Strawberry 1 HOA – Installing the Toilets

The new high-efficiency toilets at the Strawberry HOA have been installed!  Beginning on August 1, 2013 and lasting just one full week, some 80 new 0.8gpf toilets have replaced the obsolete 5.0gpf toilets that were once dominant across the property.

Generally, the installations went very smoothly.  Residents seemed to be quite pleased with the quality of the installation job and with the professionalism of the plumbers.  Some mentioned being surprised at how efficiently the toilets performed given the unfamiliar low volume of water used with each flush.  Some mentioned being surprised to see that instead of the common handle to produce the flush, there is instead a push button on the new models.  Across the board, residents really seem to be enjoying the novelty and effectiveness new fixtures and the benefits they bring to the community.

There were, as with any major project, a few hiccups during the installation process.  For example, in some units it was very difficult to locate the shut-off valves to cut the water supply in the units.  This led to some delay in the physical installation of the new toilets.  In other homes, the piping or supply lines didn’t quite line up and there was a bit of leaking after putting the new toilets in.  While this was startling for the homeowners to see after the plumber had left, it was easily remedied with a phone call and a return visit by the plumber equipped with adapters.  Some toilets were stuck, as if they were permanently glued, to the floor and had to be smashed out.  What a sight!  In one scenario, water began pouring all over the place and required quite the cleanup.  After all was said and done, after the plumbers had left and the job was deemed complete, there were many new toilets installed in the residences of happy homeowners.

CAP Management has certainly learned some very valuable lessons with these installations.  Next time, our hired plumbers will have to identify the shut-off valves in each unit prior to beginning the installation.  In addition, further steps to avoid any leaking may need to be taken before and during any installations within a home.  We may now move forward with similar projects in the future having been exposed to these particularities and knowing what to expect.

Now that the toilet replacement part of this project has been completed, we move onto the next phase of our project at the Strawberry HOA: the installation of the xeric landscaping.  This conversion of turf grass to flora requiring little water will further reduce the amount of water consumed at the property.

To highlight the success of our toilet initiative, we filmed on site during one day of installations.  Please visit www.capmanagement.com to view the informative video and to learn more about our efforts in environmental sustainability.  Also look for the next edition in the blog series.  Thanks for your interest!