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Do These 4 Things & Save Big On Your Water Bill This Year

Posted on January 18, 2018 | by lsnow

2018 is a new year and of course, plenty of people are making resolutions at the start. For many, one of those resolutions will be to manage money better.
One way you can do this, every day, in small ways, is through better plumbing/water management. We have four tips for you to follow that can help lower your water bills every month.

Try a Self-Serve Car Wash

The traditional argument against car washes is that you save time and effort, but spend more money to do so. Compared to washing your car at home with a hose, the expenditure on gas to get down to the car wash, and money you actually pay for the service seem in line with this type of number crunching.
However, if you live near a self-service car wash, you can pay a fraction of the price to wash your car there. More importantly, you are not using up gallons and gallons of your own drinking water that’s just spraying down your car, getting infused with cleaning chemicals, then going straight into the sewer. Washing your car with this option can actually keep your water bills low, without costing you more on the wash itself.

Plug Up Leaks

If you have leaks in your plumbing this is a significant, constant drain on your water. Every time that water leaks your water supplier is charging you for it, even if you didn’t turn on a tap!
Check your water meter to see if it has a leak indicator. Or, just take a reading, stop using all water in the house for 10 minutes to an hour, then see if the water meter has gone up anyway. If it has, you’ve got a leak. Get it fixed, to solve the problem!

Recycle Water for Your Garden

Plants can be quite demanding on your water supply, especially things like lawns and garden plants such as flowers.
However, these plants are also not too fussy about the kind of water that they get, as long as it’s relatively free of very strong chemicals.
This is where “grey water” comes in, which is just another word for gently used water, such as that put into the service of cooking, washing or bathing. Another great source of grey water is a rain barrel put somewhere on your property. You may not want to drink any of this water, but your plants will happily accept it, and it saves on your bills.

Shower More with Updated Fixtures

Treat yourself to an occasional bath, but don’t do so all the time! A bath uses up anywhere from 20-50 gallons of water to fill bathtubs of varying sizes. A shower, especially if you jump in for five minutes or less, uses up a fraction of this amount.
To get the biggest savings, however, you need an updated showerhead. Showerheads installed before 1992 are “unrestricted” meaning they don’t benefit from any water saving designs features. With a modern shower head, even at high pressure, you only use 2.5 gallons per minute!
Get a good start on your resolution to be smarter about money with our tips. By following them, you can put a sizable dent in just how much water you pay every month, and put those savings towards things that are more fun or more sensible, in Salt Lake City, UT, the choice is yours!

Your Complete Guide to Creating the Most Comprehensive Winter Checklist in 2017

Posted on November 18, 2017 | by lsnow

Creating a comprehensive winter checklist is an absolute must for Salt Lake City, UT residents who have a rainy season followed by a very cold snowy winter and then another rainy season.
More so than other cities, residents are quite prone to flash flooding from sudden thaws and downpours, as well as extremes of temperature, so it is important to make sure that everything is in good working order and that you are well stocked with home maintenance supplies.
The key phrase to keep in mind when it comes to preparing your home for winter is “insulate and ventilate” so that the warm air that is kept inside of your home is also kept fresh and safe to breathe.

Proper Insulation & Ventilation

Make sure your home is well insulated. Install foam weather stripping around doors to create a seal from the cold when the door is closed.
Apply caulking to the edges of your windowpanes to prevent cold air from seeping in where the frame meets the glass. Do a quick inspection of your entire home and try to find any holes or cracks that could allow heated air to escape and water or cold air to enter and fill them with foam insulation from a spray can.
Wrap your hot water tank with tape-on insulation to save energy, and if your pipes are prone to freezing, you can do the same with them. Make sure that your home is well ventilated and safe from air pollution.
Hire a professional to clean your ducts and vents and replace all of the filters on your HVAC or stand-alone furnace. This prevents fumes from the processing of heating fuels from becoming trapped in your home and causing allergies and environmental illness.

Outdoor Lighting

Make sure that your outdoor lighting is in good working order. Fog is a common occurrence in Salt Lake City during the rainy season, and it is crucial to install energy-saving, long-lasting LED light bulbs on every path and driveway to help prevent accidents.

Check the Detectors

Replace the batteries on your smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector. Holding a candle close to the detector can help you determine whether or not it is working, however most start beeping as soon as the batteries expire.
It is best to change the batteries on both before any beeping occurs so that you know they will be working well through the long cold months.

A Functioning Dehumidifier

Check your dehumidifier to see if it is working properly. Inspect the fan blades and the tray that catches water, to make sure that they are not covered with mold. The cold, dry air of Utah winters does not hold moisture well, so running a dehumidifier for a couple of hours a day can help retain the heat in the air.
If you are trying to cut costs and don’t want to run a dehumidifier, then you can also try filling your home with lush tropical plants, which also help to hold moisture in the air.

Avoid Slips and Falls

Stock your garage with de-icing salt and good metal shovel. Be sure to buy a shovel with a flat edge for scraping ice off of sidewalks, driveways, and outdoor plumbing. The de-icing salt helps thick, glossy ice that looks like water, to melt very fast, so that nobody slips and falls.
Keep in mind that you do not necessarily have to be a homeowner to benefit from the precautions and advice outlined on this checklist. If you are a renting, it is a good idea to be aware of these issues and take care of them yourself for safety’s sake.
If you live in a condo or apartment, you may have fewer concerns, but if you feel that an aspect of this checklist is not being addressed by your management, such as the icing of sidewalks or testing of fire alarms, then report it and make sure it gets done.

Interesting Indoor Plumbing History Information

Posted on September 25, 2017 | by lsnow

Indoor plumbing has always been a necessity rather than a luxury because human beings must stay clean and drink fresh water in order to stay healthy.
Evidence of the installation of early indoor plumbing dates back to 4,000 BC in the form of clay-and-straw pipes that were unearthed by archaeologists near the Indus River Valley.
Before that, fresh water was generally carried in pots from lakes or river sources for use and wastewater was carted out the same way. Slaves bathed in natural running right at the side of a river or lake, while their masters bathed in heated water in tubs.

The Lost Innovations of Roman and Egyptian Plumbing

By 2500 B.C., copper pipes were used for plumbing by the Egyptians, who installed them in complex and intricate ways inside of burial pyramids. Interestingly, these fully functional baths and fountains were not meant for anyone living to use, as the tombs were sealed off.
It was assumed that those in the afterlife would make full use of the facilities. As is true of most societies back then, it was only royalty or the wealthy that had indoor plumbing.
The ancient Romans brought water to everyone by laying down 220 miles of pipes and perfected the construction of irrigation and sewage systems. Water was directed to indoor faucets and decorative fountains in central courtyards. By 52 AD, Roman plumbing innovations were considered to be the state of the art in the ancient world.
Unfortunately, after the fall of the Roman Empire in 376 A.D., this engineering genius was lost and the entire world regressed back to using pails and chamber pots. Four centuries with no plumbing led to body odor and disease. This was true even in the most luxurious palaces of the world and in fact, the French Queen Marie Antoinette, who lived in the Palace of Versailles in the 1600s, invented a floral perfume to cover up the stench of body odors wafting through her court.

The Flush Toilet and Other Modern Plumbing Advances

The advent of modern plumbing began with the invention of the first working flush toilet in 1775 by an English man named Alexander Cumming. There was an earlier version created in 1596 by another Englishman, Sir John Harrington, but in that case, there was no system of pipes in place to whisk any sewage away.
Once pipes were installed in English houses enabling proper flushing, the indoor shower was also introduced, as a closed system that recycled used water through pipes.
By the 1830s, American hotels were outfitted with the first toilets and showers, and in 1833, a toilet and shower was installed on the second floor of the White House. In 1891, Thomas Crapper updated toilet design to include an elevated tank with valves and siphons.
You can still buy elevated tank style toilets from suppliers who specialize in retro bathroom fixtures to suit an older house. It wasn’t until 1919 that the floor-mounted toilet tanks that are still in use today came into common use.
If you live in the Salt Lake City, UT, you are privileged to be living in an advanced contemporary society with many retrofitted buildings that boast such modern, eco-friendly conveniences as water-efficient toilets, low flow faucets and powerful irrigation systems for your garden. Some buildings even have the capacity to heat their buildings using water from surrounding sewers.
Things are no different today than they were in ancient times, with the primary, emphasis being on efficiency, maintaining sanitary conditions and always having fresh running water to bathe in and drink.

Water-Saving Guide for Fun Summer Activities

Posted on August 18, 2017 | by lsnow

As the mercury rises, you may start to think your water-conserving practices are no longer needed. It may seem like as good of a time than ever to make a few exceptions and use up your precious water to cool down.
But, what if we told you that you can still enjoy outdoor summer activities while also conserving water at the same time?
Here are our top five favorite water-saving outdoor summer fun activities:

Running Through the Sprinkler

Nothing says “summer” like running through the sprinkler! This easy and effortless activity requires little doing on your part and results in major fun and memories made for your kids.
Put your sprinkler's time when your family can enjoy it too and get double the use out of the sprinkler. You’ll be irrigating your lawn while cooling down the family at the same time.

Get Creative with PVC Piping

After making sure your hose is in good working conditioner, head to the hardware store and pick up some PVC piping. You can drill tiny holes into the piping and connect it to the hose in any configuration you can think of.
Either running the pipe on the ground or creating an outdoor PCV cube, the possibilities are endless. Your kids will be blown away by their own personal splash pad.

Do the Limbo

We know the limbo as a fun party activity with a long stick and some funky tunes, but what if the limbo stick was made from a stream of water instead?
Use the hose to create a dynamic limbo stick that your kids will want to touch! Blast some fun music and watch the limbo evolve into a fit of hose spraying, laughing, and fun for all.

War of the Sponges

Water fights are another fun outdoor activity, but water balloons are wasteful since you can only use them once. A better alternative is a sponge fight! Distribute colorful sponges to family members and place buckets of water around your property for refills and let the war of the sponges begin.
Another use for water sponges is a minute-to-win-it style game where participants are required to move water from one full bucket to another empty bucket using only a sponge. You’re sure to cool down as you soak up water and try to transfer it to the other bucket without spilling.

DIY Slip and Slide

Slip and slides are endless fun in the summer. Did you know you can make your own version of a slip and slide using materials you probably already have at home?
For the slippery surface, try using a painter’s tarp or a few heavy-duty garbage bags taped together.
Once you’ve placed the surface in a location without any rocks or sharp edges, simply squirt a small amount of dish soap and add a few buckets of water for an amazing DIY slip and slide!

Useful Water Leak Detection Advice for Homeowners

Posted on July 21, 2017 | by lsnow

Your home is a huge investment. When something goes wrong, it’s important to invest in a quick repair that will reduce damage, lower costs, and prevent future issues.
Water leaks are a common problem that many homeowners face, however, a surprising number of homeowners don’t know how to deal with them.
Here’s some useful water leak detection advice you can use in your home:

Invest in Regular Maintenance

Just like everything else in your home, upkeep is important.
The same way you go to the dentist or get a check-up at the doctor, making sure your pipes are in good condition is the best way to prevent leaks and pipe damage.
Some of the most important maintenance services you should schedule include:

Annual or bi-annual drain cleaning to prevent the buildup of grease and debris. Drain cleaning also promotes a healthy and long-lasting plumbing system.
Regular pipe inspections to point out any problem areas or minor leaks that need to be repaired.

When the pipes are no longer functional, and regular repairs are not sufficient, invest in repiping to prevent future issues and save money in the long run.

Understand the Effects of Water Leaks

Homeowners often see minor water leaks as just that: minor. However, it’s a slippery slope to go from a small plumbing leak to an expensive water leak disaster.
Before you decide whether or not to call a professional, consider the effects of leaving a water leak without being repaired in your home:

Rising water bills
Rot and structural damage
Mold growth

As soon as you understand the risks involved with plumbing leaks, you will understand why it’s so important to take care of these leaks right away.

Let the Professionals Do Their Job

Hands down, the best way to find the source of a water leak in your plumbing system is with the help of a professional plumber.
Although you may use common sense to find the general location of the leak, only a professional can pinpoint the source and determine the severity of the problem.
We use several advanced leak detection methods to find the source of the problem. Some of the most effective methods include:

Dig and drill to dig into your wall or floor to locate and expose the damaged pipe for a quick repair.
Infrared technology allows us to take multiple photos of the pipe at different angles to see what’s going on.
Meter testing involves measuring the water pressure in your pipes and comparing it to a healthy pipe to determine if there is a leak.

All of these methods are effective at finding leaks. They also facilitate quicker repairs and ensure we get the job done efficiently.