Ken's Plumbing | Blog

Hurricane Helene took everyone in South Carolina’s Upstate by surprise. For many of us, it was the first time experiencing such a large-scale weather event. In fact, Hurricane Helene is now considered the most devastating hurricane in our region since Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

It might come as a surprise that we’re writing about reducing your water pressure. Most of the time when people have a complaint about their water pressure, it’s because the water isn’t coming out of the faucet strong enough for them. While having a nice hot shower with just the right water pressure is a pleasure that’s tough to beat, there is a certain point where your water pressure can be too high and actually cause damage to the internal workings of your plumbing.

Let’s take a look at what causes high water pressure, some of the damaging effects it can have, and how you can use a pressure reducing valve to solve these problems.

Let us guess: this spring, when you finally got those first few seedlings planted, you went to turn on your hose to give them their first drink... and suddenly water started spurting out of the top of your spigot’s handle, watering you instead of your petunias.

You try re-fastening your hose to the spigot and tightening the handle, but no luck. You still get wet.

It was working fine last summer! you think. What happened?

Was this you? If so, how did we know? Actually, chances are there are a lot of people having this issue right now.

Need to keep cool this summer WITHOUT cranking up the AC? Perhaps you’re trying to save money by conserving energy, you’re spending lots of time in the great outdoors, or you’ve been working outside and want relief from the heat now.

One of the best tools for beating the heat quickly is something most of us are blessed to have access to at all times: clean, fresh water.   

Even if you don’t have your own backyard pool, you can still use water tricks to keep you cool around your house and yard:

Roses and irises are in bloom and on Saturdays the parking lots at local garden centers are jam-packed—gardening season is in full swing here in Greenville, SC!

Chances are if you’re the gardening type, you’ve gotten the bulk of this season’s planting work already done, and you’re moving into the maintenance stage of keeping up your yard.

Just because your lawn and flowers will need plenty of water this summer doesn’t mean your water bill needs to climb sky high. Here are some handy tips for conserving water in your yard so you can keep your wallet as happy as your plants!

More than 8 out of 10 American homes are affected by hard water—that is, water filled with dissolved minerals such as calcium and magnesium carbonate. While these minerals aren’t harmful for most people to ingest, hard water can cause a lot of inconveniences in everyday home life.

Below are five typical problems caused by hard water buildup. How many of these symptoms have you noticed?

1. Fading Laundry

Minerals such as iron and calcium found in hard water can react with the chemicals in laundry detergent, compromising its effectiveness and wearing the colors out of your clothing prematurely. Hard water can even leave small chalky or rusty stains or make the fabric feel stiff or scratchy.

We know low water pressure is an issue, but have you ever thought of high water pressure being a problem with your plumbing? This can actually lead to some serious issues that could affect all the plumbing appliances in your home.

There's something just so refreshing about water; we drink it to stay healthy, we bathe in it to stay clean, and we even flock to the water of pools and beaches to relax. We all rely on water, so we definitely understand your concern when you turn on the faucet and are met with anything other than the perfectly clear liquid you were expecting.

Different discolorations of water have different meanings—some of which are harmless, others of which are dangerous. If your dirty water is a cause for concern, check out our list below to see what you're dealing with:

Have you ever tried taking a shower or washing your dishes with low water pressure? It takes way longer than it needs to, and you just don't get the same results as you would with normal water pressure.

Sure, the lower water bill that comes along with low water pressure is kinda nice, but at some point you have to say enough is enough. For those who have reached that point, we're explaining the causes of this common plumbing problem and what you can do to get the water pressure you need:

You've heard the terms "hard water" and "soft water." But perhaps you're not quite sure what those terms mean, which water type is safest for you to drink, or what kind of water should be flowing out of your faucets.

Let's explore the differences between hard and soft water as well as the potential problems and solutions associated with each of them.