Carney All Seasons Blog: Archive for the ‘Plumbing’ Category

Why Is it Essential to Have a Reliable Well Water Pump?

Friday, July 29th, 2011

If 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.

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Showerheads that Save Water: Low-Flow Shower Heads

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

If you are looking for ways to save water in your home, a low-flow shower head is a great place to start. There are many different types of low-flow shower heads on the market right now, so you should have no trouble finding one that suits both your needs and your budget. However, it can be difficult to determine which one is right for you, so it is best to learn a bit about your options before you make a purchase.

The goal of low-flow shower heads is to use less water. But you do not want to compromise your shower experience at the same time. So you need to find a low-flow shower head that can provide the same feel as a regular shower head with less water. Thanks to plenty of new technological developments, this is quite possible, but not all low-flow shower heads can accomplish this effectively.

The first thing you want to look for in a low-flow shower head is a pressure compensating system. This allows the shower head to provide a consistent stream of water regardless of your water pressure. One of these shower heads makes sure you always have a powerful enough spray for a comfortable shower even when you do not have a lot of water pressure. They do this without wasting water if your water pressure is very high.

You must also decide whether you want a shower head that aerates the water. An aerating shower head adds air to the water spray to make it feel like there is more water than there actually is. Many low-flow shower heads use this technology to enhance the feel of their spray and it can work quite effectively. But aerating the water also tends to cool down the water, meaning that you will have to turn on more hot water (and use more energy) to maintain a comfortable temperature.

Fortunately, there are some low-flow shower heads that do not aerate the water and are still able to provide a comfortable and complete showering experience. You will have to do a bit of digging to find them, but it will be well worth it to you in the long run.

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Shower Valves and Fittings

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Your shower is the place you go to get clean. But it is also much more than that. You want to be able to enjoy a comfortable showering experience at all times, and for that you need to have the right shower valves and fittings. There are a lot of factors to consider when you are picking out your new shower setup, so it is a good idea to do some research ahead of time to find out what features are really important to you and which you can do without.

First of all, you will need to pick out the type of shower head that you want. There are wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted and hand-held varieties available, so you should think about where you like the water to be coming from and how much flexibility you want to have in that. Some people definitely prefer hand-held shower heads, but for others it is simply a wasted feature.

When you go to buy a shower head, it is also important to have a budget range firmly in your mind. There are so many features available on some of the top of the line models that it can be very tempting to go all out. Be sure that you really consider how likely you are to make use of all of those features before you go and spend the money on them.

The number of controls that your shower has is another item that you will have to consider. The types of controls you need will depend to a certain extent on the water pressure situation in your house and the availability of hot and cold water. For instance, if your shower is susceptible to losing cold or hot water when someone turns it on elsewhere, you will want a shower head that can compensate for that. If that is not an issue for you, however, there is no reason to spend the money for that particular feature.

While you certainly have many feature-based decisions to make when it comes to picking out your new shower valves and fixtures, do not forget to consider aesthetics as well. The look of your new shower matters too and there are so many different fixture styles and finishes that you should have no problem finding one that suits your sense of style.

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Scald Free Showers and Bathtubs: Scald Prevention Methods

Friday, July 22nd, 2011

One of the worst things that can happen to you in a shower is when a sudden blast of scalding hot water strikes you unexpectedly. This is a problem for many people and usually happens when someone turns on the cold water at another tap in the house. When that occurs, the cold water that you were using to regulate the temperature in your shower becomes temporarily unavailable and the hot water takes over.

This usually does not last long, and even if it does, you will likely jump out of the way quickly. But for the moment you are underneath that scalding hot water, some serious damage can be done, particularly to older people or young children whose skin is not as thick as that of an average adult. Also, in trying to get out of the way of the hot water in a slippery bathtub, many people have accidentally fallen and injured themselves more seriously.

So what can be done about these sudden and unexpected blasts of hot water? Well, recent developments in shower and bathtub technology have made it possible for scald free shower and bathtub fixtures to reach the market. These products are designed to maintain a consistent temperature in your shower no matter what type of water or how much is being used elsewhere in the house.

These scald free showers can compensate for the dip in cold water pressure that occurs when someone flushes a toilet in another bathroom or turns on the water in the kitchen. This is accomplished by the addition of a diaphragm that can immediately adjust to any variations in either hot or cold water pressure. With this technology in place, you will never need to worry about being scalded in the shower again.

Of course, these scald free shower heads and bathtub fixtures can cost a bit more than their conventional counterparts. But they are well worth it, especially if scalding water is a problem in your shower on a regular basis. You need to be able to keep yourself and your family safe in the shower and scald free showers are the best way to do that.

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How Hard Is Your Water?

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

The hardness or softness of water varies considerably from one part of the country to another. What we really mean when we talk about hardness is how much calcium and magnesium carbonates are present in the water. The more of these minerals there are, the harder your water will be. While the fact that your water is harder does not mean that it is unsafe, it is good to know what you are dealing with.

There are several ways to find out how hard or soft your water is. You may simply be able to call your local municipality and get the results of the tests they perform. You can also purchase a water hardness test kit pretty easily and some water softener services even perform free hardness testing on mailed-in samples.

Water that is too hard can cause problems for washing machines because it interferes with the chemical functioning of many detergents. And water that is too hard will leave deposits behind on fixtures, sinks, tubs and anything else it comes into contact with. Over time, these deposits can clog up pipes or make their openings smaller, effectively reducing water pressure.

Deposits are also good at clogging up shower and faucet fixtures and they can even build up in your washing machine which will cause some real damage down the line. Using hard water for cooking can create some unwanted complications as well.

Fortunately it is relatively easy to eliminate hard water problems. There are many companies that offer a variety of water softening services. There are water softeners that can be attached to your home water source to treat the water as it comes in and remove any excess chemicals that the water has. These water softeners are an excellent option when you are struggling with very hard water.

Of course, these water softeners can also wear out and become clogged with buildup over time, so you will want to look for a water softening service company that provides full service replacement and repair programs as well.

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How a Water Softener Works

Monday, July 18th, 2011

You use water for many things. It is necessary for bathing, cooking, washing clothes and for drinking. But the water we use in our homes is not pure. It has plenty of other minerals and additives suspended inside. While some of these, like fluoride, are intentionally added to the water supplies in certain areas, some others get in by chance.

Aside from actual pollutants, the additives you may be the most concerned about finding in your water are calcium and magnesium. These minerals are picked up by water as it moves through the ground, and the more of them that get into your home water supply, the harder that water will be.

The term hard water is used to describe water with high levels of calcium and magnesium present. These minerals are not actually dangerous to us, but they can cause all sorts of problems for your indoor plumbing and other household systems. For instance, hard water will leave deposits of these minerals on the insides of pipes and on sinks, faucets and bathtubs.

Residue will also build up in appliances like coffee makers, dish washers and washing machines. Over time these buildups can become a real problem and you may have to pay for costly repairs or need to replace large appliances.

In order to avoid these types of complications, your best bet is to have a water softener installed. These systems can be connected directly to your home water source and they are able to remove excess calcium and magnesium from the water before it ever reaches any of your indoor plumbing or appliances.

Water softeners generally remove these minerals by attracting the positively charged calcium and magnesium particles with a tank full of negatively charged polystyrene particles. In this system, the calcium and magnesium are replaced by sodium ions as they move through the water softener, thereby maintaining the overall balanced composition of the water. Once the water has passed through and the calcium and magnesium have been left behind, the water softener will flush them out and prepare to absorb another wave of hard water minerals.

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Quick Tips on Toilets

Monday, July 11th, 2011

Quite simply, everyone needs to have a working toilet in their home. Of course, when we do, we tend to take it for granted. Most people really do not know much about how their toilets work and how much water they use, and acquiring that information can be beneficial to you for several reasons. Toilet tips can help you save money, catch problems early and generally get the most out of your toilet.

Water-saving devices are always useful on toilets. Even if you did not buy a water-saver toilet to begin with, you can convert your regular toilet into one by installing a toilet cycle diverter. These great gadgets actually direct some of the water from each flush back into the tank rather than allowing it to run into the toilet bowl itself.

What this does is allow the tank to fill up faster. Less water goes down with each flush and less water is needed to fill up the tank. These devices are relatively easy to install yourself and they can save you a ton in the long run. In fact, the average toilet cycle diverter can conserve up to a gallon of water per flush.

You will also benefit from learning about how your toilet works because it can enable you to catch problems early when they are easy to correct. You may or may not be able to do the corrective work yourself, but at least you can call out a plumber earlier rather than later.

Fixing toilet problems early hopefully means that you will not have to go without a toilet for very long, if at all. And the repairs that you need should be relatively minor and inexpensive. When toilet issues are allowed to persist, they can turn into a much bigger plumbing problem and cause a great deal of inconvenience to you and your family.

One of the most common toilet problems is leaks. A leaky toilet can have all kinds of symptoms, but the bottom line is that it is probably costing you money on your water bill each month. Also, leaks will only get bigger as time goes on, so you will be much better off if you fix them early. Phantom flushing and continuous running are both signs that your toilet is leaking, and the earlier you do something about it, the better off you will be.

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How Can I Get Better Flow from My Faucets?

Friday, July 8th, 2011

Most of us realize that a drain can get clogged or that the pipes in our home might require extra repairs every now and then, but rarely do we realize that when the faucet is not providing a strong, steady flow of water, it is likely because of a clog in the actual faucet. If you are suffering from low flow in your faucets or worse, sputtering and clogging, here are some tips to help fix the problem.

Why it Happens

The reason that so many faucets now have problems related to clogging is that they have been changed and redesigned over the years to reduce water flow. Older faucets would pour ridiculous amounts of water through the drain – not at all good for the environment. Today, aerators and other technology advancements greatly reduce the amount of water used, but also tend to cause these types of clogs.

Checking Your Aerator

The easiest way to fix a slow flowing faucet is to check the aerator tip for unwanted sediment. Despite filtration of tap water, over time small bits of sand, dirt, and other sediment can and will build up in the aerator. That sediment should be cleaned out of the tip of the aerator at least once a month to keep it from slowing the flow of water.

If a water main breaks somewhere or a problem occurs in the water supply outside of your home, this type of sediment might start to build up more rapidly and cause immediate clogs in your faucet. Other things that might build up include pieces of pipe or flux from plumbing joints that break free and enter the water supply. None of it poses a health problem, but it can be frustrating when it gets into your faucets and blocks the water supply.

Valve Cartridge

If the aerator is not the problem it may be in the valve cartridge. To fix this, you will need to replace the part. Each faucet can be very different, so you should refer to your owner’s manual (many of which are online) for how to take this part out of the faucet assembly. When you go to the hardware store, be sure to take the valve cartridge with you so you can get the exact piece you need for replacement.

The easiest way to avoid a clog in your faucets is to be careful with any repairs you make. While a water main break is not something you can control, you can control how the water supply is affected when someone does repairs on your home’s plumbing. Leave faucets open outside, turn the main valve back on slowly and check your faucet immediately after the repair to ensure no sediment gets clogged in the assembly.

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Where Are My Shut Off Valves?

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Whenever you want to do some home repairs on your plumbing, whether it is to change a leaky faucet or fix knocking pipes, you need to shut off the main water supply. But, most home owners do not know where their main shutoff valves are, especially if they have just moved in or are renting a home that is unfamiliar to them. To help, here are some common places you can look for shutoff valves in your home.

  • Water Meter – The Water Meter, which you can usually find in your basement or just outside your home, will have a shutoff valve attached directly to it. Usually there will be two shutoff valves – one on each side of the meter (supply and home). To effectively shut off your water supply, turn the valve located before the meter.
  • Toilet Supply – Sometimes you do not need to cut off the main water supply to your entire house. It can be disruptive and the people in your home may not appreciate not having drinking water or a shower while you are working on the plumbing. So, when working on the toilet, always look for the toilet water valve located behind the tank. Sometimes this valve will be on the floor – other times it will be located on the wall just behind the tank.
  • Finding Wily Supplies – Sometimes the water supply may not be located where you would expect. It might be behind appliances or access panels or above your head somewhere. Most of the time, the water supply will still be in the basement, so start there and look carefully for the root of the pipes. Since most of the pipes in your home will originate at the supply line, you can usually trace them back to a single source.

If you still cannot find your main water supply line and shutoff valve, that does not mean it is hidden in the floor somewhere or outside. Sometimes, the supply lines are just in odd places, either because of strange construction or poor renovations by a past owner. If this is the case, get a second pair of eyes to help you hunt or as a last ditch option, call a plumber who will be able to more easily follow the lines back to their source. Nine times out of ten, you should be able to find and handle a main water supply on your own. But never rule out calling for a professional’s help if things get more complicated than anticipated.

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How Much Water Does a Leaky Faucet Waste?

Monday, July 4th, 2011

A leaky faucet is obnoxious for more than one reason. It is incessant, it represents a problem that will probably only grow worse, and it can cost you money on your water bill. Beyond all of that, it wastes a lot of water, putting undue stress on the environment. But, how much water does a leaky faucet actually waste? It may not seem like much, but when added up over a period of time, that leaky faucet’s impact can be fairly substantial.

Okay, so a single drip every couple seconds may not seem like a lot of water. But, think about it this way. If you let your faucet drip every day, twenty four hours a day, it is definitely going to add up. Imagine what would happen if every faucet in your home was dripping or every faucet in your neighbourhood. It would not seem like such a small amount of water anymore.

In terms of how much water is actually wasted, it is impossible to tell for certain. After all, every drop of water from a faucet is a different size and falls at a different rate. But, for the most part the water coming from a faucet (according to the US Geological Survey) is between 1/5 and 1/3 of one milliliter. Using those calculations and 1/4 of a milliliter as an average, the USGS estimates that roughly 15,140 drips from a faucet equals one gallon of water.

It may not seem like much. After all, fifteen thousand drops is a LOT of drops. But, if your faucet dripped once every second every day, all day, it would only take four and a half hours to reach one gallon. Every day you would waste 5 gallons of water or 2,082 gallons per year. That is 10% of the average water used by a standard 3.5 gpf toilet on a daily basis. Now, imagine what happens if you have more than one drippy faucet, or if your bathtub leaks which will drip more water at a time or if the leak is larger than the average size.

In short, the cost of a leaky faucet may not seem like much, but as time passes, it can really add up and if it is not taken care of, the cost will only grow as the leak gets bigger and potentially new leaks start in other faucets of your home. Do not let it drip forever – take action now and cut down on the environmental impact you have, as well as your bill.

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