Why is Water Conservation Important?

Today, the average person uses about 80 – 100 gallons of water every day.
It’s easy to forget that water is a limited resource. This is where water conservation comes in. It would be impossible for us to live without water, so we need to wisely use the resources that we have left.
By being conscious of water conversation, we’re also saving energy. The majority of the world’s energy is used to filter and pump our water supply. Less CO2 will pollute the atmosphere when we use less hot water.

Importance of Efficient Plumbing

The cost of efficient plumbing can be a shock, but it saves you and your community money in the long run.

• Pay less for water utility bills
• Lower taxes because of fewer pipe repairs
• Less pollution because of less energy use
• Optimizes water supply

It’s easy to forget that we don’t have unlimited water. There are many ways to conserve our earth’s water source. There are the usual tips such as turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth, take faster showers, only do laundry or run the dishwasher when it’s a full load, etc.
These are just some basic ways to save water but it can get even more complex than that.  

1. Efficient Plumbing

The higher price tag of installing an efficient plumbing system and washer/dryer balances out the lower future utility bills in the future. For more tips on running an efficient household.
Any new home built since 2011 has been required to use low-flow toilets. These use half the water of older toilets – 1.6 gallons as opposed to the old 3.5 gallons. If you have an older home, it’s time to consider updating your plumbing. By updating your toilets, you will see a 50% price drop in your utility bills.

2. Sewer Lateral Compliance

Another way to ensure an efficient household is to conduct regular upkeep on your sewer system. This can be done by a plumbing professional maneuvering a telescope camera throughout your system.
This camera is searching for any leaks in your pipes. A leak means wasted water and, therefore, higher plumbing bills. Your local utility office should be aware whether or not your sewer is compliant. Even if they say it is, it might be a good idea to get it checked out – depending on how old the compliance is.

3. Prevent Pollution

Sewage treatment, sometimes known as “wastewater treatment,” is:
…the process of removing contaminants from wastewater, primarily from household sewage. It includes physical, chemical, and biological processes to remove these contaminants and produce environmentally safer treated wastewater (or treated effluent). A by-product of sewage treatment is usually a semi-solid waste or slurry, called sewage sludge that has to undergo further treatment before being suitable for disposal or land application. (Wikipedia)
Not only is sewer-line leak repair good for your wallet, but it’s also courteous to those who use ground-water as their water source. When a water or sewer line has a leak, it can seep into the clean ground-water and contaminate the source.
Reducing pollution is just as important as reducing waste. There are many ways to be clean AND green.
When repairing plumbing or any other project in your house, be sure to keep any scraps for future repairs. Your plumber or other contractors will typically recycle for you – all you have to do is ask!

4. Ways to Recycle Water

Water conservation is not the only way to help the environment.
A quickly-growing water-saving method is rainwater collection. These barrels store the water run-off from your gutters which can then be filtered and used for your daily water source. Be aware that collecting rainwater is only legal in certain states.
It’s most common to use this filtered rainwater to water the garden or lawn, fill pets’ drinking bowls or to wash your car. The more expensive systems are even able to add this water to your home’s plumbing system which will lower your plumbing bills even further.

6 Unexpected Places You’re Wasting Water

• Leaky faucets: If your faucet is dripping all day long, every day, that adds up to 3,000 gallons of wasted water every year.
• Lawn sprinkler system: In order to avoid overwatering your plants or lawn, it’s smart to attach a timer to your sprinkler system. This way, you don’t need to worry about remembering to turn it off, as it will do it automatically. Not only is overwatering a way to run up your water bill, but it’s also not healthy for your lawn or plants – it drowns them!
• High PSI: When your home’s water pressure is above 60 PSI, your plumbing system is under a lot of pressure. The higher pressure may be convenient in the moment, but it can cut your system’s life in half. To lower the PSI, you can install a pressure-reducing valve.
• Undetected water leaks: To check for unknown water leaks, make sure none of your faucets are turned on and check your water meter. Record the number you see and check back in about 8 hours. If the number has drastically changed, this could mean that one or more of your pipes is leaking. If you are unsure of your results, call a plumbing professional to check on your pipes.
• Leaky toilets: When we say leaky, we don’t mean directly leaking onto your floor. These leaks are easy to miss until you get your water bill. There is a flap inside of your toilet tank that should be replaced about every five years. Without this replacement, your toilet(s) will take up half your water bill just with the leaks.
• Your Shower Head: There is no precise lifetime for each shower head – it depends on how often the shower is used. It doesn’t need to be actually replaced very often, but regular maintenance is important. The typical showerhead maintenance routine consists of soaking the shower head in white vinegar.

Call Anthony Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
A qualified plumbing professional can best make the assessment of whether a sump pump system needs to be repaired or replaced and when, and our plumbers are trained to do just that. Anthony stocks both sump pumps and battery backup sump pumps on all trucks to be available whenever you need them. So don’t hesitate to contact us at A-N-T-H-O-N-Y (KS or MO) or schedule a visit.
Check your homeowners insurance as well – not all insurance adequately covers damaged valuables or the costly repairs necessary to undo water damage and the mold growth that occurs afterward. When it comes to indoor flood prevention, one cannot be too careful.
Past related blogs:
https://anthonyphc.com/blog/sump-pump-tip/
https://anthonyphc.com/blog/sump-pumps-get-a-workout/
https://anthonyphc.com/kansas-city-sump-pumps/
https://anthonyphc.com/blog/sump-pumps-a-disaster-waiting-to-happen/