One of the most basic amenities that we take for granted here in the US today, it is difficult to even imagine what life would be like without the toilet. But for much of the developing world, there is no need to imagine, as life without adequate sanitation is both a common and dangerous reality. Often the hidden problems behind high child mortality rates, poor water quality and lack of safe waste disposal are known to cause a host of horrible, life-threatening diseases, including rotavirus, cholera, typhoid and hepatitis.

On the 10th anniversary of World Toilet Day, which takes place on November 19, we all have a chance to help make lack of clean water and adequate sanitation a thing of the past.

Vanguard, a documentary series on Current TV, came out with this awesome 44-minute documentary on sanitation called “The World’s Toilet Crisis.” It’s raw, very candid and highly persuasive in the argument that yes — everyone in the world should have a toilet! Watch it here:

You can contact us at (513)770-5590 or by email at info@nixcoplumbing.com .

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We service our valued clients in Mason, Ohio and  all surrounding areas such as Lebanon, Loveland, West Chester, Kings Mills, Landen, Bethany, Wetherington, Olde West Chester, South Lebanon, Monroe, Springboro,  Morrow, Maineville, Cincinnati, Blue Ash and many more.

Nixco Plumbing Inc. installs, services and repairs backflow preventers, water heaters, garbage disposers, sump pumps, ejector pumps, drinking fountains, lav faucets, kitchen sink faucets, shower valves, tub valves, hose bibbs, toilets, sewer lines, water lines, miscellaneous plumbing repairs and much more.  We can also take care  of your sewer and drain cleaning, water line repairs,  sewer line repairs and much more.

Almost 80% of infectious diseases are passed on by human contact, and on average only 50% of people wash their hands after toileting, emphasizing the benefits of ‘hands-free’ toileting. Total Hygiene, the British company behind the UK’s top-selling Clos-o-Mat toilet, which eliminates the need to use toilet tissue, says latest findings reinforce the argument for a combined toilet/bidet/drier(automatic toilet), showing its Clos-o-Mat uses a 1/10th of the water and energy consumption required to produce just a single roll of toilet paper- and 100% reduction in wood.

“A single roll of toilet paper requires 37 gallons of water, 13kWh of electricity and 1.5lbs of wood to be produced,” says Robin Tuffley, Total Hygiene Marketing Manager. “By contrast, a typical Clos-o-Mat toilet uses less than 2 gallons of water to flush and wash, and less electricity than a kettle- 0.12kWh- to warm the water and air-dry. The eco credentials speak for themselves, even before you factor in the health benefits of improved hygiene.

“We know germs are passed by hand/body contact, so removing that contact improves hygiene. Washing with water rather than wiping is also more effective, especially if you have a limiting physical or mental condition, and, for some, a religious consideration. And a combined unit takes up less space, and requires less cleaning, than separate toilet and bidet.”

Total Hygiene has over 40,000 of its Clos-o-Mats installed in the UK, both in individual’s homes, and public/ multi-user environments. Actor Kenny Baker, most famous for his role as Star Wars’ R2D2, has a Clos-o-Mat in his Lancashire home, which he installed after coming across a similar product in Japan, where 60% of households have such units. He says, “The Japanese love technology, and to them such toilets are normal. I thought ‘I’ve got to have one of those!’ It was a treat to go to the toilet. The Clos-O-Mat has been a fantastic buy, so comfortable, and so much more hygienic and pleasant.”

Published by Angela May

You can contact us at (513)770-5590 or by email at info@nixcoplumbing.com .

Nixco Plumbing Coupons – Click Here

Find out About Nixco Plumbing Inc.

Become a Facebook  Fan of Nixco Plumbing Inc.

We service our valued clients in Mason, Ohio and  all surrounding areas such as Lebanon, Loveland, West Chester, Kings Mills, Landen, Bethany, Wetherington, Olde West Chester, South Lebanon, Monroe, Springboro,  Morrow, Maineville, Cincinnati, Blue Ash and many more.

Nixco Plumbing Inc. installs, services and repairs backflow preventers, water heaters, garbage disposers, sump pumps, ejector pumps, drinking fountains, lav faucets, kitchen sink faucets, shower valves, tub valves, hose bibbs, toilets, sewer lines, water lines, miscellaneous plumbing repairs and much more.  We can also take care  of your sewer and drain cleaning, water line repairs,  sewer line repairs and much more.

The 30-second spot shows men apologising for their toilet behaviour with men and boys of all ages apologising for their bad aim, failure to flush, the “splattering” and the stench.

Jennifer Osborne, Reckitt Benckiser category manager for Harpic, said: “Consumer research tells us that the brand is mainly used for a serious weekly clean of the toilet. But, lets face it, that good work is quickly undone by the toilet habits of Australian men. So Euro’s campaign encourages the use of Harpic for quick ‘emergency’ cleans of the toilet too.”

Steve Coll, executive creative director Euro RSCG Australia, said: “Toilet cleaner is normally considered a pretty low interest category. But I’m delighted to be working with a client and an agency team who are determined to break those expectations. In particular, huge credit goes to the creatives, Chris Johnson and Dave Ladd, who have worked tirelessly to produce a wonderfully engaging campaign.”

To view the ad click here.

You can contact us at (513)770-5590 or by email at info@nixcoplumbing.com .

Nixco Plumbing Coupons – Click Here

Find out About Nixco Plumbing Inc.

Become a Facebook  Fan of Nixco Plumbing Inc.

We service our valued clients in Mason, Ohio and  all surrounding areas such as Lebanon, Loveland, West Chester, Kings Mills, Landen, Bethany, Wetherington, Olde West Chester, South Lebanon, Monroe, Springboro,  Morrow, Maineville, Cincinnati, Blue Ash and many more.

Nixco Plumbing Inc. installs, services and repairs backflow preventers, water heaters, garbage disposers, sump pumps, ejector pumps, drinking fountains, lav faucets, kitchen sink faucets, shower valves, tub valves, hose bibbs, toilets, sewer lines, water lines, miscellaneous plumbing repairs and much more.  We can also take care  of your sewer and drain cleaning, water line repairs,  sewer line repairs and much more.

A day after a spectacular spacewalk, the astronauts are fixing toilets and moving boxes.

Atlantis astronauts Chris Ferguson, pilot Doug Hurley and two mission specialists — Sandra Magnus and Rex Walheim — are spending the better part of their day moving stowage racks and cargo from the shuttle-launched Raffaello logistics module into the international outpost.

About five tons of food and supplies — or about a year’s worth — were hauled up in the Italian-built moving van. An equal amount of surplus gear and trash will be stuffed into the module for the return trip home.

Space station flight engineer Ron Garan went from spacewalking Tuesday to plumbing today.

One of the toilets on the U.S. side of the station broke down Tuesday and Garan got the call to fix the potty. He has been busy exchanging air hoses and other parts to put the toilet back into service. In the meantime, the astronauts and cosmonauts have been using toilet facilities on the Russian side of the station and in Atlantis

by Todd Halvorson

You can contact us at (513)770-5590 or by email at info@nixcoplumbing.com .

Nixco Plumbing Coupons – Click Here

Find out About Nixco Plumbing Inc.

Become a Facebook  Fan of Nixco Plumbing Inc.

We service our valued clients in Mason, Ohio and  all surrounding areas such as Lebanon, Loveland, West Chester, Kings Mills, Landen, Bethany, Wetherington, Olde West Chester, South Lebanon, Monroe, Springboro,  Morrow, Maineville, Cincinnati, Blue Ash and many more.

Nixco Plumbing Inc. installs, services and repairs backflow preventers, water heaters, garbage disposers, sump pumps, ejector pumps, drinking fountains, lav faucets, kitchen sink faucets, shower valves, tub valves, hose bibbs, toilets, sewer lines, water lines, miscellaneous plumbing repairs and much more.  We can also take care  of your sewer and drain cleaning, water line repairs,  sewer line repairs and much more.

commercial buildings that do not sub-meter their irrigation. This is important for two reasons.

First, if you don’t know how much water you are using for irrigation, how can you measure your

savings? Having that baseline water consumption will allow you to not only track your savings,

but also to calculate the financial impact of your water reduction efforts. The second reason is

just as important. If you do not have your irrigation separately metered, you are more than

likely paying sewer charges on that water. Since municipalities can track only water coming

into a building (I wouldn’t want to be checking that meter on water coming out!), they bill you

for your consumption for both water charges and sewer charges, since they assume all water

coming in needs to be sent to the wastewater treatment plant. Irrigation falls outside that realm,

since municipalities know that the water is being infiltrated. So if you do not have a separate

meter for irrigation, get one installed and watch your sewer bill plummet!

2. Separately meter the cooling tower – The same rule that applies to irrigation applies to

cooling tower water use, and again for two reasons. One, you can’t work to reduce the

evaporation rate if you do not know how much water you are using. And two – you should not

be paying sewer charges on cooling tower water that is being lost to irrigation. Even if a

separate meter from the water authority is not available, they will often let you do an internal

sub-meter and report monthly cooling tower water use for a credit on your sewer bills. If you do

not have both your irrigation and cooling tower water sub-metered, make that your next priority

for the fall!

3. Better manage irrigation schedules – How many times have you seen a commercial building

that has the irrigation system running when it is raining outside? This is almost as frustrating as

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irrigation systems that are not maintained (see point 5). Irrigation systems are far too often

watering plants for longer periods than they need or watering when it is not required.

Fortunately, both are easy fixes. The simple fix is to make sure you are setting back your

irrigation system seasonally. Once you are doing that, begin to challenge how long it actually

needs to run. Is 30 minutes four times a week sufficient or can you get by with 20 minutes? It is

amazing to see how quickly savings add up. And if you notice the plants starting to wilt, simply

readjust the schedule again – it costs you nothing to try. To prevent watering when not

required, adding a basic rain or soil moisture sensor to your irrigation system. These costs

only a few hundred dollars — you don’t need a full weather system, just something that keeps

the water turned off if it is raining, or if it senses sufficient soil moisture. Talk to your local

landscape maintenance company, and you can likely have it installed the same week.

4. Change out water-intensive plants –Simply remove a portion of the more water-intensive

plants, predominantly the uber-thirsty annuals, and replace them with just-as-colorful native or

adapted species. The “color” plants for buildings generally require the most amount of water (or

at least compared to turf), but less water demanding options abound, no matter what region of

the country you reside. Your company will also save money since you can reduce the amount

of seasonal changes that are required. Planting hardy native species that last much longer and

are able to flower for an extended period, save money not only on water but on landscaping

expenses as well.

5. Make sure the irrigation system is maintained – I am not a botanist, but I’m pretty sure that

it is the plants that need watering, not the sidewalks or the parking lots. Similar to making sure

the system is not irrigating during a rain event, how are your sprinkler heads looking? When

was the last time a complete inspection occurred to ensure that sprinkler heads are pointed in

the right direction, and that the system is not leaking? This also leads to incorporating more

drip irrigation into your facility. Drip irrigation has a 95 percent efficiency rating versus 65

percent for spray irrigation.

6. Change toilet flush valves – How old is your building? If your toilets were installed prior to

1992, you are likely using three to five gallons of water per toilet flush, or more than triple what

post-1992 fixtures use. Even for the newer toilets, options abound. There are now 1.28 gallons

per flush (gpf) flush valves from a variety of manufacturers – offering a 20 percent savings per

flush over newer toilets and 70 percent over pre-1992 fixtures. For commercial toilets,

changing the flush valve allows you to retain the actual toilet, resulting in a minimal change-out

cost. If you have standard tank-type toilets, numerous manufactures make a traditional flap

tank with 1.28 gpf, or pressure assisted toilets all the way down to one gpf! I’ve installed both

types in many different types of buildings, and have yet to hear of one complaint or added

service call.

7. Change faucet aerators – This is the $2 fix. Most standard faucet aerators use 2.2 gpm

(gallons per minute) or higher – almost the same as a shower – just to wash your hands! Most

of that water is wasted. For approximately $2, you can get a new 0.5 gpm aerator for each

faucet – cutting lavatory water use nearly 80 percent. We have 0.5 gpm aerators in all our

buildings, and again, no complaints. If you are not comfortable going that low, put on a 1.0

gpm, and still save over 50 percent, for only a few dollars investment.

8. Change out faucets – If you have a leaky faucet, your best bet might be to replace it with a

new WaterSense®-labeled model with a maximum flow rate of 1.5 gpm, or a savings of 30

percent over conventional faucets. If you currently have a pre-1992 model, your savings will

likely be even greater. When replacing a faucet, you might also want to explore a “touch-free”

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replacement, although this may be a more expensive option. But every time I walk into a

bathroom and see a faucet left running, I appreciate every dollar spent on touch-free faucets.

Touch-free keeps water running only when sensing hands underneath, almost guaranteeing

that faucets won’t be left running with water wasted down the drain. In addition, touch-free can

be more sanitary and give users peace of mind. (The same goes for touch-free toilets and

urinals, since from a water-saving perspective, they are much less likely to be left running). For

more on WaterSense, see www.epa.gov/watersense/.

9. Convert to waterless or one-pint urinals – Standard post-1992 urinals use one gpf.

Waterless urinals, as the name indicates, use no water. They simply have a gel barrier that

allows liquids to pass through but prevents odors from rising back up. And water use is

eliminated! However, they do require different care than typical urinals do. Dumping cleaning

water or chemicals into the urinal drains can damage the gel seal and permit odors to

permeate the air. Also, some have filters that can cost $30 each, which can add a cost burden

if the gel seal wears down prematurely. However, with a little education, cleaning crews will

maintain them properly and you use zero water! In the buildings we maintain, we have not had

an issue. We have actually seen fewer service calls, because as there are no moving parts,

nothing can jam or clog the system. If you are not comfortable going waterless, one-pint urinals

(1/8th of a gallon) are now on the market. They use just a bit of water to move waste and keep

liquids flowing, while reducing water consumption over 85 percent. Not quite as water-efficient

as waterless urinals, but if you aren’t ready to take that plunge, this may be an acceptable

alternative.

10. Use ENERGY STAR® dishwashers – If you are using commercial dishwashers in your

building’s cafeteria, consider ENERGY STAR-rated dishwashers that use 40 percent less water

than a standard dishwasher, while saving energy in the process! The cost is virtually the same,

so if it is time to upgrade your dishwasher, make sure you are looking for the ENERGY STAR

label.

Thanks to Tommy Linstroth for this list of Top Ten.

Save $25 on Your Next Service Call

Before you search for a plumbing, heating or air conditioning contractor in the greater Cincinnati area, you must do some homework about your specific job. Your goal isn’t to become a technical expert, but you want to learn enough to ask the right questions and evaluate the answers.

Research Your Options

Your neighbor had a great experience with one contractor and your co-worker had a terrible experience with another. This feedback is great research material! During the research phase, identify several contractors who can help you with your job. The best feedback comes from the word-of-mouth experiences of people you trust. They are more likely to give you the “straight scoop” on their experiences (both positive and negative) than other potential referrals. Your prospect list should include two to three contractors. Each prospect should be located locally and the business should have a physical street address. Then, you should call your local Better Business Bureau, or other consumer related organizations to verify company information.

Contractor Checklist

Be sure to use the following checklist of questions to help you in your contractor research process:

• How long has the company been in business?
• How many certified service technicians does the company have?
• Is the company a member in good standing with the BBB?
• Has the company received awards in the community for outstanding service in plumbing, heating and air conditioning?
• Is the company available evenings and weekends to handle any service calls or emergencies?
• Does the company have adequate liability insurance and proof of it?
• Does the company provide workers compensation insurance?
• Does the company have a documented weekly technical training program for employees to maintain and improve their skill level?
• Will the company use shoe covers and drop cloths on the job to protect your home nad property?
• Will the company provide you with a list of customers who have had problems resolved with a no questions-no hassle written guarantee?
• Will the company handle all permits needed for your job?
• Does the company have all necessary local, state, and federal licenses of the appropriate work?
• Can the company provide me with a list of references for the work I am planning to have done?

By the way…Nixco Plumbing can answer “Yes” to all of the above questions!

How To Be A Smart Customer

After you have completed the checklist above, here are a few more tips that will help you make an intelligent decision when it comes to investing money in your family’s comfort and safety.

• Don’t rush into a project or take the first bid that comes along (including door-to door solicitations).
• Don’t accept a verbal estimate; it must be in writing.
• Don’t make cash payments or full payment up front.
• Don’t think you’ve discovered a great bargain if you get a bid that is substantially lower than other bids. Remember, you get what you pay for.. and if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Nobody loves a nice bathroom quite like Cintas Corp.

The Cincinnati-based company has released its annual list of America’s Best Restrooms, and this year the midtown St. Louis restaurant known as the Fountain on Locust takes the … throne. The restaurant is located in a former ice cream parlor, and its bathroom features hand-painted murals, ornate fixtures and designer mirrors.

“We are absolutely thrilled and honored to have been chosen by the public as having the Best Restrooms in America,” says Joy Christensen, owner of the Fountain on Locust, in a press release. “We put a lot of thought and effort into the design and construction, and we are certain that many of our customers come back because they know our bathrooms are not just unique but also clean. Earning this national recognition means a lot to our entire staff.”

Second place went to the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City, which boasts Italian marble, bronze and crystal chandeliers, floor-to-ceiling commodes and hand-painted walls. Other winners were Bryant Park in New York; Embassy Theatre in Fort Wayne, Ind.; and Muse Hotel in New York.

For details and pictures, check out the America’s Best Restroom website.

This is the ninth year that Cintas has hosted the restroom contest. Finalists for 2010 were selected earlier this summer based on hygiene, style and open access to the public. You can see the Hall of Fame here.

Slow-close toilet seat special

The Rivue Restaurant & Lounge in Kentucky’s largest river city is one of 10 finalists in Cintas Corp.’s “America’s Best Restrooms IX” contest. The Rivue’s accommodations feature translucent ruby washbasins, floor-to-ceiling stall doors and cloth towels, among other amenities.

You might want to turn it into a cross-country trip and experience the Italian marble, and bronze and crystal chandeliers at the Grand America Hotel in Salt Lake City; the fireplaces and gold columns at the Embassy Theatre in Fort Wayne, Ind.; the fresh-cut flowers and scented oils at Bryant Park in New York; or the fountains and in-stall TVs at the China Grill at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, to name several of Cintas’ finalists.

On the other hand, you might just want to get online here, view photos of each finalist restroom, and cast your vote. Cincinnati-based Cintas will announce the winner in September.

“No Loo? No I do.” is the catchy, chuckle-inducing jingle that is responsible for the construction of 1.4 million toilets in India. But a lot of young men aren’t chuckling. In rural India, new brides are refusing to walk down the aisle unless the groom promises them a toilet. “No Toilet, No Bride” is the slogan of a women’s rights campaign geared to bring indoor plumbing to rural India where half the population – nearly 665 million people – still lacks access to private toilets.

Community toilets and latrines or the open fields are often the only lavatory option in the small villages that dot India’s countryside. Lack of modern sanitary facilities is more than a lack of convenience. Poor sanitation can spread diseases like typhoid, diarrhea and malaria. Women are driving change with new-found social power. They want bathrooms with modern toilets and it looks like they’re going to get them. As one love-struck 22-year-old recently commented to The Washington Post, “I will have to work hard to afford a toilet. We won’t get any bride if we don’t have one now.”

India’s privy plight might bring a chuckle, but it should also make us appreciate what we have. Of course, climatologists warn that if we don’t start conserving our water supply, the day may come when we don’t have enough water to flush our nice, modern toilets. Last summer, severe drought in California, Georgia and the Southwest had some folks catching shower, bath and dirty dish water in buckets and using it to flush their toilets. Some fear that climate change will force us to eventually choose between drinking water and using it for sanitation. Scientists are urging people to start saving water now before we reach a crisis point.

Water saving toilets qualify for the energy-efficient tax credit. Save substantially on your monthly energy bills and help the environment at the same time!