WATER IQ

Water Conservation Tips

 

• Outdoor Use
  
  Car Wash
  • Wash cars efficiently. Choose a car wash that recycles water. At home, use a shut off nozzle and wash your car in small sections. Direct runoff water to landscaping.
  
  Landscaping
  • Water yards wisely. Landscaping benefits most from slow, thorough, infrequent watering, which promotes a strong root system. Cut back watering to 1 inch every seven days and minimize evaporation by watering in early morning or evening. It’s okay for lawns to experience stress and brown spots in the hottest months.
  • Check sprinkler systems frequently for directional aim and broken heads to prevent watering driveways, sidewalks and streets.
  • The best sprinklers throw large drops of water low to the ground rather than misty sprays that allow water to evaporate quickly. Try a pressure-regulated spray head, which keeps the pressure constant.
  • Use soaker hoses instead of sprinklers to water trees, shrubs and beds more efficiently.
  • If you have an automatic sprinkler system, replace your timer with an evapotranspiration (ET) controller. These smart controllers monitor information about soil moisture, rain, wind and evaporation so your system only waters when it’s truly needed. Traditional timers require manual adjustments every time the weather changes. ET controllers use real-time data from local weather stations to make adjustments automatically and can reduce water use by about 30 percent. Have a professional inspect your system annually for leaks.
  • Mulch to retain water. Experts recommend 4 to 6 inches to prevent evaporation and keep soil moist. Plant hardy, water-saving plants, trees, and shrubs, particularly native species. Ask your local nursery or landscape professional for advice. Limit lawn by using gravel or bark.
  • Mow less frequently in dry times. Raise your lawnmower blade and cut grass to a height of 3 inches—this shades the soil, which reduces evaporation, so your soil requires less water and allows roots to grow deeper, making for a healthier lawn.
  • Never use a water hose to clean up grass or lawn debris on sidewalks or driveways. Use a broom or rake.
  • Check for leaks in taps, pipes and hoses. It’s an easy way to save water. One slow drip can waste 20 gallons of water daily (7,000 gallons per year).
  
  Pools, Spas
  • Cover pools and spas to reduce evaporation.
  • If you own a pool, pay close attention to the water level. If it varies drastically from day to day, you probably have a leak and need it serviced immediately.
  • Swimming pools should not be drained and refilled during the summer except to replace normal water loss.
  • Avoid overflows and splashes by reducing water levels. Water landscaping with wading pool water.
  • Never submerge a watering hose into the pool to refill it. You won’t hear the hose running underwater and could forget that you left it on. Not only is it wasteful, but you might flood your yard—or the neighborhood. Plus, unless you have an anti-siphon device installed, your chemically treated water could back flow into the City’s water supply. Position the hose above the water surface so you hear the hose water running. That way you’ll remember the water is on.
  
  Indoor Use  
  
  Bathroom
  • Don’t let the water run while you brush your teeth or shave. Turn the faucet on briefly to rinse. An electric razor saves the most water.
  • Short showers save water. Keep showers under eight minutes and turn off the water to soap up.
  • Install a water efficient shower head or put a restricting washer in it to reduce the water flow.
  • Filling the tub uses about 50 gallons of water. Try bathing in just 10 gallons.
  • Plug the bathtub and start the hot water; wait to add cold water until the water in the tub has reached the right temperature. When you’ve finished bathing, use the bath water to clean the tub.
  • Bathe children together.
  • To significantly reduce water use, replace your old 5 gallon per flush toilet with a new 1.5 or 1.6 gallon per flush toilet. This is the most effective way to decrease the amount of water used in the bathroom.
  • As an alternative to installing a new toilet, retrofit your old one with a water-saving device. Displacing volume in the tank means that less water is used for each flush. A clean, sealed plastic container filled with either sand or pebbles and water will work. Don’t use a brick: Pieces of decaying brick can get under the rubber flapper and cause leaks.
  • Be careful that your displacement device still allows a complete flush. With old tanks, less volume may mean less than a total flush. Flushing twice doesn’t save water!
  • Leaky toilets can waste a lot of water. Replace the rubber flapper in the tank every two to three years. If black coloring comes off on your hand when you touch the flapper, it’s time to replace it!
  • Test your toilet for leaks. Add several drops of food coloring to the toilet tank. Wait 15 minutes. If it’s leaking, the coloring will appear in the toilet without flushing.
  • Flush only when necessary. Avoid using the toilet for a wastebasket. Every flush you eliminate can save between two and seven gallons of water.
  
  Cleaning
  • Wash clothes wisely. Match washer’s load selector to your load size and wash only full loads. Skip unnecessary rinse cycles, minimize detergent use and save energy by using cold water to wash.
  • Washing clothes by hand can be easier and save water if you use only a small amount of detergent and presoak really dirty items.
  • Buying a new washing machine? Choose wisely. Front-loading washing machines use 40% less water than top loaders. Another option is to purchase a top loader with a suds-saver. Suds-savers reuse most of the sudsy wash water for a second load. By beginning with the cleanest clothes and reusing wash water for at least one load, suds-savers can cut water use by 30-50%.
  • Conserve when cleaning. For heavy cleaning, use water you’ve saved from other household uses and then a clean rinse. Limit soaps and cleaning agents.
  
  Faucets
  • Stop leaks. Twice a year, check all faucets inside and outside for leaks. Replace worn-out fixtures, washers, O-rings, and hose connections. Turn faucets off firmly.
  
  Kitchen
  • Install a low-flow faucet aerator.
  • When washing dishes or vegetables, fill the sink with water rather than using the running tap.
  • Don’t wait for the hot water to come – put the plug in right away.
  • Reduce dishwashing. Use a rubber spatula to scrape dishes clean to limit pre-rinse. Let really dirty pans or dishes soak to speed washing.
  • Limit dishwasher use to full loads and minimize detergent use. Prepare food with an eye to reduce dishwashing.
  • Purchase a power and water efficient dishwasher and use the economy cycle.
  • Defrost sensibly. Plan ahead to defrost foods overnight in the refrigerator, use the microwave or put wrapped food in a bowl of cold water.
  • Avoid using garbage disposals by composting or feeding leftovers to pets when possible. Use recycled water in disposal.
  • Cool drinking water in refrigerator or with ice, not by running tap. Use leftover drinking water for pets or to water plants.
  
  Water Heater
  • Use hot water efficiently. Insulate hot water pipes to save energy.

 

Click the Link below for more Water Conservation Tips provided by Commercial Capital Training Group
Water Conservation & The Possibilities