I'm considering having contractors replace some carpet and vinyl flooring with tile. Possibly also re-tile an existing kitchen counter and shower. I heard they have to use a lot of water to install and cut the tiles. The contaminated water is not allowed to be poured into the drains or sewers here, so what are the tile contractors supposed to do with all that water?
Contaminated with what? Ceramic dust and grout residue would not be considered contaminants in any remotely sane area. If you are in an insane area (CA perhaps) then the local contractors already know how to deal with their waste products.
Pete C.
Our tile contractor kept the wet saw on the lawn. I would not describe the amount of water as a "lot". I don't recall any residue on the lawn either, though I might have hosed the area when they finished. Wet saws cut fairly fast, and the amount of water is only onto the blade - very little water, IMO.
What would be harmful in tile dust, unless it was some exotic thing with fancy glazes? I mean, we off of stuff that isn't that different from tile.
aem sends...
We don't "eat" tile and we don't eat the Teflon on the frying pans. I'm not sure how "toxic" it is, but it clogs drains and may kill fish in the creeks the street drains run to. Nothing is supposed to be "dumped" into the street drains here. I had a previous house where the tile person worked on the back yard, then the neighbor complained because the tile dust ran into their yard and made a mess in their landscaping when the sprinklers came on or it rained.
I've never washed out into "drains or sewers" so maybe you're too concerned. As long as you have grass, any smart (that rules out many) tileman will wash out into the grass and water it in real good. Maybe you better stress this point to the tileman BEFORE you let him work for you. The worst customer is one who brings up these issues when I'm well into a job. I've always been real particular about cleaning up 100%.
A couple of times I got trapped into jobs and found out they wouldn't let me wash out ANYWHERE on the property, telling me I had to take the grout water, dirty buckets etc home to clean (an hour away). Imagine that........their grass was too good for my washing out, but _my_ yard met their standard.......... no problem, I won't say what I did with it, but I left with clean buckets and tools :-)
thetiler
Gee, if life is that tough for you you'd better sell that place and move.
there are lots of dumpsters that are un-attended at night
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In my area they just drink it and chew up up the residue with a bran muffin. The next morning they can *lay* a new batch of rope tile.
I think the drain issue is probably about thinset mortar. If the guy washes wet mud from pan and tools, this stuff would be a problem going into drains. The tile cutter wouldn't have a significant amount of residue.
clipped
I don't usually try to beat dead dogs, but .... how much tile would a person have to cut to produce a significant amount of dust? Enough to wash into the neighbor's yard? We did have a neighbor's tile contractor wash out his grout buckets and dump the residue on the landscaping. The grout made a hardened crust over a small area. Better to dump it into a plastic lined trash container, let it harden, then dispose of. I would not rinse the grout into plumbing or sewers, just for the fact it will settle and likely accumulate downline.
As for health hazards, I would expect dust to be a respiratory hazard that requires protection.
That is like our condo board .. supposed to take dogs off the property to do their duty on someone else's lawn :o) We have pick-up laws, and folks are really good about it. If every doggy goes on someone else's lawn, I guess it comes out pretty even :o)
Ceramic dust doesn't clog drains. It's the same as putting grass clippings in the storm sewer: it provides "roughage," promotes regularity, and decreases the chance for sewer cancer.
If you're careful, like doing it at night, no one will notice.
Ignore the old biddy next door. She'd probably complain over loud music, too.
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