Water You Waiting For?

When people think of recycling or being sustainable, the topic of water usually isn’t the first things that come to mind. No matter your location, using less water will help save resources and save money. We spend money on the water utilities in a few ways: on the water itself, heating the water, purifying/water softening (if you live in the country), and possibly pumping the water through the house. There is quite a few ways we can use less around the house, which affects all three ways. We are going to focus specifically on bathroom usage in this blog post.

Did you know that water usage in the bathroom alone consists of roughly 45% of usage on average? Making a few minor modifications in this one room can save you hundred, if not thousands of gallons of water a year. As water becomes more costly in the future, inflation and taxation being two major culprits, a little change today can make a lasting difference over the next several years. The very easiest way though to cut down on water usage in the bathroom, is to simply turn off the water when brushing teeth and shaving; this can save water and money from going down the drain.  Facet waste is tiny though, compared to the worst offend in the house: the toilet.

Flushing Efficiency Down the Drain

Toilet usage accounts for nearly 30 percent of residential indoor water consumption, changing the way we flush can make a big difference on how we save. Toilets are made strong and simple, because of this, they don’t usually go bad. Many people don’t think about replacing them because they can last so long and toilets are usually one of the last things to be replaced during a bathroom remodel. Even though old toilets may appear to work fine, they are very wasteful and some can leak without you even being aware of it. Performing a leak test on a toilet is easy.

A leak test consists of two steps: 1) put several drops of food coloring in the reservoir tank. 2) Let sit undisturbed over night. Come morning, if there is color in the toilet bowl, then you have a leaky toilet!! Be sure to fix toilet leaks, if not replace the toilet completely, promptly to avoid excessive waste and expenses. If you don’t have the time and money to replace an old and inefficient toilet, placing a brick (wrapped in plastic), or a water bottle filled with sand, in the reservoir chamber can help decrease per flush water usage. Another easy trick you can apply to save water is to adjust the float or flutter valve in your toilet; you can find short videos on youtube on how to make toilet adjustment. When in the market for buying a toilet, make sure to keep efficiency in mind (as well as comfort and looks of course!!)

In 1992, the government mandated that all toilets can use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush. Since then, toilet design and performance have made leaps and bounds in quality and effectiveness. A good place to look up more facts on new toilets is: http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/toilets.html.  Getting a new low-flow toilet for the house is a great investment for the home as well as for a sustainable lifestyle.

Changing The Way We Bath

Taking a shower, instead of taking a bath, can be a good first step in conserving water. Even though showers are more efficient, they still take up approximately 17% of indoor water consumption.  The number one way of cutting down water usage for showers, is replacing the shower head. A high quality, high pressure/low flow shower head can be cheap as $20-$60.

Depending on how much you spend on the device, as well as shower usage/size of the household, payback in water savings can be several months to maybe a year. A shower head life expectancy can be 6+ years, so it can save money over many years. When buying a new shower head, it’s important to get one that offers a flow rate of less than 2.5 gpm (gallons per minute) for maximum water efficiency. Another nice feature to consider is a flow pause button. This lets you easily turn the flow on or off when lathering up in the shower. This lets you directly control your water usage.

In the end, the best tool to combat water usage and water waste is knowledge. Knowing how we affect our environment, and how we can save it, will lead us to a sustainable future. A good website to do your own research on water conservation is: http://www.epa.gov/gateway/learn/water.html. Do your part and be resource smart!!

Looking forward to discussing sustainability in the future,

Daniel

“...to learn and not to do is really not to learn. To know and not to do is really not to know.”
― Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People