Heating water accounts for almost 20 percent of the total heating costs in a normal home. The percentage is higher in an energy-efficient home (the same dollars, it's just a bigger piece cut from a smaller pie).
Almost all of the recommendations for improving heating systems for space heating ap...
Drain water, or grey water, heat exchangers run the warm drain water next to the fresh incoming water to raise its temperature a bit, taking a load off of the hot water tank.
Although there are more and more products to accomplish this available on the market. The problem is that most plumbing c...
When the pressure-release valve on the top of a boiler or a hot water tank is leaking it could mean several things.
The first thing to try is to simply lift the little lever on the top of the tank to let out some hot water. Before you do this, make sure that the valve has a discharge pipe attach...
This time I collected some toilets and toilet accessories that you may have never heard of.
The North Vent is a new Canadian invention designed to draw the bathroom exhaust air directly from inside the toilet bowl -- you can't get any closer to the source of the pollution. It uses a good squirre...
Connect to your favourite weather forecaster and look for the following conditions:
Category: Adhesives Product: ABS & PVC Pipe Cement
Temperature Limitations: Above +4 C (+40 F) and below + 38 C (+100 F)
Rain Limitations: Work on dry pipe and keep dry for 15 minutes.
Wind Limitati...
NEW CONSTRUCTION
In the interests of health and safety a number of trades are controlled by law, most particularly plumbing and electricity. The degree to which plumbing and electrical work are actually regulated varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For instance almost all work performed in...
It may surprise you, but more accidents happen in the shower when the shower suddenly goes cold, than when it suddenly goes hot. It seems that we just jump higher. But neither shock is agreeable, or safe.
That's why all new plumbing installations require something called a "Pressure Balancing va...
The smoke test described in the previous answer should be used to verify the presence of typical leaks and discover those peculiar to your own house. Before sealing, read the section on Ventilation to avoid any future condensation problems.
The leaks high in the house are not necessarily the lar...
Frost Protected Shallow Foundations
The foundation for a house is generally poured below the soil grade level so that the footing itself is well below the frost depth for any given region and soil type. This protects the house from frost heaving caused by expanding soils beneath the foundation....
Dan from Toronto, Ontario writes: "I saw your show about installing the Moen Positemp shower system. We had two installed, one upstairs and one in our basement shower. Both work fine for controlling the "shock" factor, but we can't seem to get enough hot water out of the upstairs one. Is there a ...
