For homeowners, summer is meant to be enjoyed outdoors. Whether it’s hosting a neighborhood barbecue, playing with the kids, or simply sitting by the pool soaking up some sun – spending time outdoors is part of what makes summer so special. So it makes sense that a lot of homeowners wait until this time of year to tackle outdoor projects like landscaping, adding a pool, trimming trees, painting or gardening.
But what about indoor projects, like fixing leaks? In feng shui, a leak inside a home is said to cause financial troubles … while that may be a bit farfetched, leaks can definitely cost you hundreds-of-dollars a year in wasted water. Consider this – a simple toilet leak can use 50 extra gallons of water a day and a faucet leak can waste up to 5,000 gallons of water a year!
On top of that, most electric and water bills are already at yearly highs during the summer. While you are outside tackling projects this summer don’t neglect the inside of your home. Here are some money saving tips from our Houston plumbing services team that will help keep your water usage and your water bill down this summer.
- Monitor your water bill for unusually high use. Your bill and water meter are tools that can help you discover leaks.
- If you think you might have a leak you need to read your water meter before and after a two hour period when water has not been running in your home. If the reading is not exactly the same, you have a leak.
- If you think your toilet is leaking, put a few drops of food coloring in the tank. If the color leaks into the bowl, replace the flapper.
- Do not use the toilet as an ashtray or waste basket. Avoid unnecessary flushing.
- Fix leaky faucets. You could save as much as 20 gallons per day.
- Rinse vegetables over a large bowl and reuse the water to water indoor plants.
- Insulate hot water pipes for more immediate hot water at the faucet and to save energy.
- Take showers instead of baths. Shorten your showers. A five minute shower per day for a family of four uses about 28,000 gallons of water per year.
- If your shower fills a 1 gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace the showerhead with a water efficient model. Make sure you have water saving aerators on all faucets.
- Turn off your water while brushing your teeth or shaving. You could save up to 3 gallons a day.
- When doing laundry, match the water level to the size of the load. You could save as much as
- 15 to 50 gallons per load. Older standard washing machines use approximately 50 gallons per load.
- If you accidentally drop ice cubes while filling your glass from the freezer, do not throw them away in the sink. Drop them in a house plant instead.
- Before starting your dishwasher, make sure you have a full load.