Water Use Around Your Home

The first step in understanding how to conserve water in your home is to know where water is used. Most people use 50 to 70 gallons of water indoors each day and as much as the same amount outdoors, depending on the season. Indoors, three-quarters of all the water is used in the bathroom. Outdoors, lawn and garden watering and car washing account for most of the water used.

Although useful in any situation, these techniques may be especially helpful, or even necessary in some cases, when water levels are high around your house, your septic system shows signs of failing or your community water system temporarily loses capacity to supply adequate amounts of water. Indoors, you should consider these changes.

Because such a huge percentage of the water you use is used in the bathroom, that's where water conservation efforts should focus. You can install a few simple, inexpensive devices in the bathroom that can save a lot of water with no change in your lifestyle or your present habits. Many hardware and plumbing supply stores stock these items.

If you are building a new home or remodeling an old one, consider installing "low flush" toilets. These toilets use 1 to 2 gallons per flush instead of the 3 to 5 gallons used by conventional ones. They are readily available and, although they cost more, they can save a lot of money in the long run through decreased water and energy use.

While you may not like the sound of this one, family members could be urged to flush less often. This is a standard practice in the Caribbean – even in some upscale hotels – where they urge visitors to do this because of the almost-draught supply of non-salinated water on the island. Never use it as a wastepaper basket to dispose of cigarette butts or tissue paper.

A four-minute shower can use as little as 8 gallons of water, while a bath needs 50 to 60 gallons.

Turn off the faucet while you are shaving or brushing your teeth or hand washing dishes.

Avoid running water in the shower while you are shampooing or soaping. Most people step away from the water to do this anyway.

This piece of plumbing reduces the amount of water flowing through your shower by up to 50 percent, but increases its velocity so the shower feels the same. This also saves hot water. You may even be able to avoid buying a larger water heater, should the need arise. Many water-saving shower heads come with a button to shut off the flow without changing the mix of hot and cold water.

These devices restrict the amount of water going through your faucet by up to 50 percent, but add bubbles so the flow of water appears the same. They could be installed on all of your faucets, not just the ones in your bathroom.

A leaky faucet -- even one with only an occasional drip -- can waste 20 gallons or more per day. Leaky toilets, even though they are usually silent, can waste hundreds of gallons per day. To find out if your toilet has leaks, put a little food coloring in the tank. If, without flushing, color appears in the bowl, you have a leak that should be repaired. Repairing a faucet is usually as simple as changing an inexpensive washer. Leaky toilets can often be repaired by adjusting the float arm or plunger ball.

If you are purchasing a new clothes washer, choose one with variable load or suds saver options. Many dishwashers are also now available with water saving options. If you already have these options, use them whenever possible.

Outdoor uses of water are often high volume. Nevertheless, there are ways you can save water. Try these: