Water Use Around Your Home
The first step in understanding how to conserve water
in your home is to know where water is used. Most people
use 50 to 70 gallons of water indoors each day and as
much as the same amount outdoors, depending on the
season. Indoors, three quarters of all the water is used
in the bathroom. Outdoors, lawn and garden
watering and car washing account for most of the water
used.
How to Conserve Water Daily
Because such a huge percentage of the water you use
is used in the bathroom, that's where water conservation
efforts should focus. You can install a few simple,
inexpensive devices in the bathroom that can save a lot
of water with no change in your lifestyle or your present
habits. Many hardware and plumbing supply stores stock
these items. These are:
- Toilet dams or rock-filled containers. These devices
(one of which you can make yourself)
reduce the amount of water flowing out of the
toilet by up to 25 percent. They do not affect its
flushing ability. Never use a brick to accomplish the same
effect---particles from it could harm your plumbing.
Always be sure that at least 3 gallons of water remain in
the tank so it will flush properly.
- Low flow, water-saving shower heads. This piece of
plumbing reduces the amount of water flowing
through your shower by up to 50 percent, but increases its
velocity so the shower feels the same. This also saves hot
water. You may even be able to avoid buying a larger water
heater, should the need arise.
- Faucet aerators. These devices restrict the amount of
water going through your faucet by up to 50 percent, but
add bubbles so the flow of water appears the same. They
could be installed on all of your faucets, not just the
ones in your bathroom.
Other relatively simple things you can do in your
home to further reduce water use are:
- Repair leaks in your faucets and toilets. A leaky
faucet can waste 20 gallons or more per day. Leaky
toilets, even though they are usually silent, can waste
hundreds of gallons per day. To find out if your toilet
has leaks, put a little food coloring in the tank. If,
without flushing, color appears in the bowl, you have a
leak that should be repaired. Repairing a faucet is
usually as simple as changing an inexpensive washer.
Leaky toilets can often be repaired by adjusting the
float arm or plunger ball.
- Use your dishwasher and clothes washer only when you
have a full load. If you are purchasing a new clothes
washer, choose one with variable load or suds saver
options. Many dishwashers are also now available with
water saving options. If you already have these options,
use them whenever possible.
- If you are building a new home or remodeling an old
one, consider installing "low flush" toilets. These
toilets use 1 to 2 gallons per flush instead of the 3 to
5 gallons used by conventional ones. They are readily
available and, although they cost more, they can save you
a lot of money in the long run through decreased water
and energy use.
Outdoor uses of water are often high volume.
Nevertheless, there are ways you can save water. Try
these:
- Attach a pistol type sprayer to the end of your garden
hose. In addition to enabling you to adjust the rate of
flow, this device keeps water from continuing to run out
during those short periods when you put down the hose
without turning it off (while you are washing your car,
for example).
- Water your lawn only when necessary. lt takes 660
gallons of water to supply 1,000 square feet of lawn with
1 inch of water. This is nearly the same amount of water
as you use inside the house in an entire week! Water your
lawn when it begins to show signs of wilting---when the
grass does not spring back when you step on it---rather
than on a regular schedule.
Saving Water in Special Situations
Sometimes it is necessary to use extra measures to
reduce even further the amount of water you are using in
your house. Although useful in any situation, these
techniques may be especially helpful, or even necessary
in some cases, when water levels are high around your
house, your septic system shows signs of failing or your
community water system temporarily loses capacity to
supply adequate amounts of water.
Indoors, you should consider these changes:
- Take short showers instead of baths. A four minute
shower can use as little as 8 gallons of water, while a
bath needs 50 to 60 gallons.
- Avoid unnecessarily flushing your toilet. Never use
it as a wastepaper basket to dispose of cigarette butts
or tissue paper.
- Turn off the faucet while you are shaving or brushing
your teeth or hand washing dishes.
- Avoid running water in the shower while you are
shampooing or soaping. Most people step away from the
water to do this anyway. Many water, saving shower heads
come with a button to shut off the flow without changing
the mix of hot and cold water.
Outdoors, try these:
- Use mulch around trees and shrubs and in garden bees.
This greatly reduces the amount of water lost through
evaporation and so reduces the need for watering.
- Consider using a drip irrigation system in your
garden. This system supplies water only to the root zones
of plants. In addition to saving water, it reduces
weeding because it doesn't water the areas between rows
and hills of crops.
- Use only plant varieties that are well adapted to your
locality and soil conditions. Poorly chosen varieties
often need greater amounts of fertilizer and water just
to stay alive.
- Avoid watering the lawn. Your lawn may turn brown in
the middle of the summer, but this doesn't mean that it's
dead. Rather, the grass is dormant and will re-grow when
rain and cooler weather returns.
- Use the water from your roof downspouts for watering
your garden and flower beds.
Where To Go For Help
If you need help in locating water, saving devices or
other advice about water conservation, contact your local
health department.