How To Save Water Without Even Noticing It
Tips for Making Your Plumbing System More Efficient
Why It is Important to Use Less Water
The cost of water is rising in cities and rural areas, leading to huge utility bills. In addition to saving money by making [plumbing systems]1 more efficient, using less water is an important way to protect the environment.
While a home’s plumbing devices often seem boring, the devices are in almost constant use. To ensure a family is using less water, everyone needs to cooperate with guidelines such as turning off a faucet while brushing their teeth or taking quicker showers. There are also easy ways for homeowners to make some changes to their home’s plumbing devices.
Many older homes are designed with old-fashioned plumbing fixtures made before the energy crisis. These fixtures guzzle water by having larger tanks and regular faucets.
Inspect a Home’s Plumbing Devices
Homeowners can inspect their home’s fixtures located in bathrooms and kitchens. Use a flashlight to look under sinks to check for leaking connectors, pipes and valves. Signs of slow leaks include water spots, mold or mildew odor.
An occasional leak caused by a sink draining may lead to the wood inside cabinets warping slightly. A small water leak can cause homeowners to lose hundreds of gallons of water a year.
When there are leaks under sinks in kitchens or bathrooms, homeowners may need to have a part such as a pipe replaced or replace the entire sink. Above the cabinet, leaks can occur near the faucet handles or spigot due to worn washers or corroded metal. It is easy to change washers in faucet handles or spigots, but it is often better to replace the entire faucet.
Replace Old Water Heaters and Toilets
Old toilets use a lot of water to flush away waste but are simple to replace with low flow models. Installing a toilet is a job that requires a professional plumber in order to order the correct model and connect components correctly.
While a plumber is in a home, it is a good idea to have other devices installed such as low flow showerheads above bathtubs. Make sure to inspect faucets located outside a home that often leak small amounts of water that seep into the ground to damage a building’s foundation.
A plumber can empty the sediments from a water heater to help water heat faster in the tank or replace it with a new model.
Interested in going green? Call Cole Plumbing at (334) 458-9413 to make your Montgomery home more energy efficient.
