save money Archives - City Wide Plumbing

Feb 04

Make Low-Flow Toilets a Go

By City Wide Plumbing low-flow toilets, Phoenix Plumbing, save money No Comments

Low-flow shower head? Check.

Front-load washer? Check.

Faucet aerators? Check, too.

You’ve upgraded a lot of fixtures and appliances to save on water, but if a new toilet isn’t near the top of your high-efficiency list, you may want to reconsider. For example, older toilets from before the 1980s used as much as 7 gallons for every flush. Installing a new toilet that uses 1.6 gallons per flush (gpf) means you’d use 77% less water per flush! That translates into a great cost savings that can pay for itself in less than five years. Plumbing mistakes cost you.

But what if you already replaced your toilet in the early 90s and it’s still working well? Besides, it’s a smaller toilet, holding about 3.5 gallons – a full half of what your old toilet used – and it flushes the bowl the first time.

The truth is that some engineering tweaks made all of the difference in how well low-flow toilets flush. For example, the toilet’s trap that opens when you flush has been enlarged. The larger opening allows more waste to move through the opening more quickly. Also, new toilets use a mechanism to increase the water pressure and help clear the bowl after one flush. Some use an air-pressure system; others use a pump. Both systems require only a single flush to clear the bowl.

Mar 11

Things to Know About Low-Flow Toilets

By City Wide Plumbing conserve water, Phoenix Plumbing, save money, toilets No Comments

Toilets use more water than any other appliance or fixture in the home, with older toilets using between 3.5 and 7 gallons per flush. Replacing your old inefficient toilet with a low flush toilet will not only conserve water but it could save you hundreds of dollars annually.

Since 1994 federal law mandates that new household toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. According to EPA figures, since 2006 American households have saved more than 4.7 billion dollars in water and energy bills by switching to more efficient toilets.

How Much Water do Low-Flow Toilets Actually Save?

One high efficiency toilet used by a family of four can save 8,760 gallons of water per year. Since 2006 low flow toilets have saved more than 287 billion gallons of water.

The EPA estimates that if all the inefficient toilets in homes were converted to high efficiency models Americans would save more than 640 billion gallons of water per year.

The average family of four will save about $20.00 a year by switching to a high efficiency toilet. Pair that with a rebate and you could save more than $100 a year. Check for your Arizona city specific water conversation rebates here.

How do I get Low-Flow Toilets in my Home?

City Wide Plumbing offers many high efficiency toilets including American Standard, Gerber, Kohler and Toto. Based on extensive flush testing done by NAHB and The California Urban Water Conservation Council as well as personal experience and input from plumbing professionals, we can help select and install the perfect toilet for your household. Call City Wide today to schedule a free consultation. Conveniently servicing Scottsdale and the surrounding area for over 30 years we have all the expertise necessary to complete any plumbing project you are trying to tackle. Stop flushing money down the drain and let City Wide Plumbing help you upgrade your old toilets to new high efficiency models.

Sep 03

You just filled up a swimming pool with your Wasted Water!

By City Wide Plumbing conserve water, Phoenix Plumbing, save money No Comments

With talks of drought all around us, now is an important time to conserve water. We have talked before about tips to save water for normal daily use, but have you ever thought about how much water/money you could be wasting by not repairing a running toilet or a pesky dripping faucet.

For example:

Let’s say you have a water closet aka toilet running at a rate of ½ gallon per minute.
1440 minutes per day divided in half equals 720 gallons per day.
720 gallons time 30 days is 21,600 gallons per month wasted.
Most city’s charge per 1000 gallons so,
22 (thousand gallons) times $ 3.92 (per thousand) is $ 86.24 running down the drain.
In a year that could add up to $ 1,034.88 on top of your normal water usage.

The average cost to repair a water closet or a leaking faucet is less than $ 200.00. So not only do you conserve water you also save money. It’s a win win.

An average swimming pool takes approximately 18,000-20,000 gallons of water to fill.

Jul 18

Did you lose your invoice for your water heater?

By City Wide Plumbing home repairs, Phoenix Plumbing, save money, water heaters No Comments

Money Saving Tip:

Always hold on to your receipts for installs of new appliances. Manufactures will normally go off the install date for the warranty vs the manufacture date.

For example, a company comes out and installs a new water heater. The water heater was manufactured 06/07/2008 but sat in the warehouse and was not installed until 12/15/2008. On 08/30/14 the water heater springs a leak and needs to be replaced. The customer is unable to locate the receipt of when the unit was originally installed, so the manufacture goes off the manufacture date and says the warranty is expired causing the customer to have to purchase a new unit. If the customer kept the invoice with the install date the manufacture would have warrantied the unit and the customer could have saved money by having the unit replaced under warranty vs have to purchase a new unit.

Now do keep in mind that usually after one year, there is only a parts warranty and you will still have to pay for labor costs. It’s still much cheaper than having to buy a new unit and have installed. If you have any questions, please feel free to call City Wide Plumbing and Service Company at 480-966-8795.