Water pressure in some parts of Kirkwood and other older towns can be very frustrating for those trying to bathe, water their lawn or even wash their car!  In fact, some dishwashers and washing machines will not function properly due to low water pressure.  This can be a combination of many things other than just the older water mains that can’t stand any more pressure without bursting.  St. Louis water is considered “hard” water with more minerals in it than “softer” water often found in the southern states.  Those minerals build up over time throughout the pipes in your home including the main line coming into the house and the water meter itself.  Typically called calcium deposits, it’s much like the clogged arteries of someone with plaque buildup due to too much cholesterol in their system.  Those deposits eventually constrict a typically sized one-half inch water line to as small as one-eighth of an inch.  This can affect your entire plumbing system starting at the tap into the Water Department’s main line and running all the way to the faucets and hose bibs in your home.
 
Another cause for low pressure is the elevation of your home compared to the water tower connected to your main.  I live on Way Avenue in Kirkwood which is one of the highest elevations in the area.  Combined with the high elevation, very old water mains and very old homes with galvanized pipes full of deposits, when some of my neighbors try and water their lawn, they have to move it six times to cover an 80’x 50’ front lawn!  Unfortunately, I’ve replaced all the galvanized pipes (including those pipes in the walls, not just the basement) with new ½-inch copper, increased my water main to 1 ¼-inch and replaced the meter, and it hasn’t helped my pressure much at all.  It makes me wonder if our local fire department has enough pressure to effectively fight a house fire on my street and others like it.

Prior to replacing all my pipes, I installed a well pump and pressure tank that greatly improved the water pressure in my home.  It worked great for showers and short bursts of water pressure.  In fact my neighbors said they could tell when I was running water because their pressure would drop due to the well pump sucking the water from the main line in the street!  The system was rather noisy and with the 40 gallon pressure tank, it wasn’t long before our pressure would drop off to a greatly reduced level.  While trying to water the lawn, the pump would run in vain trying to catch up with the pressure gauge in the tank.  Although the first few minutes of watering was very impressive, with the sprinkler arching from one end of the lawn to the other, it wasn’t long before the sprinkler would barely work back and forth due to the low pressure even with the pump working its hardest to draw water from the main and filling up the pressure tank.

There is one thing that I do at least twice yearly and more if needed.  Most of the faucets in your home have an aerator that can be unscrewed right at the spout either with your hand or with a pair of pliers while protecting the finish of your faucet with a rag.  Once you’ve taken the aerator off be careful to see how the interior parts are aligned so you can put them back in the same order.  Some of those little parts will be clogged with the mineral deposits and can severely restrict water flow.  Rinse them off (being careful not to drop them into the sink), put the aerator back together and screw it back on to the faucet.  For the shower heads and faucets without easily accessed aerators, you can remove the entire head and soak it in Lime Away or CLR (Calcium, Lime and Rust) being careful to follow the instructions so as not to damage the finish.  You might be amazed at how much better your water pressure will be at those points.

Tom Life In General, remodeling

My two oldest children are co-owners of Riggs Construction & Design.  Amie and Bill just came back from our bi-annual meeting of the Remodelers Advantage networking group.  There are about 200 companies broken up into10 or 12 members in each group.  Riggs has been a member since 1996 and now, instead of me attending the meetings, Bill and Amie go.  It’s always a great learning experience for them as it has been for me.  Each group has members from all over the country (none from the same city) so there is a diverse and experienced brain trust willing to reveal all and help all to become better business owners and better, happier people as well.  One of the great advantages is that my children hear from the best and brightest remodeling contractors in the country that the Riggs Construction & Design business model and culture is the right way to do things.

When they first started attending the meetings with me, both Amie and Bill were considered the “kids.”  Although they were treated with respect, they weren’t allowed to come without me.  Now, after attending for 5 or 6 years they are both considered peers and equals.  Their advice and opinion are valued and they can hold their own when discussing any area of the business whether it is marketing, financials, production, leadership or sales.

Now the group has asked me to stay away and give Bill and Amie the chance to grow without their father “getting in the way”!  What a compliment to both of them.  Who would have thought that they would grow into such competent business owners so quickly?  My original motive was for them to hear from other remodeling company owners the same stuff I was telling them. Advice is never as powerful coming from a parent as it is coming from someone considered an “expert” in their field even if the parent is considered an expert by those experts.  Now the “kids” are the ones being listened to.  Go figure!

Tom Life In General, remodeling

It’s been a long, tough year for the construction industry.  Well, come to think of it, it’s been a long, tough year for every industry and every household!  All the pundits say it will be another year before the economy stabilizes and most say it will take a long time to bring our 401Ks and investments back to where they were.  It’s depressing isn’t it?  Well believe it or not, there is some good news out there.

That good news is there are some signs of improvement.  In a completely unscientific study I’ve been collecting some data to prove that St. Louis is beginning to make the turn toward a healthier attitude about spending.  I’ll start with my wife’s observations and actions.  Sally used to be a real estate broker so she always notices the “for sale” signs in people’s front yards.  She also notices when they are sold and she stated just the other day that a number of homes that were sitting on the market forever have been sold recently.  Also, the amount of time between a house going on the market and being sold has reduced considerably in the last few months.

My wife is also a shopper and I say that with the utmost pride.  She can find a sale like my dog can find a bone.  Sally prides herself in buying $200.00 worth of stuff for $25.00 and she does it all the time!  But over the last year her joy of shopping had dwindled to practically zero and it was depressing to see her come home with nothing to show for her hard work.  Oh, the deals were out there but she just couldn’t bring herself to spend any money because “things” were so tight.

I’m happy to report that she is bringing home some great deals recently!  Her joy for shopping is starting to come back and our household is again well clothed and well fed!

That’s proof positive that things are looking up…

Tom Life In General, remodeling