Plumbing and water heaters

Heat pump water heaters can help cut your hot water energy consumption by close to one third, particularly when partnered with an air source heat pump. Heat pump electric hot water heaters, good or bad idea? Water heaters are generally the biggest energy drain in a home after heating . so Air-to-water heat pump…

Choosing a water heater - tank or tankless. Tankless water heaters , on demand water heaters and instantaneous water heaters are different names for the same thing - domestic hot water systems that do not include the storage tank that comes with traditional water heaters. This type of water heating system can be…

If your sink is still plugged after trying plungers and drain cleaners, a simple DIY plumbing repair could save you from calling a plumber, save money and bring a sense of strange satisfaction. How to repair a clogged sink drain Has your kitchen drain started to drain slowly, or gotten to the point where it won’t…

Treating and recovering gray water in the home has always been a bit of a hit and miss affair, with DIY solutions often the only option - until now. At last, a packaged solution for gray water treatment & recycling - the Hydraloop Reducing home water consumption is an increasingly important issue, as the world is…

How to prevent flooding, sewage backup and leaks from appliances with a couple of 'smart' devices. 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…

The SANC02 is the first heat pump water heater available in Canada to use outside air for heating water. Read our in-depth review of this innovative way to save money on hot water. There are many manufacturers of heat pump water heaters on the market, which, rather than heating water with an electric coil as a…

Developed to be used with Uponor pex tubing only, the Milwaukee expander tool will shave tons of time off any plumbing job. 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…

Ecodrain is the first company we've seen to turn greywater heat recovery units on their side, making heat recovery option where it might not have been before. Greywater heat recovery for slab on grade homes - is it possible? Sustainable construction is on the move! It seems almost every day a new and innovative…

Recycling gray water is becoming more and more commonplace. It reduces the burden on urban sewage treatment along with protecting a quickly dwindling natural resource. What is gray water? Or indeed grey water! The term 'gray water recycling' refers to all domestic waste water that is drained from sinks, showers…

This is a great little video that illustrates how we are surrounded by potential energy, we just have to put a little thought into how to harness it. We found this video at Whole Systems Design, a New England based company who identify, design, and develop human habitats. In their own words from their website : "We…

Jang Wooseok designed the Eco Bath grey water recycling system to address water conservation in washrooms. Mission accomplished, and elegantly so. Gray water recycling for toilets, how does it work? The Eco Bath concept is simple: use the waste water from the sink to flush the adjoining toilet. The execution is…