ShareThisBy ED DEL GRANDE
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Q: Dear Ed, you are my only hope! I have three boys under 12 years old and they use the toilet constantly. Because I no longer need to help any of them use the bathroom I have no idea how many times they flush. We have the older style toilets that use a lot of water, so most of the time we have no clogs. But in return we have a water bill that is going through the roof! Can we turn our present toilets into water saver toilets, or will we have to change every toilet in the house? Raising three boys and also having to change three toilets will stress out our budget. Any ideas? _ Jean, Ohio.
A: Dear Jean, you sound like you have your hands full and your present toilet tanks are probably also full _ with close to three gallons of water. The new water-saving toilets hold only 1.6 gallons of water so you can save at least one gallon of water on every flush. A change likely will add up to huge savings on your water bill.
That's the good news. The bad news is that you cannot turn your present toilets into full-fledged water-saving toilets because your toilets were designed to flush with large amounts of water. You could get away with lowering the water level in your tank a little bit, but if you try to take out even a gallon of water from the older toilets' tanks they will not deliver the flush you need. The new bulk-flushing, water-saving toilets give a strong flush with only 1.6 gallons because they have been completely redesigned to work with small amounts of water.
So, unfortunately, to lower your water bill to the max you need to change all three toilets. However, no one says that you need to change every toilet at once. Start with the toilet that the children use the most and just change that one out. Instruct the boys that this is their toilet and they need to use it when it is available. Then maybe next year with the money you saved on your water bill you can replace a second toilet in your home and so on until you can replace all three toilets.
Another great idea for a family full of boys is for new home construction or major bathroom remodeling jobs only, but there is now an attractive line of waterless urinals for home use. This will save thousands of gallons of water a year for obvious reasons.
As you can see you do have affordable options over time. Go luck and I'm sure someday you boys will pay you back by becoming successful men and that should make you ... flush with pride!
Q: Ed, your column is full of good information and information is the name of the game when it comes to home improvement. Thank you! My problem is that I have forced air heat and I need a new gas furnace. How much extra work and money am I looking at if I install a new forced hot water system rather than just replacing my hot air furnace? What should I pick? _ Cary, New England.
A: Well, Cary, if you like information, I have some for you right now. Forced hot air systems are completely different from forced hot water heating systems. A hot air system basically heats up the air in the house and moves the air around the house with a duct venting system. Forced hot water systems are a closed loop system that re-circulates hot water through heating pipes and radiators.
To change your heating system over, you need to install a hot water boiler and then install baseboard radiators and piping throughout your house. That is a very expensive job, well into the thousands! They also make wet based heating coils that can be retrofitted to fit ductwork, but that is not cheap either.
So, if your looking to keep your costs down, I would stay with your hot air system and just replace the furnace. If you have plenty of money to spend and you really want forced hot water heat, then go ahead; it is a very comfortable system and a good investment.
Whatever you do, this involves a heating system and gas work, so hire a licensed heating professional for this job.
(Master Plumber Ed Del Grande hosts Ed The Plumber on DIY Network and Contractor stories on HGTVpro.com. Always follow local codes. Visit Ed at eddelgrande.com and send questions to: edtheplumber(at)diynetwork.com.)
