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3 Easy Ways to Conserve Water at Home 

05-20-2015 07:18



(Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/snapr/484776493/in/photostream/)

By conserving water, you not only save money with smaller water bills, but also contribute to the bigger cause of saving the environment. Being ecofriendly does not necessarily mean you spend thousands of dollars in buying and installing expensive environment-friendly equipment even when you cannot afford them. You can definitely support the environment in humbler ways. Your everyday activities go a long way in determining how you use (or misuse) natural resources. Simple things that you do at home can make a small, yet steady difference in their conservation. Nature can be tricky. On one hand we have flood problems in cities like Berwyn, and on the other hand, we have drought-ridden cities such as Los Angeles. In cities which experience frequent flooding in the monsoons, installing flood control systems can keep this problem at bay and your property intact. So, if you’re a resident of Berwyn, trying to figure out which system will work best for you simply search online for flood control system Berwyn and assess your options. Saving water, particularly in times when water scarcity and droughts are becoming an increasing problem, should be a priority for everyone. While most people already use water carefully in a bid to reduce wastage, there are several other things that can be done on a daily basis as well. Most of these measures are easy and can be ccomplished with the use of common sense and scientific temper. Here are a few steps that you can take to conserve water at home, and make a difference to the environment in your own way. 1. Check for Leaks One of the major causes of water wastage is leakage. Many a time, water leakage takes place through minute cracks, which often go undetected. In order to ensure that you do not have leakages, take the following steps: • Inspect Your Faucets, Pipes, Hoses and Couplings Even the smallest drip from a leaking faucet can result in the wastage of up to 20 gallons of water per day. Larger leaks can waste hundreds of gallons. This applies to pipes and faucets outside the house as well i.e. in your garden and yard. Check your hoses and couplings frequently and keep them drip-free. Use hose washers at spigots and hose connections to stop leaks. • Examine Leaks in the Toilets Having trouble figuring out if there is a leak in your toilet tank? We have a quick and an easy solution. Simply put a few drops of water color or food color into your toilet tank. Do not flush. If you find the color appearing in the bowl within half an hour, you’ve got a leakage problem. Do get it repaired as soon as you can. Such small repairs/replacements are typically low-cost and easy to carry out. • Keep an Eye on Your Water Meter Always keep a track of your house water meter even when water isn’t being used. If the meter does not read exactly the same as it did before, there’s a leak. 2. Skimp on Water Usage Making it a point to use less water can go a long way in conserving it. • Take Short Showers Install water-saving shower heads or water restrictors and low-flow faucet aerators. ‘Low-flow’ implies that it uses below 2.5 gallons per minute. These need not be expensive and can be easy to install. Further, taking long showers can use five to ten gallons of water every minute. You can curb this wastage by turning off the shower when lathering up and turning it back on to rinse. • Use Aerators Do fit all the faucets around your house with aerators. Not only are they highly effective in conserving water, they’re also the cheapest means of doing so. • Turn off That Tap A lot of us have the habit of leaving the water running when we brush our teeth. However, there is no need to keep the tap on all the time. Simply wet your brush and turn it off. Fill a glass with water and use that to rinse your mouth. Similarly, avoid rinsing your razor under the tap. Fill the sink with a little warm water and use it to clean the razor. Doing so will rinse it as efficiently as running water, without causing too much wastage. When rinsing your vegetables and fruits, do so in a stoppered sink, or a bowl of clean water. • Wait for Full Loads Ensure that your dishwater and washing machine are fully loaded for optimal water utilization (and conservation). Most dishwashing soap manufacturers recommend not pre-rinsing dishes, which works as a step towards saving water. When washing the dishes by hand, avoid leaving the water running for rinsing. If you have a double-basin, fill one side with soapy water and the other with clean water for rinsing. In the case of a single-basin sink, collect washed dishes on a dish rack and rinse them with a spray device or a bucketful of warm water. When it comes to washing machines, avoid the permanent press cycle as that uses additional gallons of water for the extra rinse. Adjusting water levels for partial loads can help save water. When buying a washing machine, do look for the energy stars and buy accordingly. Consider buying a frontload machine, which uses less water. • Curtail Use of Kitchen Sink Garbage Disposals In-sink waste disposal units take up a lot of water to operate well. Plus, they add significant amounts of solids in the septic tank, which can lead to maintenance issues. Making a compost pile to dispose food waste would be a more environment-friendly option. • Avoid Using the Hose Most of use the hose when washing our car, or cleaning the driveway and the sidewalk. There are better alternatives to this. Use a bucket of soapy water to clean the car, and use the hose only for rinsing. Using a spray nozzle works even better in conserving water. As far as cleaning your sidewalk and driveway are concerned, using a simple broom should do the trick. • Manage Water You will do well to harvest rainwater as that way you can store it as a means of independent water supply and use for a long time to come. Rainwater harvesting systems can be installed quite easily. 3. Insulate to Save Insulate all your water pipes with pre-slit foam pipe insulation as a precautionary measure. It is an easy and an economical way to save water. You’ll get hot water faster plus there will be no wastage while it heats up. Conclusion Saving precious water at home need not be a costly affair. Although several water-saving technologies and conservation systems such as drip irrigation and rain barrels are widely available, installing them can drill a hole in your pocket. As obvious from the above tips, most of the water-saving methods can be achieved at little or no extra cost. Most of these measures go unnoticed in the hustle and bustle of daily life. But stopping in your step and giving them a little thought will make you realize how incredibly easy it is to do your bit to conserve water.

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