by Gary Mays | Mar 18, 2013 | Bathrooms, City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, DIY Plumbing, Gold Coast Plumbing, Health Issues, Insurance, Plumber Brisbane, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Emergencies, Plumbing Legislation, Plumbing Maintenance, Plumbing Renovation, Queensland Government, Sustainable Plumbing, Whywait Plumbing
Cheap plumbing fixtures on-line and the desire for a bargain has created an on-line love affair to compare prices of supposedly comparable products and services.
It is a guarantee no matter how much you pay for any product or service you will always find it cheaper on-line. This has given rise to an increasing belief by many consumers that they have paid over the odds and have been ripped off because they found allegedly the same product or service on-line “cheaper”.
It is worth remembering that “cheap” has two meanings. Where plumbing products and services are concerned “cheap” is responsible for some colossally expensive problems. In fact a large amount of work undertaken by Whywait Plumbing is because of consumers who took the “cheap” option. The old adage that you get what you pay for is certainly truer today than at any other time in our history.
Plumbing products that are sold in Australia are subject to stringent testing, designed to ensure that they meet Australian Standards. Once plumbing products meet the required Australian standards they are granted a WaterMark. The product whether its a tap or a toilet or a hot water service or a urinal must display the WaterMark logo as pictured to the right on the product by law.
If you are buying plumbing products on-line from overseas or if your builder or plumber is doing this to cut costs then it is a sure bet that it will end up costing you much more than the money saved in repairs and replacement.
Always make sure you understand what you are paying for and ensure that it has a compliant Australian WaterMark approval. Using a non compliant non WaterMark approved product will null and void your insurance policy if the product is defective and causes property damage.
When you are upgrading or replacing or renovating you will comes across a lot of great looking plumbing products to select from and ones that make great claims in terms of durability and long-life. Usually they are much “cheaper” and are tempting to purchase for the price being offered. Generally where mixer taps and toilet suites are concerned the cheaper the price means corners have been cut in their production. If you cannot see the WaterMark on the product then do not purchase it.
Unfortunately in Australia it is not illegal for non compliant products to be imported and sold. It is however illegal for plumbers to install them. Listening to unqualified salesman who tell you how wonderful the cheap plumbing product is have lead many people to have expensive repairs undertaken. It is always best especially if renovating to stipulate any product supplied for your job meets or exceeds the relevant Australian Standard and or WaterMark for plumbing products.
By Gary Mays
by Gary Mays | Feb 19, 2013 | Cold Water, Plumbers, Water
Harvest Mother Nature’s Precious Water With the Most Efficient Rain Collection System on the Market Today. This system collects 100% of the rain on your roof; puts money back in your pocket and allows you to use recycled water in your toilet, laundry, garden and home.
As you no doubt realise, clean and potable water remains an issue here in Southeast Queensland, especially regarding recycled water, desalinated water, and rainwater tanks. All new buildings, residential and commercial, are required to be outfitted with rain water tanks for irrigation and toilet flushing.
For existing buildings it is important in the long term to create sustainable methods to conserve valuable rainwater without destroying the aesthetics of your home or business. From our experience, a Rain-Return® system is the best of its kind, allowing a rainwater tank to collect 100% – vs. the average of 10% – of rainwater falling on your roof.
A Rain-Return® system harvests all the water from your storm water drains which, in turn, collect all the water from the roof. A simple underground pit pumps the water back to your storage tank. When the storage tank is full a float valve activates and the pump stops pumping and allows the water to continue through the normal storm water drain system.
Whywait Plumbing can design a system for you like those we’ve installed for Westfield Helensvale Shopping Centre, AB Paterson College, or Robina State School. With your new Rain-Return® system, you can:
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Maximise your storage capacity
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Collect 100% of rain falling on the roof plus air conditioning & roof condensation
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Reduce your water bills
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Eliminate ugly piping systems to your rainwater tank
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Comply with water sustainability requirements
Rain water can now be used in urban areas for:
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Laundry cold water supply to the washing machine
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Washing & cleaning
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Washing your cars & boats
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Irrigating your gardens & lawn
And, provided certain precautions are taken into account including adherence to backflow requirements, rainwater harvesting can also provide drinkable water that is free from chemicals, such as chlorine, which are used to treat our main potable water supplies.
Whywait Plumbing has been installing rainwater storage systems for more than 30 years. What’s more, we are a licensed GreenPlumber™ and, as such, have been at the forefront in developing and installing urban tanks.
With a fully-installed rainwater harvesting system from Whywait, you can count on:
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a complete site inspection to ensure the system recommended will work correctly
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a range of systems to choose from
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a guaranteed installation date
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installation and certification by a licensed plumber
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access to all government and council rebates
To learn more about a rainwater harvesting system from Whywait Plumbing , contact us today to schedule your no-obligation site inspection.
by Gary Mays
by Gary Mays | Apr 17, 2012 | City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Insurance, Marketing, Plumber Brisbane, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Emergencies, Plumbing Maintenance, Whywait Plumbing
Credit card payments to pay accounts is now the most common method of payment our clients use to pay for the plumbing services we provide at Whywait Plumbing. Yes we accept the following credit cards:
- American Express
- MasterCard
- Visa
And NO we don’t charge you any form of surcharge.
Unlike many companies Whywait Plumbing do not charge you a surcharge on credit card payments
From our perspective the fees the bank charges us to accept a credit card are negligible, with the benefits of same day payment far outweighing the bank fees.
This policy is unlikely to change as we continually see other companies charging excessively their own clients to make payment via a credit card. It is increasingly the norm with businesses that charge a surcharge for using a credit card to charge double what the bank charges them. This is disguised as administrative fees that would be incurred whether you pay by credit card, cash or cheque. Far too many companies are making additional profit from their own clients using a credit card.
At Whywait Plumbing we bank with Bendigo Bank and the fees they charge us for processing Visa and MasterCard is 0.72%. Unlike other banks Bendigo Bank deposit credit card payments into our bank account same day. With American Express it is slightly different as we have to pay 1.8% and it can take up to 48 hours for the money to be deposited into our bank account.
Put simply the installation of a toilet suite for a service partner costs $758.02 and if they pay by Visa or MasterCard the cost to us is $5.46. Even if they pay by American Express the cost is still $13.64. Either way you look at it those fees are much less than the administrative cost of sending out an invoice, then waiting for payment to arrive.
At Whywait Plumbing we guarantee we will never charge clients for the convenience of using a credit card to pay. We urge you to challenge the validity of businesses that frequently charge you 3-5% for using a credit card when it is highly unlikely they are paying anything like that to their bank.
by Gary Mays | Nov 15, 2011 | banging pipes, Consumer Issues, erosion and corrosion in plumbing pipes, Gold Coast Plumber, Gold Coast plumbers, Gold Coast Plumbing, Health Issues, Insurance coverage of water leaks, Leaking Pipes, PEX pipes, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Maintenance, water damage insurance claims, Water Filtration, Water Hammer, Water Leaks, water pipe pressure
Traditionally most homes used copper pipes to circulate hot and cold water. Since the 1970’s plastic pipes have increasingly replaced traditional copper or galvanised steel pipes.
Over the last ten years, pipe-in-pipe systems have been commonly installed to circulate water in most newly constructed homes. The inner pipe for drinking water is made of a plastic called cross-linked polyethylene (PEX).
Since the advent of plastic plumbing systems, there have always been questions regarding the effects on health and do they affect the taste and odour of drinking water. International studies have shown that plastic pipes can release substances that give drinking water an unwanted taste and odour. It has also been suggested that some of these substances may be carcinogenic.
Several investigations worldwide on health issues have been conducted, and most are inconclusive or positive. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has just released a new study on whether leaching or leakage products from these pipes harm health and if they affect the taste and odour of drinking water. The potential leakage products consist of residues of additives used during manufacture to give plastic pipes their desired properties and any subsequent breakdown products.
The Norwegian study results indicated:
- There are no health risks associated with drinking water from PEX pipes
- A few types of PEX-pipe may cause prolonged undesirable taste and odour if the water remains in pipes over time
- Although the taste and odour usually dissipate with use, water from two PEX types still had an unpleasant smell and taste after a year.
- The volatile organic compounds that leaked from new PEX pipes were generally low.
- The level was further reduced with the use.
- No correlation was found between manufacturing methods and leaking products.
This study was undertaken far more scientifically than many tests or studies in Australia. It is common in Australia for international products that have undergone extensive testing to fail AS4020 based on a highly subjective taste test from a panel of 5 – 7 people. The Norwegian study tested ten different PEX pipe types for leaching products in a standardised laboratory test. The water was in contact with the tubes for 72 hours.
Three different manufacturing methods produce pipes known as PEX-a, PEX-b or PEX-c. These methods use slightly different additives, but this study found no correlation between production methods and leakage products. Two of the most commonly occurring substances detected in the experiment’s water were 2.4-di-tert-butyl-phenol and methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE). For three new pipe types, MTBE was detected in higher concentrations than the US government’s recommended limits for the taste and odour of drinking water (USEPA). Still, the values were reduced to below this limit after the tubes were used for a while.
This study confirms what the plumbing technicians at Whywait Plumbing frequently observe: no matter what type of pipe, there can be a taste or odour in new piping systems or where a house has been unoccupied. The taste and odour soon disappear once the water is in use in the house and is in constant circulation.
by Gary Mays | Sep 30, 2011 | Bathrooms, DIY Plumbing, Plumber Brisbane, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Plumbing Renovation
How hard is it to renovate my bathroom? Well if you ask the nice man at Bunnings he will tell you it is really easy and sell you everything you need and tell you how easy it is to do it yourself. The truth is renovating a bathroom is one of the hardest renovation projects to undertake.
If you like many other Australians have just finished watching “The Block” on channel 9 or are currently watching “The Renovators” on channel 10 you will receive the message that it is easy to renovate your bathroom.
Having renovated both our bathrooms at home let me assure it is not easy. It is time consuming, messy and can easily become extremely overwhelming with all of the product choices that exist from tiles to taps to showers to vanities to baths to mirrors to bidets to accessories and so it goes on.
As recently as 20 years ago every product that went into your bathroom was made in Australia so the choice was limited. But at least it was all easy to repair and locate spare parts when anything broke. You knew every product was tested and approved for use in Australia. Now we have product from all over the world. Much of it is just throwaway product as parts are unobtainable for repairs. Most frightening much of it has never been tested or certified for use in Australia leading to frightening consequences should you ever have a flood from these products and need to claim on your insurance policy.
For all of the above reasons and many more is why Whywait Plumbing Services installed a PlumberDirect showroom last year. This has ensured that we sell quality product from an Australian company that has 10 year warranties on most product along with ample spare parts if needed and is all approved for use in Australia.
Plumbing products like so many other products have become part of the worldwide fashion industry. Sadly a bathroom from 3 years ago is terribly out of date today. Luckily it can be easy to update with accessories that are available now. Our PlumberDirect showroom has a great display of affordable, quality taps, vanities and accessories.
For those who want true designer bathroom product we now have access to the Faroe Collection. Faroe is an Australian owned brand of bathroom furniture, baths and accessories that is revolutionising the Australian market. Inspired by some of the finest designs and craftsmanship that exist in bathrooms in Milan, Stockholm, Vienna and Paris, the Faroe selection has finally arrived in Queensland.
So if you are serious about doing a quality bathroom renovation come and visit the PlumberDirect showroom and let us put together a design and construct proposal that is practical and will ensure as little disruption as possible to your family routine.
by Gary Mays | Aug 26, 2011 | bathroom renovation regret, Bathrooms, City of Gold Coast, Consumer Issues, Gold Coast Plumbing, Gold Coast Water, Plumbers, Plumbers Gold Coast, Toilets, Water Saving Tips, Waterless Urinals, ZeroFlush waterless urinals
Waterless urinals increase water sustainability
Falcon waterless urinals at The Oasis Shopping Centre installed by Whywait Plumbing in 1998
In 1998 Whywait Plumbing installed the first waterless urinals on the Gold Coast at The Oasis Shopping Centre. At that time the owners of The Oasis Shopping Centre, Thakral Holdings had as Engineering Director, Tony Harvey. Tony Harvey was ahead of his time focusing on setting sustainability targets for all Thakral properties in both electricity and water.
These first waterless urinals were fibreglass Falcon urinals with disposable cartridges. To say they were not successful was an understatement. We were continually servicing the Falcon urinals as they suffered from frequent blockages due to their cartridge design. The cost to replace cartridges constantly far outweighed the water-saving benefits at that time.
Servicing these Falcon waterless urinals became a detested task by Whywait’s plumbing technicians as invariably removing the cartridge resulted in getting covered in urine that was in the cartridge. To all of our plumber’s relief we ripped them out and replaced them with ZeroFlush waterless urinals in 2004.
Water flushing urinals stink
Traditional water flushing urinals are a significant waster of potable water in most commercial buildings. Most men are aware of that distinctive odour of male public toilets. Contrary to popular believe that odour is not usually from the urinals. It is, in fact, an odour created by the mixing of water vapour and urine creating bacteria that thrive in the wet environment of the grout in the tiled floors and walls.
In fact the installation of Australian WaterMark approved waterless urinals such as ZeroFlush creates a dry environment that does not allow bacteria to grow in the tile grout and create that distinctive odour. A properly maintained and serviced waterless urinal will give trouble free service, eliminate expensive and ever increasing water costs plus reduce carbon emissions.
Do waterless urinals stink?
Whywait Plumbing technicians have investigated numerous instances of waterless urinals being blamed for blocked drains or odours. In reality this is consistently not the case as investigation always reveals the real causes such as dry floor wastes, incorrect installation or incorrect servicing.
The most common cause is inappropriate or non-existant servicing procedures. Far too many plumbers fail to upskill themselves with current sustainability skills, methods or requirements. Often these same plumbers fail to read simple instructions on servicing methods and requirements and instead advocate the removal of the waterless urinals. It is normally simple to identify the poor servicing as the plumbers maintaining the urinals fail to purchase servicing materials and then blame the waterless urinals for poor performance.
Whywait Plumbing is aware of buildings where government subsidies have been paid to the owners to install waterless urinals and ignorant building managers have allowed plumbing companies to remove the urinals and replace them with expensive water guzzling urinals. The plumbers who undertake these activities are in our opinion conducting a fraud and their motives are transparent.
This approach is to the detriment of their clients and the community as a whole whom have embraced sustainability to make efficient use of expensive water and protect our environment.
If you want assistance with your urinals contact Whywait Plumbing on (07) 5580 4311 to organise a site audit.
