Choosing the Right Water Filter

At some point, we become paranoid into thinking if our tap water is safe to drink. In this case, we prefer to be sure and install a water filter. But how do we choose the right water filter for our household?

Choosing a water filter

Residential water filters are primarily designed to back up the water treatment facility in your community. They’re good for reducing unpleasant odors and tastes, discoloration and other annoying features that the water utility doesn’t remove.

The key to choosing a filtration device is knowing which contaminants you want to remove. Your first step should always be a call to your local water utility. A water engineer can almost always tell you what’s in your water and what’s causing the problem you’re dealing with. If you have health concerns, follow up with a call to your local department of public health. You’ll get more information about the issues involved and how to test for and solve problems. Although some filter systems go a long way toward purifying water, don’t rely on them alone to solve potential health problems. Read more...

As stated above, it is best to now first what kind of water issues you are having. Once you and your plumber are able to figure that out, you can choose the right water filter for your household.

Here are the most common types of water filter to choose from:

Types of Water Filters

If the only problem with your water is grit, dirt, sediment, rust, or other such particles, a screening filter may be sufficient. Made of fiber, fabric, ceramic, or another screening medium, these simply catch particles—including, in some cases, small organisms like cysts and some bacteria. But don’t rely on them to handle disease-causing organisms, VOCs, metals, or the like.

Carbon Water Filters
If your water tastes, smells, or looks bad, a filter containing activated carbon (AC) may solve the problem. If you want to remove chlorine, pesticides, herbicides, radon, trihalomethanes (THMs), and some inorganic chemicals, carbon may do the trick.

Reverse Osmosis Water Filters
If you must remove inorganic chemicals such as salts, metals (including lead), minerals, nitrates, asbestos, and some organic chemicals, consider a reverse-osmosis (RO) water filter.

Water Distillers
If you just want a portable, sink-top appliance that will rid water of most dissolved solids, such as salts, asbestos fibers, metals, minerals, particles, and some organic chemicals, an inexpensive water distiller may be just the thing.

UV Water Purifiers
Ultraviolet (UV) disinfection water filters, which typically cost $150 or more, may kill bacteria and viruses, and clear the taste and odor of water, but they are not effective against chemical pollutants and may not work against cysts and spores.

Buying a Water Filtering Faucet
With the popularity of water-treatment devices, a number of manufacturers have introduced products that integrate water systems seamlessly into the kitchen. For example, American Standard makes the Streaming filtering faucet that works with an under-sink filter to deliver filtered water through the main kitchen faucet. read full article...

Choosing the right water filter for your household is a big task. The first thing to consider is what kind of water contaminants you want to eliminate, then your budget. If you are hesitant to do all the decision, make sure to ask help from a plumbing professional.

Published First Here: Choosing the Right Water Filter

Common Water Issues and Importance of Water Treatment System

Have you ever experience smelling something bad while taking a shower or washing the dishes? You wonder where is this smell coming from? Then you realized it comes from your water.

These are the common water issues you should look out, as shared by theplumbinginfo:

Common Issues With Potable Water

We Will Start With Hard Water
Have you ever wondered why soap won’t lather in hard water situations? Well Soap attracts hard water particles i.e. calcium, magnesium, iron, etc. and unless these particles are removed soap won’t lather. These dissolved solids can also severely affect the performance of your plumbing system.

What About Iron in Our Potable Water? – Rust Stains on Clothes and Plumbing Fixtures
The next huge issue is iron in our drinking water. If you aren’t anemic there is nothing good about having high iron content in your water. It tastes horrible and it stains your clothes and almost anything else it comes in contact with namely plumbing fixtures and appliances a nice shade of burnt orange.

What’s the Black Staining on My Plumbing Fixtures?
Another pretty common issue with our water occurs when manganese is present. Manganese shows it’s ugly face by staining plumbing fixtures, clothes etc. a blackish color.

Is My Water Supposed to Smell Like a Rotten Egg?
The answer to the above question is a resounding no. When your drinking water smells like rotten eggs you have hydrogen sulfides or sulfur in your water and although it doesn’t have a super strong taste it certainly smells nasty." read more...

In the US and Canada alone 85% of household are experiencing water issues. To address this issues, it is recommended to install a water treatment system.

Water Treatment Systems: Healthy Advantages

Having a home water treatment system can be a great way to increase your families health. With many of our lifestyles, having a purification system in your kitchen is a great way to ensure your family stays healthy with little effort.

Our water supplies are polluted with chemicals, toxins, and bacteria every day. Installing a water treatment system directly to our kitchen faucet is simply another way of removing what gets left behind. read full article...

Next time you smell something from your water or see rusty colored water, or any abnormalities in your water system, call a plumbing professional and install a water treatment system.

Source Here: Common Water Issues and Importance of Water Treatment System

The Importance of Plumbing Inspection before Purchasing a House

Purchasing a home is a big decision and bigger investment to make. There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding to buy a house. It is important to be very meticulous on every aspect and do a plumbing inspection.

There are 10 basic things, as shared from Hometips, that you need to check for yourself:

Home Inspection Checklist

1. The structure
2. Water control
3. The roof
4. Details
5. Kitchen & bath fixtures
6. Electrical system
7. Water heater, plumbing
8. Heating
9. Insulation
10. Fireplaces

One of the most important thing to check when buying a house is the plumbing system. It's always a good idea to have a checklist to see if the house has a good plumbing system. According to Bruce Davis Jr., there are 3 plumbing features you need to check before buying your dream house.

3 Plumbing Features to Check Before Buying a New Home

Before you buy the home of your dreams, be sure to inspect these plumbing features.

1. Main sewer

It is strongly recommended that a professional plumber perform a camera inspection on a main sewer line after it has clogged. If you're purchasing a home, this is doubly important. You can't always be certain whether the home has had drainage problems, and if so, whether the previous homeowner knew the reason for the clog. A simple camera inspection could make you aware of a hidden and very costly problem prior to the purchase.

2. Water heaters

The average water heater lasts about 10 years. This depends on the water quality, how the water heater is being used, maintenance and installation. Water heaters that heat your home, in addition to providing hot water for each of your faucets, tend to have shorter lives.

3. Toilets

One problem homeowners often neglect to have fixed is a leak at the base of a toilet. The leak often appears small or insignificant, but over time the water will begin to rot the subfloor and even get between the subfloor and the finished floor. Someone unaware of the damage this kind of problem can create, may try to seal this themselves, sometimes making it worse. Read full article here...

If you are unsure how to check the plumbing system, asking help from a professional is the best option, as stated by Lillian Connors:

Asking for a professional opinion

If you are uncertain about any plumbing issues the home may have, it is strongly advised to consult a plumbing professional to do a plumbing inspection. It would not be the first time that new owners failed to notice some serious problems due to their inexperience, say the guys who own and operate Dial up Plumbing, which in return will set them back way more than professional plumbing inspection service fee would. On top of that, you will get a repair estimate and you can negotiate a discount with the sellers to cover the unexpected expenses. Read more...

A simple plumbing inspection checklist is a way to determine the quality of the house.

Learn More Here: The Importance of Plumbing Inspection before Purchasing a House

6 Best Low Flow Shower Head Options in 2017

Photo By powerpig

People who are worried about inefficient water flow should consider investing in the best low flow shower head available on the market today. There are a large number available and choosing the best low flow shower head for your needs can be a tricky prospect.

That’s why we’ve compiled the six best low flow shower head models for your consideration. With our help, you’ll find the best low flow shower head for your bathroom and your unique water control needs. Each eco shower head will have its advantages, so make sure to read through this information carefully.

1. Niagara Handheld Massage Shower Head

This great massager head is one of the best low flow shower heads on the market today. The Niagara Handheld showerhead includes a non-aerating spray that decreases the amount of water temperature lost. Beyond that, it is an incredibly efficient shower sprayer that will save you up to 20 percent on your water bill. The price is also among the lowest of any of the shower heads on this list.

Pros

• A steady and efficient flow of 2.0 GPM.
• A very long hose that is flexible for many bathing situations.
• Low purchase price.
• Great spray adjustment for multiple styles.

Cons

• Mostly made out of plastic to decrease the cost.
• May leak if not properly sealed with tape.
• Sometimes suffers from low pressure.

Price: $17.

Read the full story at The Plumbing Info

See Full Article Here: 6 Best Low Flow Shower Head Options in 2017

Trenchless Technology: Defined and Explained

Trenched Sewer Line Replacement

The conventional method for dealing with the repair or replacement of sewer lines requires that your yard, sidewalk, driveway, or parking lot had to be torn up in order to access the pipe. This can require equipment as simple as a shovel or as complicated as a backhoe, trencher, or other heavy equipment. Use of this equipment on a lawn can be destructive by itself, let alone the work that goes into fixing it once dug up.

Conventional methods of sewer line replacement may require that walkways and driveways, landscaped areas of your yard, or the parking lot of your business be removed and then replaced once the job is finished.

This adds to the expense of repair or replacement and needs to be considered when comparing the cost of conventional sewer line work over trenchless technology. Less invasive, trenchless sewer repair can eliminate much of this work when you find the need to replace a sewer pipe.

What is Trenchless Technology?

Plumbers have increasingly added trenchless technology to their services. There are several methods of trenchless sewer line replacement and a professional can determine which is right for your situation. The beauty of trenchless technology is that only one or two holes need to be made on your property in order to repair or replace a faulty sewer line. Using equipment, specifically designed to do the job, plumbers are able to replace and repair sewer lines, without the mess of conventional methods. This is how they do it:

CIPP (cured in place pipe) – For this method of trenchless technology, a special liner is filled with resin then pulled or blown into the pipe. Once the liner is in place, the resin hardens and provides a smooth seamless pipe that will allow it to flow freely. The life cycle of CIPP is 50 years, so once replaced you will not need to worry about your sewer line for a long time to come.

Pipe Bursting – This method of trenchless technology requires two holes and can be used for repair or replacement of short or long sections of sewer pipe. A cable is inserted into the pipe, and attached to a bursting head. It is then pulled through the existing sewer line, pushing away the old pipe while it inserts a new pipe in its place.

The biggest difference in these methods of trenchless pipe replacement is that CIPP reduces the diameter of your pipe. For most applications, this will not be a problem because CIPP is seamless, offering a smoother interior surface than the pipe it replaces. With pipe bursting trenchless technology, the diameter of the pipe being replaced can easily be increased. This can offer a greater flow of your pipes and is especially beneficial for businesses, municipalities and large homes in Sacramento.

Read the full article at expresssewer.com

Photo By plumberindenverco

First Published Here: Trenchless Technology: Defined and Explained

Labor Day Weekend Plumbing Tips

Labor Day weekend is here! As you celebrate the unofficial end of summer and the start of the back-to-school season with friends and family, make sure that you are taking the time to prevent plumbing problems, too.  The last thing that you want is a clogged toilet in the middle of a party! Here are a few plumbing tips to help ensure that your Labor Day party goes smoothly.

Labor Day Plumbing Tips:

• Keep BBQ Grease Out of Your Drains – Grease may look like a liquid, but when it hardens it can wreak havoc on your plumbing system. Make sure that all grease is disposed of in a separate container in the trash.
• Know How to Locate Your Main Water Valve – In the event of an emergency, it’s important that you know where your main water valve is. This will ensure that your home is safe and protected if you do run into a plumbing problem — until a professional technician can come and fix your plumbing issue.
• Watch What You Put In Your Disposal – Many popular BBQ foods like pasta salad, potato salad, ribs, and corn can’t go down your garbage disposal. Make sure that any of these food scraps go in the trash, instead.
• Make Sure There is a Garbage Can In Your Bathroom – You’ll want to make sure that every bathroom in your home has a garbage can. You don’t want to tempt guests to flush something that they shouldn’t.

  If you run into any problems with your plumbing this weekend (or any weekend), do not hesitate to reach out to our professional technicians here at Pipe Wrench Plumbing, Heating & Cooling. Visit our website to learn more about the plumbing services that we offer to Knoxville and the surrounding areas — or give us a call to speak with a representative directly!

  The post appeared first on Pipe Wrench.

 

Read full article at pipewrenchplumbing.com

Photo By localplumbers911

First Published Here: Labor Day Weekend Plumbing Tips

10 Vital Start-UpTips for Heat Pumps

If you have a heat pump or are thinking of buying one, you'll want to give this article a quick read. Very interesting read and extremely comprehensive.  These top 10 start up tips will get your heat pump ready for winter.

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It’s hard to stop a…” Admit it; I know you just filled in the blank. That’s OK, years of persistent marketing works wonders, but it does not mean other top brands aren’t capable of providing reliable service year after year. Most often, residential systems fail prematurely or under perform because:

They are not properly specified: guesswork, rules of thumb, “this is the way we’ve always done it”, such attitudes guarantee trouble.

They are not properly installed: Oh, you mean I can’t have 35 ft. of suction lift with this unit?

They are not properly commissioned: I thought the pressures were factory set!

They are not properly maintained: end user often believes no inputs from him are required or simply fails to maintain his equipment.

So many residential HVAC systems, presumably sold on the money saving energy efficiency bandwagon, have some or all of the above mentioned issues plaguing the homeowner.
Now that natural gas heating appears to have been given a very short shelf life thanks to climate change legislation, electric heating using existing and renewable sources of power generation will be the future. Heat pumps, utilizing electricity and the awesome power of the refrigeration effect, provide cooling and heating and can be operated with air handling systems or in hydronic applications.

 

Read full article at www.hpacmag.com

Photo By Arctic Heat Pumps

Post Source Here: 10 Vital Start-UpTips for Heat Pumps