Plumbing

Choosing a Water Heater 1

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Water heaters are essential pieces of equipment in our Canadian households especially after a long, cold day working outside in sub-freezing temperatures. If your water heater breaks, or it’s about to finish its useful life cycle, there are two options you can choose from when replacing it: a conventional water heater (which is probably what you are already housing) and a tankless water heater.   Conventional storage water heaters Conventional storage water heaters are the most common water heater you are going to find in residential homes. They come in sizes of 20 to 80 gallons for residential use and commercial sizes can range into the 100’s of gallons. Their fuel sources include: electricity, propane, natural gas, and fuel oil. In these tanks, water is constantly being heated. Energy is consumed even when you aren’t using hot water. This standby heat loss can be reduced by some, more heavily insulated, water heaters. Tankless […]

Replacing a Toilet 1

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Chances are if you are a DIYer you would rather replace the bathroom toilet yourself than pay someone to do it. However, if you decide to move the location of the toilet, hire a professional plumber. Rerouteing pipes is best left to professionals. Supplies: Rags Newspapers and/or old towels A container to scoop out water or shop vac Screwdriver Utility (exacto) knife Putty knife (or similar tool) New wax gasket Possibly a new flange and bolts Bathroom Caulk Plastic toilet shims (if needed) Plumber’s putty (if needed) Wrench Gloves (optional) mini hack-saw (if needed)     Removing the Old Toilet Step 1: Lay out newspapers/old towels This is where you will be placing the old toilet after removal. If you will be setting it down on a tile floor, set it down gently. The tile can be cracked by a toilet being set down too harshly. Step 2: Turn off […]

All about Hard Water

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What is ‘Hard Water’? Hard water is water that contains a high level of minerals. This is caused by water being filtered through underground deposits such as limestone and chalk. As the water travels through these deposits, it picks up minerals such as calcium and magnesium. These dissolved minerals are what make water ‘hard’.     Hard Water Effects Hard water has been known to cause issues in the home and some people wonder if it can cause health issues. Health Hard water is not currently known to cause any health issues. The World Health Organization (WHO) along with other research facilities have done tests to those regards. They have determined that not only is it safe to drink, but drinking hard water can contribute to your daily needs of calcium and magnesium. Water in general though, can contain other harmful things such as bacteria. Home Hard water may not affect […]

Water Softeners 1

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Water softeners are used to reduce the grains per gallon(gpg)  level in hard water. Having hard water does not mean you need one however it can be a good investment. Hard water not only can cause build-up in various appliances and pipes (such as your water heater) but the effects can be seen elsewhere in the home as well. To learn more about hard water and to determine what range your home falls under in the water hardness scale read this article on hard water. While you may want softer water for washing dishes, showering, and other uses it is not recommended for drinking, cooking, or watering plants. The minerals (calcium and magnesium) that make water ‘hard’ are beneficial to your health. Water is softened by the replacement of these elements. ‘Softened’ water contains higher salt content because of this and therefore is not great for cooking, drinking or plants. This […]

Low Water Pressure

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Many of us have been there, you step into the shower, turn on the tap and you feel like you would have better success at getting your hair wet by standing in the rain. Or perhaps you turn on your faucet to do the dishes and you can’t even get enough pressure to rinse a plate. Low water pressure can be frustrating, the good news is though it could be an easy fix! If you are experiencing low water pressure the first step is to determine where the issue lies. Is it localized (i.e. kitchen sink) or an issue in the entire home?   Entire House If it is the entire home there are a few things you can check: Find out if your home has a water pressure reducing valve. If it does have one then ask a plumber to adjust the valve so that it allows an increase in flow (pressure) to […]

Pool House

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This past year we have had the privilege of teaming up with HFH Construction. One of the first things they mention on their website is their commitment to quality in all of their projects. This gets the boys at Jaytech excited when they can team up with guys like this and pour out their potential into a project such as this pool house built near Fergus Ontario.  As you can see in the pictures below, they practice what they preach and deliver some awesome stuff. This isn’t your normal pool house though. It has a party room with a fireplace, full bar area, washroom, outdoor shower and outdoor urinal, a 6 pane main door that slides all the way open, in-floor heating, beautiful outdoor lounging areas and of course an awesome Jaytech mechanical room.     HFH Contruction is a growing and dynamic company so be sure to check out […]