If you pay a high monthly water bill, you are probably desperate to save money by cutting back on your water usage. If you are on a well system, you are not exempt. Underground water sources often run dry within fifty years. The expense of fracturing your existing water source or drilling a new well can be staggering. Learning how to save water is important for your budget and for the world's natural resources.
It is possible to save water both inside and outside of your home. Many of these items are common sense; others may not be something you think about. Learn to use these helpful tips regularly and you will watch your bills drop quickly and permanently.
INDOORS:
- Do you own a fish tank? For any family that keeps fish as pets, weekly or monthly tank cleanings can waste gallons of water. As you pour the old water down the sink, clean out the tank, and then refill the tank with fresh water, you have wasted a good deal of water. With a 10 gallon tank, in one year's time if you clean the tank monthly, you have wasted 120 gallons. First, install a filtration system that works well. You may have to pay a little more money, but many expensive filters will keep the tank clean for months on end. When you do clean the tank, save the old tank water. It may look gross to you, but your house plants will love it. The fishes' waste is excellent fertilizer that is generally odor free after it has dried.
- Go through your home periodically and look for drips and leaks from your faucet. If you have a problem faucet, go in and replace all of the washers and tighten the screws on the top of the faucet handles. This can stop drips from occurring saving thousands of gallons per year. If that does not fix it, invest in a new faucet system. You can purchase them for under $50, and providing you have the right tools (flashlight, pipe wrench, screwdrivers, and pipe tape) you should be able to install it yourself in under an hour.
- When shaving, fill a bowl with water for rinsing. One bowl of water is enough for you to shave your face or legs. Alternately, shave in the shower while your conditioner is in your hair. Never run water specifically for shaving, it wastes hundreds of gallons per year. Install a water saving shower head that can be turned off during shaving and then turned back on as needed. This can help save water as well.
- As they age, toilets can become notorious for developing leaks. Add a few drops of food coloring to the toilet's tank area. Let is sit and watch the toilet bowl for coloring. If the color makes it from the tank to the bowl, you should replace all the tank innards. The kits sell for under $20 and are easy to replace
OUTDOORS:
- If you must water your yard or gardens, run sprinklers only at night an hour before the sun sets. Watering in the day is wasteful because the sun evaporates more water than actually soaks into the ground.
- Purchase large, plastic trash containers and place them under the downspouts of your gutters. If mosquitoes are a problem in your area, buy a few feeder goldfish (less than 50 cents each at many pet stores) to eat the mosquito larva as they hatch. Use the water that collects in these buckets to water your outdoor plants.
- Don't wash your car at home. Pay the extra money and use a coin operated car wash. If you are spending money at one of these establishments, you are far less likely to waste water because you will be in a hurry to wash before your time expires.
