Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Mon, Jul 26, 2010
Old Habits of Water Conservation
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 Lorain County homeowners or their visitors. The solution is to have your Lorain County 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!
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Wed, Apr 21, 2010
April 22 is Earth Day! Helpful Tips to Conserve Energy at Home.
Tomorrow is Earth Day which is a good time to take a close look at the way you and your family use our planet’s resources. Rather than a one-day effort, though, Earth Day should be just the first day of a life-long commitment to using the Earth’s natural resources more wisely and more sparingly. Environmentalists warn that energy consumption and water consumption are two of the biggest challenges we face as stewards of our planet. There are many things – some big, some small -- that you and your family can do to help conserve energy and water resources all year round. Some things are simple and you can do yourself. Bigger projects may require a little help from your trusted Lorain County plumbing, heating and cooling expert.
Here’s a list of conservation measures to get you started:
- A 5-minute shower uses 10 to 25 gallons of water. Save water by turning off the faucet while you suds up, turning it back on to rinse off.
- Water flows from faucets at a rate of 2 gallons per minute. Cut water use by turning the water off while brushing your teeth and saving.
- Install aerators in faucets and a low-flow shower head to decrease water flow. When combined with not letting the faucet run, you can decrease water usage by 50%.
- 1 drip a second from a faucet uses approximately 2700 gals of water a year. Fix leaking faucets and toilets
- Run the dishwasher only when it’s full.
- Hold off on the laundry until you have a full load.
- Park your car on the lawn when you wash it and you’ll water the lawn at the same time.
- Have your Lorain County cooling, heating and plumbing expert install energy efficient appliances. An energy efficient furnace, air conditioner and hot water heater will save you money on every bill and help protect the planet at the same time.
"Green" your home on Earth day by replacing energy-guzzling appliances with energy-efficient appliances. Schedule a Free estimate on all energy-efficient installation projects.
Posted by Raymond Plumbing Heating and Air Conditioning on Wed, Jan 20, 2010
Start Saving Water Now Before we are Forced to Choose Between Driking Water and Using it for Santitation
“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.
Find out what you can do! Water conservation tips you can implement at home.
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!