How these new plumbing trends could save you money
Plumbing isn’t known as a fickle industry. As many Los Angeles residents have probably noticed, pipes more or less work the same from house to house. Whether you live in an apartment in Hollywood or a mansion in Malibu, water flows from sinks in the same way. However, recent trends have begun to change the way plumbers and consumers alike are thinking about plumbing’s potential, especially in a progressive place like L.A. where we’re always looking for ways to make things run more efficiently.
Over the past 10 – 15 years, advancements in the industry have opened up possibilities that didn’t exist before. Here are a few areas that suggest that plumbing could soon become cheaper and more effective for everyone.
Innovation
Technology has really been a boon for plumbing. With it, innovative minds have figured out ways to maintain your plumbing’s power without sacrificing performance. Tankless water heaters in particular have changed the way we heat H2O in our homes. Using less energy and less water (and consuming less space), they are a promising sign of what the future holds for plumbing. Just make sure you call the best plumber Los Angeles has to offer to remove the old heater and install the new one. Only technicians who are trained around the new models can adequately handle installation.
While the big, clunky tank heaters aren’t becoming obsolete any time soon, people are at least open-minded about tankless, if not fully investing. Likewise, many manufacturers now make washing machines that leave less of a water footprint. They require less detergent and less water, which is great for your wallet.
Efficiency
It might be a while before major commercial areas like The Staples Center become fully efficient, but there’s been a surge among Angelenos who want to be less wasteful with their water usage. While they’re still not necessarily embraced by all, grey water systems offer ways to recycle your home’s water output. A common method is to collect your runoff during a shower and re-use it to water your lawn.
Other systems include manipulating your appliances to maximize their output. For example, to use a laundry drum efficiently, run a hose from the washer out the window to a surge tank. Then attach a hose to the tank and move it over your yard to water the lawn.
Solar power
While converting sunlight into heat still lacks the efficiency that its critics require, many Los Angeles residents rely on it to heat their home’s water. You’ve probably seen solar panels on the sides of homes and buildings. Their process is pretty simple. In a passive system, the panels draw heat from the sun and in some cases, use a system of tubes to deliver the water to your home. Other systems get a little more complicated, but the idea is the same. Whether you live in Santa Monica or near Disney Hall, solar might be a good way to save money in the long run.