The amount of water that goes to waste across the country each year is staggering. Some of it is due to poor habits people get into, but others are the fault of old plumbing appliances and plumbing that needs repairs.
Now that we’re deep into summer, and many people are staying inside more, the potential for waste is high. To help you understand better where that water is going, as well as what you can do about, we have listed seven major ways water is going to waste in your house.
#1. Leaky pipes
This is one of the biggest troubles with the plumbing in many homes, and it’s a sneaky one because it’s difficult to detect it’s happening, often for a long time. Only when serious water damage starts do people realize what’s happening. If your water bills are much higher than you expect, this may be the reason.
#2. Long showers
You knew this was coming. Everyone knows that relaxing in the shower for too long is a huge water waste, and yet people have a hard time breaking the habit. Just cutting down from an 8-minute shower to a 5-minute shower saves many gallons a day.
#3. The old toilet
New plumbing technology allows even a standard toilet (as opposed to a low-flow fixture) to use significantly less water per flush than older models. If your toilet is more than 20 years old, it may use up to six gallons of water per flush, where newer toilets use 3 or less. We recommend low flow models, which use less than 1½ gallons per flush.
#4. Old showerheads
The same issue with the toilet. Older showerheads are wasteful compared to the low-flow models. Put together a new showerhead and a reduction in shower time, and you’ll double the water savings per shower.
#5. Running the dishwasher on half loads
You conserve more water when you use the dishwasher rather than running water in the sink to clean off dishes. But only if you run the dishwasher when it’s full. Running on smaller loads will cancel out the water conservation benefits.
#6. Throwing trash down the toilet
You should never throw actual trash in the toilet to flush it away (and especially not moist towelettes). This can easily clog the toilet, but it’s also a waste of water—no matter if you have a low-flow toilet.
#7. Letting a dripping faucet just keep dripping
If the sound of water dripping from a faucet isn’t keeping you up at night, you might simply ignore it. Don’t! Those drops accumulate faster than you think, and can add up to the equivalent of 14 showers over only a month. If you can fix the leak yourself by replacing the washers, you may need to call a plumber.
No matter what assistance you need for water conservation, our plumbers are ready to help!
Husted Plumbing serves the Greater Santa Barbara and Ventura County Area. Schedule water-saving service today.