Plumbing Tips: Water Saving Ideas
There are simple ways that you can save water in your home
. One way you can start saving water is by changing your water usage habits. Changing habits can be challenging and it wont happen overnight. At first, change only a few of your water usage habits and water conserving techniques. Change some more habits after you get more comfortable with conserving water in your home.
Ways to Change Your Water Usage Habits:
Brushing Teeth
Turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth. Most standard bathroom faucets use 2.5 gallons of water, per minute. Turning of the faucet while you brush your teeth could save hundreds of gallons of water each week.
Washing Dishes
Turn off the faucet while scrubbing dishes. A water conscious way to wash dishes is to do it in two steps. First, scrub the dishes (the faucet should be off) and rinse off the sponge as necessary. Second, turn on the faucet and rinse the dishes.
Dishwasher
Only run the dishwasher when it is fully loaded with dishes. Avoid using the pre-wash cycle, as this uses additional water. If you need a new dishwasher, purchase an Energy Star qualified dishwasher. Energy Star dishwashers use 5.8 gallons of water per cycle. Older dishwashers (those purchased before 1994), use about 8 additional gallons of water.
Washing Machine
Use your washing machine only when you have full loads. If your washing machine has water level settings, then choose the most appropriate water level.
Showers
Take shorter showers. Cutting down your shower time, by just a minute or two, will decrease the amount of water wasted and certainly save you money. Additionally, consider turning off the water while you shave.
Baths
Limit the amount of water used during bath time for your children. You can save hundreds of gallons of water each week by teaching your children how to take a shower. Children over the age of 6 can easily maneuver a hand held shower head. A quick shower for a child uses less water than a quick bath.
There are other ways which you can conserve water in your home, including installing water saving devices. Water saving devices can be installed in toilets, shower heads and faucets. If you are not a do-it-yourselfer, then you may want to find a professional plumber to help install these devices.
Water Saving Plumbing Devices:
Low Flow Shower Heads
Low flow shower heads deliver 1.6 gallons per minute of water. This is much less than the 4-5 gallons-per-minute, which is the amount of water that conventional shower heads deliver.
Dual-Flush Toilet or Dual-Flush Toilet Switch
Dual-flush toilets are available from most toilet manufacturers. Dual-flush toilets provide two flushing options: full flush or half flush. If you do not want to replace your toilet, then you can purchase a flush adapter, which gets installed into the toilet tank. These cost about $100.
Faucet Aerators
Faucet aerators look like tiny screens and cost about $10. They decrease the amount of water flowing out from the faucet. Without an aerator, the water comes out in a gushing-type flow. An aerator spreads the flow, which saves water.
Additional Water Saving Ideas:
Plumbing Maintenance
Checking your pipes for leaks can prevent plumbing problems. Leaks often go undetected and could lead to damage to vanities, floors and ceilings throughout your home.
Sprinklers
Limit the amount of time you water your grass. Running a sprinkler for just one hour can use up to 250 gallons of water.
by: Marcy Tate
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