Home System of Plumbing

What people think about Home Plumbing is that it is only concerned about the handling of clean and used water. However, there are other segments that compose the entire system of plumbing in every household. Plumbing entails everything inside the home that uses pipes, piping fixtures and tubing.

Home plumbing systems are made up of other subsystems. First is the water supply that provides tap cold and hot water. This is an indoor plumbing part that is utilized for drinking, toilets flushing, showering, bathing, dish-washing, clothes washing, etc. Tap water may be supplied by various sources such as municipal water supply, water wells, water truck delivery, natural bodies and sources of water like creeks, rivers, lakes and rain. Water faucet is the most common water fixture for this subsystem.

The next subsystem involves vents, drains and traps. It is called DWV or the drain-waste-vent system. This subsystem basically removes dirty water and greywater from inside the house and expels the gases created by the sewage. Waste water is produced in the fixtures like sinks, showers and toilets. Then it goes out through the trap. Trap is the dipped section of the pipe which has water content all the time. The importance of the trap is such that it prevents the toxic gas produced by the wastes from returning to the house. Pipes that connect the fixtures to the outdoors compose the plumbing vents. Vents are for relieving the house of gases from the sewer.
Septic system is also another subdivision of the home plumbing system. Its main component is the septic tank. Septic is the environment for the anaerobic bacteria which has developed in the tank then decomposes the discharged wastes inside the tank.

The Drainage subsystem may be artificial or natural method of removing water (from the surface or subsurface). Drainage is especially used by the agricultural sector for the improvement of the agriculture production.
Piping or Fuel Gas Piping is also included in the system of Plumbing. Piping or pipes are useful in conveying fluids, both gas and liquid, to transport it from one point of location to another. The concept of piping is such that fluid is transported efficiently.

Water is one of our essential needs especially for drinking. As water supply travels through the plumbing system, the proper working condition of all plumbing elements must be ensured. Correct maintenance must be provided to the plumbing system. Some of the plumbing systems malfunctioning are:

Toilet clogging. Clogging happens when the water in the toilet is slow to drain or there is no drainage at all when the toilet is flushed. Possible causes are build up of wastes or there is a foreign object stuck along the water passage.
Bad or Offensive Toilet Odors. A bathroom or toiler and sometimes even the kitchen smells offensively due to improper flow of water in the drainage caused by pipes which have ruptured, whose wax ring is defective or the inadequate amount of water in the bowl.
Showers leaks and clogging of shower heads. Water leaking from the shower may be caused by old and worn shower fixture. Clogging may probably be caused by the collected mineral deposits in the shower head.

Greener Bathroom For a Greener World

Giving your home a green makeover isn't as hard as it sounds, and a great place to start is in one of the smallest rooms in your house - the bathroom. This small space packs a big punch when it comes to the use of natural resources and chemical pollutants. A few small steps can make a big impact, so read on ...

Hardware: The single most important thing that you can do to make your bathroom greener is to install a low-flow shower head and limit your showers to no more than 10 minutes. Showers use less water than baths, but they are still the single largest cause of water use in the home. There are many low-flow shower heads that are easy to find and just as strong as regular shower heads and can reduce water usage by up to 50%. In addition to saving water, by using a low-flow shower head you will also reduce your energy use, as it takes less energy to heat the water flowing.

If you have the opportunity or need to replace your toilet, purchase a low-flow or dual-flow option toilet, which allows you to select how much flushing is necessary. Given the hundreds of gallons of water that we literally flush down the toilet

Cleaners: Many hazardous chemicals are found in people's bathrooms. These chemicals are found in common bathroom cleaners like soap scum remover, toilet cleaner, and window and glass cleaners, and are dangerous if you have children or pets in the house. They can also harm your septic system and filter through wastewater treatment plants to the ocean. Surprised? Every year, scientists find more household chemicals in the ocean. These chemicals affect the ocean ecosystem and thus the health of the millions of plants and animals who live there.

Common cleaners also create ecological impacts when they are made, and their plastic packaging can remain on Earth for hundreds of years.

Instead, opt for one of the ecological cleaners that get rid of your soap scum without harming the environment. Look for labels like: non-toxic and biodegradable, no chlorine, no petroleum-based solvents, no glycol ethers, and not tested on animals.

Paper Products: The most commonly used paper product in the bathroom is, of course, toilet tissue. This innocuous-seeming product actually has many problems. First, toilet tissue made from virgin trees (i.e. not recycled content) means that we are cutting down forests for the sake of our toilets. Second, most toilet tissue is treated with chemicals and dyes that are not safe for our septic systems, nor good for the ecosystems that are downstream from our toilets.

Finally, creating toilet tissue uses a lot of water and energy. If every U.S. household replaced on 12-pack of 400-sheet virgin-fiber bathroom tissue with 100% recycled tissue, we would save 1.7 billion gallons of water.

Look for toilet tissue that is made, at least partially, of recycled content. Also seek tissue that is whitened without chlorine bleach, is free of dyes, inks and fragrances.

Towels: There are two great fiber alternatives that are much better on the environment and don't cost much more than standard cotton products. Organically-grown cotton means that growing the cotton does not require chemicals and insecticides that impact the ecosystem.

A good alternative to cotton is, surprisingly, bamboo. Bamboo fibers make fibers that are incredibly soft and silky. In fact, many people choose bamboo towels based on touch alone, without even realizing they are choosing a sustainable fabric. Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that grows without pesticides, herbicides or other chemicals. It does not destroy natural forests or take an undue toll on the Earth, thus making it an excellent option for eco-conscious consumers.

Personal Care: All those toiletries that fill your shower, cabinets and drawers can take a serious toll on the environment. The chemicals used in most cosmetics and toiletries range from toxic to dangerous, and everything in between. Some major things to look out for include shampoos and conditioners containing petroleum products, hair dyes with carcinogenic coal tar, deodorants containing aluminum, hairsprays and hair gels containing petroleum derivatives, formaldehyde, phthalates and synthetic fragrance.

It is also a good idea to seek products not tested on animals. This approach allows you to avoid harming animals for the sake of beauty while also making it a little easier to shop, since many products with the Humane Cosmetics Standard (HCS) label also meet the above criteria.

Copyright (c) 2008 Virginia Ginsburg