Healthy Homes of Rochester

I have heard, over the years, when talking to people about home improvements or making their homes healthy by saving money that they need a larger hot water tank. Well, I am going to address it real easily in this article.

The answer to that is – No you do not need a larger hot water tank. If you are running out of hot water and only 2 people have taken a shower, then there is a problem. One reason is that one or both of the people have taken an extremely long shower or the shower head that is in the home is dumping out too much water.

A simple solution to both of the above reasons is to visit your nearest hardware store or visit Healthy Homes of Rochester’s products page and select a high efficiency, low flow shower head. It is a simple replacement and not expensive. I think you can get one for under ten dollars.

I know plenty of you will say that they do not give off enough water to take a shower. I am telling you that they do give off enough water and at the same time conserve a bunch of your water. Replacing the shower head with a low flow, high efficiency shower head will reduce the cost of your water bill and the cost to heat the hot water at the same time. Changing the shower head will also cut electric costs if you live in an area where you are on a well. The well pump will not have to turn on as much. What a bargain that is. The shower head will pay for itself within the year.

Most low flow, high efficiency shower heads only dispense 1.5 gallons of water per minute. This is compared to the original 2.5 gallons per minute or more depending on the style.

I think this is a great place to start when going green and saving money.

Thanks for reading.

I have found that a simple, inexpensive conversion of the toilets in my home can save me money, water and energy!  Introducing the Dual Flush Toilet Conversion!  There is nothing complicated about this modification at all.  The time it took me to install was about 15 minutes.  The conversion was not a bit messy.  The dual flush toilet conversion comes with a replacement button for your existing handle.  The new button actually has 2 buttons for a liquids only flush and a solids flush, if you get my drift.  I am offering the dual flush toilet conversion at the link below because I believe this is one of the most cost effective ways to save money, energy and water!

Going green is a way of life for many of us now. With that in mind, we do all sorts of things to recycle and use organic items instead of harsh chemicals and much more.
Has anyone ever considered using a rain barrel to collect rain water to reuse?
I have purchased a great rain barrel that I placed at the back of my house, behind the garage. This is just another idea to help save our planet and save money at the same time. The rain water can be reused anytime to water the lawn, or water outdoor and indoor plants. The rain water can be used to wash off decks and patios, also patio furniture. The rain water can be used to even wash your dog. Whatever you can imagine a use for, go for it. I think it is a great idea to have one of these items. And just think, it is reducing your water bill without even trying.

The rain barrel is made out of a lightweight poly. It holds 55 gallons of rainwater. It has a hose connection and two spigots. Very handy item.

You can order one below if you would like to use the same type of rain barrel that I use.

That is just another great product recommendation by the Fixie Chick
Thank you.

Here in upstate New York our summers are more humid than some other places such as Arizona or Nevada. Therefore I would not have considered one of these great misters before now. I was under the impression that we needed a dry climate to use one of these misters properly. However on a recent trip to Atlanta, I found that many public places use the misters there too. Atlanta’s climate is very humid also, and these misters work just great. That is why I decided to purchase one of them for my deck. Not to mention it has been very hot here in upstate NY this summer.

The mister was very simple to install, all I had to do is connect it to my garden hose after I strung it up along a pergola above my deck and patio. The instructions state to place 8 to 10 feet off the ground or patio. This is why I chose my pergola to attach the mister too. The kit came with fittings to attach it to any wood structure.  No extra plumbing or anything, just a garden hose. It took me 30 minutes to have installed and ready to mist the air.

 What a great product to aid in cooling off part of my deck and patio! It just sprays a fine mist in the air which dissipates as it falls to the ground. Yes I do get some puddling of water on the deck but I don’t mind when it is 95 degrees out and full sun. Overall, it is a great inexpensive new DIY product for me to tackle and enjoy. In addition, the mist is so fine that the mister uses very little water at all.   Here is the one that I now enjoy.

Another Home Product by the Fixie Chick

Water is amazing. It would take a thick chemistry book to describe all the possible elements and compounds that can combine with it. Over time it will dissolve nearly anything but glass and a few specialty materials. Fortunately, there is a small subset of them that are found in most typical water supplies. Knowing a little bit about those can help the homeowner keep his or her plumbing system in top shape.

One of the most well-known water contaminants is the all-too familiar hard, chalky compound that we are perpetually wiping off: calcium carbonate. It coats the surfaces of sinks and shower tubs. It lines the interior of shower spouts and drains. It builds up inside handles and makes its way into every other small crevice.

Wherever water is found, you’ll usually find calcium carbonate. It’s the mineral that makes ‘hard’ water hard. Though it’s not corrosive or even harmful, it can cause problems. Just as arteries don’t work as well when they build up fatty tissues, so pipes are less efficient when they clog. The culprit is usually calcium carbonate, at least in part.

Fortunately, it’s easy to dissolve with baking soda and vinegar, or any of a thousand commercial products. Sometimes, just a good scrub sponge is enough. Keeping as much of it at bay as possible helps keep your seals from suffering an early demise. Removing it keeps things sparkling.

Another common contaminant is actually a class of compounds: oxides. Whether it’s red rust (iron oxide), green (copper oxide) or white (aluminum oxide) any of them will cause more than just a degraded appearance.

Oxides form by corroding part of the metal of which a part is made. Corrode enough of it and sooner or later its function is reduced or even compromised. The oxygen that combines with the metal comes from the ever-present atoms in water (H2O). Some are free floating in the water (as ions), some are easily torn loose to combine with the metal in a simple chemical reaction. When that reaction occurs, the trouble starts.

Rusty water isn’t harmful in small quantities, but it’s distasteful. Copper oxide makes a smooth surface crusty and reduces the diameter of pipes. Aluminum oxide produces pits in smooth surfaces when the metal from the part is oxidized, then washed or scrubbed away.

Some amount of oxidation is inevitable. Even areas outside the kitchen and bath are exposed to air which almost always contains some water vapor. But the difference can be dramatic. That’s one reason that things in dryer climates tend to suffer much less from the problem. Keeping surfaces cleaned off of water can radically slow the process. It will keep your plumbing attractive and fully functional years longer.
Thanks for reading, the Fixie Chick

Did you know that an American home can waste, on average, 11,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks? Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year.
FACT: According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), indoors, 3/4 of all water is used in the bathroom.

One easy and inexpensive way to green your bathroom is to simply save water. Reducing your personal water usage has a tremendous positive impact on the environment and on your wallet. The first step is being mindful of your habits. Do you leave the water running while brushing your teeth? Does your husband shave with a constant stream of hot water running from the faucet? Do you let warm-up water go down the drain while drawing a bubble bath? Changing one of these costly habits will result in immediate savings to you and your planet.

To save even more money by conserving water, consider installing an aerator on your faucet. Without an aerator, water usually flows out of a faucet as one big stream. An aerator spreads this stream into many little droplets. This helps save water and reduces splashing.

Showering represents approximately 17 percent of residential indoor water use in the United States—more than 1.2 trillion gallons of water consumed each year. Inexpensive and simple to install, low-flow shower heads can reduce your home water consumption as much as 50%, and reduce your energy cost of heating the water also by as much as 50%

To cut down on water waste, put an inch or two of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles to weigh them down. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanisms. You can also purchase an inexpensive “tank bank”. This may save ten or more gallons of water per day.

TIP: Be sure at least 3 gallons of water remain in the tank so it will flush properly.

If you are in the market for a new toilet, consider a “low flush” model, which use 1 to 2 gallons per flush instead of the usual 3 to 5 gallons.

Replacing an 18-liter per flush toilet with an ultra-low volume (ULV) 6-liter flush model represents a 70% savings in water flushed and will cut indoor water use by about 30%.

No matter what model toilet you use, never flush garbage of any kind. Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue or other small bit of trash, five to seven gallons of water is wasted.

Overall water is our least costly utility, but continued wastefulness will likely drive it’s cost up too.

WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, makes it easy for Americans to save water and protect the environment. Look for the WaterSense label to choose quality, water-efficient products. Many products are available, and don’t require a change in your lifestyle. WaterSense is promoting Fix a Leak Week from March 16 to 20, 2009, to remind Americans to check their plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for leaks. To learn how you can fix a leak, go HomeAndYardRadio.com-Living Greener and click on the WaterSense link.

…Without spending a dime!
1. Turn the water off while brushing your teeth and get a Faucet Aerator.
2. Purchase an inexpensive Toilet Tummy and place it in your toilet tank to displace water.
3. Purchase an inexpensive Shower Timer and use it to cut showers down to 5 minutes.
4. Turn off the water while shaving.
5. Fix toilet and faucet leaks immediately.-to check if your toilet is leaking drop food coloring into the tank if it shows in the bowl w/o flushing-you have a leak
6. Don’t use your toilet as a trash can.
7. Collect “warm-up” water to irrigate your lawn and flowerbeds.
8. Conserve energy. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that .47 gallons of water are lost for every kilowatt-hour of power generated by coal power plants.