We had coverd Hawkins way back in 2007. Since then, the company has revamped their website.

Please update your bookmarks for their new revamped website :

Hawkins Cookers

About Hawkins:

Hawkins Cookers Limited has been in business since 1959. Today, it has two offices, three factories and about 1000 persons working. It is the leader in the pressure cooker market in India and has exported its products since 1974 to various countries in each of the six continents of the world.

Hawkins has sold over 42 million pressure cookers worldwide. Today, it makes 57 different models of pressure cookers in 10 different types. All Hawkins pressure cookers are listed by Underwriters Laboratories Inc., USA, a not-for-profit institution testing products for public safety.

Each pressure cooker made by Hawkins features an inside fitting lid. This design is inherently safer than conventional pressure cookers. To open any Hawkins cooker, you have to first lower the lid slightly into the body of the cooker; and that cannot be done until the steam pressure inside the cooker falls to a safe level. Thus Hawkins pressure cookers are pressure-locked for safety – like a jetliner door!

The Hawkins Company is well known for not compromising on quality and for continual product innovation. The most thorough research and development, the most careful selection of materials, the best manufacturing practices and the strictest quality control – all go into making pressure cookers which are trusted by the millions of families using them.

Each cooker is tested to be leak-proof. Along with a superior pressure regulating system, this ensures that Hawkins cooks quickest. Each pressure cooker comes individually packed in an attractive full-colour carton. Cookbooks/Instruction Manuals come free with each pressure cooker. All Hawkins pressure cookers are guaranteed for five years.

Remember Reckitt Benckiser? The makers of products like:

• Airwick
• Brasso
• Clearasil
• Cherry Blossom
• Dettol
• Disprin
• Easy Off
• Harpic
• Mortein
• Robin
• Strepsils
• Sweetex
• Vanish
• Veet

Their website is now located at http://www.rb.com/home

We are please to announce that we have new and updated content on the “Grohe – Ask the experts” page for February 2009. The old content is captured in this post for your reference.

Previous Questions : Courtesy Grohe India Private Limited

1. I live on the 3rd floor of a 5 floor building. From the very beginning the apartment has a pressure problem for all the outlets like basin mixer, wall taps and shower heads. What corrective action you would recommend to improve pressure?

Mr. Anup Shinde, Vile Parle, Mumbai.

It looks like your problem is due to insufficient main/header lines. Possible solutions can be

1. Replacing the main water line by scraping the old one and putting in a new lining.
2. Replacing the main lining with a larger one.
3. Installing pumps to boost the pressure (if the pipe line is more than 12 years old boosters are not recommended).

2. We have a 5 year old house. Our tenants complain of clogged drains. We have spent a lot of money on rectifying this problem. Can you suggest some solutions?

Mr Pankaj Malhotra, G K 1, New Delhi

Reasons

• Dumping solid food materials into kitchen, bathroom drains.
• Pouring greasy sticky materials into your kitchen sink/gully traps.
• Pouring chemicals or paints in drains.
• Improper, inadequate venting.

Solutions

Use a plumber to declog your drain. This will work for clogs of smaller size. If it still persists, call an expert. Homemade solutions sometimes do not work for bigger clogs. Clogs can be removed using various techniques. Cable/curtain spring/bamboo stick can be used to remove solid clogs and break through roots.

High pressure water jetting is effective for clog that happen due to sticky greasy materials (if happens especially in new houses or renovations because the painters pour the waste paints in drains). Before using water jetting as option, it is important to know the quality of the plumbing materials used and ability of the plumber. High pressure used in the process of removing clogs may damage pipes if inferior quality material is used.

Check the vents provided for any visible blocks. Find out whether the venting is adequate for the fixture it serves. An expert can help you in this regard. If the venting is absent or inadequate, experts will give suitable solutions to overcome the problem.

3. What are green buildings? Do you have any products for these kinds of buildings?

P. Indrareddy, Builder, Habsiguda, Hyderabad

Green buildings can be defined as “A building which throughout its lifecycle (construction, usage, demolition/renovations) supports the local, regional and global environment.

Yes, Grohe certainly has some products which qualify the norms of USGBC and LEEDS. Some of our products like showers and basin mixers are certifies by WELS (Water efficiency Labelling Scheme) with star ratings of 3 and 5 respectively.

4. What is concealed cistern? Is it safe to install? Can it be repaired easily?

Mrs Radhika Bhatt, Indira Nagar, Bangalore

The cistern is built into the wall behind the toilet, mostly used along with wall mounted closets. It can be also used for squatting pans. This cistern will have dual flush actuation through a wall plate, with full and half flush provision. Yet it is very safe to install, one should buy the products from reputed manufacturers like Grohe who provide pre and post installation guidance by well trained technicians.

This is the number for Philips India – Customer Care

 1860 180 1111

Toll Free from BSNL and MTNL.

We are please to announce that we have new and updated content on the “Grohe – Ask the experts” page for December 2008. The old content is captured in this post for your reference.

Previous Questions : Courtesy Grohe India Private Limited

1. What causes the water temperature to change in the shower when someone flushes in the toilet or runs another water appliance in the house?

MR Rubin Mehta – Washi – Navi Mumbai

The possible reasons can be

- Differential hot and cold pressures
- Geyser is not connected with pressurized line
- Insufficient header line

During installation of pipe lines it is important to use pipes with enough volume and pressure so that many fixtures can be used at the same time. Running two fixtures is recommended on a 1/2″ line. So a standard bathroom would have a 3/4″ line for cold header line and a 1/2″ line for the hot water is sufficient.

2. What does a vent do for the plumbing system?

Varsha Usgaonkar, Interior designer, Navi Mumbai.

A plumbing system vent is basically used to “vent” the gasses off plumbing system in home or a commercial building. If you want to see a plumbing vent, look from your roof approximately 12″  high. For every pipe that goes down, one needs to go up. The obvious reason we have vents is that sewer gases need to be vented outside the dwelling. When water goes down a pipe, air needs to follow it.  Without the vent pipe, the draining liquid will try to such air through P-traps, Nahani traps, water seal of W.c. etc. If the air is sucked through any of the plumbing fixtures, the fixtures become dry or no water seal which will result in unbearable smell in house coming from the now dry seal on the P-Trap. Hence it is imperative that the waste and vent system should keep sewer gas out of the dwelling and also drain every fixture well.

3. Our house was constructed 20 years back. I am facing a peculiar problem since last 3 months. When I turn on my health faucet, I get black and smelly water and after about a minute it clears up. Smell also comes in my bathroom basin tap or cold water. Surprisingly I do not have this problem in my shower area. What can be the possible reason?

Mr. M.C. Mohan, Chinmaya Nagar. Chennai.

This problem is common in old galvanized iron supply pipes. Water color is mostly (rusty) red but sometimes black due to accumulations inside the pipelines. It usually happens in both hot and cold lines and it flushes out after a minute. Water color does not change in the shower area as there may not be any accumulation in that particular pipe. If possible, visually inspect your pipes to see the amount of accumulation inside your pipelines. If you find that there is a lot of accumulation, replacing the pipes is the best option.

4. Is vitrifies tile better than marble or granite?

MR. Y.P.K. Reddy, Gajuwaka, Vizag.

Vitrified tiles have far superior properties compared to marble or natural granite because being a manufactured product their quality is controlled whereas in naturally occurring marble and granite good quality is just a natural thing. Vitrified tiles posses much better mechanical strength, scratch resistance, resistance to acids, alkalies and chemicals, resistance to staining etc. compared  to marble or natural granite.

5. Can I use compressed air to pressure test a plastic plumbing system?

Mr. Vinod Chauhan, Project Engineer. Navi Mumbai.

No, unless the procedure being used has been clearly and explicitly approved by the manufacturer(s) of the plastic products or system being tested. Compressed air contains a large amount of stored energy that presents a serious safety hazard, should the piping system fail for any reason. The uncalibrated pressure gauge of the pressure system may also cause serious problems.

One of the first companies in India to promote plastic containers for kitchen and daily use. Yes, we are talking about Pearlpet.

Pearlpet’s name is derived from two parts – Pearl+PET. Pearl is the name of the parent company -”Pearl Polymers Limited” and PET is the short form for the scientific term “Poly ethylene terephthalate”

You can check out the advantages of PET at Pearlpet’s website here :

http://www.pearlpet.net/unique-advantages.html

They have a huge list of products for home use.

http://www.pearlpet.net/pearlpet.html

Company Profile from their website:

PEARLPET – Made by PEARL POLYMERS – is the leading packaging brand in India. Started in 1971, the company pioneered PET packaging in India in 1984. Today, the PEARLPET brand is a name known to all as a brand that promises reliability and quality. Made with the state-of-the-art technology, stringent quality control and precision engineering, PEARLPET offers the widest range of jars and bottles for usage in the kitchen, bedroom, office and everywhere else.

The PEARLPET range extends from the miniature 50gm Dibbi Jar to the smart looking 1kg Space Saver to the 8kg king-size kitchen wonder Jumbo Jar. Their incredible bottle collection ranges from the handy 500ml Mini bottle to the trendy 1litre Supreme Bottle.

We have recently introduced many innovative and modern designs such as the PETMINAR – India’s first inter-locking jars, the SUPER SAVER RANGE – India’s most space friendly jars, the 700ml Supreme bottle – Bottles for those on the go. But we are not yet finished with their innovations. We intend to introduce the trendiest and most modern looking jars and bottles that will be available in jazzy colors and designs soon.

PEARLPET has about 10,000 retailers, 20 super distributors spread around the country and every city almost has a distributor to cater to that area. The sales team consists of 35 people who visit the market and distributors on a daily basis to collect orders from us. The distribution channel for PEARLPET products is Company-Super Distributor- Authorized Distributor- Retailer/Wholesaler.

Grohe AG is Europe’s largest and the world’s leading single-brand manufacturer and supplier of sanitary fittings, holding roughly eight percent of the world market. As a global brand for sanitary products and systems, GROHE is setting standards in quality, technology and design and its products deliver the perfect flow of water.

Grohe in India markets two sets of products – one meant for bathrooms and the other for kitchen.

For more details please visit : http://www.grohe.co.in/p/44_6369.html

A small note - the products are mighty expensive and are meant only for the uber rich people !

About Durian [source : http://www.duriandecor.com/about.htm ]

The universally acclaimed mega brand ‘DURIAN’ which has already acquired a household name, and made a deep impact over the years in the building Industry with its multi range of Commercial and Marine Plywood, Decorative Plywood, Flush / Panel Doors with designer P.V.C sheets elegantly impregnated and supply of exquisitely chosen Imported Veneers; has taken a giant leap forward by capturing a major market share in the field of imported furniture.

It is the only brand in India that exclusively stocks only imported furniture, from a wide range of sofa sets, bunkers for children, computer workstations, centre tables, side tables, exclusive office furniture, study desks, dining tables, bar cabinets, bedroom and living room sets.  
   
The most coveted furniture styles from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Australia, Spain, Malaysia and Singapore have made their way to India thanks to Durian.

Their product range includes:

Living room

Bedroom (and)

Dining Room

Their showrooms are present in various cities in India. You can check out the address at :

http://www.duriandecor.com/showrooms.htm

Present in India since 2000 under the Lafarge Roofing name, MONIER offers a range of concrete roof tiles, glazed clay roof tiles, fittings and roof components specifically designed for the Indian roof market. Their products brings protection, comfort and aesthetics to any building they cover.

Click on image to enlarge. Image Courtesy : monier.in

Their website can be seen at : http://monier.in/

You can visit their virtual showroom at : http://www.monier.in/productrange/theroofworld.html

You can compare normal roof tiles versus Monier’s offering here :

http://www.monier.in/technicalguidance/preliminary-questions/clay-or-concrete.html

They also have a roof simulator which can be accessed here:

http://www.monier.in/productrange/roofsimulation.html

About Monier

Present in India since 1997 under the Lafarge Roofing brand name, MONIER started its operation in Calicut (Kerala) with very premium glazed clay tiles before introducing its concrete roof tiles  produced in Bangalore (Karnataka) and its range of Roof System Components.

Since 2000, millions of tiles have been sold, covering thousands of Indian homes with our concrete and clay offerings, confirming the market demand for MONIER products and systems. Parallelly, their roof system components has been appreciated with continuing growing sales. Their products have been used for prestigious housing projects as well as for cost efficient solutions for post Tsunami reconstruction projects, church and temple renovations, schools, etc…

Here is a striking bathroom concept by Cera. Doesn’t it make you want to have a bathroom as stylish and as neat as this one?

Click on the image to enlarge

Comments are welcome.