Do you have a Ghost Flushing your toilet

April 22, 2011 | Leave a comment

toilet-aerial-leslie (2)

 

I have had more than a few customers state that their toilet is flushing by itself. Some folks go as far as to suggest they think they have a Ghost. This is not an uncommon problem with toilets and contrary to some beliefs, the explanation and resolution is far from the paranormal.

So how do we get the ”Paranormal” Ghost flushing toilet, back to just a ”Normal” flushing toilet.

There are three simple steps to take, in order to answer why the toilet is turning on by itself. Once we know the answer, the simple solution is soon to follow.

  1. Check the water level in the tank.
  2. Check water pressure
  3. Listen for the sound of running water at the fill valve where the water enters the tank.

 

  1. Checking the water level in the tank:
  • Remove the Tank cover or lid being careful not to drop it as these can easily shatter when bumped with something that is harder than the china it is made of.
  • With the lid removed, flush the toilet and wait for the water to fill to the point when the Fill Valve shuts off the water. Sometimes this may take up to 5 minutes but with most toilets newer than 10 years of age, the fill cycle will be less than one minute. Note that if the water never shuts off completely, we need to proceed to step #2 and #3.
  • With a pencil, mark the level of the water in the tank and watch to see if the water level drops. In most cases, if there is a leak, you will see a drop in the water level in less than  two to three minutes however in some cases this process may take up to 15 minutes in order to see any noticeable water level change.

If your results of ths test prove the water level to be dropping to the point where the fill valve turns on, hense “Ghost Flushing”, we have at this point narrowed down the problem to be one of three things; Back siphonage, High water level, or a faulty flapper /tank ball seal.

Back Siphonage:

  • In most cases there will be a small tube coming from the fill valve to the Flush Valve which is located in the center of the tank. If this tube, called the refill tube, is inserted too far into the “Overflow” tube of the Flush Valve, water will likely syphon from the tank, down this tube, causing the water level to drop in the tank. To properly solve this problem, re-possition the end of the refill tube to the top of the Overflow tube of the Flush Valve with an appropriate fastening clip. With the end of the refill tube above the water level inside the tank the possibility of back siphonage has been eliminated.

High Water Level

  • If the water level in the tank is above the top of the Overflow Tube, located on the Flush Valve, then the Fill Valve will either continuously run or cycle on and off. Resolve this problem by adjusting the water level on the Fill Valve to a point aproximately 1/2″ to 1″ below the top of the Overflow Tube (see fill valve manufacturer for adjustment procedures). Note that for toilets where the tank and the bowl are one molded piece,  in liu of a smaller refill tube, a larger “Rim Wash” Tube, approximately 3/4″ in diameter will be installed from the Fill Valve to the back of the bowl. The water level in the tank needs to be adjusted to a level below that of the insertion point of where the Rim Wash tube enters into the back of the bowl.

Flapper/Tank Ball

  • The Flapper and/or the Tank Ball are one of the more common culprits of Ghost Flushing. They are both located on the flush valve which is usualy located in the center of the tank. Check the Flapper/Tank Ball at the bottom of the tank. The Flapper/Tank Ball is connected to the tank lever with either a strap, a chain, or maybe a brass wire, and is located at the bottom of the tank. To check the Flapper/Tank Ball, rub your finger along its edge. If, due to deterioration, the material of the flapper comes off on your finger, we know at this time the Flapper/Tank Ball needs to be replaced. In some other cases this seal may be located at the bottom of a column located at the center of the tank. Either way, it is this seal that holds the water inside the tank up, until someone presses that lever. So whether it is a Flapper, Tank Ball, or some other type of seal, if the material comes off on your finger when you touch it, it needs to be replaced. One last thing regarding this seal, some of the materials used can be of a poly urethane material in which case, even if they have failed, the material will not come off on your finger. To check this type of seal it must be removed and then visually inspected. The seal should be flat and without any ripples. If you see a ripple on the bottom side of the seal, replace it with a new replacement seal of similar type. When replacing a flapper be sure to pay attention to the adjustment in length of the chain, strap, or brass wire. An adjustment that is too short will create a symptom where water either continues to run or the Fill Valve will “Ghost Flush”. An adjustment that is too loose will create a symptom where the tank level will need to be held down for the entire cycle of the flush because it does not lift the Flapper/Tank ball up high enough in order to allow it to float.

2.   Water Pressure

  • High water pressure conditions can cause a good Fill Valve to act as if it is not functioning properly. The call I often get is one where a customer has replaced their old Fill Valve with a new one, they replaced their flapper, they have adjusted the water level below the overflow tube, they mounted the refill tube to the overflow tube with the supplied clip, and the new fill valve still cycles on and off. “High water pressure” I tell them, with assurance. What happens here is after a Pressure Regulator has failed, the water pressure in the house increases to full city supplied pressure when no other water is in use. We call this “Static” pressure. No, throddelingthe valve down at the main water shut off will not solve the problem, because at a static water pressure condition, (without any water being used in the house), the pressure is just as high as if you had the valve closed off to the level of a drip. To clarify, by Throddeling the main valve down you have adjusted “Volume”, not “Pressure”. Adjusting the Pressure Regulator at this point will not solve the issue either. To explain this, a Residential Water Pressure Regulator, when functioning properly, will not exceed 80psi. Therefore if the water pressure is above this point, we know at this time the regulator has failed and needs to be either replaced or rebuilt.
  • To confirm  the water pressure condition, first you will need a Water Pressure gauge, a commonly stocked item at our Redlands Showroom and Warehouse supply. With the Pressure gauge connected to a hose bib location, after the incoming water supply to the house and after the existing pressure regulator, turn the hose bib on in order to read the water pressure at this point. Keep in mind that we are looking at checking the regulated pressure after the existing pressure regulator.
  • With the pressure Gauge reading the “Static” Water Pressure, assuring there is not any water in use at this time, record this reading. While monitoring the pressure at the gauge, have someone flush the toilet in question. The water pressure will likely drop to a point below the set pressure of the existing Pressure Regulator, usually between 50 and 75 psi, (even with a faulty Pressure Regulator). When the toilet attempts to shut down, looking at the Water Pressure Gauge, you will see the water pressure rise to just below that of the level of incoming water supply pressure.  At this point the Fill valve of the toilet will be forced to relieve the excess pressure at which time you will see the pressure on the gauge drop down, due to the relief of excess pressure when the Fill Valve is forced to turn back on, and the cycle will then keep repeating itself until the Fill Valve has reached the point where it can shut down at the full city supplied pressure.

With exception to the Flapper/Tank Ball test, because of the direct relation of Water Pressure to the fill cycle of the toilet, it is suggested that you perform this Pressure test before any of the other attempted diagnostics, in order to avoid the unnecessary replacement of any of the toilet parts.

3.   Listen for the sound of running water at the fill valve where the water enters the tank.

  • With the exception of a faulty Fill valve or high water Pressure condition, we have pretty much covered the solutions to a running water condition. If after checking all of the other conditions the fill valve continues to leak water, the fill valve will need to be replaced. Follow manufacture guidelines in order to properly install the new Fill Valve
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This Homeowner Suspected That He Might Have Leaky Ducts

April 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

I think my ducts might be leaky

I was in Riverside today to meet with a homeowner that wanted to have his ductwork replaced. He told me that he had his system replaced 10 years ago but did not have the money at the time to change out the ductwork. They bought the best Carrier equipment that was available at the time, but left the existing ductwork in place.

His wife complained that the remodeled kitchen was always hot and the adjoining dining room was unbearable during the summer.

I jumped up into the attic to take a look at what we would be doing and found a couple of glaring problems.

Problem immediately identified. This duct fed the kitchen and dining room.

Here was another, not-so-obvious, problem. This is a high end air filter device. If you look closely, you will see that someone had sealed it with mastic, making it impossible to open and thus impossible to change the filter.

There were some other glaring problems but the pictures that I took on my phone did not come out very well.

Here’s my two-cents on this.

You have four parts to your air conditioner. You have the furnace/ blower, the indoor air coil, the outdoor condenser, and the air distribution portion ( ductwork). The most important component of your system is the air distribution portion. It is the piece that most affects your comfort and the efficiency of your system. You can install the best equipment, as this couple did, and attach it to sub-par ducting and you will waste a lot of your hard earned money. This homeowner has efficiently cooled his attic for who knows how long. He would have been better served to purchase lower end equipment and attach it to a high end duct system. After all, delivered air flow is what you feel in your house. Poor duct design, installation and performance, delivers air poorly to your home. It also kills the efficiency of your new system and destroys the longevity of your equipment. We, frequently, see new equipment installed in new tract homes that fails within the first few years of service because of poor duct design and installation. Do not skimp here. It is a much better idea to install a 14 SEER system on a great duct system than a 19 SEER system on poor ductwork ( and most of the inventory of ductwork in Southern California falls into that category).

I will write a blog post in the future about how we engineer our duct system for maximum delivery. But please, if you must skimp, don’t skimp on ductwork.

 

Posted Under: Energy Efficiency, Heating & Air | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Green Home – It’s Just Good Design

April 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

Just plain coffee

I read this blog post this morning and I agree with the author. When I meet with people interested in home performance upgrades, I have to ask enough questions to attempt to ascertain whether they want to be green, energy efficient, or both. Often home owners, themselves, aren’t even sure. What would your answer be?
Are you looking to save money? or save the Earth? are you interested in healthier living? reducing your carbon footprint? Sticking it to the energy companies by going off the grid? Becoming self sufficient for the sake of securing yourself against an unknown future? There are many reasons for retrofitting your home and the blog post below brings up some good points.
A tip of the hat to the blogger, Chris Laumer-Giddens from Georgia.

What makes a Green Home green? Is it the bamboo floors? Maybe it’s the low-e windows or the extra insulation in the walls? What about a high efficiency heating and cooling system? Or maybe it’s a plaque by your front door that says, “I’m Green!”?

How about all of the above and then some? What about the word Green? Is that really the most accurate one to use, or is it too broad? How about Energy Efficient, High Performance, Net-Zero, or Passive?

If you can’t decide on your own, there are always the many green building certification programs to help. You may be familiar withLEED for Homes, but what about ENERGY STAR, EarthCraft House,National Green Building Standard, Environments for Living, orBuilding America Builder’s Challenge.

 

All of this can be about as confusing as going to a coffee shop. Decaf? Skinny? Whip? Foam? Make it a Double? Do you want a scone with that?

 

How about just, “a cup o’ coffee”? Period.

What would the equivalent be in designing a green home? Could we remove green, have all homes just be designed and built well so that green features are just part of the design? While studying Environmental Design in College, I heard a quote referring to incorporating green or sustainability in to our projects as “it’s just good design.”

 

So then, what is ‘Good Design’?

 

Well, with as little Architecture, building science or green jargon, (and, especially “no whip”!) I’ll give you my view on what I consider good design. In the end though, what is good to me may not be good enough for you. So, mine is just a definition, notthe definition. Like when someone writes about the Civil War, the title should be “A History of America’s Civil War”, not “The History of America’s Civil War.”

 

Good Design: A definition


Good design begins and ends with the house as a system. But, not only based on building science basics that the link I just provided discusses. The house system includes many parts and functions, and all of them need to be considered. Incorporating the best practices of building science, energy efficiency is just one of those parts, and this is at the heart of what good design is. Every part plays its role and needs to be given its due respect. A good example of what I mean is how a centipede walks. All the legs look the same, and are just as important as the next leg to effectively and efficiently get the insect where it needs to go.

The best designed homes are complete systems where every part works together to make a home everything it needs to be, including functional, efficient, durable, and beautiful. The reason these homes are considered to be designed well is because everything about the home, from aesthetics to performance, is considered during the design as a whole and not separate parts. For example, if something is efficient and not functional, or durable and not beautiful, the design is broken and the home fails to live up to its purpose.

Good design considers and integrates every part (finishes, mechanicals, fixtures, accessibility, windows, etc.). Nothing is independent.

Good design makes sure that the exterior wall assemblies are designed to provide the best thermal and moisture protection, but not without considering what kind of windows and how they will be installed in that wall to maintain the thermal and moisture protection. And, that window will also be located, sized and shaded to allow the appropriate amount of light to the interior space. Good design also ensures that the structure will work with the heating and cooling equipment and its delivery system, but not without considering the interior design details, the location of a stair, and the occupants habits and comfort levels.

 

In good design, there are no islands.

 

Green Home photo by nickname and Coffee photo bycrestedcrazy from flickr.com, used under a Creative Commons license

 

Posted Under: Energy Efficiency | , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Why you should only hire a licensed contractor.

April 13, 2011 | Leave a comment

Only hire a licensed contractor

This is a great little video put out by the California State License Board on verifying that your contractor has a valid state license.  You should always verify that the contractor you hire is fully licensed and insured for the work that they are going to preform.  Also check to see that they cary Workers Compensation Insurance.  This will protect you the home owner if an employee is injured at your home.

Redlands / Henry Bush Plumbing, Heating, Air Conditioning and Home Energy Solutions is licensed by The State of California to perform work in the following trades under license number 184826;

C-20 - Warm-Air Heating, Ventilating and Air-Conditioning Contractor

A warm-air heating, ventilating and air-conditioning contractor fabricates, installs, maintains, services and repairs warm-air heating systems and water heating heat pumps, complete with warm-air appliances; ventilating systems complete with blowers and plenum chambers; air-conditioning systems complete with air-conditioning unit; and the ducts, registers, flues, humidity and thermostatic controls and air filters in connection with any of these systems. This classification shall include warm-air heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems which utilize solar energy.

C-36 – Plumbing Contractor

A plumbing contractor provides a means for a supply of safe water, ample in volume and of suitable temperature for the purpose intended and the proper disposal of fluid waste from the premises in all structures and fixed works. This classification includes but is not limited to: Complete removal of waste from the premises or the construction and connection of on-site waste disposal systems; Piping, storage tanks and venting for a safe and adequate supply of gases and liquids including vacuum, compressed air and gases for medical, dental, commercial and industrial uses; All gas appliances, flues and gas connections for all systems including suspended space heating units. This does not include forced warm air units; Water and gas piping from the property owner’s side of the utility meter to the structure or fixed works; Installation of any type of equipment to heat water, or fluids, to a temperature suitable for the purposes listed in this section, including the installation of solar equipment for this purpose; and The maintenance and replacement of all items described above and all health and safety devices such as, but not limited to, gas earthquake valves, gas control valves, back flow preventors, water conditioning equipment and regulating valves.

C-42 – Sanitation System Contractor

A sanitation system contractor fabricates and installs cesspools, septic tanks, storm drains, and other sewage disposal and drain structures. This classification includes the laying of cast-iron, steel, concrete, vitreous and nonvitreous pipe and any other hardware associated with these systems.

B – General Building Contractor

A general building contractor is a contractor whose principal contracting business is in connection with any structure built, being built, or to be built, for the support, shelter, and enclosure of persons, animals, chattels, or movable property of any kind, requiring in its construction the use of at least two unrelated building trades or crafts, or to do or superintend the whole or any part thereof.

The above trade definitions are from the California State Contractors License Boards web site.  For more information check it out.

Posted Under: Energy Efficiency, Heating & Air, Henry Bush, Plumbing | , , , , , , , , ,