Plumber Alamo - Guide to Choosing a Low-Flow Toilet - Guaranteed Plumbing Danville, CA

Guide to Choosing a Low-Flow Toilet

Use These Tips when Considering an Eco-Friendly Toilet Model

Homeowners are starting to follow an eco-friendly trend when doing renovations to conserve natural resources, and most importantly, money. A popular eco-friendly trend is low flow toilets; eco-toilets use less water per flush and do the same job as their heavy flow counterparts. When shopping for eco-friendly toilets consumers have to be careful, because toilets with weak flows will clog often. This article will look at what you should consider when shopping for an eco-friendly toilet.

Low flow

The GPF (gallons per flush) is the measure of flow for toilets; this information can be found on the toilets box. According to getwithgreen.com, homeowners can save an average of one gallon per flush when switching to a low flow toilet, and even more if they switch to higher efficient brands, such as Kohler and Caroma. Heavy usage on low flow toilets can cause them to clog very easily since there will not be as much water delving the waist to either a septic system, or city sewer. If the toilet is used by a family I would recommend getting a toilet that averages about 1.6 GPF, and if it is used just by one person you can use a .8- 1.0 GPF low flow toilet.

Should I go with a brand name?

When converting any big household item to low flow, such as sink faucet, bathroom showerhead, and low flow toilet, you should always go with a name brand. The replacement parts are easier to come by on name brands, which makes doing repairs much easier than if you had to hunt for generic parts.

Read customer reviews

There are many different styles of low flow toilets, some of which are great, and others not so much. Research the model you wish to purchase before actually buying it; this will save you a lot of hassle in the future if it does not work well. Low flow toilets are a tricky purchase because although they save you money and water, they also have a tendency to not work as well as higher flow toilets.

Solid waste and liquid waste

A great eco friendly design that is starting to happen with low flow toilets is the option to flush for solid waste or liquid waste. The solid waste flush will use about three GPF, while the liquid waste will use about one GPF. This feature is great because it helps save money by using less water, but also helps prevent any clogs.

Prices

Dual flush toilets as mentioned above are currently about double the price of single flush toilets, but are well worth the extra investment. Although many brand name toilet companies are coming out with highly efficient single flush low flow toilets, I would still be cautious with purchasing one. If there is not enough water flow then you can expect constant repair, whereas if you can control the flow you will take a lot of the hassle out of owning an eco-friendly model.

by Josh Mason
Source:http://voices.yahoo.com/guide-choosing-low-flow-toilet-5269635.html?cat=6

www.guaranteedplumbingco.com

Guaranteed Plumbing Danville, Ca - The Advantages of Instant Hot Water Dispensers

Lots of people love the idea of having an instant hot water dispenser in their kitchen. Using instant hot water allows you to make hot cereal in the blink of an eye, or a cup of tea almost as fast as you can make a cup of instant coffee. And that ready supply of hot water makes clean up a breeze.

How Does an Instant Hot Water Heater Work?

Instant hot water heaters are basically small electric hot water tanks (none of them are gas fired). A small tank holds the hot water ready for use, just waiting for when you turn on the special instant hot water tap at the sink. Water is supplied to the tank through a small water line that runs off the sink's main cold water feed line. It comes into the base of the tank, where it's heated by an electric element. This heating causes the water to expand, and it moves up into a holding tank in the top of the tank where it is kept hot. When you turn on the dedicated tap, hot water flows out the top and fresh cold water flows in at the bottom.

Instant hot water dispensers range in capacity from 1/3 to 1/2 gallon, and the heating elements vary from 500 to 1500 Watts. It's estimated that a 750-watt 1/2-gallon tank can deliver up to 60 cups of hot water in an hour. Since the instant tanks produce water that is substantially hotter than regular hot water tank (about 190 degrees versus 120 degrees), the water is delivered at a much slower rate than a regular hot water tank (about one ounce per second).

Most instant hot water tanks have a thermostat that allows you to adjust the temperature if the water is too cool, or if it's too hot and boils away. You can get instant hot water heaters that are part of "total" water systems as well. Some are produced with integrated water filters or even water chillers to provide pre-chilled drinking water.

Source :  www.doityourself.com/stry/hotwatersolutions#ixzz1tpVkwaUf

by Murra Anderson 

www.guaranteedplumbingco.com

Guaranteed Plumbing Danville - Steps to replace a defective Toilet fill valve

Steps to replace a defective Toilet  fill valve

You can sometimes tell if the fill valve is defective by lowering and raising the float thus turning the water on and off. If it does not turn off quickly when the float is raised, the washer inside the valve may have deteriorated. To replace a defective fill valve you must first turn the water supply off. Most often there is a shut off valve on the water supply line just where it comes out of the wall just below the tank. If there is no shut off valve or it does not totally shut off the water as can happen if the shut off valve was installed some time ago, you will have to turn off the water where the supply line comes into your house or apartment.

With newer fill valves, you can easily unscrew the valve assembly from where it attaches at the inside bottom of the tank by grasping the top of the fill valve and turning it counterclockwise. The replacement valve can be screwed into the threaded fitting at the bottom of the tank and hand tightened.

Tip: Be sure that the replacement valve is the correct height for the size of the toilet tank.

In many cases, you will need to detach the water supply line just below the bottom of the tank by loosening the connecter nut on the supply line with a channel lock pliers or adjustable wrench.

Tip: Some water supply lines are flexible and can easily be pulled away from the threaded end of the fill valve. Older installations may have a copper or brass connector line that can be slightly bent allowing it to be moved away from the fill valve line. Sometimes in doing so, the tube will be bent creating a "kink" in the tube. Moving it may also loosen the connection with the tube where it attaches to the shut off valve. You may want or need to replace the copper or brass line with a flexible line of the correct diameter which will be easy to install and less likely to leak.

Before removing the locking nut that holds the fill valve in place, you should remove as much water from the bottom of the tank as you can because when you remove the fill valve assembly, any water will run out of the tank onto the floor. To remove the hexagonal nut that secures the valve to the tank, turn it counterclockwise. Once this nut is removed, you can reach inside the tank and lift the valve and float assembly out of the tank. If you are replacing a valve that has a float attached to the shut off valve with a threaded rod as described above, you will most likely replace it with a newer style valve that has the shut off float that slide up and down the fill valve as described above. As mentioned before, be sure that the replacement valve is the correct height for the size of the tank. Tighten the nut below the tank being sure that the gaskets that seals off the opening inside and below the tank are in place. Then, reattach the water supply line and turn the water back on.

Tip: If you do not replace the water supply line from the valve to the tank, be sure the old washer or gasket has not deteriorated as this will cause it to leak.

Tip: Once the water line has been reattached, check for leaks. Usually, small leaks can be fixed by slightly tightening the appropriate locking nut.

Following these steps should fix any small leakage of water from the tank into the toilet bowl and reduce your water bill.

source: http://www.afb.org/seniorsite.asp?SectionID=66&TopicID=326&DocumentID=5522

www.guaranteedplumbingco.com

Guaranteed Plumbing Danville, Ca - What not to put down your garbage disposal

The worst things, bar none, to put in a garbage disposal? Potato peels and cooked rice. Both, but especially potato peels turn into glue in your drain, as the starch gets ground up, sitting in your pipes it hardens or will just cause a blockage if not enough water pushes it all the way to the water treatment plant.

The Thanksgiving dinner or Christma dinner potato preparation could cause you a large plumber's bill. Beware!!!!!!!!!!

A general rule of thumb?

Put your bones, garbage, debris in the garbage pail, and save the disposal in the sink for the crud that gets washed off the plates doing dishes. Scrape those plates into the trash can.

The old adage of “less is more” definitely applies to the garbage disposal. Only small amounts of table scraps should go into the disposal. If you find that something from the above list has jammed your disposal it’s a relatively easy process to unjam it.

www.guaranteedplumbingco.com

Guaranteed Plumbing Danville, CA - Low Water Pressure in Shower Heads

Shower heads can develop a low flow situation due to clogging, a defective or stuck bath tub spout diverter, or a worn or defective shower or mixing valve. Just as with the faucets, start with the easiest possible issue and work toward the more complex solutions.

A Typical Shower Head

The Shower Head

Remove the shower head by unthreading it from the pipe. It will turn to the left (counter-clockwise) to unthread. Use a cloth over the shower head to protect it from tool marks. With the shower head off, try the water to see if there is adequate flow. If there is not, the problem is likely to be a defective tub spout diverter (if equipped) or a worn or defective mixing valve.
If the water seems adequate with the shower head off, look inside the threaded port. Shower heads may also have a filter screen or flow restrictor in them that can be seen just inside. The screen will trap sand, mineral buildup and other debris. Rinse the filter screen off, and if it comes clean easily, then inspect the nozzles on the outside. If the holes seem clogged with white mineral scale, you can
If the water seems adequate with the shower head off, look inside the threaded port. Shower heads may also have a filter screen or flow restrictor in them that can be seen just inside. The screen will trap sand, mineral buildup and other debris. Rinse the filter screen off, and if it comes clean easily, then inspect the nozzles on the outside. If the holes seem clogged with white mineral scale, you can sometimes disassemble the shower head to gain access to the nozzles. You may be able to dislodge the mineral build up by gently poking with a safety pin. Mineral scale can also be dissolved by soaking the shower head in a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water, or using a commercial descaling chemical such as CLR or Lime-Away (note that some plastic showerheads may be marred by strong descaling chemicals, so test the chemical in an inconspicuous place first.)

Bathtub Spout Diverters

Bathtub spout diverters can sometimes be repaired, but it is often easier to simply replace the entire bathtub spout. Look for the hex head, allen screw or phillips screw at the six o’clock position, and loosen it. The spout will then either unthread counter-clockwise or pull straight off the stub out pipe. You do not need to turn off the water in order to remove the bathtub spout. Take the entire spout with you to the plumbing department to help choose an exact replacement.

In-Wall Diverters

Diverters mounted in the wall come in several different configurations, and disassembly varies by make and model. While there are repair kits for many diverters, you do have to turn off the water supply to the shower. A common scenario is to have to turn off the water at the main supply entrance into the house.
Generally, you must remove the handle(s), then the decorative escutcheon plate, to reveal the diverter assembly. The diverter assembly will have screws, a nut, or a c-clip that holds the cartridge into the body of the valve. Remove the diverter and take all the parts, including the cover (if separate), to the plumbing department to get an exact replacement.
The article on Low Water Pressure for the whole house will have more information on looking for blockages in the main water supply lines. Usually, this results in low water pressure at every fixture.

source: www.plumbingqa.com

www.guaranteedplumbingco.com

Guaranteed Plumbing Co. Danville, CA - What can I do to keep fat, oil, grease and grit out of the drain

Grease is one of the most common problems for backed up drains - and there are two reasons for this. The first reason is the food that you put down the garbage disposal; and the second reason is washing dishes, pots and pans that have grease on them

The following easy tips can help prevent a sewer overflow in your home or neighborhood.

1. Fat, oil, grease, and grit should NEVER be poured down the sink. Sink drains and garbage disposals are not designed to handle these materials properly.
2. Before washing, scrape and dry wipe pots, pans and dishes with paper towels and dispose of materials in the trash.
3. Pour fat, oil, grease and grit into a disposable container, such as an empty glass jar or coffee can. Once the liquid has cooled and solidified, secure the lid and place the container in the trash.
4. Disconnect, or at least minimize use of the garbage disposal to get rid of food scraps. The garbage disposal chops up food into small pieces, but can still cause a blockage in the pipe. Use sink strainers to catch food items, and then empty the strainer into the trash.

 source: www.paininthedrain.com

www.guaranteedplumbingco.com

Guaranteed Plumbing Danville, CA - Water Saving Tips

Save money on utilities by turning down the temperature on your water heater. Most water heaters will allow you to turn up the temperature to 180 degrees. While hot water is important for clean dishes, your water does not have to be that hot, and turning it down some can save you a lot of money.

A good option for saving money that is less expensive than most people think is to install low flow toilets and shower heads in your bathrooms. This is best if you have good water pressure in your home, as it might make showering not as nice otherwise. However, these use about half the amount of water, and thus reduce your water bill.

Another way to save on water is to make your shower a few degrees cooler or shower for a few minutes less. Making your shower shorter can reduce water waste. It is nice to sit in the water a while after you are clean, but you will save on your utilities if you can cut down on that.

A low flow toilet uses only 1.5 to 2 gallons of water per flush instead of 5 gallons per flush. Installing and using a new toilet, especially if your home is older, will drastically reduce your total water usage. If you do not want to buy a new toilet, reduce the amount of water yourself by putting something in your toilet tank to displace some of the water and cause it to use less. The downside is that they may not flush as well.

 

You can also save water by installing new faucets or installing aerator screens on all of your faucets. The aerator screen increases the power of your water stream as it comes out of the faucet so that you do not have to have as much water to get the pressure you want for cleaning.

Also be sure to check all your faucets and spigots to make sure none of them are leaking or dripping. Even a slow dripping faucet can accumulate over 2 gallons of water per hour, which can greatly increase your water bill. Contact a plumber to inspect and tighten your pipes to prevent leakage, it will cost you about $85/hr, but you will get a return on that.

Lastly, to save on water avoid watering your lawn during the day, as the sun will evaporate much of the water, and your watering will be less effective. If you do water during the day you will have to water more often. You should water your lawn in the early morning hours 2-8am.

By Stormy Brain

www.guaranteedplumbingco.com