An Ode to the Clogged Toilet....is it really the poor toilet's fault?

In the continuing discussion about the “green revolution” and its effects and consequences on us today. Barely a day goes by that I don’t read multiple complaints on the discussion groups and DIY forums about toilets clogging. I own 2 low CFM (cubic feet per minute) toilets and I’m a big guy(300+ lbs). Yes, that means what goes in eventually comes out the other end, in equal volume, and if anyone was going to stop up a toilet it would be me. Does it happen? Occasionally, but honestly no more frequently with my 1.6 CFM toilets than back when I had the 6 CFM toilets. I am the proud father of 3 wonderful sons and the youngest could clog a toilet with urine only and so we kept the latest in high tech plungers immediately next to his toilet at all times. I answered a typical question this morning on the DIY Network forum where the poster was complaining that both of the family toilets were clogging about every 2 weeks and immediately the posters jumped on the band wagon of what was his flush capacity? what brand toilet was it? Just how many golf balls was he trying to flush when it became clogged. The point is that our preoccupation with low flush toilets has the vast majority of the public immediately assuming that it’s the toilet’s fault. It couldn’t possibly be that we have a serious lack of fiber in our diet nor that we have always clogged toilets regardless of the CFM. My answer was that if it was intermittent and there was no real difference in the volume or density of the solid waste then had anyone thought that it might not be the toilet at all. This problem could very easily be the beginnings of a clog down stream in the main drain line. This occasional clogging can easily be the harbinger of more serious things to come down the road when the main drain becomes so clogged that it backs up into the lowest point of the house (usually a downstairs bath tub) and causes a mess that only a remediation company can begin to repair. Instead of joining the chorus on blaming the toilets, they were 5 years old and the clogging has just begun, I recommended an aggressive snaking of the main drain from each toilet out and down through the main line to the septic or sewer system. A clogged grease trap on the sewer system can cause this. Although it wasn’t mentioned as to whether this user was on a septic tank or not , a full septic tank can cause the same effect, or clogging drain field lines on the septic tank can be the cause especially after a heavy rain. In summation before you start discussing with God the destiny of the soul of the inventor of the low flush toilet, before you yell at your teenager that he has to start eating more high fiber pizza, before you join the chorus of well meaning yet possibly mislead complainers, stop and think your way through your situation. Look at the whole situation about your clogging problems and don’t just stop by blaming the poor toilet that’s trying to help conserve water while we still have some to conserve.

HOW TO CONSERVE ELECTRICITY...or my take on the "Green Revolution" Part #3

As promised in my last Blog here’s a stab at some helpful hints to save electricity in your home in furtherance of the “green revolution”. Every one has heard and many people are using the compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL). Although expensive, initially, to purchase these light bulbs fit in a standard lamp socket in the place of the old incandescent style bulb. They burn cooler giving off little or no heat, have a pleasant bright white light and last an estimated 10 times longer than the average light bulb. This long life goes a long way toward offsetting the initial cost but where the real savings comes is from the low electricity usage. Lighting accounts for close to 20 percent of the average home’s electric bill. ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs use up to 75 percent less energy (electricity) than incandescent light bulbs and they provide a quick return on investment. Although may I also remind you of your Dad who went through the house screaming “who left all these lights on?” He was right. We are an amazing people who go through life turning on lights, during broad daylight, when entering a a room and going through the house turning them all off when we get ready to go to bed at night. My family and I lived in Los Angeles in the 1980’s in a nice little house up in the Hollywood Hills whose main attraction was a breathtaking view of the entire L.A. basin spread out before you. We made a game for the children out of watching to see when the first light would come on at night but in reality the lights were always already on all day and truth be known the view was never dark, millions of lights burning all night long in homes and buildings with no one there. Is your home or office that way still today?

You can consider the old tricks. Set back thermostats to control your HVAC systems while you are away and during peak usage times have been around for over 20 years and are now standard equipment on newer homes and are an easy 15 minute fix for your older home at a minimum investment for as little as $20. This can be made up in the first week of proper use. You can invest in “energy star” rated appliances that are certified to save electricity over older models and in some instances can repay the initial costs of replacing some energy hog appliances.



There are some newer tricks that you may not have considered. Have you checked your hot water heater? As I discussed in the last blog you can live with a lower temperature setting on your water heater which should never exceed 120 degrees F any way. The Manufactured home builders long ago built in lighted switches that allow you to completely turn the hot water tank off. These lighted switches fit in a standard outlet box, usually in a hallway or bathroom but instead or being a 15 or 20 amp switch they are 60 amps or greater to control the high voltage on the heater. You can accomplish the same thing by simply tripping your circuit breaker and turn the device off at times when you will be away or it’s less likely that you will need hot water. Most Hot water heaters are terribly inefficient and many people are replacing them with the new tankless varieties that provide instant hot water and when not in use are not using any only small amounts of energy. I live alone and have found that simply keeping my hot water heater turned off saves at least 15% on my monthly electricity bill. Additionally as I mentioned in the previous blog on water conservation if you wash your clothes in cold water that eliminates the need for the hot water tank to be working overtime. Additionally look at the settings on your dish washer. Are you stepping up the water temp by using a Pot scrubber cycle? Are you allowing the dishwasher to dry the dishes by using the drying cycle? Have you ever heard of a dish rack and a hand towel??? Do you have children? how are they earning their allowance?Many people rarely look at their dishwasher settings and are uselessly wasting electricity on those 2 settings alone.

Many electric utilities offer a rebate on your power bill of you will allow them to install a radio frequency device inline with your meter that lets them shed your 220 power off during peak times of demand. This demand times are usually early mornings and late afternoons when people are getting ready for work or getting home from the office and starting dinner and during peak heating and cooling demand times. Can’t live without the HVAC, clothes dryer, hot water heater at those times? I lived in Lakeland Florida or 8 years and had the system in place in my home an never once knew it was working. They also offer rebate plans for new high efficiency appliances and fixtures. Call your utilities today and ask what they can do for you.


I am sure that I have missed many more easy ways to save energy but here is the one that you will disbelieve when I tell you yet it will allow you to save the most electricity in the easiest manner. UNPLUG THINGS. Did you know that if you have an “instant on” TV, VCR, DVD player or stereo system that they are using 70% of the electricity while turned off that they use when running or turned on? If your device has a red power light that shows that it is turned off then its using power and not just to keep the light on. These devices keep the main power supply on so that it does not have to "warm up" to provide the necessary power to operate the device. Unplug it or plug it into a plug strip with a single "on/off" switch that allows you to turn on everything at once. Make sure the strip you use is only using power to light the light. Yes you may have to wait 20 seconds for the TV to come on but think of how much energy its wasting sitting there waiting for you to come home just so you can save that 20 sec wait. The same thing applies to a toaster, toaster ovens, microwave ovens, and literally every appliance that you have plugged in. They are all using electricity even when not turned on. The only small appliance plugged in all the time in my kitchen is the microwave oven which is built in and I’m thinking about having it wired to a switch or a plug outlet so I can turn the darn thing off. I don’t need the clock on it, there are 3 others in the kitchen already that have to be reset every time there’s a power failure and that’s the only thing it does for me when its not heating food.


In summation we can all save electricity just by being a little smarter or “frugal”, which doesn’t mean cheap. Think of your dad once in a while and call him if you're still lucky enough have him and tell him he was right and maybe an “I love you” would go a long way too. I write this while sitting by the phone waiting for the call from my children and no the recharger for the cell phone is not plugged in because it uses power all the time too and that goes for the computer CPU and the recharger for the laptop and……get the message?

Twelve Easy Ways to Conserve Water

Well As I wrote last week, my campaign to determine the enthusiasm of Americans for “green” subjects came up a tremendous flop. Apathy won out. Regardless I’m not easily defeated. AS many of you may know the Atlanta metro area is now going into it’s 3rd year of drastic drought and lack of water resources. Landscaping and nursery businesses have gone under, some ending decades of being in business. The city long known for its beautiful lawns and mature landscapes has suffered more than you can imagine. Easily watering your lawn, washing your car or planting gardens is almost impossible. With all this in mind I have spent the last few days thinking of ways to easily conserve water and will write more in the days to come on how we can all do other things to help recycle and ease the impact on our environment.
The following are a few ideas on conserving water:
1. Plant xeroscaped landscaping. That means utilizing plants that need little in the way of daily watering. These can include succulents, cacti and flora that survive well in desert environments. Replace grass with gravel and rock gardens. The zen look is very in today. I never liked mowing and weeding a yard anyway. Let it go back to nature. The mountain community where I lived until recently and where my youngest son still lives doesn’t allow grass or lawns at all. All landscaping must be natural. The deer help with this by eating everything you plant that doesn’t occur naturally.
2. Do not wash your car with hose. Soap it up with water in a bucket and rinse with a bucket or sparingly with a garden hose. Better yet take it to a car wash that reclaims or recycles the used water. If you’re like me you drive it dirty!
3. Turn the water off in the bathroom sink when brushing your teeth, shaving etc. If washing dishes in the kitchen sink only leave the water on while rinsing. I recently discovered a neat kitchen sponge device with a handle and reservoir for dish washing soap. You simply hand wash the dishes with the sponge and rinse. This doesn’t even require a sink of water to soak the dishes.
4. Wash clothes only in full loads and cold water only. You can buy very effective laundry detergents that work in cold water.
5. Load your dish washer efficiently, loading as many dishes as possible while still allowing for efficient cleaning. Failure to do this frequently causes multiple cycles.
6. Take showers instead of bathes and if you are really serious about conserving water use the “navy” method..shower with a friend….no I mean rinse yourself down, turn the water off and soap up then turn the water back on and rinse off.
7. Repair leaking faucets and toilets. These can be the biggest cause of wasted water and are practically invisible to us as we go through our days.
8. To protect from the possibility of leaking or broken pipes, insulate your exterior piping.
9. To save energy used to heat water make sure your hot water heater is insulated and set the temperature at the lowest temperature possible and still be efficient. This should never be in excess of 120 degrees F. If you are nearing the time to replace your hot water heater consider one of the new tankless varieties or at least resize the replacement with a tank that is the smallest that your family can live with. A 2 person family does not need a 60 gallon hot water heater.
10. If its time to replace your faucets, look at the newest water saving faucets and shower heads. The market place is full of choices. National Builder Supply has a full line of water saving fixtures. Check the web site or call one of their friendly customer service folks to see all of the many varieties.
11. Replace your old toilets with new high efficiency models. These toilets can do a couple of things to conserve water. The old toilets use from 3 to 6 gallons of water per flush. The new ones can use as little as 1.23 cfm (cubic feet per minute) to flush and there are several versions that have a 2 stage flushing capacity which allows you choose liquid or solid waste flushing. Many local communities and state governments are offering tax incentives and rebates towards the purchase of high efficiency plumbing and appliances. Georgia, as an example offers tax free weekends, from time to time, saving sales tax on high efficiency devices. Check with your local utilities to see what is available to you.
12. Many home owners are replumbing their homes and planning new homes and renovations to allow for grey water drainage lines. This allows that grey water sources such as sinks , washers, dishwashers, tubs etc all drain into a storage area to be used to water your yard or garden. The only thing that drains into the septic tank or sewer line is human waste materials. This grey water process not only conserves water for use in the yard it cuts down the amount of sewage that must be treated or can allow your septic tank to go many years longer with out expensive draining and repairs. You can also apply this same principle to installing a rain barrel system to your gutters. This system allows you to easily capture rain water in 55 gallons drums to use for watering the yard, washing the car etc. I’m sure there are dozens of other ways that we can all work together to conserve water. Let me know what works for you and what I may have missed.

The Score is The Green Revolution 6....Apathy 235,000,000

The topic du jour of most of the forums and the most politically correct thing to take action on these days is the “green” revolution. Local governments are mandating water conserving appliances and fixtures, sometimes out of pure necessity as mentioned in my comments below. The thing that seems to be troubling most people in the forums is getting used to the low CFM toilets and whether they flush well without stopping up. This problem gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “anal retentive” and it seems that the toilet manufacturer that has the lead in this technology is TOTO. As I discuss, below, briefly in my subject thread, the Atlanta area has suffered with a long term drought situation. The State of Georgia has enacted a sales tax revenue holiday once a year to abate the tax that would normally have to be paid on any product that is energy or water saving. This abatement also applies to the best of the “Energy Star” appliances. Local governments in Georgia and across the country have enacted new code restrictions which require new construction and renovations utilize low CFM toilets and fixtures. If you sell your home you have to retrofit it with these new fixtures before closing.
In December I proposed a thread in a popular DIY discussion group and although I received another posting just yesterday, I was disappointed that I wasn’t absolutely covered up with opinions. Here is my thread question and the responses I received.

Q. Are you in on the "Green Revolution”?
This is not politically motivated, strictly for discussion and curiosity. We in the Atlanta area are now into our second year of drought and the effects of water rationing and out and out loss of water resources. Lawns have died and more importantly we are losing scores of small businesses, landscapers, nurseries etc due to the problem. I would be interested in hearing from the forum members how important it is to them , personally, to seek out and use plumbing fixtures not just low flush toilets but showerheads, faucets etc that are designed for smart water useage. Is lowering your footprint as important as how the faucet looks? How has your family and community been affected of late by the loss of water resources?thanks Richard
Answer: The fact is you should be able to have low-flow fixtures, toilets, faucets and shower heads while still keeping the exact same aesthetics. I was in Atlanta just over a year ago, and the drought was effecting me just for the week I was there. I think water conservation is something that many homeowners and builders don't really think about. Hopefully the word will spread nationwide
My Response: I hope so also. Thanks for the support. We are really suffering here in Atlanta and what triggered my thread question was that so many people seem to be hung up on the esthetics as you mention. I like a pretty bathroom or Kitchen faucet as much as the next guy but you know I like one that puts out water when you turn it on no matter what it looks like.
Answer: Seems like if everyone's lawn is dying, it's time to start selling alternatives that are drought resistant...traditional lawns are huge water suckers, and there are a lot of alternatives that are less work and require less water. Granted, for us, lowering our footprint is more important. However, I've not yet had a problem finding fixtures that also look good, and I'm pretty finicky about this stuff. We replaced the shower head as soon as we moved in, and our new low-flow one looks nicer and works better than the old one. We're considering replacing the old toilet, and I've seen several low flows that look nice.PA has had way too much water this year...my basil actually drowned last May in a raised bed because we had 3 times our normal amount of rain. It's doing terrible things to the old sewage and storm water drains that weren't meant to handle this much water. Here's hoping the balance gets restored soon.
Answer: the only real way to get people to use less water is to charge more money, if like most utility companies, the Atlanta area water companies are unable to raise rates to match this new environment, then other draconian efforts by governments usually end up being enacted and often not working. That said I'm a big fan of the green revolution, as long as people really understand what going green is. Going green doesn't mean tearing out your kitchen and replacing all those products with "environmentally friendly" products unless you were going to remodel your kitchen anyway, and even then, its probably greener not to remodel. I've read lots of articles about supposed green buildings using lots of glass, glass has a horrible R rating and would suck a lot of energy out of the building during the cold months. Answer: Are the bamboo floors really environmentally friendly if they have to be shipped from china? Anything wrong using renewable Pine? Although questions will have more hype than good answers over the next few years. I'm going to do my best to reduce my waste starting with solid wastes (trash & recycling) and then energy with gas & electricity, and lastly water. With the price of water, and abundance in my part of the country, it doesn't make sense to place much priority on it.
Answer: We haven't had many problems with water shortages up here in Michigan except a couple times during the year when we aren’t suppose to water our lawns everyday only every other day. We try to conserve anyways though. Some LED lighting I've seen is something that can help conserve large amounts of electricity doesn't really help with the water.
Answer: I bought a low flow shower head about 10 years ago when we lived in a house with low water pressure. I like a shower head that's close to a fire hose and this little European model delivered. It was $9 at Home Depot. Is it pretty? Maybe not, but then again, I don't think shower heads are a pretty item anyway. So now we have a low flow toilet, low flow shower and sinks....and a washer that only puts in the water necessary for the load I'm doing without having to select small, medium or large.
Answer: I never water my lawn Just makes it grow then I have to mow it Of course it doesn't get that hot around here I also l have a stream on the property At some point I will put in a well for irrigation. My garden is located down low near the river It gets watered very rarely & the tomatoes grow 8' tall I have (5) 55g barrels to catch rainwater for my flower gardens. Other than that I don't use water outside. We use 1700g of water every 3 months for a family of 3. I'm actually looking for lower flow shower heads - 1.5 -1.89gpm. As soon as I find one I like I'll buy it. I take long showers so that could save 5-10g per day.

I had a total of 6 responses over a 7 week period. If we used my thread as a barometer of the American public’s regard for the “green revolution” then there would be no revolution at all. It wouldn’t even qualify as a minor protest. The police wouldn’t even have to be there to break up the action, hell, we wouldn’t even block a sidewalk with the protesters. The other 235,000,000 folks in the U.S. couldn't care less or at least the ones that read this particular forum.

To say the least, as a person who has lived with the effects of a drought and the precursors to global warming, I was disappointed. Tell me what you think.

The Economy Page 2... Same Song Second Verse

OK guys sit back and brace yourselves this one is not going to be funny. After I posted my blog on last Friday regarding my take on todays eonomy I began to see other opinions especially regarding it's effect on the modern day homeowner’s plan's or lack thereof on home renovations. In a blog posted 2/1/09 on “Walletpop” entitled “Home slump hits home decor trends”, Zac Bisonette cites “fancy kitchens and fireplaces that were so important to buyers during the housing boom are going out of style”. He goes on to say “It's hard to know what to make of these trends. Are they long-term changes in taste or is luxury just taking a leave of absence while people cope with plummeting job security….Even if luxury items like granite countertops and fireplaces are desirable, they may not be desirable enough to justify the additional expense.”
In the high flying days of the past ten years homeowners had available easy credit in the form of home equity loans, readily available credit cards and revolving credit terms from retailers. In 2008 with the U.S. banking and real estate crisis in full free fall these facilities have all but vanished. Banks have stopped lending, home mortgage loans are virtually a thing of the past and credit card companies have raised their interest rates and lower the credit available even to their best customers. Its easy to see why American’s taste for luxury items has diminished. The fact still remains, as I pointed out in my blog of 2/13/09, that this does not eliminate the need for refreshing of that tired old kitchen or bathroom to make your house more saleable if that is your fate or to make you home feel better to your family in these tough times. What it does mandate is a more frugal approach. Frugal does not mean “cheap” but instead indicates a more careful reasoned approach to how something is expended. Can you afford to replace your old laminated countertops with granite? Can you reasonably replace that linoleum in the kitchen with real hardwood floors? Can you afford custom made cabinets? new stainless steel appliances? Glass tile backsplashes? And the list goes on and on. In general the frugal answer is NO! This does not mean that you can’t make reasonable, attractive and useful changes to your kitchen or bathroom. You just have to be smarter in your choices as well as shopping smarter.
Here are some recommendations. Instead of granite you can choose from a wide assortment of man made surfaces, such as Corian, which in most cases can be half the cost of Granite and a whole lot easier to maintain. You can choose from dozens of forms of laminated flooring, such as "Pergo” instead of hardwood floors again saving 50% or more. When recently finishing a family room/kitchen project in our basement I was able to find a weekend sale on laminated flooring at a major retailer for $.99 a square foot. That’s less than the $9.00 per sq.yard and less than the least expensive carpet plus my son was able to install it. We could not have installed carpet and that would have added another $3 to $4 per sq.yd or more to the price and we had the look of hardwood at a fraction of the price. As for custom made cabinets the best buy in cabinets and vanities today is in prefab cabinets which come broken down flat in cartons and you assemble them yourself. The most familiar of these come from vendors such as “Ikea” or like “Kraftmaid” available at the large home improvement stores. Not only are these cabinets a great buy but are high in quality and features. Can’t afford stainless steel appliances? Look at “Craigslist” any day and you will find great deals in practically new appliances at a drastic cut in price. The bottom line is shop smart and make educated choices. Take these ideas and team them with the suggestions I made in my previous blog such as upgraded faucets, sinks, new paint and other fixtures and you can have a great looking functional new look and space in your home at a reasonable attainable price. To reiterate my point, it is far more important than just vanity that we consider making these improvements. The economy is consumer driven. If we expect things to turn around quickly we all must regain our confidence that the American economy is resilient and has been a shining example to the world for 200+ years. To this end we need to invest in reasonable improvements. We need to spend carefully but we need to spend. Money sitting in a savings account drawing zero interest is not helping the economy. The banks aren’t lending the money, they are sitting on it. Investing in home improvements creates demand, creates jobs and works to restore the public confidence in our economic system.

The Economy and the Part that we all Play

Herb Sargent was one of the early writers for the original “Saturday Night Live” and was more frequently known as “Father Guido Sarducci” a character he played on SNL as well as an alter ego that he maintained all of his life on TV and comedy clubs as well as recordings. I think of him with every mention of today’s economy. He had a famous comedy routine called the “5 minute university”. The premise of this university was to teach you, in 5 minutes, everything that you would remember from your college education 5 years after graduation. As example he taught what you would remember if you took Spanish….”como esta usted” (how are you?) , in business he taught the single principle that you buy an item and sell it for more money and the reason I think of him relative to the economy he taught that it all relates to supply and demand. Even though this routine has been around for over 30 years it still rings of the truth. Truly the primary principle of economics is that of supply and demand. If something is in short supply the seller can sell it for money and inversely if the market place is rife with inventory then it’s a buyer’s market and the price is driven down. No better example of this, today, is the housing market. With the current state of inventory of unsold homes, due to the foreclosure crisis in America today, it is truly a buyers market. The massive number of foreclosed homes has contributed to the largest drop in housing prices since the great depression. Add to this fact, even if your home isn’t in foreclosure, with the largest unemployment rate in 30 years, people all over the U.S. are faced with having to sell their homes to avoid the inevitable foreclosure. These folks are finding it nearly impossible to sell their home at or near what they owe if they can sell it at all. It is truly a buyers market, a real example of supply and demand. The other abiding principle of America’s economy that Father Sarducci didn’t teach but is equally true and may be even more important is that two thirds of our economy is consumer driven and is the reason for the government’s stimulus packages, reason for the constant bombardment we are under, of information trying to build up our confidence. You see if the American consumer has no confidence in the market place, no confidence that he or she is going to keep their jobs, no confidence that the government has it all under control then instead of spending money and driving the economy with the need for consumer goods the consumer saves their money. We have, today, the highest rate of savings since the Carter administration. Consumers are simply afraid to spend and their savings are paying little or nothing in the way of interest not even keeping up with the rate of inflation so the economy can’t even grow from investment growth.
So what are we to do? In the simplest terms we need to regain our confidence in the system and begin to spend money. This doesn’t mean careless spending but as banks begin to relax their lending restrictions we need to buy cars again, if we need one, we need to buy major consumer items such as appliances and electronics and we should take advantage of this buyers market and invest in housing. During the great depression the people who survived and built the fortunes of today were the people who bought stocks and invested in companies and houses when the market was depressed. Warren Buffet, probably known as America’s most famous investor, has not retreated into a shell and hidden his cash under his mattress, he is out there buying up cheap stocks and investing in companies. He has confidence in the market and for us to pull out of this slide we must also have confidence.
If you are one of the American’s who has found yourselves in a position of having to sell your home or you are worried about its value, now is the time to do something to differentiate your home from the one just like it down the street. You need to make your house easier to sell. You need to make it more desirable to the potential buyer thereby making it “advantage…seller” to reverse the buyers market trend. Even tough buyers are looking for a better deal and are out there looking for bargains, we are still a people that want something nicer, something that is right and doesn’t need improvement and that buyer will buy your house at a better price if it is clean, modernized and is different from the rest of the houses on the street. With this thought in mind, now is the time to “kill 2 birds with one stone”. Take a look around your home and see what small projects you can perform to better your home and in doing so you will spend money in the market place. This money will again begin to drive the market, create demand and new jobs. Is it going to solve the problems of today’s economy overnight? NO, but it is a step in the right direction. That’s where National Builder Supply comes in as well as you’re local contractors and suppliers of other home based consumer goods. A way to improve you home without spending a fortune can be as simple as painting, new faucets and lighting. If you can go further you can consider new cabinetry, flooring and appliances. These investments can increase your home’s marketability and help the economy by driving the need for consumer goods and creating new jobs. Its “supply and demand” at work.

Bidets to Urinals...something for everyone

Thinking about a major renovation of your master bathroom? Tired of the male guests “missing” the toilet in the guest bath or powder room? Married to one of those husbands that always leaves the seat up? Dreamed of the finer things you experienced in Europe but rarely see in the U.S. except in the finest of homes? Well I have the answers to all of those questions wrapped up in two items. A urinal for that careless man in your family, and as a man myself and the father of 3 sons I can personally attest to our carelessness, and a bidet for that luxury addition and feel to your home. Additionally the “green” factor has become a major issue with many of us these days and the addition of a bidet can drastically eliminate paper usage and its disposal.
I began with the mention of “major” renovation because both of these items require significant plumbing changes to your home. Most houses today are set up with drain lines for sinks, toilets and tubs but to add a urinal means having a drain line in the wall instead of the floor and the bathrooms only have a single floor drain for a single toilet, thus the difficulty in retrofitting for a urinal or bidet. Although the fixtures themselves are not significant in cost the retrofitting of the plumbing can be costly. Drainage is the problem. Drain lines for the plumbing system is a real challenge and one of the reasons, I believe, that plumbers who specialize in new construction or “rough in” work are really talented. The main factor in installing proper drainage lines is what is called “fall”. Fall allows for the drain lines in your home from the highest point to the lowest point and then to the exit point to always be running down hill so to speak. By definition and most codes fall must be ¼” of drop for every foot horizonal drain line. If any where along the line a pipe doesn’t continue to drop downwards your plumbing will back up and will literally be useless. If you have a multiple story home you can imagine that it would be easy to make the lines always drain easily but imagine how many drains there are in your home and that you have a single story home and every line has to have a continuous fall you can begin to see the art in plumbing. If you are building a new home from scratch it’s an easy and less expensive process to add either of these fixtures. A urinal can be purchased for between $150 and $250 and the bidets can cost only slightly more per fixture. If plumbed from new it is just a design factor and an additional drain line installed. When renovating it can mean major wall and floor damage to access existing drain lines and to try to add additional drains to the system to allow for these drain lines and the additional space that will have to be allocated.
Is it worth it? Statistics show that, even with today’s soft real estate market, money put into kitchen and bathroom renovations return the highest percentage of costs and that buyers of new properties are still looking for luxury and something different from the norm. This has led to the major trend of granite countertops, unique faucets and fixtures and other luxury materials for both kitchens and baths. With this in mind you may want to consider the extra cost and space allocation to add a bidet, at least to your master bath, and if space allows, a urinal for those men in the family.
As always, National Builder Supply offers a large selection of styles and prices of both urinals and bidets and the customer service department can answer all of your questions. http://www.nationalbuildersupply.com/?source=RW886

When do you actually listen to your wife and call the plumber?

When do you decide to actually listen to your wife and call the plumber instead of doing it yourself? Well we can always resort back to the “Hennecy” rule. If you are a regular reader of my blogs you will recall that my best friend for 40+ years, Mike Hennecy, has been struck by lightning twice and nearly electrocuted numerous times while trying to perform simple household do-it-yourself projects. So if your history hasn’t been filled with successes, if you have had to call the electric or water utility because something you did caused the neighborhood to lose power or water, or if your insurance claim adjuster is more familiar with your home than members of your family then you should consider calling a professional to do the job. I spent my entire career as an accountant and lived by an old adage. I agreed to not doing plumbing work if the plumber wouldn’t do taxes. I always felt I could make more money working at my career than I could as a plumber so it was more profitable to stay an accountant and earn enough to pay the plumber. It also kept peace in the family and saved thousands in damages to my home and in insurance deductibles.
The following are some guide lines as to when you should consider calling a plumber instead of doing it yourself:
1. You don’t know where the main shut off valve is or worse yet you don’t know that there are even main shut off valves on houses to start with. By code and sensibility all homes have a main shut off valve which closes off the water from the source, well or city water line, to you primary water line. Sometimes this valve is somewhere on the exterior of the house or if you have a basement will probably be where the main line enters the house in the basement. There should also be smaller shut off valves at each fixture which allow you to cut the water off for a specific sink toilet, etc without having to shut the water off to the whole house.
2. If you don’t own the proper tools to do the job which includes having to Google for the definition of “pipe wrench”. You may be a tool collector and think that good tools are a great investment but if you do your own plumbing only once in a 5 year period the plumber should be cheaper than the tools. Without the tools you won’t have to lend them to your neighbor who never returns anything either.
3. You have a sudden loss of water pressure and you haven’t done ANYTHING TO CAUSE IT, or especially if you DID DO SOMETHING TO CAUSE IT. READ POINT #1 AGAIN AND GO SHUT THE WATER OFF! Yeah it could be a supply problem but “Murphy’s Law” proves that it’s actually a broken pipe in the basement. Just in case it’s a supply problem and if you’re not on your own water source, check with your neighbors to see of they have lost water pressure also. This will save you a plumber’s trip charge only to find out that the city water department is repairing a broken main down the street.
4. You have no hot water. A bad sign is when you open the closet where the hot water heater is located and you are greeted by a small Tsunami. You might also check the circuit breaker on your hot water heater, if its electric. This will mandate whether you will need an electrician or a plumber or if you have Mike Hennecy’s luck maybe you will need both and the fire department
5. Sewage water is backing up into your house and down the halls, then you notice that large pool of mushy grass and bad smell coming from your septic tank. This means you have more than a stopped up sink or toilet. When sewage backs up into the house it usually means that your drain lines have been compromised in some way. This can be roots growing through the lines or a septic tank that has reached its maximum or both.
6. It was 7 degrees outside last night and you were more concerned with keeping your feet warm than protecting your pipes. The give away to this problem is when as the temperature outside climbs the water level in your basement rises. You may also notice that you can take a shower in rooms other than the bathroom because water is spewing from the ceiling. A simple protective action is to keep a trickle of water running with several faucets in the house. The theory is that moving water is more difficult to freeze. If you live in a more frigid climate you can take more severe precautions which include wrapping main pipes with low voltage wiring to heat the water lines or install insulation on all pipes which are subjected to cold weather. These last two items you should be able to do yourself.

One final thought, as referenced in my opening, you should always call a professional to do the job when your significant other is screaming for you to do so and is known for not forgetting ANY OF YOUR PREVIOUS HANDYMAN ADVENTURES. Remember plumbers usually are cheaper than divorce lawyers. I said USUALLY. There are exceptions to every rule.

Who's that knocking on my pipes?

Maybe it’s the cold weather or the fact that so many people are out of work and have time on their hands to listen for it but it seems this weeks discussion forums are full of questions about plumbing noises, most specifically water hammer. Water hammer is that thunking, clunking, clanging noise you get when you turn a faucet off or the washing machine switches cycles. Plumbing can make many weird noises which can have many causes and; sometimes, they're not easy to isolate and fix. The following are some of the common issues.
1. Water hammer. This noise doesn't happen with flowing water, so if it occurs while your water is running, it isn't water hammer. As I mentioned at the beginning of this article water hammer happens when you turn OFF a water suddenly. Shutting off the water suddenly sends a pressure or shock wave down the water line through the water shocking the pipes and creating the hammer noise. These shock waves travel faster than the speed of sound and can exert very instant pressure. Over an extended time, water hammer can damage pipes, valves and eventually weaken pipe joints. This may in itself cause additional problems as in #6. Most newer homes have devices called hammer arresters that are air filled chambers connected to the plumbing that let the pressure wave dissipate harmlessly into a cushion of air. These arrestors can become filled with water and stopworking. If the banging in your home has been happening forever you may not have one. To correct this you must drain your house of all the water in the pipes.. Turn off your water to the house at the main shut off valve or at the meter. Find the lowest faucet in your house, often this is an outdoor hose faucet, and open it. Then open the faucets that is in the highest place in the house. Let the low faucet drain for 5 minutes or until it stops dripping, whichever takes longer. Close all the faucets and turn the main back on. When you turn the water back on the pipes will have air in them and will sputter until this air is dissipated don't panic.
2. Faulty toilet fill valve (ballcock) will cause resonance sounds like a fog horn or a moan. It's easy to check. Close the supply valves to all the toilets. If the noise disappears, open them one-by-one till the noise starts again. Replace the ballcock in that toilet. If there are no shut-offs handy, sometimes you can locate the faulty ballcock by lifting up on the float ball while someone turns on the faucet that is causing the noise.
3. Bad faucet washer. If your nosie only happens when using a certain faucet the faucet washer may be loose or damaged. This can cause it to flutter in the water stream causing various sounds To repair this tighten the screw to the washer in the faucet stem. If this doesn't work, then it's time for a new stem assembly. If your dishwasher or washing machine is causing the noise you may have a worn out solenoid fill valve.
4. High water pressure can cause a variety of problems including these noises. It can also damage toilet valves and other devices connected to the plumbing. I saw an issue on a forum last week where water pressure was cited as the cause for a hand held shower hose coming loose. If you're on a water system, ask your neighbors if they are having similar problems or simply call your water supplier and ask that they come out and check your pressure settings. If you have a well you should have a water pressure meter. If the pressure is above 60psi you may want to adjust your pressure reducer
5. Pipes rubbing or bumping inside the walls because they aren't strapped down well or because the stud pass through holes are too small or off center. If this is the case they've probably made the sounds since the house was built.. If this is the problem you will have to call a plumber to make the repair. This can be far too complicated for the average homeowner/do-it-yourselfer to handle.
6. Pressure regulator. If you have a pressure regulator on your main water line it may be faulty. If your pounding sound happens while the water's running, it happens at more than one faucet, turning on other faucets changes the cadence, the pressure changes with the pounding, While the noise is happening, check to see if it is coming from the regulator. If so, the regulator may need to be replaced.
I hope this information has helped you track down your plumbing noises and given you enough info to effect a repair yourself, or better yet I hope you get a new job which takes your mind off the issue and gives you the money to pay someone to come and fix it.

The Importance of Great Customer Service...or lack thereof

Each day of my forum surfing brings a new emphasis on a specific element of the DIY market, its problems and subject matter. Each week the forums are filled with questions on smelly toilets, or stopped up drains, or tile choices, of flooring and many more. Its seems that the issues come in waves or maybe just that as one question arises it triggers thoughts on the same issue with many different people. I even see people who write the same question and post it on multiple forum sites to make sure they get the correct answer or maybe it’s to see who can answer it the fastest! Well never fear Faucetman886 is here…LOL, ready with a fast answer or opinion and many times assisted by the friendly folks at the National Builder Supply customer service department. This weekend the trend has been about just that…customer service or in some cases the lack thereof. People are very slow or reluctant to write complimenting a company but let there be a problem and the flood gates open. Every time I see a complaint issued or discussed about ANY one of the online fixture dealers, I forward the thread to Marcus Morgan and the customer service staff so they can see what problems to avoid and what sometimes can seem to be the simplest thing that can then be blown way out of proportion and have a snow balling effect on a customers attitude towards your company. When you consider these forums are viewed daily by hundreds of thousands of people and virtually never go away. A bad reference about a company can take on a life of its own and can mean thousands of dollars of lost business.
Thus the emphasis that Marcus and his crew puts on customer satisfaction is very important and Im pleased to say I have never run across a complaint about the company. Are they perfect? No one is perfect but do they strive to make each call, sale, question or customer feel special? As shown by just a few of the compliments below that have been received just in the past few weeks they are being successful in their efforts. Guys keep up the good work. Remember I’m out here watching you and so are several hundred thousand other folks.

"Thank you for keeping me informed"

"Dear Angela, I appreciate you going the extra mile for your customer, how very nice of you to do that! This Christmas just gets more special because of people like you. Many thanks and have a very blessed Christmas, wish you a year full of God's grace.
I received my toilet today and will install it later this week. It arrived in perfect shape and I just wanted to thank you for the great service, great price and amazing packing job you did! I will definitely be back for my future plumbing needs!"

"Angela… the toilet lid arrived today…. Thank you very much…. My wife especially wants to thank you… I wish you the best if there is a recommendation or any other thing I can do for you, please let me know… again, thank you."

"Great customer service! Thank you! "

"Thank you for the good ideas! I'll try that. And if it doesn't work, I'll buy a replacement tank. Thanks for all your help. You've really exceeded my expectations. (I was expecting a simple, "Sorry can't help you.")"

"I just want you to know that I was 100% satisfied with my experience dealing with your company. After shopping on your web site, I called to ask about expedited shipping and spoke with Sybil, who was extremely helpful and competent. She was kind enough to ensure that my shipment was sent out right away, and it arrived in time to install before thanksgiving. Your order tracking and communication system is comforting to an on-line shopper, and you seem to run a very efficient operation. I will certainly purchase from you again when I remodel the kitchen and master bathroom, and I will recommend you to anyone looking for plumbing fixtures and accessories. Keep up the good work!"

"Thank you. I am very impressed with your customer support staff - special thanks to Sybil and Sally!"

"I received my order today. I had made a call requesting the in stock items
to be shipped immediately. When I did not receive them in a week or so, I called again on a Wed. and spoke to Brian. Sadly I do not know his last name. He was extremely helpful and requested my order be shipped by two day mail for no charge. I have not seen such excellent customer service in recent months.
Currently I am dealing with some renovations and spending more time waiting for
delivery men who do not show up or products that are not right, etc. Your customer service alone would cause me to use your company again, and, if the opportunity arose, to highly recommend you to friends and family. If you know who "Brian" is, please thank him for his courtesy and helpfulness."

"Thank you for your excellent service. The toilet showed up as scheduled, in perfect condition. You had the best price, lowest shipping, and it turns out, best service as well. If you can tell Jon I said thanks for going the extra mile. Thanks again"

"No question, or problem, just wanted to say order arrived safe and sound (to CA) and wanted to say this has been one of the best online experiences I've ever had.
Thanks Wade!!"

"No issue except our customer service rep, Fran Byrd, is exceptional. I repeatedly
attempted to contact the manufacturer due to the "lifetime warranty" on their
products and got nowhere. I e-mailed your Customer Support and got Fran. She called and e-mailed. During our calls (there were at least 3) she tried several
times to solve issues going through Danze and their established process. When that didn't work, she became creative and started looking for other avenues to resolve my problem. If this is how all your reps are, your company will be around for years to come. Thank you."

"Gentlemen, We recently ordered two toilets (MS854114SG) to replace two very unsatisfactory units in our nearly new home, only four years old. Your shipping was very prompt and Fed-Ex delivery was on time in fine condition. You exceeded our expectations, and wish we had up-graded before now. They are suprisingly quiet, and we like the neat one piece look. I thought it important to tell you what a wonderful customer service experience it was working with one of your employees. Fran Byrd was so helpful in giving me the assurance I needed to trust your company with an order. Timing was more important to me than price and I was stressed to make sure my order did not sit around not filled for days. She not only followed up on my order, she helped to make sure it was shipped today. Additionally, she personally called to follow up with me so I could have confidence that my order was on its way. It is so nice to find a company with employees who are happy and who care for their customers. Going through a remodel is stressful in itself. How refreshing to find someone so capable and willing to help. I hope you take as good care of Fran as she cares of your customers. It is hard to find someone so helpful and happy to help.
Thanks!!"

"Thank you so much for your quick response and help today with the back ordered items I had ordered with your company. I can't tell you how many vendors I work with on a daily basis and most do not let me know about back ordered items until it is usually too late. I appreciate your company's professionalism and communication. Thank you for taking care of the cancelled items. Have a Great Thanksgiving Holiday!!"

"I Just wanted to thank you for the great service I received from your company. I don't write often to companies, but I wanted to let you know that I appreciated your assistance by waiving my restocking fee. My purchase of a Grohe faucet went well and I love the look. Again thanks for your understanding in exchanging my purchase for a different color. I look forward to doing business with your company again. Thanks!"

"Mary, I want to thank you so much for all of your help in the return of my mom's faucet. It made my mom feel so much better knowing it was taken care of. Please forward this to your manager to let him or her know what terrific customer service you gave me. "

"Thank you so much for being so helpful when I called tonight and offering to contact Danze. What great customer service and I want to know how much I appreciate it."

"I think you should be reimbursed for having to provide all the customer service. It is unexcusable for the shipping company to be unable to respond to such a simple problem… whatsoever! I really do appreciate your extra effort and know that people like you thrive, while people like those at the shipping company eventually succumb to backwards evolution.... he. Thank you so much"

"Wow, two minutes to answer and you're apologizing? Angela, thank you so much for what I take as a Quick response! I did "see" the toilet seat section and the pictures of what you described. I should not have even wasted your time and I apologize. I've placed my order and am excited to add the Dartmouth to my 40 year waiting make over of my bathroom! It will be a very welcome addition, I'm sure!"

"I would just like to say thank you for making my first experience with you company such a positive one. Most people share their complaints but forget to share their good comments. I worked with Sybil and she was a pleasure to work with--knowledgeable, courteous and really, really helpful!"

"Mary, you have already given me a level of service I haven't seen in years. Thank you"

"Thank you for the great service. Everything about the order process, packaging, shipping, and customer service was awesome, Brian went above and beyond for all my needs. Thanks again"

"Thank you, I will check on it and decide what to do. Thank you for your quick response. Your service has been excellent!"

"Thanks for keeping me posted Angela. I will be eagerly awaiting arrival. If you could make sure that the shipper will call me on the day of delivery I will appreciate it. Thank you"

"I can't say enough positive things about my experience ordering online with your company the customer service staff is knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. I received the items I needed in the timeframe I required them, at a very competitive price. Furthermore, yours was the only company able to follow-through with the promised shipment date I needed. My sincere appreciation to Angela and Shane for the fantastic customer service."

Check the National Builder Supply website http://www.nationalbuildersupply.com/?source=RW886
or call one of their friendly customer service agents to see what good customer service is like.