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