The term storm drainage sounds dramatic, but it’s a basic part of the drainage system of your house. However, storm drainage can definitely prevent dramatic situations such as flooding, so it’s important to know a bit about what it is and how to take care of it.
A clogged storm drainage system can lead to serious problems and possibly damage to your yard or even your house. Water damage is incredibly expensive to remediate, and a well-cared for drainage system can prevent it from happening to your house. Considering the average annual rainfall in Durham is 48 inches, you’ll want to ensure your home’s storm drainage system always does its job.
Our slogan at Bud Matthews Services is “For All Your Home Service Needs.” But did you know we also offer a number of commercial services as well? Our plumbers are qualified to handle commercial 
The heat of summer is already here in May, with some days climbing into the 90s. Air conditioning systems across the state are already getting to work managing the comfort of homes. Your home is probably one of them.
Not all homes have a connection to a municipal natural gas line and must run entirely from electricity. Although electricity is more expensive an energy source than natural gas when it comes to powering appliances such as the furnace, oven, and stove, it’s readily available and decreases safety concerns connected with natural gas. Plus, using electricity doesn’t have to be as expensive as it might seem at first. Smart energy use and high-efficiency appliances (always look for the ENERGY STAR label!) can keep bills in check.
There’s an old saying that the simplest solution to a problem is usually the best solution. We tend to find that’s true—but the problem is people often don’t know what the “simplest” solution is. It isn’t necessarily the quickest or the least expensive. A simple solution is the one that has the fewest possible complications.
At Bud Matthews, our slogan is “For All Your Home Service Needs!” And we mean that: we provide complete services for plumbing, heating, air conditioning, ventilation, water heaters, indoor air quality, remodeling, and new construction. If your home needs it, you only have to call us—we have 24/7 emergency service.
You’ve probably heard talk about “tankless water heaters” as one of the best new options for a home and perhaps wondered if you should have one installed. If you have an aging storage tank water heater that may need to be replaced within a few years—or even this year—then it’s a good idea to keep a tankless water heater high on your list of choices. It might not be the best choice, but the many advantages of this type of water heating system are impossible to ignore. We’ll look at one specific example today: how tankless water heaters can save you money. 
We can all do our part to help the environment by cutting down on the amount of water we use in our homes. There are some simple ways to reduce your household water usage, such as taking shorter showers, only running the dishwasher on a full load, turning off the sink faucet when you’re brushing your teeth, etc. A professional plumber can also help you achieve marvels when it comes to saving water: whenever you have a leak of any type in your home, or notice a higher water bill than usual, call a licensed plumber to 
Hard water is unfortunately a common issue in homes today, and it often occurs in cities. Minerals seep down through the ground and into the pipes carrying fresh water from the municipal treatment plants to residential and commercial buildings—this is why hard water can affect homes even with the best city treatment plants.
