March 2010

50 Thing You May Not Have Know You Can Recycle

1. Old bricks, worthless? No, those bricks can be recycled, and are very valuable to some people!

2. Use reclaimed wood for your next project at home. Use your own, or find some on freecycle, Craigslist, at your local transfer station, or recycle.net.

3. There are many places you can exchange or recylce your old electronics.

4. Sell off or post an ad for free metal scrap to be recycled.

5. If you have enough, your old VHS tapes can be recycled

6. Packing tape and stickers cannot be recycled, so use these sparingly in the first place.

7. Tools are very valuable items on eBay. Try selling them in lots to save time, shipping waste, and energy.

8. Empty propane tanks may be able to be taken as scrap metal, or properly disposed of at hazardous waste facilities. Reuse these whenever you can!

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Stinky in Grass Valley, CA

This could be real easy. First look at the sink and see if there is any water in the p-trap. The p-trap is that “U” shaped pipe under your sink. It provides a great service. It fills with water and forms a gas tight seal to the main sewer system. Many times I’ll go out and find a shower or a sink in an area that is rarely used and the trap will be dry. I’ll turn the water on, fill the trap and the problem is solved. So obviously that is where I would start.

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Banging Pipes in Grass Valley, CA.

For a few months now, the water pipes in our house have been making this terrible noise like someone is beating on them with a hammer. It only happens when we use the sink in the guest bathroom. It’s driving my wife and I crazy, my wife is ready to sell the house and move
Dear Banging Pipes in Grass Valley,

This can be tricky. There are a couple things that can cause the water pipes to hammer. First I would check to see if the house has a pressure reducing valve on the water main. It would be installed somewhere along the main line either outside or just inside where the pipe enters the house. A pressure reducing valve uses a rubber diaphragm to regulate the incoming water pressure. Sometimes this diaphragm can become loose or worn and when water runs along it, it will vibrate like a reed on a wind instrument.

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