[Greenbuilding] Fixture Folly

[J M Alden]

Corwyn wrote:

> I suspect given the three sources requirement that you are going to be cobbling together something from parts.  I seem to remember from my foray into plumbing tubs, that I saw a simple on-off valve for a shower (i.e. not a diverter), which matched my other requirements, so it would have been a low-force ceramic valve.  Three of those with a combiner and a pot filler would (I hope) meet all your requirements. 

	Thank you, I shall inquire about a simple on-off valve at my local building supplies.

> Alternatively, is there any reason you *must* have the solar and the hot operable *at the tub*?  If not, I might put a mixing valve with a set temperature with the solar as the 'cold', near the tank.  That way it would pass straight solar unless it was too cold, or mix the minimum amount of hot to meet expectations.  Real 'cold' could then be added at the tub for personal preference.  That way you are in the region of standard plumbing. 

	I considered that, and I have not entirely rejected it.  I rejected it initially for two reasons.  First, my limited experience with mixing valves tells me that they can be finicky little devils, especially if you call upon them to do something which the designer did not intend, like work with pipes of different pressures (the hot water in my house all comes after a long run through the floor, for valid design reasons).  Second, it occurred to me that it might be a good idea to arrange things such that the end-user is forced to realize when he or she comes to the end of the renewably-generated hot water, so that he or she can then elect consciously to conserve, or not.

> Hope things are going well with you and yours, and have a Happy Solstice. 

	Things are too busy, but otherwise well enough.  Yay, solstice!  We're going to torch a bonfire as usual, and as usual, there is inclement weather in the forecast for the night in question.  All the best to yours.	

-Speireag.


--
Whenever I see a photograph of some sportsman grinning over his kill, I am always impressed by the striking moral and aesthetic superiority of the dead animal to the live one.
--Edward Abbey