Category: Water Saving Devices

If you’re not mindful, that large bowl of water waiting to be flushed will take your money with it. 30% of the water used in your home is dedicated to the toilet alone. To make matters worse, as much as 5-7 gallons of water could be wasted with just one flush! Take the foolishness out of flushing by following at least one of these many ways to save water with your toilet.

Save water by installing…

Dual flush converters
Dual flush converters allow you to determine whether to flush a little or a lot, giving you much more control over how much water your toilet uses per flush. Basically the converters give you the option to use a little bit of water to flush liquids or a lot of water to flush solids. There are different types of dual flush converters, but you can expect to save at least 40% of the water you typically use for flushing on a daily basis. Not bad at all!

Toilet fill cycle diverters
Installed on the end of the toilet tank’s fill tube, fill cycle diverters redirect the water that normally goes to fill up the toilet and instead switch it to the tank. This process reduced how much water is used per flush by half a gallon.

Toilet tank banks
One of the simplest ways to save water is by installing a toilet tank bank. It’s cheap, easy to install, doesn’t require any/much maintenance at all, and it even helps to prevent odors. Just add water to the tank and hang it on the inside of the toilet tank. That alone will save you 0.8 gallons of water every flush.

Check for toilet leaks

Toilet leaks are more damaging to your water bill than is apparent. A leaky toilet could waste as much as 500 gallons of water in one day! Simply insert toilet leak tablets into your toilet tank to quickly identify leaks.

Don’t use the toilet for trash!

One of the least difficult ways save water by far is to just avoid unnecessary flushing. Using the toilet as an alternative trash can will waster anywhere from 400-600 gallons of water.

Whether through installing toilet water savers or just making sure you fix leaky toilets, saving water can be a hassle free, cost-effective change in your home.

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Though the kitchen can sometimes double as a family room – with all the laughter and delicious smells mingling together – , having family-sized water waste is no one’s idea of a good time. Luckily, from the faucet to the dishwasher, there are many simple ways to save water in the kitchen.

The Faucet: Why Aerators are Important

Have you ever turned on the outside faucet without a hose attached? See how freely the water flowed? Aerators keep the kitchen faucet from acting like the outside tap by reducing the flow of water. Some aerators go even further by using an off/pause valve that temporarily stops the water stream.

How it Works

An aerator is like a ring with a small mesh screen in the middle. Installed on the tip of a faucet, aerators reduce water flow by adding air to the water (for a visual of how this works, pour water through a strainer with very little openings). Even though less water is being used, aerators allow the water pressure to stay pretty much the same.

Savings

Installing faucet (or tap) aerators is one of the cheapest ways to save water. For your investment of as little as $1.15, you could reduce water usage by 30-50%!

Installing

Can you open and close a bottle of water? Then you can install an aerator.

• First off, make sure that you need to change the aerator you have (or install one for the first time). To determine if you need a new aerator, check the sides to see what the GPM (gallons per minute) is. If it’s more than 2.5, than you need a new aerator. Ideally, you want an aerator that dispenses 0.5-1.5 gallons of water per minute.
• Now find out which threading, or type of aerator for your spout, is needed. If the faucet tip is male, or has edges that go around the outside of the tip, than you need female threading. It the faucet is female, or has edges on the inside of the tip, than you need male threading.
• Simply twist it on and you’re done!

Dishwasher: An Upgrade is in Order

Dishwashers are a must in every household, which is why getting an energy and water efficient model is one of the best ways to save water. If the dishwasher in your home has been in use since 2003 or earlier, it’s time for a change. Dishwashers that are 10+ years old waste as much as 50% more water and energy than newer models.

Keep it Simple – Just use less water!

The opportunities to save water in the kitchen are endless. A few tips to get you started include:

Don’t run the faucet

• Rinsing off vegetables for a dinner? Instead of letting the water run, fill up a bowl with water and rinse your veggies in the bowl.
• Washing your hands in a double-sink? Fill one sink with soap water for washing and the other for rinsing.
• We always tell kids to turn off the water while brushing: we should do the same. Up to 8 gallons of water can be saved from that one act alone.

Reuse Water

• Draining water from pasta? Use that leftover water to cook a broth or soup.
• If you have a glass of water or two lying around that you neglected to finish off, why not use it to water your plants?

Mind the Dishwasher

Though newer models are more energy and water efficient, all of that is thrown away if the dishwasher is run 3+ times throughout the day. Only run the dishwasher when it’s full.

Putting these tips to use will immediately impact your home’s water and energy bills and (better yet) make family-sized water waste is a problem of the past.

The slow, annoyingly loud drip of water edging itself out of the faucet isn’t the only cause of water-waste in the home. Showerheads, the toilet, and even the water hose are playing a lead role in the drama of H2O misuse. Thankfully, with a few DIY projects and the will to conserve, there are four easy ways to start saving water at home.

Showerheads

That new showerhead – the one with different massage levels and an FM radio attached – seemed like a good idea at the time, until you realized the water going down the drain was carrying your money with it. Modern showerheads dispense as much as 2.5 gallons of water (GPM) per minute. Earth showerheads use only 1.5 GPM, saving you a whole gallon of water per minute. With energy efficient showerheads, you:

• Use less water
• Use less energy
• Won’t have to sacrifice comfort

Many earth showerheads come with massage settings, Flow Control Technology (enables consistent water pressure), and non-aerating consistency which allows water to flow fast and long.

Installing earth showerheads can increase your water savings by as much as 30%.

Faucet Aerators

Faucet aerators are like the nozzle on a hose, they control the evenness and consistency of water flow and how much of it comes out the faucet. Aerators are a great investment because they are super cheap (as little as $1.15 per unit), and installing them along with energy efficient showerheads can reduce water waste by as much as 50%.

Toilet

Saving water through the toilet seems odd, but one flush could take with it 5-7 gallons of water! According to The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), 30% of the water used in your home is dedicated to the toilet alone; if they leak, that could be anywhere from 30-500 gallons of water daily.

Solution? Install a tank bank. Just fill it up with water then hang it on the inside of the tank. This simple install could save 10 or more gallons per flush each day.

Outdoor Watering Tools

Gardening enthusiasts especially will see the benefits in a low-flow hose nozzle, rain gauge, and soil moisture meter. These items allow you to control and measure how much water is used outside the home.

Low-flow Nozzle
Just like earth showerheads, low-flow nozzles control the water flow coming out of the hose. Many offer multiple spray settings and they are an inexpensive way to control outdoor water use.

Rain Gauge
A rain gauge is a way to measure how much rain has fallen. It’s like a measuring cup for rain; the rain falls through it and the measurements are labeled on the outside, allowing you to see exactly how much rain has met your garden/lawn/soil for the day.

Soil Moisture Meter
A soil moisture meter does just that: it measures how much moisture is in the soil. This is especially useful for gardening and lawn care, as it allows you to know whether or not watering is needed.

 

Saving water doesn’t have to be time consuming, overly technical, and impossible to install by yourself. These four simple water conservation tools are easy to install, take little time out of your day, and you’ll see the difference on your energy and water bills by the next billing or two.

It can be very easy to hop into the shower and lose all track of time. As relaxing as a shower is, it also contributes significantly to both water and water heating costs. Being aware of how much time is being spent in the shower just may motivate you to spend less time in there. Choosing a shower timer can help you do just this, ultimately reducing utility bills as well.

Sand Timer

A five-minute sand shower timer is both water-proof (that would be a good thing) and simple to install. The suction cup should be placed on the shower wall, and that’s it. At the beginning of your shower, rotate the timer so that the sand begins to flow downward. Once the sand has stopped, you know that five minutes have passed. With every rotation, you know that another five minutes have passed.

LED Timer

This next timer measures five-minute intervals as well, but is a bit more technical than the first. It can be installed using either an adhesive backing or with the suction cup that it comes with to the wall of the shower. When your shower starts, press the bottom of the shower timer, lighting up a blue LED. At the four-and-a-half minute mark, the color of the LED will change to red. The red LED light flashes for 30 seconds, acting as a reminder of how much time has passed.

Digital Timer

A digital shower timer allows you to set a target shower time, and the measuring bag included provides knowledge of how much water is being used. The recommended time for usage is 9.25 gallons of water, the equivalent of four minutes. It can hang onto the showerhead with a lanyard, or installed with, you guessed it, a suction cup. Turn the digital timer on at the start of each shower and watch the progress on the screen. Once the target water volume has been reached, an alarm will sound. In the average home, shower water usage accounts for 17 percent of residential indoor water costs, 66 percent of all hot water expenses. Installing any of these timers will help set you on the right track to saving not only water, but the amount of money spent on both water and water heating.

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The bathroom accounts for the majority of indoor water use in the average home. Of all the water-consuming fixtures in the bathroom, the toilet wastes the most water. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the toilet contributes to approximately 27 percent of all residential water consumption. Installing a toilet tank bank is a fast way to limit the amount of water used by this source.

The toilet tank bank is a cost-effective tool that reduces the amount of water by 0.8 gallons per flush, and can increase savings over time. The device is incredibly simple to install, and can be completed in a few steps:

1. Fill the tank bank with water.
2. Close the valve.
3. Hang the bag inside the toilet tank.

This water saver is durable, as it is produced using non-corrosive materials that resist both fungal growth and microbes. The tank bank has an anti-evaporation snap that locks air in, which curbs odors and makes it unnecessary to refill the bag. In addition, it is placed in a way as to not interfere with flush mechanics. The toilet tank bank is a simple device that can be installed in a few minutes, and will save water through the toilet as long as it is installed. Also keep in mind that once you’ve lowered the amount of water used by the most consuming fixture in the bathroom, a reduction in water and sewer costs is not far behind.