Archive for the ‘Home Improvement’ Category

Help on residential plumbing

Treating household water
Problems with water purity were not a concern for most of us while we were young. Over-population, pollution, and too many phosphates used in farming have changed the entire water distribution industry. Increasingly more families obtain their drinking water off-the-shelf rather than the faucet . The good news is that there are a variety of different water treatment options that perform an excellent job of providing safe, clean water to our homes. Nowadays water treatment options come in two configurations: “point-of-entry” and “point-of-use”.

Point-of-entry water treatment systems are an excellent option when your water issues will impact your homes pipes. Water softeners are great options for people who have really hard water and the build up in their pipes is reducing the water pressure all through the home. Water softeners are a reliable choice when you have hard water that carries too much iron, manganese, cadmium, or radium. A system which utilizes a reverse osmosis device will address an even wider range of problems than a softener. Lead, mercury, copper, chromium, arsenic, pesticides, and chloride can be eliminated using this process.When a point-of-entry system is not required, then there are numerous devices available for treating the water at the faucet . A good example of a point-of-use treatment device is a carbon filter which connects right onto the tap and purifies the water as you use it. They will be highly successful in enhancing the color and taste of your water along with eliminating chlorine and pesticides.

Tankless water heaters
Among the most cost-efficient moves you can make is replacing that run-down conventional water heater tank with a tankless heater system run on electricity. Because a tankless hot water heater functions only when the water is running, you don’t burn up a lot of money like you do with a tank heating system. A tankless heater is activated by the faucets and the starting and stopping of flowing water which switches the heating element on and heats the water as it flows through copper tubes. Tankless heater systems keep a steady temperature without the variations you frequently must endure with tank heater systems. As soon as you drain the tank you will not have hot water until it reheats. Be careful when changing out a gas powered tank heater for a new electric powered model, as the electric brands have definite requirements for voltage and amperage. Safety issues are so critical that even the most experienced home handyman is well advised to allow a professional to perform the set up of a home heating system.

Residential hot water heaters
If you have ever experienced the discomfort of doing without hot water you know how big a deal it is to have a hot water heater in the home. The traditional hot water heater uses a tank that holds anywhere from 20 to 120 gallons of water and is kept hot continuously day in and day out. The drawbacks to tank hot water heaters are that they usually cost more than tankless options since you have to keep the water hot constantly, and when the tank empties you get no hot water until the tank re-fills and re-heats. Contemporary residential hot water systems are often tankless, a more economical and reliable heating application than traditional tank heaters. Before you decide between a tankless heater system or the tank model, you will need to choose either an electric powered model or a gas powered one. Safety concerns arise when you use gas-powered appliances, so be sure you will be able to adequately vent a gas powered heater. Residential heaters powered by electricity are more safe and economical than gas models, but if you deal with frequent power outages you might lean toward propane or natural gas. No matter what model of residential hot water heater you pick, always make sure you follow the owner’s manual and call an expert in when it does not work correctly.