You bring your canvas bags to Publix to avoid using plastic bags. You don’t buy plastic water bottles and instead opt for an aluminum one. You bike to the gym instead of driving to preserve gasoline. And you always use Tupperware instead of plastic baggies for your packed lunch. But are you following any water saving tips?
You’re doing your part for the environment but is there anything else you could be doing? Is your home doing its part to be environmentally friendly? More specifically, is your home’s plumbing doing the environment any favors or causing issues?
Let’s break down the average amount of water we use a day according to the United States Geological Survey:
- Older toilets use about four gallons of water to flush.
- Washing machines use anywhere between 25-40 gallons per laundry load.
- Typical shower heads pour about five gallons of water per minute.
- Dishwashers use anywhere between 6-16 gallons of water per load.
With all our other uses of water- hand washing, brushing our teeth, and sprinklers/hoses- the average person uses about 80 gallons of water per day!
So what can you do? How can your plumbing affect your water-saving efforts?
Here are our best water saving tips for plumbing:
- Check for toilet leaks.
Leaks are the most common cause of racking up your utility bill without knowledge of why. If you suspect a leak in your toilet, sometimes triggered by the sound of constant running water, use this test. Put a few drops of food dye in the tank your toilet. Let it sit for about 15 minutes before checking back. If your colored water is sitting in the bowl of your toilet it means your toilet has a leak. The water reserved in the tank should stay there until used to flush.
- Change the flow of your showerhead.
Look for showerheads that have been given the WaterSense label. This label means that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has given it the approval of its ability to reduce water usage. A showerhead with this label means that it uses 20% or more, less water than a standard showerhead. You can find these showerheads in any hardware store including Lowes and Home Depot.
- Don’t let a let a drip fool you.
A dripping faucet can rack up to be about 34 gallons a day! Not only is that costly to your utilities bill but it is also costly to the environment. A drip serves no purpose but wasting water. Sometimes a drip can be stopped just by making sure the faucet is turned all the way off. If that doesn’t work, have a plumber come in to repair the faucet. It may require a complete replacement of your faucet but at an additional $100 a month in drip costs, one plumbing visit is worth the cost.
- Insulate your pipes.
This may not be very vital in Florida but it is still an idea to consider. By wrapping your water pipes in insulation, specifically the hot water pipes, it shields them from cold weather. This means that you would not have to wait for your shower to warm up while your shower is running. How long do you wait for your shower to heat up?
- Adopt your own DIY water saving tips.
Even if you have energy efficient appliances that naturally limit water usage, it’s still important to implement your own rules. Consider following these new strategies to take your water saving efforts to the next level.
- Take shorter showers.
- Turn off the water while brushing your teeth/ washing your hands.
- “If it’s yellow…”
- Add a patio to your landscaping to reduce the area of your yard that needs watering.
- Cover your pool to avoid evaporation in the summer heat.
While we can’t help timing your shower time, we can help with any suspected leaking. If you don’t have any leaks but still want to transition your home’s plumbing system, whether it be water conserving faucets/showerheads, toilets, or washers, we are the plumber Orlando FL you want.
Water saving tips don’t need to stay tips. They can become a water saving lifestyle! In fact, they should!
