From the moment that you wake up in the morning you use the plumbing in your house. From brushing your teeth, flushing the toilet, and taking a morning shower, the plumbing in your home is often the way you bot start and end your day. And while it makes sense that the water is running during all of these tasks, have you ever wondered about the fact that you might be wasting water even when you are not intending to?
In many homes slow leaking toilets and dripping faucets waste water all day long. Licensed plumbers, however, can help most home owners fix the problems in their homes that are both wasting water and costing money.
Replacing Old Plumbing with New Fixtures
Much of the water that is wasted in homes across America happens because of old, outdated plumbing. Old pipes that slowly drip all day long waste hundreds of gallons of water a year. For instance, the average household’s leaks can account for more than 10,000 gallons of water wasted every single year. This amount equals the amount of water needed to wash 270 loads of laundry. All told, household leaks can waste more than 1 trillion gallons a year nationwide. Working with licensed plumbers, however, can help you stop these leaks. Toilet repair alone, for instance, can stop the noise that you hear several times during the day that indicates that you have a toilet that never really stops running. As licensed plumbers work their way through your home they can solve and fix simple problems that are wasting water.Plumbing repairs can seem simple, but they can have a big impact. Fixing easily corrected household water leaks, in fact, can save homeowners as much as 10% on their water bills.
Not surprising, the oldest of homes with the oldest of plumbing often have the most problems to fix.
Install Water Efficient Toilets and Water Heaters
Although fixing small plumbing problems can help save significant amounts of water, the even greater way to limit water waste is to work with licensed plumbers to install the most efficient toilets and water heaters. Did you know, for instance, that 30% of indoor water use can be attributed to toilets? Switching the toilets in your home to high-efficiency toilets that are labeled with a WaterSense tag actually use 1.28 gallons or less per flush. This compares with 1.6 gallons for most conventional toilets. Dual flush toilets can also help save water.
In addition to installing more efficient toilets, home owners can also limit water waste by installing newer and more efficient water heaters. Making this change can also be a great investment. For instance, a typical tank water heater may only last 10 to 13 years., but the newest tankless water heaters can last up to 20 years.
Continue to be Diligent About Daily Habits
We all know that dentists encourage their patients to take their time when they are brushing teeth. Whether you are singing the Happy Birthday song or teaching your children to recite the alphabet in an attempt to make sure that they do a thorough job of brushing their teeth, many families already practice water conservation. For instance, although the time spent on brushing teeth should be significant, most parents teach their children that they do not need to let the water run during this process.
Other simple steps that families can take to conserve water in their home is using a dishwasher instead of washing dishes by hand and taking a shower instead of bath. Outside of the house, home owners can safe water by running sprinkler systems at specific times during the day. For example, watering the lawn during the hottest time of the day leads to a wasteful practice that causes more evaporation than absorption. The practice of switching some of the grassy areas of the lawn that require lots of water to landscaping that takes less water, for instance, can help a home owner limit water use.
We live in a time when many Americans are not only trying to save money, but are also trying to be good stewards. Limiting water waste both inside and outside your home can help you save money while also being more careful about unnecessary waste.
