Retrofitting Conserves Water and Preserves our Resources

Every drop of water does count and each person can make a difference to help preserve and conserve this important resource. Because water is usually plentiful, easily available and inexpensive, we often consider it to be an almost limitless resource - it is not. Water conservation practices will help preserve our existing water supplies and help ensure that our water resources will be available for future generations.

Retrofitting is replacing, changing or modifying existing older plumbing fixtures in your home or business with those that are designed to save water. Older, water-guzzling plumbing fixtures should be replaced with low-flow or reduced-flow devices.

Retrofitting to save water will lower your utility bills. The more water that comes into your home or business, the more water there is that must be disposed of through sewer systems. This also costs you money. Many simple, easy-to-install water-saving devices will lower your water and sewer bills enough to make up for the initial costs within just a few months. A simple task such as fixing leaks could save you hundreds of gallons of water each year.

It has been estimated that a family of four could save between 10,000 to 20,000 gallons of water a year by repairing leaking faucets and toilets, installing low-flow aerators, placing dams or bottles in toilets, installing flow restrictors or replacing shower heads with low-flow ones.

The Leaks We See and the Leaks We Don't

The Leaks We Do See

To check your toilet for leaks, remove the lid from the tank, flush to clear the water in the bowl, drop in one leak-detecting dye tablet or a few drops of food coloring (start with five drops to see if the water darkens enough) and then wait 15 minutes. If colored water appears in the toilet bowl without additional flushing, there is a leak. This type of leak is typically associated with the plunger ball. Most toilet leaks are generally of this type. If not, the leak could be associated with the overflow pipe. If you cannot fix the leak yourself, then call a plumber.

Check all indoor faucets for leaks or drips. Worn washers or O-rings can cause your faucets to leak. If the leak can't be fixed, you may have to replace the faucet. Remember, if hot water is leaking, this not only costs you in water usage but in energy usage as well. Your shower head should be checked to be sure that it doesn't drip. If it does, it should be repaired or replaced.

The Leaks We Don't See

One way to determine whether there are leaks you don't know about or can't see is to do a simple test with your water meter. Locate your water meter and write down the meter reading. Turn off all the water-using fixtures in your home and don't use any water for one to two hours. Then check the water meter reading again. If it changed, you probably have a leaking pipe or pipes somewhere that you can't see. Call your plumber.

Making Fixtures More Water Efficient

If your toilet is not one of the newer, water-saving ones that use about 1.6 gallons a flush, install a toilet tank water saver which will save you several gallons of water a day. You can use a toilet tank dam which eliminates corners of the tank, making it smaller, and holds back water when it is flushed. You also can use a plastic displacement bag or a plastic milk bottle. Simply fill with water and place inside the tank. Less water is used when the toilet is flushed. A toilet tank dam or displacement bag can reduce water use by 10 to 20 percent. Most hardware, home improvement or plumbing supply stores carry these items. Of course, if you have the older model, you can replace it with an ultra-low flow or low-flush toilet which uses less water.

If your faucets are not leaking (or after they have been fixed), have the amount of water flowing from each faucet checked. Faucets that are allowing too much water to flow through, should be installed with low-flow aerators. Low-flow aerators also come with an on/off flip handle that enables you to increase or decrease the flow of water. Remember that the rate of flow, though, depends on water pressure. Different flows from different faucets may be desirable. For example, in the kitchen, you will want to be sure that the flow of water is sufficient to wash and rinse dishes. Low-flow faucet aerators can reduce usage by about 20 to 40 percent.

Flow restrictors can be installed in your shower heads to reduce water usage. Your shower head also can be replaced with a low-flow shower head. Most of these look very much like conventional shower heads. Low-flow shower heads can reduce water usage by 40 to 60 percent.

Calculating What You Use

One way to find out how much water is used for specific tasks is to read your water meter before and after a particular task such as taking a shower, washing dishes, washing laundry or watering the lawn. You can do these calculations before you retrofit and then afterward to see how much water you are saving.

Most meters record water usage in gallons. Read the meter before you start a particular task and then read it again after the task has been completed. Simply subtract the smaller number from the larger number. Some meters could display cubic feet instead of gallons. For those that display cubic feet, multiply the difference (smaller number subtracted from the larger number as above) by 7.5 to obtain the approximate number of gallons in one cubic foot or the number of gallons used to complete the particular task.

Wise Water Words

Family members and coworkers should learn where shut-off valves are located and how to turn them off in the event of an emergency such as when a faucet becomes a fountain or a pipe inside a wall bursts. Identify the location of the main shut-off valve that turns off the water to your home, business or office building. This can usually be found where the water pipe enters the structure. When using water - be conservative. It isn't difficult to conserve water. Just use common-sense practices. Every drop does count.