Plumber vs Handyman...

When it comes to deciding who to hire, it's worth remembering the impact properly functioning, modern plumbing has on our existence. It's not necessary to get fancy, but it is essential to get it right. A licensed plumber doing the job he or she has been trained to do is where you want to go when it comes to your health and safety.

Let's face it, even in the grand scheme of things plumbing is pretty darn important. Just imagine what would life be like without it.

And it's not only our personal well-being that we're safeguarding by getting it right. Improvements to water delivery and sewer systems over the past 100 years have made an incredible impact on the public health in this country. It was not so long ago that cross contamination of sewage and potable water and inadequate access to clean water for washing led to epidemic outbreaks of cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery - even flu.

People have been coming up with ingenious ways to plumb water and sewer since ancient times. The Egyptians and Babylonians got it going thousands of years B.C. The Romans were not far behind and are famous for their baths and sewage disposal systems - some of which are still in use today. They also boast the first flushing "water closet." Given all that, can you believe that when President John Adams and his wife Abigail moved into the White House in 1800 the building was without indoor plumbing and water had to be carried from a spring in a nearby park. It seems the modern conveniences are quite recent indeed.

Don't take them for granted!

Plumbing may not be rocket science, but it is important to get it right. Next time you need a plumber just remember - the health of the nation depends on it!

:: Plumbers: The Health of the Nation
:: Plumbing Through History - and more...
:: Protection Against Contaminated Water
:: Flush TV
:: More on Plumbers and Our Health

Check Those Washer Hoses

It seems like a small thing really - washing machine hoses. Until they go, that is. A burst hose, with household water at an average 70 lbs of pressure, can release up to 650 gallons an hour. Yikes!

So definitely check your hoses for visible wear. You may want to make a habit of changing them periodically as part of regular maintenance - especially the hose on the hot water line. The traditional black rubber hoses may seem strong, but with constant exposure to hot water the rubber can harden and become brittle, making them more susceptible to failure. They can either split along the wall of the hose or separate at the join with the fitting. The normal lifespan of these hoses is 5 to 7 years, with some qualifications. The greater the bend in the hose, the shorter the hose will last. The hose's lifespan may also be affected by your water's chemical composition and by higher water pressure.

(Test the water shut-offs behind the machine, too. If you do need to stop the water flow in an emergency, you definitely do not want frozen bibs.)

At Boden Plumbing we also recommend that you at least consider going one step further than including the washing machine hoses in your regular maintenance scheme - particulary if you are away from home a lot or have a living unit above another unit.

We like Floodchek brand hoses as an alternative to the standard hoses. These heavily constructed hoses start out with the same traditional rubber tube, but add two layers of 23# braided rayon reinforcement, a .012"-gauge rubber jacket and a .063"-gauge rubber cover. And, since most floods start at the coupling, Floodchek couplings are machined from non-corroding solid brass. The patented heart of a Floodchek hose is the brass insert, rounded at the end to prevent cutting the hose's interior. Barbs along the hose's flank supplement the crimp design to provide extra protection against pull-off. These improvements make the hoses so reliable that they come with a limited 20-year manufacturer's guarantee.

Steel braided hoses might seem like another good choice, but there are some concerns with these types of hoses. Manufacturers use a very aggressive crimp when assembling the hoses and a relatively thin rubber tube to secure the rubber tube and steel braid to the swivel. When hoses are bent and flexed, they fail at the crimp point.

So if this is something you'd like to take the next step on in your home, Boden recommends going ahead with the Floodchek hoses. Unless you've already had a hose burst, you'll never know just how glad you'll be to have them.

Questions? Call the office at 707 996 8683 or send an email. We'd be glad to tell you more.

:: www.floodchek.com
:: www.nodrips.com