It may sound strange, but it’s true. The issue at hand was the amount of water used by conventional flushes in residential toilets. Hardly a matter of concern for a government, you think? Well, the policy makers deemed it was time to end wasteful water usage in toilets and hence the intervention.

The government passed an order through the National Energy Policy Act in 1995 wherein a 1.6 gallon limit was set for toilet flushes rather than the 3.5 gallon flushes, which were commonplace back then. The policy changed a lot of things, many of them for the worse. Manufacturers were suddenly pressured into making available the alternatives to the existing 3.5 gallon flushes, which would function just as effectively.

Naturally, glitches were bound to crop up and they did. By the time manufacturers came up with a viable, efficient and workable flushing solution that met government specifications, a significant sum of money, time and effort had literally gone down the drain. After a lot of research, consultations and design tests with trial versions, manufacturers did finally come up with 1.6 gallon flushes.

Whether the government’s predilection to interfere in these issues actually results in any kind of benefit- monetary or ecological, remains a matter of opinion. It is evident, though, that the average person has definitely been caught at the wrong side of the fence again. He had to incur the expenses of replacing his toilet flush, and probably also had to indirectly pay a share of the costs of the effort that went into developing these new products.

Plumbing is one task that most people prefer to leave to the professionals, unless it’s something as simple as tightening a pipe or plugging a tiny leak. The costs associated with calling a good plumber often make home owners put off repairs even when there are serious plumbing issues at home.

Taking care of plumbing repairs in time can save a lot of money and misery. Consider a leaky faucet, which is constantly dripping water. You must be losing gallons of water this way without even realizing it. A leaky hot water tap is even more expensive than this because you end up paying for unused water and unused heating power too.

What appears to be a minor leak on the outside could be causing major water logging damage to your home’s internal structure. Getting a plumbing expert in time can help you identify potential problems like these and limit the amount of damage done. You save some huge money in the process and also a lot of time because simple problems can be rectified quickly with economical solutions.

When the leak is in your toilet, you lose even more water than with a faucet leak. A plumber can identify such leaks with a simple dye test. Solving such issues can be easily accomplished by an experienced plumber.

You should get your plumber’s expert advice in getting your home updated with the latest products in the market. Even getting your flush replaced with a modern one can save money and water. Typically, toilets installed before the government’s 1.6 gallon limit on flushes use up around 3.5 gallons per flush. You can do the math yourself and figure out how much water you can save on a daily basis by simply installing low flow toilets.

Ask your plumber for guidance on preventing plumbing issues and saving costs. He can probably list out many new, easily available products like aerators, steel braided hoses and low flow showers that can save you running costs and also ensure a better user experience.

If you are not aware of the seriousness of Legionnaire’s disease, then you will be shocked to know that more than 10,000 people across North America fall prey to this disease every year, which can even cause death in extreme cases.

Legionnaire’s is caused by bacteria Legionella that that are found in water reservoirs, and other moist and warm places including air-conditioning systems. But most people catch it from hot water systems, as the bacteria can be transferred to your body when you take a bath.

Legionella perish in water temperatures exceeding 131 degrees Fahrenheit, but you cannot have a hot water bath at such a temperature without getting scalded severely. The maximum temperature of water that the human body can bear is about 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Besides, most hot water heaters are not designed to heat water to such extreme temperatures, which leaves you in a tricky situation.

You need not worry as there is a simple solution to the problem – using thermostatic mixing valves that blend hot water and cold water to a temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit, thus protecting you from Legionnaire’s as well as eliminating risks of scalding. This way, you can enjoy a hot, relaxing bath without ever having to worry about Legionella. However, you would need expert assistance to install such a system.

Plumbing is undoubtedly one of the most important systems in any home. You simply cannot postpone repairs or fixes when the problem is plumbing related. If you do, the likelihood is that you will end up in situations, which are both messy and expensive. If you have had problems with your toilet or bathroom recently, you will remember what a nuisance such situations can be and the repairs can cost a huge amount.

If faulty or broken plumbing systems can cause so much trouble at home, just imagine the state of the space men aboard the International Space Station who realized that the toilet at their station was not quite working the way it should. With nothing but empty space all around them and not a convenience store or gas station in sight for them to use a toilet, the astronauts were really hard pressed to come up with some creative ideas on how to fix the problem.

The men tried several things, and finally had to resort to plastic bags. The space station crew did not exactly have a pleasant time trying their hand at plumbing in the outer space. First, they tried installing a back up pump. Unfortunately this failed to yield results. A second back up solution also failed to do the job. Finally, the crew had to stick to the trusty plastic bags and that’s how they passed two weeks aboard the space station.

Considering that the Russian toilet aboard the station cost nearly $20 million to build, this problem was the last thing that was expected to crop up. It was only when the shuttle Discovery brought along a ‘spare toilet’ that the astronauts got some relief.

Whatever else they may have learned from the whole incident is not known, but one thing’s for certain, plumbing gone wrong anywhere is the one of the worst problems to deal with.

In these financially difficult times, chances are you are looking for ways to either add to your monthly income or save more money each month. It could be through a second job, cutting down on grocery bills, postponing clothes shopping or in some other way. There is one unlikely source that can help you add to your savings – your house’s plumbing system.

The plumbing in your home makes a huge difference to your water bills. There are many ways in which good and water efficient plumbing systems can save you money.

You can begin with replacing all your flushes with low flow toilet flushes. These smart devices can save as much as 14 thousand gallons of water a year for a family of four. Keep this in mind when you consider the price of replacing your old water guzzling flush with an efficient, low flow model.

The low flow flush has another cost efficient cousin – the low flow showerhead. It gives an output of 2.5 gallons of water a minute, giving you instant savings of about 2 gallons per minute. Your net savings in water can soar up to 20 thousand gallons a year.

Include that into cost savings in your water bill and you will see a significant sum saved there. The best part is, when you let your house’s plumbing system help you save money, you not only save but also do your bit towards conserving water. So ‘Go Green’ and save on your water bills with smart plumbing solutions!

When the government decided to bring in a policy in 1995, limiting the amount of water used in toilet flushes, it took the skill and expertise of many leading engineering gurus to come up with solutions, which would keep the government happy and houses from not stinking owing to improper flush function.

Strange as it sounds, it did take considerable engineering skill to develop a flush that would effectively flush, and would still be in line with the government’s water conservation policy. Many manufacturers jumped the gun when the law was passed and palmed off the regular flushes with some tweaks and adjustments to use only the stipulated 1.6 gallons of water. Water conservationists were ecstatic and so were the government officials who considered this a job well done.

The home owners and residents, who were the actual users, would however beg to differ because the products simply did not do the job. In fact, the redesigned flushes failed dismally and literally caused a stink. It took many more hours of research and engineering to get the product right.

Today, there are toilet flush manufacturers who employ PhDs and aerospace engineers in their design departments. But the results are there for everyone to see and the flushing solutions seem to be working. So, if your home sports a neat, compact, water conserving flush, you may just have a top notch engineer to thank for it.

Plumbing is a highly skilled job that requires patience, expertise and a lot of experience. If your plumber has all these qualities then chances are that he will charge you a hefty fee for fixing the plumbing problems. Of course, you cannot hire an inexperienced plumber just to reduce your bill because a plumbing job done badly could prove quite costly eventually.

There are other ways to pay your plumber less, though. Here are some ideas.

Once you get the plumber to your home, you are going to pay him a substantial fee anyway for his visit. Each time you call him, you will be covering these costs for him. To avoid paying this fee repeatedly, group all your plumbing repairs and get them all done in a single plumber visit. Many of the repairs may just require simple solutions, which add negligible costs to your bill.

Another way to cut plumbing costs is to listen to your plumber’s advice. If he recommends changing a pipe or a leaky faucet that is worn out and may spring a leak anytime, it’s best to get it done. You will probably save many gallons of precious water, a second plumber visit to fix the leaky faucet and precious time if you get it done right away.

Staying informed about new innovations in the market can also help you cut plumbing bills. Water alarms are one such innovation that can help you prevent extensive damage that water leakage can do. The alarm is designed to sound when water touches an inbuilt circuitry so that you are warned of any leaks in time before the worst of the damage occurs. You can immediately shut off the water source and ensure that the plumber’s visit does not entail massive repairs, and consequently massive bills.

Water leaks sometimes go unidentified and you can run up a pretty high water bill, not to mention wasting such as important natural resource. You may not be aware of this, but water leaks from your faucets and pipes can add up to more than twenty gallons a day.

Similarly, the old and inefficient plumbing systems waste a huge amount of water every day. To deal with these problems and for an eco-friendly lifestyle that is also easy on your pocket, you should consider ‘green plumbing’.

Green plumbing involves the use of clever plumbing techniques which ensure that your showers, toilets, faucets etc are leak-free and save gallons of water that you otherwise would have wasted with your old plumbing.

New, low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets can significantly bring down your home’s water consumption. For instance, if you were to replace your old showerhead with the latest low-flow model, you would be saving 2.5 to 7.5 gallons of water per minute. If the problem is leaky faucets, then it is time you got them repaired or replaced. You can consider the latest faucet models that are strong, do not wear out easily, and are also quite attractive.

Green plumbing can detect worn-out, jammed or blocked parts of your toilet or kitchen sink that you wouldn’t be able to spot otherwise. This is done by conducting dye tests. Find an expert plumber to take a look at it instead of trying to fix it yourself.