Need Some Plumbing Advice? Read This Piece
Your plumbing system, like you and your family, is an important part of your home. Just like you, it needs to be be taken care of. You need to research all kinds of techniques and equipment and find what works for your plumbing job. These tips below can help you with that.
Noisy pipes are actually a lot easier to fix than you would imagine. Anchoring exposed pipes will decrease the amount of noise your plumbing system makes. If these pipes are located in the floors, ceiling or walls, you are probably best calling a profession plumber to take over the project.
Certain things shouldn't go into your plumbing system. By knowing what you can and cannot flush or throw into the garbage disposal and sink, you can save yourself from a costly repair or disaster. A plumber can usually get your plumbing back into working condition, but can be avoided if you know how to dispose of items correctly.
Roots from a tree in your back yard can be a real headache when it comes to plumbing. Make sure if you have a big tree or bush or some kind of plant with a big root system, that you ask your plumbing company about root killing agents. You can flush these down your toilet and kill any roots that may be blocking your pipes and save yourself a lot of money by stopping a back up before it happens.
You should drain all of the water out of the tank of your hot water heater at least once every three to six months. Draining all of the water out of the tank helps to prevent sediment build-up here at the bottom of the tank. This sediment can cause the tank to bang or to heat less efficiently.
If you have well water and discover orange or pink discoloration on your bathtub or sink, you probably have iron in your water supply. To get rid of this problem, you can either use a commercial product to soften the water, or have a contractor come to your home and do the work for you.
There are simple ways to check your toilet for leaks that can ultimately lead to great cost savings in the long run. The easiest way to do this is to pour a small amount of food dye into the holding tank of your toilet overnight. In the morning, if you have any color in the basin then you know you have a leak that needs some attention.
Keep the drain in your bathtub working well by pouring one cup baking soda into the drain quickly followed by about a cup of white vinegar. Afterward, place a washcloth or towel over the top of the drain, to keep the chemical reactions contained. Wait for a bit, then flush with boiling water. This procedure should be able to clear pipes of hair and soap scum.
If water backs up from one sink to another, it is because the lines are connected. The part of the branch line for one device might be higher than another, but most likely there is also a blockage in the branch line connecting the two devices as well. This blockage must be cleaned.
Stay away from drain cleaners if possible. The chemicals in those kinds of drain cleaners can be corrosive and might damage pipes if you keep using them. If you discover that you have a blocked drain, the best course of action is to hire a professional to call by and examine it for you.
As was stated above, it is normal to become frustrated by plumbing problems your home may have. But, these problems can usually be easily fixed, if you know how. Use the tips that this article has provided to you in order to get started in plumbing repairs as soon possible!
Why it's time to redesign the old air conditioner
The air conditioner is nearly 100 years old, and yet it hasn't evolved much -- the technology is essentially the same as it was the day it was invented.
It has, however, changed our lives, making it possible for humans to thrive in places where heat would otherwise make life unbearable. Air conditioning is also essential to businesses and technologies that rely on controlled temperatures and humidity, such as the very internet servers that are sending this story to your device.
But this all comes at a cost: The cooling of our air is responsible for 10% of the planet's electricity consumption, according to the International Energy Agency. And as the world heats, demand for air conditioners will only grow, especially in developing countries. This, in turn, will increase the impact that cooling appliances have on the climate, thus warming the Earth further and creating a vicious cycle.
The current technology is unsustainable. That's why a new coalition -- led by India's government and America's Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), a nonprofit environmental research organization -- has launched the Global Cooling Prize, a $1-million competition to design the next generation of air cooling systems.
"The first home air conditioner was brought to market in 1926 by Willis Carrier, who's long since dead," said RMI's managing director, Iain Campbell, in a phone interview. "If we brought him back to life and showed him today's air conditioning product, not only would he know what it is, he could tell you how it works."
The prize
The artificial glacier growing in the desert
There are 1.2 billion room air conditioning units installed today, but that figure will soar to 4.5 billion by 2050, according to an RMI report. "The impact of that on electricity demand is going to be huge," said Campbell, who co-authored the report. "The dilemma is that it comes at an environmental cost we can't afford. It's a kind of climate threat you don't see much in the rear view mirror, but when you look at what's in front of you, it's massive,"
The Global Cooling Prize sets specific guidelines for participants, who were tasked with designing a cooling solution with five times less climate impact than those popular today, meaning they could help counteract the environmental effects of the expected growth in demand.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1lsY92_nmCH1u72gjMYI4ZChOCJLeKAXLe9ieG5qDeR4/edit?usp=sharing