Source: eLocal.com
Stop Wasting and Start Saving Water at Home?
Is your household wasting water? Probably much more than you know or care to admit. Water becomes more precious every year and we all need to do much better at saving water and not wasting what we have. This is especially true in California and in dry or desert regions like San Diego.
Check faucets and pipes for leaks
A small drip from a used faucet washer can lose 20 gallons of water daily. Bigger leakages can lose hundreds of gallons.
Put plastic bottles or float booster in your toilet tank
To minimize water waste, put an inch or more of sand or pebbles inside each of two plastic bottles to weigh them down. Fill the bottles with water, screw the lids on, and put them in your toilet tank, safely far from the operating mechanisms. Or, buy an inexpensive tank bank or float booster. This may save ten or more gallons of water per day.
Run full loads
Constantly use full loads in your washing device and dishwasher– this cuts out unneeded washes in between. New Energy Star ranked washers make use of 35 – 50 % less water and 50 % less energy per load. If you’re in the marketplace for a brand-new clothes washer, think about getting a water-saving frontload washer
Collect water from your downspouts
Connect a water barrel to your downspouts and use the water gathered to water your plants, clean your vehicle and wash your windows.
Don’t make use of the toilet as an ashtray or wastebasket
Every time you flush a cigarette butt, facial tissue or other small bit of garbage, five to seven gallons of water is squandered.
Inspect your toilets for leakages
Put a little food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the color begins to appear in the bowl within 30 minutes, you have a leakage that should be repaired instantly. Most replacement parts are affordable and simple to set up.
Turn off the water after you wet your tooth brush
There is no need to keeping the water running while brushing your teeth. Just wet your brush and fill a glass for mouth rinsing.
Check for leakages in pipes, hoses, faucets and couplings
Leakages outside your home might not appear as bad because they’re not as noticeable. But they can be just as wasteful as leaks indoors. Inspect regularly to keeping them drip-free. Use hose washers at spigots and hose connections to remove leakages.
Use a watering can
Water your garden with a watering can instead of a garden hose. A garden hose makes use of 264 gallons of water an hour. Mulching your plants (with bark chippings, heavy compost or straw) and watering in the early morning and late afternoon will lower evaporation and also conserve water.
Have cold water ready
Fill a jug with tap water and area this in your refrigerator. This will imply you do not need to leave the cold tap running for the water to run cold prior to you fill your glass.
Set up water-efficient items
Buy water-efficient items when you have to replace family products. You can now get water-efficient showerheads, faucets, toilets, cleaning machines, dishwashers and lots of other water-saving items. To find out more go to the Waterwise website.
Insulate your pipes
It’s easy and inexpensive to insulate your pipes with pre-slit foam piping insulation. You’ll get hot water faster plus avoid wasting water while it heats up.
Take much shorter showers
One means to reduce water use is to turn off the shower after soaping up, then turn it back on to wash. A four-minute shower uses about 20 to 40 gallons of water.
Why does saving water matter?
Saving water at home does not require any substantial expense outlay. Although there are water-saving appliances and water conservation systems such as rain barrels, drip irrigation and on-demand water heaters which are more costly, the bulk of water saving methods can be accomplished at little expense.
Using water-saving features you can reduce your in-home water use by 35 %. This means the typical home, which uses 130,000 gallons per year, could save 44,00 gallons of water per year. On a daily basis, the typical household, utilizing 350 gallons per day, can save 125 gallons of water each day. The average individual, currently utilizing 70 gallons daily, could conserve 25 gallons of water daily.
Water conservation in the house is among the easiest measures to put in place, and saving water in San Diego must become part of everyday family practice.