Water efficient toilet reduces water and costs for affordable housing property
Problem: Faced with the challenge of wanting to create an environmentally conscious building, ensuring residents could have ADA-compliant products, and looking for ways to optimize operational costs so that funds could be allocated to better serve residents, the developers of The Oaks, an income-restricted, 216-unit affordable housing senior community just south of downtown Dallas, sought a water-efficient toilet solution.
Solution: Niagara provided The Oaks with their Shadow toilets, high-performing, high-efficiency toilets that run with just 0.8 gallons per flush. This line of toilets uses vacuum-assist Stealth Technology that flushes 1,000 grams of miso and earned the toilet a MaP Premium and a WaterSense certification. It also has ADA-compliant options such as different side handle locations, an ADA-compliant height and an elongated bowl that ensure comfort and accessibility for residents.
Result: The Oaks originally specified toilets to use 30% more water and budgeted water/sewer costs of $600 per unit ($156,000 per year). After the Shadow toilets were installed, The Oaks reduced water use by 62% and was able to reduce budgeted costs to $415 per unit ($108,000 per year). This allowed The Oaks to reallocate over $50,000 initially budgeted on water and sewer bills to support residents with an on-site clinic, upgrade their Bark Parks (their on-site, fenced in dog parks) and create a community garden. 833-812-0908; www.pro.niagaracorp.com
Plumber protects pipes and systems using guard system
Problem: Mike Barth is the general manager of Pro Service Plumbing, a residential and commercial plumbing company based serving the greater Cleveland region. He sought a product that would effectively protect a new water supply line before burial.
Solution: Oatey Blue Pipe Guard allows the pipe to expand and contract while preventing damage from corrosive chemicals in the concrete. “Whenever I work on underground projects,” says Barth, “there is a phase when the concrete is poured. I use Oatey’s Pipe Guard to sleeve any kind of waterline. It could be copper or CPVC, but once I use the Pipe Guard, there are no friction or hard-line elements eating at the pipe.” It is a highly durable and effective pipe protection system designed to safeguard pipes and plumbing systems from potential damage during construction or renovation projects. Made of high-impact ABS plastic, it provides a strong barrier between pipes and any potential hazards such as nails, screws or other sharp objects commonly found on job sites.
Result: Barth hadn’t always used Pipe Guard, but once he discovered that the product could protect plastic and copper piping in concrete, he never went back. “In one project, we ran copper underground, thinking that a metal like copper could withstand harsh conditions,” recalls Barth, “However, once the concrete was poured, it hardened to a point where it pierced into the piping material and created a pinhole leak, right where the concrete meets the pipe.” 800-321-9532; www.oatey.com
