[Aroy]

The algea build up is there in our garden hoses, which are of clear plastic type. There is no algea in the opaque rubber hoses. So I guess sunlight is the culprit.

We have never found algea in brass fixures, as brass is supposed to be an excellent antibacterial. Modern taps are either stainless steel or chromium plated, which may not inhibit algea. So I suggest that all the outdoor fixtures be changed to plain brass taps.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Aroy

Modern taps are either stainless steel or chromium plated

They will not be chromium plated on the inside.

I haven't heard of brass being antibacterial. The only metal I have heard of being such is silver. But that may just mean I didn't hear of it before.

[whitewing]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

...
I haven't heard of brass being antibacterial. The only metal I have heard of being such is silver. But that may just mean I didn't hear of it before.

Copper and its alloys are proven to have anti microbial properties. Copper Sulphate is an excellent killer of algae and fungus.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

They will not be chromium plated on the inside.

I haven't heard of brass being antibacterial. The only metal I have heard of being such is silver. But that may just mean I didn't hear of it before.

https://www.copper.org/applications/...e%20infections.

That is why brass was preffered material for door handles and name plates.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Very interesting, guys. Thank you.

Originally Posted by Aroy

https://www.copper.org/applications/...e%20infections.

That is why brass was preffered material for door handles and name plates.

I felt a bit dubious about this: "When cleaned regularly, frequently touched surfaces manufactured from uncoated copper alloy materials will continuously kill bacteria that cause infections." but then I googles a bit and took a look at Metallic Copper as an Antimicrobial Surface

But "first solid antimicrobial material?" I was told by a metallurgist at a Goldsmiths' Hall exhibition in London that silver has this property. That must have been about 40 years ago. Of course, most silver items that we come in contact with also contain a small amount of copper. Double hit?

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Originally Posted by Thad E Ginathom

But "first solid antimicrobial material?" I was told by a metallurgist at a Goldsmiths' Hall exhibition in London that silver has this property. That must have been about 40 years ago. Of course, most silver items that we come in contact with also contain a small amount of copper. Double hit?

Rich families used silver vessels to store water. Middle class families used brass or copper. Filthy rich people and kings, of course, used gold. Copper is mixed with silver and gold to impart strength, and yes, maybe, copper is used instead of something else because of its qualities. My mom, because of unpredictable failures in water supply, used to store water in two pots purchased from somewhere in TN. Maybe, Madurai. We still have them, but not used. One is Copper Other is brass. both were 10l + capacity. And water used to be stored in these pots for weeks and months. Never an infection due to drinking such stored water.

And for cooking, they used copper utensils with a zinc coating inside. The coating needed periodic renewal, done by nomadic people. Like the people who carried a cycle wheel in a frame to sharpen knives, these people were a common sight. Nowadays, we take zinc tablets for immunity, silver coated pens for proofing water during travel. And water jugs with a copper layer inside.

[thanixravindran]

I have heard about Copper for storing water ('Seppu kudam' in Tamil, Copper pot is a common word) and Silver (vessels mainly for eating) but am a bit surprised about Brass ('Pithalai' in Tamil). I have not heard about the anti bacterial properties of Brass as it is used as cooking utensil mainly. Most Brass vessels were coated with Lead even few decades earlier in TN ('Eeyam poosudhal' in Tamil). Brass used to be looked down as cheap and though it is not algae but it forms a green layer like algae when it is continuously used and once Lead coating is worn off. Given the awareness about Lead hazards, I don't think there is anymore Lead coating done even for older utensils. Now everything is taken over by stainless steel and plastics.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Brass is copper and zinc, so if copper is antimicrobial, I guess brass is going to be.

Thanks to google:

verdigris: a bright bluish-green encrustation or patina formed on copper or brass by atmospheric oxidation, consisting of basic copper carbonate.

I can't imagine cookware being coated in lead, as its melting point is so low. Copper is tinned, to resist acids.

[rdst_1]

Originally Posted by thanixravindran

I have heard about Copper for storing water ('Seppu kudam' in Tamil, Copper pot is a common word) and Silver (vessels mainly for eating) but am a bit surprised about Brass ('Pithalai' in Tamil). I have not heard about the anti bacterial properties of Brass as it is used as cooking utensil mainly. Most Brass vessels were coated with Lead even few decades earlier in TN ('Eeyam poosudhal' in Tamil). Brass used to be looked down as cheap and though it is not algae but it forms a green layer like algae when it is continuously used and once Lead coating is worn off. Given the awareness about Lead hazards, I don't think there is anymore Lead coating done even for older utensils. Now everything is taken over by stainless steel and plastics.

The insides of the brass utensils are covered with Tin and not Lead. Up north, it is called as 'Kalai karna'. Local hawkers would go from house to house to do the Tinning process. Nowadays very few of these guys remain and you have to carry your utensils to them instead.

[sagarpadaki]

Our 20+ year old solar water heater tank is rotting and leaking slightly. The panels are in ship shape. The tank is 200L capacity.

Do we get a tank only independently? Tried googling but did not get any leads. Hence asking here.Thanks

[Mortis]

Not sure if this belongs here or in the home appliances thread.
What kind and capacity geyser would be good to fill a full size bathtub with hot water ? Obviously the shower would be used more often so what would be an ideal setup for such use cases that is less wasteful ?
I currently have a 25L storage geyser in the other bathroom and know for sure that it wouldn't be enough to fill a bathtub even in stages.
Would a 35L geyser be the right choice or 50L ? What about those inline geysers ? I believe they only heat up the water to just about body temperature. Can one of those be used to preheat or post heat (?) the water along with the 35L storage geyser and only one of them could be used for taking a shower or will this be an insane electrical load when both are on at once ?

2nd question : Do booster pumps slow down the flow when not switched on ? Meaning of the normal flow rate is 10 lpm , will the pump fitment drop it to say 7-8 lpm if not turned on ?
Also what is a good, silent, reliable brand of pump ? Doesn't need to boost the pressure much

Originally Posted by sagarpadaki

Our 20+ year old solar water heater tank is rotting and leaking slightly. The panels are in ship shape. The tank is 200L capacity.

Do we get a tank only independently? Tried googling but did not get any leads. Hence asking here.Thanks

I guess first place to check would be the manufacturer or installer if they are still around 20 years later.
Another option would be to get one fabricated out of SS, noting the type and position of the inlet and outlet (no idea if there are baffles or anything else inside) and paint it in matte black high temp paint.
Last resort would be to replace the entire system.

[Thad E Ginathom]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Not sure if this belongs here or in the home appliances thread.
What kind and capacity geyser would be good to fill a full size bathtub with hot water ?

I think you have to fill your bath with known-size buckets of cold water and find out how much you are going to need.

2nd question : Do booster pumps slow down the flow when not switched on ? Meaning of the normal flow rate is 10 lpm , will the pump fitment drop it to say 7-8 lpm if not turned on ?
Also what is a good, silent, reliable brand of pump ? Doesn't need to boost the pressure much

It might be a case of good plumbing, well specified, could avoid it, but, we have a pressure pump and --- yes. If it has failed or there is no power, we only get a trickle through it. We can, by switching a couple of valves, by-pass it.

We have a Grundfoss pressure pump. I think they are the rolls royce of pumps in India. Ours is in a small room next to what then became a small studio flat. You can sleep next to it. Very quiet. And rather pricey.

[Jaguar]

What is the current approx per sq ft rate for making a wardrobe using marine ply and laminate doors? The property is in Trivandrum and one guy quoted 2500 with the fittings/accessories cost extra. I feel it is high as a small 2 door wardrobe with loft itself is costing 90k without any fittings. For reference, just before the pandemic, I got a 5 door wardrobe with loft from Godrej Interio for just over a lakh in Bangalore.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Mortis

Not sure if this belongs here or in the home appliances thread.
What kind and capacity geyser would be good to fill a full size bathtub with hot water ?....................................

2nd question : Do booster pumps slow down the flow when not switched on ? Meaning of the normal flow rate is 10 lpm , will the pump fitment drop it to say 7-8 lpm if not turned on ?
Also what is a good, silent, reliable brand of pump ? Doesn't need to boost the pressure much




................

1.
How many Litres is the average bathtub?
According to studies, the average bathtub holds approximately 132.5 litres of water. Assuming you leave enough room to actually get in and bathe in your tub, however, we can assume the average bath actually uses about 94.6 litres of water.

So you need around 100L of hot water. If the geyser heats it up to 90 degrees and you need 45 degrees, that means you need 50L of hot water in the tub, so a 50L geyser is the best option.

2.
It depends on the plumbing. If the pump is inline, then the pressure ewill decrease. How much depends on the resistance within the pump, that is whether the pump impeller is stiff or free flowing. Any way expect the pressure loss to be between 10% (best case) to 80%.

The solution as Thad says is to install a bypass which will route the water around the pump, a simple plumbing tast.

[Aroy]

Originally Posted by Jaguar

What is the current approx per sq ft rate for making a wardrobe using marine ply and laminate doors? The property is in Trivandrum and one guy quoted 2500 with the fittings/accessories cost extra. I feel it is high as a small 2 door wardrobe with loft itself is costing 90k without any fittings. For reference, just before the pandemic, I got a 5 door wardrobe with loft from Godrej Interio for just over a lakh in Bangalore.

Carpenters/fabricator rates are based on their own whim. You can calculate the approxomate costs as follows

1. Cost of marine ply. You need to know the size. Then consider the ply for front, back and sides.

2. Cost of shelves, can be calculated directly - shelf length x width x no of shelves

3. Cost of drawers. This has two componets - the wood work and the slides. Calculate the wood costs - length x width + perimeter x height. The cost of slides are available on the hardware sites -
https://web.hettich.com/en-in/produc...&targetGroup=0

4. You will also get the cost of various hardware here - hinges, handles , slides etc.

If you do not want to go through all this, then you have to rely on costs quoted. Just keep in mind to get the costs for specific materials used - Wood, Fittings, Laminates (if used), bonding aget etc.

Keep in mind that factory made furniture uses hot bonded laminates that cannot be duplicated by carpenters at home.