Bruiser says Happy Holidays!

Everyone at Boden Plumbing (and especially Bruiser) would like to wish you a completely happy holiday. Really. Bruiser insists. It's been a long year and a good year, and this is the time to celebrate. So enjoy!

Bruiser's wish for himself in the new year is that he gets his own little Boden Plumbing uniform so he can go out on the trucks like the big boys. He thinks he's put in more than enough time at the office - and he insists he's a very good digger. Our wish for you is a safe and prosperous New Year free of plumbing woes and worries. Knock on wood, be happy, but call us if you need us!

--a very Merry Holiday and wonderful New Year, with best wishes from Terry, Mary, Casey, Tom, Shane, Alan, Omar, Jeri AND Bruiser

::

Bruiser's YouTube debut He's thinking if he can't make it as a Boden Plumbing apprentice, he may have a future in show biz! What do you think?

Sonoma County Considers Ammendment to Sewer Lateral Ordinance

In an effort to protect groundwater quality, the Sonoma County Water Agency, along with a group of county sewer districts, have proposed amendments to their respective ordinances. These changes would introduce new requirements for inspection, maintenance, and repairs of sewer laterals.

Similar requirements have been in effect in Marin County for awhile now and have helped to address a number of important issues - including safeguarding groundwater quality. We think it's a good step for Sonoma County to take - and high time.

The sewer lateral is the pipe that conveys wastewater from a home to a main sewer system pipeline. The "main" then transfers the collected wastewater to the local treatment facility. When the lateral line is damaged both precipitation and groundwater can infiltrate the line and add to the load being transported to the sewer plant for treatment, potentially overloading capacity at the plant. Wastewater in the pipe can also leach out into the surrounding ground and mix with groundwater. Breaks also give roots an opportunity to work their way into the line and create more damage to the pipe. A homeowner may not be aware of a problem until the line nearly collapses or the roots block enough of the pipe to cause a backup.

The proposed changes would require, among other things, inspection of lines before a sale or change in ownership of a property and when a building permit is pulled for an additional toilet installation.

If you'd like more information about the likely changes in store for Sonoma County, you can visit the water agency's website or contact Project Manager Kevin Booker by email or phone at 707-521-1865.

Save Water with a Hot Water Recirculation Pump

Are you wasting water waiting for the hot water to arrive?




In a typical 3-bedroom home with four occupants as many as 34 gallons of previously heated water goes down the drain unused every day when people run the tap waiting for the hot water to arrive. Over an average 350 days per year, that's 11,970 gallons of water - and the energy to heat the water - wasted. (source: Laing)

It's not necessary!

A hot water recirculation pump installed on the hot water heater of your home helps to maintain the water temperature in the line. It's not complicated to install, and it's easy to maintain. The pump attaches to the heater and a small return valve is unobtrusively installed on the furthest faucet in the home. Because the existing lines are used, there's no added expense for additional lines. An optional timer keeps that hot water circulating in the pipes just when you need it most - saving energy and water.

If you'd like more information - or to have us take a look at the situation at your house - call us here at the office (707 996 8683) or send an email to Boden Plumbing. We'd be happy to tell you more.

:: www.askthebuilder.com
:: www.hgtvpro.com
:: www.grundfos.com

BYO Big Box Parts - or Not?

So the question is: Are the parts you find at the Big Box stores the same - or at least as good as - the parts available through plumbers' supply houses? Is it OK to "buy your own" - or is it smarter to let your plumber use his parts?

It's a good question.

And it depends.

The first thing to do if you spot a deal you can't pass up - or simply want to do your own shopping - is check model numbers. According to the manufacturers, if the model numbers are the same on the parts you are comparing, the parts are the same.

And that's important. Often, to meet the price point for Big Box retailers, manufacturers will replace an internal metal part or fitting with a plastic part. The fixture may look just like what you hope it is, but it's not comparable in terms of quality. So you end up saving money in the short term on something that doesn't hold up in the long term.

Not a good deal.

So check the model numbers. If the fixtures look the same but their numbers differ, you're comparing a store brand to the real thing.

Also, consider warranties and return policies. Does the store you're buying from warranty the item - or will you be going back to the manufacturer if there are any problems or if you need to return or exchange an item?

Are replacement parts available? If the store has made a one-off special purchase of a discontinued line will the parts still be available when it comes time to make a repair? Or maybe the store just doesn't carry parts. Be forewarned, if what you're looking at is an off-brand model, you may be hunting for replacement parts.

So it does depend. Do your research. Check the details.

Here at Boden Plumbing, because we guarantee the work we do and the parts we use, we prefer to use parts and fixtures that we know through experience our customers can depend on. We want to be confident that problems are rare and that fixtures hold up - and when maintenance and repairs are necessary that parts are readily available.

If you'd like to shop for yourself, give us a call here at the office (707 996 8683), and we can recommend our favorite brands. And rest assured, if you leave if to us, we'll install parts you'll be happy with - we guarantee it.

:: Boden Plumbing website
:: A discussion thread on BYO parts

Dogs Love Clean Water Too

Let's face it. Bottled water tastes better than tap water. Yet it feels silly to spend all that money for water at the store when it's virtually free from the kitchen tap.

Why not treat your own water instead? You can... automatically, efficiently, inexpensively.

Think about it. Public water systems are regularly tested and most tap water is safe. Yet "most" is not "all."

According to the University of Missouri, "55,000 of 61,000 public water facilities in the United States meet the standards mandated by the Safe Drinking Water Act." What about the other 6,000?

Even properly treated water can become contaminated in the journey from the treatment plant to your tap.

And what about the chlorine? Chlorine is a fact of life in municipal water. While it may be an important step in removing dangerous pathogens from the general water supply, it’s not something you want to take in on a regular basis once that water gets to your home. Studies now link increased cancer rates to drinking chlorinated water. Filtering it from your drinking water at the kitchen tap goes part of the way, but did you know that over 60% of the chlorine and other impurities that you take in from your water comes through your skin while bathing or showering? Not to mention the fact that during showering your lungs are rapidly absorbing the chlorine as well.

Safety concerns aside, installing a water filtration system in your home makes sense.

Do away with the majority of those plastic bottles and get all of the bottled water you need for pennies. Use it in cooking, water the plants with it, and even give it to your dog. Why not? The price of clean fresh water that you know has been run through a trusted system will no longer be a concern.

At Boden Plumbing we really like the Nature's Miracle™ whole-house system. It uses a three part filtration system. Granular activated carbon acts as a chemical sponge, while a kinetic degradation fluxion component removes chlorine and heavy metals and acts as a certified bacteriastat. Finally, a quartz bed assures a high flow rate through the system. A really nice feature is that maintenance is absolutely minimal - there are no cartridges or membranes to replace. Plus with a whole-house system, the benefits of clear, clean water are delivered to every faucet in the home.

We can help you find a method that best suits your objectives and your budget. If you want to learn more, call us at 707 996 8683. There is also some good info on our main website.

Your dog will thank you for it!

:: This dog's person got him filtered water! YouTube video clip

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