Water Saving Tips

Water Conservation

Water is a vital and limited resource. It is crucial to conserve water. Between the years 1980 and 2000 Americans have more than doubled their water usage. In many areas severe shortages already exist. We must learn to conserve water now, to avoid severe shortages in the future.

By saving water you can also reduce your water, sewer, and utility bills while easing the burden on water storage, purification, distribution, and treatment.

There are four basic ways to save water: economize, repair leaks, install water- saving devices, and reuse water.

Water Savings Tips

The following are some water saving suggestions that you may find useful:

Dishwashing: Wash dishes in standing water after you wipe grease off dishes with a paper towel or cloth. Turn off faucet frequently, and you will save over 20 gallons of water a day. Soak pots and pans before washing.

Tooth brushing: Don’t let water run while you brush your teeth. Rinse your mouth with water in a glass and you will save over a gallon of water each time you brush.

Shower & Bath: Plug the drain before you run water. Take shallow baths. Keep showers short with pressure at low force. Bathe small children together. Reuse bath water to use on lawns and shrubs, and for heavy cleaning jobs (e.g. floors, cars, etc.).

Sink: Fill bowl with water instead of letting water run when you wash or shave. Try a faucet aerator to reduce the amount of water used.

Toilet: Flush only when necessary. Don’t use as a wastebasket for cigarette butts or disposable diapers. Install water saving displacement devices. “ When it’s yellow, let it mellow, when it’s brown, flush it down”

Laundry: More than 10% of all water used in the home is used in the washing machine. Use the load selector to match water level to size of load. Try to wash full loads whenever possible. Presoak heavily soiled items. If buying a new washing machine, choose one with conservation features.

Cleaning: Use a pail or basin instead of running water. Use sponge mops instead of string mops (uses less water for mopping and takes less water to keep clean).

Lawn & Garden: Water slowly and thoroughly during cool, shady, and windless times of the day. Let grass grow taller in hot weather. Use judicious amounts of mulch in the garden and around shrubs to conserve moisture. Plant shrubs that don’t need a lot of watering.

Car Washing: Wet car quickly, turn hose off, wash car from a bucket of soapy water, and rinse quickly with hose. Used water is fine for cleaning chrome, hubcaps, and wheels.

Leak Detection

Check the small red (leak detection) dial, found between the 7 & 8 on the face of the new water meter. If this dial is turning when you think the water is not being used, this indicates a leak somewhere inside the house.
Check for leaks from faucet. A slow drip can waste 15 to 20 gallons a day, fix it and save 6,000 gallons per year. Most leaks are caused by worn out washers, which often can be repaired by the homeowner.
Check for leaks from toilet tanks by putting a few drops of food coloring in the tank. Without flushing; wait 10 to 15 minutes; if the color shows up in the bowl, you have a leak. It’s possible to lose up to 100 gallons a day from an “invisible leak”, that’s more than 30,000 gallons per year. Nearly 90% of all residential leaks are caused by leaks from toilet tanks.
Check for leaks from tub faucets and showers. Replacing old showerheads with low flow models can save 5 to 10 gallons per minute.
Detect for leaks on service lines by listening for a “hissing” noise at your water meter when no water is being used inside the house. You could have a water line that goes to another building, such as: (1) front house to rear building; (2) house to garage. If you suspect a problem, you should contact your plumber to check this out.

* Note that water loss due to leaks in a multi-family building are multiplied by the number of units in the complex.