News Archives - Page 8 of 12

Ways to Save Money and Water this Summer

Aug 24, 2023

Its summer time and it’s a hot one! When the temperature goes up so does our water usages which is hard on both water conservation and our bills. Luckily, there are some simple ways of saving water and money this summer for everyone’s benefit!

One of the easiest things that you can do to help save water is to check your home for leaks. Up to 10% of homes have leaks that waste up to 90 gallons of water a day!

There are a few things that you can do that can help prevent leaks or catch them early:

Tree roots can damage your pipes cause moisture to leak out into your yard. Keep an eye on new tree growth, wet patches and sinkholes.
Drop food coloring in the toilet tank, leave for 10 minutes, if you see any of that color in your bowl it means you have a leak.
Leaving a garden hose on even for a small amount of time can result in water being wasted over time – make sure you unhook after summer usage.
Check your irrigation systems because they can cause leaking underground, be mindful of pooling or sod that is mushy.
Check your pipes, it is as simple as listening for drips from showerheads or faucets and if your toilet is running.

You can help save water by upgrading your yard. Making your yard “water-wise” helps both you and the environment, saving you both water and money.

Here are some was that you can upgrade your yard:

The addition of mulch around plants and trees will help retain moisture – requiring less watering.
Do away with turf that requires a large amount of water and switch to a more natural native plant yard.
Use drip systems for older trees, plants, and flowers.
Invest in a smart controller that will adjust watering automatically based on the weather.
Use Native plants, they require less maintenance and water.

Knowing the best time to water your lawns, flowers, and plants and adjusting your watering to make the out of the water you use can really help too. We use 2 to 4 times as much water when the water is warmer as oppose to a cooler time of year.

These tips can help you save when the weather heats up:

If the forecast calls for rain, make sure to turn off your sprinkler system before it starts.
Water for no more than 15 minutes per station per day.
Avoid watering more than 3 times a week.
To limit evaporation, only water in the early morning or evening.

We hope that you find these suggestions helpful and if you have questions about these tip or any other plumbing related question, please call JJ Kokesh and Sons at 636-391-1233.

Summer 2023 Special

Aug 3, 2023

Our special for this Summer season:

$25 off Outside Faucet Installation

*Valid until September 22nd, 2023.

Have your outdoor faucets seen better days? Are you tired of lugging your hose far across your lawn? Are you just hearing about frost free faucets for the first time and want them for your home? Well look no further than Kokesh Plumbing.

Our Summer special is $25 off of outside faucet installation, and now is the perfect time to update, add or replace your faucets. Our team would be happy to come out and take a look to see how we can improve your outdoor faucet experience, from installing outside faucets that won’t freeze in the winter to outside faucets that can provide hot and cold water!

Give us a call at 636-391-1233 and we will set up a time to have our plumbers come out to enhance your outdoor experience with new outdoor faucets.

10 Plumber Tips Every Homeowner Should Know

Jun 19, 2023

We asked our team of plumbers for some tips to share with homeowners. Hope this helps you avoid a plumbing problem!

Ceramic toilet bowl and plunger near blue wall

1.

Know where your main shut off is before the emergency, because an emergency is going to happen at some point and being able to get to and turn off the water to your home fast can make a huge difference.

2.

Never use a brick in your toilet tank as a water saver. The brick can disintegrate and break the fill and flush mechanisms in the tank.

3.

The BIGGEST No-No for your toilet?? “FLUSHABLE” Wipes – they actually don’t disintegrate and cause clogs all the time.

4.

That broken disposal? You might be able to fix it with out calling the plumber. Underneath the disposal there is usually a button or an inset for an allen wrench. Pressing this button or inserting and turning the allen wrench will free us a jammed disposal making it work again.

5.

Want another garbage disposal tip?? To get rid of any smell or to clean the disposal fill the disposal with lemons and ice.

6.

Winterize your outside faucet to avoid frozen pipes in the winter – take the hose off, turn off the shut off valve inside and open up the faucet to allow it to drain.

7.

Think your toilet is running? There is a simple way to find out – add a few drops of food coloring to the tank and wait 30 minutes. If you see color in the bowl you have a leak.

8.

Don’t use chemical drain cleaners down your drains. Any splash back could be extremely dangerous and can disintegrate pipes.

9.

Water pipes are never a good place to hang things – even something you think is light could be enough weight to cause a failure, break, or leak.

10.

Yes, Licensed and Insured Plumbers are going to be more expensive but this also gives the homeowner recourse if something isn’t done right. A homeowner can appeal to the city who issues the license and a properly insured contracted will be able to handle any problem that comes up on a job.

Contact Us With Any More Questions

What Goes into a Bathroom Remodel?

May 16, 2023

This is a quick outline of the steps of a Master Bath Project:

THE PLAN

First you need to decide what aspects of your existing space you like and don’t. Think about what you would like to keep and what you would like to add.
Next, set up estimates with at least 3 reputable companies, such as JJ Kokesh and Son. Take this time to go over all of your wishes for the new bathroom so that the estimator can create the most accurate bid.
When you receive the bids you will want to read them over carefully and decide if they addressed all of your design requirements. Choose the company that works the best with your design and your budget.
Sign your estimate and contact your contractor to begin choosing all of the products for your remodel.

DESIGN TIME

The next step (by far our favorite) is choose all of the elements you will need for the remodel – such as faucets, tile, vanities, wall color, and flooring.
We always recommend as a first step for our clients to choose 10-20 pictures from the internet that inspire them or reflects what they want in their bathroom and send those to us.
With a good sense of what design the client is looking for, we begin to choose faucets, vanities, wall color, lighting, tile, flooring, and shower trim.
We have a great selection of showrooms all over St. Louis to send clients to choose fixtures, tile, tubs, and lighting.
Lastly, we offer recommendations to designers we work closely with for those clients that want or need more assistance in the design process.

Once all of the design elements are chosen, we begin to plan the actual timeline of the remodel by:

Ordering all of the parts
Obtaining a permit
Scheduling with the Contractor

Photos are from a master bath remodel in Webster Groves with ES Construction Services. We updated the pipe size to accommodate the new bathroom and integrated it with their existing boiler system.

DEMOLITION and INSTALL

– Both the Plumber and Contractor work during this time to remove all the design elements that won’t be in the final project.

– The Plumber will then begin to run the new water and drain lines per the new layout – this is also a great time to upgrade any old plumbing since all of the wall are open. They will also set any showers or bathtubs.

– Next, the inspector will come and inspect all of the initial plumbing and work the contractor has done such as electricity and new walls or layout.

– The contractor will then begin working on:

Moving electricity
Drywall
Building out new walls or finishing the changes to layout
Laying the floor
Setting tile

– Another inspection will happen after all of this has been completed to make sure everything is to code and installed correctly.

– The Plumber will come back and begin the finish work, such as:

Setting the vanity, hooking up drains, and installing the faucet
Connect all of the shower & tub trim
Set the toilet
Final test on all of the water and connections

– The contractor will do his final work such as installing lighting, finish trim, painting and hanging all shelves and hooks.
– Then the inspector will be called for the final inspection.

Lastly – ENJOY your new bathroom!

Photos are from the finished master bath remodel in Webster Groves with ES Construction Services. Love the design of these Newport Brass fixtures!

Ready to remodel a bathroom in your house? Give us a call at 636-391-1233 today!

View a Bold Master Bathroom Remodel Project

Toto Washlet

Apr 19, 2023

The Toto Washlet is Toto’s premier bidet toilet seat, often touted as being one of the best bidets worldwide. The Toto Washlet was first introduced in 1980, as the world’s first luxury toilet seat with electronic functionality, and has 12 different styles to suit just about everyone’s needs. The Toto Washlets are designed to fit on most standard North American toilets.

One of the many benefits of a Toto Washlet is that it is very useful for the elderly, people with medical conditions, and people with disabilities.

• Toto Washlets have a drying feature that helps people with limited mobility and muscle weakness clean themselves in a way that can be difficult to do with just toilet paper. It helps minimize the use of your wrist to get at the difficult spots, which is particularly helpful for people with Parkinson’s disease, arthritis and morbid obesity.

• Similarly, people with gastrointestinal tract issues such as Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can find some relief by using a Toto Washlet, which helps eliminate the use of chafing toilet paper and also the cooling jet of water can help elevate the pain and burning of more frequent and painful bowel movements.

• Toto Washlets are much gentler on the skin as compared to toilet paper. Toilet paper can very rough on the skin, irritating the skin and can even cause tiny cuts or bleeding. Toto Washlets provide a soothing stream of water to our most sensitive areas, which especially is helpful for people with hemorrhoids and anal fissures and it helps reduce pressure in that area.

• It is also very helpful for seniors with poor hand-eye coordination, who are unable to trim their nails well, it stops them from cutting themselves while trying to clean themselves, which can lead to pain and infections.

CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW THE TOTO WASHLET WORKS

Toto Washlets are much better for the environment than the traditional products for the bathroom.

• Toilet paper and flushable wipes are harsh on the environment, making toilet paper is a very labor-intensive process that involves pulping millions of trees and billions of gallons of water and flushable wipes are not biodegradable, and clump together to clog sewer systems.

• Toto Washlets are great for preventing clogs in your home and in the sewer systems. Toilet paper and flushable wipes can clog pipes, Toto Washlets only use a bit more water per flush than the usually flush and even have air dryers that climate the need to use toilet paper to dry off. In fact, more than 660 million gallons of water is needed every year to make toilet paper for just American adults alone, and the average American household of 4 uses 360 rolls of toilet paper a year, and the average American uses 90 rolls of toilet paper a year.

• Toto Washlets use way less water, no trees, and does not contribute the plastic that flushable wipes negatively effect the environment. Toto Washlets also perform a pre-mist of the toilet bowl before each use to prevent waste from adhering, which means the toilets need less cleaning, helping to keep harsh chemicals out of the ecosystem.

JJ Kokesh & Son is the only TOTO Factory Authorized Services for the Greater Saint Louis area. We have TOTO trained plumbers who can install and do repairs both in and out of warranty. Let us help you find, install and maintain your new TOTO Washlet or TOTO Neorest, helping you get the most out of your investment!

Contact Us To Learn More and Schedule Your Install

We are super excited to be part of TOTO’s history and these millions of installations!

New Apprentice – John

Mar 28, 2023

JJ Kokesh and Son is pleased to announce that we have hired a new apprentice! John Buckley is the newest member of our Kokesh Plumbing team and we are so excited to have him on our roster. Please join us in welcoming him as he takes his first steps in to the exciting world of plumbing. Below is an interview that we did with John to learn more about him, his experiences and what he sees for his future.

Q&A with John

Why did you want to become a plumber?
– My family is in the industry

What is your favorite color?
– Cobalt Blue

Where did you go to high school?
– Pattonville Senior High School in Maryland Heights, MO

What is your favorite plumbing job?
– Bathroom renovations

Why do you love being an apprentice?
– Learning about different plumbing jobs and being helpful to the plumbers

What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
– Cookies and Cream

What is your favorite vacation spot?
– Pensacola, Florida

Where do you see yourself in the future?
– Being a Journeyman plumber at Kokesh Plumbing

He is very excited for his journey ahead and we are thrilled that John has become a member of our team. When you see him out with our plumbers please welcome and congratulate him! Don’t forget for any plumbing issues that you may have, please give us a call at 636-391-1233.