hellobeautifulcreatures

Over the past several weeks, I’ve written about water conservation as a strategy for saving energy and examined a number of water heating options . This week, we’ll look at the issue of water waste while waiting for hot water and what to do about it. Here’s the problem: Most of us waste a lot of water waiting for hot water to reach a sink or shower. In a large house, it’s not unusual for 50 feet of piping—or more—to extend from the water heater to the most distant fixtures. And with 50 feet of pipe, it can take a long time for hot water to reach the tap; while waiting all the water goes down the drain. How long you have to wait for hot water depends on three factors: the distance from the water heater, the diameter of the piping, and the flow rate. The effect of distance is pretty obvious: the further hot water has to flow, the longer it will take to get there. With a new house, you can keep plumbing runs short by locating bathrooms and the kitchen near each other. The effects of pip...

A Combat Action Badge is displayed on a multicam uniform minutes after the soldier received it. U.S. Army photo The following is a list of most Army enlisted and officer jobs, with short descriptions.  ENLISTED CAREERS (scroll down for Officer Careers ) ADMINISTRATIVE  Administrative Specialists record, store, organize and maintain files . They type letters, reports and official orders, and schedule training and leave for unit personnel .  Finance Specialists compute payroll and prepare payments for Army personnel . They also record details of financial transactions and plans budgets for future expenses.  Aviation Operations Specialists prepare and provide flight information for air and ground crews. They keep flight logs and plan flight schedules and aircrew assignments.  Legal Specialists assist judges , lawyers and unit commanders with legal matters and judicial work. They also process legal claims and appeals, and research court decisions and Army regulations .  Cha...

The key to successfully redesigning the bathroom lies primarily in the planning stages and in the correct assessment of your particular problems. Redesigning a bathroom is not something that should be undertaken lightly, not because it is likely to lead to considerable expense, but also because once the work has been done there is little you can easily do should you be unhappy with the results. There are four main categories with regards to bathroom problems: congestion, layout and fittings. All too often, a single room combines all four, but if you consider each of these problem areas carefully , you may find that solving one may make the others far easier to deal with. Congestion Too many people wanting to use the bathroom at the same time can be a major source of family friction. The best solution here is to see whether it is possible to provide extra facilities elsewhere in the house so that the whole family does not have to rely on access to a single bathroom. A small guest toi...

Whether you are renovating or building from scratch, choosing the best designed taps and mixers can be tricky business. DECO found out all you need to know from FLUSH bathrooms. Image: Alape basin and CL 1 taps in the Deque range. For the renovator The most common problem when renovating is getting single lever mixers (which are 90% of taps available today) because you need balanced pressure and high pressure.  You can ask a plumber to investigate this, or simply check your geyser. If it lower than a 400 kpa geyser it is not ideal. Most brands can work on a low pressure geyser , but the performance in your newly renovated shower will be disappointing. Do not buy any taps or mixers, if you have unbalanced pressure or a low pressure geyser , your shiny new mixers will not work properly. Single lever mixers need balanced pressure to work. This means that the hot and the cold water arrive to the mixer at the same pressure, between 340 and 400 kpa. Image: Tara range of bath and spa fitt...

Unlike your bathtub, typically used for only the occasional soak, your shower gets a workout every day. So, both designers and consumers are looking to intensify the daily shower experience with innovations such as steam showers, chromatherapy and multiple showerheads that can massage you like a soft summer rain or a Swedish masseuse on steroids. Here's an array of innovations that will make you never want to leave your shower. How you enter it is the first thing to consider. A frameless glass door is one new option, where the glass seems to float without support. Tempered safety glass in either 3/8- or 1/2-inch thickness gives an airy, open feeling to the space — great for a small shower. For a larger space, you can dispense with a door entirely. Put a curved tile wall or an L- shaped glass tile space that won't fence you in but will contain the water. Clarke's Iridess shower has a curved acrylic wall in four glowing colors, pearl, sea spray, azure and orchid, wit...