This series of podcasts and videos is about the responsible use of water, without involving politics, hysteria, allegations, half-truths, or the passion on either side of the "green" label.
I believe that every human is entitled to water and air. By our actions we are starting to deny usable water for drinking to people.
10 Essential things to know about your plumbing
Whether you own or rent, you need to know these 10 things about the plumbing in your home. Prevent damage, detect leaks, know what to do in a water, gas, or sewage emergency. See the 10 Essentials video.
The Water Cycle
This podcast provides a general overview of water, the water cycle, and human use of it. Where it comes from, how does it get to our homes, where does it go, and what is its life cycle. We cover well water and city water supplies.
We'll touch on what is considered to be waste water (the definition may surprise you), and the distinction and different treatment of storm water, and household waste water, as well as drain venting.
Also: Pressure regulation: which includes pressure reduction or boosting. Did you know that high water pressure is the largest cause of plumbing problems? .
Should you be alarmed about "toilet to tap?" What about pharmaceutical residues in waste water? I'll give you some perspective. Duration 22:45
Reusing Water
This podcast provides an introduction to water reuse around the home. What water reuse means, different types of reuse, what water can and should not be reused and an overview of some typical reuse setups. Duration 14:17
Saving water on your lawn and irrigation system.
Learn about "the white elephant" in your yard. Water auditing, new irrigation controllers that may allow you to skip water rationing restrictions, and how to save 15-20% on your water bill.
Greg talks about water saving shower heads that really work, and other ways to save water in side the home without giving up anything.
Glossary for Responsible Plumbing
dynamic
As used in pressure with water that is flowing. Dynamic pressure is less than static, and lower due to relieving of pressure out discharge point. The more discharge the lower the pressure. No discharge, all pressure is present that exists. As used in pressure measurement the dynamic pressure of a fluid is equal to 1/2 the density x the velocity squared.
Flapper valve
Valve that lets water rapidly drain from the tank to the bowl using a flapper. Sometimes called a flush valve or a Douglas valve. The flush valve empties the tank water.
FOG
Fats, Oils, Grease. In drain pipes these float to the top of the pipe collect till falling and causing a blockage. Enzymes can digest them and prevent problems if enzymes are used correctly.
Gray Water
Grey/Gray Water is waste water from a Lavatory/Bathroom sink , Washing Machine w/o Diapers, Shower/Tub drain waste that do not contain "Soil Waste" or Toilet waste. Kitchen Waste is also excluded from Gray waste due to it can have Animal meat and food that is potential hazard to use.
Gray Water is a major potential for re-use and lightly treated can be used for landscape and toilet flushing.
Green Plumbing
Plumbing functions normally consume water and power. Saving Water and power is needed to offset the growing population and the demand on the limited easily available resources. The word Green is a modern term applied to this effort. Green Plumbing reduces the "footprint" of the people using a smarter or more conservative method. Emerging Technologies are emerging into the power / water food chain. Waste water recovery is an example and re use of it is another. Solar heating and Geothermal are Emerging as cost effective and Investments are being made to capture otherwise lost power.
PTRV or T&P
Water Heaters need a safety device in the event the heating controls do not stop at set/safe temperature. A temperature and Pressure relief Valve AKA Pressure and Temperature relief Valve is this device. This valve is NOT meant to operate unless to avoid an explosion. When a PTRV is weeping call a professional ASAP.
Push Fit Fitting
"Shark Bite" fittings are an example, they are brass, while JG, or Nibco are Thermal Plastic Push Fit Fittings. These fittings are used to push onto a Copper tube Size pipe or tube PEX or CPVC, or any approved CTS" size tube. These frittings have keeper rings inside to keep the fitting and tube together and no soldering or solvent/glue is used. Instructions come with these fittings , read them. Use them they are good stuff.
Septic/Drain Enzymes
Build up removers, not caustic drain openers are good to use in most all drains having organic waste. The build up of Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) clog up drain pipes, enzymes reduce this process. Enzymes are used to digest waste in our bodies and out of our bodies. Powdered Enzymes have a shorter shelf life than liquid Enzymes, dont store a long tine, USE THEM.
Bleach and Anti Bacteria Soaps kill Enzymes, they aren't "Green."
Water Pressure Regulator
A Regulator is commonly used to reduce high pressure coming from the utility line/ Meter. Street pressure is often too high for your house or your landscape piping. Code requires <80psi. Partially closing a valve to reduce pressure does not reduce the water pressure when water is not moving, and therefore Pressures above 80 psi need a pressure regulator to reduce to below 80 psi. Less pressure less water use, Conservation requires lower pressures to avoid blow out pipes and excessive water use.
First, the old high flow 4 gallons per min. shower heads are not all that good, but new high performance shower heads actually have really strong spray.
The poor-flushing water-hog toilets and the newer poor flushing “water saver toilets” (1.6 gpf) are not as good at flushing the bowl clean as the new 3” flush valves that use only 1.6 gallons per flush. One toilet better than Toto (the brand I recommend most) is the “I can’t find it in San Diego” “Caroma” from Australia. This toilet has a 4" trapway through it! That’s TWICE the size of others! It comes in a dual flush that removes 700 grams (1.5 lbs) of solid waste using only .8 gallons per flush! Most toilets can’t remove 700 grams solid waste using 3.5 to 5 gallons per flush. It’s expensive and hard to find, but a great toilet.
New laundry machines wash better, dry better, are easier to use, and cost less to operate. Consumer Reports has the scoop on the models that the best (not the most popular, but the best functionality/durability, and max performance).
Quality isn’t always found at a big box store, nor is quality often cheaper than the rest. Kind of like music, the best music isn’t on the radio, just the fastest selling commercial stuff that stars get rich on. The difference in music and plumbing is quantifiable in a test of maximum performance, not popular hit. People still try to make plumbing names popular with the name game; I use the max performance test method myself. (I touch on this subject in the answers to several other questions.)
Good design, not brand name, is the answer to proper water use. Proper application of fixtures and following the manufacturer’s recommendations are essential in proper installations. Unfortunately, I don’t see the majority of buildings having this; as a result, repair and replacement are common and repeated. When I say this I mean water heaters fail sooner than necessary, and re-piping a building should not be necessary if it was installed right in the first place.
Pressure in water systems is more variable than most people realize; a good pressure regulator is a must. Water at the meter is usually high pressure, the house often gets the regulator, and the yard gets high pressure (no regulator). This high pressure to the irrigation system causes a mist in the sprinklers allowing 20% to 30% to blow away before it hits the ground. That’s a lot of unnecessary waste, and doesn’t even count run off and evaporation. The national average is 50% of the water through a single family residence’s water meter goes to the YARD! And 30% of that is poof - gone! (That’s 15% of your water bill – for nothing!). Outdoor water waste is costing more money than people realize. While you struggle to make minor improvements to water efficiency on the inside of the house, significant improvements can usually be made in efficiency on the outside of the house without a great deal of effort. A good lawn isn’t one that uses as much water as it takes to be green. A good lawn is one with UNIFORM DISTRUBITION, then enough to keep it green.
Water Auditing is a relatively new process to assess water use. It addresses these issues and is something you’re going to be hearing more about as our water use becomes more expensive and conservation becomes more critical. Water auditing uses catchment cups on a grid pattern over whole lawn area. Analysis of the collected data allows correcting sprinkler head coverage to even out precipitation. Matched Precipitation Rate nozzles are required to achieve this.
For the lawn, maximum depletion of water from the soil BEFORE wilting is needed to save water. Turning on water to satisfy a dry spot is over-watering the rest! Uniform distribution is when an entire area wilts at same time, and then you water for no more than root depth! How deep are YOUR roots? If you don’t know, you’re wasting water! Do you know if your lawn sprinklers have water flowing faster than 10 feet per second? Too high a flow rate can damage valves and blow off heads (wasting water and costing money for repairs due to damage that should not have happened in the first place). Pressure at the base of the sprinkler heads needs to be less than 40 psi. What’s yours? An even lower pressure - 20 to 25 psi is water saving (no mist is produced).
I am trained, qualified, and experienced to help you address these issues, and even perform a water audit, to help you fine tune your system to greatly reduce waste, as well as lower your water bill. I’d also be glad to give you recommendations on the best design features, fixtures, and appliances to fit for your situation. Give me a ring, the phone call is free.
See my podcast on water reuse above. In it I provde a good overview of water reuse around the home. I explain what water reuse is, the different types of resue, what water can and what should not be reused, among other issues.
