Green Living
We understand the importance of conserving our natural resources. We strive to bring you the newest, most efficient products to help recycle, reduce and reuse.
Please check our other links to the side for more facts about water usage in your area.
Green Products
From water saving shower heads and faucets to high efficiency toilets, we have the products to help save the environment and save money at the same time. Let us help you choose the products and finishes that are right for your home.
Tankless Water Heaters
~ Tankless heaters can save up to 50% on energy costs.
~ Plumbing Concepts has a variety of tankless water heaters available for installation. Let us help you chose the right tankless for your home.
Showerheads
~ The showerheads can be as low as 1.6 gpm (gallons per minute) which can save up to 36% on your water use.
~ We offer a wide variety of stylish showerheads for your home.
Toilets
~ High efficiency toilets can save up to 20% on your water usage.
~ Standard flush and dual flush toilets are available and can be as low as 0.8 gallons per flush.100% Lead Free Kitchen
Faucets
~ New faucets can save up to 31% on your water usage.
~ Faucets are available in a variety of colors and styles, and use as little as 1.5 gallons per minute.
Water Treatment
~ Products are available that can save up to 50% over standard water treatment products
100% Lead Free Kitchen Faucets
~ New models are available that are 100% lead free
Green Facts
Here are some interesting facts about how our actions impact our environment and what we as consumers can do to help.
Water Usage
Showers
FACT: A family of four, each showering 5 minutes a day, will use anywhere from 350-700 gallons of water PER WEEK.
PROBLEM: Standard showerheads installed before 1992 were typically 5 to 5.5 gpm, those after 1992 generally 2.5 gpm
SOLUTION: A high performance showerhead uses approximately 1.6 gpm which is 40-70% less water than a standard showerhead.
Toilets
PROBLEM: Older toilets use 3.7 to 7 gallons per flush.
SOLUTION: A high performance toilet uses 1.28 gallons per flush (gpf), which represents a savings of 20% over 1.6 gpf models, and 65-81% over 3.7 – 7 gpf models.
Faucets
FACT: A dripping faucet wastes 15-21 gallons of water PER DAY.
PROBLEM: Standard bathroom faucets operate at 2.2 gallons per minute, with older faucets having even higher flow rates.
SOLUTION: A high performance faucet uses 1.5 gpm, which represents a savings of 31% over standard 2.2 gpm models.
Water Quality
FACT: Although our planet is 71% water, humans depend on a mere 0.65% of the water for survival—much of which is polluted.
PROBLEM: An estimated 7 million Americans are made sick annually by contaminated tap water, in some rare cases resulting in death.
SOLUTION: Filtering systems in the home provide the highest technology available for treatment of drinking water. Less than 2% of all water consumed is ingested by humans, making the ‘point-of-use’ systems the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Lead
FACT: Lead poisoning can cause brain damage, learning disabilities, and physical and mental developmental disabilities.
PROBLEM: The lead content in some kitchen and bathroom faucets can be as high as 8%.
SOLUTION: California Statue AB1953 mandates that after January 2010, all drinking water faucets must contain less than 0.25% lead. There are some 100% lead free products are available.
Water Heating
FACT: It is estimated that 7.3 million traditional tank based water heaters are disposed into landfills each year in the US.
PROBLEM: The average tank water heater has a life span of 8-10 years.
SOLUTION: A tankless water heater can last 2-3 times as long and many models are made entirely of parts that can be replaced if they are damaged.
Energy Use
FACT: Currently the US is the worlds largest energy consumer, and for that reason is the largest source of global warming pollution.
PROBLEM: 25% of the CO2 pollution produced by the US comes from fossil fuel burning.
SOLUTION: Switching to a tankless water heater can help reduce energy consumption by 20 to 30% over a regular water heater because it eliminated stand by heating. Efficiencies on tankless heaters range from 83-93%.
Did you know?
FACT: If every tanked water heater was replaced by a high efficiency tankless water heater, North American society alone could annually save
o 290 million gallons of fuel oil
o 164 million gallons of propane
o 6 billion hours of kilowatt electricity
Tankless Water Heaters
Plumbing Concepts is proud to offer a variety of tankless water heater options for your home. Tankless water heaters are a great way to provide endless hot water to your home, while cutting your energy bill.
Please call today for a free estimate on installing a tankless water heater at your home.
Why Go Tankless?
TOP 6 REASONS FOR GOING TANKLESS
1) Endless Hot Water: Soothing Hot Water For Everyone
When is the last time you relaxed and soaked yourself in a hot steamy bath? More than ever with today’s busy lifestyle, your body deserves a nice stress relieving moment in your hot tub. Unfortunately, a tanked water heater can only supply enough hot water to fill a bath tub and it might not have enough hot water left for a quick shower.
With a tankless heater you will get endless hot water. Tankless heaters heat the water on demand—and that means you never have to worry about running out of hot water. Imagine the luxury of always having enough hot water for everyone to enjoy and relax—hot baths, showers and still have an endless supply for the rest of the household needs.
2) Higher Volume: Hot Water For Any Size Home
Endless supply with more volume—not only can a tankless water heater provide an endless supply of hot water, it can also deliver more of it for all your hot water demands. Tankless water heaters can be linked together providing up to 317 gallons of water per minute. This is enough water for 126 showers at once.
3) Clean Water: No Dirty Tanks
As the years pass by, traditional tank water heaters start to rust and build up scale inside the tank, which is where your hot water is being stored. With a tankless water heater, water is heated as it passes through the unit so you will always be using a fresh supply of water.
4) Space Savings: Flexible Installation Options
Compared to traditional tank water heaters, one of the most obvious differences is the small size. Compact in design, these tankless heaters can be installed virtually anywhere. They can be mounted on a wall—inside or outside. Depending on your needs, you can relocate the water heater to be closer to the fixtures you use more often—speeding up the delivery of the hot water.
5) Energy Savings: Lower Water Heating Bills
With a tankless water heater you are only heating the water as you need and use it. This saves energy and saves money. These on demand type systems require no pilot light and can save about half the cost of your current water heating bill since there is no reheating of water like there is with traditional tank heaters. Tankless water heaters efficiency can be anywhere from 83-94%!
6) Lasts Longer: Durability
Tankless water heaters are extremely durable, lasting longer than traditional tank type water heaters, and requiring little maintenance over its lifetime. They are also extremely well designed. If for some reason it needs to be serviced, any single part of the heater can be replaced and fixed. The same cannot be said for traditional tank heaters.
Tankless FAQs
Find answers to commonly asked questions about tankless water heaters.
What type of tankless heaters do you sell/install?
Plumbing Concepts has a variety of tankless water heaters available for installation from different manufacturers. All models are either natural gas or propane.
How do tankless water heaters work?
Tankless water heaters work on demand – they only heat water when necessary. When a hot water fixture is opened or hot water is required by an appliance, the heater will sense the demand and heat water accordingly. Tankless water heaters continuously heat the water through a heat exchanger. Instead of wasting energy and money re-heating and storing water when it is not needed, tankless water heaters provide only as much hot water as needed.
How much money can be saved using a tankless heater?
The California Energy Commission estimates that a water heater uses approximately 25% of all energy consumed by any household. Using a tankless water heater will allow a home to use less energy for water heating and cut water heating costs up to half. The key thing to remember is tankless water heaters only use gas for the hot water you use – that’s the beauty of the technology.
Which tankless heater is right for my home?
The best way to size a tankless water heater for any application is to estimate the peak flow capacity that will need to be supplied by the water heater at any time. For residential use, this will most likely be the maximum number of showers that may be used simultaneously, multiplied by the flow rate of the showerheads. This calculation should only be done by a qualified plumber or contractor. Once this maximum flow rate is calculated an appropriate tankless water heater can be selected. Plumbing Concepts is happy to provide FREE In Home Estimates to our customers.
How long does a tankless heater last?
Tankless water heaters can last significantly longer than a traditional tank heater. They are extremely reliable as the units are manufactured with the highest quality parts and put through very rigorous testing and quality control. Also, unlike a tank water heater, all parts are replaceable.
Will I get instant hot water with a tankless heater?
No. This is a common misconception of tankless water heaters. A tankless water heater DOES heat water on-demand instantly, but just like a tank water heater, it will take the same amount of time for the hot water to travel through the plumbing inside your home. If you would like to get instant hot water, there are recirculation pump systems available to hook-up to your water heater. Please ask your installer to see what options you may have in getting instant hot water in your home.
Note: If a recirculation pump is used, we recommend an on-demand system, such as ACT/Metlund® Hot Water D’MAND® and the Taco D’MAND versus a aquastat/timer in order to keep the full warranty coverage.
Do I need to upgrade my gas line?
Maybe. Tankless water heaters do need a larger gas line since its required BTUs are higher than tank water heaters. The reason why the BTUs are higher is because it needs the energy to heat the water to your set temperature in mere seconds. The actual gas line upgrade size will be depend on which tankless model you choose and the distance from the gas meter. However, the minimum gas line size is 3/4″.
Why does my tankless heater also need electric power?
The tankless heaters only come in gas models (natural gas or propane) to heat the water, but electricity is required for the digital remote and to power the PC board, which is the brain of the heater. Also since there is no stand-by pilot light, it uses an electric direct ignition. Electricity consumption is very minimal. The heaters electric power requirement is 120V AC, which is the standard power outlet in US homes.
Can my existing venting be used with a new tankless heater?
No. By code, tankless water heaters must use Category III stainless steel venting. Category III venting is corrosion resistant and gas tight. The venting must be corrosion resistant because a slightly acidic condensate is formed during combustion. This condensation can eat away at your current vent pipe’s galvanized metal and cause major damage to your tankless water heater’s internal components. More importantly, the venting must be gas tight to avoid carbon dioxide leakage. Tankless heaters use a powered exhaust fan to push gas out, as opposed to tank water heaters which use natural draft.
Note: Schedule 40 PVC or CPVC can be used for venting on our condensing technology tankless heaters only.
Do you have electric only models?
No. Unfortunately we do not offer any electric tankless heater models for homeowners that only have electricity. We only offer natural gas and propane models. Our tankless water heaters are designed for the whole-house, meaning our units can provide enough hot water for an entire home. There are electric tankless water heaters available on the market, but typically a single unit’s output is usually not enough for an entire home. Other disadvantages include the large amount of energy consumption that is required to heat the water and it usually takes longer to reach the hot water temperature level at start-up. In areas where there is no gas available, some gas companies do offer gas lines to be installed to your home. We have heard of gas companies in certain areas to offer free gas line installation to homeowners in their service regions.
Do I need to install a water softener with my tankless heater?
No. It is not required to install a water softener, but if you do live in an area that has very hard water it will eventually harm the performance of your tankless water heater. Some things you can do is to add a water treatment system such as a ScaleShield which prevents scale from forming inside the heater’s copper piping, a whole-house water softener system, or do a routine flush maintenance (frequency depends on your water hardness level).
It is recommended to have your installer test your water hardness or contact your city’s water department for the water test report. Water hardness levels in excess of 12 grains per gallon entering the heater will significantly affect its performance and void your warranty.
