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November 26, 2008
Double-Duty Toilet Seat
Q: Hi, Ed. My wife and I are building a new home, and with the current economy we are trying to cut costs. In our master bath we were planning on installing a bidet, but now we will just install a toilet. I've heard that in the future we can add a bidet toilet seat, and my question is what do I need to do now to prepare for installing a bidet seat later?
Jim & Sue (Washington)
A: First, a bidet toilet seat is a toilet seat that has the added features of a "personal" warm water spray nozzle. When activated, the nozzle will extend from the back control panel of the seat unit, and gently spray water on the appropriate areas to clean the user.
Speaking of gentle, I'm trying to explain this in the most non-offensive way I can. But, basically it's like a car wash for your backside. Anyway, bidet seats are becoming quite popular for the very reason that you mentioned. No longer is a separate bidet plumbing fixture needed, since the seat gives you a two-for-one deal. In your case it will save on materials and labor for new construction, and for existing bathrooms it makes an easy bidet addition without major remodeling work.
Remember, this seat is a high-end luxury unit, and many come complete with remote controls, lights, heaters and drying fans. So, it will still set you back a few bucks, but it should still be less expensive than installing a standard bidet that needs to be anchored to the floor and piped in separately.
As far as what you need to do now to prepare for a future installation... First, make sure you purchase an "elongated" toilet so it will accept the bidet seat. In most cases a smaller "round front" toilet won't accept the bidet seat. Second, since most bidet seats use electrical power, you need to have your electrician follow local codes to install an approved water-safe GFCI outlet next to the toilet, to supply power to the "plug in" style seat. And that's about it, the seat should be able to use your standard water supply valve.
Last tip, make sure you only use your bidet seat when someone is sitting on it, or else you might end up in a backward situation where the toilet starts squirting at you!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 1:46 PM | TrackBack
November 20, 2008
Flushing Fight: A Duel Over Dual
Q: Hello Ed, I once spotted a spelling error from you: In writing about new toilets you mentioned a "duel" flush toilet. The correct spelling should have been "dual" (as in "two" not meaning "fighting"). Now that I've helped you, please help me. What exactly is a "dual" flush toilet?
Robert (Ohio)
A: Yes, since there is no internal flushing conflict involved with this type of toilet, I'll make sure I call it a dual-flush toilet from now on -- and I'm sorry for the spelling error. However, when I wrote that column, I was fighting-mad about the amount of water being wasted in most of our homes across the country, and some part of my feelings must have slipped through.
I had just been notified by a reliable source that about 51% of American households are still using older toilets that use more than 1.6 gallons per flush. And, about 35% of all water used in an average home, goes right down the toilet. This is a staggering amount of water being wasted for no reason at all.
If you replace an old water-guzzling toilet with a new 1.3 GPF high-efficiency toilet (HET) you can expect to save about six to ten thousand gallons of water per year, per toilet! I know that most people are reluctant to change because they feel a lot more water is going to give them a stronger flush, and when 1.6 GPF toilets first came out in the '90s, that was the case.
However, modern HETs can actually deliver stronger flushes with less water and a dual-flush toilet is just such a toilet. Like the name says, a dual-flush works with two buttons. One button delivers a strong full flush at 1.6 gallons for big jobs, and the second button gives you a strong half flush option for small jobs.
Bottom line: Switching to a new high-efficiency dual-flush toilet will let you keep your full flush and you will save a lot of water.
And I'll duel it out with anyone on that point!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 11:48 AM | TrackBack
November 17, 2008
Get the Gold Out
Q: Ed, my son recently moved into a home with a fiberglass/acrylic bathtub. The color is the old harvest gold (Yuk!) and he would like to change the color. Since budget is a major concern, I was wondering if there was a paint that he can buy and apply himself?
Ben (New Mexico)
A: Resurfacing fiberglass tubs is a lot like repainting a fiberglass boat. The good news is that there are marine gel-coat paint products that may be used for your type of tub. The bad news is that in my opinion, this is a job for professionals only.
I have never personally seen a do-it-yourself paint job on a bathtub that looked good. Just like fine wall plaster work, refinishing plumbing fixtures is an art form in my book. I would not attempt it myself -- and with that in mind, I cannot recommend it for your son.
The best advice I can give is to call in a professional to first see if the tub can be refinished, and then get an estimate for the complete job in writing. This is not an emergency and there is no reason the tub cannot be used while your son saves up for the project.
And who knows? Once you see the price, the color may not look that bad anymore!
Posted by Ed Del Grande at 11:40 AM | TrackBack
November 14, 2008
Building Your Dream Home in Your Own Back Yard
It's no secret to most of us that the real estate market has currently slowed down in many areas of the country. But, you may not realize how many homeowners are now in the process of remodeling or adding on to their present home to get what they want now, instead of buying and selling into an unstable market. Basically, it's like the old saying "Stick with the devil you know." With this in mind, I'd like to share an excerpt from my book Ed Del Grande's House Call with you. This excerpt will help guide homeowners on my five basic points to consider when remodeling or adding on to your present home.
1. Don't get caught with your pants down. You will need to develop a strategy for coping with and living around construction. For example: If you're doing a major remodeling job on the only bathroom in your house, make other living arrangements "in advance" for the period when your bathroom will be shut down.
2. Understand the impact on your neighbors and neighborhood. Know where your contractors and subcontractors can park their vehicles. Also, address the noise and disruption level to your neighbors lifestyle, and work with them. Most job problems that I have seen, come from a trusted neighbor calling the local inspector with a complaint.
3. Know your budget limitations. When you do a project, you need to know the exact amount of cash you have on hand and the limit you can borrow from the bank. That's the job budget -- stick with it, no matter how tempting it might be to exceed it! (Going over budget now and thinking we can find a way to afford it later, is what got us all in this mess!)
4. Require licenses, permits and insurance from your contractor. Whatever the minimum requirements in your area for contractors, you need to see proof of that license, insurance and/or registration from your contractor, and make sure permits are taken out.
5. Be available to make decisions. Don't lose sight of the fact that your contractor is working for you! Do some communication research and have a plan in place so the contractor can contact you quickly about major decisions for the project.
Remember, these are just five basic tips to help you get started, and I hope this "additional information" will help in the planning your new addition!
