How to Choose Bathroom Plumbing Fixtures for Your Home

Whether building a new home or remodeling, you'll find there are many plumbing fixtures and accessories available. The choices can seem overwhelming, and you'll want to make sure the items you choose are both durable and decorative. Using the guide below, choose bathroom plumbing fixtures that will fit well with your decor plans while providing adequate use for the long term.

Fixtures for the bathroom should be practical and durable. They should be tough enough to withstand years of usage without wearing easily, rusting, or molding. Consider your entire décor including the colors of your floors and walls and the style used on other items in the room.

Choosing a Bathtub

When choosing a bathtub, there are four basic bathtub styles. The old-type enamel cast-iron bathtub with the China-glazing finish is popular with new constructions. It is extremely heavy and offers quietness while being filled with water. This tub usually comes as a basic five-foot tub with few styles to choose from. The average price is about $250.

Next, there's the molded plastic bathtub, which resembles the cast-iron tubs but is usually thicker. This tub is more lightweight and great for remodeling - especially when tile is already on the floor. This type of bathtub can come in several styles and colors, including a full shower/tub combination with built-in walls. It ranges in price from $250 upward.

The enameled steel tub comes in white or a variety of colors and is finished with a ceramic-glazed material. This tub is priced at around $250. Next is the fiberglass tub, which can be installed on a platform or in the floor. It comes in different shapes and sizes. Some have spa features as well. This type of tub is high-priced, some even costing in the thousands of dollars.

Shower stalls come in several styles such as a pre-built shower base, fabricated shower stall, and the fiberglass enclosed shower stall. Pricing varies according to size, style, and brand name.

Choosing a Toilet

The toilet should be comfortable and practical. It doesn't have to be fancy, but sometimes paying more means getting better quality. There are now toilets with higher gallons/flush capabilities - up to the government's standard of 1.6 gallons per flush. If you want to save on your water bill, opt for an efficiency toilet that flushes 1.3 gallons per flush. There are also dual-flush toilets that offer two flush buttons - one for liquid waste removal and one for solid waste removal. The liquid waste button, of course, uses less water per flush.

Bathroom Sink Options

The bathroom sink is important and has many uses - from brushing your teeth to shaving to facial cleansings each night! A popular bathroom sink is the V-shaped vessel sink bowl, which is made of glass, copper or stainless steel. There are also bathroom vanities with the sink already built-in for easy installation. Types of sinks include pedestal sinks, which provide no storage underneath, under-counter sinks, and above-counter sinks.

Faucets and Other Bathroom Items

Choose durable faucets made of materials that are rust-free and provide an even flow of water. With small children, you'll want to be sure the faucets have temperature settings built in to prevent scalding. For decor purposes, choose matching faucets for the bathtub and sink. Also, be sure the faucet will last for many years without dripping. Faucets come in many shapes and styles - some are plain and some are fancy. They are priced from $40. Some popular finishes for faucets include brass, brushed nickel, oiled bronze, and the popular chrome plate.

Accessorize your bathroom with other fixtures and accessories to complete your decor. You can go online to find great products in almost any style you need. Also, you can find other home accessories online such as ironing centers, door hardware, cabinet hardware, towel warmers, and more.

Choose your bathroom plumbing fixtures wisely for a pleasant and long-lasting bathroom.

Share:

Read More

Heating your Home with Solar Energy

It doesn't matter if you are building your home or remodeling, you can turn it into a solar energy home by making a few simple changes to your plan. If electric and gas become hard to manage you may want to consider heating your home with the sun. Solar energy is the heat that comes from the sun down to the earth. When it reaches the earth it spreads evenly but you may need it to go to a certain area like your home. How do you get that much sunlight to heat a home? It's easy to do and takes a few extra steps to help get it started.

Building or Remodeling your Home

If you are building your home you have several choices to choose from regarding your heating source. If you choose to heat from the sun you need to build your home facing in the direction that the sun rise's. This allows your home to get the most sunshine during the hottest part of the day. Buying solar powered glass windows allow the sun to come through and stay in the home without escaping back out.

After the sun goes down your home is kept warm by the sunlight that came into the home during the day. You need to keep the door shut in order to keep the heat in and you also need to use insulated curtains on the windows at night so that the heat will not escape at night while you sleep. Make sure you don't allow too many windows on the side of the house that faces the evening sun as it may cause the home to cool down quickly.

Remodeling your home to use the sun as a natural heating source is fairly easy to do. Although you can't change the direction that your home is built in to face the morning sun you can still trap the sunlight that shines through and reduce the amount of time that you use another source of heat. You may want to consider building a sun room onto the side that catches the morning sun allowing it to heat up naturally and then install ceiling fans that will circulate the air into the parts of the house.

During the day this may provide enough heat to maintain the warmth in your home. When remodeling your home, it will help to install solar power windows that are specially designed to attract the sunlight and allow it to come into the house but not let it escape. This is a natural way to heat your home.

Using sunlight to heat your home is an excellent way to safe money on your heating bill and also to improve the environment. You can install a backup heating source incase the sunlight does not heat your home efficiently during the day because of clouds. Your back up system can be used to assist the solar energy which will also cut down on the use of electric or gas.

Share:

Read More

Heating Your Swimming Pool

Even if you live where it is warm and sunny most of the time you may find you need a heater for your swimming pool. This way you can enjoy it all the time at a temperature that you are comfortable. You will be able to control how cool or warm you want the water which is an advantage over going to a public swimming pool.

You will find there are quite a few efficient heaters out there too for swimming pools. You may find that the one that came with your swimming pool isn't among them though. If you find you are paying an arm and a leg for the resource then it may be time for upgrade. The investment you make with one that may cut your expenses in half will certainly pay for itself in no time at all.

There are also solar swimming pool heaters you should take a look at. These collect power from the sun into cells. That power is then converted to energy that is used to heat your pool. If there isn't enough energy collected to heat it for the entire day then the backup source of electricity will take over when it runs out. The next day the solar energy will be collected once again.

You can further reduce the amount of energy required to heat the swimming pool by keeping it covered when not in use. This will allow it to maintain the heat that it has better than when it is just being mixed with the cool night air. It can be time consuming to place a cover on the swimming pool though. Investing in an electric tarp is very fast and effective. They are made for all shapes and sizes of swimming pools as well.

You do need to make sure the swimming pool heater you choose is sufficient for the size of your swimming pool. Don't try to save money by installing one that is too small for the size of it. In the long run you will end up paying out more. You also won't enjoy your swimming pool as much as you could be. You may need a professional to help you find the right one to invest in. With solar heaters the more panels they have the more energy they can collect at one time. You should strive to operate only on solar power for the heat instead of going back and forth between it and the electricity.

If you are shopping around for a swimming pool right now, the quality of the heater is something to really consider. Too many consumers don't realize how important it really is until they already have the swimming pool installed. By knowing this is a feature you need to evaluate you can be sure you get the best possible overall swimming pool and equipment you can for the money you invest in them.

With a great heating system you will be able to enjoy your swimming pool all year round. You also won't be afraid to open your electricity bill because of it. Make sure you routinely inspect your heating system too. That way you can avoid any major problems with it. Take a look at your warranty information too so you can get assistance if you do experience any problems.

Share:

Read More

A History About The Plumber Trade

Plumbers specialize in the installation and maintenance of water systems. Like electricians, they are required to obtain a license from a trade or vocational school and have a background in various aspects of industrial, domestic, and communal pipe work, water heating (steam- and gas- fitters), water treatment (such as water cleaning and purification), drainage, sewer networking, dynamics of water flow, water storage, temperature adjustment, and dangers of water hazards.

Plumbers get their name from the Latin Plumbum, for "lead", since the ancient Romans used pipes made from lead. The term therefore refers to the metallic element out of which their main building material is made.

Interestingly, Einstein, the father of modern mathematics, admired the plumber:

"If I would be a young man again and had to decide how to make my living, I would not try to become a scientist or scholar or teacher. I would rather choose to be a plumber in the hope to find that modest degree of independence still available under present circumstances." - Albert Einstein, The Reporter, 18 November 1954.

Not too long after this remark was published, Einstein was granted an honorary membership into the Plumbers and Steamfitters Union, A.F.L., in Washington D.C., which made the genius, in effect, a plumber. The new title pleased Einstein, although he supposedly wasn’t looking for or expecting praise. When it comes to solving the great mathematical puzzles of the universe, Einstein would have been the first to be considered. Who would have known that he would be the person to call to straighten out the water pipes, too?

Plumbers are unsung heroes. These tradesmen and women work hard at very demanding jobs and have crucial knowledge and understanding regarding that basic necessity which every civilization and human being needs to thrive and survive: water! These plumbers make sure that every single person has healthy water to drink every single day and clean water for bathing. They are humanity’s lifesavers!

Share:

Read More

Heating Water using Solar Power

When you decide to convert your main power source over to solar power you will need to make some adjustments to the appliances that carry the power source. When you use solar power to heat your water you may find that you will need to purchase a solar powered water heater in order to do that. You may be able to make adjustments to your existing one but what ever steps you take to turn it into solar power it will be worth it.

There are several different ways to heat your water using solar power. You can even make your own solar power source. The water runs through pipes before it enters your home. Heating water using solar power will occur before the water gets into your home as it passes by the solar source that attracted the light. You may also have a tank to store the water in that can heat the water up. In order to heat your water successfully you will need to have both a solar collector and a storage tank.

A flat plate collector is the most common collector. It is designed to be a thin, flat rectangular box that has a see through cover and it can carry fluid to be heated. This fluid could be the water or it may be a solution, such as antifreeze that will prevent the water from freezing. Next the water moves through the tubes to an absorber plate.

This plate is painted black to attract and absorb the heat from the sun. When the collector gets hot, it will heat the fluid that passes through the tubes. As the water passes through the tubes it goes into the storage tank. The storage tank holds the heated water. It is usually well insulated so the water will stay warm longer. Then the water flows into the home on demand.

Solar water heating systems are divided into two groups: Active and passive. When the heating systems are active, that means that they rely on the pumps or other mechanical device that can move the water between the flat plate collector and the storage tank. Active is the most common because it is quicker and more efficient. The passive system relies on gravity to feed the water from the flat plate collector to the storage tank.

This may be slow at times and may not be sufficient enough to keep up with the demand. Both ways are logical and may be more of a choice of preference for you. Another thought that you need to consider is that if your flat plate collector and your storage tank is not angled right it may be hard for the gravity to feed the liquid through.

Heating water using solar power is very affordable and can be installed with minimal effort. Choosing to heat your water using solar power is a wise choice and a first step in making a choice to help preserve our environment. We know how easy it is to use solar power to do a lot of things, including heating our water.

Share:

Read More