A toilet is a relatively basic piece of plumbing equipment, but that does not mean that installing it is easy. This is certainly a job that many people can do on their own, but you should be prepared to devoting the majority of your day to the project. While the installation itself is not terribly complicated, it is quite important that you get it right, so make sure you have all of the necessary materials, equipment and tools before you begin.
The first thing to remember is that you need to install your toilet in an appropriate place relative to the rest of your bathroom plumbing. Especially if you are installing your toilet along a branch drain, make sure that the sink, shower and any other plumbing fixtures are upstream of the spot where you will be installing the toilet.
You will also need to make sure that you install the toilet an appropriate distance from the wall. You need to be able to get around the toilet, and you also want to leave space so that work can be performed on the unit later. Putting your toilet too close to the wall can cause all kinds of complications in the way the unit functions and there is also a possibility of condensation build-up. For all of these reasons, it is important to make sure you are allowing an adequate amount of space on all sides.
The procedure you will have to follow when installing a toilet will be slightly different depending on whether you are installing it in a new spot or simply replacing an existing unit. When replacing an old toilet, you need to remove everything involved in the previous installation. That means taking the old bolts out of the floor and scraping away any residue to ensure that you have a clean and even surface to begin your installation on.
You should also make sure that you are aware of all applicable local codes before you begin your work. Even if you technically install your toilet correctly, you could run into trouble later on if your installation is not actually up to code. It is also important to remember to level all of your fixtures before you complete the installation process and to make sure you use a dielectric or brass fitting when attaching galvanized steel and copper to each other.
Archive for April, 2011
How to Install a Toilet
Friday, April 29th, 2011Do Low-Flow Toilets Work?
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011Low flush toilets have been available since 1994 and are highly recommended both by the government and multiple green organizations to help reduce the water use in your home. But, the big question you probably have is whether these highly popular alternatives to regular toilets in fact work.
The Numbers
To start with, low flush toilets use less than half as much water to flush as a normal toilet. The average standard toilet uses 3.5 gallons per flush, while a low flush toilet uses only 1.6 gallons per flush. Some new toilets even use less – with the new High Efficiency Toilet (HET) standards setting the maximum flush capacity at 1.3 gpf.
While those toilets did not always perform to optimal standards when they were first released 17 years ago, they have come a long way and now operate almost identically to standard toilets. In fact, most public and restaurant restrooms built in the last 15 years now use these types of toilets instead to save money.
Choosing a Model that Will Work
There are a number of ways to measure different toilets. Just like almost any fixture, the manufacturer, design, and construction of a low flush toilet will determine how well it works. So, while for the most part low flush toilets work like normal toilets, you should take some things into consideration.
To start with, you must choose between either a siphonic or wash-down style toilet. The siphonic toilet uses much more water in the bowl, but as a result has a lot higher chance of clogging. The wash down method uses far less water in the bowl and does not clog as much, but the result is a somewhat tougher to clean interior of the toilet.
Pricing
The lowest prices may not represent the best low flush toilets on the market, but neither do the highest prices. Look for mid-range prices from competitive manufacturers. For less than $300, you can often buy a solid low flush toilet that will not clog any more often than a standard toilet and will save a tremendous amount of water and energy each year by reducing the amount of water flushed.
Low flush toilets are effective, inexpensive and largely popular for a good reason – they work. So, if you are remodelling a bathroom or simply want to make a change to the toilet you currently have, consider installing a low flush toilet to take advantage of green energy technology that is freely available for your bathroom.
How Much Water Will I Save with a Low Flow Toilet?
Monday, April 25th, 2011There are many reasons why you might want to save water in your home. Not only does it save you money, cutting down on your annual water bill, but it allows you to do your part in reducing the impact of modernity on our environment. And of all the appliances and plumbing fixtures in our homes, the toilet is among the worst offenders when it comes to wasting water.
That is why the advent of the low flush toilet has been very well received. While the 1.6 gpf toilet (standard toilets are 3.5 gpf) was originally invented in the 1990s, it is only now becoming more widespread as issues with things like clogging and multiple flushes were commonplace with the earliest models.
So, how much water can a low flush toilet actually save you? On average a 3.5 gpf toilet uses around 27,300 gallons of water per year. By comparison the 1.6 gpf toilet uses only 12,500 gallons per year. That is less than half as much water. With the average toilet using up to 30% of the daily water flow in a home, it is a fantastic way to cut back on your environmental footprint, and if your water bills tend to be high, it will severely reduce them as well.
Other Ways to Save Water
Low Flush Toilets are a great way to cut back on the amount of water we use in our homes, but there are other ways as well. In terms of fixtures, low flow shower heads are very popular right now and can help to cut back another 15% of your annual water use. You can also purchase lower flow faucets for your kitchen and bathroom sinks. High quality hot water heaters that provide hot water as needed are also good for reducing water use as you will not need to leave the faucet or bath running for any period of time.
Whether you want to cut a few dollars from your monthly bill or simply want to do your part to protect our environment, a low flush toilet is definitely the way to go, especially if you are remodelling or moving into a new home and the choice is there for you to take. It may still be good to compare the price of a regular to low flush toilet if you already have a working toilet in your home, but for new installations it is almost always a good deal.
Heat Recovery Ventilator – What Is It and When Do You Need It?
Friday, April 22nd, 2011While the design of modern homes is to retain as much energy as possible while minimizing the cost of heating and cooling, that very design can have a negative impact on your indoor air quality. Because air cannot pass freely between indoor and outdoor environments, you are stuck breathing the same air day after day.
Luckily, there are t options that will exchange the heat in your indoor air to the outdoor air as it enters your home. In effect, you can retain all of the heat your home produces each day before it leaves the house. It works equally well in the summer to retain the cooled air your air conditioning units produce.
How Heat Recovery Works
Heat recovery ventilators come in many forms, including simple ventilation, heat exchange, or air exchanging. There are even some indoor heat pumps that will carefully draw heat from the air as it’s removed from your home and recirculate it through your air ducts.
The idea is the same no matter how the system is installed. As air leaves your home through a ventilator, a counter-flow heat exchanger transfers energy between the air leaving and entering your home. So, instead of warm air leaving and cold air entering, the air coming into your home takes the heat from the air leaving your home. Air comes and goes, but heat stays inside.
In the summer, the same system works in reverse to remove heat from the air coming into your home and keep it outside. The one thing to keep in mind with a heat recovery ventilator is that it doesn’t retain the humidity in your home as an energy recovery ventilator would. If you live in an area with very high or very low humidity during summer or winter, an ERV may be a better solution for your needs.
Air Quality Benefits
The goal of a good heat recovery ventilator is not just to retain the heated or cooled air in your home. It is also to ensure you have clean, fresh air to breathe each day. Most people don’t realize, but when you don’t circulate your air and your home is sealed up with enhanced weather-stripping and high quality insulation, unwanted contaminants begin to build up. A heat recovery ventilator makes sure you not only get fresh air, but that it’s properly filtered and the heat or cooling your comfort system produces is retained. No money is lost, energy is saved, and your family stays comfortable and healthy – everyone wins.
The low down on sump pumps
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011If you’re house has a basement there is a good chance you have a sump pump. Older homes or homes built on water front property may not have a sump pump.
When you build a basement below grade you should have sub surface drainage pipes call footer drains. These pipes carry accumulating ground water from beneath your basement floor away from the home. In order for the footer drains to carry the water away they will either empty into a sump pit.(newer homes) or they will flow by gravity to a storm drain or a sanitary drain on the property.(older homes) These gravity systems most likely will not have a sump pit.
With a sump pit system a pump at the bottom of the pit will remove the footer water when the pit reaches a certain level and should send it to a outside storm pipe at a much higher level then the city storm main. This arrangement if installed properly will prevent water from flowing back into your house(also known as surcharge) during heavy rain fall.
Gravity flow systems on the other hand are not that high above city mains and will allow water to freely overwhelm your basement if the mains become surcharged. Some municipalities are requiring homes with gravity footer drains to upgraded to a sump pump system if they experienced flooding due to surcharge.
If you have a sump pump system it is important to make sure you have a properly sized primary and backup pump. Piping of the discharge from these pumps is also important. Once you have the right system in place don’t forget to maintain it annually . Proper pumps and piping is a topic in it self and will be discussed at a later date.
Mold…What if I Have Mold?
Wednesday, April 20th, 2011No one wants to find mold. But, even if you’re not aware of it, mold is probably lurking somewhere in the damp, dark crevices of your home. And mold is particularly likely to grow in homes with improperly regulated humidity. Luckily, because we know that, there are quite a few things we can do to stop the growth of mold in its tracks and save your home from unsafe air quality and the damaging effects of those little spores.
The Dangers of Mold
As mold grows, it can do damage to your woodwork and other areas of your home. It also contributes to indoor air quality issues because mold spores are a significant indoor air contaminant. Many people are allergic to mold spores, so if you or someone else in your household has experienced allergy symptoms that you can’t explain, mold spores are a likely culprit.
If you find out there is mold in your home, don’t panic just yet. There are some things you can do to address the problem and get mold out of your house for good. Your main task will be getting rid of the mold that is already there. This isn’t necessarily easy because of the areas mold tends to grow in. But, even with the proper air quality treatment, your home and health is still at risk if you don’t target that existing mold fast.
Stopping Mold in Its Tracks
Just getting rid of existing mold won’t solve the problem, though. Mold keeps coming back as long as there is an environment to support it – and that means moisture. Mold requires water to grow, so the chances are that if you have a mold problem in your home, you also have a humidity problem. Getting your indoor humidity under control will make it much easier to remove and keep mold out of your home for good.
There are plenty of good humidification systems on the market today. They can be easily integrated into your home heating and cooling system and provide great, consistent humidity control. Make sure you get one that’s large enough for your home. An indoor air quality professional can help you make that determination. Once you have a good humidification system in place, you’ll notice a huge difference in your overall indoor air quality, and hopefully the problem won’t return anytime soon.
Why Is it Essential to Have a Reliable Well Water Pump?
Monday, April 18th, 2011If you rely on a well for your home water needs, it is absolutely essential that you can depend on your well water pump at all times. The simple fact is that without a reliable well water pump, you will not have any guaranteed access to running water in your home, and that is a situation that you will want to avoid at all costs.
For this reason, it is important to take certain factors into consideration when you are having a well water pump installed. To begin with, you want to make sure that the unit you choose is high quality and has a reputation for durability and reliability. There are many good well water pumps out there, but there are also some that may not quite measure up. Make sure you thoroughly examine your options and consult with a professional before you make your final decision.
Another important thing to remember is that you need a pump that is big enough to accommodate the water needs of your household. You could get a great, top of the line product, but if it is not big enough, you will have endless problems with your water supply. A smaller system will also have to work harder to keep water flowing into your home and is likely to wear out faster as a result.
The power that the well water pump you choose has needs to match up with the depth of your well. If you have a very deep well, you will need a more powerful pump to get the water up and into your home. Of course, both larger and more powerful pumps tend to be more expensive, but it is worth it to pay the extra up front than to have a chronically insufficient water supply to your home.
There simply is no substitute to having a well-sized, high-quality well water pump installed for your home. This is a purchase that will impact your quality of life for many years going forward, so it is worth taking some time to evaluate your options and collecting professional opinions so you can be sure you are going with the best product.
What Is a Whole House Water Filter System?
Friday, April 15th, 2011When you think of water filters, you may imagine a faucet attachment or a pitcher with a filter installed. But there is an easier and more convenient way to provide filtered water to all areas of your house, and that is a whole house water filter system. These units are becoming more and more popular as people begin to realize that it is not just the water you drink that needs to be filtered. In fact, there are many reasons that you may want to filter the water you shower and wash your clothes in as well.
Impurities in your water can affect you and your family even if you do not drink it. And that is why whole house water filtration systems remove contaminants from your water before it even comes near any of the faucets in your home. These types of systems are attached to the main water source for your home and can treat the water as it comes in and before it is distributed elsewhere.
These are generally simple systems, which makes them relatively inexpensive to install and maintain. Of course, your filter will need to be changed on a regular basis and that is an ongoing expense. But most of these filters are designed to filter between 10,000 and 100,000 gallons of water. While each filter will come with a recommendation for how often it needs to be replaced, it is important to remember that you may need to replace yours sooner rather than later depending on the amount of contaminants in your water supply.
You can also get different types of filters depending on the kinds of contaminants you are most concerned with removing from your indoor water. For instance, some water filters are better for removing bacteria and viruses, while others will do a better job of eliminating things like iron or other specific types of minerals and chemicals.
There are many good whole house water filtration systems out there, but finding the right one for your home can be tricky. For that reason, it is a good idea to consult with a professional plumber who can help you determine which product is right for your home.
How to Install a Sink Faucet
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011A leaky faucet is generally not hard to fix. But if your faucet becomes a source of chronic frustration for you or if you simply feel like it is time for a change, replacing it with a new faucet may be just the right thing to do. The best part is that a new faucet does not even have to cost you that much money. Of course, if you want a top of the line model you will certainly pay the price. But many nice, high quality faucets can be had for a very reasonable sum.
Once you pick out your new faucet fixture, you must get your old one out of the way. This is fairly simple to do. Begin by shutting off the water to the faucet you are going to replace. If you cannot find the water shutoff for that sink alone, you can also shut off the water to your entire house. This could be a bit of an inconvenience, but replacing the faucet should not take you too long so just make sure no one else desperately needs to use the water during that time.
After the water is shut off, turn on the faucet to let any excess water drain out of it and then plug up the drain so that you do not lose any pieces or parts down it while you are working. Next, disconnect the water lines that feed the faucet so that you are free to remove the old one. You will also have to figure out how your faucet is attached to the counter itself.
Your old faucet may be attached on the bottom of the counter or the top. Either way, you can get it off easily enough, but you will have to know which side to approach it from. Once you have unscrewed your old fixture, simply pull it off the sink and put it aside. Make sure that you thoroughly clean the area where the old fixture was attached as well. Remove any grout, putty or other substance that may have collected around the old fixture over the years.
When that is done, you are ready to install your new sink faucet. Simply fit it into place, attach it to the counter and connect the water lines. Be sure all connections are secure and turn the water back on to test your handiwork.
What Is a Cast Iron Radiator?
Monday, April 11th, 2011Cast iron radiators are part of a type of home heating system that has been around for generations. While these types of systems have been largely displaced by newer forced air heating, they do still hold some distinct advantages over their more modern counterparts.
Cast iron radiators are heated as either hot water or steam is circulated through them from a furnace or boiler. As the cast iron heats up, it radiates the heat outward into the air and can thoroughly heat your home evenly and efficiently.
In fact, heating systems that use cast iron radiators are quite a bit more efficient at heating homes. They also don’t typically have the types of problems associated with certain types of forced air heating like hot spots, cold spots or generally uneven heat distribution throughout the house.
Cast iron radiator heating systems are also typically cheaper to install than forced air systems because they don’t require ductwork. Instead, a closed system of pipes links the radiators to the boiler, and those are much easier to put in place and generally take up much less space than ductwork does.
While radiators can also be made out of some other metals, nothing holds the heat as well as cast iron radiators do. It is also safer to heat cast iron to higher temperatures, so you don’t have to worry about keeping them on too long or running them in extreme circumstances. They also hold the heat extremely well, so they can continue to heat a room even after the heat has been shut off.
Of course, cast iron radiators are not a solution for keeping your home cool in the winter as some of the newer heat pumps and other central forced air heating and cooling systems are. If you have cast iron radiators in place, you’ll still have to invest in some type of air conditioning system if you want to keep your home cool enough in the summer.
Also, because they do get very hot, cast iron radiators can present a potential burn hazard, particularly to small children. However, there are many different types of radiator covers available that can both mitigate that risk and add a nice touch of style to any room in your home.
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