The End of the Custom Shower

Whaza' Showerhead?  

In 1992 Congress enacted a federal law saying, a showerhead can not deliver more than 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM).  Before this, the average shower put out 6-7 GPM.  But the question really never answered was, “What constitutes a showerhead?” 

Is it everything past the mixing valve?  Is it one or more nozzles in a shower?  Is it single or multiple openings?  Hand showers? 

So for nearly 20 years the term ‘showerhead’ was understood by the manufacturing industry to mean a single device that directs water to a bather.  Each nozzle was considered in compliance if it delivered a 2.5 GPM or less.

More Industry Confusion

But in May of 2010, the Department of Energy (DOE) said a ‘showerhead’ may incorporate one or more sprays, nozzles, or openings.  Under the new interpretation, all nozzles would count as a single showerhead[1] and if taken together, can’t exceed the 2.5 GPM maximum. 

Under this meaning, your deluxe shower with its 4 or more body sprays must be added together, and not looked at individually.  And this changes everything, especially if you want to enjoy a personal spa experience at home.

The 2011 DOE Guidance

The Showerhead Enforcement Guidance which was issued on March 4, 2011 by the Department of Energy states that, in essence, multiple spraying components sold together as a single unit designed to spray water onto a single bather constitutes a single showerhead.  (Hum, even this still seems open to interpretation.)

And to avoid economic turmoil and waste, the Department has a two year grace period to allow manufactures time to sell their remaining non-compliant multi-nozzle products, and adjust their product designs to ensure compliance. 

Green vs Choice

There is definitely a fine line between conserving energy and free choice.  One side says, “If I can afford a $5,000.00 shower that puts out 18 GPM that’s my right.”  The other side says, “Clean water is not limitless, and the Earth’s resources belong to the future of all our children.” 

While the average consumer is just asking the question, “What’s next?"  If saving water is the goal, should we not start with the extras; swimming pools, lawn sprinklers, and car washes?  And if the object of a shower is to get clean, how much water is then considered to be excessive?  

Will the DOE come into your bathroom?    

The 2011 Guidance states it does not regulate the behavior of consumers or how they, an architect, or home builder may wish to design a shower[2].  But it’s hard to design, purchase, and install what can no longer be sold or manufactured. 

I have a feeling there is more to come on this issue.  But for now I’ll close with this quote by Jim Brewer, Trinity Home Design Center's Bath Consultant, “You can interpret it how you want, but it appears the day of the custom shower will be ending on March 4, 2013 unless the total water output is 2.5 GPM or less.” 

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[1] APA: New Regulation of Multi-head Shower Fixtures - WSJ.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB1000142405274870491330457537146261146

3490.html

[2] APA: Update: DOE Withdraws Showerhead Interpretive Rule - This ... (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pmengineer.com/Articles/Breaking_News/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000

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Kitchen Faucet Features

In this post we're featuring the hardest working item in your kitchen, besides you ~  YOUR FAUCET! 

How many times a day does it supply a quick drink, a wash of the hands, the filling of a pot, or the rinsing of a dish?  To select a new faucet there are just five things to consider:

• Mounting options:  Deckplate or Non-deckplate? 
• Handle options:  One or Two?
• Sprayer/Spout options:  Pull down or side mount?
• Height:  Standard or High-Rise?
• Finish:  Chrome, Stainless, Bronze, etc?

Mounting options - if you have existing sink openings, consider using a deck plate to cover openings you'll no longer need.

Handle options - do you prefer a single handle or a double?  Which best matches the decor of the kitchen?

Sprayer/Spout - the style/decor of the faucet you choose may determine this for you.

Height - if your sink is a shallow sink, the standard height will prevent back splash.  If you have a deeper bowl, the high-rise styles allow for the filling of deeper bowls or pots.

Finish - what are the other finishes in the kitchen, or throughout your home?

And don't forget those other kitchen faucet features such as Touch2O and Touch2Oxt by Delta! 

Are you ready to replace and update that old existing faucet yet?  Well, we want to help you with that too!  Below you'll find a handy step-by-step installation video for the beautiful new Addison faucet with Touch2O technology by Delta!

  

For a video on installing a Delta bathroom faucet, visit the "What's New" page on the Trinity Home Design Center website!  Click here for Website  

We hope you've enjoyed this post.  As always, we encourage your comments and suggestions below!!

THE POWER OF PINK!

Pink is a mixture of the energy, power, and attention of red, with the purity, openness, and insight offered by white.  This means Pink is “Pure Gentle Energy!”  It’s one of Spring’s prettiest colors, but it’s also one of the hardest to do well. 

Pink represents romance, affection, love, compassion, and pure nurturing feminine passion.  For most people, any shade of pink screams, “No Boys Allowed!”   And only men secure in their own masculinity will wear the color.  Spring is the season that re-introduces the color in all it’s glory with the spectacular red bud blossoms, tulips, hyacinth, and those delicious pastel m&m candies, to name just a few. 

But although pink can bring serenity and calm to a room, too much pink or a too intense shade, can actually bring about the fiery energy of the red.  So when painting walls for calm, use a soft whisper of the color such as Sherwin Williams “Innocence”.   Sometimes an accent of the color is all that’s needed as you see in our bedroom photo.

The walls were painted Sherwin Williams “Rice Paddy” and accents of pink were introduced into the room for a pop of color.  The pretty white Table Lamp and Basket of Spring Flowers, both from Trinity, create a neutral warmth to the room tying the green and pink together.  The beautiful Crystal Mini-Light Chandelier or a light and airy Tiered Three-Light Candelabra can be positioned over a reading chair, desk, bath or dressing area.  Both are available in a soft white finish with pretty pink and white crystals for a soft, romantic, feel without being overpowering, while still screaming, “for princesses only!” 

And don’t forget the “Pretty-as-a-Flower” Ceiling Fan with the two rows of blades rotating in different directions!  Available in Blushing Pink upper blades with a choice of Spring Green or Pretty Pink (pictured) lower blades.  Not only does it give the room a fresh, new, petal-pretty look, but it will help cut down on those air conditioner bills too! 

Remember, a little pink goes a long way.  And with a few updates from the new  Spring line of lamps, chandeliers, fans, artwork, and accessories that are arriving daily at Trinity, you can easily update your favorite space with the full Power of Pink! 

Spring is Pretty in Pink ~ Your home can be too!!   

For further information on the items featured contact Molly Morningstar, Associate Buyer for Trinity Home Design Center or shop our new Online Catalog! 

The Incandescent Lives On!

By 2014, all light bulbs must use 25-30% less energy, and by 2020, they must be 70% more energy efficient than they are today.  The phase out will begin with the 100w bulb in 2012 and end with the 40w in 2014.  But, there is no reason to stock up on these power hungry bulbs!  Incandescent bulbs will still be available; they will simply be more energy efficient to remain on the market after 2012.[1]

Bill Shewman, Lighting Sales Consultant for Trinity, says, "Light bulb package terminology is going to change.  You will find you are shopping for lumen's instead of watts.  Watt is a measure of energy consumption.  Lumen is a measure of light output.  A standard incandescent bulb simply uses more energy to produce the light that it emits, than a spiral compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) does.  Ninety percent (90%) of the energy an incandescent light bulb burns is wasted as heat.  The lifespan of an incandescent is also much shorter than the newer CFL which can last about 8-10 times longer."

Lurking Dangers
This change in energy savings is not without its drawbacks, however.  At this time, CFL's contain mercury, and the development of a total mercury-free CFL light bulb is still about 10 yrs away.[2]  If broken, their clean up must be handled properly.  If possible, do not vacuum or use your bare hands.  Instead, use cardboard, sticky tape, and a damp towel.[3]  Put the broken glass into a plastic bag and place into a recycling container marked specifically for CFL's.  Then wash your hands thoroughly.  Consumers can be fined if they do not dispose of their broken or burned out CFL light bulbs through proper recycling solutions.[4]  To find a CFL recycling location near you, CLICK HERE.

CFL's continue to evolve, with dimmable bulbs now available, along with 3 way varieties.  Although the lumens are not as distinguishable as between the old 50/100/150 incandescent bulbs, the energy saved will certainly out way the difference, and time will allow for improvements.  We will also begin to see more Light Emitting Diodes (LED's) in the market.  LED's last even longer than CFL's and each year there is an increase of LED's used in holiday lighting.

Warm Glow vs Intense Light
When selecting light bulbs look for lumen's or the amount of light that will be produced instead of watts, the amount of energy the bulb will burn.  Another change to take note of is the word Kelvin (K).  Kelvin is used to indicate the comparative color appearance of a light source.  Our old yellowish incandescent bulbs are about 2700K, the compact fluorescent bulbs (CFL's) range from 2700K to 7500K, and higher.  So if you prefer the warm glow of incandescent, look for the CFL with lower Kelvin temperatures.  The CFL's with a Kelvin temperature of 5,000K to 6,500K provide a bluish, or intense, light.[5]  To see the difference, CLICK HERE: 

Without question, Thomas Edison's invention has changed our world.  But the incandescent light bulb was born in 1879, and it has had remarkable few updates over the years.  I think Mr. Edison would agree, it's time to give it a remake.

Questions about lighting?
Click here to e-mail Bill Shewman, Lighting Sales Consultant for Trinity Home Design Center.

Notes & References:
[1] WorldNetDaily, "Congress bans incandescent bulbs." December 19, 
                    2077.http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=45156 (accessed March 15, 2011).
[2] Farah, Joseph | WorldNetDaily. "Consumers in dark over risks of new light bulbs." April 16, 
                    2007.http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=411122 (accessed March 15, 2011).
[3] Farah, Joseph | WorldNetDaily. "Light-bulb ban craze exceeds disposal plans." May 31, 
                    2007.http://www.wnd.com/news/article.arp?ARTICLE_ID=55948 
                    (accessed March 15, 2011). 
[4] Wikipedia, "Compact fluorescent lamp." March 17, 2011.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
                    Compact_fluorescent_lamp (accessed March 17, 2011).
[5] Lavelle, Marianne | USNews. " FAQ: The end of the light bulb as we know it." December 19, 
                    2007.http://money.usnews.com/money/business-econoby/articles/2007/12/19/
                    faq-the-end-of-the-light-bulb-as-we-know-it (assessed December 15, 2011).

Trinity's Going Social!

The world is changing.  Not fast enough for some, too fast for others.  This can also be seen as a good thing, or a bad.  We think it's somewhere in between the two.  Picture this:

It's pouring rain and you're almost out of gas.  You pull into a gas station and a young kid, your neighbor's high school son, meets you at your window.  He asks you, "What would you like?" then proceeds to pump the gas for you.  But he doesn't stop there.  He lifts the hood of the car, checks the oil level, and washes the mud splatters off your windshield.  He even wishes you "good day" as you pull away.  All while wearing a rain coat that's barely keeping the freezing rain from drenching him to the bone!  

Now, THAT's what customer service used to be!  And that is what America wants and needs.  That's why social medias such as Twitter and Facebook have become so popular.  People are connecting again.  They're finding old school friends, long lost neighborhood pals, and family members that have moved to other states.  Social medias are bringing back kindness, manners, and hand shakes through a "LIKE" button, or a "Tweet I hear ya" back into society.  They are what their name implies - Social.  And they're connecting people and businesses again.

Trinity is going SOCIAL.  We have a brand new website  at TrinityHomeCenter with lots of pictures and an Online Lighting Catalog for your convenience!  We're also on Facebook at Trinity Home Design Center and Twitter at TrinityHDC, as well as this Blog where we can keep you up to date with the latest news or specials in the market place. 

We want to get to know you again, to listen to you and find out what we can do to help you.  We'll be offering tips and solutions for those do-it-yourself projects that you ask us about.  We'll inform you of what's new for the year, and give you a heads-up of what's being discontinued.  We'll offer you a personal tour of our showrooms and introduce you to our employees, so that you will feel as at home as we do, in our store.  Now, we won't be pumping your gas and checking your oil in the rain... but we do promise you a cup of coffee and a hardy handshake, and the best customer service around when you walk through our door.

Hope to see you soon! 

The Staff at Trinity Home Design Center