If you’re into water conservation, you’ve probably heard the eco-ditty: “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” It refers, of course, to toilet flushing habits. The idea is that less flushing conserves more water. While an admirable sentiment, the practice can be startling to unprepared  homeowners or their visitors. The solution is to have yourlocal plumbing professional install dual-flush toilets. Dual-flush toilets let you save water without offending your grandmother’s sensibilities when she raises the toilet lid.

New Water Conservation Habits

Newer, water-efficient toilets use 1.6 gallons of water per flush. Older toilets, however, use 4 to 6 gallons of water per flush. Dual-flush toilets are designed to use less water to flush waste. First developed in Australia in 1980, dual-flush toilets are just beginning to become popular with mainstream America. States where drought conditions are common were among the first to embrace and promote their use. Dual-flush toilets use a half flush for liquid waste and a full flush for solid waste, chopping water use in half. Users choose the amount of water to be used by pushing the toilet handle one way for a half flush or in the other direction for a full flush.

Results of Poor Water Conservation

By 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that 36 states will be fighting serious water shortages brought on by drought, inefficient water management, increased consumer demand and aging water system infrastructures. The Southwest and portions of California have been struggling with water shortages and been forced to impose strict water rationing for years.

Current News On Water Conservation

Dual-flush toilets are now a standard feature in green building designs. When the U.S. National Park Service constructed a new visitors’ center at Denali National Park in Alaska, dual-flush toilets were installed in all the restrooms.

Conserve Water And Save Money

Installing dual-flush toilets decreases your water use (good for the environment) while decreasing your water and sewer bills (good for your bank account). Definitely a win-win choice!

Sump pumps are made so when water reaches a certain level, a lever is tripped which turns the pump on. The pump takes the water and moves it out of the basement or crawl space via a discharge line. This line goes outside the home and brings the water away from the house.

A common issue with sump pumps is that the water they carry comes from within the ground. So that means the water has dirt in it which can clog pipes and pumps over years of use. The worst part is, this could happen any time of the day and odds are you won’t be in your basement or crawl space to hear it or see it. That means the pump would stop working and water would back up into your home, potentially causing water damage.

This scenario can be avoided with two tools. Some sump pumps on the market have a secondary sump pump in the same basin – if the first pump does not turn on for any reason, the second one will kick on and start pumping water. Also, during periods of heavy rainfall, having a secondary sump pump gets water out of the basement at a faster rate.

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by John Smith

Save $35 off any Sump Pump Installation

Water conservation programs are popping up around the country. Is it time for your approach to go beyond the basics?

Water-saving washers and dishwashers. High-efficiency and dual-flush toilets. Eco performance showerheads and faucets. All are well-established components of water conservation programs – and have proven effective for builders large and small. For instance, KB Home, the first national builder to partner with EPA’s WaterSense program, has used water-saving fixtures and appliances to reduce water consumption in its homes by 20 percent.

While a 20 percent savings is impressive, some builders are finding creative ways to save even more. There is potential for big savings, for example, by rethinking the home’s interior plumbing infrastructure and reducing the need for lawn irrigation.

Creative Plumbing

Tankless water heaters. A tankless water heater will be most effective if it’s placed as close to the point of use as possible. “Sometimes you might need two instead of one,” according to John Barrows, a Long Island-based green builder, and co-author of “Green Building for Dummies.”

Shorter pipe runs. Centrally locating a conventional water heater can reduce hot water piping. With less heat loss as water travels through the pipe, users won’t run the water as long while waiting for it to heat up.

Recirculating systems. A hot-water recirculating system uses a pump to quickly move hot water from the tank to the tap, while simultaneously sending cooled water back to the tank. One potential downside, according to Barrows, is that the system can be an energy drain if it’s left on all the time. He suggests adding timers, motion detectors, or a simple switch “so you can turn the system on like you turn on the lights.”

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Look the System Over

This is why maybe one of the first things that you should examine in your home is the sump pump in the basement. Look it over very closely and also see if it has a backup system. Is it a cheapo pump that is prone to break downs, or does it look like it has too many years on it? Also, if there is a backup pump you should take a good look at it as well.

Do Some Research

Be honest with yourself, because if the basement sump pump is going to fail on you, it will do it the most inopportune time possible, right in the middle of a sever storm in the middle of the night. Another good idea is to find out if the area that you live in is prone to power outages. If this is so then you may want to convert to a water powered pump system.

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by Joe Finkelman

Save $35 off any Sump Pump Installation

If your home has a basement, you are probably aware of the necessity of a sump pump. Even the best engineered basements sometimes leak. A sump pump can remove the water which collects in a basement and move it far enough from the home that water damage is avoided. If there is a power failure, your sump pump may not work if you do not have a sump battery backup.

At the very least, most basements contain valuable mechanical equipment that helps to keep your home comfortable. The furnace, water heater and possibly a washer and dryer could be located in an unfinished basement. Flooding can cause this equipment to be ruined and to need replacement.

With a finished basement, the potential for loss is even greater. In addition to the mechanical equipment, there may be furnishings and structural items that can be damaged by the flooding. If you lose power without a backup, it is likely that many of your possessions could be damaged in the basement. Some of those possessions may not be replaceable such as photos.

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by Kyle Carter

Save $35 off any Sump Pump Installation

The way to test is easy.

*You can add water to the crock or you can lift the float. Even if the water flushes, be sure that the crock empties completely. Check to be sure that the crock does not have roots growing in it. This is one of the major causes of clogging.

*Check the float to be sure that it is free moving. If it is sticky, it will not work. If it hits against the crock or the cover of the sump, it will not work.

*When testing, go outside to make sure that the pump is doing its job. Sometimes the pump can run but not pump. The cause of running may be that the impeller has disengaged from the pump shaft.

*Check and clean out the air hole in the discharge line.

*If the pump is noisy or if it has any rust, you should replace it.

*Another problem that sometimes happens is when the pump runs continuously during the heavy rains. It could give out. You should consider installing a second pump in the crock with a higher-level float. That way, if the lower pump should fail, the second pump would be the back-up system.

*Your sump pump is electrical, so you should have a back-up battery system. To check whether your back-up works, pull the power plug to the primary pump. This is a much better test than waiting for an actual power outage.

*Replace the battery on the back-up sump every two or three years.

Many companies have developed an alarm system that goes off when the sump pump fails. This might be a sound investment. A flooded basement will cost much more than an alarm.

Testing your pump regularly will keep your basement dry. It is one task that can’t be postponed.

By Nan C Avery

Save $35 off any Sump Pump Installation

Is there a Fool Proof System?

On the surface, a battery powered backup system would appear to be fool proof. However; if it was as it appeared, wouldn’t the battery powered pump be the main sump pump? The reason for this is that even a battery powered backup sump pump has its down side.

Water and Electrical Powered Main Pumps

Its not hard to figure out how a sump pump and its backup system work together. If the main sump pump fails, then the backup system will kick in and do the work of pumping the water out of the basement. There are two main sources for power that a main pump will be run off of and they are water or electricity.

Battery Power is Reliable

A battery powered backup sump pump is designed to kick in if either one of those two types of main pumps fail. The electrical main pump can fail if the power is shut off and the water powered system can fail if it is overwhelmend by a deluge of water that it can’t handle.

Batteries Last Only So Long

Battery powered sump pumps work great but they have one big weak spot. That is that the battery’s can run low and then the pump will fail. But cant enuough batteries be stored? Even then if a storm system goes on for a week and there is no power for the entire duration it is simply impossible to have enough batteries.

Creative Engineering is the Answer

So what is the solution? There is no fool proof sump pump system that will go on indefinitly. This means that you can have a reliable system with a battery powered backup sump pump but it will only last so many days.

By Joe Finkelman

Save $35 off any Sump Pump Installation

Water conservation is becoming an increasingly important issue. In order to start saving water, it helps to know how much water you use for common tasks. Warren County residents can use this handy guide to gauge their personal water consumption. We’ve also provided helpful suggestions for cutting water use.

Shower. Letting the water run continuously during a 10-minute shower uses 50 gallons of water. Cutting shower time to 5 minutes decreases water use by 50% to 25 gallons. If you like long showers, install a low-flow shower head which decreases water use by 50%.

Bath tub. Filling a standard-sized bath tub uses 36 gallons of water. Filling your tub only half full uses just 18 gallons, decreasing water use by 50%.

Toilet flushing. Depending on tank size, standard toilets use 5 to 7 gallons of water per flush. Placing a displacement bag inside the tank reservoir cuts water use to 4 to 6 gallons. Replacing your toilet with a low-flow toilet that uses just 1.6 gallons of water decreases water use by 73%.

Washing hands. Washing up while the tap runs uses 5 gallons of water. Filling the basin to wash your hands uses just 1 gallon of water, a water savings of 80%.

Brushing teeth. Running the tap continuously while you brush your teeth uses 10 gallons of water. Turning on the water only to wet your brush and periodically rinse it uses just 1 gallon of water, a 90% savings.

Dishwasher. Turning your dishwasher on for a full cycle uses 16 gallons of water. Using the short cycle uses only 7 gallons, a 56% savings.

Hand wash dishes. Washing dishes by hand with the tap running continuously uses 30 gallons of water. Washing and rinsing dishes in a filled sink uses only 10 gallons of water, a savings of 66%.

Your Plumber Can Tell You About Water-Conserving Plumbing Products

See you Nixco Plumbing professional for water-conserving plumbing products.

Thanks to Keith Raymond.

Save $25 on Your Next Service Call

Homes with basements usually have a sump pump in them. The sump pump removes accumulated water from a sump pit and channels it away from the home to prevent the basement from becoming flooded. Water can enter the basement through perimeter drains when it rains or as ground water if the basement is located beneath the level of the water table.

Where the Water Goes

When groundwater levels climb, a sump pump diverts water from the house to a municipal storm drain or a dry well at least 20 feet away from the house. In older properties, sump pumps discharge to the sewers via a floor drain. However, most municipal bylaws prevent newer properties from doing this. The excess water can overload a municipal sewage system and even damage a septic system.

Sump pumps need to ensure discharged water doesn’t run into window wells, neighboring lots or septic system drain fields.

Types of Sump Pumps

Sump pumps are either submersible or pedestal/upright types. The former sees the pump placed together with a waterproof motor in a single unit. It fits inside the sump and does not pose a problem if it gets wet.

A pedestal pump has the motor placed on top of a column above floor level in a basement. The pump remains in the sump but the motor should not get wet due to its elevation. Submersion creates the danger of electrocution given the combined reality that water is a conductor and the motor is not protected through waterproofing. Both types of pumps connect to an outlet pipe to drain water away from the house.

by Aric Mitchell

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Save $35 off any Sump Pump Installation

The average household could save about $170 per year on water and sewer bills by retrofitting with WaterSense labeled fixtures and incorporating water-saving practices? Follow these simple steps in your own home and watch the savings really add up!

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