For every use of the home’s water there is an accessory, product or gadget to improve upon it—whether it’s making cold water colder, hot water hotter, drinking water cleaner or all of the above. Here, we look at low-lead and lead-free faucets, instantaneous hot and cold water systems, tankless water heaters and drip irrigation systems.
The market for improving the home’s water system and water usage is saturated with products. Consumers who are thinking about conservation, convenience and green issues alike will find “smart” water accessories designed to improve upon both the home’s water system and the water used daily by homeowners.
MGS Vela D stainless-steel, lead-free kitchen faucet.
Healthy Fixtures In 1986, the federal government severely restricted the presence of lead in pipes and solder used in residential plumbing fixtures. Many homeowners mistakenly believe that because their home was built after 1986, their plumbing and water fixtures are safe from lead issues. Not so, says Eric Goldman, president of MGS USA, an Italian stainless-steel faucet company with USA headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. “Brass faucets have lead in them, and they have soldered pieces, which contain lead.” The current limit on lead in pipes and fixtures is 8 percent, but many on the anti-lead campaign believe leaching of lead into the water poses a dangerous risk, particularly to children. “Our stainless-steel faucets have no solder in them, and they contain no lead,” says Goldman. MGS faucets are also made of recycled metals, an attractive characteristic to green-minded homeowners. Goldman also suggested that the lead-free design of MGS faucets puts the company in a good position in the California plumbing and fixture market, which faces the 2010 transition from the current maximum of 8 percent lead to a much lower percent .025.
MGS is a high-end faucet option, however, with product lines like the kitchen faucet Vela collection listed at about $1,600. For those who want better water without the high price tag, other lead-free options exist. Both Federalloy of Bedford, Ohio, and EnviroBrass of Denver, Colo., have been producing lead-free brass and bronze alloys for use in plumbing fixtures and faucets. Concast Metal Products of Mars, Pa., started GreenAlloys.com as a resource to the metal industry and a way to increase awareness of low-lead or no-lead alloys for use in plumbing fixtures and faucets. Homeowners looking for healthier drinking water should consider a low- or no-lead faucet alternative, and look for fixtures that contain lower lead levels than the maximum 8 percent.
Instant Hot or Cold Water The water accessory market is saturated with “instant” this or that. The instant hot water product is just one of many convenient kitchen and cooking water products designed to reduce the amount of time a user must wait for water of the right temperature.
Smaller, under-the-counter hot water dispenser are proving an economical convenience for the busy kitchen, supplying instant hot water for perfectly brewed coffee or tea, easy dishwashing, quick hot cereals and ready-to-drink baby bottles. The EverHot from Bradford White is a half-gallon under-the-sink unit that can supply 190-degree water in a flash, with a 60-cup-per-hour capacity. The 110volt system uses less electricity than a 40-watt light bulb and can be purchased for $350 to $450, depending on additional accessories and faucet style selection.
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