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Why Invest In Plumbing Replacements Over Repairs

“plumbingreplacement”
When you’ve spent a lot of money on something, such as some of the appliances and plumbing fixtures in your home, you want to make sure you get a return on your investment. In the simplest terms, you want that value that you paid on that equipment to bear itself out with many years of use, and if something should break down, often it makes good fiscal sense to repair the problem.

But there may come a time when it makes more sense to repipe your plumbing rather than to than repair it. This is especially true if it’s getting to the point where the breakdowns are so frequent that you’ve already spent more on repairs than the original cost of buying the fixture or appliance in the first place. So, when should you replace rather than repair something? That depends on the appliance.

The Kitchen Sink

“kitchensink”From a practical point of view, you may never need to replace your kitchen sink at all! A sink, like a drainage pipe, has no moving parts, and functions only to hold water coming out of your faucet.

Under ordinary circumstances, a sink doesn’t break. However, if you have a bad accident in the home that actually cracks the sink, or you’re thinking of renovating your kitchen for yourself or for a home sale, then it’s definitely time to replace the kitchen sink.

The Water Heater

“waterheater”On the other hand, the water heater is an appliance that, with any luck, you won’t need to repair at all, though when it does malfunction, you’ll need to consider your options carefully.

If the breakdown occurs in some part like the heating element, or the pressure valve, a repair makes good financial sense.

If the interior of the tank is contaminated, with rusty or dirty hot water coming out, or if the tank has sprung a leak, it may actually cost less to replace the water heater than it would to repair it, especially if it’s an older model.

The Washing Machine

“washingmachine”Washing machines get more of a workout than most of the other appliances mentioned here, and, depending on how much you load a machine, can take quite a bit of abuse over the years.

While leaks can be easily repaired to restore functionality, a unit that moves has serious problems. If your laundry makes the machine move out of place every time you run it, you should replace the washing machine.

Even if it’s still working, if you have an older, top-loading machine, newer models will get you more efficiency in water and electrical use.

The Shower Top

“showertop”If your shower top is leaking, then it makes more sense to repair it than replace it. But if you’re not happy with the quality of the shower due to pressure, you should replace your shower top.

A very costly mistake some homeowners make is increasing the home’s water pressure to get a high a pressure shower.

This means the water pipes throughout the home are subjected to unsafe levels of water pressure that can eventually damage them, all for the sake of one shower top. If you replace the shower top with a newer model that pressurizes water at the exit point, this is much more efficient.

Most homes in Bloomington, MN have all these fixtures in them. Pay close attention to their age and performance. You’ll get a good idea of when it’s time to replace, rather than repair a unit.