Author Archive
Are Water Saving Toilets Stopping Up Sewers?
Posted by: | CommentsWhen the Professor talks water-saving toilets, the focus tends to be on whether or not it has the flushing power to effectively clean the bowl and avoid household clogs. But every now and then there is a reminder that all that waste has to GO somewhere. A toilet flush not only needs to clear the bowl, but also keep waste moving through the sewer system.
Older 3.5 gallon per flush (gpf) toilets used plenty of (you might even say too much) water to move waste through drainlines down to the sewer system, but as 1.6 and even 1.28 gpf toilets become the norm, some reports emerged questioning whether the reduced amount of water was enough to power waste effectively through the pipes underground.
Studies to date have found that the reduced water flow is not to blame. A drainline carry study performed in Australia at locations deemed to be of “above average” difficulty in terms of drainline length and slope (or lack there of) found that water saving toilets caused no blockages. Other studies have demonstrated that poor drainline installation is the main cause of sewer back-ups, including rough joints, debris from construction being left in the pipe, and even lengths of pipe that slope the wrong way.
A new study by the Plumbing Efficiency Research Coalition is scheduled to begin early this year, thanks in part to a generous donation of test apparatus by American Standard Brands. With water shortages critical in many parts of the world, and drought forecast for the entire southern tier of the US in 2012, any study that helps build end-user confidence in high-efficiency plumbing will enable this significant water savings to continue, rather than literally sending technical advances in flushing performance “down the drain.”
Bathroom Safety Month: Bathtubs and Beyond
Posted by: | CommentsJanuary is Bathroom Safety Month! This may not seem like the most exciting or important observance, especially compared to widely celebrated holidays like World Toilet Day. However, the Professor recently read some very sobering statistics that should make anyone reevaluate the importance of investing in home furnishings and fixtures designed to help keep seniors safe and steady, especially in the bathroom. A few examples:
- 70% of home accidents occur in the bathroom
- Every 2.3 seconds, an adult aged 65 or older suffers a fall
- 40% of those hospitalized from hip fractures do not return home
Whether you are making arrangements to have an aging parent move into your home or simply wish to plan ahead to grow older independently in your own home, incorporating universal design features into your home can be a wise idea. Fortunately, there are many ways to help prevent slips and falls, even while maintaining a stylish and luxurious bathroom.
One task that can be especially dangerous for older adults – and anyone with limited mobility, such as after an injury – is getting in and out of the bathtub. According to a recent report submitted by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, an average of 370 Americans suffer bathtub or shower-related injuries every day.
An increasingly popular solution to this issue is to upgrade to a walk-in bath. Modern walk-in tubs are attractive and available with luxury options like air bath and whirlpool features. The Professor is also impressed by the special Quick Drain option available on American Standard’s line of walk-in baths that drains water from the tub in less than 2 minutes, so there’s no need for a long, cold wait before exiting the tub.
Ready to start making your bathroom a safer, more comfortable place to be? The Professor is pleased to offer the chance to win a single-control JADO Hatteras faucet to help you do just that. The stylish faucet meets the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines and is also WaterSense-certified. For your chance to win, just answer the following questions in the comments. The Professor will choose his favorite response on 2/3/12 as the winner.
1. What are some creative ways you gear up your bathroom to be a safe place for children and the elderly to use?
2. What creative remedies have you found to protect against falls on a slippery tub or floor?
3. What are some changes you have made to your home that will allow you to “age in place”?
4. Thinking of safety with the other end of the age spectrum, what are the best ways to baby-proof a bathroom? What are your favorite kid-friendly safety devices?
Saving Water: A Practically Green Webinar
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Practically Green‘s recent webinar that featured expert panelists from American Standard, the EPA’s WaterSense program, and a variety of other organizations was a treat to join.
Michele Hudec, vice president of product and business development at American Standard, was selected as a panelist because of the company’s water conservation activism, as well as its investment in developing such an impressive selection of stylish, high-performing, water-saving products. American Standard offers the most WaterSense-certified toilets that also achieved the highest MaP score for bulk removal than of any of its competitors. All of American Standard’s bathroom faucets are WaterSense approved, and the FloWise collection of low-flow shower heads are recommended by Consumer Reportsfor their performance and energizing spray. The company also offers a full line of water efficient commercial products including toilets, faucets, and urinals that require a pint of water or less.
Stephanie Thornton from the Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program was also a great guest, as she was able to explain the many benefits of the program. The WaterSense label makes it easy to find water-efficient products and also provides a neutral, third-party verification of a product’s claims about water use and performance. The Professor was impressed to learn that approximately 4,000 products currently carry the WaterSense label. The WaterSense website also offers a “We’re for Water” Pledge, a calculator to help you determine how much water you can save by switching to WaterSense-approved products, and a fun quiz to test your knowledge about water conservation.
For more information about the webinar, watch Practically Green‘s website for a review!
World Toilet Day: Better Toilets and Better Toilet Flushes
Posted by: | CommentsYesterday the Professor was thrilled to tune in to NPR’s Science Friday to hear toilet experts discuss a favorite issue: building a better toilet. Participants included Jim McHale, vice president of engineering at American Standard; author Rose George; Frank Rijsberman of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation; and Daniel Yeh, engineering professor and toilet inventor.
The topic of the day was World Toilet Day, an event designed to raise awareness about the 2.6 billion people on earth – that’s 1/3 of the world population – who do not have access to proper sanitation. Lack of access to toilets lead to diarrhea, disease, and death, and represents a serious problem in the developing world.
This is why engineers are working on “reinventing the toilet” to create a commode that does not require access to a sewer system or clean drinking water for flushing. The Gates Foundation has also created a special program offering grants to engineers to create new toilet prototypes. Dr. Yeh is currently working on a model that uses anaerobic bacteria to digest waste, for example.
The Professor also appreciated the discussion
on the challenges faced by toilet designers in the U.S. McHale explained that the main concern at American Standard was to conserve water without sacrificing performance, and discussed the company’s participation in the EPA’s WaterSense program, which promotes water efficient products and encourages water-saving behaviors. The Professor particularly enjoyed McHale’s description of the H2Option siphonic dual flush toilet, an “engineering miracle” that uses smart science on the inside and an EverClean glaze on the outside to ensure that a wasteful “double flush” is never necessary to clean the bowl.
If you missed the original broadcast, you can listen in on the Science Friday podcast page.
Want to do more to support the fight for better sanitation around the world? Donate to the World Toilet Organization now!
World Toilet Day Broadcast on NPR
Posted by: | CommentsNovember 19th is World Toilet Day, which is naturally 
one of the Professor’s favorite holidays. Today NPR is helping to raise awareness about the lack of access to sanitation around the world by devoting a portion of this week’s Science Friday show to World Toilet Day. Guests will include Jim McHale, vice president of engineering at American Standard as well as several experts on global sanitation issues and civil engineering.
Catch the entire Science Friday episode from 2-4 pm. The World Toilet Day feature will start at 3 o’clock.
Follow the link above to find out what stations in your area will be broadcasting the show, or to listen online. In the meantime, check out the great toilet videos that are already posted on the website. And check back soon for the Professor’s recap on the show.
Reducing Stress: Hot Showers and Home Improvement
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Last week the Professor shared some thoughts on the many different kinds of stress that parents feel (and on the amazing ability of a hot shower with American Standard‘s Monoglide hand held shower head to melt those stresses away), but kids aren’t the only causes of stress – sometimes it’s your parents! A great post over at Autumn Blues Reviews explores the many ups and downs of having an aging parent move in with your family.
Even fun and fulfilling things in your life can be causes of stress. Traveling is fun, but, as the Family Focus Blogger points out, it can also be tough on your back and shoulders. Working your way through school is something to be proud of but is hardly an easy or relaxing thing to do, as both Amanda of Nutritionist Reviews and Holly of Home Style Tips could tell you. And while it goes without saying that top bloggers enjoy maintaining their websites and attending events related to their field of interest, a recent story from Xenia of Thanks, Mail Carrier illustrates that even these enjoyable things aren’t stress-free.
And then there’s the stress that the Professor knows a lot about: the stress of fixing things around the house and taking care of your home. Katie of MommyKatie.com noted that the stress can get even worse after she struggles to fix something only to have her husband step in and make it look easy. The Professor believes in tackling small projects first – installing a hand held shower head like the Monoglide is an extra easy task that just about anyone can do, for example!
The Professor also sends his warmest wishes to Rose of Networking Witches and to Bridget of It’s My Life who are both working through very tough years! Here’s hoping 2012 will be full of hot showers and roses for you both. And to Rachel of Second Time Around, the Professor hopes your little dog is OK! Sounds like you both could use some relaxing – and cleansing! – time in the shower.
How to De-Stress: Hot Shower Edition
Posted by: | CommentsWell into the school year and cruising towards the hectic holiday season, the Professor has noticed that stress levels are on the rise for kids and parents alike. At least that seems to be the case for many of the Professor’s favorite bloggers. Melissa of Fun Saving Moneyrecently shared a photo of her two “little balls of energy” and notes that while her life wouldn’t be complete without them, finding time for peace and quiet is also important.
A trip to the spa might be every mom’s ideal way to relax, but
for a family on a budget, a spa getaway must be a rare treat at best. A great affordable, easily accessible solution is a multi-function showerhead like the Monoglide hand held shower head from American Standard. The Monoglide offers four soothing spray patterns that you can easily change with a flick of the thumb on a non-slip sliding button. And as the hip mom at Retail Therapy Lounge notes, the Monoglide’s water-saving 1.5 gallon per minute flow rate means that you can indulge in an extra long shower without worrying about wasting water.
Another de-stressing benefit to a hand held shower head like the Monoglide is that difficult tasks like bathing the kids can become easier and less stressful. Laurie of EmilyReviews.com, for instance, told the Professor that she was interested in a hand shower because bath time was miserable with her daughters who, like most kids, hated getting water in their faces. Both of her girls have long hair, so Laurie needed something that could better rinse their hair and also help teach them how to properly wash. Laurie reported that the Monoglide hand shower did just that, and that there was even giggling instead of crying in the shower! And perhaps best of all, the girls did it themselves and felt very proud that they didn’t need any help.
Of course kids aren’t the only ones who can have a better shower with the Monoglide. The Professor also agrees with Libby of Libby’s Library that a soothing shower is a great healthy way to destress instead of turning to the cookie jar (or liquor cabinet!) at the end of a difficult day. The other great thing about using a shower as relaxation time is that – if you are surrounded by noisy children as Beth of Simply Budgeted is – the closed bathroom door combined with the white noise of the shower guarantees you at least a few minutes of peace, quiet, and solitude.
Jabbering Jessi
Lollipops and Pickles
Macaroni Kid Moms of Hillsborough and Hunterdon
Raising My 5 Sons
Woman of Hope and Prayer
How to Install a Hand Held Shower Head
Posted by: | CommentsHere is how to install a hand held shower head, one of the easiest home improvement tasks you can do yourself. To demonstrate, the Professor will use the Monoglide hand held shower head from American Standard.
The first step is to remove the existing shower head with an adjustable wrench.
Then, apply teflon tape to the threads of the shower arm.
Next you will use your adjustable wrench to install the shower bracket to the shower arm until the water outlet faces down toward the tub or shower. The bracket is where your Monoglide hand held shower head will hang.
Finally, hand tighten the larger end of the metal hose to the Monoglide hand held shower head and attach the other end to the water outlet on the bracket.
Last step: enjoy a soothing shower with your new multi-function Monoglide hand held shower head to celebrate a job well done!
Smart and Beautiful: Commercial Restroom Innovations
Posted by: | CommentsSmart commercial restroom innovations are, in the Professor’s experience, few and far between. The status quo is so readily accepted that many manufacturers of plumbing fixtures have little incentive to invest in attractive designs and technological innovations. That’s why the Professor is so impressed by the latest commercial offerings from American Standard. From smart, water-saving technology to sleek, unexpected shapes, here are a few of the commercial toilets, sinks, and urinals that are transforming modern restrooms.
- If you’ll pardon the pun, the Professor’s hands-down favorite innovation is American Standard’s hands-free dual flush toilet valve. The way it works is that the Selectronic dual flush toilet valve releases a light flush of 1.1 gallons when motion is detected for less than 60 seconds. A standard 1.6 gpf volume is used when motion is detected for 60 seconds or longer.
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The Lucia Lavatory Sink from American Standard
The Lucia wall-hung lavatory sink is a great solution
for commercial spaces in need of extra storage areas for soaps, toiletries, and accessories but have little space to spare in the restroom. The sink has a graceful, upscale appearance and offers a surprising amount of usable storage surface for such a small fixture.
- The strikingly modern Decorum high-efficiency urinalwould not be out of place in spaces like an art museum or a luxury resort. Decorum only uses 0.5 gallons of water per flush (gpf) and also features the EverClean permanent finish that inhibits the growth of stain and odor-causing bacteria, mold and mildew on the surface – making it ideal for commercial, institutional and other high-use, public installations.
- The surprisingly smart Ceratronic proximity faucet that allows users to control water temperature in addition to the on/off function, all without touching the faucet. Ideal for hospitals and other settings where spreading germs is a concern, the faucet’s detection range and time variables can be customized with the touch of a button from an optional remote control.
What’s most exciting to the Professor about all these creative, problem-solving products is the knowledge that even more transformative innovations are still to come. Here’s to a future of cleaner, smarter, more beautiful restrooms for us all.
Note: This post is part of the 2011 Bathroom Blogfest, now in its sixth year. The Professor is thrilled to participate in the blogfest for a third year this year. For more information about the blogfest, visit Bathroom Blogfest. Look for the tag “#BathroomEXP” on flickr, del.icio.us, Technorati, Twitter and Google, or ‘Like’ on Facebook. A list of participants is below.
| Name | Blog Name | Blog URL |
|---|---|---|
| Susan Abbott | Customer Experience Crossroads | http://www.customercrossroads.com/customercrossroads/ |
| Paul Anater | Kitchen and Residential Design | http://www.kitchenandresidentialdesign.com |
| Shannon Bilby | From the Floors Up | http://fromthefloorsup.com/ |
| Toby Bloomberg | Diva Marketing | http://bloombergmarketing.blogs.com/bloomberg_marketing/ |
| Laurence Borel | Blog Till You Drop | http://www.laurenceborel.com/ |
| Bill Buyok | Avente Tile Talk | http://tiletalk.blogspot.com |
| Jeanne Byington | The Importance of Earnest Service | http://blog.jmbyington.com/ |
| Becky Carroll | Customers Rock! | http://customersrock.net |
| Katie Clark | Practical Katie | http://practicalkatie.blogspot.com/ |
| Nora DePalma | O’Reilly DePalma: The Blog | http://www.oreilly-depalma.com/blog/ |
| Paul Friederichsen | The BrandBiz Blog | http://brandbizblog.com/ |
| Tish Grier | The Constant Observer | http://spap-oop.blogspot.com/ |
| Elizabeth Hise | Flooring The Consumer | http://flooringtheconsumer.blogspot.com |
| Emily Hooper | Floor Covering News Blog | http://www.fcnews.net/category/blog/ |
| Diane Kazan | Urban Design Renovation | http//blog.urbandesignrenovation.com |
| Joseph Michelli | Dr. Joseph Michelli’s Blog | http://www.josephmichelli.com/blog |
| Veronika Miller | Modenus Blog | http://www.modenus.com/blog |
| Arpi Nalbandian | Tile Magazine Editors’ Blog | http://www.tilemagonline.com/Articles/Blog_Nalbandian |
| David Polinchock | Polinchock’s Ponderings | http://blog.polinchock.com/ |
| Professor Toilet | American Standard’s Professor Toilet |
http://www.professortoilet.com |
| David Reich | my 2 cents | http://reichcomm.typepad.com |
| Victoria Redshaw & Shelley Pond | Scarlet Opus Trends Blog | http://www.trendsblog.co.uk |
| Sandy Renshaw | Purple Wren | http://www.PurpleWren.com |
| Bethany Richmond | Carpet and Rug Institute Blog | http://www.carpet-and-rug-institute-blog.com/ |
| Bruce D. Sanders | RIMtailing | http://www.rimtailing.blogspot.com |
| Paige Smith | Neuse Tile Service blog | http://neusetile.wordpress.com |
| Stephanie Weaver | Experienceology | http://experienceology.blogspot.com/ |
| Christine B. Whittemore | Content Talks Business Blog |
http://simplemarketingnow.com/content-talks-business-blog/ |
| Christine B. Whittemore | Smoke Rise & Kinnelon Blog |
http://smokerise-nj.blogspot.com/ |
| Christine B. Whittemore | Simple Marketing Blog | http://www.simplemarketingblog.com/ |
| Ted Whittemore | Working Computers | http://www.kinneloncomputers.com/ |
| Chris Woelfel | Artcraft Granite, Marble & Tile Co. |
http://www.artcraftgmt.com |
| Patty Woodland | Broken Teepee | http://www.brokenteepee.com |
| Denise Lee Yohn | brand as business bites | http://deniseleeyohn.com/best-bites |
The innovative FunBath tub conversion kit from American Standard Brands has been awarded the Parent Tested, Parent Approved (PTPA) Winner’s Seal of Approval. PTPA Media has North America’s largest volunteer parent testing community, with over 40,000 parents.
Consumers looking for high-quality products and services can rest assured when they see the PTPA Winner’s Seal; it is evidence of product excellence as evaluated by unbiased parent consumers.
The FunBath kit was recognized because even the most bathing-averse children will be reaching for the soap when their bathrooms are transformed by this award-winning bath conversion kit. Fitting over most existing standard 60-inch bathtubs, the FunBath kit makes bath time safer, more comfortable and even uses less water.
Easy installation gives parents the freedom to bathe their children in comfort, while eliminating the need to stoop or kneel while bathing little ones in a traditional bathtub.
The FunBath kit was among many entries from across North America competing to earn the PTPA™ Seal. Because independent parent volunteers evaluate these products in their own homes, PTPA winners are chosen based on merit and consumer experience – not on commercial considerations. As a result, the PTPA Media™ Seal has quickly gained recognition as an international leader in certifying consumer products for quality, effectiveness and value.
Being honored with the influential Seal of Approval from PTPA Media Inc. is a huge achievement for a product geared to families, children or parents. “We’re very proud of the FunBath kit, which makes bath time easier and more fun for both kids and their parents, and can easily be removed without damaging the tub once the kids have outgrown it,” said Rob Buete, vice president and general manager of the American Standard Safety Tubs division. “It means a great deal to us to have the FunBath kit recognized by the PTPA Media community.”
“At PTPA Media, we are proud to play a role in certifying innovative products that families can trust,” said Sharon Vinderine, CEO and founder of PTPA Media Inc. “When consumers search for our Seal of Approval on product packaging and websites, they are essentially searching for validation from their peers. Their peers will have objectively tested and approved these products based on their performance in a real life environment. That type of resource for families is priceless.”
For more information on the FunBath tub conversion kit or other American Standard products, visit www.americanstandard.com or call (800) 899-2614.
