Plumbing and water heaters

It's tempting to run your washing machine on cold water to save some dollars, but many people will tell you that it's not effective for washing clothes properly or for removing stubborn stains - and that's not quite true. So, a little background story, I always called my mom "Laurence, the guardian angel of…

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. Great technology, if a little pricey. There are many manufacturers of heat pump water heaters on the market, which, rather than heating water with an electric coil as a normal electric hot water tank does, employ…

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…

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 water…

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. Sustainable construction is on the move! It seems almost every day a new and innovative product shows up on the market that is more efficient, more effective…

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” refers to all domestic waste water that is drained from sinks, showers, bathtubs and…

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…

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…

Jang Wooseok designed the Eco Bath grey water recycling system to address water conservation in washrooms. Mission accomplished, and elegantly so. The Eco Bath concept is simple: use the waste water from the sink to flush the adjoining toilet. The execution is nothing less than stylish. Though compact, the Eco…