Why install a garbage disposal?

Garbage disposals make your life in the kitchen easier by saving trips back and forth to the garbage can and ensuring that your pipes do not get clogged if something accidentally goes down the drain. With a garbage disposal, you can put chicken bones, coffee grounds, fruit rinds, food scraps, and more right into the sink with no fear of a plumbing nightmare.

Insinkerator garbage disposals, kitchen faucets, kitchen sinks, and other plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Is Pro Poxy20 safe for aquariums?

Yes. Pro Poxy20 is non-toxic and safe to use in aquariums. Make sure the product is given a full 24 hours to cure at room temperature, then wash the surface with soap and water before refilling your aquarium.

Epoxy and other Hercules Chemicals for plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Can the tube liner of a SharkBite Fitting be removed?

Yes. The tube liner can be easily removed by pulling it past the o-ring, then with the aid of the SharkBite disassembly clip or disconnect tongs, the Tube Support Liner can drop out of the fitting as it can move freely past the grab ring. Needle nosed pliers may be used to pull the Tube Suport Liner out. NOTE: The tube liner is essential for use with PEX Tubing and cannot be removed if you are using SharkBite fittings with PEX.

SharkBite Fittings and other PEX Fittings can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Covering a baseboard

Not all baseboard heaters can be covered with the same baseboard heater covers. If you are unsure what brand baseboard you have, but need to replace a rusty or missing cover, you can purchase a one size fits all baseboard heater cover. These covers are easy to size and easy to install.

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

What is the wall thickness of Joist Trak?

Wirsbo Joist Trak Panels are aluminum panels with grooves cut out to hold PEX Tubing in place in the joist spaces and also provide an area to retain its heat in order to warm the room above. Joist Trak Panels have a wall thickness of .050 of an inch.

Joist Track Panels for Wirsbo Joist Track can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Where to install a grease trap

Be sure to install a grease trap as close as possible to the sink that it is being used with. If the liquid has to travel too far before getting to the grease trap, you run the risk of the grease cooling to the point where it can clog your pipes before it reaches the grease trap. If you need a grease trap for two separate sinks, you must install two separate grease traps instead of having one trap that both sinks feed.

Zurn Grease Traps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How to connect PEX to a water heater

PEX cannot connect directly to a water heater. You will need a water heater adapter connected to the PEX, and the other end of the adapter will connect to the actual water heater. HydroPEX Water Heater Adapters connect using the HydroPEX Clamping Tool and HydroPEX Stainless Steel Clamps.

Hydro PEX Fittings, PEX Tubing and other parts for PEX Plumbing can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What does potable mean?

Potable means fit for drinking. Potable water is water that you can drink, so in your house it is the water that is sent to sinks, showers, refrigerators, toilets, hose bibs, tubs, etc. When purchasing PEX for plumbing applications that will take water to any of these locations, make sure to get PEX that has been rated for potable water.

Brands of potable PEX include Wirsbo AquaPEX Tubing, Pre-Insulated AquaPEX Tubing, Viega PEX Tubing, Rifeng PEX Plumbing Tubing, and Pre-Sleeved AquaPEX Tubing.

PEX Tubing for PEX Plumbing can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What is the heat output of a Beacon Morris F120?

A Beacon Morris F120 Surface Mount Cabinet Kit is not actually a heater, it is a cabinet to hold a Beacon Morris K120 Kick Space Heater. Without the K120, you will get no heat output from the F120. There are several accessories available for Kick Space Heaters including recessed cabinet kits, floor kits, motor fan assemblies, and grilles.

Kickspace heaters including Beacon Morris Kickspace heaters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

When does a TH6110D1005 thermostat turn off or on?

Your thermostat will always be "on", but it will call for heat or cooling at different times depending on the temperatures that you have set. When the Honeywell thermostat senses that the temperature in the room falls below 1/2 of a degree below the set "heat" temperature, the heat will turn on. When the temperature in the room rises 1/2 of a degree above the set "cool" temperature, the cooling will turn on. Both the heat and the cool will shut off when the desired temperature has been reached.

The TH6110D1005 and many other Honeywell thermostats can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What does galvanized mean?

In terms of plumbing supplies, galvanized is a metal that is coated in zinc. Galvanized nipples and galvanized fittings are available. You must make sure that galvanized material does not directly touch copper in order to avoid the corrosion of these materials.

Pipe fittings and plumbing nipples can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Is this tubing made by Wirsbo or Uponor?

Wirsbo and Uponor are actually the same company. The company used to be called Wirsbo, but recently changed its name and is now called Uponor. If you have old PEX tubing, tools, fittings, or rings that say Wirsbo on them, Uponor parts are totally compatible. The exact same products are made now, and the standards of high quality, precision engineering, and warranties you can count on continue; the only change is a new logo.

Wirsbo products including PEX Tubing for PEX Plumbing and Radiant Heat products can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What's the difference between a sump pump and an effluent pump?

A sump pump is designed to remove water, such as ground water or surface water. Sump pumps can ONLY move water and will not effectively move any solids. An effluent pump is able to move a combination of liquid and some solids. Effluent (by definition) is the outflow from a sewage treatment plant, which includes both liquids and some solids. Effluent pumps are typically used to pump waste from toilets while sump pumps are typically used to remove water that has collected in a particular location.

Little Giant Sump Pumps, Grundfos Effluent Pumps, and other plumbing pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

What does PEX-b mean?

PEX-b refers to the grade of the PEX tubing, a reference to how the polyethylene turned into PEX. Viega PEX is an example of PEX-b tubing. PEX-b tubing is made through a process called the Silane method. This uses a chemical agent to break the bonds and form a tight cross-linking across the polyethylene in order to make PEX.

Viega PEX and other PEX Tubing for PEX Plumbing can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Kraus Sink and Faucet Warranty

Kraus offers a limited lifetime warranty on all glass sinks and faucets. Kraus glass sinks are constructed from the most durable double layered tempered glass available on the market today. Kraus guarantees all glass sinks to be free of defect in materials and craftsmanship for one (1) year from the original date of purchase.

Kraus Bathroom Faucets, Kraus Bathroom Sinks, and Kraus Kitchen Faucets can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Tips for installation of a frost free sillcock

Make sure that you take your time and prepare all of the pipes for soldering before you begin installation of a frost free sillcock. Assemble all of the pieces without solder first to make sure that you have all of the pieces and the pipes are long enough to reach outside your house. Be sure to completely drain the system before attempting any connections. It is impossible to make a solder connection with any water remaining in the pipes. Once installed, your frost proof sillcock will assure that your water pipes will not be exposed to the elements and will not freeze in the winter.

Frost-free sillcocks and other plumbing valves can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

When to re-oil that pump

Bell & Gossett Series 100 pumps should be re-oiled to ensure proper operation and durability. At the start of every heating season, add one teaspoon of oil to the pump bearings. Motor bearings must also be lubricated. These bearings should get eight to ten drops of oil in each oil tube once every four months.

Pumps & Flanges including Taco pumps, Taco bronze pumps and Bell & Gossett pumps can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

A product with over 2,000 uses!

WD-40 is a product with literally thousands of uses! It removes stains, paint, rust, adhesives, and any other unwanted marks on almost any material, lubricates hinges, zippers and locks, cleans and shines everything from piano keys to school lockers, and even removes the oil from your hands! WD-40 stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. They say the third time is a charm, but the 40th time is the real winner with this formula that does it all!

WD-40 and other plumbing supplies can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

How do you make a cut in tight spaces?

Already installed the pipe but need to make a cut? Close quarters tubing cutters are perfect for cutting aluminum, hard copper, soft copper, brass, and plastic tubing when there isn't enough room for a standard handle to open fully. With a close quarters cutter, no space is too small to turn the knob and get a precise, accurate cut ready for connections in almost any material.

PEX Pipe, PEX Tubing, and PEX Cutters can be found at www.supplyhouse.com

Loop length for radiant

When installing PEX tubing for radiant heat, you must be careful not to make the individual loops too long. If there is too much distance between where the water gets heated and the end of the loop where runs under your floors, you run the risk of allowing it to cool to the point where it will not actually be heating anything. As a rule of thumb, for 1/2" tubing, be sure that no loop is longer than 300 feet. If you purchase tubing that is longer than 300 feet, you will need to cut it into multiple lengths before installation.

PEX pipe, and PEX for radiant floor heat can be found at www.supplyhouse.com