http://www.househacker.com/ househacker/tags/plumbing
The Internet claimed that disassembling a toilet to check the flange or to replace the wax ring was easy. Invariably, the same sites that talked about how easy this task was would follow that up by saying, "A TOILET BREAKS EASILY BE CAREFUL!!!!" The sites also varied in how detailed their instructions were, in one case even going so far as to skip the whole "removing the tank" part. As a public service, I'm going to give you the definitive step-by-step guide to disassembling a toilet to repair it.

Also be sure not to miss the toilet diagram Stephen has created, which, although highly technical and beyond the comprehension of the layman, is a useful toilet anatomy nonetheless.

Link: How To Disassemble a Toilet In Many Easy Steps]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Funny-Toilet-Disassembly-Howto Quooker instant boiling water faucet, as well as the very interesting but not-yet-available Vulcanus MK4 microwave based hot water heater. There is also Chronomite Tankless, as well as Niagara Industries whole house tankless hot water heater. If you're browsing, Froogle produces no shortage.

With ever increasing energy costs, and given that traditional water heaters account for up to 20-30% of a homes energy use, tankless water heaters are becoming more attractive to homeowners.

The US Department of Energy has some information on tankless water heaters, including a section on whether the devices would work in your home. From the site:

For homes that use 41 gallons or less of hot water daily, demand water heaters can be 24%?34% more energy efficient than conventional storage tank water heaters. They can be 8%?14% more energy efficient for homes that use a lot of hot water?around 86 gallons per day. You can achieve even greater energy savings of 27%?50% if you install a demand water heater at each hot water outlet.

]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Many-Choices-of-Instant-On-Demand-Hot-Water-Heater-Units
Kudos to the Kohler people for having the DXF (CAD) files available on their site for anyone needing them.

via thecoolhunter.net]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Sink-with-Built-in-Cooking-Basin http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Uber-Sleek-Italian-Faucets
* Saves water consumption by one third
* Highly energy-saving
* User-friendly in every way
* Minor extra costs compared to standard toilet units


Ecoplay estimates that the unit will pay for itself in 6 years. Perhaps if this catches on, Ecoplay will be able to afford to have people other than their children* drawing diagrams of the unit.

*Update: Looks like they've updated their site with really nice diagrams now.

via City Hippy]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Ecoplay-Reroutes-Shower-Water-for-Toilet-Use
From the Depot's useful Know-How page.]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Big-Home-Depot-Plumbing-HowTo-List Quooker sells a nice looking product that produces instant boiling water, straight from the tap. The faucet draws the boiling water from an insulated tank mounted underneath the counter, where water is heated to 110°C. As the water flows from the faucet, it cools to 100°C. Quooker says that the unit's energy consumption is "next to nothing" in standby mode. I wonder if it would melt one of these.

Caution! The boiling water you are about to enjoy is hot...]]> http://www.househacker.com/permanent/Instant-Boiling-Tap-Water