Some of our most important appliances use the most water. Here’s what you can do to help:
The Toilet
Check for leaks by adding food coloring to the tank. Color will appear in the bowl within 30 minutes if there’s a leak.
Check for worn out, corroded or bent parts.
Consider purchasing LowFlow toilets that can reduce indoor water use by 20 percent.
Install a toilet dam or a bottle in the tank to reduce water needed for each flushing.
Avoid unnecessary flushing. Dispose of tissues, insects and other waste in the trash.
Adjust or replace the flush handle if it frequently sticks in the flush position and lets water run constantly.
The Shower/Bath
Replace your showerhead with an ultra low-flow version, saving up to 2.5 gallons per minute.
Take shorter showers.
In the shower, decrease the flow to achieve a comfortable temperature instead of increasing the hot or cold water.
For baths, close the drain before turning the faucet. To balance the initial burst of cold water add only hot water later.
Turn off the tap while shaving, washing your face or brushing your teeth.
Short Shower Reminder Tag for the Bathroom
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
This is an excellent series of water saving articles and really helps with the main aim of saving water. Together with these measures I would also look at collecting rainwater to displace and reduce tap water demand.
rainwater harvesting
Poster idea!
Keep everyone on their toes.
Raise the urinals in the men’s room.
Alden Macgregor
Save water on your bath or shower with the Hot Water Lobster Instant Hot Water Valve! It’s a recirculation system that uses my existing plumbing! It saves me a lot of time and water by not waiting for hot water! Sometimes I take showers and sometimes baths, but I save water either way! I installed the temperature adjustable recirculation valve under the sink farthest form my water heater and now I have instant hot water throughout my entire home. I’ve had it for almost 3 years and it still works perfectly!
It’s pump free so it creates no noise. The pumps I’ve had in the past have been noisy, not to mention I went through 2 of them in 3 years! The Hot Water Lobster is made in the U.S.A. and has a 10-year warranty! I installed it myself in 10 minutes! I bought it from their sit for only $179.95! I’ve saved that much already! Here’s their site:
http://www.hotwaterlobster.com/
Here’s all sorts of water conservation products: http://eartheasy.com/shop/water_save.htm
Interesting, I didn’t know about a dam or bottle for the toilet…
As for the tablets, I’m not a huge fan of them b/c the process takes quite a bit of time (20 minutes) and has to be implemented at least monthly. At least, what I’m saying is, that by recommending the tablets to others, say, tenants, and expecting results…well, one ought to be in for quite a surprise. People don’t care. People don’t have the time. Well, not everyone cares, except people like you guys and myself!!!
Of course, people do begin to care when they receive an exorbitant water bill, or when they have to actually pay their water bills.
I have a site called LeakBird, and we’re currently developing an acoustic leak detector for running toilets that’ll ping a Landlord’s email account when there’s a running toilet condition…
Anyway, thanks for the great site. I’ve added you to my blogroll. – Ben