Category: Plumbing

Posted on | by Shane Jones
Schedule Service

The Honest Answer About Tankless Water Heaters That Most Contractors Won't Give You

You’ve probably spent an afternoon going down the tankless water heater rabbit hole. Seventeen tabs open, three YouTube videos, a Reddit thread where half the comments say tankless is the only smart choice and the other half say it’s overpriced and overhyped. You closed the browser more confused than when you started. 

That’s not your fault. That’s the industry. 

Here’s what most contractors won’t tell you: for a lot of homes, a traditional water heater is the smarter financial call. Not because tankless isn’t a good product. It genuinely is, for the right home. But “right for some homes” and “right for your home” are two different things, and the only honest way to answer that question is to look at your specific setup before recommending anything. 

That’s exactly what Cardinal does. And if the answer is that you don’t need the expensive option, we’ll tell you that too. 

The Tankless vs. Traditional Question, Answered Honestly

Tankless water heaters heat water on demand, meaning there’s no storage tank maintaining a reserve of hot water around the clock. For households with high hot water demand, or homeowners who want to reduce standby energy loss and free up space, a tankless unit can be a genuinely strong investment. They tend to last longer than traditional tanks and can be meaningfully more efficient depending on usage patterns. 

But they’re not right for every home. The upfront installation cost is higher. Some older homes require gas line upgrades or electrical work to support the unit properly. And for smaller households with modest hot water needs, the efficiency gains may not justify the difference in cost over a realistic payback period. 

A traditional water heater, on the other hand, is often a faster, simpler, less expensive upgrade that delivers real improvements over an aging unit without the additional installation complexity. 

The honest answer depends on your home, your household, and your budget. Not on what a contractor had in the truck that day. 

Tankless vs. Traditional Water Heaters: Which One Makes More Sense?

The honest answer is that both options are good. The better choice depends on how your home actually uses hot water. 

A tankless water heater may make more sense if: 

  • You have a larger household with multiple people using hot water at the same time  
  • You plan to stay in your home long-term and want a longer-lasting system  
  • You’re interested in reducing energy waste from storing hot water  
  • Your home can support the installation without major upgrades  

A traditional tank water heater may make more sense if: 

  • You want a lower upfront cost  
  • Your household has moderate or predictable hot water usage  
  • Your current setup allows for a simple replacement  
  • You’re looking for a reliable, straightforward upgrade without added complexity  

Most homeowners aren’t choosing between “good” and “bad.” 
They’re choosing between two good options with different tradeoffs. 

That’s why a quick assessment usually makes the decision much clearer.

Why Most Homeowners Are Still Confused After Doing the Research

The tankless conversation online is loud and contradictory because it’s coming from two directions at once. Homeowners who love their tankless units are enthusiastic advocates. Contractors who sell them have a financial reason to recommend them. And the information that gets lost in between is the part that applies specifically to your situation. 

The square footage of your home, the number of people using hot water simultaneously, the condition of your existing gas lines, whether you’re in a hard water area, how long you plan to stay in the house: all of these factor into which option actually makes sense. None of them show up in a YouTube video from a plumber in Arizona. 

Cardinal comes out, looks at your home, asks the right questions, and gives you a straight answer. No pressure. No predetermined recommendation. Just the information you need to make a confident decision. 

What a Cardinal Water Heater Assessment Actually Covers

When a Cardinal plumber comes out, here’s what goes into the recommendation: 

  • Your current water heater’s age, condition, and capacity  
  • Your household’s hot water habits and peak demand  
  • Your home’s gas line capacity and whether upgrades would be needed for tankless  
  • Which option makes more sense given how long you plan to stay in the home  

The goal is to walk you through the real tradeoffs so you can make the call that’s right for your situation, not ours. 

Save $500 on Tankless Installation Before June 5

If a tankless water heater turns out to be the right fit for your home, Cardinal is offering $500 off installation through June 5, 2026. 

And if the better choice is a traditional water heater, we’ll tell you that clearly and help you move forward with confidence either way. 

The goal isn’t to sell you one option over another. It’s to help you make the right call for your home. 

Cardinal has been serving Sun Prairie, Dane County, and most of southwest Wisconsin since 1984, with over 5,000 five-star Google reviews. When you call us, you’re not calling a stranger with a van. You’re calling the team your neighbor trusted last spring. 

You’ve been meaning to figure this out. Now there’s a real reason to do it before June 5.

Posted on | by Shane Jones
Schedule Service

75 Feet of Hose. One Afternoon to Fix It

There’s one spigot on the front of the house, and the garden is in the back.

So every spring it starts again, uncoiling the hose, dragging it around the side of the house, through the landscaping, across the corner of the driveway, untangling it, stretching it as far as it goes, and still coming up about six feet short of where you actually need it. You’ve been doing this for years and somewhere along the way just decided that’s how it works, when the truth is it doesn’t have to work that way at all.

Adding a hose bib is a straightforward plumbing job, one afternoon, and suddenly there’s a spigot exactly where the garden is, a short hose on a hook by the wall, done in thirty seconds instead of fifteen minutes of coiling and dragging. It’s one of those things where once you have it, you can’t believe you waited this long.

What Wisconsin Winters Do to Hose Bibs

There’s another side to this too. For homeowners who already have the hosebib in the right place, spring has a way of revealing what winter quietly broke. 

Hose bibs take a beating every year. The freeze-thaw cycle that Wisconsin puts outdoor plumbing through is genuinely hard on these fixtures, and the frustrating part is that damage often hides inside the wall until the exact moment you need the thing to work. 

You won’t know there’s a problem until you turn the handle and nothing comes out. Or worse, until you hear water somewhere inside the wall that shouldn’t be there. 

That’s not a great way to start a Saturday you’ve been looking forward to for six months. A quick hose bib check before the season starts takes almost no time and saves a lot of frustration. If there’s freeze damage, a worn-out washer, or a fitting that didn’t survive the winter, finding out now means it gets fixed before the sprinklers need to run, not after. 

What Hose Bib Service Actually Includes

Whether you need a repair, a replacement, or a new installation on a different part of the house, Cardinal handles all of it. Here’s what that looks like in practice: 

  • Repair of leaking or malfunctioning hose bibs, and replacing any hidden freeze damaged pipes 
  • Full replacement of worn-out or damaged outdoor faucets 
  • New hose bib installation wherever you need one, front, back, or side of the house 
  • Frost-free hose bib options that are better suited for Wisconsin winters going forward 

The whole thing is faster than most homeowners expect. And right now there’s $50 off any hose bib service through May 1, 2026. 

Common Questions About Hose Bib Service

What is a hose bib and how do I know if mine is damaged? 

A hose bib is the outdoor faucet on the side of your house where you connect a garden hose. Most homes have one or two. Signs of damage include water dripping from the hosebib when it’s off, water leaking from around the handle, low pressure when you turn it on, or water sounds inside the wall when the faucet is running. Sometimes there are no obvious signs at all until the first time you actually need it in spring. 

How do I know if my hose bib was damaged over winter? 

Sometimes you don’t until you turn it on. Freeze damage often hides inside the wall and only shows up as a leak or loss of pressure once water starts flowing again. One thing that’s a pretty reliable indicator though: if you left a hose or attachment screwed on over winter, there’s a good chance it was damaged. A connected hose traps water inside the fixture and prevents it from draining, which is exactly what leads to freeze damage. If that sounds like your situation, worth having it checked before the water goes on. 

Can I add a hose bib anywhere on my house? 

Pretty much, yes. A plumber will look at where your existing water lines run and find the most practical spot to tap in. Most new installations go on the back or side of the house where homeowners need them most, and the job typically takes just a few hours. It’s a much smaller project than most people assume. 

How long does hose bib installation or replacement take? 

For a straightforward repair or replacement, usually just a couple of hours. A new installation takes a bit longer depending on where the new spigot is going and how the water lines are routed, but most jobs are done in a single visit. 

Save $50 on Hose Bib Service Before May 1

Save $50 on Hose Bib Service Before May 1

Cardinal has been serving Sun Prairie and Dane County since 1984. Over 4,500 five-star Google reviews. When you call us for hose bib service, you’re not calling a stranger. You’re calling the team that took care of your neighbor last spring. 

The first warm weekend of the season has a way of arriving faster than you think. Getting this taken care of now means the first turn of the handle is the one you’ve been waiting for. 

Posted on | by Shane Jones
Schedule Service

Most Wisconsin storms are just storms

Rain. Thunder. Maybe a flicker of lights. You have been through enough of them living in Sun Prairie or anywhere in Dane County. You know the routine. Light a candle. Wait it out. The power usually comes back within the hour. 

But not every storm goes that way. 

Sometimes the power stays out. 

And when it does, your sump pump goes silent. 

That is when the real problem begins. 

The Storm Is Not the Risk. The Power Outage Is.

In southern Wisconsin, the storms that knock out power are often the same ones that dump inches of rain in a short window. Spring snowmelt. Saturated ground. Heavy thunderstorms rolling across Dane County. 

Your sump pump is designed to handle rising groundwater, but it runs on electricity. So when the power fails at the exact moment your pump is needed most, it stops working. 

Not gradually. Immediately. Water does not wait. 

What Insurance Replaces and What It Does Not

If your basement floods, insurance may help with: 

  • Carpet 
  • Drywall 
  • Furniture 
  • Appliances 

It is a disruption. It is expensive. But it is replaceable. 

What usually lives in basements, though, is not. 

Photo albums. Baby books. Kids’ artwork from elementary school. Holiday decorations collected over decades. Old home videos on tapes or DVDs. Letters. Yearbooks. The box you keep meaning to sort through but never quite get around to. 

Water does not distinguish between soaked carpet and forty years of memories. It ruins both without hesitation. 

And when you are standing in a wet basement holding pages that used to contain photos of your child’s first steps, there is no claim form that fixes that. 

That is the part most homeowners do not think about until it happens. 

Why a Standard Sump Pump Is Not Enough

A typical sump pump system in Sun Prairie homes includes one primary pump connected to your home’s electrical system. 

It works perfectly. Until the power goes out. 

Without a battery backup sump pump, there is no secondary protection. No redundancy. No safety net. 

A battery backup system installs alongside your primary pump. When the power fails, it switches on automatically. You do not have to reset anything. You do not have to be home. 

It simply keeps running. 

That is the difference between cleanup and staying dry. 

What Battery Backup Sump Pump Installation Actually Protects

Staying protected during a power outage means: 

  • Your pump continues running even when the grid is down 
  • Your basement stays dry during heavy rain and spring thaw 
  • Your stored belongings stay exactly where you left them 
  • You avoid water damage costs that exceed insurance limits 
  • You stop worrying every time a severe thunderstorm warning appears 

That last one matters more than most people expect. 

There is a real cost to lying awake during a Wisconsin storm wondering whether tonight is the night something goes wrong. 

Common Questions About Battery Backup Sump Pumps

What is the difference between a battery backup sump pump and a regular sump pump? 

Your primary sump pump runs on household electricity. A battery backup sump pump has its own dedicated battery system. If the power fails, the backup automatically takes over. The systems we install combine both into one coordinated setup so your home is protected under normal conditions and during outages. 

How long does a battery backup sump pump last during an outage? 

Runtime depends on how much water is entering your sump pit. Most systems are designed to handle extended outages common during Wisconsin storms, not just brief power flickers. During an in-home estimate, we can review capacity options based on your home’s specific needs. 

How do I know if the battery needs attention? 

Modern systems include built-in monitoring and alarms. They perform regular self-checks and alert you if the battery needs replacement. You are not left guessing. 

How long does installation take? 

In most Sun Prairie and Dane County homes, installation can be completed in a few hours. After assessing your existing sump setup, your plumber will provide a clear timeline. 

How much does battery backup sump pump installation cost? 

Installation cost depends on your current sump configuration and the battery system selected. Through April 3, 2026, you will save 100 dollars off installation. Call us for a precise quote tailored to your home. 

Save 100 Dollars on Battery Backup Sump Pump Installation Before April 3

Storm season in Wisconsin is not the time to discover you needed backup protection. 

Through April 3, 2026, Cardinal is offering 100 dollars off battery backup sump pump installation for homeowners in Sun Prairie and throughout Dane County. 

We have served this community since 1984. Our licensed plumbers install systems designed for real Midwest weather conditions. We evaluate your current sump pump, recommend the right backup capacity, and ensure the system is installed properly the first time. 

This is one of those upgrades where the math is straightforward. 

One installation. 

One battery backup system. 

And you stop gambling with things that cannot be replaced. 

If you have been meaning to get this taken care of, now is the time to schedule it before the next round of storms rolls through. 

Call (608) 291-3409 or click the button below to schedule your battery backup sump pump installation and secure your 100 dollar savings before April 3.