From the Ground Up: Plumbing

Ultra-Clean Water on Tap
The most effective water filters have three sets of filters: a screen to catch sediment; a solid block of activated carbon to take out those things that affect taste, odor, and color, as well as some cancer-causing compounds like PCBs; and a reverse-osmosis (RO) filter that captures everything else, including lead and arsenic. Such a three-stage unit was installed at the Santa Fe TV project. The downsides of RO are the costly filters (replacements run about $100 every two to five years) and constant backflushing: A gallon of water goes down the drain for every 4 gallons of clean water that are produced

Plastic Water Pipes
For the water-supply pipes in the Santa Barbara and Manchester TV projects, Richard used PEX tubing, a flexible pipe that saves about 50 percent on installation time compared with copper. One end connects to a distribution manifold, seen at right, and the other end terminates at the plumbing fixture—no solder needed. "And fewer connections means less chance of leaks," Richard says. PEX is also immune to the copper-unfriendly water found in some parts of the country. Even so, it doesn't enjoy universal code approval. Check with your town before committing to PEX.

Hot Water on Demand
Unlike a standard water heater, which works night and day to keep a 40- to 80-gallon tank of water toasty, on-demand heaters have no tanks. They heat only the water that flows through the pipes when a hot-water tap is opened. That makes them as much as a third more efficient and much longer-lasting than most tank-type heaters, although at a price that's two to four times greater. Electric units are available, but Richard says gas units last longer and generally are cheaper to operate. (The gas heater at left, with its cover removed, shows the copper heat exchanger.) Proper sizing is critical; most on-demand heaters can handle only one task at a time, which means you can wash the dishes or the clothes but not both at once.

Ultra-low-flow toilet
The 1.6-gallon low-flow toilet is the industry standard, but now there are ultra-low-flow, dual-flush versions that use just 0.8 gallon of water to get rid of liquid waste. This wall-mounted dual-flush toilet from Caroma also saves space: Its remote tank fits into the stud wall up to 10 feet from the bowl.

In-home fire control
Fire sprinklers are appearing in more homes, due in part to codes in some cities, but also because sprinkler systems can shave insurance rates by 5 to 10 percent. The newest systems use flexible PEX tubing, which is cheaper and easier to install than rigid pipe. And because PEX systems are connected to the home's plumbing, water in the tubing is constantly being exchanged and flushed, so it doesn't stagnate or lose pressure. (Stand-alone systems need periodic flushing and backflow valves to prevent contamination of the fresh water supply.)