Short blog this time. When deciding where to put the boiler think seriously about putting it on the roof. Two reasons: generally it is much easier to maintain a boiler on the roof and if your boiler or a connection blows you won't have any water damage. Imagine a connection going and water pouring down into your living room...
Purim Sameach! Yaacov
4 Comments
What is a pressure reducer and when do I need one?
Sometimes we will inform a client that he needs a pressure reducer to which he will reply, "yea, so just close the main valve a bit and that will take care of the problem." False. There is a difference between dynamic pressure and static pressure. The client would be correct if we would be seeking to reduce the dynamic pressure, the pressure that one experiences when opening the tap. However, a pressure reducer reduces the static pressure, the pressure that exists when all the taps in the home are closed. Static pressure can only be checked with an instrument called a manometer. High pressure is deleterious to one's piping and other plumbing fixtures. It can result in multiple and constant leaking at the various pipe connections, can reduce the life of one's faucets, wears out the toilet float gaskets more frequently, wastes water, etc. Fine, you convinced me to install a pressure reducer if my pressure is too high, but then what will happen to my shower experience?! Well, if the proper piping was installed in the house the flow rate should be fine and your shower should be alright. Also, the pressure reducer can be adjusted to suit the client's preferences. Have a good week! Yaacov Inspect your porch drains before the rainy season begins. Do you really want to find out in the middle of a storm that your porch doesn't drain?
If you hear your toilet running (you'll know by the hissing sound) don't ignore it. Get it fixed. You may waste tens of liters of water every day. Never throw baby wipes, sanitary napkins or anything other than toilet paper and toilet tissue down the toilet! The latter is manufactured to readily dissolve in the water. The former, on the other hand, will stay in tact, get caught somewhere in the pipe or manhole, and eventually create a clog -- resulting in you calling us when either the toilet won't flush or the sewage backs up. Try not to put F.O.G. into your kitchen sink. Over time, Fat, Oil and Grease will constrict your pipes to the point where the water in your sink will no longer drain. Either flush it down the toilet or throw it in the garbage. Use strainers religiously in your sinks. Not only your kitchen sinks but your bathroom sinks and tubs as well. Never leave your water boiler on for more than a few hours as excessive heating can result in the pipes bursting. We advise installing a special timer for you boiler. When you have a patio built outside your home ensure that the workers know to create an access point for the sewer (a.k.a they shouldn't seal over the manhole cover). If they do cover it up have them redo the work at their expense. Having a manhole covered by brick and concrete may turn into a horror story some time down the line. Plan ahead. Be wise. Don't say, "we'll deal with it when the time comes." Imagine a backed-up sewer and the plumber asking, "so where is the manhole anyway?" Several ways to reduce your monthly water bill and help save the Kinneret:
1. Install flow-rate reducers at each of your water points (kitchen sink, shower, bath-tub, etc.) It may reduce the amount of water usage by a third! 2. Install a pressure reducer for the entire house. 3. Repair leaking toilets (listen for that constant hissing sound and constant water seepage into the toilet bowl). Tens of gallons of water a day can be lost. 4. Install a gray-water system that recycles your gray water for garden maintenance purposes or for filling your toilet tanks. 5. Make sure that all your toilet tanks have a half flush and full flush option. 6. Make sure that your toilet tank is not over filling. You can lower the level of water in the tank and still have an effective flush. 7. Consider reducing the water level in your tank even more with a device sold by ecobuyit.co.il. 8. Install a water-less toilet. 9. Fix your leaky sink (you can see how much water you lose by even a drop every second or two by putting a bucket underneath the leak). 10. Run only full loads of laundry and full dishwashers. 11. Turn the water off in the shower when lathering. Turn water off in the sink when not rinsing off the dishes. And you can rinse the dishes just fine without having the water on full blast. 12. Re-use water from your air-conditioner to water flower plants, etc. Sometimes we hear our toilets making strange sounds. Something like a burping or gargling sound. Is that OK? Can we procrastinate and hope for the best?
Sometimes a renovation is done upstairs and the workers seal off the vent pipe. When a toilet is flushed air will have to be drawn from somewhere else: from a sink, from a toilet. That's when you hear strange noises. Other times there is a clog in the line. Someone will flush the toilet and an adjacent toilet will start making sounds. That is the toilets way of telling the homeowner that there is a blockage and a disaster is bound to happen. Don't wait. Call the plumber. Would you rather the waste back up first onto your house floor before you decide to call? Hanukkah Sameach! Yaacov There are several factors that affect the efficacy of your boiler to produce hot water for you.
Sometimes the problem lies at the thermostat. It may have to be replaced or reset. Perhaps the boiler is leaking water onto the wires and created a short. Then, when you try to turn on your boiler, you end up shutting off the power in the entire house. Other times there is a build up of mineral deposit in your boiler. Instead of the heating element (a piece of metal inside of your boiler that heats up and heats the surrounding water) heating the water you are heating all the minerals that have deposited themselves all around the heating element. You end up heating them and not the water. It may take two hours until you have enough water to take a shower. If you are not receiving hot water from the solar panels: Sometimes the panels are not installed properly and an air bubble becomes trapped in the pipes preventing proper thermosiphoning. That means that the hot water will stay in the panels without making their way into the boiler. And that means no hot water for you! Or, everything may be positioned correctly but either the air release valve is faulty or one was not installed. Older panels may have to be flushed out (from rust build-up) or replaced if the pipes that comprise the panels rust through. All the best! Yaacov |
Details
Archives
July 2020
Categories
All
|