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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015 EASTOREGONIAN.COM • PAGE 7 HOME & GARDEN A home improvement that can save money (BPT) — For many homeowners the biggest utility bill is electricity. Heating and cooling the home makes up nearly half of electricity costs, but the next biggest source is the water heater. Water heaters can account for up to 25 percent of total household energy use. Taking steps to improve the energy ef- ¿FLHQF\ RI D KRPH ZLWK better insulation and more HI¿FLHQW IXUQDFHV DQG DLU conditioners can reduce HQHUJ\ FRVWV VLJQL¿FDQWO\ as can making sure water heaters are operating prop- erly. However, purchasing a KLJKHI¿FLHQF\ ZDWHU KHDW- er does little good if the environment in which it operates is not right. The main culprit in reducing the HI¿FLHQF\ RI ZDWHU KHDWHUV Hard water can reduce the HI¿FLHQF\ RI ZDWHU KHDW- ers and increase electricity costs by as much as 48 per- cent, according to the Bat- telle Memorial Institute. The problem can be par- ticularly severe with elec- tric water heaters. These can accumulate up to 30 pounds of calcium carbon- ate, a rock-like scale, even- tually damaging the heating element which will have to be replaced. The cost of PHOTO COURTESY BPT hard water is not higher just 3XUFKDVLQJDKLJKHIÀFLHQF\ZDWHUKHDWHUGRHVOLWWOHJRRGLI because of reduced energy WKHHQYLURQPHQWLQZKLFKLWRSHUDWHVLVQRWULJKW7KHPDLQ HI¿FLHQF\ DQG KLJKHU HOHF- FXOSULWLQUHGXFLQJWKHHIÀFLHQF\RIZDWHUKHDWHUVLVKDUG tric bills; hard water also ZDWHU1HDUO\SHUFHQWRI$PHULFDQKRPHVKDYHKDUGZDWHU damages appliances like ZKLFKFRQWDLQVKLJKOHYHOVRIFDOFLXPDQGPDJQHVLXP water heaters, dish washers, shower heads and faucets. is hard water. Nearly 90 minerals cause scaling, a These must be repaired and percent of American homes buildup that clogs water- replaced more often as a re- have hard water which con- lines and plumbing forcing sult. tains high levels of calci- appliances to work harder To determine if you um and magnesium. These DQGRSHUDWHOHVVHI¿FLHQWO\ have hard water, look for Eastern Oregon Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC Residential & Commercial “The Comfortable Choice” spots and scale build-up RQ ¿[WXUHV ³$ OHVV REYL- ous indication is the lack of that luxury feeling of a hot shower you get at a nice ho- tel,” says Michael Mecca of Performance Water Prod- XFWV ³7KDW IHHOLQJ LV QRW because of the nice towels and soaps. It’s because nice hotels use soft water not only for their guests’ bene- ¿W EXW DOVR WR SURWHFW WKHLU investments in boilers, pip- LQJDQG¿[WXUHV´ .LWFKHQV EHQH¿W IURP soft water as well because soft water is up to 12 times more effective at cleaning dishes than increasing the amount of detergent used. Researchers also found that for washing machines, the most important factor in removing stains from cloth- ing was water softness. Re- duction of water hardness was up to 100 times more effective at stain removal than increasing the deter- gent dose or washing with hotter water. In fact, soft water can reduce soap use by as much as half. Many water treatment companies offer free tests to homeowners to measure the degree of hardness in the water and offer appro- SULDWHV\VWHPVWKDW¿W ³+DUGQHVV LQ ZDWHU FDQ vary widely in some parts of the country and pipe size, number of bathrooms, number of people in the house, types of shower- heads and intended use all need to be considered for the right system,” says 0HFFD ³:HOOV LQ SDUWLFX- lar, are susceptible to hard water since municipal water SEE MONEY/9 When every dollar counts these days, stop by Elmer’s. We have local familiar faces ready to help you with your irrigation projects. Proudly serving Eastern Oregon & Southeast Washington since 1978 Front left to right: Joey Gutierrez, Becky Hayden, Richard Hayden, Tess Sabuco, Nikole Green Back left to right: Mike Fine, Jeff Pederesen, Nick Gutierrez Brayann Mendoza, Scott Bishop, Brian Van Cleave Air Conditioning • Refrigeration • Gas Furnaces Geo Thermo Heat Pumps • Ice Machines Gas Hot Water Heaters • Gas Fireplaces Sheetmetal Inspections and More! FEATURING: Pipe: PVC, galvanized & black fittings; Filters: Clemons, CTC, Gheen; Pumps: Small centricial pumps , Pressure Tanks; Lawn & garden supplies: K-Rain sprinklers & valves; Hand line, Main line, wheel line: gaskets & fittings, pipe cutting & threading Pivot parts; Pivot sprinkler packages: Nelson & Senninger Motors: UMC and US; Wheel Boxes: UMC & Valley Valves: Butterfly, ball, gate, check Automatic control valves: Nelson, Netafim “The Best Little Irrigation Company in the Northwest” 541-567-3095 82000 Hwy 395 N., Hermiston (Old Road Runner H&C building) CCB #189229 Quality Work at a Competitive Price! ELMER’S IRRIGATION, INC. 80527 Hwy 395 N. • Hermiston • 541-567-5572
