The Rains Are Here! We are currently in a raining and wet winter season. The amount of rainfall we have seen has exceeded our expectations for 2017 ! Last year we were suppose to have a great El Nino weather pattern, but it did not materialize. This year is suppose to be an El Nina weather pattern, with less rain supposedly. That has not been the case. We have had a great amount of rainfall in Santa Clarita. We have had flooding in the burn areas of Sand Canyon and in other areas in our valley. The water runoff has caused great damage to property. But never the less, we can still see lawn sprinklers and hillside sprinklers on when it is raining outside! Please check your timer box to make sure it is on off. This will help conserve water, and prevent possible damage due to excessive water runoff. Please also check your yard drains and pool drains. Clear them before the rain begins to fall. This preventive maintenance will keep your property safe from possible water damage from the rains.
Please Continue With Water Conservation!
We still need to conserve water! El Nino was a bust in Southern California. Northern California did get much rainfall this past winter which help filled the lakes and reservoirs. We do get most of our water from the Sierra snowpack, and Northern California. SCV is a desert like environment, and the water table has been diminished from years of drought. It will take many years of wet winter weather to replenish the ground water table. We must try to conserve this golden resource to help protect the future of this great state. Please check your watering schedule for your irrigation system. Call you local water company to see what days you are able to water your landscape. Make sure you sprinklers are working properly. Please repair any leaky hose bibs, and garden bibs. If we all work together, we can make a difference!
Save Water Going Down The Drain
As we all know, California is in a severe drought! We are all trying to save water anywhere we can. One way is to have a water recirculating system for your house. Insta-Hot Water Recirculating System brings convenience and savings to your home, giving you hot water instantly at every faucet or shower when you need it. This unique product connects easily to existing plumbing. It saves up to 15,000 gallons of water per year and up to 10% of your water bill. Insta-Hot Recirculating System saves water from going down the drain. It stops the water from being wasted. The water coming out of the faucet is first cold. It has to come from the water heater to the faucet, for it to become the hot water you want! Insta-Hot saves that water due to the recirculating system!
- Insta-Hot is easy to install (approximately one hour) for a standard install
- It has a 24 hour programable timer that activates the pump only when you need it
- It is mainentance free
- pump mounts directly onto a wate heater with a 3/4” connection
- Insta-Hot can be used with all types of pipe
- has a ten foot power cord that plugs into an electrical outlet
- 1/2” Thermal by-pass valve
- Insta-Hot is extremely quiet (no vibrations)
- Cost: it costs the homeowner about five cents a day to operate
Springtime is Quickly Approaching and so is the California Drought
This is the time of year to wake up your irrigation systems. Due to the severe drought conditions throughout the State of California, we all need to conserve water. The spring time is a great time to check for water leaks on your irrigation system. Check all manifolds, and valves. Look for leaks on valves, and underground pipes that lead to sprinkler heads. Every drop of water counts! Cut down on the amount of time the sprinklers are on. Water every other day. Check for over-watering! See if there is water draining down the sidewalks, or puddles that build up on low points in your yard. If there is, this is a good indicator of over-watering! Hand water with a hose, brown spots on the lawn instead of turning on the entire sprinkler system. Remember not to hose down patios or side yards to clean….use a broom or blower to do the job. Check to see if any hosebibs, or outside faucets leak….if so replace them. Every drop of water counts! Remember by doing a few simple steps it will save water, and save you money on your monthly water bill. Please help save water during the severe drought conditions in our state…..Thank you.
Cold Weather & Frozen Irrigation Pipes!!!!
With winter in full force the cold weather is upon us! This is a reminder to wrap exposed water pipes with thermacel wrap to help insulate them. This will help prevent the pipes from freezing and then causing a burst or break in the water line. If possible turn off the water supply to the irrigation system. This is the best way to avoid any possible repairs that may be needed due to the cold, cold nights in the Santa Clarita Valley!
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
With the passage of this law in 1990 the plumbing industry had to make changes with plumbing fixtures and deal with other plumbing issues, to meet the new standards that were set for people with physical needs. The same plumbing fixtures used and made for years had to meet the ADA requirements set forth by the new law. The law was made to help make, using the facilities, more accessible for people with special needs. Public restrooms showers and toilets had to have specific items like: grab bars, wider bathroom doors with wider bathroom stalls. They had to have ADA compliant toilets, and water fountains that were wheelchair accessible with ramps. ADA toilets are 17.5” in height compared to the standard size toilet which is 14.5” tall. People now have the same opportunities to use these products in their house.
Helpful Household Maintenance Ideas
In your home there are certain things that need your attention periodically throughout the year. In the City of Santa Clarita, it is now mandatory to have smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in your home to help your family during an emergency situation. These units are either wired directly into the houses’ electrical system or run on batteries. If they are the battery type detectors the batteries need to be changed out. Most people need to be reminded of this. The best way to make sure the detectors will work is to change the batteries every year. In the spring when we change our clocks due to Day Light Savings time, schedule to do some other things as well. Change the batteries in all of the smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors. Clean out the aerators in all of the faucets in your home to help prevent slow running faucets, and don’t forget the screens on the laundry hoses! Clean out the shower heads in all bathrooms. Check your toilets to make sure they are flushing properly and not leaking. Remind everyone the toilet is not a trash can! Toilets will not flush everything down the line, things plug up in the sewer lines. Main line sewers do not like trash! Do not flush, wipes, paper towels, or diapers of any kind. Do not pour grease, paint, or any other kind of liquid down a toilet unless the product is approved for toilet use. In spring, flush or snake your yard drains. Spring is when things begin to grow and mud builds up in the drains from the winter rains. Snake or flush the yard drains to clear them. (Do this again in the fall). Doing these little things, once or twice a year, may help your family in an emergency. It could also save you money on possible plumbing repairs.
Excercise your Plumbing?
What are we referring to by exercising your plumbing? What this means is make your plumbing work on a regular basis. If you are a homeowner and have bathrooms that are not used that often, or hose bibs that are never turned on, use them! Make them work; like humans, they need a work out to stay fit! Turn on the hose bibs, flush the toilets in the spare bedrooms or hallways, and turn an off any fixtures in your house, garage, or outside. If you don’t exercise things, plumbing valves can stick or freeze up, rubber gaskets can become hard from lack of moisture. Drains must have water run down them to keep p-traps from drying up and releasing the “sewer gas smell”. So to keep things in good working order, put your plumbing to work and turn all of your plumbing fixtures on and off, at least once a week!
Importance of House Regulators
As a homeowner, an important piece of information to know is the regulated and unregulated water system. The unregulated system is the water from the street to the regulator which feeds any fixtures before the regulator, including hose bibs and irrigation. The regulated pressure is the water that is exiting the regulator and entering your house, this pressure is controlled by the regulator. The water pressure entering your house should be between 50 and 70 PSI depending on the house. Water pressure higher than 70 PSI can damage faucets, toilets, shower fixtures, water lines, and valves to appliances. Over time regulators wear and allow higher pressure to enter the house. Regulators do not have a set lifetime because the unregulated water pressure varies for each house. The higher the unregulated water pressure the shorted the life span of the regulator. This is why John Murray Plumbing recommends purchasing a pressure gauge from your local hardware store. You should periodically check the water pressure entering your house. If the water pressure is too high, replace the regulator to protect the appliances, water valves, and the plumbing to your house.
