- Nov
- 15
Posted on November 15, 2009 by Nora DePalma
American Standard created the first truly siphonic dual flush toilet with its exclusive H2Option that saves water while achieving high performance.
American Standard recently introduced H2Option, the first truly jetted siphonic dual flush toilet. Using as little as 1.0 gallon of water on the low setting, H2Option scours the sides of the bowl to remove every last trace of paper and waste. Plus, the H2Option toilet is WaterSense®-certified for its water-efficiency results.
H2Option uses jetted siphonic action, which adds push to the water from under the rim of the bowl. When the user flushes H2Option, some of the water is instantly diverted to the rim where there are a series of chambers. The air in the chambers pushes the ongoing coming water forcefully out into the bowl. Combined with the force of the rest of the water entering the bowl, the siphon pull action is strong. The bowls of H2Option are a normal slope with a generous water spot.
According to American Standard’s Water Savings Calculator, replacing a 1.6 gallon per flush toilet with H2Option saves 1,400 gallons of water per year, enough to fill three hot tubs. There are 15 states that have rebates available for purchasing high efficiency toilets, according to American Standard’s Rebate Locator.
Visit the American Standard Media Page for more information, press release and downloadable images.
- Nov
- 15
Posted on November 15, 2009 by Nora DePalma
All American Standard bath faucets, such as Tropic, are WaterSense®-certified and will be lead-free to meet new 2010 standards.
All American Standard bathroom faucets are now WaterSense®-certified and will be lead-free to meet the upcoming new standards required by California and Vermont.
In addition, all American Standard kitchen and bar faucets sold nationwide will meet these new lead-free requirements. WaterSense does not certify kitchen and bath faucets for water-efficiency.
Meeting the EPA’s strict WaterSense maximum flow rate requirement of 1.5 gallons per minute (gpm), all American Standard residential lavatory faucets incorporate pressure-compensating aerators that provide 32 percent water savings over standard models without sacrificing performance. According to EPA estimates, the average U.S. household can save over 500 gallons of water annually by installing WaterSense faucets.
All American Standard residential lavatory and kitchen faucets will now contain less than one quarter of one percent (0.25%) total lead content by weighted average. To attain this new lead-free standard, American Standard is one of the few brands that remains solid-brass, rather than turning to plastic components.
Visit the American Standard Media Page for more information, press release and downloadable images.
- Jun
- 10
Posted on June 10, 2009 by Nora DePalma
H2Option, a new flushing innovation from American Standard is the first truly siphonic dual flush toilet, with strong push and pull action created by forceful but quiet jetted action under the rim. Using as little as 1.0 gallon of water on the low setting, H2Option scours the sides of the bowl to remove every last trace of paper and waste. Download press release and high-rez images.
- Jun
- 7
Posted on June 7, 2009 by John OReilly
“Do what we say and what we do!” might well be the mantra for the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. When CCAT decided to remodel its live-in demonstration home and educational center for technology and resource conservation, the change was drastic, cutting-edge and yes, green, too
The one-story home, called the Buck House, was likely built in the 1920s and in recent years displaced by the HSU Behavioral and Social Sciences Building. In the spirit of sustainability, the house was lifted from its site and “recycled” by moving it down the road to a new foundation that will also be used as a room for lectures and training.
CCAT, an authority on sustainable building for more than 30 years, knew that the move provided the perfect opportunity to add new, green amenities to the home. Early on, the CCAT committee decided to use radiant in-floor heating and took the essential first step of having PEX (crosslinked polyethylene) tubing installed in the newly poured basement slab. This tubing, manufactured by Uponor Inc., would eventually carry warm water from a yet-to-be-determined heating source to warm the slab and the people and environs above.
Once the tubing was in place, CCAT decided to call in contractor Stephen Bohner and his wife Amy, who co-own Alchemy Construction Incorporated, also of Arcata. Bohner (left, pronounced BAW-ner) is a Certified Green Building Professional, a member of the Radiant Panel Association (RPA), and a recently nominated RPA All-Star. Committed to green building practices, Alchemy Construction received Humboldt County’s Waste Reduction Award for 2007.
Shortly after his initial meeting with CCAT, Bohner visited the manufacturing operations of Heat Transfer Products (HTP) in East Freetown, Massachusetts. There he learned about the company’s Phoenix Solar water heater, which combines domestic hot-water storage (from a solar collector panel) with a 97%-efficient, gas-fired backup – all in one unit. The sealed-combustion, direct-vent Phoenix Solar delivers both high-efficiency space heating and domestic hot water, using state-of-the-art condensing boiler technology and a modulating, load-matching gas burner.
No Cold Showers: To date, the three student-residents, having never run out of hot water, are very happy with the new system. “Although I told the committee that they could expect to see a savings in their energy costs, I didn’t claim they’d never run out of hot water. But I knew they wouldn’t – especially with a 119-gallon tank. There have been no complaints.”
Read the entire case study and see more images.
- Jun
- 1
Posted on June 1, 2009 by John OReilly
Unlike many homeowners who purchase historical homes, professional architect Frank Shirley knew exactly what he was getting into when he bought his 4,000-square-foot Victorian home in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
For starters, it had an inefficient boiler that was over 80 years old and generating more cost than heat. To make matters worse, the boiler was encased in asbestos, which made replacing it even trickier. The entire three-story home – including a finished attic – was set up as a single heating zone.
Taking Steps Towards Green
Shirley wanted to make the first and second floors into separate zones, but his budget at that time wouldn’t allow it. “We plumbed the basement to create the opportunity for additional zones at a later date.”
With an eye on future expansion and renovation, Shirley replaced the old boiler with a far more efficient model that was compact enough to fit in the middle of the basement. Measuring only 26 inches H x 17.5 inches W x 12.75 inches D, the compact Munchkin “is so much smaller than the old unit and therefore easier to locate,” says Shirley. “Instead of venting it up three floors and through the roof, the installer tapped through the side wall of a small, unused room in the front of the basement, where it is nearly invisible.”
Frank Shirley is an expert on older homes. He is the author of New Rooms for Old Houses: Beautiful Additions for the Traditional Home published under the imprimatur of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Frank Shirley Architects received the 2008 Best of Boston® Home Award for historic renovations, and Shirley himself won the 2007 Traditional Building Design Challenge competition among architects nationwide.
Read more of the story and see more images.
- May
- 30
Posted on May 30, 2009 by John OReilly
What is PEX Tubing? | PEX Approval In California
Crosslinked polyethylene tubing, or PEX, is flexible plastic tubing that has powerful, inherent advantages over metal and rigid-plastic piping for home and commercial plumbing systems. Read FAQs about PEX plumbing here.
Learn about PEX tubing approval in California.
