Carney All Seasons Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Plumbing Installation’

How to Choose a Water Treatment System

Monday, June 18th, 2012

Choosing a water treatment system in Fort Washington is a process that takes research and education in order to make an informed decision on what is needed and the best system for a given job.  Before diving into the details of the process it is ideal for consumers to educate themselves on the quality of the drinking water which is being supplied to their home or business.  Identifying contaminants which should be removed from the water allows for a necessary base knowledge-base which will help in identifying water treatment systems that treat the specific contaminants which need to be removed.

Water Treatment Technologies

Drinking water treatment systems utilize a number of technologies which are available, each technology focusing on producing a particular result by running water through it.

  • Filtration:  Separates undesirable elements from water by use of a layered absorbent medium such as carbon which keeps larger particles in the water from flowing through the membranes while still letting the water through.
  • Softeners:  Reduces the amount of hardness—calcium and magnesium—in the water, and replaces those ions with sodium or potassium.
  • Ultraviolet Treatment:  The use of ultraviolet light to disinfect water and reduce the amount of microorganisms present in water.
  • Reverse Osmosis:  Removal of large molecules and ions from water by applying higher pressure to one side of the membrane, then pushing the water through the selective membrane, leaving contaminants behind.
  • Distilment:  Boils water and collect the vapor as it condenses, leaving behind heavy metals but allowing some contaminants to remain which easily change to gasses.

Water Treatment Devices

In order to choose a water treatment system which is appropriate for your Fort Washington home’s needs, have a look at the water treatment devices which are currently available on the market.

  • Point-of-Entry System:  The purpose of this whole-house system is to treat a majority of the water which passes into a residence.  Some water softeners are POE systems.
  • Point-Of-Use System:  Water is treated in batches and delivered to a single tap such as an auxiliary faucet mounted next to the kitchen sink.  Within the POU system are a number of options such as the personal water bottle, pour through pitchers, faucet mounts, counter-top manual fills, counter-top connected to sink faucet, plumbed-in to an existing faucet, or plumed-in to a separate tap.

Once you decide what your water treatment requirements are, how extensively you want your water treated, and what contaminants you want to focus on eliminating, it will become quite easy to choose a water treatment system which is right for you. For help choosing the right system, give Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling a call today!

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Plumbing Tip: What is a Faucet Aerator?

Monday, May 21st, 2012

A tap aerator or faucet aerator is located on the tip of water faucets which are used indoors such as kitchen and bathroom sink faucets.  Their purpose is to spread the water stream into a number of smaller streams, in essence adding air to the water stream.  This saves the amount of water which comes out of the tap at one time while also reducing the amount of backsplash which occurs when the faucet is turned on.

Utilizing faucet aerators in your Doylestown plumbing can be one of the most inexpensive ways to save money on water consumption and save energy.

There are two main types of faucet aerators, some which use metal or plastic screens to separate the water, and some which do not use screens. One advantage to those without screens is that they eliminate problematic clogging which occurs on screen aerators due to sediment buildup.  There are also aerators with off-valves and swivel aerators which allow users to direct flow to wherever the water spray is needed.

There are three main flow-types seen today. The needle method creates a circular pattern of small, single streams of water with no water-flow in the very center.  The aerated method created a tubular flow with air mixed into the water, creating a single stream of bubbly water.  The laminar method has no air mixed in which makes for a single stream of water with no bubbles.

Many aerators are designed as more economical low-flow aerators which optimize the water flow while still providing optimal water-flow performance.  In kitchens these low-flow options decrease flow from 2.2 gallons per minute to 1.5 gpm or 1.0 gpm, saving anywhere from 32% to 54% of water-usage.  On bathroom faucets the water-flow is decreased from 2.2 gpm to 1.0 gpm or even 0.5 gpm saving from 77% to 84% of water usage.  When engineered properly, low-flow or economic aerators can provide increased perceived water pressure while in actuality helping to save water.

When purchasing new faucet aerators, ensure that you find the proper type (male or female) and the proper size (regular or small).  There are dual-thread options for those who do not know whether a male or female aerator is necessary.  Also, look at the tap aerator’s price in conjunction with how much savings it can provide in water usage annually and see how little must be spent on each faucet in order to save hundreds of dollars.

For any help upgrading your Doylestown home’s plumbing, give Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling a call!

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How to Install a Toilet: A Guide From Ambler

Friday, October 7th, 2011

A toilet is a relatively basic piece of plumbing equipment, but that does not mean that installing it in your Ambler house is easy. This is certainly a job that many people can do on their own, but you should be prepared to devoting the majority of your day to the project. While the installation itself is not terribly complicated, it is quite important that you get it right, so make sure you have all of the necessary materials, equipment and tools before you begin.

The first thing to remember is that you need to install your toilet in an appropriate place relative to the rest of your bathroom plumbing. Especially if you are installing your toilet along a branch drain, make sure that the sink, shower and any other plumbing fixtures are upstream of the spot where you will be installing the toilet.

You will also need to make sure that you install the toilet an appropriate distance from the wall. You need to be able to get around the toilet, and you also want to leave space so that work can be performed on the unit later. Putting your toilet too close to the wall can cause all kinds of complications in the way the unit functions and there is also a possibility of condensation build-up. For all of these reasons, it is important to make sure you are allowing an adequate amount of space on all sides.

The procedure you will have to follow when installing a toilet will be slightly different depending on whether you are installing it in a new spot or simply replacing an existing unit. When replacing an old toilet, you need to remove everything involved in the previous installation. That means taking the old bolts out of the floor and scraping away any residue to ensure that you have a clean and even surface to begin your installation on.

You should also make sure that you are aware of all applicable local codes before you begin your work. Even if you technically install your toilet correctly, you could run into trouble later on if your installation is not actually up to code. It is also important to remember to level all of your fixtures before you complete the installation process and to make sure you use a dielectric or brass fitting when attaching galvanized steel and copper to each other.

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