plumbing / Green Building & Sustainable Home Renovation Information & Advice

...plumbing investment and will eat up some real estate in your basement. So at the price of water, don’t hold your breath waiting for the payback on that one. You could also install composting toilets. They don’t use water, they don’t require septic systems, and they don’t pollute waterways. Not necessarily for your down...

We have finished the bathroom counter, floors and shower stalls with a dark slate tile from Glendyne. Slate is a natural stone, so its surfaces have more character and inconsistencies in texture - and at times in thickness - than manufactured tiles. This can mean a bit more effort on the part of installers, but a more ...

Traditional pex piping is installed by slipping a metal ring over the exterior of the pipe, then slipping a union or any other joint inside and crimping the ring to hold it in place. It works, but given that its success lies in the installer doing a good job on crimping, there is room for error even if that is a small ...

After recently posting a story sharing the brilliance that is the Swedish Orbsys water and heat recycling shower, it was brought to our attention that there is a homegrown Canadian variety as well. The EcoVéa shower by Reveeco is made in Quebec, Canada, and works based on the same principles as the Orbys we recently wr...

...plumbing and water efficiency, energy efficient home design and all you need to know to build sustainable healthy homes in the Ecohome green building guide pages.

Should we consider adding a bidet? Although quite popular in Africa, Asia and Europe, the bidet has been slow to gain popularity in America.  Could it be that we are just creatures of habit? Does the idea of a jet of water blasting your nether regions seem a hard leap to make at first? Well, you’re probably not the on...

...plumbing and water heaters in Green Homes here  

setting up a rainwater catchment system If it is not for financial reasons, why are you installing a water tank? Here are some reasons: To do your part for water conservation; to be able to water your garden with some independence from water restrictions; to use rainwater for laundry, showers and toilets; for increase...

...plumbing and water conservation, and all about sustainable and energy efficient home design in the Ecohome Green Home Building Guide pages.   

Our previous update covered aspects of the building envelope, which allowed us to reduce the annual heating requirement to about the Passive House standard of 15 kWh per square meter. Windows are a part of that but they are also part of our energy performance strategy. The house is laid out south facing to maximize pas...

Preventing flood damage in basements is a hot topic as we are regularly seeing the effects of climate change in the form of extreme weather events and unpredictable weather patterns. Snow melt combined with torrential spring rains can lead to very high water tables and consequently, sewage backflow is an increasing dan...