Thursday, January 31, 2013

Prolong The Life Of Enameled Cast Iron Sinks

Today, kitchen sink bowls come in a variety of different materials. Although enameled cast iron remains an attractive and durable product, many people today are choosing bowls made of stainless steel and other solid surface materials for their added durability, stain resistance, and as aesthetic appeal.

Bowls are available in: Swanstone, Surrell, Corian, Moenstone, and much more. The most important thing to remember is to follow the manufacturer's instructions pertaining to the material of which your bowl is constructed. With some of the solid surface materials, scratches can be removed when lightly sanded because the color goes throughout the thickness of the material.

Do not allow fruit or vegetable juices or cleaning acids to sit on any surface. An acid-resisting sink will safely resist lemon, orange, and other citrus fruit juices, tomato juice, mayonnaise, and other vinegar preparations if these are not permitted to remain more than a few hours. A regular enamel finish is not impervious to acids.

Teas and coffee grounds will also stain enameled surfaces, if allowed to remain very long. Photographic solutions are even more harmful to enamel, and the amateur photographer should not be allowed to use the sink, because a fixture once damaged in this way can never be corrected.

In order to prolong the life of enameled cast iron sinks, clean the bowl immediately after each use. Use a nonabrasive cleaner. Constant use of abrasive cleaners can eventually wear the finish down, making it much more porous and susceptible to stains. This can also happen with enameled, cast iron tubs over a long period, leaving behind unsightly discoloration and haze. When cleaning the sink, use hot water and soap. Water and soap are not as hard on the enameled finish as strong cleaning solutions like washing soda or a gritty abrasive. If a cleaner is used, it should be one that specifically states that it is nonabrasive.

Contact Naperville area AquaTech Plumbing at www.aquatechplumbing.com/contact for all of your plumbing needs.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

10 Reasons To Go Tankless Today!

  1. You will receive an endless flow of hot water!
  2. Lower energy costs! - From 20% to 50% savings annually.
  3. You will receive a $300 federal tax credit plus SCG operating incentives.
  4. Tankless water heaters last for 20-30 years whereas a traditional water heater’s usual life span is 8-12.
  5. Tankless heaters don't lose efficiency over the unit's lifespan.
  6. Tankless water heaters save space.
  7. Tankless heaters have a built in scalding protection feature. 
  8. Tankless water heaters have a new automatic fill feature.
  9. Tankless heaters fill spas, whirlpools, tubs and Jacuzzis much quicker.
  10. Tankless water heaters protect your health and the environment.
Additional benefits
In order to make the hot water supply last, a traditional standard tank water heater heats the water up to 140 degrees, then you must use cold water to cool it down. With a tankless water heater, you set a temperature, let's say 120 degrees, and you have the perfect temperature without wasting energy. Furthermore, since a tankless water heater has no refresh rate (it's instantaneous), there is no need to overheat the water as with a conventional tank.

Carbon Footprint
Every year more than 7 million used tank water heaters are taken to landfills in the United States. A tankless water heater is, for the most part, recyclable, so they don't end up in your local landfill. It is estimated that if people replaced their tank units with tankless there would be a savings of millions of gallons of oil a year, millions of gallons of propane, and billions of kilowatt hours. This is yet another reason to go tankless!

Concat Naperville area AquaTech Plumbing today for a new tankless water heater.