plumbing fixture, or a full blown plumbing emergency call Poor John’s Plumbing of Kansas City at (816) 455-5422.  You will also find other convenient phone numbers on the website.

How to Choose a Plumber

Did you know that the word plumbing comes from the Greek which means lead because that is what ancient pipes were made of?  The next time that you need a plumber don’t just rush to the web and make an uninformed decision.  Your plumber should be like your dentist or auto mechanic.  He is someone you can trust to always fix your plumbing problems at a reasonable cost.  Plumbing is the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures for drinking water systems and the drainage of waste.  It is generally NOT a task for a weekend warrior who may think that they are handy.

Plumbing jobs may entail many different types of work.  You may need a new septic system.  Perhaps a sewer or drain needs cleaning.  What about clogged toilets or broken water heaters?  An amateur or do-it-yourselfer can do even more damage making the project much more difficult for the professional, which you will eventually have to call anyway.

In the Kansas City area that full service professional plumber is Poor Johns Plumbing.  Why pay sky-high prices when you can get the same service for much less from Poor Johns.  It’s a cute name with the best professional service in the KC area.  So the next time you have an emergency or need preventative maintenance give Poor Johns Plumbing a call at (816) 455-5420 serving all of the Kansas City metro area including Johnson County and Liberty Missouri.