Ed Del Grande.
What work do you do?
I am a home-improvement TV host, master plumber, columnist, author, and how-to expert for Kohler Co.
In my work for Kohler, I travel across the country to green building shows, consumer events, and industry trade shows to demonstrate new high-efficiency toilets that use less water without sacrificing quality or performance. My main title as of late — though not official — could be green builder and crusader for water-conserving toilets!
How does it relate to the environment?
When wearing any one of my many professional hats, I help spread the word about easy do-it-yourself projects that help people spruce up their homes in ways that don’t use a lot of resources — financial, environmental, or otherwise.
With Kohler, I host presentations that show the technology behind high-efficiency toilets and demonstrate how they deliver strong flushes and still use less than 1.3 gallons per flush (which is significantly lower than the industry standard of 1.6 gpf mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 1992). Once builders and the public realize they can have high performance and still save water, it’s a pretty easy sell to get them to think “green” about toilets. To sum it up, we help the public accept new water-conservation products and ideas.
What are you working on at the moment?
I have a very good reputation in the media business as a master contractor and plumber in the how-to home-improvement industry, and I am the only home-improvement expert with a reputation for working with professional contractors as well as do-it-yourselfers. Because of this, I receive calls from media outlets like HGTVPro.com, Scripps Howard News Service, Penguin Publishing Group, and DIY Network to provide services for their organizations to attract contractors, do-it-yourselfers, viewers, and readers and educate them about home improvement.
And my first book, Ed Del Grande’s House Call, was released this month. I’m also planning another year of projects and live events with Kohler Co. We just finished up the National Kitchen and Bath Show in Las Vegas, and in early June I’ll be in San Francisco at the Pacific Coast Builders Show to continue spreading the word about water conservation.
In addition, we’ve recently had eight Kohler and Sterling toilets independently tested and approved to bear the new WaterSense label launched by the U.S. EPA, which means the toilets use at least 20 percent less water than standard 1.6-gallon toilets while still meeting strict flushing performance guidelines. WaterSense, similar to Energy Star, promotes the value of water and helps Americans make smart decisions regarding water use and water-using products, in part through partnerships with manufacturers. In short, WaterSense offers consumers a simple way to choose products that use less water without sacrificing quality or performance.
What long and winding road led you to your current position?
A lifetime of work in the construction industry as a contractor and plumber, plus a 10-year career as a professional comedian. When I combined the two in 1990, I became one of the pioneers in building the television how-to home-improvement industry. I helped build HGTV during the ’90s, then moved on to help launch and build DIY Network in the late ’90s to the present. Now I’m moving on to help Scripps Networks launch HGTVPro.com for the broadband media market of the future!
Where were you born? Where do you live now?
I was born in Rhode Island, and though I get to travel extensively around the country, I still call Rhode Island home.
What has been the worst moment in your professional life to date?
Long ago, when I was a full-time plumber working for my father’s company, I was under a lot of pressure for a kid in his late 20s with a wife and an infant child. Every day I had to deal with the stress of running the family business and dealing with my father, who had pretty exacting standards. My worst moment was realizing that I had no other option but to start my own business and give up the family business.
What’s been the best?
That same event!
What environmental offense has infuriated you the most?
Litter. There is no excuse for it. If I see anyone litter, I lose all respect for them.
Who is your environmental hero?
Anyone that does something to help the environment is my hero, whether you clean up a park, install a water-saving toilet or low-flow showerhead, or whatever.
What’s your environmental vice?
No matter what I do, I try to be conservative and cut back on any waste, so hopefully that helps out across the board whether I’m driving, boating, or using my woodstove.
How do you spend your free time (if you have any)? Read any good books lately?
Funny you should ask! I just read my new book again, and without sounding one-sided, I think it’s a wonderful book for those tackling do-it-yourself projects!
What’s your favorite meal?
I live by the ocean, so naturally I love any type of seafood.
Which stereotype about environmentalists most fits you?
I drive a small practical vehicle that is good on gas.
What’s your favorite place or ecosystem?
The ocean. I love boating and I work hard here in Rhode Island to help protect our bay.
If you could institute by fiat one environmental reform, what would it be?
I would like to see tougher fines for littering and have them strictly enforced. I believe most people litter because they are uncaring and feel they can get away with it.
Who was your favorite musical artist when you were 18? How about now?
I always liked James Taylor‘s songs, and I still enjoy his music today.
What’s your favorite TV show?
Which actor would play you in the story of your life?
If you could have every InterActivist reader do one thing, what would it be?
Replace your present toilet with a new bulk-flushing water-saving toilet with less than 1.6 gallons per flush. Kohler offers several models of water-conserving toilets with varying levels of water savings. This simple change can save thousands of gallons of water each year. Anyone can do this or have it done for a reasonable cost and still have a powerful flushing toilet. If everyone does their part for water conservation, the impact on our water supply will be incredible!
Plumb and Plumber
Wouldn’t a composting toilet save even more water? What are their disadvantages as compared to the low-flush toilets you advocate? – Jessica McNamara, Tonasket, Wash.
Ed Del Grande, master plumber and how-to expert.
Composting toilet systems are the ultimate water-saving toilets — that’s the good news. The disadvantage is that because it’s a composting toilet “system,” you need to have a storage area for the waste to break down. Usually this will take place in an underground tank, so normally this type of system is found in remote areas that are not on public sewer systems. You also need to check your local codes before installing a composting toilet system. Composting toilets are a good water-saving idea, but not for everyone or every area, so it’s up to you to decide. In most cases, a high-efficiency toilet may be a more practical solution, since it can be installed on any standard plumbing system.
My “other” insists that his shower is not wasting water. His setup: a pipe stretching to the other end of the shower, both ends spewing water as if in a spa. He says the same amount of water is pushing through the two openings as if it were one. I say “poppycock.” There has to be more force to get the water over to the other end of the shower, therefore causing more water to flow through the pipes. This has been an ongoing debate for over 12 years! Please settle it once and for all! – Nancy Fidel, Coconut Creek, Fla.
Without seeing this shower setup I cannot tell you who is right. What I can tell you is that the standard regulation for water use in the shower is 2.5 gallons per minute. So to solve this problem, get two five-gallon buckets and put one under each showerhead. After a minute, if the total combined water use is over 2.5 gallons, there’s your answer. Kohler Co. does make an eco-friendly 2.0 gpm showerhead that saves water and delivers a very strong spray of water, so there’s your compromise!
If I put a brick in my toilet tank, what material should the brick be, what size is best for water saving, what overall shape should the brick be, and where exactly should it be placed in the toilet tank? – Beverly Smith, Cottonwood, Ariz.
You should not put any type of brick in a toilet. Newer toilets are specially designed to flush using the required amount of water needed for the bowl without any obstruction in the tank. It’s OK to lower the water line to acceptable levels in a toilet as per the manufacturer’s instructions, but blindly tossing a brick in the tank may not be a good idea. A better option might be choosing a toilet with a water-saving flushing system. Look for the EPA’s new WaterSense label, which means the toilets use at least 20 percent less water than standard 1.6 gpf toilets while still meeting strict flushing performance guidelines. This way you get exactly what you’re looking for and don’t have to risk causing damage inside the tank.
In other parts of the world, waterless urinals are being promoted. They have even been proposed as an “environmental good” in the current multilateral trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization. What’s your opinion of waterless urinals? Do you think there is much of a potential market for them in the U.S.A.? – Ronald Steenblik, Paris, France
Kohler Co. recently came out with a line of waterless urinals. Once I started working with them and saw the innovative developments, it convinced me there is a huge market for them in the U.S., both for residential and commercial use. The engineers have told me that one waterless urinal installed in a commercial setting can save up to 40,000 gallons of water a year! Now you know why I’m such a believer in the potential for the public to accept and install all kinds of water-conserving products at home and at the office!
Are there any toilets currently available designed to use gray water? Are there any particular concerns you think need to be addressed in converting a regular tank toilet to use gray water? – Alexander Drywall, Boston, Mass.
Any toilet can use gray water. A gray-water system can be installed in a house to collect used non-sewage water from fixtures like showers and sinks, filter the debris from the water, and store it in a tank to be pumped into the toilet for use. Gray water is not potable water, and permits and codes have to be followed to have this system installed in a home. A properly installed gray-water system usually doesn’t require any special conversions to the toilet, since the water will have been treated and filtered before it gets to the toilet tank. But, as always, check your local codes.
My friend has to replace her septic tank in Paradise, Calif., very soon, and they have strict laws regarding this. What would be her “greenest” option? – Kat Hanlon, Oakland, Calif.
A properly installed and operating septic system is a “green” system. Septic tanks separate and store the heavy solids, then pipe off the remaining wastewater to a leach field, where it starts its journey of filtering through the earth to rejoin the groundwater table. Yearly pumping of the tank’s waste is recommended. The important thing to do to keep your tank “green” is to use a licensed septic contractor who will follow all the local codes and take out the proper permits for the job. After that, your local building office will inspect and approve the system and you’re good to go!
I work for a hotel development company and have desperately been trying to find a rain showerhead that is not a water hog. Are there any out there that you know of? – Name not provided, Teton Village, Wyo.
Kohler Co. makes a complete line of performance showerheads for residential and commercial use that meet or beat the water-saving 2.5 gpm regulations. The good news is that even though these are environmentally friendly showerheads, they are designed to deliver a strong powerful shower spray. Your hotel guests and the person who pays the water bills will both love the performance showerheads.
Every time we take a shower, especially in the morning, we end up wasting the initial cold flow until the water warms up. Is there a device/gizmo/trick to capture the wasted water for use in the yard? – Helik Shemer, Leesburg, Va.
The best way to save water is to not use it in the first place. There are recirculating hot-water pumps and systems that a licensed plumber can install in your home. The system ensures your shower will get hot water right away, thus saving a lot of the wasted cold water, just like the hotels do! Look into “residential recirculating hot-water systems”; I think that might be exactly what you’re looking for.
From your professional work and perhaps from personal travels, have you seen toilets in other parts of the world that are just as good or better for water conservation as the ones you’re helping to promote these days? – Bill Mott, Providence, R.I.
I have not had the pleasure to travel out of this country yet, but I have read up on how toilets around the world operate. In America, we use a siphon jet system in which water is actually “pulled” from the bowl. In Europe, most toilets are gravity flush bowls, which simply means the water floods the bowl quickly and is “pushed.” Many offer full or half flush options. Sterling Plumbing has developed a dual-flush system that offers a full gravity flush of 1.6 gallons, and a water-saving half-gallon flush. This also combines a new bowl flushing system that pushes and pulls the water at the same time. This is a very efficient system that is available here in America.
When I open the hot-water faucet in my bathroom, the water flows for a while, then I hear a violent knocking in my pipes and the water stops. Any ideas? – Paul LeRoux, Lakewood, Colo.
Sounds like it could be a loose or broken rubber washer in the shut-off valve for the hot-water side of the faucet. As the hot water passes over or through the broken rubber washer, the washer may be expanding and choking off the pipe. A licensed plumber should look at this.
I live in a 44-year-old house with equally old pipes and drains. I’ve witnessed the powerful flushing capacity of some of these newly designed toilets. I’m concerned about installing one of these toilets in my house for fear that the force of the discharge will break the discharge drains. Is this a valid concern or not? – Pam Paquette, Somerset, Mich.
While the new high-efficiency toilets do deliver a powerful flush with less water, they are designed to meet the standards of normal drainage systems. If you are that concerned about your delicate drain lines, I would have a plumber check out your system and replace any bad areas. You may also have old lead drains that should be removed regardless of what type of toilet you are using. Good luck!
