If you are looking for a Christmas gift for the person that really has everything
Kohler recently revealed its new toilet called Numi and it is simply going to blow your mind. There is no doubt that this toilet is a mind blowing product, but the $6,400 price tag is something that may come as a big surprise.
It will be interesting to see how the target-market responds to Kohler Numi because for this amount one might expect to buy a home theatre or even an used car.
What can this costly toilet can do for you? Well, it has integrated deodorizer, air dryer and a bidet. Then you have a lid that is automatically opened or closed , a music system so you listen to something nice while you are doing your stuff, a foot warmer, and a touch screen remote.
What makes Numi stand out from the rest is that it brings everything that you have or haven’t imagined. It looks like a fancy waste bin, which includes a self-enabled lid that can open or close on its own. It means you don’t have to touch the lid whenever you need to use the toilet. Cleaning is also done automatically because of the self cleaning bidet that includes the power of adjustable controls to maintain appropriate pressure and temperature of water. You have a foot warmer with heating elements to keep your tush and toes toasty. It just provides amazing comfort.
If you use the loo at night, there is an illuminated panel to provide a perfect ambience for that night time visit. Kohler Numi also loads an integrated speaker that is connected to a remote docking station to make sure no one else except you know what you are doing.
This big ticket item is truly a luxurious toilet experience, Numi has deodorizing elements and a charcoal filter to release fresh fragrance into the air and suck the dirty air from the bowl.
Kohler Numi is no less than a high-end gizmo and it would not be complete without a touchscreen. The toilet comes with a remote that includes a touchscreen panel so that you can easily set your specifications like water temperature and pressure, your preferred seat height or even your music and radio station settings.
Kohler Numi is perfect for those users who want to have a toilet like you might find in a sophisticated hotel suite.
What a great Christmas gift..and what a way to improve your bottom line!
I wonder if it replenishes the toilet rolls or dispenses with the empties…..
Have you ever been caught short?
I mean, have you ever been “busting” to use the loo and it just wasn’t available, you were cross legged and tears are starting to run as you can only focus on one thing…….
Now most shopping centres have toilet facilities and the local football and netball fields usually have a loo that you can use after you have been sipping multiple latte’s whilst watching junior win “the match of the day”.
Whilst doing plumbing repairs on most homes we are often in the bathroom, so its a matter of closing the door, doing what needs to be done and breathing a sigh of relief.
Well it appears that “wanting to go”, at an inopportune time is quite common as I found when looking through the QandA with Lucy Macken in Sydney Morning Herald Domain section recently. August 20, 2011
Q&A: This question’s a wee bit awkward
Q. Forgive me for being blunt but is it ever OK to use the bathroom at an open inspection?
J.P., Crows Nest
A. Agents responded uniformly to this query with a moment of stunned silence. A few heartbeats later and the consensus tends to be that ”the facilities” (for want of a more abstract euphemism) are not for public use but permission is granted in the case of emergency.
Children seem to be the main beneficiaries of such largesse, although parents in the know have a few tips for regulars on the Saturday inspection circuit: make good use of the coffee shop breaks and if you get time between appointments, let your children visit the local park.
After all, no one wants their thoughtful assessment of a prospective home interrupted by a loud, ”Mum, there’s no toilet paper in here!” Thankfully, agents tend to be an accommodating and non-judgmental lot.
Today at Global Headquarters for The Lone Drainer And Pronto, in Melody Street, Coogee we had an information session, jam packed with Questions and Answers about Taps, Toilets and Tree roots.
Although we weren’t quite turning local plumbing enthusiasts away from our rooms (wait till next time), those who came and participated in Dr Daves Tap Tutorial asked some very meaty questions about how their taps worked and how to fix them. They learned where to turn off their water main supply, their water heaters and gas supply meters.
We had a demonstration of a drainoscopy or how we use our drain camera to see what is going on in their sewer pipes and drains and how tree roots can damage even new PVC pipelines and we discussed the dangers of using flexible water connections, water hammer and the many ways it can present itself along with the operation of gas stoves and appliances.
Chris and I really enjoyed doing this presentation for you and hope you may tell your friends what you learned and tell them about our next presentation on the First Tuesday in May. Tuesday May 3rd 2011.
Now, The news that everyone wants to hear is, who Won A Years Supply of Toilet Paper?
Well, after putting your all names into my hat, I am happy to announce Gary is our winner.
CONGRATULATIONS GARY!
Think of us when as you enjoy your prize.
Please call our office on 02 9664 4990 to arrange a time drop in to our Headquarters and collect the first instalment of your prize. We can deliver the rest if it suits you!
We also gave 2 other very constructive participants a copy of “Whats My Pee Telling Me”
P.S. On the subject of toilets and toileting check out this and other interesting blog posts on our website http://thelonedrainerandpronto.com.au/blog/bidets/
One recurring topic of 2010 is the Ownership and liability of common water, sewer and gas pipes.
When we send out an emergency response team to a ruptured gas or water pipeline or an overflowing sewer, the first thing our team thinks about is rescuing the property under threat.
Often, it is after the emergency has passed, that ownership and liability of the problem are hotly debated.
This series of 3 blog posts is aimed at clarifying some of that debate.
Our friends at the Law Reform Commission have helped to clarify this interesting subject and in part it reads!
LIABILITY FOR COSTS
Role of the Water Board
An important and related issue that was raised in DP 22, in respect of utility services, is establishing liability for the repair and maintenance costs of common service pipes for individual users. The problem only really exists in respect of joint sewer services, because the Water Board will absorb the costs of repair and maintenance of water services (joint or single) within the areas of its operation.7 In those cases where the Board does not assume responsibility, it can still do the repair work itself and then issue notices for payment to the users of the service. The Water Board Act 1987 (NSW) does not contain any guidelines in respect of apportioning the costs of the work carried out.
The Water Board does not assume the same level of responsibility in respect of sewage services. A liability policy similar to the water supply policy (as discussed above) was considered for sewage services, but was rejected as too expensive. Where the Water Board is aware that work needs to be done on a joint sewer service, the Board will issue a defect notice requiring the users to repair the service within a certain period of time. Sometimes repair is ordered to take place within 24 hours, if the damaged service is deemed to be a health risk. It may also be the case that the users of that service realise that the service is in need of repair and attend to the repairs prior to receiving a notice from the Board.
Existing guidelines for apportioning costs
There are no guidelines to assist the owners in dividing the cost of repairs, although DP 22 argued that Regulation 9 of the Plumbing and Drainage Regulation (September 1989) could be interpreted as making owners jointly responsible for the maintenance of their water service pipe, sewer or storm water drain.8 Some users may argue that they were not responsible for any damage to the service and thus refuse to pay anything; other users may argue that the cost of repair should be divided equally, regardless of which users were directly affected, on the basis that the service is jointly owned; and others may consider the amount charged to be excessive and only wish to pay an amount they consider appropriate. Although a recommended rate may be obtained from the Master Plumbers Association, this rate is not a standard or enforceable rate and the final figure charged may be higher or lower depending on the circumstances.
In practice, one user (usually the person most affected by overflow from the blockage) often pays for the repairs and is then forced to seek contribution from the other users, and when payment is not forthcoming, he or she may be forced to litigate for the recovery of the money. Whilst a user may wish to claim equally against each of the other users of the service, it is difficult to prove what their contribution should be. A plumber may be retained to give expert advice about who or what caused the damage to the service. This lack of legislative direction stands in sharp contrast to the specific contributions that unit owners of a Strata Titles plan are required to provide by way of levy where maintenance and repair of the common property is necessary.
This post was brought to my attention by the ever vigilant Richard Piper. When you ring our office for help you may speak to him. Tell him you enjoyed this post, I did!
Sewage powered VW Beetle hits the road in Bristol
A Volkswagen Beetle powered by gas from sewage has taken to the road for the first time in Britain.
This converted Beetle car runs on methane gas. The Bio-Bug was launched on Thursday by Wessex Water, which is generating methane from human waste at a sewage treatment works near Bristol.
The company claims the prototype is able to cover 10,000 miles annually on the waste from 70 households.
If the trial proves successful, Volkswagen will consider converting some of its fleet of vehicles to run on biogas.
Mohammed Saddiq, of GENeco, a Wessex Water subsidiary which runs the biogas plant at Avonmouth, said: “Our site has been producing biogas for many years, which we use to generate electricity to power the site and export to the National Grid.
“With the surplus gas we had available we wanted to put it to good use in a sustainable and efficient way.
“We decided to power a vehicle on the gas, offering a sustainable alternative to using fossil fuels which we so heavily rely on in the UK.
“If you were to drive the car you wouldn’t know it was powered by biogas as it performs just like any conventional car. It is probably the most sustainable car around.”
The Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association said the launch of the Bio-Bug proved that biomethane from sewage sludge could be used as an alternative fuel for vehicles.
Lord Rupert Redesdale, the association’s chairman, said: “This is a very exciting and forward-thinking project demonstrating the myriad benefits of anaerobic digestion (releasing energy from waste). Biomethane cars could be just as important as electric cars.”
Last month Volkswagen announced plans to conquer the green market with a new generation of hybrid and electric cars.
The interest over the new Sydney water desalination plant just continues to grow.
After blogging 2 weeks ago about the taste of our drinking water, a topic that is very important to me, we have been contacted by lots of people who also have an interest in our Sydney drinking water. I believe we have here in Sydney Australia, one of the best water supplies in the world and now that we have the Desalination plant, it does secure our drinking future.
Most of our clients have shared with us their thoughts on the flavour of our drinking water, the colour of water, the taste and smell of water and you are all correct.
Just make sure, if you have leaking taps or running toilets have them repaired as soon as possible.
Save water where you can and keep drinking water. It makes you feel alive!
This post is relevant to a Randwick plumbing emergency that happened yesterday.
We had an SOS from a long term client “Joan”
You could hear the panic in her voice, “Come quickly, we have a burst water pipe under our vanity basin and we can’t turn the water off” screamed Joan.
Is your floor waste drain clear? we asked. Yes Joan replied!
We told her how to minimise the water damage, shut the cupboard doors and direct the gushing water towards the floor drain and put a towel across the doorway to keep the water flow in the bathroom.
We were at the house within 15 minutes, and with a large pair of grips, we were able to slow down, but not stop the water flow.
Now, a picture paints a thousand words and this short video will actually take you there.
Please watch and learn.
Where and how to turn off your hot water and cold water supply is incredibly simple if you know where they are, before any plumbing emergency arises
I want you to have our plumbing Hints and Tips, they are free.
Simply fill in the box on our home page to get our Plumbing Hints and Tips.
Todays post comes courtesy of the World Famous Venetian Gondolier my mate Giovanni Giudice
I met Gio in the summer of 07 -08, he was visiting Australia, learning to surf and escape the Venetian winter because “business is slow”. Gio was staying in Coogee at the home of a client who funnily enough had a blocked drain. We hit it off straight away, me telling him places to visit along our beautiful coast and Gio in return, telling stories of the romantic city of Venice Italy.
Invariably the conversation got back to blocked sewers and blocked drains and how different it would be to deal with a blocked drain in Venice, compared to being a Sydney plumber. Upon his return to Venice, Gio answered my question with a series of photos he took on the way to his gondola one morning.
Below are the photos he sent of a septic boat, pumping the waste from the Palace of the Bishop of Venice.
If any of our readers are lucky enough to be travelling to Venice, ask for Gio’s contact for the best gondola tour of that beautiful city.
A toilet is a plumbing fixture and disposal system primarily intended for the disposal of the bodily wastes: urine and faecal matter. Additionally, vomit and menstrual waste is sometimes disposed in toilets in western societies. The word “toilet” can be used to refer to the fixture itself or to the room containing the fixture, especially in British English. In Canadian English, the latter is euphemistically called a washroom, and in American English, a restroom or bathroom. The latter term usually refers to a room that also contains a bath tub. A room with only a toilet and a sink is sometimes called a half-bathroom or a powder room.
There are two basic types of toilets: the dry toilet, and the wet toilet – the latter being the most commonly known and producer of blackwater. The dry toilet needs no plumbing for water input or evacuation, but is often coupled with some ventilation system.
Humour
Humour or humor (see American and British English spelling differences) is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. Many theories exist about what humour is and what social function it serves. People of all ages and cultures respond to humour. The majority of people are able to be amused, to laugh or smile at something funny, and thus they are considered to have a “sense of humour.”
When attending to blocked drains we sometimes encounter “Toilet Humour”!
Mr. Santa Singh is a brilliant engineer of College of Engineering Patiala and Mr. Banta Singh is his boss and a gold medalist of Jalandhar University. Both of them are serving for Punjab Pipes whose owner is Ms. Gurujit Kaur. In one of the tenders Mr. Santa Singh has declared the pipe specifications. Prepared by: SANTA SINGH Approved by: BANTA SINGH
1. All pipes are to be made of a long hole surrounded by metal or plastic centered around the hole.
2. All pipes are to be hollow throughout the entire length – do not use holes of different length to the pipe. (more…)
