Water Waste Concerns: Why Saving Water for Summer Months is Key
What plans do you have for your water this summer?
Some plan their summer fun many months before it ever comes because they know exactly what they want to do. Some choose to go on a cruise, go on vacation, or drive across the country while others may stay at home and lounge by the pool.
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1cI0WuEmFI&feature=youtu.be” width=”540″ height=”340″]No matter what you plan on doing this summer, it’s likely that you’ll be home a lot of the time and may use water a lot more. It’s hot outside, so you may go into the fridge several times a day to get a drink of water.
The kids may play a lot more, so you’ll have to run the washer more than before to get their clothes clean. You want to have a pool for the kids to play in, so you plan on filling it up for the summer, and maybe you have other plans that will involve the consumption of a lot of water. It’s possible to have water waste in the home when you don’t think about water conservation, especially if you’re using water every single day for many people in the home.
Those who know they are going on a trip are likely to save up money for the event, for a similar reason, those who plan on using a lot of water in the summer should also save their water usage for summertime by cutting down on what they use right now.
Water conservation can help you carry out your summer plans.
It’s not hard to conserve water, especially if you make plans. Maybe you should take one shower a day as opposed to two or three. Flush the toilet only when it’s frequently used or has solid waste in it.
Collect all the water in the home instead of running the faucets. Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl as opposed to running cold water over them to clean them off. Subtle changes in your water usage habits can make a big difference as far as water conservation goes, so water waste can be a thing of the past.
You are guaranteed to use a lot of water in your home, but you can make every drop count, even when you’re going to take a bath. Some have the need to take a bath because they have aching joints and muscles, so a warm bath, even during the summer, may be necessary. After you’ve soaked in the tub, allow the bath water to be used as grey water.
Also, if there are several children to be bathed, allow each child to go in the water at once or separately in order to avoid refilling the tub again to bathe all of the children. Take the necessary steps to keep from using water wastefully, and this can make a big difference in your upcoming water bills. When summertime comes, you can use the water as you need it, so plan on conserving your water usage beforehand.
Typical Ways That a Household Wastes Water
Most households have the same typical water usage habits, such as taking showers, washing dishes, washing clothes, watering the lawn and more. Since most homes will use water pretty much the same way, it’s easy to determine which practices are taking up too much water and can be cut back dramatically or cut out altogether.
Here are some of the ways that you may be wasting water around your home:
- Using a regular garden hose to wash the car
- Watering the lawn with a spraying hose
- Taking baths
- Running the water for a shower or bath until it’s warm
- Watering the plants every single day
- Washing clothes when the washer isn’t full
- Misplacing sprinklers on the lawn
1. Washing the Car– If you must wash the car, then letting the garden hose run is the worst way to do so because it wastes water. Use a sprayer on the hose to wash the car, or simply take your car to the car wash.
2. Watering the Lawn– A spray hose may seem like a good way to water the lawn, but if the lawn is large enough, you may stay in one section for too long and waste too much water.
It’s best to use sprinklers to water your lawn, and get a tuna can that’s empty to determine how much water you are investing on your lawn to let you know when to turn the sprinklers off.
3. Baths– Try avoiding baths as much as possible and taking showers instead, especially since the water consumption from a bath can be dozens of gallons for a single bath.
4. Running Bath Water– Another way you may be wasting water is by running the water for a shower or bath until it gets warm, which almost everyone does. If the water must run, turn it on to a trickle because it will still heat up to the right temperature, even when it’s barely running as opposed to turning it on full blast.
5. Watering Plants– Not every plant needs to be watered every day, and fading colors in the leaves of the plant proves that it’s over watered, so cut back on your watering habits, and consider getting plants that need very little water.
6. Washing Clothes– If you have to wash clothes, then wait until the washer gets full before starting it up to save more water.
7. Misplaced Sprinklers– If you use a sprinkler for your lawn, then make sure it’s on the lawn and not watering the sidewalk or the side of the house.
How Your Plumber Can Help You Save Water
Ask your plumber to give you information on how to conserve water in the home as well as have them check for any leaks. Allowing your plumber to do leak detection around the home as well as test the water meter is a good way to find and fix leaks and to conserve water.
Call Jim Wagner Plumbing Inc. for quality plumbing services in Chicagoland, IL by simply calling (630) 577-9241.
