Take the Plunge(r). Really!

Perhaps you have forgotten that you meant to stop by the shop and pick up your FREE plunger. Perhaps you missed all those ads we've been running to remind you.

Well, WE STILL HAVE FREE PLUNGERS AVAILABLE. Stop by our shop on Broadway (right across from the high school) and pick one up today.

Before you forget again.

These are sturdy (we're talking you could keep it behind the door in case a bad guy comes knocking), made-to-last, professional-grade tools of our trade. And they come with NO STRINGS ATTACHED. The only thing attached to these babies is a $23-off coupon towards installation of a new toilet (should the need arise).

Seriously. Why are you not here already?

Save Water, Save Money: Sonoma County Still Offering Rebates

A few years back there was a big push in Sonoma County to get as many of the older non low-flow toilets changed out for bona fide low-flow models. The effort was called the Direct Install Program, and it was a great success. Thousands of water-hungry toilets went bye-bye and mucho water is being saved as we speak.

Maybe you were able to take advantage of the program - or maybe you missed the opportunity. The Direct Install Program is over -- but Sonoma County is still offering some water efficiency rebates.

You can find complete details -- and even download the necessary forms -- on the Sonoma County Water Agency's website. Visit www.scwa.ca.gov/sanitation-rebates/. There are rebates available for high-efficiency clothes washers and toilets if you're a customer of one of the sanitation districts listed.

If you're a resident of the City of Sonoma, go to the City's Water Conservation web page where you'll find info on the rebates available for high-efficiency clothes washers and toilets, as well as the Cash-for-Grass program. (No, not THAT kind of grass! geeze ;-)

The summer season is here, and this is when your water bill will start to climb if you're watering lawns and veggies. Let that be a reminder that there's water and money to be saved!

Drip, drip, drip, drip... Are YOU "Living With a Drip?"

When was the last time you assessed the situation at your house? Those piddling little drips you think are of no account? They add UP! Seriously people, don't be "Living With a Drip"!

The facts speak volumes - like gallons and gallons kind of volumes...

• Approximately 1 in every 318 homes or buildings has a leak.
• An invisible leak in the toilet will waste up to 15 gallons of water a day or 5,475 gallons a year.
• If a drip from your faucet fills an eight-ounce glass in 15 minutes, it will waste 180 gallons per month and 2,160 gallons per year.
• A slight trickling faucet or showerhead can waste up to 100 gallons of water or more in a week (depending on the size of the drip).
• A dripping faucet/hose bib can lose up to 180 gallons a month or 2,160 gallons per year.
• A 1/8 inch hole in a metal pipe, at 40 psi, leaks 2,500 gallons of water in 24 hours.
• A leak the size of a pinhead can waste 360,000 gallons per year, enough to fill 12,000 bathtubs to the overflow mark.
• Consider this, a failure at 70 pounds of pressure can expel up to 650 gallons of water per hour. That’s what you could be faced with if your washing machine hose fails. Washing machine hoses are usually made of reinforced rubber, which can lose resiliency and burst as it gets older. It’s important to replace this hose every 3-5 years.

Sources:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/plumbing
http://www.blindandsons.com

Sonoma Community Center Dedicates Rainwater Catchment Tank

The Sonoma Community Center will be hosting a special little event from 10 to 11:30 a.m. this coming Saturday, June 9, to dedicate their new rainwater catchment tank.

Their rainwater harvesting system, which includes a 7,900-gallon tank plus water catchment and irrigation systems, is the product of a two-year collaboration between city, county and local partners including the Water Conservation Program of the City of Sonoma; the Sonoma County Master Gardeners; the Ellman Fund; the Sonoma Valley Groundwater Management Program, a broad-based stakeholder group with representatives from agriculture, dairies, government, water purveyors, business and environmental interests; the North Bay Watershed Association; the Sonoma County Water Agency; Boden Plumbing (that's us!); and Rainwater Harvesting Solutions.

For more information, visit the community center's web page for the event at ... Rain Tank Opening.

Sonoma Community Center
276 E. Napa St.
Sonoma, CA 95476
www.sonomacommunitycenter.org
707-938-4626