Green Plumbing Tips
There are many ways that you can introduce green alternatives into your home plumbing. Green plumbing alternatives in your home can save water, lower your energy needs and provide for a healthier environment.
Certain green products are sometimes a little more expensive to implement than other more common and standard plumbing solutions. Therefore it is good to keep in mind the savings that the green products can provide in water and or energy savings when considering cost comparisons. Of course knowing that green plumbing options can help the environment can also be an intangible value that will often justify any cost differentials. Here are a few ideas.
Install Low-Flow Fixtures:
By replacing older traditional water fixtures such as sink faucets, toilets and shower heads with low-flow fixture your household will be saving water and energy. These fixtures conserve water by using a high-pressure technique that produces a near equal flow of water by using less water.
Just by installing low-flow faucets and shower heads you can save as much as 60% of your water usage. By saving 60% of your water you will also be using less hot water which will add up to energy savings. Low flow faucets are inexpensive and simple to install. A faucet aerator that screws onto the tip of a faucet restricts the amount of water flow while adding air to the water giving the feeling of using more water than you actually are.
Install Low-Flow Toilets:
A traditional toilet is one of the biggest water using fixtures in your house, using between 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush. Whereas new low flow models only use about 1.3 gallons per flush, a water savings of about 50-80%
The little things all add up, such as:
Be sure to check your faucets, toilets and pipe fittings for leaks.
Take shorter showers.
Don’t use the toilet as a waste basket, this will reduce a lot of flushes.
Don’t let the water run while shaving or brushing your teeth.
Only run your dishwasher with a full load.
Run the clothes washer with a full load.
When we all start saving water throughout our normal daily routine, it adds up to a tremendous water and energy savings throughout the year. Let us know if you have any questions or if we can assist you with any of these water saving measures.
Unclog a drain the Green way (sometimes)
When your sink or tub becomes slow to drain, that is an early sign that a clog is forming. This early warning is a good time to open remove the blockage since clogs generally only get worse.
Most clogs require professional help to resolve. However some clogs such as “hair down the drain” buildup can be sometimes be solved with this old fashion home remedy below.
Baking soda and vinegar: Get a half of a cup of baking soda and a half a cup of vinegar. Quickly mix them together, and quickly pour the mix down the drain. Let this foaming mixture stand in the drain for about an hour. Then use hot water to flush the mixture and hopefully the clog away. If this does not work, give us a call, it may be a more hard to reach clog.
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