Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Water Heaters

Water heaters are an essential part of a home. For those busy people and always in a hurry, heating their water to use is always a problem everyday. This may cause them delay on their works or appointments. It is such an irritating feeling knowing that the cause of your delays is just simply heating the water. Gone are the days you will experience these stuffs again. A water heater is the solution for your everyday problem. It is a household appliance used to heat waters. There is a hot water tank in it that heats up the water into its full capacity. Thus, this provides instant water for you. Conventional and Less conventional types

Types of Water Heaters

 Conventional • Fossil Fuel Fired – This uses gas or propane burner located at the bottom of the storage tank to heat the water. Using different kinds of venting technologies, the smoke emitted from this type of heater is barred. There is a need of an exhaust fan to help the throwing out of combustion gases. • Electric Resistance – There are two electric resistance elements located at the bottom and top of the tank to heat the water. An independent thermostat is present to control each element. The lower element provides recovery for standby losses while the upper element provides heating when there is a large use of water.  Less Conventional • Heat Pump – There is a use of an air source heat pump to transfer thermal energy from the air to the storage tank. There is also the presence of electric resistance elements to serve as backup if the heat pump cannot provide enough heating capacity. • Solar powered – This is the most used among the heaters. The solar collectors are usually found outside the buildings or on the roofs or walls. There is a specific design of hot water storage for solar thermal.  Direct-gain type – The potable water goes directly to the collector. Naturally, it has storage within the collector. Direct heating is more efficient than heating via heat exchangers. However, the system has a limited heat loss protection, thus, this suffer from heat loss during cold nights and cloudy days.  Indirect or Closed-loop – Compared to Direct-gain type, this system do not allow water to go on panels. When the collection of heat in the panels occurs, the heat transfer process lets the fluid flow through a heat exchanger and then transfers the heat to the potable water. The controller in the closed-loop system stops the circulation pumps if the storage tank reaches its maximum temperature.  Drainback System – It drains the water into a storage tank that is contained in a conditioned or semi conditioned place. How to maintain your water heaters The average lifespan of standard heater will last long for eight to twelve years. Moreover, a tankless heater can last two to three times. Therefore, you will need proper maintenance in order to preserve the life of your heater. The life of your tankless heater could last longer than usual up to three times longer if the owner takes care of the heater well.

Toilets

Everyone consider toilets as the porcelain throne or the king’s resting chair in some old sayings. It still takes a big part in the indoor water usage despite significant water efficiency that reportedly gains for the past few decades already. Experts in the toilet facility say that multiple gallons of water is used for every flush. According to United States Environmental Protection Agency, it sets limitations to just at least 1.6 gallons per flush.

The Economy of Toilets

Most countries, usually in the north side of U.S, had been experiencing water shortage in that standard and probably will be experiencing this shortage until things can be adjusted. In the year 2007, the legislature reported enacting the AB 715 where they call it for water efficiency standards for toilets or for urinal use. The standard goes out effectively and goes one step further which helps accelerate the transition to low-flow toilets and even give aggressive standards when it comes to urinal usage, commercial or household. The replacement valve standard is not as strict as the standard for new toilets and urinals. But it doesn’t mean it couldn’t meet the standards being raised by the legislature. The resulting lower water usage is not insignificant for energy costs, either. It takes for about a year with 3 trillion gallons of water that used for urban users: including commercial, industrial, institutional, outdoor and indoor residential applications which could turn water into leakage. A single residential toilet uses about 35 kilowatt-hours per year. In homes and businesses, toilets still account for about 30 percent to 40 percent of indoor water use, despite the efficiency gains. In other words, water-use toilets are equal to a HVAC system’s electricity use. The real differences in cost linked to optional features, not flush volume. So, people should always remember that usage of water for toilet flushing is important and never wasted because it can cause shortage, not just in your household, but also throughout the neighbouring houses that uses flushing water too in their toilets. Always put in mind water sense because water is life and without water, toilets are useless. Driving higher water efficiency for appliances is also just a start for everything.

Disposing of Wastes with Toilets

Toilets are essential to get rid of waste and we must continue to have useful flushing systems in place that do not waste water. There are many elements in place to ensure the flushing system is high-quality and doesn't waste water. If we have systems in place that waste water, then we will continue to have shortages in certain places of the United States.

Sump Pumps

Sump pumps are a small pump that could help the building become dry as much as possible and could even prevent flood! Yes it could. It installs in the lowest part of the basement. It is commonly installed on constructed sump pits. The sump pump would pump the water out from the pit away from the building so the basement stays dry. Sump pumps doesn’t prevent water from gathering but they could go a long way on monitoring on your basement.

There are actually three types of sump pumps that are good for using on your basements and crawl spaces:

• Pedestal sump pump. The “column pump or upright”. It has an open motor that is attached directly to the pump casing; even though its motor is not designed to be plunged underwater. • Submersible sump pump. This pump has a watertight motor created for dipping in water. Its motor is completely hidden in the sump. • Water-powered sump pump. This type of sump pump is much less powerful than the other two pumps but it has a better advantage than the pedestal and submersible sump pump. It runs on city water pressure not on electrical power. If the city water pressure is low this sump pump is hard to use because it requires a specific water pressure.

Installing Sump Pumps

Having a sump pump in your home is a complex job. It is necessary to call an expert or a professional to help you install a sump pump. An average sump pump has a life span of up to 10 years. It is better to take care of your sump pump as you could still have a use for it. It is necessary to check a couple of times a year. Pour water into the sump pit to check if it still works. It is better to do this than to know that it doesn’t work anymore while a flood is coming. Help prevent flooding by having a sump pump. It would literally make your basement dry, though you still have the maintenance of it every day or you can have it for twice a month for proper checking and maintaining it for safe keeping. Most households today consider sump pump as a necessary part for their utilities particularly for kitchen and bathroom usage. For the best sump pump for your household, research online to see the best products and deals; and you can see a wide range of choices and the best options you can have to see which is the best fit for your household needs.