There's only one thing scarier than a "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie marathon, and that's a clogged drain. Yep, Hitchcock's got nothing on backed-up plumbing.
This is a busy time of the year for the folks at Roto-Rooter, according to their latest newsletter. Why? Because amidst the excitement of carving up the pumpkins and positioning the ghoulish gourds on the front steps for all to see, few people actually stop and think, "Wait, maybe putting these pumpkin guts down the sink isn't such a good idea."
It's understandable. Who wants rotting innards sitting in the trash can for days on end? It's much tidier just to wash the stringy, smelly slop down the drain and be done with it.
Unfortunately, the pulp and seeds soon harden, clogging the drain and disposer. The resulting plumbing bill is enough to scare the socks off of John Carpenter.
So, follow Roto-Rooter's advice this Halloween season. Don't put pumpkin guts down the drain, in the garbage disposal or in the toilet. Wrap them up in newspaper and throw them in the trash, or even better: compost them!
Here's something new to be scared of -- showerheads spraying out bacteria linked to pulmonary disease. According to this article from MSNBC, 20% of 45 showerheads tested in five states sprayed water which contained Mycobacterium avium, which can pose a health threat to people with weakened immune systems. Researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, discovered presence of the bacteria at levels 100 times the amount found in the municipal water sources.
Relax, says Newsweek, the bacteria is not likely to kill you. So please, continue showering. Those with compromised immune systems should change their shower heads regularly and use ones made of all metal.
New products from Evolve Shower Heads came across my desk recently -- and suddenly my family of four was given a new challenge: take greener showers.
The concept is simple: No more waiting for the water to reach a comfortable temperature before hopping in. The ShowerStart technology pauses the water flow when it reaches 95 degrees. Once undressed, pull the valve cord and your shower is at maximum comfort level. No more wasted water down the drain. Now we just have to get my wife and kids to get out of there.
Results: Because of the old shower valve system I have, we had to buy one additional product to allow this to work. $20 and minimal work later, everyone was loving their shower experience. We used to wait three minutes before our water was at a comfortable temperature, now we could jump right in(Please no actual jumping in the shower). This also lead to less mirror-fog -- making it easier to shave, and less house humidity that the air conditioning had to remove (I live in Florida so low humidity is key). Plus, the water pressure and rain-head style makes this experience a great way to start the day. The annual savings is about $75 a year. If only it automatically, completely shut off in five minutes, forcing us to take shorter showers, then we'd really have gone green!
These are the three products we tried:
The Lady Bug: An adapter that sits between your current showerhead and the supply pipe. It would be practically invisible if it did not have the restart cord hanging down. If you already love your showerhead, this is your fastest fix.
The Water Lily: A standard 2.5 gallon per minute rain-type showerhead with multiple flow levels and a built-in Lady Bug adapter. This was our personal favorite as it had a great full shower feel and it made me feel green with no sacrifice.
The Roadrunner: The greenest option, this provides a lower flow at 1.5 gallon per minute. Though it has a regular shower spray pattern and the water flow felt full, my wife and I both like the larger spray pattern of the Water Lily.
All said and done the ShowerStart technology was a hit in our house, allowing us to take greener, cleaner showers without impacting our lifestyle. The only small problem: Our 5-year old daughter needed assistance with the pull cord.
Have you bought any green appliances or gadgets -- or completed any green challenges? Tell us.
How important is saving water in your house? You don't have to be a Green-iac to feel the urge to conserve. The lower monthly water bill might be just the push you need.
Back in the day (before the National Energy Policy Act of 1992), kitchen faucets were geysers that could move up to eight gallons of water per minute. That’s good for filling great big pots, but a waste when washing hands or dishes. If you have inherited an existing kitchen with a faucet that gushes water like Niagara Falls, consider updating that relic with an eye towards built-in water-savings.
The latest example to pass my desk is Moen's new line of green faucets - the Anabelle and Dorsey Eco-Performance models. They have water-flow presets for low-flow uses like washing dishes -- to full power mode for filling a pitcher. Yes, of course you can just use the lever to adjust the water. But I bet you often find yourself trying (and failing) to fine tune the flow -- and settling for something too powerful. With these settings you can just let it rip.
The lowest flow rate gives a 32 percent water savings at 1.75 gallons per minute (gpm) while the full flow runs at the standard 2.2 gpm. The faucets also feature Moen's Hydrolock installation system which allows homeowners to connect the faucet and supply lines with an audible click -– no pipe-wrenching skills needed.
With drought plaguing parts of our nation and the cost of water use rising, this article in the SF Chronicle has 15 helpful tips for reducing your water bill. Among the suggestions:
The green movement is about maximizing performance while minimizing consumption. And that's why Moen's Envi Eco-Performance Rainshower showerhead impressed us so much at K/BIS this past weekend. The showerhead uses a pressurized system that makes its flow rate of 2.0 gallons per minute feel like the flow of a standard 2.5 gpm, allowing you to save both water and money. The stream can be concentrated into 30 nozzles for a more powerful spray or 100 nozzles for a more rain-like experience.
