The Best Options for Drinking Water.

Drinking Water

Have you ever wondered if your water softener is working properly, and just don’t want to call a plumber out to check and see if its working, or if your RO filters need to be changed because of how hard your water is. Are you thinking about getting a whole house filter and want to know if the investment is worth it. This one’s for you then water wonderers.

I found an inexpensive tester on amazon that will test the parts per million. This test tells you simply put how much dissolved crap is in your water. Now the only true zero result that you will ever get is from a Reverse osmosis system without a carbon filter. Do you really want a true zero in your drinking water? There is a lot of research on what is acceptable and not. Some say zero PPM is bad for you because it cleans out all minerals in your system and you need them. While others say it’s just fine. If you want to know more do some research on Reverse osmosis systems there is a lot out there. Back to the test, this test is simple I believe it cost me around $15. You fill a glass up with water and place the tester in it. It will give you a number. Yes I know the number means nothing to you, I felt like this for a while. It’s simple though. Soft water will give you a test result around 200. That’s not saying there is salt in your water. That’s just saying there is minerals that are still in your water. Reverse osmosis water with a carbon filter will give you a test of around 50. That’s the carbon re-filter doing its job. It will give water a taste to it. Most non treated water will come anywhere from 300-500 PPM, anything higher than a 500 should be tested again. If you’re still getting more than 500 clean the tester off and try one more time. Above 500 is where the FWA says is unsafe to drink.

This test is okay to see where your water ranks but I am still not sold on how accurate it truly is for testing your softener, however it is great to tell you how clean your water. We use a different test that tells us if its soft or not, but its more expensive and you should have a plumber come out and check to see if your softener is working properly if you are concerned about it. The tester is a HM Digital TDS-EZ Water Quality TDS Tester, 0-9990 ppm Measurement Range , 1 ppm Resolution, +/- 3% Readout Accuracy. If you use it for nothing else then to tell if your filters are working then it was worth the 15 dollars.

 
 

Cordless Power Tool Review

Cordless Tool Review

This is a very touchy subject, I understand this. So before we begin let me say, this is my opinion and only my opinion.

Let’s get into it then. At H&S Plumbing, we use all DeWalt. This is because they are cheap and do the job they are made to do. As a plumber, we are probably in some of the worst places to put tools. That is why we get DeWalt.

There is a bunch of brands to choose from. Here is a list of the top brands that I see on the job. DeWalt, Hilti, Milwaukee, Ridged, Ryobi, Black and Deckard. That’s some of the brands, in no particular order. I’ll hit on the ones that I have personally used.

Hilti

This brand to me is one of the lower end ones. They seem to break easier and are a little more difficult to use. For a home owner this is probably an alright choice but you will have to get used to using them. They are awkward, some tools are bulky, and just don’t seem to fit in my hands.

Milwaukee

Milwaukee makes some of the best tools. I enjoy working with them, the cordless seam more compact, fit my hands well and have the power you are looking for. The price tag on Milwaukee tools though are one of the highest. All I can say is you get what you pay for. The cordless tools are just as good as the corded. The batteries last longer than most, as in the life of them not the charge. The charge is still very good but I have never tested to see which one holds a charge better.

Ridged

Ridged is starting to catch up in quality. The Brush-less has made these amazing. They are affordable but on the high end. I believe that they are the only ones that have a lifetime warranty on the batteries. Which is great for jobs around the house. Because you will leave your batteries fully charged in your garage until you need them again. This kills batteries, but with the warranty just send it back and get a new one. I have never had to send my batteries back for warranty, so if you have please leave me some information on it. The process, how it was dealing with the warranty department. Anything will help. I think ridged caters to the plumbers of the world, they have an extensive line of plumbing tools. They make our vices, drain augers, drain cameras, and a whole slew of hand tools. If it says ridged, I, as a plumber trust that it will be built for the elements that I put them into. They do rust, but always work when you need them. The oldest hand tools I own are ridged.

Ryobi

This one I haven’t had much contact with I just know they are out there. I see some electricians with them. I believe that it’s because of how inexpensive they are. If you own a Ryobi and would like to comment I would love to hear from you. What is your opinion of them? Is some tools better than others?

Black & Deckard

These tools are cheap in all aspects. They are built more for homeowners that do not have much of a use for them once they have their project completed. I really don’t like using them.

I have been holding this one back for a little while, because it’s such a touchy subject. Just remember this is my opinion, I am not being paid by any of these brands to write this. Let me know your thoughts on your favorite brand of tools, and the reasoning behind it. Why did you invest $300+ on the brand of tool that is in your toolbox, garage, or where ever you keep it.

 
 

Tool Review

This weekend, I had the pleasure of working with Citywide Mortgage remodeling a home. As Dylan Broadbent, Nick Shaw, and I were constructing this home, I had the idea to start blogging about tool reviews. I’m not just talking about drills brands and the main tools. I’m talking about sawzall blades, drill bits, hole saws, the nitty gritty of construction. For those that buy the 15 pack of sawzall blades, quality matters. It’s going to take a while to use test and review them so if you have any thing that you would like me to review, please put it up ask the question.

As a plumber we get to use a lot of tools, and we are in the worst conditions for tools. We are digging trenches our tools get put in the mud. As we are installing or repairing water lines, our tools get introduced to water. When we are constructing a Drain waste and vent system, our tools have been known to get covered in glue, primer, dirt, and the other stuff that’s dirty. Simply to say our tools are our lively hood, they get put to the test every day.

First things first, let’s start with sawsall blades. Each brand, type, tooth count, has a purpose. Use it for that purpose, don’t try to use a wood blade on plastic pipe, it chips too much and is a lot harder to control on the pipe. I like to use the fine tooth metal blades, as the teeth are less aggressive which will allow more control over the blade. Making starter cuts.

Now brands of blades there are a lot out there. We have DeWalt, Milwaukee, Lenox, I think hilt makes some now, and off brand blades. For what we do we need something that will make hundreds of cuts simply to cut down on cost of purchasing new ones. So thicker is better in most cases, so my opinion Milwaukee torch is the blade I prefer to use. Eighty percent of the time that’s what’s in my sawzall. When we are setting drains in a Grocery store, we need a little flex in the blade, thick blades don’t flex. I like to use Lenox blades for this, simply because they are thinner then dewalt, and Milwaukee. They are designed to flex great for cutting a pipe off in the ground to set drains, but not great to try to cut four inch PVC with, when your trying to get a nice strata cut.

In my world we don’t go through a lot of wood blades simply because of fire codes. Most studs are metal in commercial buildings. There are occasions we do use them, for the most part my opinion is still the thicker the better. Milwaukee once again takes this one, but DeWalt also makes a comparable blade that is just as thick as dewalt, but Milwaukee blades seam to last longer.

Now pricing, Milwaukee blades are more expensive then DeWalt, and DeWalt blades are more expensive than Lenox. So if your just looking to do some stuff around the yard/home, Buy Lenox save some money, by the time you need another blade for another project your Lenox blades will be bent and broken, but they served there purpose and you saved some money to put towards material for the project. If your framing in a basement get a couple Milwaukee blades, it will save you money in the long run. DeWalt blades are great when you’re swapping blades out for different types of material. They will last long enough for you to cut the nail out and switch to wood blades.

As you can see each one has there purpose, know what job you’re going to be doing and buy accordingly. You won’t be disappointed.