Conserving Water In The Home

Leakage accounts for about five to ten percent of all residential water consumption. It is usually caused by worn, out faucet washers and faulty toilet tank valves.

Conserving water in your home is easy. Simply check for leaks. Install water-saving devices; and develop some good water management habits.

A steady drip of a leaking faucet can waste as much as twenty gallons per day. A more serious type of leak can occur in toilet tanks, wasting as much as two hundred gallons of water a day. Since leaking water runs from the tank into the bowl, you can't see it or hear it.

Checking for leaks.…

You can check for a toilet leak by removing the tank cover and placing a few drops of food coloring in the tank, preferably when the toilet will be unused for several hours. If the food coloring seeps into the bowl, your toilet has a leak.

• Correcting these leaks is an easy and inexpensive way to reduce your water consumption.
• Buy water-saving devices, which are usually inexpensive and easy to install.
• Almost half of the water used in your home is used for waste disposal through the toilet.

Devices are available to reduce the amount of water used to flush the toilet.

• Buy toilet tank volume reducers. Improve float assemblies that allow water level adjustment and signal you when there is a leak. Dual flush mechanisms allow you to select a small or large flush.
• These water, saving devices do not work equally well in all types of toilets. Some are more effective than others. Do not use a device that requires you to flush twice. It could actually increase your water consumption.
• You may have heard that placing bricks in your toilet tank will reduce the amount of water in the tank. Bricks are not recommended because they can deteriorate in the water. Bricks can break parts of the toilet if you drop them.
• An alternative to bricks is plastic bottles. You can put one or more clean plastic one-quart bottles filled with water and a small stone or sand in your tank. By using bottles you can avoid bending the float arm down which lowers the water level. Lowering the water level reduces the force of the flush, resulting in unsatisfactory cleansing of the bowl.
• If you're installing a new toilet, buy one that uses less water than the five to seven gallons a conventional toilet uses.
• You can buy an aerator to reduce the flow of water through your faucet.
• A thermostat mixing valve or a cutoff valve near the shower head allows you to turn off the water while lathering—without disturbing the temperature adjustment of the shower controls.
• A shower head flow restrictor or controller, can reduce, by half, the amount of water you use per minute. A restrictor reduces the flow of water by creating smaller openings in the shower head. Constant rate devices maintain a steady flow rate regardless of changes in the water pressure.
• Use dishwashers only when they're full.
• Buy clothes washers with variable water level settings.

By changing a few habits you can conserve even more. For example, turn off the water while you're brushing your teeth or shaving, take a shower instead of a bath, and water your lawn early in the morning with a sprinkler that does not spray in a mist.

For more information on conserving water in the home, contact your local County Extension Office.