Is your home dripping with excessive water use? If so, or if you’re unsure, there are a number of water conservation tips you can adopt to help put the brakes on running water in your household:
- To keep from over-watering your lawn this summer, purchase an inexpensive spring-loaded timer which attaches directly to your outside spigot.
- Find out your home’s water pressure. Anything above 80 pounds per square inch may be harmful to your plumbing system and could lead to excessive water usage. Install a pressure-reducing valve that limits the water pressure in your home.
- Check your water meter during a time when no water is being used. Record the meter reading and re-check it after eight hours. If the reading is different, it may indicate you have an undetected water leak that should be fixed.
- Did you know your toilets account for more than 40 percent of your home’s total water usage? Install a new toilet flapper and fill valve to keep them running efficiently.
- If you haven’t already, purchase a new showerhead. It’ll save up to 7.5 gallons of water per minute without sacrificing any water pressure.
- Fix the drips on all your faucets. Even one dripping faucet can waste as much as 150 gallons of water each day, and 4,500 gallons per month.
- Okay, this won’t save you any water, but you can conserve energy dollars by checking your water heater’s temperature setting. It should not exceed 120 degrees, or beyond the medium setting on older models.
