Happy New Year!

Here's to a new year that makes the world a better place, too. Find energy efficient alternatives to the products you use every day to save money and help the environment in 2010. Test out a tankless water heater, a programmable thermostat, or a high-efficiency boiler.

There are thousands of energy efficient plumbing & heating supplies to be found on www.supplyhouse.com

How is a gate valve different from a ball valve?

A gate valve allows you to control the amount of water that comes through. By using a knob, a gate valve lets you to allow no water, just a little water, most of the water, or all of the water through. You can turn the knob a little or a lot and determine the exact of flow that you want. A ball valve only has on or off. If you turn the handle one way, it's on. If you turn the handle the other way, it's off. There is no in between, you either get full flow or no flow.

Gate valves and ball valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How to attach a pump

To secure your pump into your heating system, you will need a set of pump flanges. Flanges should be purchased based on the size of the pipe that you are connecting to. For example, if you are putting your pump on a 1" pipe, you will need 1" flanges. Shut-off flanges, or isolation flanges, can be helpful because you can stop the water flowing to the pump right at the source.

Heating pumps and flanges can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Make a clean cut

All PEX connections require a clean, even cut in your PEX tubing. Without a clean cut, it is incredibly difficult to create a secure fitting. If your tubing is uneven, the rings and fittings will not fit properly on the tubing and you can get a leak. To make sure that you have a clean cut for a secure fitting, use a PEX tubing cutter. Even if you have another blade that you use to cut everything else, a PEX tube cutter is a worthwhile investment at under $20.00 because it will create a perfect and worry-free cut in your PEX every time.

PEX cutters and other PEX tools can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Tis the season for comfort

When it's cold outside, staying in for a hot shower can't be beat. And, a new showerhead can make that shower even better. Today's showerheads have all the bells and whistles; multiple sprays, rain settings, massaging settings and more. Check out the huge selection of Alsons shower heads and Kohler shower heads.

Showerheads can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Clean operation of an oil pump

Beckett's new CleanCut Pumps feature clean operation through solenoid technology. The solenoid valve cuts oil flow almost at the exact instant that the power is cut to the motor. This eliminates soot formation and buildup that is typical from other pumps that take a while to shut down. Without soot formation, your Beckett pump will run cleaner and last longer.

Beckett pumps such as the CleanCut Pump can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Where to install a vacuum breaker

A vacuum breaker is used to prevent water from re-entering the public supply after it enters your private pipes. Having backflow preventers and vacuum breakers assures that the public water supply is clean and that the water that each home and business receives is equally clean from impurities. When installing a vacuum breaker, make sure that it is placed at least 6 inches above the highest point in the pipe.

Vacuum breakers and backflow preventers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Warm up with a great gift

Heated toilet seats are one of the most popular gifts from SupplyHouse.com. A warm toilet seat is a great luxury on a cold day, and starting under $100, it's a luxury that you can afford. Both Brondell toilet seats and Takagi toilet seats are easy to install and are a change that will add so much comfort to your bathroom.

Toilet seats and heated toilet seats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Norton Hot Surface Ignitors

Robertshaw 41-400 Series hot surface ignitors reach ignition temperatures within 17 seconds as electricity passes through the Silicon Carbide and makes it glow red hot. Operating under normal conditions a hot surface ignitor will last for 3 to 5 years, at which point they are easy to replace, similar to light bulbs. Most ignitors are interchangeable as long as they fit in the furnace space provided.

Robertshaw Norton Hot Surface Ignitors are available at www.supplyhouse.com.

PEX or PEX-al-PEX?

For heating or plumbing applications, you can use either standard PEX or PEX-al-PEX. PEX-al-PEX stands for PEX-Aluminum-PEX, which is a tubing composed of a layer of standard PEX, a layer of aluminum, and another layer of standard PEX. The aluminum layer in the PEX-al-PEX allows it to hold its shape, much like a pipe cleaner. Standard PEX comes in a coil, and to straighten it and get it where you want, you will need to secure it to the ground every few feet. With PEX-al-PEX, you will still need to secure the tubing to the ground, but since it will hold its shape, it will be easier to lay it out where you want it and have it stay put. A potential drawback of PEX-al-PEX is that you will need to use different fittings than are used with standard PEX. Because of this, it is best to only install one type of PEX in your home so that all of your tools and fittings will work on all of your tubing.

PEX-al-PEX tubing and PEX fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

AO Smith Corrosion-Fighting Technology

The corrosion-fighting CoreGard anode rod now comes standard on all AO Smith Conservationist and ProMax residential water heaters. This technology utilizes cathodic protection to fight corrosion inside AO Smith heaters. Cathodic protection has become a widely used method for controlling the corrosion deterioration of metallic structures in contact with environments containing enough ions to conduct electricity such as soils, seawater and basically all natural waters. It basically reduces the corrosion rate of a metallic structure by reducing its corrosion potential, bringing the metal closer to an immune state.

A large selection of AO Smith Conservationist Commercial Water Heaters and ProMax Residential Water Heaters are available at www.supplyhouse.com

Adding an extra ball valve

It's always a good idea to add as many points to shut off water flow as possible. If you have water going to two separate areas of your house, put a ball valve in. A ball valve will allow you to quickly shut off the water where you need to, and to do it right away. In an emergency, you'll be glad to have spent the extra dollar on a ball valve and prevent thousands of dollars of damage to your home.

Ball valves and other plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What is water hammer?

Water hammer is the term for a pounding or other loud noise in your pipes caused by a buildup of hydraulic pressure. Water hammer is actually a common occurrence when the flow of water is stopped suddenly by a closing valve. To silence this noise and relieve the pressure, you need a water hammer arrestor. Water hammer arrestors, such as the Watts 150A, work to absorb the hydraulic shock in your system and prevents it from making noise or damaging any of your system parts.

Water hammer arrestors can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How to know if a crimp is done right

The HydroPEX Crimping Tool comes with a Go/No-Go Gauge so that you can check that your connections are done properly. To use the gauge, slide your fitting into the gauge at the proper size (3/4" crimp rings go into the 3/4" opening, etc). If the crimp ring does not fit in at all, it has not been crimped enough and must be crimped tighter. If the crimp ring slides all the way to the top of the gauge without any space in between, it has been crimped too tightly. In this case, you will have to remove the crimp ring, adjust the tool to loosen the crimping force, and try again. If the ring slides into the gauge into the area marked "GO" but cannot slide all the way to the "NO-GO" of the top of the gauge, your fitting is secure and your crimp has been done properly.

PEX Crimp Tools and Rifeng Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Traditional thermostats

Honeywell Round Thermostats are what most people think of when they picture a traditional thermostat. Simple and straight-forward, these thermostats are easy to program, easy to use, and easy to look at. To make it warmer or cooler, you simply turn the dial; to the left is cooler and to the right is warmer.

Honeywell thermostats and round Honeywell thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Increase pump head

By using more than one Taco pump, you can add the heads together. Taco 009 pumps have up to 35 feet of head at .5 gallons per minute, and less feet of head when you need higher gallon per minute flow (for example, 11 GPM at 1 feet of head and 5 GPM at 20 feet of head). If you need more feet of head with a high GPM, you can combine pumps. By using 2 009-F5 pumps with 5 GPM, you will get 20 ft + 20 ft, or 40 total feet of head.

Taco pumps and other heating pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

AO Smith dip tubes

AO Smith Water Heaters have PEX cross-linked polymer dip tubes standard on all gas and electric models. Their unique construction makes them long-lasting and superior in resistance to destructive thermal oxidation. The function of the dip tube is to force the cold water to the bottom and allow the hot water to come out of the left side of the water heater. Since the water heater is constantly full, the dip tube ensures that the heater uses all the hot water available while any cold water in the tank is being heated.

A large selection of AO Smith products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com, including residential water heaters, commercial water heaters and replacement parts.

Fast fittings

SharkBite Fittings are by far the fastest and easiest fittings to install. Used for both plumbing & heating, SharkBite Fittings are push-to-fit fittings, so you just take the fitting, insert it into the pipe, and the secure connection is ready to go.

SharkBite Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Easy baseboard covers

If you need to replace a baseboard heater cover in a hurry, Baseboard Heater Covers brand baseboard covers are definitely the way to go. These one-size-fits-most covers are easy to install and can fit over almost any baseboard heater.

Baseboard heaters and baseboard heater covers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Easy grips from the Red Line

New Malco RedLine tools feature a unique handle designed to make using these tools faster, easier, and more comfortable. There is a one-hand operation latch, meaning that you can open, control, and close these tools with one hand, leaving the other hand free to get your work done faster. The handles are ergonomically contoured with non-slip grip to assure comfortable use every time.

RedLine Tools can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Do not over oil a pump

If you over-oil the bearing assembly on your Series 100 pump, the excess oil will simply overflow through the bearing assembly’s weep-hole. The weep-hole is important, and you should never plug it. If it is not open, any dirt or sediment in the oil will find its way into the bearings which will shorten the life of your pump.

Bell and Gossett pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Thermostat wiring

The number of wires coming out of your wall will tell you how many wires you need your thermostat to have. If there are 2 wires, you need at least a 2 wire thermostat. Having extra wires is fine; if you have 2 wires in your wall and purchase a 4 wire thermostat, you can leave two of the ports in the thermostat empty and it will still work properly. Having not enough wires is not OK; if you have 4 wires in your wall and purchase a 2 wire thermostat, it will not work. Play it safe, count your wires before you buy a new thermostat.

Thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Pump replacement

Looking to replace a Taco 00R-MSF1-IFC? Try the Grundfos 59896341 (Grundfos part number UPS15-58FC) as an alternative. These pumps have the same pump curve and specifications, so the Grundfos will work the same way that your old Taco pump did.

Taco pumps and Grundfos pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Measuring fuel spend from BTU's

See what you're paying in fuel with your boiler. Another fuel type might save you money. If you can do either natural gas, oil, propane, or electric, you can compare the fuel costs and see how much fuel you will use with the BTU's in your boiler.

Natural Gas is measured by therm where 1 therm = 100,000 BTU's
Home Heat Oil (#2) is measured in gallons, where 1 Gal = 138,500 BTU's
Liquid Propane is also meausured in gallons where 1 Gal L.P. = 91,500 BTU's
Electric is measured in kilowatts where 1KW = 3,413 BTU's

You can then take the cost per therm, gallon, or kilowatt to find out how much you will spend with each energy source.

Boilers and other heating supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Hot water where you want it

A tankless water heater allows you to put your hot water source right where you will call for that hot water. You can get a point-of-use tankless water heater for a single sink, and when you turn on the hot water tap, the water will be heated right there, instantly. These point-of-use heaters are also incredibly efficient. Instead of having your hot water travel from your boiler room and lose heat along the way, it will heat up right where you need it.

Tankless water heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Clean water in your faucet

RO Faucets, or Reverse Osmosis Faucets, use reverse osmosis to remove impurities from your water before allowing it to leave the faucet. These faucets are an incredibly easy and convenient way to clean all of the water that you use for cooking, drinking, washing your hands, and anything else. While there are purification systems that are able to remove smaller particles, a reverse osmosis membrane is able to remove impurities and particles larger than .001 microns.

Tomlinson RO Faucets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Radiant Heat in no time

Electric Radiant Heat can be installed in a bathroom in less than a day! Electric radiant heat kits are available and include the radiant heat mat, thermostat, installation monitor, double sided tape, an installation manual, and an installation DVD; everything you need to complete an installation and chosen based on the square footage of your room. Radiant heat is made easy with electric radiant.

Electric radiant heat mats and electric radiant heat kits can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

An outdoor unit for cooling?

Mini split air conditioning systems require both an indoor AND an outdoor component. The outdoor unit is called the compressor while the indoor unit is called the evaporator. The compressor switches on when the thermostat senses that the room is warmer than the set temperature and begins to circulate refrigerant. The evaporator then pressure reduces the refrigerant and uses its fan to draw the warm air in (sending it to cool in the compressor) while simultaneously blowing the cooled air out. The compressor and evaporator work together so your mini split system needs both units to work properly.

Mini split air conditioners can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Taco 007 Rule of Thumb

The 10-6 rule for the Taco 007 circulator pump means that it can support 10 gallons per minute at 6 feet of head, or 6 gallons per minute at 10 feet of head. This rule of thumb comes from the fact that the Taco 007 has a relatively even pump curve.

The Taco 007-F5 and other Taco products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com.

Make sure your backflow passes the test

Backflow preventers are the main way that it is guaranteed that any public water that enters your home does not return back to the public water supply to go to someone else's home. This is to make sure that all of the water that enters your home (and everyone else's home) is fresh and has been nowhere else. Your backflow preventer must be tested every year by a certified tester to assure that they are working properly.

Backflow preventers and backflow prevention test kits are available from www.supplyhouse.com

Cyclone Heaters

AO Smith Cyclone Commercial Water Heaters are 96% efficient. These energy saving heaters are perfect for commercial applications like mid-sized restaurants and hotels and can even be linked together through manifolds to heat larger spaces. Cyclone Heaters are designed to fit into tight spaces but have tons of storage space. You'll be surprised at how much water these units can hold.

AO Smith Cyclone Heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Thermostat Display

Honeywell VisionPro thermostats such as the TH8110U1003 feature a 10 second backlight display. This means that after you touch anything on the thermostat, it will light up and stay lit for 10 seconds before going back to normal. The bright green light will stay lit long enough for you to do all of your programming, and then turn off, allowing the unit to draw less attention on the wall.

Thermostats and Honeywell thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Do I need a fill valve?

Depending on local code, your backflow preventer might require a fill valve (also known as a pressure valve). You will need to check your local codes to be sure. The fill valve is a valve that fills the boiler with water from your source (most likely the public water source). Most fill valves are pre-set to 30 psi, and to make installation easier, you can even get a combination of a backflow preventer and fill valve.

Backflow preventers and pressure valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Voltage of a zone valve

The vast majority (about 96%) of zone valves are 24 volts. Installing the wiring of a zone valve can be tricky, so it's recommended to hire a professional for installation. Zone valves are fully closed valves, meaning that no water passes through them and you will not need to install a check valve with them.

Zone valves and zone valve controls can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Don't pour grease down your sink

Even with a grease trap, it's never a good idea to pour straight grease down your sink. If it's separated out, let it cool and throw it in the garbage. Grease traps are designed to remove the grease that's mixed in with the water that goes down your sink. These units can handle a lot of grease going down and will capture and store that grease making sure that it does not clog your pipes, but it's always best to be smart about it and to try to minimize the amount of grease that goes down your pipes.

Grease traps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Do I need a Junior air eliminator?

The "Jr" in the Spirovent Jr Air Eliminators means that these units are designed for residential or light commercial jobs. There is nothing junior about its power, or its quality. Spirovent Juniors come with a 20 year warranty and are made of solid brass and are able to remove up to 99.6% of the free air within your system.

Air eliminators and Spirotherm air eliminators can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Boiler Maintenance

Your boiler is easy to take advantage of when everything works. You just turn on a tap and get hot water. But when it's not working, you know right away. Regular maintenance to your boiler will keep it working and keep problems to a minimum. Every year, you should call a professional to take a look at your heating system. All of the belts and filters will be checked, cleaned, and replaced if necessary. If there are any potential problems, you will find out right away instead of being surprised by something breaking suddenly.

Boilers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Replacing a shower head

If you're going from one Kohler shower head to another, the replacement could not be easier. You simply unscrew your existing shower head, and then screw the new showerhead into place.

A new showerhead can also help with water pressure. If you currently have low water pressure and want it to be higher, try replacing the showerhead. Sometimes, this little part can make a big difference.

Shower heads can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Piping quick fix

If there is a leak in your piping, whether copper or PEX, a coupling is a quick fix. Just cut out the part of the pipe with the leak, and insert a coupling to join the two pieces of pipe back together. You can even use a SharkBite coupling, which is a push-to-fit fitting that doesn't even require a tool.

PEX Fittings such as SharkBite Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Thermostat for baseboard?

If you need a thermostat to control the temperature of your baseboard heaters, why not get one specifically made to do that job? Honeywell makes the TL series of thermostats designed for use on baseboard heaters. Pick up a TL8230A1003 to control one heat source with 7 day programmability.

Honeywell thermostats and baseboard heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Keep your pipes from freezing

Easy Heat pipe tracing products can prevent your pipes from freezing over the winter. You can install heat cables or heat tape along the length of your water pipes which will keep them warm. If you have copper pipe, freezing is always a concern, but with heat tracing tape or cables, it doesn't have to be.

Easy Heat Tape and Easy Heat Cables can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Burnham Steam Boilers

The vast majority of boilers are for hot water, but Burnham makes a line of Steam Boilers if that is what you prefer. Even with steam, you still need a fuel source, so Burnham Steam Boilers come in either natural gas or propane. These boilers are heavy, so getting a lift gate is often a good idea so that you can ease the boiler down from the freight truck that it will be delivered in.


Burnham Independence Steam Boilers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Glycol for cold weather tubing

As the weather gets cold, you want to introduce glycol into your radiant heat PEX tubing. While PEX tubing itself is freeze resistant, the water inside of your tubing can freeze if the temperatures drop low enough. To prevent this from happening, you can add glycol to the system. The colder it gets, the more glycol you can add. With glycol, your radiant heat system will run smoothly with no threat of freezing all winter long.

Radiant heat supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Fire Sprinklers by 2011

As of January 1, 2011, all homes will need a fire sprinkler system in place. While the majority of American homes have a smoke alarm, this is only an effective tool if someone is around to hear it. If no one is home, your smoke alarm will not be able to put out a fire. A fire sprinkler can. Fire sprinkler heads can be installed using fire sprinkler hangers and must be installed by a licensed professional.

For reference, the official International Code Council (ICC) code states: "Effective January 1, 2011, an approved automatic fire sprinkler system shall be installed in new one- and two-family dwellings and townhouses in accordance with NFPA 13D".

Fire sprinkler heads can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

High temperature controls

Johnson Controls thermostats have the capability to control the temperature in an area up to 550° F, which is much higher than a standard unit. The A19AAB-10 Remote Bulb Temperature Control can control temperatures from 200 - 550° F. This unit features switch action that opens on rise and a 10 degree differential. Other Johnson Controls thermostats can be used in industrial applications and for agricultural usage.

Many Johnson Controls thermostats including the A19 Series Utility Thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Separating supply and return

An ox box allows you put the supply and return lines for a washing machine, ice maker, or lavatory outlet into separate stud bays. Since the ox box is mounted on a stud, you can install the supply line in one stud bay, and the return line in another stud bay. This way, you will save installation time and reduce the number of joints behind your wall, which also reduces the risk of a leak behind your wall.
Sioux Chief Ox Boxes can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Soldering Torches

If you'll be doing a lot of soldering, you will need a soldering torch. Turbo Torch soldering torches make soldering faster and easier. Heat is generated incredibly quickly with a Turbo Torch for faster brazing times and less gas consumption. Self lighting triggers are also available on some torches. For under $100, a Turbo Torch can be invaluable.

Soldering torches can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

A Fast Way to Find PEX Fittings

Finding PEX fittings is now easier than ever with SupplyHouse.com's new Fittings Finders. Scroll through different fitting types to see for yourself. Click on elbows, and add the sizes you need in whatever quantity you need, then go back to top and click on couplings, or any other style. The Fittings Finders allow you to place an order for all of the fittings you need from just one page. Take a look at Rifeng Fittings, ProPEX Fittings, or SharkBite Fittings and give it a try.

PEX Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Fall Heating Special Items

The SupplyHouse.com Fall Heating Special is here! Get our lowest prices of the year on pumps, flanges, switching relays, valves, expansion tanks, and so much more. Sale prices are good through 10/29/09, so stock up now and save big on the heating supplies you will need all winter long.

Taco 007-F5
Taco 007-F5-7IFC
# 15 Extrol Expansion Tank
# 30 Extrol Expansion Tank
Grundfos UPS15-58FC Circulator
1/2", 3/4" and 1" Solder Ends Ball Valves
1/2", 3/4" and 1" Threaded Ball Valves
SR501-4 Switching Relay
TH4110D1007 PRO 5-2 Programmable Thermostat
TH6110D1005 FocusPRO Programmable Thermostat
V8043F1036 3/4" Sweat Valve

These popular items are on sale at SupplyHouse.com. Other sale items include backflow preventers, boiler drains, radiator valves, check valves, black fittings, Gorton air eliminators, and thermocouples.

Fall Heating Special

The SupplyHouse.com Fall Heating Special is here! Get our lowest prices of the year on pumps, flanges, switching relays, valves, expansion tanks, and so much more. Sale prices are good through 10/29/09, so stock up now and save big on the heating supplies you will need all winter long.

The Fall Heating Special and thousands of heating supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What kind of pump?

If you looking to replace an old bronze pump and are looking to replace it, you might have to look at stainless steel. Taco has discontinued several of their bronze pumps and replaced them with stainless steel pumps. Taco stainless steel pumps are just as good as the bronze in every way, and are usually better than the bronze in terms of price! Get a stainless steel pump if you are using tubing without an oxygen barrier or if the pump is being used for plumbing work. If the pump is for heating and your PEX tubing has an oxygen barrier, you can use a cast iron pump.

Heating pumps such as Taco pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Grease Trap Sizing

Need to know exactly how long, wide, or tall a grease trap is? What about how many inches before the no hub coupling or what size no hub coupling to use? The Zurn Grease Trap spec sheet (also found on all of the grease trap product pages) clearly diagrams all of the GT2700 series grease traps with all of the dimensions you need to know before an install.

Grease traps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Flow switch options

Flow switches such as the McDonnell Miller FS4-3 are able to have an optional time delay of either 5 seconds or 20 seconds. This feature does not come standard and will not work without additional parts. To get this feature, you will need to purchase a separate relay in either 24 volt or 120 volt specified for the 5 second delay or the 20 second delay.

Flow switches such and McDonnell Miller flow switches can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Winter prep for plumbing

What's the number one concern for winter plumbing? Frozen pipes! The fastest way to frozen pipes is to leave water exposed to the elements outside of your house when the temperatures drop. To protect your pipes, it's a good idea to get a frost proof sillcock. Frost proof, or frost free sillcocks allow you to have access to water outside of your house (for a hose, sprinkler, etc) but keeps the water between 8 and 14 inches inside of your house through a long stem, so the water (and the pipes) won't freeze when it gets cold outside.

Sillcocks and frost-free sillcocks can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Maintaining your boiler

It is important to do general maintenance on your boiler on a regular basis. Check the condition of your vent connection pipe and chimney because parts of the venting system can deteriorate over time. Chimney problems can be expensive to repair, and may help justify installing new heating equipment that won't use the existing chimney. Next, check the physical integrity of the heat exchanger. Leaky boiler heat exchangers leak water and are easy to spot. Furnace heat exchangers mix combustion gases with house air when they leak—an important safety reason to have them inspected. Adjust the controls on the boiler or furnace to provide optimum water and air temperature settings for both efficiency and comfort.

Boilers and other heating supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Where to place an outdoor reset

Install the outdoor sensor for your boiler reset control on the North side of your house, and be sure that it is out of the sun. If you don’t have a good place to put it on the North side, just be sure to keep it out of direct sunlight so that it can send accurate outdoor temperature readings to your boiler regardless of the time of day.

Boilers and boiler resets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How is water directed in a pump?

Circulator pumps have a moving water wheel called an impeller. The impeller uses the force from its rotation to get water to go in the desired direction. Since everything swirls away from the center, the curved components of the impeller are able to direct in one direction.

Heating pumps such as Taco Pumps, Grundfos Pumps and Bell & Gossett Pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Do you need baseboard brackets?

Wall brackets do not come with Baseboard Heater Covers' branded baseboard heater covers. These units do not require brackets since for the majority of jobs, brackets will still be in the wall from the old baseboards that you are replacing.

You WILL need brackets (WB001) if any of the following conditions are true:

1) If you are installing these units for a new construction
2) If you ripped out old baseboard heaters, including their back plates
3) If the old brackets are shorter than 7 1/4"

The baseboard brackets come with a screw, and it is highly recommend to screw the brackets into a stud. You will need to purchase 2 brackets (put one at each end) if the baseboard heater cover is 3 of 4 feet long. If you are purchasing a 5, 6, or 7 foot baseboard heater cover, you will need 3 brackets per unit (one for each end and one in the middle of the unit).

Baseboard heaters and baseboard heater covers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

When to clean a heat exchanger

For the best efficiency, heat exchangers should be cleaned about once a year. Instead of waiting until there's a problem, giving your heat exchanger an annual check up will extend its life and save you money over time. To properly clean a heat exchanger, you should install strainers in your system. These strainers can be easily removed and rinsed out with water to remove anything that might be inside. This is better than flushing out the whole system because you won't have to waste a day bleeding and refilling your entire heating system.

Heat exchangers and other heating supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Outdoor Reset in a Mixing Valve

Replace your old valve with the new Taco I-Series Mixing Valve. Taco's new I-Series universal modulating zone valve has a weather-sensitive head and a ball inside that will give your boiler different instructions based on the conditions and temperature outside. Outdoor reset controls can save between 5 and 30% of your fuel costs. Instead of your boiler turning on at full blast whether it's 60 degrees outside or 6 degrees outside, the outdoor reset allows your heating system to adjust based on external factors and only turn on the amount that you need.

Taco I-Series Valves and other heating supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Heat Transfer Plates

Radiant heat systems are often installed with PEX clips holding the tubing to the underside of the floor. This prevents the tubing from ever having direct contact with the surface that it is heating, but can cause “striping.” Striping is an effect where you can stand with your feet in two places on the floor and feel noticeably different levels of heat in the different spots. To keep your tubing off the floors and maintain an even temperature across the entire floor, you can use heat transfer plates. Aluminum heat transfer plates attach to your tubing and create a medium for direct contact with the floor and simultaneously act as a conductor. This not only makes more efficient use of the heat you are producing, but also spreads it more evenly across the surface you are heating.

PEX Tubing and other supplies for radiant heat can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Get a cleaner boiler room

The Taco radiant mixing block (RMB-1) does several jobs inside of one small package. Each mixing block contains an air eliminator, injection pump, system pump, check valve, air vent, and a Tekmar outdoor reset control. Instead of having each of these parts individually in your boiler room, you can just install one unit. This means quicker installation time, easier trouble-shooting, and a cleaner boiler room!

Radiant mixing blocks and other heating supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Added Support for Tight Turns

When installing your PEX Plumbing system, there are likely to be a few tight turns. While PEX tubing is very flexible with a low bending radius, a plastic bend support is always helpful to assure that your tubing is and stays exactly where you want it to be. A bend support replaces the need for an elbow in many situations and is better because you do not need to cut the tubing at all. Just press your PEX tubing into the bend support and you're done.

Installation parts for PEX plumbing can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Isolation in plumbing

When designing your plumbing system, be sure to include a few ball valves. Ball valves will allow you to isolate different areas. This way, if there is ever a problem you can easily shut the water off to that specific area without needing to shut the water off to your whole house. Make sure that your ball valves are easy to access and that there is a place to shut off each faucet or fixture in case you ever need to find it in a hurry.

Ball valves and other plumbing valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Where are the pumps?

Pumps are located in the Hydronic System Components category under Heating Supplies. In this category, you can find Expansion Tanks, Aquastats, Valves, Switching Relays, Air Eliminators, Heat Exchangers, Zone Controls, Low Water Cutoffs, Tekmar Controls, and much more. Chances are, if you can't find a heating supply that you were looking for, it's in Hydronic System Components.

Taco pumps, and other heating pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Triangle Tube Prestige Boilers

Triangle Tube Prestige Boilers are a type of high efficiency boiler (with over 95% efficiency!) that feature a stainless steel heat exchanger. The stainless steel burner uses pre-mixed air and gas providing a 25% to 100% modulating firing rate. The Prestige burner features a long life, quiet operation, reliable spark ignition, and clean combustion for low NOx applications.

Triange Tube Boilers including Prestige Boilers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Regulating Boiler Pressure

An expansion tank will help to regulate the pressure within your system. When the pressure gets too high, the inner diaphragm will fill allowing the excess water to have a place to escape. Without an expansion tank, your water heater can distort or even explode from the pressure of hot water inside with nowhere for the pressure to escape. Most plumbing codes also require an expansion tank, so without a proper method of containing the pressure in your system, it will not pass inspection.

Expansion tanks can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Weil Mclain GV Boilers

The Energy Star rated Weil Mclain GV Boilers are high in efficiency and can be used in residential, commercial, radiant heating, multiple boiler and indirect-fired water heater applications. There is a simple conversion available if you need to use propane instead of natural gas. Lift gates are also available to help you to easily get your boiler off the truck.

Weil Mclain boilers such as the Weil Mclain GV can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Power of a Bosch AE-125

A Bosch PowerStar AE-125 Tankless Heater is powerful enough to send 3.7 gallons of hot water each minute to your faucets, baths, or showers. This unit is small in size but big in efficiency and can provide hot water for a single shower, dishwasher or simultaneously provide hot water for two sinks. The AE-125 is recommended over the AE-115 for areas that tend to get colder in the winter and where the average annual ground water temperature is less than 60°F.
Bosch tankless water heaters such as the Bosch AE-125 can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Now's the time to program that thermostat

With Fall coming into full swing and temperatures dropping, now is the time to program your thermostat to save money and be comfortable all winter. Programmable thermostats come with either 5-2, 5-1-1, or 7 day programming where you can set different times for the heat to come on on different days of the week. 5-2 has one setting for 5 days and a separate setting for the other 2. 5-1-1 has one setting for 5 days, a separate setting for another day, and a third setting for another day. 7 allows you to create different times for the heat to come on for each day of the week. Setting your thermostat to be a few degrees cooler when you won't be home can save you hundreds of dollars on your heating bill, and you won't even notice the change!

Programmable thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How many feet of baseboard?

Baseboard heaters made by Slant/Fin such as the Fine/Line 30A and BaseLine 2000 produce about 600 BTU's of heat per one foot of baseboard when using 180 degree water. To determine how many feet of baseboard you will need for a particular room, you must determine how many BTU's are required to heat that space. Then, divide this total by 600 to get how many feet of baseboard to install. If you don't end up with an even number, it is always better to get a little more than not enough to be sure that your room will be warm all winter.

Baseboard heaters and Slant Fin Baseboard Heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Do tankless water heaters really provide endless hot water?

Put simply, yes. Tankless water heaters provide endless hot water. Since there is no storage tank of water that a tankless water heater uses, as long as water flows through your pipes, it will be heated and sent where you want it to go, for as long as you want it to go there. In traditional heating systems, there is a set amount of water that is heated and stored, so when that runs out, your hot water has run out. Since the tankless heater has no tank, you can never run out of hot water.

Tankless water heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Germs from your showerhead

An old shower head can store swarms of potentially disease-causing germs and release them each time you turn on the shower. Since the warm, moist environment is where bacteria thrive, cleaning your showerhead and replacing it regularly is important for keeping your bathroom clean and your family healthy. Metal showerheads hold less bacteria than plastic, and can be cleaned using a steel brush. Shower heads should be replaced every year to be sure that your shower stays clean.

Showerheads can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Replacing a bronze pump

If you have a Taco bronze pump and are looking to replace it, you might want to consider stainless steel. Taco stainless steel pumps are much less expensive than their bronze counterparts, and will not rust even in a system with no oxygen barrier in the tubing.

Taco pumps can be found in the Hydronic System Components section of www.supplyhouse.com

Using heat tape with PEX Tubing

The use of heat tape is allowed with PEX tubing as long as the tubing has automatic thermostatic control capability and the temperature does not exceed the maximum rating listed on the tubing. Heat tape should be wrapped around the tubing and secured with zip or cable ties, not tape; then insulated with closed cell pipe insulation.

Supplies for PEX Plumbing and Radiant Heat can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Save water with a bigger kitchen sink

A dishwasher uses 3 to 5 times as much water as washing your dishes by hand. With a larger kitchen sink such as a double basin sink, you can put dirty dishes in one basin and use the other to do the washing. It's a faster, easier, and cleaner way to wash the dishes while saving some money and a lot of water.

Kitchen sinks can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Setting a VisionPro for Auto Changeover

All Honeywell VisionPro Thermostats can be set for Auto Changeover (including models TH8110U1003, TH8320U1008, TH8321U1006, TB8220U1003, and TH9421C1004).

To set your thermostat for Auto Changeover, first press "System". There are 5 blank buttons on the VisionPro, press and hold the 2nd and 4th buttons at the same time until a new screen appears. Hit the up arrow on the left hand side until the number on the screen reaches "0300". Then, select the up arrow on the right hand side to change the setting from 0 to 1 and press "Done".

Honeywell thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Colors of PEX

PEX Tubing for PEX Plumbing comes in red, white, and blue colors. All three colors are made of the same material, and will function exactly the same. The colors are only there to make looking at your pipes and knowing which pipe goes where easy. Red is typically used for hot water and blue is typically used for cold water. If you don't want the colors, you can use white everywhere.

PEX Tubing can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Removing lime and calcium from a tankless water heater

If your water is hard, you can get a lime or calcium buildup in your tankless water heater. To clean it out and flush the system, shut off all of the inlets and outlets to your heater, turn off the power and release the water inside of the unit. Then, fill a 5 gallon bucket with 2-3 gallons of white vinegar and a gallon of water. Connect a sump pump to the outlet of the heater and place it into the bucket, allowing the vinegar/water mixture to cycle for approximately 45 minutes. This should remove the majority of the buildup and allow your tankless heater to run like new again.

Tankless water heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Taco Venturi Tees

Taco Venturi Tees are typically used for retrofit applications. A Taco Venturi Tee is a tee with directional flow so that you can direct water where you want it. On the tee, there is an arrow which will point in the direction of flow, so you can just adjust the Venturi tee so that the arrow points where you want it to go.
Standard copper tees have no direction so water goes in and moves to the path of least resistence, or the path with the least amount of pressure.

Copper tees and Venturi Tees can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Water Temperature for Radiant

When installing radiant heat underneath hardwood floors, it is important to install a floor sensor so that the wood does not warp or distort in any way from excessive heat. The maximum temperature for the water flowing through your PEX tubing is 140° and the maximum surface temperature for the floors should be 84°

Radiant PEX Tubing and radiant heat supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Quality of PEX Tubing

PEX tubing comes in three grades, PEX-a, PEX-b, and PEX-c. The grade of PEX is determined by the process in which the poly-ethylene is cross-linked and this process greatly effects the quality of the PEX. PEX-a is the highest quality PEX, with a superior bending radius and the ability to hold its shape where PEX-b and PEX-c cannot. PEX-a also features an even cross-linking of the molecules which creates a more uniform and stronger product.

PEX tubing for PEX Plumbing and radiant heat can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Sharpen your garbage disposal

To sharpen the blades of your garbage disposal, you can drop some ice cubes in and turn it on. The disposal's grinding of the ice cubes will clean out and sharpen your garbage disposal. You can also drop citrus fruits (lemons, limes or oranges) and some baking soda into the garbage disposer to further deodorize it.

Garbage disposals can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Keep your boiler safe with an expansion tank

Expansion tanks help to regulate the pressure in your boiler room and ensure that your closed system water heating stays safe. When pressures build up too high in a water heater, internal parts may fail which could lead to the potential release of toxic gases or could rupture your hot water heating tank which could void the manufacturer’s warranty. An expansion tank regulates the pressure by giving air and gasses somewhere to go when heat is built up.

Expansion tanks including Extrol Tanks can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

High Altitude Boilers

Just like baking needs to be done at a different temperature for high altitudes, some boilers require different BTU loads at higher altitudes. Triangle Tube condensing boilers require a higher load above 2000 ft of elevation. These boilers need 2% more BTU rating per 1000 additional ft, so if you are 4000 ft above sea level, you will need 4% more BTU's than someone at sea level.

High efficiency boilers and Triangle Tube boilers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Find fittings in no time

Copper fittings and PEX Fittings can now be ordered faster than ever with our Fittings Finders! Quickly view all of the elbows, move to couplings, and then tees all without leaving one screen. You can toggle between different styles and add multiple styles of fittings to your cart from one page. This should make placing an order for a big job a lot faster and easier.

Copper Fittings and PEX Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Water pressure in your shower

Your shower head might be to blame for low water pressure. If there is a buildup of minerals, you're reducing the area that the water can flow through, and thus lowering your water pressure. To fix this, you can remove the shower head and use a pin to poke through all of the holes. Then, soak the showerhead in vinegar overnight to get rid of the minerals. Scrub it clean and replace it in your shower. You'll have better water pressure literally overnight.

Shower heads and bathroom faucets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Sump pump maintenance

Sump pumps need to be regularly maintained as even the best quality pumps deteriorate over time with the average sump pump's lifespan only being about 5-7 years. To extend the life of your pump, you should clean it out every year and after each heavy rainfall. Check the motor and the float that they are moving normally and verify the oil seal. Every few months, do a quick visual check to make sure that everything looks right with your pump.

Plumbing pumps including sump pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Cash-Acme, quality from the start

In 1893, a young engineer named A.W. Cash was given the toughest challenge of his career: designing valves for U.S. Navy submarines. With the unforgiving ocean as his testing "ground", his new valves would require unprecedented levels of performance, reliability and dependability. When he later started the Cash Valve Manufacturing Company, those same standards became its foundation. And they remain at the heart of today's Cash Acme.

SharkBite valves and SharkBite Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Can PEX stand up to slight acidity?

PEX Tubing can stand up to slight acidity much better than copper can as it resists scale build up. While you cannot put a strong acid through PEX tubing, PEX-a quality tubing has been tested and stands up to anything with a pH between 5 and 10. Pure water has a pH of 7, with anything lower being acidic and anything higher being basic. No public water sources have a pH lower than 5 or higher than 10, so even if your water is slightly acidic or slightly basic, your PEX will be fine.

PEX Pipe and other PEX products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Fix that leaky faucet

A quick adjustment with a basin wrench to a leaky faucet can save up to 140 gallons of water per week! Don't let your faucet leak, a few minutes can save a lot of water and a lot of frustration.

Kohler Kitchen Faucets, Moen Kitchen Faucets and Delta Kitchen Faucets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Honeywell Portable Thermostat Control

Use the Honeywell portable comfort control just like a remote for your wireless Honeywell thermostat. Adjust the temperature of your home right from the couch. You can even keep it next to your bed and set the system to adjust based on the temperature around the control rather than the thermostat in the hallway.

The Honeywell FocusPro line of wireless products and accessories is available at www.supplyhouse.com

What is a Manabloc Manifold made out of?

The modular MANABLOC sections are molded from polysulfone (PLS) plastic. This material is used frequently in the medical industry and is highly resistant to hot water, chlorine and other chemicals typically found in potable water systems. The seal between the manifold sections is made using high-grade O-rings. The sections are then contained by six metal tie rods, adjusted for optimum tension. The other plastic components are made from engineering plastics chosen specifically for each purpose. The stiffener used in the port compression fittings is 304 stainless steel.

Manabloc Manifolds and other PEX Manifolds for PEX Plumbing can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What's the difference between a 45° elbow and a 45° street ell?

A regular elbow has a hub connection (or a copper pipe receiver) where the elbow actually fits over the copper pipe on both ends. A street elbow (or street ell) has the standard elbow connection on one side but a street connection on the other. A street connection is a sweat connection that is the same size as the copper pipe and does not overlap.

Copper fittings including 45 street ells and 45 elbows can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

A quick way to shut off the water

A ball valve is made from the simple concept of "on" and "off". When the handle is turned one way, flow is allowed through the valve and the water is "on". When the handle is turned, flow is restricted and it is "off". As long as you have access to turn the handle of the ball valve, you will be able to turn off the water going through that valve in less than 5 seconds.

Ball valves and other plumbing valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

The beginnings of Brondell

Brondell, Inc. was established in 2003 and is based in San Francisco, CA. The company was named after John F. Brondel (spelled with one "l"), who invented the flush valve toilet in 1783. His invention utilized a valve to control the amount of water flushed with the simple push of a lever, creating a more hygienic solution than the traditional "out-house" and moving us toward the modern bathroom we know today. Brondell sells innovative bathroom products such as the heated toilet seat.

Brondell toilet seats and heated toilet seats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Never let the water run?

Sometimes it is OK to let the water run, just not for too long. After you have just installed a new faucet, it is recommended to remove the aerator and let the water run for a few minutes. This will clean out anything that might be in the lines and also flush out any cleaners or anything else left over from the manufacturing process.

Kitchen faucets including Delta kitchen faucets and Kohler kitchen faucets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Long-lasting pumps

Bell & Gossett pumps have been known to last for thirty years and longer without needing to be repaired or having any parts replaced. These pumps have seal faces made from specially-formulated carbon graphite material to forms a perfect seal. These seals are so powerful that they withstand 225°F temperatures without any warping or distortion.

Bell and Gossett pumps and other pumps and flanges can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Thermostat not working properly

If you have a mechanical thermostat that reads a different temperature than what you feel, take a look at its placement on the wall. Mechanical thermostats are much more sensitive than digital thermostats in placement, and if they are tilted or not perfectly level, they can display a different temperature than what the room actually is. Take a level to be sure that your mechanical thermostat is perfectly straight, and that just might solve your problem.

Thermostats such as Honeywell thermostats and Lux thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Lifetime of a thermostatic radiator valve

The thermostatic radiator valve (TRV) is one of the longest lasting pieces of heating equipment in your home. With their simple, steam-powered design of a normally open spring loaded valve, bellows (coated in thin plastic) and mounted operator, these units have been around since the 1920's and hardly ever break.

Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRV's) and other heating valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What is a damper used for?

Dampers are used in HVAC to cut off the heating or cooling to a certain room. This allows the temperature to be regulated within a room or within the whole house. Honeywell Retrofit Round Dampers are easy to hook up in an existing system and installation can be done with conventional thermostat wire.

Dampers and other HVAC products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Replacing your Honeywell aquastat

To find out what models you can use to replace the aquastat on your boiler, you will need to find the model number of your existing unit. You should look for this number on the unit itself, not on the cover. On Honeywell aquastats, the last four digits indicate the range of the dial and the length of the capillary. This information is important for choosing the correct replacement. The first part of the model number tells you the series.

You can find many different models of Honeywell Aquastats at www.supplyhouse.com

Warm up on a cool night

If it's a bit chilly outside on a nice night, you can still enjoy your patio. A Schaefer Patio Heater will add instant warmth and a comforting glow to any backyard or outdoor restaurant. With its sleek look and warm glow, it will even make your patio look nicer. If you live in a colder climate, these patio heaters are also great for utilizing backyard spaces in the months where you might have been able to in the past.

Schaefer Patio Heaters and other Portable Heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Pump "head" is different than height

The term "Pump Head" describes the force that a circulator pump uses to overcome pressure drop. When working with closed hot water heating systems, "Pump Head" has nothing to do with the height of the building. It has only to do with the circulator's ability to overcome friction. That is because the system is completely filled with water. Height, as far as the circulator is concerned, does not exist. The circulator does not know (or care!) if the building is 100 feet high and ten feet wide, or ten feet high and 100 feet wide. All it knows is friction.

Grundfos Pumps including Bronze Grundfos Pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Last steps in refrigerant line set installation

Once your refrigerant line set has been installed, turn on the system and keep it running for 15 minutes to test. Check for proper superheat for capillary tube and accurator systems, and check for proper sub-cooling for thermal expansion valve systems and adjust the refrigerant if necessary. Then, check for proper temperature drop across the evaporator coil and check static pressures in both the supply and return plenums. At this point, you can correct any airflow problems that have been found.

Line sets and other HVAC products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Where to install your air conditioner

When deciding where to install an outdoor condensing or window unit air conditioner, it is smart to consider the sun. If possible, place the air conditioner on the north or east side of your house to avoid direct sunlight. If it has to go in the sun, you can build a screen or create some shade for the unit to hide under. This will greatly increase the efficiency of your air conditioner and extend its life.

Air conditioners and Rheem air conditioners can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Keeping the efficiency up

Modulating-condensing boilers are typically over 90% efficient! After a few years of use, this number can drop down to 65% or lower without maintenance. In order to keep your boiler running as efficiently as it did when it was new, you will need to flush the system at least once per year. Flushing the system is a relatively quick and painless job that will assure that you get the maximum energy output from what you have spent.

Boilers and high efficiency boilers can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Not all toilet fixes are difficult

The on/off valve in your toilet is regulated by a ball cock in your fill valve. If your toilet runs every once in a while, you could have an issue with the ball cock. A new toilet fill valve is only a few dollars and comes with a ball cock attached. This is a quick and easy replacement to get that toilet to stop running.

Toilet repair parts and other plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Save money on your air conditioning bills

Getting an energy efficient air conditioner is a great way to save money on cooling your home. There are a lot of other little things you can do to save money, as well. For example, if you live in a warm climate and paint the roof of your house white (or a light color), you can save between 5 and 20% on your energy bills.

Air conditioners, mini-split air conditioners and other energy efficient plumbing and heating supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Features of the Taco 1400 Series Pumps

Taco 1400 Series Pumps feature 2 electrical knockouts, permanently lubricated ball bearings that will be sealed for life, cooling fins to extend the life of the motor, and a precision balanced motor for quiet operation.

Taco 1400 Pumps and other Taco pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Why a washing machine shutoff valve?

The washing machine in your home has the power to produce a lot of water in a short amount of time. The potential for a flood if something goes wrong is too great to ignore. Installing an inexpensive http://www.supplyhouse.com/Washing-Machine-Shuttoff-Valves-610000 will give you the peace of mind that if anything goes wrong for any reason, the water will stop flowing and you will not risk getting a flooded basement.

Washing machine shutoff valves and other plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How to do auto-changeover

To have your thermostat automatically go from heating to cooling (auto-changeover), you will need an outdoor sensor. The outdoor sensor will communicate with your thermostat and tell it that it is warm enough outside to stop turning the heat on or that it is cool enough outside to stop turning on the Air Conditioner.

Thermostats such as Honeywell thermostat and White Rodgers thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Tools to have at hand

It's important to always have a toilet plunger and a toilet auger in your house, just in case. If the toilet gets clogged (which happens from time to time usually due to a buildup of mineral deposits), try the plunger first. This is a simple and often effective way to release a clog. If the clog is stubborn and the plunger does not work, a toilet auger will almost always do the job. The auger works to actually break through the clog and can reach up to 3 feet into the pipes in order to find it. An auger can also be used to grab onto an item accidentally dropped into the toilet such as a toothbrush.

Toilet augers and other plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How to use a Watts Auto Air Vent

Series FV4 Watts Auto Air Vents are ideal for high temperature applications because of their high temperature rating and for systems (such as radiant heat systems) with glycol mixtures. These air vents can also be used as an anti-vacuum device or to separate and disperse air while fluid is circulating through the system.

Watts Air Vents and Air Valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Osmosis vs reverse osmosis

Osmosis describes how solvent moves between two solutions separated by a semipermeable membrane to reduce concentration differences between the solutions. When two solutions with different concentrations of a solute are mixed, the total amount of solutes in the two solutions will be equally distributed in the total amount of solvent from the two solutions. Instead of mixing the two solutions together, they can be put in two compartments where they are separated from each other by a semipermeable membrane. The semipermeable membrane does not allow the solutes to move from one compartment to the other, but allows the solvent to move. Since equilibrium cannot be achieved by the movement of solutes from the compartment with high solute concentration to the one with low solute concentration, it is instead achieved by the movement of the solvent from areas of low solute concentration to areas of high solute concentration. When the solvent moves away from low concentration areas, it causes these areas to become more concentrated. On the other side, when the solvent moves into areas of high concentration, solute concentration will decrease. This process is termed osmosis. The tendency for solvent to flow through the membrane can be expressed as "osmotic pressure", since it is analogous to flow caused by a pressure differential.

In reverse osmosis, in a similar setup as that in osmosis, pressure is applied to the compartment with high concentration. In this case, there are two forces influencing the movement of water: the pressure caused by the difference in solute concentration between the two compartments (the osmotic pressure) and the externally applied pressure.


Reverse osmosis faucets and Tomlinson faucets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com