Idraulico per un futuro più verd


Translating…

Plumbing has changed a lot in the last 25 years. The materials used were not environmentally friendly. They mostly consisted of heavier metals, such as copper, steel and cast-iron and the tools required were also heavy and often dangerous, such as a hacksaw, blow-torch for soldering, and a huge plumber’s wrench. It is a changed world, and the field of plumbing is no different. Plumbers are now very conscious of the environment, and the choices they make as far as the materials they use for installations or renovations are always made with the idea of making as little negative impact on the environment as possible.Waste removal was one of the first purposes of plumbing. While this is still the case, waste removal equipment has come a long way.

In the past, toilets that used less water did not work well, but now they are just as good as normal toilets, and they save a huge amount of water. There are even toilets with dual flush options. One uses a lot of water and one uses just a little. There are even waterless urinals which use a special floating sealant. There are a lot of different plumbing products that focus on using less water. Low water use faucets and showers are becoming more efficient and popular, and they really do get you clean, just like a normal shower.

Tankless water heaters don’t use less water, but they use a lot less energy heating your water. This is thinking that goes into almost every new plumbing product: how can we have a shower that works just as well without wasting as much energy or water? The pipes that plumbers use have also changed a lot over the years, going from unwieldy, bulky and not environmentally friendly metals to the flexible epoxy piping that is available now. What makes it environmentally friendly is not the material it is made out of, but rather how long it lasts. Metal pipes corrode, leak, and can release harmful materials into the water table. Epoxy lasts at least twice as long, and doesn’t need to be thrown away to pollute the earth. Plumbing technology moved very quickly from a time when most plumbing and water systems were inside to a point where everything was inside. Not much attention was paid to efficiency during this transition.

It turns out the Romans, with their cisterns to capture rainwater, had it right. More and more people are using rainwater collection systems, and even gray water technology. The green roof is also making a comeback.Whereas doing an installation or renovation used to be a straightforward project because there weren’t many choices to be made, now there are many different considerations to take into account. Green roof technology, for instance, is really quite advanced and ingenious. It insulates your roof, cutting down on energy use and the heat island effect you create by releasing less heat into the neighborhood you live in. These new technologies combine more efficient energy use with more efficient water use. While plumbing choices have become more complex, they are definitely worth the effort. The new technologies are not only more affordable and cost-effective, but they also make our planet happy.