The Javelin Technologies Blog

Over the recent Christmas holidays, I became aware of what seemed to be the noise of constant running water in my toilet.  With a bit of investigation, and a bit of time, I was able to deduce that the flapper valve in my toilet was leaking, causing water to run into my toilet constantly, and just wasting the water.

Here’s how to tell if your flapper valve is leaking.  Don’t worry about touching the water in the tank, as it is the same water you drink.

1.  Pull the lid off the toilet tank.  Make sure to set the lid aside, and flat on the ground.
2. Use a bit of food colouring and place a few drops in the tank.
3. Come back in a while (minutes to hour) and see if the food colouring has started to leach into the toilet boil.  If you see food colouring in the bowl, chances are that you have a leaking flapper valve.

Fear not, as this is an easy and inexpensive fix.

1. Turn the water off to the toilet.  There is usually a valve located on the tank feed.
2. Flush the toilet and drain the water from the tank.
3. Locate your flapper valve – and gently remove it from the pins. (Note there are a few varieties of flapper valves, so use caution when removing).
4. Use a bit of Scotch-Brite Green scrubber pad to gently scrub any calcium, or iron that may have precipitated out of the water and onto the valve and the valve seat.
5. Reinstall the flapper valve.
6. Turn on the water to the tank, and add a few drops of food colouring back into the tank.

If the food colouring doesn’t leach into the bowl, you have fixed a leaky flapper valve.  If food colouring is still leaching, you will have to replace the flapper valve.  You can usually buy one for $5.00 to $10.00 dollars at your local home repair center.  Make sure to bring your old valve into the store to ensure you get the right one.

Replace the flapper valve as follows:

1. Follow steps 1 to 3 from above.
2. Install the new flapper valve.
3. Adjust the chain length to accommodate the amount of water flowing through when you push the lever
4. Turn the water back on.
5. Replace the toilet tank lid.

Additionally, you may want to use the time while the tank is drained to get a small brush and remove any “Guck” that has formed up on the components inside of the tank and tank walls.  A bit of vinegar added into the toilet tank will also help clean and disinfect.

If you are still having problems, you may want to call a plumber, as you may have a more serious problem.  Good luck!

SolidWorks Sustainability was introduced back in 2010 to assist engineers design renewable products in the early stages.  Here is an interesting article on this topic.

http://www.good.is/post/new-software-could-help-engineers-create-greener-products/

I just love a nice cold beer but I also have a big dilemma.  Should I buy cans or bottles?  It tastes great out of both but since I have been spending time with the Javelin Green team and also had some training on the SolidWorks SustainablityXpress product I feel that I need to get that question answered.  I want to enjoy my beer and also be environmentally responsible.

So I asked Joseph Vera from inkaverna (www.inkaverna.com) to do a quick life cycle assessment (LCA) for me to tell me which is a better container for my favourite beverage – can or bottle.  Joseph is a Sustainbility Expert and has a Masters in Engineering and Public Policy (and I know he likes beer too).  Joseph helps companies incorporate sustainability into their product design and he has been helping the Javelin Customer Care team with the development of sustainable design training and mentoring programs that we will be offering to our customers.

In the video below Joseph runs through a LCA and gives us the answer to this very important question.  Please check it out.

For anyone who would like to learn more about sustainable design both Javelin and inkaverna would be pleased to help you out.

Thanks for the help with this Joseph.  I owe you a nice cold Steamwhistle beer (hint).