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Tri-County news • New Holstein Area Progress 2017 • Thursday, March 30, 2017
Plumber keeps up with changing times By Mark Sherry With each passing year, Todd Schmidlkofer can make another tally mark for the number of years he has been a licensed plumber. And with each passing year, he acquires more knowledge and experience which only benefits the customers of Todd’s Plumbing. Working out of his rural New Holstein home and a small shop in Brillion, Schmidlkofer provides plumbing service work, plumbing installations for kitchen and bathroom remodeling projects, and plumbing installations for new construction. “The industry is constantly changing,” he said. “You’re constantly learning things about business and about plumbing.” As a trained, licensed, and experienced plumber, it might surprise some people to learn that Schmidlkofer does not necessarily have a problem with doit-yourselfers trying to do some simple plumbing installations on their own. In his usual laid back and easy to get along with style, Schmidlkofer said he understands the need for people to try to save a few bucks. But he does have some words of advice for those people. For starters, do-it-yourselfers should know that plumbing codes often change which in itself is a good reason to rely on a licensed plumber who is kept up to date on the latest changes. Secondly, if a do-it-yourselfer embarks on a project and finds themselves stuck halfway through, Schmidlkofer said they are welcome to call him in for help at (920) 418-1004.
That has happened more than once in his seven years of owning Todd’s Plumbing and his 15 years in the trade.
A lot of service work Schmidlkofer said service calls occupy a lot of his time these days with everything from repairing clogged drains to replacing worn out water softeners, sump pumps, and toilets. Life expectancies on today’s appliances can vary depending on the manufacturer, he said, but he also advises people to keep their water soft in order to extend that life. Home and light commercial remodeling projects also keep Todd’s Plumbing busy, with bathrooms generally being where you will find him. “It varies,” he said. “Sometimes you have a run of kitchen remodels.” Equally varied is what people are doing with those bathrooms and kitchens these days. “More people are going traditional,” he said, but there are still others who like to add a little pizzazz to their bathroom and/or kitchen. Manufacturers are glad to accommodate those desires as technology has impacted the plumbing trade just as it has every other aspect of society. From touch-on-and-off faucets to “self-cleaning” toilets to designer shower wall inserts, Todd’s Plumbing can get it and install it. But he also is willing to share his experience and advice on whether or not the latest is really the greatest. As an example, Schmidlkofer said he has seen the popularity of touch faucets diminish as everything from electrical Turn to todd’s/page 19 A
Todd Schmidlkofer has owned Todd’s Plumbing for the past seven years and has 15 years of experience in the trade. Mark Sherry photo
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